End Times Training, Part 6:Preparing For Tribulation

© 2011 Lee Ann B. Marino. All rights reserved.

Apostle Dr. Lee Ann B. Marino, Ph.D., D.D., ChancellorApostolic University

http://apostolicuniversity.webs.com

Review of parts 1-5 The Last Days compose an era of unspecified

time which refers to the times that end the era preceding the return of Jesus Christ in the Second Coming

The Last Days are noted for certain specific characteristics by which we can identify these times as different from other times

The ancients viewed prophecy as circular, not linear› They believed in life coming full circle, prophecy

coming full circle, and things standing restored› In the beginning was God, man, and order; in the end

will be God, man, and order; to get there, there must be a time of uproar and disruption

› The Last Days prophecy does not refer to a literal explosion or cataclysm totally destroying the entire world, but a series of events that shall disrupt and get the attention of people

People shall be deceived on all different levels, including through false prophets that deceive people about God and about themselves

There shall be an increase in wars, rumors of wars, and numerous natural disasters in different places within the world

True believers of the Lord shall face hatred, betrayal, familial problems, hated by the world, and face offense

Sin is a prominent feature of the Last Days, with many hating one another

He who survives through the times shall be saved The Gospel shall be preached into all the world; the end

shall not come until then The abomination that causes desolation can apply to a

number of different events in history, and calls us to accountability in what we follow, believe, do, and causes us to look at ourselves

Preparing for tribulation(Matthew 24:16)

In recognizing the abomination that causes desolation is near, a preparation must come because tribulation is coming› This was a message given to believers, not non-

believers, and that must be relevant Jesus has prepared us for every thing that is

advancing and in keeping with that, Jesus calls us to practical preparations as well

The spiritual guidance we receive from the Lord is about more than just ethereal signs; it is practical, applicable information that we can apply to a number of circumstances that arise

God is not far-off or uninterested in what we go through

Why the abomination alerts us to coming tribulations

What goes on in the natural reflects struggles in the spiritual – The abomination that causes desolation manifesting in the church in a physical way reflects the spiritual battle manifesting between God’s forces and the demonic realm

Difficulties are coming for God’s people in a more intense way –We can see an obvious progression in persecution among the saints: being betrayed by family, hated by all nations, handed over to tribunals unto death, and now, permanently difficult times for the people of God

We need to be prepared for things to get worse before they get better –If we consider the concept of cyclical prophecy and the clashing of eras, it must reach a certain peak before things can move to what is next

God asks us to be reasonable – We can’t become so out-of-this-world that we ignore signs, symptoms, and awareness of our day and age and fail to prepare ourselves mentally, spiritually, and physically

Those in Judea flee to the mountains (Matthew 24:16)

The Bible does not encourage people to go into Judea during these times› Why? Life is unsafe

Life is unsafe for everyone that lives there, on both sides of the religious and political spectrum

Because of tensions (remember, it is the physical manifesting spiritual clashes), people are largely out of control

It’s not a time to flock in because the character of God is missing from the people in the land

› We need to stop looking to physical places as “holy” and see ourselves as the temples of God and the building of God and manifest that! As people of God, we need to start seeking God

everywhere He is and not rely on stereotypes; we must assess fairly and flee places where God is not

Don’t hold treasure in this world (Matthew 24:17-18)

We can’t put stock in materialism and we have to be prepared at any time to sacrifice or leave our material things › The time may come when we can’t hold on to the

things we have acquired and may need to leave things behind

› The Bible tells us that we can’t hold on to the plow of God and look back – and when we are called to leave or know that the time has come to leave somewhere because it is unsafe – it’s time to go

If we are holding our identities and hopes in material possessions, we won’t make it through the trials that are now here and are yet to come

The woe of family in times of tribulation (Matthew 24:19)

Children are an investment, emotional, financial, and in time – It’s difficult to have to pick up and leave a place to go somewhere else, leave things behind, or live by the Spirit in a time of disruption with young children who require attachments, comforts, securities, and financial commitments

