The signs of the Lord’s second return can be clearly seen in the world today, from the political situation and the union of the European countries to become the revived Roman empire, to the gospel of the kingdom being preached to the whole inhabited earth as a testimony before the end would come (Matt. 24:14-15).
Also, beginning from the time when the Lord was ascended, there’s a mystery of lawlessness operating among men, and this mystery will culminate in the man of lawlessness, Antichrist, who will soon be revealed (2 Thes. 2:3-10).
Among the nations and in the human society, no matter how rich or poor a nation is, there’s the mystery of lawlessness operating.
Satan is doing his best to wear out the saints and the Jews, so that now, in the last hour before the Lord’s return, they would lose heart and stop rowing.
But we need to be encouraged and strengthened into our inner man – the Lord is with us, He is in our boat, and He will take us through all the way until His return!
Even more, Christ as the individual manifestation of God in the flesh is now being multiplied and reproduced in His millions of believers to become the corporate mystery of godliness, God manifested in the flesh on the earth (1 Tim. 3:16; Acts 9:5).
The Mystery of Lawlessness Operating Today
Before Antichrist comes – and he may be among today, being prepared and perfected – there’s a certain mystery of related to the lawlessness of that man which already operates in humanity.
You and I can testify that you read the news, open the newspaper, wherever you turn, man is standing up to do lawlessness.
As believers, we know that it’s not the people who take the lead to do this, but there’s a spirit, a power working in them, something mysterious operating in them causing them to deny the law of God, the natural laws ordained by God, and the laws of society.
Homosexuality is openly approved and received, people rebel against any kind of authority, no one listens to the voice of morality or common sense, and everyone wants to do only evil, to break the law.
Even in the top universities like the Ivy League, or Oxford and Cambridge in England, you see nothing but lawlessness. Every class teaches you to be lawless, every book in the university promotes lawlessness of some sort.
The professors teach lawlessness, and they infuse lawlessness into the students – you go to university loving the Lord, and at the end of your university years you may doubt everything related to God.
Lawlessness really means that there’s no law. For now, there is some kind of power still restraining it, but soon this restrain will be removed and that man of lawlessness will be manifested, and there will be lawlessness like we have never seen before on this earth!
Everywhere we look, whether in the family life, at school, in university, among teenagers, among students or young adults, at work, in the office, in all kinds of social gatherings, and in every place – there’s a spirit of lawlessness operating among and in man!
As for us, we should NEVER be lawless! We need to learn to obey, learn to be submissive and be proper. Learn to turn to the One within that is submissive, is humble, and is walking and living according to the law of God.
Lord, save us from being just like the others around us, lawless! Lord, keep us turning to You all the time. You are the Perfect One, the most Proper One, and You are in our spirit. Lord, live in us. We don’t want to be defiled with the lawlessness today. We look away unto You and we keep ourselves for You!
The Last Part of the Journey (Watchman Nee)
Brother Watchman Nee gave a famous message entitled, The Last Part of the Journey, based on the story in Mark 6:45-52.
After the Lord fed the thousands (in His first coming), He went up to the mountain and pray (He is now praying and interceding in the heavens, in ascension), and He compelled His disciples to get into the boat and get on the other side (our Christian life is this journey on the sea) where He performed many miracles (the next age, the age of the kingdom, where miracles will happen).
The disciples were rowing, but they reached “the last part of the journey”, where they were rowing under great distress: contrary winds, adverse circumstances, they were tired, and everything was against them. They came to the fourth watch of the night, the darkest of the night – and then Jesus came!
We as believers today are embarked on this journey ordained by God in this age, and especially at the end of this journey, as we are approaching the time of the Lord’s second return, there are contrary winds, there’s opposition, attacks, and great adversities and difficulties.
Saints, this is the last part of the journey, and now is NOT the time to give up! Now it’s not the time to drift, to turn back, or to give up – we are gone too far along in the sea, and it’s too late to go back!
Yes, around us the winds are howling, the storms are beating, and everything seems to be getting worse!
Satan may attach us even physically and psychologically, there are sicknesses, our moods and minds and souls are damaged, and all kinds of things may happen to make us stop rowing.
You may even think: What On Earth Am I Doing Here? It could have been such an easy life if I hadn’t embarked on this. What have I done with my life?
Let Us Keep Rowing Until We Meet the Lord!
Saints, the night is far advanced, the dawn is close, and the Lord is coming! We don’t know the hour or day of His coming, but the Lord will come!
Let’s not drop the oars, let’s not give up, but let us keep rowing! Don’t give up: fight to the end!
There may be many things arrayed by the enemy against us to wear us out night and day, grinding us down… – but we need to persevere with the Lord!
The key of success is not how you begin with the Lord but how you persevere in the last half hour! It is the last part of the journey that matters. We choose to go on! We choose not to be worn out by Satan!
Jesus is in our boat, He is with us, and He will take us through! Let us keep rowing today, in this last half hour of the journey, until we meet the Lord!
Lord Jesus, strengthen us into our inner man as we row in this last half hour before Your return. Make us those who don’t give up. Save us from any lawlessness or any association with lawless men. Lord, be so real to us today as we journey on the stormy sea! We want to look away unto Jesus again and again util we meet Him! Lord, we choose to persevere.
