Something Extremely Sinister is Happening All Around Us

 

Thank you so much for tuning in and Welcome everyone – Hope you’re well! I’m your host, Ben Lively, and you’re listening to “Shaken Awake” – Episode #67! 

 

I want to thank you for tuning in with us today, wherever you are and whatever you’re doing right this very moment. It means everything to me to share the messages that God’s lies on my heart to share. I want to give a special shot out to some new listeners in Kenya! No doubt how this podcast landed in their ears – Thanks be to God for moving these messages to those He wants to touch. 

 

And, as always, I promise you another great show – But, more than anything, my HOPE for you today, and always, is that you have an actual encounter with the Lord, not just another podcast episode.  

 

Quick ask – if you’ve found value in these episodes, would you take 30 seconds after the show to go to submit a quick review and star-rating in your app? This is what potential listeners look for when deciding whether to give a show a listen – which is confirmation from other listeners that it can bring value. Would you do that for me, IF and only IF you find value in these episodes? For those of you that already have - I can’t thank you enough. 

 

Also, spread the word; pass on a link to your friends or family or colleagues that the Lord prompts you to send to – there are many people that need to hear these messages and scripture and God will see to it that it gets to them. Then, He’ll do the rest. 

 

So, without further delay, let’s get ready to invite God in with us, right here, right now and allow Him to speak directly to your heart and minds.  

 

 

Today’s topic is on “Something Extremely Sinister is Happening All Around Us” 

 

Today, I need to speak on something I’m seeing growing even amongst the darkest clouds that are forming in and around the U.S. and the world right now. To simply cut right to the chase and before we get into what the Word of God says, which as you know is the ONLY important guidance and direction by which to live our lives, I want to inform you all of a few important but sinister things happening that you may not be as aware of as you may think. At the heart of the world’s problems now, is one that I believe is the worst, and is what will truly help usher in the Anti-Christ. And it’s us! Yes, the ‘church’. Not the REAL church, but the church. The body that is looking for a savior, but not having true faith in THE SAVIOR - Jesus Christ. There are many things the church can be thankful for, rely on, pray about, have faith in, and yet still, look for a savior to end the surrounding turmoil, but not look for Jesus. In the same way the onlookers were when Noah’s Ark began to come afloat – they were looking at the Ark as their last ray of hope, their savior, but not one called out to God as their REAL Savior and asked Him to help them. Had even one had, I firmly believe He would’ve saved them – perhaps found a way for them to reach the boat, or would have their hearts warmed enough prior to the flood to realize they needed Him and His saving ship to save them. But they did not. I fear and know that the same is happening again today – this very moment – the moment you’re listening to this podcast…almost everyone is looking for the one who will save them – albeit the government, their employer, a miracle, the next president, Trump’s return, faith, the fact that they’re protected for being a Christian…..I don’t really know. What I do know is the world right now is being led to the one world system and the anticipation (with eagerness, may I dare to say) of the Anti Christ himself; but they won’t call him the Anti Christ – only the true children of God will know. Remember, and I’ll pull out some scripture here in a moment to back up what I’m saying, but remember, the Anti-Christ, when he arrives on the scene, will come like a giant ray of hope, a savior, someone that stops the bleeding, someone that becomes like a world hero on the world’s stage. In fact, it won’t take too much to be seen as such – with all the famine, the earthquakes, the pestilences, the diseases, the poverty, the hate, the divisions, the wars, the rumors of wars, the kingdom’s who are rising up against the other kingdoms – the one who comes in and puts an end (or temporary halt is probably a better perspective) puts an end to it all and brings about peace and stability and a calm, will be adored and admired and loved by the world. That time is quickly approaching. As of this podcast, our current president is handing out hundreds of billions of dollars to pay off student loans….for what? No one knows. The sons of God know. I know. Do you? As of today, we’re seeing more and more of segregation come back, this time against white people, or as they’re so eloquently referring to it as, non-minorities. How cute that little twist of the tongue is that no doubt Satan has devised. Right now, we have a significant majority, and growing, of people that were sworn in to protect the American people and to work for the people, demanding that police that serve and protect be purposefully defunded and therefore, utterly useless and unable to serve the very duties they were sworn in to serve. Why? As punishment for a few that made bad choices. This has cause other states to allow others to go unpunished, entirely, for shoplifting, which they’ve also so eloquently renamed grab-n-go (sounds like a new store chain, doesn’t it), to the point anyone and everyone are going in stores as cheap as convenience stores all the way to high-end luxury stores in wealthy neighborhoods, including jewelry stores and get away with filling their pockets and bags with very little sense of urgency and simply walking out with the goods.  And this is being dismissed, encouraged, and purposely not being discussed by the very people that sworn to work for the people, not against them. We’ve go so much disarray and delusion and illusion happening inside the U.S., that the only ones that can truly see this for what it is are the true sons of God. The rest are just dealing with it, or participating in it. 

