Preparation for the End
Time
Paul Wong
The Holy
Bible not only reveals God’s plan of salvation for mankind it also gives us the
history of the world in which we live.
The first book Genesis describes how God created this earth, and the
last book Revelation tells us that it will end.
“And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.” (Rev.
21:1)
The Bible
tells us how the earth will pass away.
“But the heavens and the
earth now exist are kept in store by the same word, reserved for fire until the
day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” (2 Pet. 3:7)
“But the day of the Lord
will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a
great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and
the works that are in it will be burned up.”
(2 Pet. 3:10)
Spiritual and Physical Preparation
“Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be
preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes. 5:23)
We are created in God’s image in the three aspects of life. We have a spirit, soul and body which refers
not so much to the distinct parts of a person, but more so to the entire being
of a person. This means God must be
involved in every aspect of our lives during our preparation for the coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ.
Realizing
that the earth is going to be burned up, we should not place our confidence in
earthly treasures or pursuits, but have complete faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
and what is lasting and eternal.
“Therefore, since all
these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy
conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements
will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. Therefore,
beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, without spot and blameless;” (2 Pet.
In
preparation for the End Time our first priority must be centered on the Lord
Jesus Christ and look forward to His Second Coming. We must “be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without
spot and blameless;”? “Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without
which no one will see the Lord” (Heb.
Be filled with the Holy Spirit
Our Lord Jesus Christ
spoke the parable of the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1-13). They represent all
Christians who have been saved (2 Cor. 11:2). The
lamp represents the Word of God (Psm. 119:105) and
God’s commandments (Pro.
We must be prepared for the Great Tribulation
One of the
most important aspects of our Lord’s discourse on His Second Coming is the
Great Tribulation. Here is what He said.
“For then there will be
great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until
this time, no nor ever shall be. And
unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s
sake those days will be shortened.” (Mt.
24:21-22)
All
Christians believe our Lord Jesus Christ will come again, but they disagree on
whether He will return before or after the Great Tribulation. Some believe they will be secretly raptured before the Great Tribulation, while others believe
Jesus will return after the Great Tribulation.
Which view is correct? Our Lord
Jesus Christ clearly said:
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will
fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear
in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see
the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Mt. 24:29-30)
What can
be plainer than that? Our Lord Jesus
Christ said He will come again after the Great Tribulation and not before. That means all Christians will have to go
through the Great Tribulation. We must all
be prepared for very difficult times ahead.
What happens during the Great Tribulation?
1. False Religions
will appear Here is the
warning from our Lord Jesus Christ. “For false christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs
and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand.” (Mt. 24:23-26)
2. The Antichrist is
revealed “Let no one deceive you
by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first,
and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts
himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as
God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” (2 Thes. 2:3-4)
3. Global Control
of Religion by the Beast Empire “He was granted power to give breath to the image of
the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as
would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.” (Rev. 13:15) “Then they will deliver
you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake.” (Mt. 24:9)
4. Global Economic
control by the Beast Empire “He causes all, both small
and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand
or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the
mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. 18 Here
is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for
it is the number of a man: His number is 666.” (Rev. 13:16-18)
5. Global Terrorism
by the Beast Empire “When He opened the
fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, ‘Come and
see.’ And I looked, and behold, a pale
horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with
him. And power was given to them over a
fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the
beasts fo the earth.” (Rev. 6:7-8) In Scripture the beast is figurative
of the sensual, ferocious and brutal natures that belong to the wild and
untamed animals (Ezek.
6. Gigantic
Earthquakes in Various Places “And there will be great
earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be
fearful sights and great signs from heaven.” (Lk. 21:11)
7. Global Warming “Then the fourth angel
poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch with
fire. And men were scorched with great
heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and
they did not repent and Him glory.” (Rev.
16:8-9) Three new reports
authored by prominent scientists — published in the journals "Nature"
and "Science" — bolster that theory's
credibility that warmer water causes more powerful hurricanes.
How do we prepare for the Great Tribulation?
1. Keep your faith
and attend Church services regularly
“Let us
hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful. And let us consider one
another in order to stir up love and good works. Not forsaking the assembling
of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and
so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb. 10:23-25)
2. Watch and Pray
“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with
carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you
unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all
those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore,
and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that
will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
3. Ask the Lord
Jesus Christ for guidance to a Place of Safety Our Lord instructed His disciples to leave
4. Prepare for the
worst but pray and hope for the best God has always given His people warning of impending disasters before they actually
happen. “And God said to Noah, ‘the end of all flesh has
come before Me, for all the earth is filled with
violence through them; and behold, I will destroy them with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopherwood;
make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with pitch.” (Gen.
6:13-14) “And you shall take for
yourself of all food that is eaten, and you shall gather it to yourself; admit
shall be good for you and for them.” (Gen.
6:21)
May God bless you
A sermon based on this article was preached by Paul Wong
to a
Congregation in
For comments please write first to: arkpw@sbcglobal.net
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Paul Wong is a Christian minister and the
President of ARK International. |
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