The Hour of Temptation

All of the following verses are of great importance to this subject.

Isaiah 57:1 "The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart: and merciful men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come.

Matthew 16:25 "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."

Luke 21:36 "Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man."

Revelation 3:10 "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

Revelation 21:11 "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death."

Temptation is a defining moment in which a person is presented with an opportunity to embrace that which resides beyond the will of God. The first incident of temptation transpired in the garden of Eden (Genesis Chapter 3) when the serpent beguiled Eve to eat fruit from the tree that God forbid to be eaten from.

Genesis 3:4 "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die."

As you read the account, a number of aspects are worth bringing up.

( 1 ) The serpent was subtle. The devil knows how to seduce another and he proved it when he convinced a third of the angels to abandon their first estate and follow him in rebellion against the very Creator of all that is. He is a smooth operator to be sure.

( 2 ) The fruit was desirable. It appealed to the fleshly desire to eat that which is good. Undoubtedly, all of the other fruit in the garden was good too, however, this fruit looked especially good. Just as the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

( 3 ) It would provide access to the knowledge of good and evil. Knowledge will cause one to harbor pride. This is why the apostle Paul had a thorn in the flesh. It was to keep him from being exalted above measure, in light of all the revelation that God had given him.

I Corinthians 8:1 "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth."

There's an unavoidable connection between knowledge and pride and this aspect was included in the serpents pitch. As you know, Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, sin entered the world, and they were cast out of the garden. All of the sorrows, torment, wars, deseases, heartaches and devastation that's in the world is the result of this temptation.

Another instance of temptation, one that we must all give heed to, involved Jacob and his brother Esau. Genesis chapter 25 sets the scene. In verses 29-34, Esau comes in from the field and is faint. (at the point of death) He asks Jacob to give him some pottage and bread which leads to the following exchange.

Genesis 25:31-32 "And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?

Esau sought to save his life in this world (see Matthew 16:25) and as a result he made a very bad decision. He sold his birthright for a morsel of meat. His heart was set on the preservation of the physical.

Hebrews 12:16-17 "Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears."

The account of Esau is really important as it provides an example of the mechanics of temptation; that being the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. All of these were present, both in the garden and in the situation involving Esau.

Temptation lies in wait just every corner and can come at you when you least expect it. The devil knows your weakness and he knows precisely when you're the mose susceptible to persuasion. At this moment, temptation will present itself and suddenly, a decision will be required of you. Do you please God or do you seek that which the flesh delights in.

As I write this, the stage is being set for the greatest temptation to ever confront the inhabitors of the earth. You know it as the mark of the beast. Nearly everyone has heard of it, nearly everyone knows what the number of the beast is, and almost everyone knows that one must not take this mark. The time is fast approaching in which the antichrist will be in power. He will seduce the population of the world and make christianity look like a relic from the pages of history. Arms will stand on his side and he will cause craft to prosper. He will institute the mark; without which you will be unable to buy, sell, work, or function in society. He will seek to kill anyone who refuses to take the mark.

Revelation14:12 "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of god, and the faith of jesus."

The beast system will appeal to all of the elements previously mentioned. It will fulfill ones desire to preserve their physical life, it'll appeal to common sense, it will seem to be another example of "better living through chemistry" and it will make anyone who rejects it to look like a backwards thinking bonehead. The pitch for the beast system will be so enticing that the saints will have to stand by faith and faith alone. If you're born again and you have the Holy Ghost abiding within, don't worry. Jesus will never leave you. The next verse is quoted often here, so lets write it down again.

Daniel 11:32 "And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong and do exploits."

These times are upon us. The world is coming together through an array of social, economic, and geopolitical manuverings. The various things that are transpiring here in the Eagle nation of Daniel chapter 7 are very telling. The NSA, which monitors all phone calls and internet proceedings, the shadow government, invasive monitoring systems, and soon "customized chips for all." Everything is coming together quickly. While there is still time, we must be about our Fathers business with an utmost sense of urgency. TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON THIS AGE!

The return of Jesus Christ is at hand. As I close out this post tonight, I would ask that you keep this in the forefront of your mind. Too many of us have become dull of hearing as this has been talked about for generations. The moment will arrive when Jesus returns and every eye shall behold him; including yours. The moment will come when every knee shall bow and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, including yours. If you have never asked him to save you from your sins, please, for your own sake, do it today. Before you finish reading this post, turn to Jesus who is ready and willing to forgive you of every sin, regardless of how terrible it is. If you're already born again, it's imperative that you draw increasingly closer to God and look to him always. Don't follow afar off. The times are perilous and soon everything will be shaken beyond measure. Look to Jesus and don't worry about the storm. He will abide with you always. I'll close out with two familiar verses.

II Corinthians 4:17-18 "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal."