Page 348 - Christians Must Heed Jesus
P. 348

Christians Must Heed
                                              Jesus




                   ... You will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of
                   my name [the name of Jesus]... You will be betrayed even by parents,
                   brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All
                   men will hate you because of me [Jesus]... By standing firm, you will gain
                   life. [The Mahdi and his followers will be similarly oppressed.] (Luke,
                   21:12, 16, 17, 19)
                   When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things
                   must happen first, but the end will not come right away. Then he [Jesus]
                   said to them: "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against king-
                   dom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various
                   places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven." (Luke, 21:9-11)
                   There will be signs in the Sun, Moon and stars. On the earth, nations will
                   be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People
                   will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world...
                   (Luke, 21:25-26)
                   It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buy-
                   ing and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and
                   sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like
                   this on the day the Son of Man [Jesus] is revealed. (Luke, 17:28-30)
                   [It] was given power to take peace from the earth and to make men slay
                   each other... (Revelation, 6:4)
                   Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will
                   rebel against their parents and have them put to death. (Mark, 13:12)
                   The merchants of the earth will weep and mourn over her [Babylon] be-
                   cause no one buys their cargoes any more—cargoes of gold, silver, precious
                   stones and pearls; fine linen, purple, silk and scarlet cloth; every sort of cit-
                   ron wood, and articles of every kind made of ivory, costly wood, bronze,
                   iron and marble; cargoes of cinnamon and spice, of incense, myrrh and
                   frankincense... and olive oil, of fine flour and wheat; cattle and sheep; hors-
                   es and carriages... They will say, "The fruit you longed for is gone from
                   you. All your riches and splendor have vanished..." The merchants who
                   sold these things and gained their wealth from her will stand far off, terri-




                                              346
   343   344   345   346   347   348   349   350   351   352   353