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“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 wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 24:9-14, NIV-Bible)
According to biblical scholars, the gospel of the kingdom is already preached all over the world– but the end didn’t come yet. Apparently, there are quite different views on this particular subject: some say that is all about Jews are finally accepting Jesus Christ as their savior; and the others, hoping for that historic moment when Christianity becomes the only religion or faith on this earth. There are many more speculations which have no relevance to the end time events mentioned in the bible. In short, there are reasons to believe why the world is not ending, even though the gospel have been preached widely in these days through countless missionaries, evangelists and modern technologies such as television, internet etc. Perhaps, there is something wrong in the preached message about the gospel. Let us see what is actually written in the bible about this message of the gospel.
The word of God says in Colossians 1:23, NIV-Bible; “if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.” The above mentioned verse confirms the necessity of the unchallenged faith in the true Christian life. I suppose, many have got this message of salvation wrong to the point, no righteousness is obligatory when it comes to the real faith. It is advisable to read what is written in Matthew 24:13; “the one who stands firm to the end will be saved”. Standing firm in faith is more like sustaining the virtues of a true believer, who trust in the Lord unconditionally with all the righteous requirements. And surely, God will help and make you upright for His name’s sake, since he appointed you and chose you. As a matter of fact, the purity is very important, while the Bible teaches "No" to ungodliness; to live self-controlled, upright and godly in this present age (Titus 2:11-12).
So, the end shall come when the right message of the gospel is preached, and then understood by all the chosen people – those who are living in this present age, and those who are about to come, until the great finale. And, that is the gospel which promotes the believers to stand firm in their faith till the end – and to be saved by the Lord. Yet again, the faith in God is not essentially becoming a passive believer, but for anticipating His words through proper submission and obedience. This might be quite revolutionary with regards to the available understandings, but who can question or justify the word of God that says, “The holiness of our body is necessary along with the unchallenged faith”. Once again, let us read from Matthew 24:13-14; “but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Amen
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