This is the second part to what will end up being a lengthy list of things we can see stand opposed to what Jesus has offered us through our belief and faith in Him. It’s a great study for anyone who isn’t sure about whether or not we’ll be delivered before the tribulation, or for those who are sure but love to be pointed to things that confirm it, as I do.
We can be assured that those who are truly abiding on the vine of the Lord Jesus Christ will not be taking part in those things which are anti-Christ. If God is for us, who or what can stand against us? I must confess that I can’t take credit for finding these myself, as it has been the Spirit leading, teaching, and showing these things to me every single day for the last several years. Morning by morning, new mercies I see. It’s my belief that it’s in preparation for the imminent calling of His bride. It’s not anything I (or any of us) have earned, but all by His pure grace.
We can start with Jesus telling us to “be holy, because He is holy.” There is only one way to be holy: by abiding in Him. This is another command that is also a promise and a protective exhortation, just like “don’t fear, just believe!” God did not call us into uncleanness, as that isn’t what His plan is for us.
1 Peter 1:16 “For it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”
1 Thessalonians 4:7 “For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness.”
Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.”
Here is the opposition:
The tribulation is an unleashing of everything unholy all at once. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 has a list of behaviors that take place in the last days, all of which stand opposed to His holiness. It just isn’t sensible that Jesus would tell His beloved body and bride to be holy (repeatedly), and then just let us go headlong into this most horrific time of unholiness. We must be delivered out of this present (“impending, close at hand”) evil age in order to be holy and put on the promised cleansed, white linen garments, and immortality.
Reading the following verse with this in mind, there isn’t any way to miss what stands opposed, on several different fronts.
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are the Holy Trinity, which, as believers, we’re part of. However, the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet are an “unholy trinity” which stand firmly opposed to what Jesus is commanding us to do: Be Holy! Jesus is exhorting us to do as He does, and be raised up with Him in holiness so that we won’t find ourselves unequally yoked with the unholy trinity.
The Lord is our Banner: Jesus has sealed us with His Holy Spirit, and His own banner (“standard”, emblem, mark). The devil and dark forces of the anti-Christ have their own seal/mark, which can only be put on someone who is not sealed with the Holy Spirit. The devil cannot overpower the Holy Spirit of God Almighty! Once we have been filled with the Holy Spirit, it is the strength of God Himself which allows us to overcome. Those who overcome will receive all of the promised gifts; only those who have not been sealed will be left in order to establish who they belong to.
For those in Christ, our Vine is healthy, fed, watered, and green – positively flourishing with abundant life, and branching out from the Righteous Root. His vine is very fruitful and productive, which we’re part of. We bring glory to God in this way.
Here is the opposition:
Anyone not abiding in Jesus won’t be able to bear any fruit of His Spirit, so they can do nothing – which would be unproductive. They will not be fruitful without His Spirit. Jesus so longs to gather us all; He invites us to abide on His vine where we can be productive. There is repetition in John 15, so it’s something to take note of, as a prophetic word:
John 15:7-8 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
The tribulation does not align with what we’re told we’ve been given while on the Vine of the Savior; it’s the opposite of it. It doesn’t bring glory to God, and those who are there will be forced to serve the antichrist or face death.
John 9:4 “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.”
In addition, in John 8 (above), He says that we ask for what we desire. Our will and desire should be His will. His plan for us is a good plan, of peace, not evil. Ask Him where the good way is, and walk in it, and find rest for our souls. This is a promise from the Lord! But sadly, some will not do it; they won’t accept the gift. Those of us who ask will receive; we will walk in it and find that anticipated rest for our souls! There are deeper layers of meaning to His scriptures, and all point to His salvation and deliverance from evil.
Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.”
Jeremiah 6:16 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; Then you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’”
Here is the opposition:
Mark 4:19 “and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.”
Luke 21:34 “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.”
1 John 2:15 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”
Those who abide on His vine and in the love of the Father aren’t loving the world and aren’t standing opposed to His good and peaceful plan.
