ON THE BRINK OF THE ABYSS! WAR TENSIONS RISING ON THE ROAD TO ARMAGEDDON - BLESSED IS HE THAT WATCHETH AND KEEPETH HIS GARMENTS!
NEWS UPDATE - 10th March 2025
The talk of war is all around us. East and West. North and South. Tensions
are rising all around the world. Why? Oh the Word of God warned us! First, take a look at the following recent news headlines:
"'Brink of abyss!' Russia hits back at Emmanuel Macron after he told Europe to 'prepare for war' - France's 'maniacal' President Emmanuel Macron is bringing Europe to the brink of 'abyss', pro-Putin hardliners have claimed." (source)
"China warns it's prepared for any type of war with US - The Chinese embassy in Washington, in a post on X, said: If war is what the US wants, be it a tariff war, a trade war or any other type of war, we're ready to fight till the end." (source)
"We're prepared for WAR with China, Trump Defence Sec says after Xi threat as tariff scrap escalates dramatically - We live in a dangerous world with powerful, ascendant countries with very different ideology." (source)
"We are in an era of rearmament - Von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels, adding that 'Rearm Europe' could mobilise close to 800 billion Euros of defence expenditures for a safe and resilient Europe." (source)
"Turkey and Israel on Collision Course in Syria - As regional and international stakeholders scramble to strike a deal over the war in Gaza, a dangerous rivalry is escalating between U.S. allies Israel and Turkey in Syria, where geopolitically fueled conflict persists three months after the fall of President Bashar al-Assad." (source)
WHAT SAITH THE LORD? - Joel 3:9-13 ...'Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; PREPARE WAR, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: thither cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, FOR THE HARVEST IS RIPE: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great.'
The marshaling of the nations, the east and the west, as we can see from the prophecy in Joel above are tokens of the soon second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ - "put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe!" These world movements of the great nations are but the marshaling of those mighty nations preparatory to their coming up to the battle of that great day of God Almighty - Armageddon.
Revelation 16:12-16 ...'And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty. Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.'
So what is the all important counsel for us as we see these things take place? WATCH and KEEP OUR GARMENTS. What does it mean to watch? To simply watch the news? No. While it is good for us to see the signs taking place that Jesus warned us to see, there is a much more important thing for us to 'watch.' Look at what Jesus told the disciples when He found them SLEEPING:
Matthew 26:40-41 ...'And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not WATCH with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.'
We must, especially now in this day of evil, when we are surrounded by temptations and wickedness, WATCH that we enter not INTO temptation, which will produce sin. Jesus found the disciples sleeping just when they needed to watch the most, which is why they were not prepared for Jesus' arrest and they all fled. How many of us today would Jesus find sleeping and unprepared for what is about to come upon this world? How many of us would Jesus find still living in sin? Did you see another important part of those who are 'blessed' in Revelation 16? They KEEP their garments. What garments are they?
Isaiah 61:10 ...'I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.'
Revelation 19:8 ...'And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.'
Romans 8:3-4 ...'For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.'
It is God who clothes us with His righteousness, through faith in His Son and His atoning work. But the fact that Revelation 16 says those are blessed who KEEP their garments, shows that we can LOSE them also. So how do we keep the garment of righteousness? By 'watching lest we enter into temptation.' By 'walking in the Spirit, so that we fulfil NOT the lusts of the flesh,' but instead 'fulfil the righteousness of the law' in our daily lives. And what is the ONLY way we can achieve this?
John 15:4-5 ...'Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.'
To abide in Christ is the answer. Is your name in the book of life? Will it remain in the book of life? Abiding in Christ is the only way, so that He can abide in you and MAKE YOU righteous? Not just 'declare' you as righteous, but literally make you righteous, so that you LIVE a righteous life. This is the gospel message as Paul confirmed in Romans 8:3-4 above. This is all part of watching and keeping our garments. The time is at hand friends. The signs show us that the return of Christ is approaching. So let us watch. Let us make sure we keep our garments, by abiding in Christ every day and every moment of every day, so that we enter NOT into temptation and we remained clothed with His righteousness.
1 Thessalonians 5:5-6 ...'Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.'
Romans 13:11-14 ...'And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.'
WATCH! GET READY! ABIDE IN CHRIST!
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