 

In no generation before us would it even been imaginable, to which I might add this is where the term, “they’d be turning in their grave” must’ve come about – to have men dressed in women’s clothes and make-up being encouraged to read books to children, or people being sued and put out of business because their religion and Bible forbids them to accept homosexuality and they decline a customer on that fact, or children being able to identify as whatever they want – and being taught this and encouraged by this in the very school system that was created to help bring them to a level of societal skillsets that would prepare them for the workforce and life after childhood and into their adulthood, no less; we’ve created pronouns that can let anyone become anything at any age for any reason and everyone is being told to adopt it, accept it, and embrace it.  We’re ready to put anyone who would dare beat an animal away for a very long time, but chose the ability to kill babies as a just cause and one worth ighting for and going to prison over! We have hundreds of billions of dollars to give away to pay student loans, and hundreds of millions of dollars to give to those that hate the United states, and by the way, we’re in the mid-TRILLIONS in debt, so no – we DON’T have that money – WE OWE MONEY TO THOSE WHO WANT TO DESTROY US, but we leave homeless to remain homeless….yet, we’re flying and busing illegal aliens to luxury hotels and resorts, daily, right in NY City, among MANY towns and cities across America, while it would appear that large portions of CA are living on sidewalks in tent cities. We’re giving free healthcare and insurance and drivers licenses to those who entered illegally, but we’re denying those rights to any American who cannot afford them? People are making the things that are called an abomination unto God not only acceptable now, they’re GLORIFYING them and putting them on a higher pedestal than themselves!!!! Pride is the way of life now?!!?!?! Since when!???? I read about Sodom and Gomorrah, and I think – I bet THEY would have even shaken their heads in dismay and would have been taboo to even consider what we’re doing right now in America and some places abroad. I’m not downplaying what THEY did, I’m highlighting what WE ARE DOING NOW!!!  

 

What are we, the sons and daughters of God, doing right now? What are you doing each day while this is happening?  Are we waiting for a miracle? Are we waiting for the next election? Are we hording up supplies and home defenses? Are we getting creative with our finances? 

 

Are we seeking God in this? Are we asking Him how we can respond to this? Are we seeking to save the lost before it is too late – and believe me, it’s about to be. There are no stronger signs in the history of mankind that fell exactly in line with what Jesus warned would happen so that we would know when the end of the age was to be. The only thing He did not state is the day or the hour, which no one knows except the father. But He did just about that – he told us the signs to watch out for so that without exception or doubt, those that are His would know. Do YOU KNOW? Do you see that we are months, maybe a year or two from imploding from within. There was a day when we would rest well at night knowing we were the world’s superpower. Not anymore.  Never in history has the perfect storm happened as it is now, where those that would’ve in the past NEVER dared to go to war directly with the U.S., especially invade it, have come together and are planning something we have never seen or heard of before. And it’s happening before our very eyes – they’re even telling us ahead of time!!!! We aren’t that naïve…. but it’s a part of God’s perfect plan, so I don’t question what appears to be the stupidity of those in power that should know….just like I don’t question the stupidity of Pharoah who took how many times to have his heart changed from rock to flesh? And that was God who did that, not him. Same exact thing is happening today. And we were warned, as those that were in Noah’s time, and we’re doing the exact same thing – some more so than others, as those that mocked and scoffed at Noah and his family as they built that Ark and warned the people. Are we even warning people now? Are we even seeking the lost? Are we seeking God in this? Are we prepared to die and to see others in our own family die to stand up for our faith in Jesus Christ and say “No – we will stand firm to God’s Word and we WILL NOT WAIVER!” Even if that means we lose our lives and those of our spouses and children? It’s coming. It’s coming really soon and it’s not what’s happening today or what I’m talking about that will cause it to happen – it was prophesied over 2,000 years ago and every prophecy He spoke has come true to this very day – this is yet another that will pass. The birth pangs have started. The love of many have waxed cold – and I see this even from within the church today. Peoples love of themselves and money couldn’t get any stronger, and the division within the church and of believers and non-believers alike is getting darker and stronger by the day. The increase in wickedness – how can it get any worse?!? They’re so proud of it, they’re video taping it for all to see! I could go on for hours talking about the sick, twisted, wicked, vile, and evil things that are growing worse – literally by the day and sometimes by the hour, but let’s see what Jesus said about what the signs would be so that we would KNOW, NOT THINK, but KNOW the end was here: 

 

In Matthew chapter 24, starting at verse 3, it reads: 

 

3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 

4 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 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. 

15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. 

22 “If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 

26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. 

29 “Immediately after the distress of those days, 

“‘the sun will be darkened, 

    and the moon will not give its light; 

the stars will fall from the sky, 

    and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 

32 “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33 Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 

 

The Day and Hour Unknown 

36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time? 46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

 

We can specifically take note of the condition that the world will be in at the time of His return, described in 2 Timothy 3:1-5: 

“You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly.” 

