TOUCHPOINTS: Stay steadfast as the world passes away

 In Luke 17:20-37 we read about Jesus discussing the coming of God’s kingdom on earth. He said his return would be sudden and without warning. As Jesus was speaking with his disciples he told them when the son of man returns you will know it beyond all doubt. 

The world will be like the people were in Noah’s day.  People were eating, drinking, holding parties and weddings; also, Jesus spoke of the days of Lot, people going about their daily business, eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building.  

In II Timothy 3, as paraphrased in The Living Bible, Paul is speaking to Timothy.

“You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian.

For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. 

They will be hardheaded and never give in to others, they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God.  They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear.”  

Paul continues telling Timothy that those who decide to please Christ by living godly lives will suffer at the hands of those who hate him. In fact, evil men and false teachers will become worse and worse — deceiving many, they themselves having been deceived by Satan.. 

 “For there is going to come a time when people won’t listen to the truth, but will go around looking for teachers, who will tell them just what they want to hear. They won’t listen to what the Bible says but will blithely follow their own misguided ideas.”  

Folks, does this describe the time in which we are living? We have the whole Bible which was given to us by inspiration from God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives; it straightens us out and helps us do what is right.  We should remain steadfast and persistent in prayer as we await his coming. 

“And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.” (1 John 2:17)