They require stability – The last days are not an age of stability, but of instability; it is a challenge to try and bring stability to an unstable situation, especially when we don’t always know exactly how the instability will manifest

It can be hard to keep children discreet – Children don’t handle being still, quiet, hiding out, or secrets very well (remember the Quaker Chewy Granola Bar commercial where the kids start revealing secrets?); if there is a situation that calls for special discernment, quiet, keeping a secret, or discipline, it can be difficult to get the child to fully cooperate

They can be uncooperative – Kids don’t always do what they are told…and inconveniently often fail to cooperate when it’s most relevant they behave

Everyone doesn’t always agree about how to handle a situation when children are involved – What the Spirit may instruct a family to do for safety may not always sway well with social mores of the day and may cause conflicts within a family unit over what to do, how to approach a situation, or what God is or is not saying about what to do or what is coming

Pray for God to make a way in tribulation (Matthew 24:20)

Pray that in tribulation the situations we are called to address are not complicated› Having to flee in the winter or on the Sabbath would have

caused a conflict for a Jewish believer and would have made the journey more difficult

› We pray that as the Lord calls us, we are able to go without hesitation or difficulty because we have heard from Him

The purpose of tribulation goes along with preaching the Gospel everywhere in that the people of God are scattered› The church of God is not one nationality or nation; we

should not seek to conform governments to our will; but should follow God as He sends His revival into all the world Tribulation accomplishes His purposes as much as good times

Tribulation as never been seen before (Matthew 24:21) The difficulties seen will be more intense than ever before› The people of God have always seen trials, but these

will be extremely intense and more intense than ever seen prior in history In a sense this teaches the experiences of the last days

to be unfathomable and not something that can easily be compared to any one other thing, but a culmination of every other age and trial that has come before

The tribulation seen in the Last Days, once over, will never be seen again› We will enter a new paradigm, a new era, the time

with Christ, and the final battle will be won and tribulation shall cease

How tribulation can benefit the saints› Brings forth discipline

We grow in difficult times – do we abandon God or do we step up to the plate and discipline ourselves to understand better what we are going through and where we are going

› Helps the Saints to learn to discern God’s voice It’s easy to be dissuaded by all sorts of voices and confusions

unless we attend ourselves to hearing God and following the leading of the Spirit

This disciplining doesn’t typically come in times of comfort and convenience

› Gives us the opportunity to live our faith in a radical way There are an awful lot of people who will deny the Lord if having

to make the choice between fitting in, being comfortable, or being different

› Proves how well we know the Lord and what more we need to learn The church should never assume it knows it all when it comes to

knowledge of God – because if today’s church is any indication, there is a lot more we can use to learn

The days shall be shortened…on account of the elect (Matthew 24:22)

The days are shortened for the sake of the elect› This is the hand of God’s favor on His people

Life is God’s will for those who are His own; He gives us life; He gives us abundant life; and it is not His will that His people are crushed under the tribulation times

› God wants His people to accomplish His purpose Tribulation, as noted earlier, seeks God’s purpose in and

through His people Its purpose is not to kill the elect

› The purpose of tribulation is also separation between God’s people and those who do not choose God We show what we’re made of and who we truly are for

when things are difficult or trying – who stands with Christ or who denies Him because “it’s too hard”

Ways God shortens the time› Literal shortening of the time of the

tribulation› Working in and through us to bring a

conclusion to tribulation situations that we face in our daily and spiritual lives

› By working in us so things aren’t so difficult to work out within us and our character

› By making it so we are prepared for what is to come instead of ignoring or not dealing with it

In the next teaching…

The resolution to never follow a false prophet› Yet another round of examination on false

prophets – and why we should never follow them

› How false prophets will, yet again, step up their deceptions in the last days, by each progressive step and will be present and persistent right up until the end