 

Wouldn’t you agree that the times we are living in today fit that description? 

 

As evil increases in the last days, so will God’s spirit: 

 

“‘In the last days,’ God says, ‘I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams” Acts 2:17. 

 

I love how author Don Finto, in his book The Handbook for the End Times, describes the last days. He explains how one of Jesus’ parables paints the perfect picture of what it will be like during this time. 

 

In this parable, found in Matthew 13:24-30, Jesus illustrates the Kingdom of Heaven by describing how it is “like a farmer who planted good seed in his field” (verse 24). But during the night, the enemy snuck and planted weeds among the wheat. Therefore, both the weeds and the grain grew alongside each other simultaneously. 

Referring to this parable, Don Finto said, “The ‘people of the evil one’ will flourish, mature and ripen into the wickedest, the most lustful, the most terrorizing, the most idolatrous, the most selfish generation in the history of the world. But at the same time, the ‘people of the Kingdom’ will mature, flourish and ripen as we move into our destiny of becoming the most powerful, godly, miracle-working, radiant body of believers the world has ever known. Both growing side by side until the end!” 

 

What Must Happen before the Events of Revelation Take Place? 

In the last days, we know that… 

 

The Good news will be preached throughout the earth: 

“And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come” Matthew 24:14. 

 

There will be wars and rumors of wars: 

“And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately” Matthew 24:6. 

 

There will be false messiahs and false prophets: 

“Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones” Matthew 24:23-24. 

 

The antichrist will appear: 

“Dear children, the last hour is here. You have heard that the Antichrist is coming, and already many such antichrists have appeared. From this we know that the last hour has come” John 2:18. 

 

There will be signs in the sky: 

“‘Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken” Matthew 24:29. 

 

There will be those who mock the promise of Jesus’ coming: 

“Most importantly, I want to remind you that in the last days scoffers will come, mocking the truth and following their own desires. They will say, ‘What happened to the promise that Jesus is coming again? From before the times of our ancestors, everything has remained the same since the world was first created’” 2 Peter 3:3-4 

 

People will receive the Mark of the Beast: 

“He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. His number is 666” Revelation 13:16-18. 

 

People will turn away from true faith and embrace demonic teachings (which sounds similar to the popular New Age teachings of today): 

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons...” 1 Timothy 4:1. 

 

There will be terrifying disasters and miraculous signs: 

“There will be great earthquakes, and there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying things and great miraculous signs from heaven” Luke 21:11. 

 

Christians will be hated, and many will turn away from Christ and turn against each other: 

“Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other” Matthew 24:9-10. 

 

Sin will be widespread: 

“Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold” Matthew 24:12. 

 

How Must We Live in the in-between Times? 

It’s vital that we study Scripture and apply its principles to our daily lives. We are to remain firm and steadfast in our faith in all seasons, even if it costs us persecution and rejection. 

Time is ticking. Christ could return at any moment. Here’s something not often said alongside of that statement, that Christ could return at any moment – you can die at any moment!!! Let’s use our gifts to further the Body and spread the Gospel, all for the sake of preparing this world for the coming of our King. 

 

God is not coming for a lukewarm Bride or a systematic, legalistic church—one that looks clean on the outside but is filthy on the inside. Rather, He is coming for a Bride that is pure and on fire for Him (see Revelation 19:7). We are to be “ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected” (Matthew 24:44). 

1 Thessalonians 5:2,6-8 reminds us of the importance of staying awake and alert: 

“For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night … So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.” 

 

Let’s be a voice for Christ and stay informed on global and national current events, viewing them from God’s perspective. Matthew 24:32-33 illustrates why it’s important to remain aware: 

 

Lastly, we are to endure until the end, because Matthew 24:13 says, “But the one who endures to the end will be saved.” 

 

As destruction and evil escalate, those of us who are in Christ can cling to the truth that Jesus has already defeated the darkness. We don’t need to be afraid because John 16:33 says, “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world, you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” The world may appear unpredictable, but these events are not random; in fact, they have already been foretold in the Bible. 

And what else has been foretold? The fact that, when Christ returns, the enemy will be destroyed once and for all. 

 

Trust me: On that day, it’s not going to be “the end of times” for His Bride; rather, it will be the dawn of a new day. A day that will mark the very beginning of our utopia, our eternity, with Christ. 

 

To quote Billy Graham, “I have read the last page of the Bible. It is all going to turn out all right." 

 

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So, before we end today’s show, I just want to thank you all again for tuning in and I HOPE you were touched by today’s message and scripture. If you’d like to reach out to me, please call me directly at 4074933208, email me at ben@shaken-awake.com, or check out the show at shaken-awake.com. 

 

Until next time, take great care of yourself and each other, and God Bless You ALL.