And as he (Jesus) sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, “Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?”
“And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations: and then shall the end come.”
(Matt. 24:3-14)
Why Should We Be Willing To Go?
The first thing I want to point out from Matthew, chapter 24, is that you and I are living in the last days. There is so much fulfillment of God’s Word taking place right now that I believe we are in the final stages of human history. I believe we are approaching the ushering in of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The church is in better shape now than it has ever been before, and it is getting better all the time. I would very definitely say that we are in the period of time Jesus was talking about here. We have heard of all these things – wars and rumors of wars, earthquakes, famines, shortages. If you will stop and listen to your newscaster for just a few moments (don’t spend too much time there though!) and read a headline or two in the daily newspaper, you will see that these things are being fulfilled right now.
Notice what Jesus told us in verses 4 and 5: Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. Now that should indicate to us why we should be willing to go – because Jesus said that Satan will see to it that in this time, in this hour, there will be many who will come saying, “I am Christ,” and will deceive many.
This tells me that in the day and age in which we live, people are vulnerable. Do you know why? They are looking for truth. Do you know why so many people today are vulnerable to receive anything that is supernatural? Because, for the most part, people have not dealt with the supernatural. They have never before realized that the supernatural was real, and they have had very little knowledge of it. When something comes along which is obviously supernatural, they want to know more about it; they get involved in it.
You and I realize that everything supernatural is not necessarily of God. You know as well as I that today there is more knowledge of witchcraft, astrology, and the occult than ever before. There are more people in modern society who are not afraid to stand up and openly declare themselves to be witches. In fact, many things that are common knowledge to the world right now used to be things that were done only in secret, things that nobody talked about.
Witchcraft isn’t new. It has been going on for centuries, but only just recently has it come to the surface. When people see things that are supernatural, their natural curiosity makes them want to know more about them. That makes people today very susceptible to Satan and his demons.
Notice Jesus said that many people would come in His name and that many would be deceived. You know as well as I that when Jesus says something, it comes to pass. He wasn’t just saying there is a possibility of these things happening; He was saying that they most assuredly will take place. Many false Christs will arise in the last days, and many people will be deceived by them.
The reason it is so important that you and I be willing to go is because Satan’s agents are willing to go. Isn’t that true? Satan’s agents are willing. Satan has his vessels just like God has His. Why shouldn’t he? You see, everything Satan does is a counterfeit, a perverted copy of what God does.
Before Satan committed sin – before iniquity was found in him – he was an angel of God. His name was Lucifer, and he was called “the anointed cherub” (Ezek. 28:14). He was a chosen vessel of Almighty God. He had great wisdom, insight, and beauty. He knew how the corporate structure of heaven operated.
After iniquity was found in him, he led one third of the angels in revolt against God’s throne and was cast out of heaven with all of his followers. Then he set up a counterfeit reign in a spiritual realm which is unseen by the natural eye. In this invisible spiritual realm he has established a kingdom, modeled after God’s heavenly kingdom. He has set up a throne and reign with an angelic host in imitation of what God has. He is trying to operate like God, still trying to exalt himself above the Most High. There is only one difference: Satan’s kingdom is evil.
Satan’s agents are willing to go. A good indication of this is the very fact that there is more knowledge of sin than ever before, more knowledge of witchcraft and carnality, of pornography and drugs, of everything Satan has authored. If Satan’s agents are willing to go and represent him, how much more should God’s vessels be willing to go?
How much more should the Body of Christ be willing to go to represent Jesus of Nazareth? Satan’s agents are bringing death to the people of the world; God’s ambassadors should be taking life to them. If Satan’s crowd is willing to go, then we ought to be even more willing to go!
Excerpt permission granted by Jerry Savelle Ministries International
Dr. Jerry Savelle was an average, blue-collar man who was struggling and needed God's help. While he considered himself a "nobody," when he became a believer God told him not to worry about it because He was a master at making champions out of nobodies. God has since taken Dr. Savelle from being a constant quitter to a man who knows how to stand on the Word of God until victory is experienced. Because of the life-changing combination of God's faithfulness and Dr. Savelle's "no quit" attitude, his life is totally different than it was thirty-eight years ago.
Since 1969, Dr. Savelle traveled the world teaching people how to win in life. Dr. Savelle ministered in more than three thousand churches and in twenty-six nations, and has overseas offices in the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.
God used Dr. Savelle to impact people who are burned out on religion and who have backslidden in their walk with God, as well as Christians who have a need to hear the Word of God presented in terms applicable to their lives, dreams, and destinies. He hosted the Jerry Savelle Ministries television broadcast which airs in two hundred countries worldwide.
Dr. Savelle authored more than forty books, including his bestsellers, If Satan Can't Steal Your Joy, He Can't Keep Your Goods and You're Somebody Special to God. He served as one of the founding Pastors of Heritage of Faith Christian Center in Crowley, Texas.
Jerry J. Savelle, 77, went home to be with the Lord on April 15, 2024. He spent his last day on earth fulfilling his purpose teaching people the Word of God