If we’re building with Him, we’re living stones building each other up in unity with the rest of the body of Christ, into the New Jerusalem.
1 Peter 2:4-5 “Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
Here is the opposition:
We can see in these next verses that God is not messing around. Anyone who is standing opposed to Him, their house will be desolate (laid to waste, destroyed, alone). God’s house will be unified and not fall – we will stand when we’re on His firm foundation. But the desolate house will not be unified, and a divided house can’t stand. These verses are strong, but they do reveal the promise that we will not be left desolate. Just as the Tower of Babel was brought down to rubble because it was made to exalt man and not God, anything not built upon His foundation will be laid low and not raised up.
Luke 13:35 “See! Your house is left to you desolate; and assuredly, I say to you, you shall not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’”
Jeremiah 22:5 “’But if you will not hear these words, I swear by Myself,’ says the LORD, ‘that this house shall become a desolation.’”
Matthew 24:2 “And Jesus said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down.’”
When we’re raised up as part of the bride, and on His vine, we’ll be flourishing and sound (G5198 and 5199: sound, whole, healthy), in the twinkling of an eye. Being in His name makes us strong – when we’re weak, He is strong.
Acts 3:16 “And His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.”
We’re told it’s important to have sound (“whole and healthy”) doctrine and speech throughout the Bible, as well as salty speech (in order to preserve and make it taste good). Over and over in miraculous ways, Jesus heals and restores people who aren’t sound. He came to save, protect, and nurture – this is what He was sent to earth to do: to save. We even see Him healing the ear of the man who was taking Him into custody. Jesus did not come to make us unsound.
Titus 2:8 “In all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.”
Here is the opposition:
Romans 1:28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.”
John 3:18-19 “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.”
The tribulation is described as desolation, pestilence, murder, hunger, fear, betrayal, and more. It is “not sound” – not healthy, not whole (they will be shattered and torn), and it’s certainly not safe; it’s fraught with danger; it’s not level ground. It’s shaky ground, so people stumble and fall.
Revelation 8:13 “Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, ‘Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets.’”
Our Root is the Root of Righteousness.
Proverbs 12:12 “The wicked covet the catch of evil men, but the root of the righteous yields fruit.”
Colossians 2:6 “As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.”
Psalm 92:13 “Those who are planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.”
Here is the opposition:
1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.”
There is a branch of poky briar, of the serpent’s roots, which is part of the root of bitterness that suddenly springs up to cause trouble and defile many; we have no part with this root if we’re abiding in Christ. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, so during the tribulation, people will sell their soul and take the seal/mark of the beast to be able to buy and sell. There will be great temptation to do so.
Jesus doesn’t lead us into evil and temptation; He delivers us from it. This is part of the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6:13. Our Savior leads us into the way everlasting, not the broad road to destruction.
Matthew 6:13 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Here is the opposition:
Proverbs 11:21 “Though they join forces, the wicked will not go unpunished; But the posterity of the righteous will be delivered.”
Be encouraged that if we have our hands outstretched to Jesus for salvation from iniquity, we aren’t also reaching out our hands to iniquity; we are blessed! We’re either reaching out for one or the other; we’re either sowing seeds for one or the other. And sowing seeds for both is automatically not good.
On that “great and terrible” Day, the Day of the Lord, there will be a great reckoning, a trial which comes upon the whole world. This trial won’t be for His bride, who is clothed in His righteousness, but only for those who have stood stubbornly and willfully against our Savior and His body, without repentance (Jesus warns to “repent” 7 times in the first chapters of Revelation. Those who have ears to hear should hear). The signs we see in the world today make it apparent that this reckoning is only a footstep away now. Which is why taking the time to take note of what Jesus told us is so important, so we will know the difference when the devil is whispering discouraging lies in our ears in order to rob us of our Blessed Hope.
2 John 1:3 “Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love.” Amen!
Angela