EB: 24 Grieving Our Losses in the Endtimes

Chapter 24

Grieving Our Losses in the Endtimes

Contents

A) Great loss but great joy in obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

B) Processing the losses of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

C) Counting the Cost of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

D) Grieving the Loss of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

E) Being comforted by Christ in our sadness over what we are losing in obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

Primary Points

• The Endtimes are going to radically change the world, and in the process, radically change our lives.
• One way we get from loss to joy is to process these things honestly, carefully, and biblically.
• Even after logically understanding Christ’s Last Great Commandment with our head, we need to emotionally accept it with our heart.
• The first step in processing loss is to stop denying the truth that you are faced with and come to a place of conviction and ACCEPTANCE.
• Essentially, Christ is asking us to significantly increase what it means for us to be His disciple.
• If you do not honestly count the cost, you will not adequately accept the cost.
• It is not an exaggeration to say that if the time comes to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, we will literally lose 99% of our possessions.
• What will our stuff be worth in 7 years after the Endtimes begin? Nothing. Everything we currently own will be completely worthless.
• There is something we may lose that will be much more painful than anything else: We might lose people.
• Christ wants to give us the necessary faith and strength to obey Him, and even comfort us about the losses we will experience.

A) Great loss but great joy in obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

God never intended the Endtimes to be comfortable or convenient. Its arrival will be like a powerful and destructive hurricane disrupting virtually everything in your life. In a devastating hurricane, people lose all kinds of things including houses, possessions, jobs, and even people. Their priorities and the daily routine of their life are radically altered. The Endtimes are going to radically change the world, and in the process, radically change our lives. And we don’t like change because we feel we are losing something valuable in the change, and we are not sure the change will produce something better.

These Endtime changes and losses will not be temporary as in the aftermath of a hurricane. The changes and losses required in obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment will last you for the rest of your relatively short life on this Earth. Indeed, let us be honest. God is asking us to do a really hard thing.

Yet, our Father expects us to Always be joyful… Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. (1 Thess 5:16, 18 NLT).

How do we get there? How do we get from feeling pain and loss to feeling joyful? One way we get from loss to joy is to process these things honestly, carefully, and biblically.

B) Processing the losses of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

What does that process look like? It’s the same emotional and mental process anyone goes through in processing shocking news or facing a great loss. Let us discuss these “Stages of the Grief Process” in relation to obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment and leaving Endtime Babylon (America) in the Endtimes. How do Christians grieve such losses and get to JOY? If we experience the Endtimes without knowing and practicing this, we will be among the most sad and burdened people in the world, because we will be losing as much as anyone else in the world.

Of course, the first step in properly processing the meaning of Revelation 17-18 is to sufficiently understand it and believe it. More specifically, to have sufficient confidence in the 7 Exodus Convictions:

#1: We can know for certain the Endtimes have begun when Antichrist’s Resurrection occurs.

#2: The Church will be on Earth to face the Antichrist for The Beginning of Birth Pains and The Greatest Persecution (the Pre-wrath Rescue position).

#3: The only modern candidate that can physically fulfill the 12 biblical attributes of Endtime Babylon described in Revelation 17-18 and Jeremiah 50-51 is America.

#4: Revelation 17:16 is predicting the 10-nation Endtime Coalition and the Antichrist will physically destroy America with nuclear weapons relatively early in the Endtimes. This is why in Revelation 18:4 Christ commands His people to physically leave Endtime Babylon when the Endtimes begin.

#5: God will provide everything we need to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment.

#6: I am committed to obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment when the Endtimes begin by leaving America, completing the teachings and tasks in the Exodus Plan, and becoming an approved member of the Exodus Church Plant.

#7: I will do my best to please and glorify God in all I do in the Endtimes.

What is a normal human response to such revelations about the future? Shock. Sometimes denial. Especially as those convictions sink in. At some point, in response to our convictions, we need to take a deep breath and say, “This is going to happen.” And accept that. Believe it. And begin to live like you believe it. Therefore, even after logically understanding Christ’s Last Great Commandment with our head, we need to emotionally accept it with our heart.

A good analogy of what we are facing is this. Imagine you have been having severe headaches. You put off going to the doctor because you just hope they will go away, or you are fearing what they might mean. But the pain becomes more consistent and intense. So you have no choice. You have to go to the doctor.

After many tests the doctor has some very hard news for you. You have a brain tumor that cannot be removed and will kill you over the next few months. How would you respond to that? Shock. Fear. Maybe denial. But until you can accept the fact that you will be dead in a few months, you will not be able to process this truth in a healthy and God-honoring way.

