What is My Gaze Fixed On?

Our eschatology cannot be separated from our theology. 

I disregard any end times teacher who wants to tell me more about who the antichrist is or what the mark of the beast is than what God requires of my heart  in the last days.

The last days described in the Bible aren't about what happens on the earth.  They are truly about what happens in the heart of the believers:  

*those who fall away

*Those who bear no fruit of the leadership of the Holy Spirit

*and those who mature into the pure and spotless remnant of Spirit-led believers.

The last days are about the harvest of the righteousness the gospel produces.

If my focus is on what other people do, be it the devil, governmental leaders, the antichrist himself, the false leaders in the church, etc., I will be pulled into that very same darkness.  We go where we are looking.

But, if I see that the spiritual realities in human hearts  manifest in earthly realities (not the other way around) and focus on my own spiritual growth, then I can walk the narrow road of truth in love.  Ignorance is not the calling of followers of Jesus, wisdom is.  

Wisdom is knowing what to do with information. 

Information can offend me, make me arrogant, make me afraid, or give me good reason to grow in FAITHFULNESS, without which no one will see God!

I won't go to heaven because I knew who the antichrist was. I will only go if I give my entire being to Yeshua Messiah.

When we see "all these things" there are many things we are supposed to do.

Luke 21:25-28 NLT — “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

The first thing to do is change what I look at.  But this isn't all.  Why change our gaze?  Because we need our hearts to change in the light of all that is occurring!

Human flesh tends to want to find who is bad and who is good.  This is the fruit of the fall.  Jesus leads us to do something  entirely different: open our hearts to let the good God in.

This requires both repenting of the things that cannot go to heaven and filling my heart with the things that will be found in heaven. 

Many things cannot enter into heaven.  If I don't separate from what ALL people do naturally, I cannot be saved.  I separate from these selfish behaviors by telling God the truth about them and letting Him do the work of righteousness in the open door of my sober, truthful, humble, realization of my need:

Colossians 3:4-10 NLT — And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming. You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

There is also much to let in from God in the way of righteous leadership:

Colossians 3:12-17 NLT — Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds us all together in perfect harmony. And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts. And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

The main enemy of me doing the simple act of abiding more and more in God is information. The tree of knowledge of good and evil filled the world with information, but not wisdom.  That was the lie.  Humans cannot be wise on their own.  The very foundation of wisdom  is the fear of the Lord.

Information about the world, the darkness, the enemies growing in strength, the failure of the church, the failure of government, etc... these are not helpful in growing righteous.  These are the consequences of a LACK of righteousness.  I am supposed to recognize them as such and then turn to the righteous one.  Ignoring them is rebellion, but so is studying them.

You won't find much in the Bible of the prophets warning the people of God about other people and bad actors.  You will find them over and over calling the people of God to open THEIR hearts to God.

This is how you know you are getting ready:  you are changing faster than the world is falling into rebellion.