Do Not Sell Your Soul to Satan!
These may be harsh words – who in the world may want to do this? – but as we see in Rev. 18:11-13, the great Babylon’s cargo was gold, spices, etc, and at the end – the souls of men.
Satan and the Antichrist want the souls of men to be the instruments for their activities in the last age.
Men today don’t just work – they sell themselves to their job, their occupation, their career, since “they love what they do” (what a nice way of explaining why you sell your soul!). People sell themselves to their occupation, neglecting God and their eternal destiny.
Today in this extremely educated society, people may not do a lot of outwardly bad and evil things, but with the money flowing around, the business opportunities, the economy, the temptations – there’s the trading of souls.
People sell their souls to making money, to doing what they want to do, and they neglect God and His purpose.
This is NOT about “don’t get a good job” or “don’t get a high paying job”; rather, there’s a great need for money-making saints – who also need to be money-giving saints. Don’t be a money-making saint but a money-giving saint!
We seek FIRST the kingdom of God, we seek FIRST God’s house and His interest! Remember Revelation 18 – keep your soul, never sell your soul for anything! Our soul is the Lord’s – it is for Him to make His home in!
Lord Jesus, we choose to not sell our soul to Satan, but rather allow You to make Your home in our soul today! We consecrate our job to You – may it be for Your glory and not for our captivity. Lord, our soul belongs to You – it is for You to make Your home in us. We consecrate our money to You – we choose to be the money-giving saints for Your purpose.
References and Further Reading
- Sharing inspired from brother Minoru Chen’s sharing in this message, and portions from, The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 10 (pages 423-433), as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of the Minor Prophets, week 11 (entitled, Experiencing the Healing Christ in Malachi for the Lord’s Second Coming and the Consummation of the Age).
- Further reading: Matt 24:24 and note 1; Matt. 24:14 notes 1 and 2; 2 Thes. 2:7 note 1;
- Hymns on this topic:
# The day approaches; Jesus soon is coming. / Redeem the time; it must not slip away. / Lord, make us ready for the cry: “Behold Him!” / By using every moment of each day.
# Lord, Thou wilt soon appear, / Thy day is almost here. / Oh, how we love Thy coming soon! / We have no other / Lord, life, or lover / Than Thou, Lord Jesus, our Bridegroom!
# All the signs point to the end, / Christ soon will be here again; / We must be ready for Him— / Jesus is coming again!
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In the days before the Lord’s coming, there will be great deceit and delusion. If it has its way, even the elect will be deceived. Furthermore, the “form of godliness” will exceedingly increase. The decrease of faith will be due not only to the love of the world and the denial of God’s Word, but will also be due to the false faith fashioned by Satan. One brother said, “These works of Satan will become an invisible influence in the air surrounding us. They will become a form of godliness, which will be inhabited by the evil spirits and which will be occupied with the oppression of Hades. These evil spirits will do their utmost to harm, deceitfully lead, confuse, and oppress God’s children. They will affect our bodies, suppress our mood, and darken our mind. Various strange feelings and trials unheard of in the past will come upon us and will strip us in a surprising way of all willingness and ability to incline toward God. Our spirit will be tired and weak, our mind will be dull, and our will will slumber. We will be strangely covetous of the things which God forbids and will surprisingly love the amusement and customs of this world. We will find it difficult to preach with full freedom and power and will find it hard to listen attentively to a message or kneel down to give ourselves to prayer continually. At such a time as today, when the evening is at hand, we must quell this kind of atmosphere!” Oh, let us be strong in the Lord! Satan will certainly endeavor with unthinkable power to deceive our mind and our will; he will make it difficult for us to carry on an intimate walk with the Lord, and we will find it easy to live according to the flesh and harder to faithfully serve God and give ourselves to prayer. It will seem as if our entire being is stirred up to oppose our following the Lord Jesus to the end and seduce us to make a covenant with the world. (The Collected Works of Watchman Nee, vol. 10, pp. 428-429, 431)
Amen and Amen! what a great reminder and a sobering word!
amen!
This article is so helpful to the readers. Sometimes certain truths in the bible got lost after a while, like a trail gone cold after winter. We need to walk on it again, and again until a path forms and everyone can walk on it. I really love this article, because finally someone is digging up the "frozen' truth, I love Watchman Nee's writings–this is solid food and a word of the cross. I am tired of reading sugar coated 'word of God' and they are not healthy. I will come back for more and recommend to others. Keep up the good work, soldier of the Lord!
Amen! We need to come and remain under the Lord's speaking so as to be saved from the negative speaking of the enemy who seeks to wear us out during this 'final half-hour'!!!
amen!
O Lord Jesus! Keep us rowing even in the midst of these difficult times and sufferings, o Lord strenthen our inner being until we meet You.
Amen. Leaving the world behind us. And pursuing towards the Lords Goal; Gods Economy, to bring In the Kingdom. The Age of restoration. Praise the Lord..!
Lord we just need to take you day by day . PraiseYou!