Likewise, we have a biblical prophecy in Revelation 17-18 that cannot be ignored, although most Christians have. Still, it does not matter how complex or scary it is, its author Jesus Christ expects His servants to correctly understand it, and sufficiently believe it, no matter how much effort may be needed. And if in the process we gain a conviction that we must obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, we too will probably need to deal with shock, fear, and sometimes denial. Only after coming to a place of acceptance, can we begin to process these truths in a healthy and God-honoring way.

But when you accept such shocking, life-altering truth, it gets HEAVY. This is unavoidable. We are mere humans, and Revelation 17-18 is predicting and commanding things that surpass mere human ability.

Daniel felt the same way when he saw Antichrist’s Attack on America. He was describing this when he wrote of the Antichrist: He will cause a shocking amount of destruction… He will destroy powerful leaders… he will destroy many without warning (8:24 NLT). What was Daniel’s response to seeing these visions that probably included America’s destruction with nuclear weapons? The Prophet said, I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale … I fainted and was sick for many days (Dan 7:28; 8:27).

Daniel was a brave man. He faced hungry lions in a pit with peace (Dan 6:16). But when he saw the results of Antichrist’s Attack on America, it overwhelmed him. The same will often happen to us as we continue to process Christ’s prophecy about America, His command to leave it, and the challenging steps of doing so.

So the first step in processing loss is to stop denying the truth that you are faced with and come to a place of conviction and ACCEPTANCE.

C) Counting the Cost of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

What comes after ACCEPTANCE that Christ’s Last Great Commandment must be obeyed? We must honestly face the cost of obeying it. Essentially, Christ is asking us to significantly increase what it means for us to be His disciple. We read in Luke:

A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

But don’t begin until you count the cost… So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.” (Luke 14:25-26, 28, 33 NLT)

Don’t begin until you count the cost. Don’t begin following Jesus in obeying His Last Great Commandment until you count the cost. Why is that? Because if you do not honestly count the cost, you will not adequately accept the cost. And if you do not do your best to recognize and accept the cost now, you will be more tempted to quit later.

Accordingly, Jesus shared a couple of parables to illustrate this. He said:

(Luke 14:28-29 NLT) “But don’t begin [to be My disciple] until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building without first calculating the cost to see if there is enough money to finish it? Otherwise, you might complete only the foundation before running out of money.”

Obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment is going to be an incredibly difficult task. Are you willing to make the sacrifices necessary? You can only answer that question by doing your best to accurately understand the cost, and then accept that cost.

So, what will be the costs of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment when the Endtimes begin? Rather immediately you will need to quit your job, sell your house, and sell or throw away literally 99% of your possessions. And maybe leave people you love.

C.1) Losing occupations

First, think about losing your job. Some might be thinking, “Great, I hate my job anyway.” But some have trained very hard to learn their occupation. It’s a huge part of their life. But when you obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, you will no longer be an engineer, accountant, programmer, or any other job that makes money. As a result, your life will become completely devoted to spiritual things. It will be as if you quit your job and joined a seminary full time to spiritually grow and learn better how to serve Christ.

If you are a part of the Last Generation Church, then Christ has chosen you to experience what His Twelve disciples did. We read:

(Matt 4:18-22 NLT) One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.

Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

A little farther up the shore he saw two other brothers, James and John, sitting in a boat with their father, Zebedee, repairing their nets. And he called them to come, too. They immediately followed him, leaving the boat and their father behind.

These guys only knew fishing. But Jesus was inviting them on a journey to follow Him in full time ministry. Jesus intends to do the same with you. But you will have to leave your secular occupation and embrace a spiritual calling if you obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment.

C.2) Losing possessions

Second, we will lose our possessions. Again, it is not an exaggeration to say that if the time comes to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, we will literally lose 99% of our possessions. There is probably nothing in your kitchen, garage, or yard that you can take with you. Everything you take will need to fit in a few suitcases! Of course, there will be things you can buy later. But in the Endtimes you will not have a lot of stuff.

What will losing your “stuff” look like? What treasured possessions will you be leaving behind? Even worse, you may just have to throw them away. It’s possible you will not be able to sell everything, and certainly not for what they are worth. That is a lot of loss!

Why will Jesus be allowing and causing this? To help us grow in our biblical attitude toward our “stuff.” All the “stuff” we have in America that most of the people around the world live without. In the book, Endtime Babylon, a study was quoted that concluded:

“If you keep your food in a refrigerator, and your clothes in a closet, and sleep in a bed, and have a roof over your head, you are richer than 75% of the people living in the world” (EB ch. 5, sec. C.5).

