June 18, 2022

Passage Read: Daniel 8-11
Meditation Verses: 11:33-35

Thought

Those who understand will help many in those last days to stand firm, to understand what is truly happening, that all is happening according to the plans established by the Lord from of old. Those who understand will strengthen many, yet they themselves will also be taken, by sword, by flame, by exile, by captivity for many days. Those who understand will not be immune from the suffering, but will themselves be caught up in the persecution, to be tested and refined, to be cleansed of their own failings and of those who have joined them in hypocrisy. All will have to choose whether to trust the Lord alone and completely, to align themselves with the Lord, or to save their lives and align themselves with the Antichrist. There will be no middle ground.

Application

If these days arrive before I depart, I need to be ready to strengthen others who will be confused that they weren't taken out of the world before such horrible things began happening to Christians. No one wants to hear it now, but when things don't turn out the way everyone has been taught, there will be great confusion and despair. I need to be ready as one who understood from early on that things would not go as teachers of this age have promised. Everyone wants to believe that nothing bad will happen to them, but the world hated Jesus and crucified Him; if we follow Him, the world must hate us too. We're so unwilling to hear that today, but we need to understand that persecution is coming on those who truly love the Lord, and the rest need to step up their love for Him over all else.