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1 Timothy 4 1-1 Timothy 4 3
The Holy Spirit clearly says that in the last days some people will leave the faith. They will follow spirits that will fool them. They will believe things that demons will teach them.Teachings like those come from liars who pretend to be what they are not. Their sense of what is right and wrong has been destroyed. It’s as though it has been burned with a hot iron.They do not allow people to get married. They order them not to eat certain foods. But God created those foods. So people who believe and know the truth should receive them and give thanks for them.
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Psalms 89:38-47
But you have turned your back on your anointed king. You have been very angry with him.You have broken the covenant you made with him. You have thrown your servant’s crown into the dirt.You have broken through the walls around his city. You have completely destroyed his secure places.All those who pass by have carried off what belonged to him. His neighbors make fun of him.You have made his enemies strong. You have made all of them happy.You have made his sword useless. You have not helped him in battle.You have put an end to his glory. You have knocked his throne to the ground.You have cut short the days of his life. You have covered him with shame.Lord, how long will you hide yourself? Will it be forever? How long will your anger burn like fire?Remember how short my life is. You have created all people for such a useless purpose!
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2 Timothy 3 1-2 Timothy 3 17
Here is what I want you to know. There will be terrible times in the last days.People will love themselves. They will love money. They will brag and be proud. They will tear others down. They will not obey their parents. They won’t be thankful or holy.They won’t love others. They won’t forgive others. They will tell lies about people. They will be out of control. They will be wild. They will hate what is good.They will turn against their friends. They will act without thinking. They will think they are better than others. They will love what pleases them instead of loving God.They will act as if they were serving God. But what they do will show that they have turned their backs on God’s power. Have nothing to do with these people.They are the kind who trick their way into the homes of some women. These women are ready to believe anything. And they take control over these women. These women are loaded down with sins. They give in to all kinds of evil desires.They are always learning. But they are never able to come to know the truth.Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses. In the same way, the teachers I’m talking about oppose the truth. Their minds are twisted. As far as the faith is concerned, God doesn’t accept them.They won’t get very far. Just like Jannes and Jambres, their foolish ways will be clear to everyone.But you know all about my teaching. You know how I live and what I live for. You know about my faith and love. You know how patient I am. You know I haven’t given up.You know that I was treated badly. You know that I suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know how badly I have been treated. But the Lord saved me from all my troubles.In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be treated badly.Evil people and pretenders will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them.But I want you to continue to follow what you have learned and are sure about. You know the people you learned it from.You have known the Holy Scriptures ever since you were a little child. They are able to teach you how to be saved by believing in Christ Jesus.God has breathed life into all Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.By using Scripture, the servant of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing.
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Revelation 11:2-19
But do not measure the outer courtyard. That’s because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will take over the holy city for 42 months.I will appoint my two witnesses. And they will prophesy for 1,260 days. They will be dressed in the rough clothes people wear when they’re sad.”The witnesses are“ the two olive trees” and the two lampstands. And“ they stand in front of the Lord of the earth.”( Zechariah 4:3, 11, 14)If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and eats up their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.These witnesses have power to close up the sky. Then it will not rain while they are prophesying. They also have power to turn the waters into blood. And they can strike the earth with every kind of plague. They can do this as often as they want to.When they have finished speaking, the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them. He will overpower them and kill them.Their bodies will lie in the main street of the great city. It is also the city where their Lord was nailed to a cross. The city is sometimes compared to Sodom or Egypt.For three and a half days, people will stare at their bodies. These people will be from every tribe and nation, no matter what language they speak. They will refuse to bury them.Those who live on the earth will be happy about this. That’s because those two prophets had made them suffer. The people will celebrate by sending one another gifts.But after the three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered the witnesses. They both stood up. Terror struck those who saw them.Then the two witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven. It said to them,“ Come up here.” They went up to heaven in a cloud. Their enemies watched it happen.At that same time there was a powerful earthquake. A tenth of the city crumbled and fell. In the earthquake, 7,000 people were killed. Those who lived through it were terrified. They gave glory to the God of heaven.The second terrible judgment has passed. The third is coming soon.The seventh angel blew his trumpet. There were loud voices in heaven. They said,“ The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah. He will rule for ever and ever.”The 24 elders were sitting on their thrones in front of God. They fell on their faces and worshiped God.They said,“ Lord God who rules over all, we give thanks to you. You are the God who is and who was. We give you thanks. That’s because you have begun to rule with your great power.The nations were angry, and the time for your anger has come. The time has come to judge the dead. It is time to reward your servants the prophets and your people who honor you. There is a reward for all your people, both great and small. It is time to destroy those who destroy the earth.”Then God’s temple in heaven was opened. Inside it the wooden chest called the ark of his covenant could be seen. There were flashes of lightning, rumblings and thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm.
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Job 21:21
What do they care about the families they leave behind? What do they care about them when their lives come to an end?
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2 Thessalonians 2 3-2 Thessalonians 2 12
Don’t let anyone trick you in any way. That day will not come until people rise up against God. It will not come until the man of sin appears. He is a marked man. He is headed for ruin.He will oppose everything that is called God. He will oppose everything that is worshiped. He will give himself power over everything. He will set himself up in God’s temple. He will announce that he himself is God.Don’t you remember? When I was with you, I used to tell you these things.Now you know what is holding back the man of sin. He is held back so that he can make his appearance at the right time.The secret power of sin is already at work. But the one who now holds back that power will keep doing it until he is taken out of the way.Then the man of sin will appear. The Lord Jesus will overthrow him with the breath of his mouth. The glorious brightness of Jesus’ coming will destroy the man of sin.The coming of the man of sin will fit how Satan works. The man of sin will show his power through all kinds of signs and wonders. These signs and wonders will lead people astray.So people who are dying will be fooled by this evil. These people are dying because they refuse to love the truth. The truth would save them.So God will fool them completely. Then they will believe the lie.Many will not believe the truth. They will take pleasure in evil. They will be judged.
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Revelation 12:13-17
The dragon saw that he had been thrown down to the earth. So he chased the woman who had given birth to the boy.The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle. She was given these wings so that she could fly away. She could fly to the place prepared for her in the desert. There she would be taken care of for three and a half years. She would be out of the serpent’s reach.Then out of his mouth the serpent spit water like a river. He wanted to catch the woman and sweep her away in the flood.But the earth helped the woman. It opened its mouth and swallowed the river that the dragon had spit out.The dragon was very angry with the woman. He went off to make war against the rest of her children. They obey God’s commands. And they hold firmly to the truth they have said about Jesus.
