The beginning of Sorrows

Monday 7 December
READ: Matt. 24: 8
MORE LESSON: Matt 24: 8 - 13

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.

The end-times are the times when believers need to be strong and be ready to take firm stands for Jesus even in the face of tribulation and oppositions. Jesus told his disciples that when wars, tribulations and persecution start arising against them, it was just the beginning of sorrows. He told them that greater hatred and affliction will arise against the nation of Israel and believers in Jesus Christ. So as we see the hatred against Israel and persecution against the Church, we must know that this is the beginning of sorrows – the sign of the end-time. Today, we see parents disown their children because such gave their lives to Jesus. These people are actually fulfilling end time prophecies.

There were seven believers caught in a Communist country where the weather was dangerously cold - as cold as -50 degree Celsius. Cold could be very deadly. There was an intensive cold at one time that people were beginning to turn blue and the only means to stay alive was to eat ice. This was to keep their body temperatures at that of ice; because the ice was 'warmer' than the atmospheric temperature. Imagine that it was under such atmospheric conditions that the believers were stripped of all clothing and then asked every other hour if they would renounce Christ or continue in the 'cold torture'. The torturers had an ambulance standing by to rush them to the hospital in case they renounced Christ. The brethren refused to renounce Christ and one after the other they began to drop dead. Eventually one of them got tired and said, “I renounce” and was removed from the line. Instantly one of the torturer-soldiers ran to take his place on the torture line, pulled off his dress and began to shout, “I accept Christ”, to the amazement of his fellow torturers who wondered what was wrong with him. What actually happened was that, in the spiritual realm, at the hour the brother renounced Christ, an angel had held a crown over his head and was about to place it on his head. The tortured man was just to say the final 'No' that would put the crown on his head, but he renounced Christ. Nobody saw it but the atheist soldier had his spiritual eyes opened to see all these unfold. And the mystery was that as soon as he took the place of the brother, the crown was laid on him and he died. One man did the labour and another man got the crown.

If Christianity gets to such a point of persecution today, how many people will remain Christians? Will you endure or give up? You must advance from this valley of decision unto the mountain of convictions where you will not give up but endure till the end no matter what.

Prayer/Action
* Pray that nothing will separate you from the love of Christ.
* Pray that no negative end time prophecy shall function in your life.
* Reject everything that can take your name off the list of spiritual champions.

PROPHETIC PRAYER
I decree that all present negative situations and events in my life must give way to new things and celebrations in my life,in the name of Jesus.