And a "futurist" I once was.
Two important prerequisites to be sure, IMO.
"Perfect love casts out fear", and to the degree that we rest in Him...to that same degree will a measure of fear be dispelled...IMO.
But none of that means I fully believe there cannot be perilous times before the end.
Yeah, like being put on trial and mocked and killed for the name of Jesus
OH WHAT A GLORIOUS perilous END TO BE DESIRED I HOPE SO!!!
The END has happened to all who are now dead. The only ones who ever did or ever WOULD fear their END, are those without the Holy Spirit of Christ Jesus our Lord.
Those who shrink away in fear are not fit for the Kingdom of God as we all know.
The last thing we need is some antagonist telling us we all need to believe his words that we are going to face tribulation.
No one enters the Kingdom of God without going through tribulation. It has always been that way. That is EXACTLY how we bring forth the Son of God within us, the Wife of Christ, as we LABOR in BIRTH PANGS and TRAVAIL PANGS.
The fact is, we forget those necessary pains when we bring forth His Son
So bring on more PAIN!
(Joh 16:19) Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
(Joh 16:20) Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
(Joh 16:21) A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
(Joh 16:22) And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
(Rev 12:1) And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars:
(Rev 12:2) And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
(Act 14:22) Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.
(Rom 8:21) that also the creation itself shall be set free from the servitude of the corruption to the liberty of the glory of the children of God;
(Rom 8:22) for we have known that all the creation doth groan together, and doth travail in pain together till now.
(Rom 8:23) And not only so , but also we ourselves, having the first-fruit of the Spirit, we also ourselves in ourselves do groan, adoption expecting--the redemption of our body;
(Rom 8:35) Who shall separate us from the love of the Christ? tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
(Rom 8:36) (according as it hath been written--`For Thy sake we are put to death all the day long, we were reckoned as sheep of slaughter,')
(Rom 8:37) but in all these we more than conquer, through him who loved us;
(Rom 8:38) for I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor messengers, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
(Rom 8:39) nor things about to be, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of god, that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
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