Summer Is Near - Contending for the Faith - Part Two

 

“No, no,” you say. “Fall and winter are near—not summer—summer is waning.”

 

Yes, for those in the Northern Hemisphere, you are correct. But I’m not talking about the four seasons our Holy God put into place—governed by His sun and moon.[1] I’m talking about the season of which Jesus spoke when He said, “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!”[2]

 

What is near and at the doors? Summer—the things leading up to this age’s final seven years and the great tribulation.

 

“Enough already with the doom and gloom!”

 

I hear your protests. And if life were like it was in 2019, I would cease and just focus on God’s greatness and the beauty of fall. But in just a few short years, life has plunged so far from the abundance and joy we experienced pre-covid—I can’t stop warning.

 

Since 2020, our world has lived wars, rumors of wars, nations (ethnicities) rising against ethnicities, kingdoms against kingdoms, famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. All these Jesus said are the beginning of sorrows—sorrows being the time of Jacob’s trouble—the tribulation.[3]

 

Maybe you’re thinking, well, this is nothing new. All my life, I’ve heard these warnings. I agree, and we’ve already seen universal pestilence, but has there ever been the threat of worldwide famine? No? Now there is.

 

Still, the first thing Jesus warned about—not once—but THREE times—was deception. We talked a little about this in our August blog, yet during end times, deception will be at an all-time high. Do you know who you can trust for truth—not only the TRUTH of Scripture but also about the times in which we live? Mainstream media has been taken over by enemies of our country. They are puppets—talking heads—you cannot trust them to give truth.

 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is also being used increasingly. I just heard about AI churches. And get this: the first AI church, called “Way of the Future” (WOTF), began in 2017. “Way,” obviously taken from Scripture, where Jesus said, “I am the Way,” and Jews called the church of Jesus Christ “the Way.”[4]

 

This AI church was short-lived, praise God, but don’t think their work has discontinued. Listen to what its founder, former Google executive Anthony Levandowski, said, “…WOTF’s activities will focus on ‘the realization, acceptance, and worship of a Godhead based on Artificial Intelligence (AI) developed through computer hardware and software.’ That includes funding research to help create the divine AI itself…”[5] (emphasis mine)

 

If that doesn’t send a chill up your spine, I don’t know what will. Computers are programmed by sin-cursed humans—using the wisdom of this world—foolishness to God.[6] If we don’t know TRUTH from the Bible in our hand (not our phone), taught by God’s Holy Spirit, we won’t recognize when AI is lying, and we might fall away.[7]

 

Yet, God IS in control—He does according to His will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth.[8] But what will He allow His children to experience before the rapture? How many fiery trials will test our faith?[9]

 

Please heed Jesus’s warnings—do not be deceived. The fig tree IS putting forth leaves—summer IS near. And as we see 2,000-year-old prophecies fulfilled and happening before our eyes, continue to contend for the faith and trust God more—His children will not lack any good thing.[10]

 

Then remember Habakkuk’s words, “Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labor of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls—yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation.”[11]

 

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[1] Genesis 1:14-18; Genesis 8:21-22

[2] Matthew 24:32-33

[3] Matthew 24:4-8; Jeremiah 30:7

[4] John 14:6; Acts 9:2; Acts 19:2, 23; Acts 22:4; Acts 24:14, 22

[5] https://www.wired.com/story/anthony-levandowski-artificial-intelligence-religion

[6] I Corinthians 1:18-20

[7] II Thessalonians 2:3

[8] Daniel 4:35

[9] I Peter 1:6-7

[10] Psalm 34:10

[11] Habakkuk 3:17-18