But we have lived in America all our lives with all our “stuff,” and it has been a daily part of our lives. Losing it is a real loss. But what does Scripture say? The Apostle Paul wrote in the context of anticipating the Endtimes:

(1 Cor 7:29-31 NLT) But let me say this, dear brothers and sisters: The time that remains is very short. So from now on … those who … buy things should not be absorbed by … their possessions. Those who use the things of the world should not become attached to them. For this world as we know it will soon pass away.

Paul reminds us the time that remains is very short. And at the end of that time, this world as we know it will pass away. Christian, after the Antichrist is resurrected from the dead and makes his Religious Covenant with the world, we only have exactly 7 more years to live. I supported that biblical fact in the book, The Beginning of Birth Pains. What will our stuff be worth in 7 years after the Endtimes begin? Nothing. Everything we currently own will be completely worthless. Paul writes:

Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. (1 Tim 6:6-8 NLT)

Indeed, obeying Christ’s Last Commandment is going to help us grow deeper in this biblical attitude about our “stuff.” Because in the process, we will lose all of our stuff.

C.3) Losing people

So, we are going to lose our jobs and our possessions. But there is something we may lose that will be much more painful than anything else: We might lose people. Our need to separate, especially from non-Christians, was discussed in an earlier message. There we discussed these very difficult statements from Christ about our commitment to Him compared to others. For example, He said:

“If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.

Of course, Jesus is not telling us to hate people. What He is saying is this: You must love Him MORE than anyone else if you want to follow Him. This is because if others will not follow Jesus, you will need to decide: are you going to love and follow them, or love and follow Jesus. Jesus anticipated this very difficult circumstance. And for some of those obeying Christ’s Great Commandment, loving Him more than their family will be a very real decision they will need to make.

So, you may be leaving some family and friends behind when you obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment. Even worse, when the Endtimes begin, it seems Scripture is warning:

The ten horns that you saw [the 10-nation Endtime Coalition], and the beast [Antichrist] will hate the Prostitute [America], and these will permanently remove all people from her and strip her naked and they will devour her body and will burn her down with fire… in one hour (Rev 17:16, 18:10, 17, 19)

As argued previously, most likely this will occur with the use of nuclear weapons. And most likely most people will die a rather slow and painful death from nuclear radiation poisoning, famine, disease, or violence. You must face the probability that the loved ones you leave behind will suffer God’s punishment of America in this way. Some of these loved ones will probably even be Christians. How do you feel toward God about that? Answering that question is a necessary part of counting the cost of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment.

D) Grieving the Loss of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

After we have accepted what is going to happen, and counted the cost, as best we can, we need to grieve what is going to happen. If you have not shed some tears about obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment and leaving America, then you have not successfully taken the first two steps of the grieving process.

Either you are still in denial, or you haven’t counted the cost. If you decide to obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment, and count the real cost of doing so, you will cry. And you should cry. Give yourself time and permission to grieve. Only then will you know you are taking these things seriously enough. Only then will you know you are progressing through the steps you need to. Because until we have cried, until we feel the weight of what we are losing, we will not need or be ready for the final step.

E) Being comforted by Christ in our sadness over what we are losing in obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment

Christ wants us to experience sadness about these potential losses. This is because He wants us to honestly count the cost of being His disciple. But He does not want us to stay in our sadness. Christ knows that He is asking us to do something that is hard and heavy. Perhaps the most difficult thing we have ever done. But He wants to give us the necessary faith and strength to obey Him, and even comfort us about the losses we will experience.

The Apostle Paul knew something about what we might experience when we obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment:

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles… We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die.

But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God. (2 Cor 1:3-4 NIV; 7-9 NLT)

Do you see an answer to overcome the sadness of our losses? Paul said he learned to rely only on God. We must trust God with our losses. We must trust God with the things we are losing, the people we are losing, and the life we are losing, when we obey Christ’s Last Great Commandment.

But just as important, there is something else Paul said here. Paul promises that our compassionate Father comforts us in all our troubles. How do we experience that comfort? By simply turning to Him.

And Paul also reminds us that our Father in Heaven always has compassion for us. Do you know that God your Father is looking down on you right now with compassion. He will be watching you if and when you are counting the cost of obeying Christ’s Last Great Commandment. He knows what He is asking is huge for a human. And He has compassion toward you. And He wants to comfort you. Even right now. Pray to Him and ask for His grace and comfort.