Pretend It’s The End Part Six: “Faithful As Never Before!”
A Bible Study for the New and Growing Follower of Jesus
By Timothy Smith, Posted in 2022
“Pretend It’s The End” Part Six:
Faithful As Never Before!
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TruthTexts presents a 6-
TruthTexts:
“...when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” – Jesus, in Luke 18:8
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows (tribulation). But take heart, because I have (already) overcome the world!” (John 16:33, based on NLT)
Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if
something strange were happening to you. Instead, be very glad—for these trials make
you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy
of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world. (1 Peter 4:12-
...We are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world
filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for
these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that
are pure and blameless in his sight. (from 2 Peter 3:13-
How Bad Will It Get?
As we near the end of this study called “Pretend it’s the End,” let’s review what Jesus tells us about the “Last Days.” One very encouraging thing He said about all the signs of His return is found in Luke 21:28: “Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near” (RSV). We’re not going to speculate about cosmic battles and clashing armies, or the date the Lord will return. But we know something’s up, and we sense that the time is short. So let’s look at how believers will be treated, and what kind of a world we will face before the end. The question for us is, how bad will it get? Jesus’ warnings are very clear. Speaking to His disciples after the “Last Supper,” shortly before He was arrested, Jesus said,
“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and
bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father
will give you. This is my command: Love each other. “If the world hates you, keep
in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as
its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not
greater than his master.’ If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If
they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way
because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me.” (John 15:16-
Jesus continued with a warning for us:
“I told you all of this so that you won’t fall away and abandon your faith. People
will throw you out of your places of worship; in fact, the time will come when anyone
who kills you will think they are doing God a huge favor. These people never knew
the Father, or me. I’m telling you this now so that when it happens, you will remember
that I warned you. Now that I am leaving this world, these are things my followers
need to know.” (John 16:1-
Jesus concludes with a specific promise to believers facing great trouble and danger:
“I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have perfect peace. In the world you have tribulation, distress, and suffering. But be courageous, undaunted, and filled with joy. For I have overcome the world. My conquest is accomplished, and my victory will last forever!” (John 16:33 based on AMP Bible)
So why do we need to know this? Why should we think about it now? It’s because we are told to live as though the world we know is passing away. So we should pay attention to the many TruthTexts that tell us what to expect, and how to live in those days. To be clear, there’s no command in these verses to grab weapons and fight, no focus at all on our physical safety, and no instructions that will cause us to escape tribulation. Instead, we are told to become more visible, more vocal, and more contagious in our faith.
When Will All Of This Happen?
Jesus was often asked whether the “End of the World” was near during His earthly
ministry. And in fact He had much to say about the “Last Days.” Look at Luke 12:54-
He said to the crowd: “When you see a cloud rising in the west, immediately you say,
‘It’s going to rain,’ and it does. And when the south wind blows, you say, ‘It’s going
to be hot,’ and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the
earth and the sky. How is it that you don’t know how to interpret this present time?
Jesus expects us to keep watching for His return, to be able to recognize the “times
and the seasons” that lead up to His return. But He also warns us that we will not
know the day or the hour. In Matthew 24, Jesus describes many things that must happen
before His return, and it’s a chilling list. But His emphasis is to remain faithful
and not to get distracted by any of the troubling things that are happening. And
then He reminds us in verses 35-
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about
that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,but
only the Father.” (verses 35-
on what day your Lord will come!” (verse 42)
We are to live obedient lives, with our focus on remaining faithful, and to wait expectantly for His return. Anyone who starts telling people when Jesus will come, and anyone who suggests climbing to the top of mountains dressed in white robes, or any of that “stuff,” is missing the point of the TruthTexts, and may actually be doing more harm than good! Jesus, in the parable of the ten servants in Luke 19, reminds us to stay engaged in the Master’s work until He returns. That is what we must do, as tempting as all the speculation may be.
In the meantime, Paul challenged us to “...live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.” (from Phil. 2:15 NLT) The Gospel of Jesus is the best news humans can ever hear, we are right on the edge of a “new Heaven, and a new Earth,” and people around us need to hear about this! We want everyone to hear, so that many can join us. Therefore, most of the instructions we have for Last Days living are relentlessly joyful and optimistic! And they were written while the believers were experiencing massive attacks from all directions! Let’s take a look.
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Faithful In Practice: Shining As Lights
As we conclude this 6-
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy
that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now
we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance
that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and
decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive
this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. (1
Peter 1:3-
When Jesus rose from the dead, He guaranteed the promise of salvation. He lives, and we will live. We have received all of this, but we won’t see it completely, and in all its reality, until the “last day.” No wonder the return of Jesus is known as the “Blessed Hope!” (See Titus 2:3). Peter continues (with my emphasis as above),
So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many
trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It
is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious
than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring
you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the
whole world. (1 Peter 1:6-
So Peter promises us an underlying joy in a world of troubles. We can have God’s peace while we live in a society that hates everything that we stand for. Our “priceless inheritance” is “beyond the reach of change and decay.” But he goes on to remind us that since we have this great treasure, we should act as if what we do here matters for eternity:
So prepare your minds for action and exercise self-
When we realize what will soon be ours, it changes how we think and act right now. Even if it’s in the middle of terrible trouble. Peter is describing life in the Spirit, life in faith, “the assurance of things hoped for” as Hebrews 11 puts it. Peter continues:
So get rid of all evil behavior. Be done with all deceit, hypocrisy, jealousy, and
all unkind speech.(verse 1) But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people.
You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you
can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his
wonderful light. (verse 9) Dear friends, I warn you as “temporary residents and foreigners”
to keep away from worldly desires that wage war against your very souls. Be careful
to live properly among your unbelieving neighbors. Then even if they accuse you of
doing wrong, they will see your honorable behavior, and they will give honor to God
when he judges the world. (verses 11-
We are to spread that “wonderful light” until Jesus calls us home or returns to get us. And Peter gives us a purpose for this obedience: That it will bring glory to God, and bring many into His Kingdom. We “see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25) and we have our marching orders, to walk in the Light, share Christ’s love, and live in the joyful realization that we will soon be home with Him. Amen!
Take Action!
First: Check my work! Be sure to look up the verses in this study in whatever translation of the Bible is the easiest for you to understand.* Read the whole section that each verse came from, and make sure that the words I have said about them are true. Once you are sure that I have given you accurate information, ask yourself the questions. Finally, ask God to show you what you should do next.
Jesus told us what to expect in this life. For example, why does the world hate us?
Jesus promises us that we will have many troubles.
What does He also promise us? (John 16:33 above)
Peter says to live with “great expectation.”
What “priceless inheritance” are we waiting to experience?
Peter tells us to “prepare our minds for action and self-
How will that change what you do and think?
We’re called “temporary residents” here.
If we are faithful, what will cause people give to thanks to God for us?
* I use many translations of the Bible in these articles. Any of them would serve to support the points made in the chapter. All verses with no listed translations are my own paraphrase; please check with your own favorite Bible to be sure I got the right idea.
