Chronicles of the End Times
Occasionally, people say, are we really in the last days? How do we know? Does it matter one way or another? We will try to answer these questions and many others in this study. But the most important question may be, how can we reach others with hope in these changing times? One part of prophecy is often emphasized over another, causing us to lose perspective and miss the blessing and beauty of prophecy in scripture. I have taken the information in this study from many authors and teachers who have their lives studying God's word. I have added some insight that the Holy Spirit taught me. With God's help, I have endeavored to keep the whole counsel of the word of God in full view to give us an accurate picture of Christ and His great love for a lost world. I pray that this will challenge you and cause you to grow in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it has me preparing it. Let's begin!
Chronicles of the End Times
Faith in Action: Combating Evil with the Authority of Christ
What if the Church ignited a revolution of faith through action? Join me, Russ Scalzo, as we explore the profound authority Jesus Christ has given us to combat the forces of evil. This episode is a call to action—transforming belief into deeds, inspired by the wisdom of James 2. We confront the dangers of complacency and deception, urging the faithful to stay spiritually vigilant and aware. Reflecting on Jesus' teachings in Matthew 24, we discuss the pressing need for perseverance as we face future challenges. Imagine the transformation that could unfold if every believer actively sought to serve God's kingdom daily.
Journey with me, as we navigate the ongoing challenge of overcoming doubt and embodying faith in action. We'll examine the diverse ways God blesses His followers and the necessity of living as powerful instruments of His will. As the Church faces current and future trials and a widening gap on social and moral issues, we emphasize the importance of upholding the true, holy, and righteous nature of God. Prepare for a thought-provoking discussion that balances love and impending judgment, providing insights into our current times. Stay tuned for a preview of our next episode, where we'll draw fascinating parallels between the story of the Maccabees and the anticipated rise of the Antichrist and the battle against evil.
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00:10
Welcome everyone. This is Russ Scalzo Chronicles of the End Times. Thank you for being with me today. Today we're going to get into and talk about the warfare, the spiritual warfare, that's going on in our lives and going on in the world right now, in Israel and throughout the Middle East and the world. Jesus Christ came into the world to give us authority over the enemy, and when we talk about the enemy, we think about the devil, Satan, the great dragon, as described in Revelation. But that's only one individual, that's one supernatural being, but there is an entire army of these beings that fell. When Satan fell, as we read in Revelation, he took one-third of all the angels with him. And beyond that we have demons, we have unclean spirits.
01:04
Paul calls them the principalities in power that rule over this world, and God brought us here the church of Jesus Christ, and he gave us the power to demolish strongholds. Now, that kind of power only comes with a very close relationship with Jesus Christ. God has given us the privilege to become the children of God, but once we get that privilege, what are we doing with it? Paul tells us in Ephesians that we are saved by grace and not by works, so that no one can boast about how holy or righteous they are and that they're the reason why God loves them so much. That's a fallacy. As we all know, we all have fallen short of the glory of God. There's no way that we can work our way in there. But once that is established, we are supposed to do works, works that prove our love for God. It's no different than any other relationship. If you have a good relationship, it is because two people are working together to make that relationship good and strong, not just one.
02:08
As James puts it in chapter 2, verse 14, what good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes or daily food and if one says to him go, I wish you well, keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. The Lord has given us the greatest weapons of all time. In Matthew 28, verse 18, Jesus tells his disciples all authority in heaven and earth has been given to me. That's a powerful statement. And then, in turn, he gives that power to us, his church. We are supposed to be his witnesses testifying to who God is.
02:59
I wonder what it would be like, and I include myself in this if I woke up every single morning and thought what can I do for the kingdom of God today? How can God use me today to further his kingdom and to set people free and to give them the knowledge that they need in order to understand their own lives and how to battle the forces that are against them every single day? I imagine I would be very useful in the hands of God if I did that every day. Now I strive to do what God wants me to do, but, like all human beings, we fall, we fail Lots of times, we miss the mark, but the key is to get up and to continue to march on, to never give up. Can you imagine if the whole church had that mentality, the Church of Jesus Christ around the world, how different things would be? I think many of us are used to being served rather than serving, but that can all change with one meeting with Jesus Christ, one moment of having the Holy Spirit just all around us. That's what we need. We need to be in the presence of God, or we will grow cold and lose our way. We have to be careful, as the Church of Jesus Christ, as followers, as sons and daughters of the Highest God born again and filled with His Spirit. We need to be careful of the deception that's going on all over that this whole thing is just a free ride, that God gave us this ability. He just said don't worry about it, you've all been forgiven, you're on your way to heaven and just do your thing. And we know that's not true. The Word of God tells us because my people lack knowledge, they perish. We need to have the knowledge of what to do and when to do it and understand the power that God has invested in us.
04:51
In Matthew, chapter 24, Jesus is walking in front of the temple and his disciples are just awestruck by the temple and all the buildings and they're saying how great it is. And Jesus checks them. He said do you see all these things? I tell you the truth. Not one stone will be left upon another. Everyone will be thrown down because Jesus is the temple. And, of course, in 70 AD, that's exactly what happened. The temple was completely destroyed and torn down and not one stone was left upon another. And then they continue to walk through the Kidron Valley and up to the Mount of Olives. They sit down and have, and he begins to tell them different things.
05:30
The disciples now realize that Jesus might be leaving soon and we might be heading towards the end of something here. They ask please tell us, when will all this happen? What will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age? And Jesus goes into great length about these things and he tells them watch out that no one deceives you, for many will come in my name, claiming I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains. Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other. And many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of the wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands to the end will be saved.
06:44
Their heads must have been spinning. They were probably thinking this isn't exactly what we meant. This doesn't sound good. Jesus is speaking to them, and speaking to us through them. We need to try and understand where Jesus is coming from here. He's the Lord, God Almighty. He knows everything that's going to transpire. He knows it's not going to happen in the coming months. It's going to be years down the line. And here we are, towards the end. We've seen all these things and we've seen the beginning of the great falling away and how people are leaving the truth because it doesn't fit their lifestyle. And we're seeing churches split over this and people hating each other because of their stand, because they won't come to their side. There are many prophets today, many preachers that are saying things that are not scriptural.
07:38
Love requires a response. Someone does something for you that is amazing, so kind. It deserves a response. Jesus Christ died for us, went through all that agony, came down to this earth to live like us, to feel all the temptations that we feel and all the pain that we feel just in everyday life, and then he gave himself over to barbarians so we could be free. And beyond that, he continues to pour out his grace and mercy to us every single day. His mercies are new and afresh every day. The Bible tells us every morning. So, doesn't that deserve a response? I challenge myself every morning with this If I truly believe in God. I know I have been walking with him for years, but he's always stretching us. He puts us in places where we have to make a choice to trust him or not trust him.
08:33
James really drops the hammer on us in this chapter too, in fact the whole book. This is what he says. You, foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did, and the scripture was fulfilled. That says Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does, not by faith alone. So, what does that mean? That gets confusing, right. I thought we were saved by grace and not by works. Well, we are. But this is a show of love and a show of that faith to God, saying, yes, I believe in you, I believe that you died for my sins. I believe my sins are now forgiven and that I'm on my way to heaven, that I will be eternally with you and with the saints of God.
09:38
But then challenges come our way, where we have to exercise our faith. And one way that still challenges me today is when you're living on a really tight budget and some other things come your way. Then you say, oh, if I give to the Lord what I normally give, I don't know if I'm going to have enough to pay that bill. Then you wrestle with it. You say, well, God wants me to pay my bills, but yet he says honor me first. So, what do we do? So that's a crossroads. Lots of times. There's much greater challenges than that. If I truly believe you're with me in everything and that you love me, I need to trust you, if I honor you first, then you're going to take care of what needs to be done, and that's another step of faith.
10:19
Even after all these years of serving God, 50 years of serving God and having him touch me and heal me, do things with my family, provide, do miracles, the flesh is still there to say I don't know if you should do that. That's not very smart. There's always a trial, there's always a test. James is saying look, if you're going to say you have faith, your works need to prove that. You need to walk in it, not just talk about it. You need to walk in it, and when you do, God will pour down a blessing that you cannot even imagine, and it may not be money. It may be a healing; it may be a gift of another type. God has many ways to bless us. So, I pray that you're challenged by this podcast today and know for sure that God wants his children to grow and become powerful tools in his hand that will change a family, a friend and eventually altogether the world. So, let's stand on the Word of God and not back away, for when we do, we put a smile on God's face and His promises will be fulfilled in us.
11:26
There are many challenges that lie ahead this year and, in the years, to come. As the church begins to divide on social issues, moral issues, who God really is, what He'll accept, the gap is going to grow wider. If we don't represent Jesus Christ, the Father, and the Holy Spirit as they truly are, holy and righteous, then we make them like us, and that's what the Greeks did with their gods. All their gods were petty. They were just like them. Our God is a righteous God, pure in every way, and his love is great, but so is his judgment, and there must be balance.
12:03
As we share with people the great love of Jesus Christ, we have to also let them know that judgment is coming. There will be an end to this road. We don't know exactly when it'll be, but we know it's soon.
In my next podcast I'm going to be referencing the book of Maccabees. A historic account of the celebration of Hanukkah and how it parallels the coming Antichrist and the battle that is soon approaching. I believe you will find the parallels between then and now very interesting. This is Russ Scalzo for Chronicles of the End Times. Keep looking up. The King is coming.
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