January 11, 2024: Jude 17-18 - There Will be Mockers in the Last Time

January 11, 2024  /  Stephanie Klepacki

“But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.” - Jude 17-18

Jude was reminding his brothers and sisters in Christ then and now that we must not be surprised when people mock us for our faith in Jesus and for believing He will come again a second time, and when He does, it will be for judgment. But what is a “mocker” in this context? Some Bible translations use the word “scoffer” instead of “mocker.” Let us consider what these words mean. Merriam-Webster.com defines “mock” as “to treat with contempt or ridicule: DERIDE” and also “to disappoint the hopes of.” It defines “scoff” as “an expression of scorn, derision, or contempt: GIBE” and “an object of scorn, mockery, or derision.” “Mocker” is translated from the Greek word, “empaiktés,” and Strong’s Concordance, which is an index of every word in the King Jame’s Bible, defines this Greek word as “a mocker, by implication a false teacher.” It is clear that in the context of Jude’s writing, this mocking will be from those inside the church, the ones whom Jude previously said “For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 4) Jude reminded his true brothers and sisters in Christ that the apostles prophesied this mocking and scoffing will happen in the last times because most people do not want the truth but want Satan’s lies that comfort them in their lustful acts. Because we have been warned in advance, if we read God’s word, we should be prepared for the mocking and scoffing and not be surprised by it when it happens to us. We must put on our spiritual armor to guard against this so that we can stand in the power and might of Almighty God.

Before we consider these prophesies of the apostles, let us look at the words “in the last time.” “Last time” was translated from the Greek word, “ἐσχάτου” or “eschaton,” which in this context, is translated as the “last” or “final” time. It is from where the word “eschatology” is derived, which is the study of the Bible of what will happen in the end times. This represents the period of time after the formation of the church until the second coming of Christ.

I would also like to list a few Scriptures that discuss mocking and scoffing of God:

  • “But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the LORD arose against his people, till there was no remedy.” (2 Chronicles 36:16)

    • The “they” that are mentioned in the verse above that were doing the mocking were God’s own people in the divided land of Judah. They had wicked kings, worshipped false gods, and did detestable things. They did not heed the messengers of God and His prophets. Consequently, God used the king of Babylon to bring severe judgment upon them.

  • “Do not be deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not [do not lose heart].” (Galatians 6:7-9)

    • We may believe that God can be mocked without consequence, but if we believe that, we are deceiving ourselves. We each must decide: do we follow the god of this world, Satan, and give in to our sinful, fleshly desires that are against God, or do we follow the one true God by putting our faith and trust in His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to save us from our sins, and let go of our sinful, fleshly desires through the power of the Holy Spirit. That decision will determine what we sow: corruption or life everlasting. If we choose Jesus, and I pray you do, then as the days grow darker and more wicked in these last days, we must rely on Him to be our strength and not grow weary.

  • “The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit. Fools make a mock at sin: but among the righteous there is favour.” (Proverbs 14:8-9)

    • Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). When we know that we are sinners in need of the Savior Jesus Christ, we turn to Him - and Him only - to be saved and are made righteous in Him. However, fools are deceived by Satan, believing there is no sin, and make light of it. They will have no favor and will die in their sins and spend their eternity in hell with Satan and all who followed him.

  • “And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.” (Matthew 27:37-44)

    • Oh, the mocking and the scoffing that Jesus endured from both the Jews and the Romans while He hung on that cross! Before Jesus gave up His life, the sun was darkened and the massive vail inside the temple, which was approximately 60 feet high, was torn from top to bottom. “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost [breathed his last].” (Luke 23:46) Jesus did die; however, the mockers and scoffers did not expect what would happen next: Jesus would rise again after three days, walk the earth for 40 days, and ascend to heaven to take His place at the right hand of God the Father, where He is now. As the Bible tells us, including in the book of Revelation, there is coming a day when Jesus will open the seven seals of the scroll which will start the 7-year tribulation period. At the end of that time period, Jesus will come again to judge and make war on the unrighteous and begin His 1,000-year righteous reign on earth as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Let us examine the apostles’ prophesies and see just how relevant they are now, in the times in which we are living, nearly two thousand years after the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul warned the Ephesian elders before he left Ephesus:

“And now, behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching in the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure [innocent] from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:25-31)

I think there are three key takeaways from Paul’s words to them:

  1. Paul said that he did not hesitate to declare “all the counsel of God” to them. How many pastors in churches today are not declaring the whole counsel of God to their flocks because they are afraid it might offend them or that reading prophetic books might “scare” them and keep them from coming back? How many pastors are leaving their flocks completely unprepared for the spiritual attacks coming against them by Satan?

  2. Paul said that wolves would come into the church and not spare the flock. These are wolves who pretend to be sheep but who devour them. These are pretenders, the same type of men that Jude wrote about who had crept in the church unawares.

  3. Paul also wrote that men who were among them would speak “perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.” These are men who acted like they were saved but weren’t. They would cause division in the church and draw people out of it so they could indulge in the perverse things they and those who follow them lust after. We must remember that there are people in churches who are not saved, and that includes “pastors.” They may go to church every week, perhaps multiple days, attend Sunday School, dress nice, donate to the church, and play the part of a believer but are not saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. The apostle John wrote of these kinds of people:

“Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth. Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but] he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.” (1 John 2:18-23)

The apostle Paul also wrote to a young pastor named Timothy in Ephesus of what would happen in the latter times:

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.” (1 Timothy 4:1-6)

The departing from the faith that will happen in the latter times that Paul wrote about is known as the Great Apostasy. The words “will depart from” are translated from the original Greek word “apostēsontai.” These are people who are in the church but who are swept away by the lies of the devil. They speak one thing and do the other; they are hypocrites. Their conscience which God gave them has been seared. What does it mean to “sear”? Merriam-Webster.com defines “sear” as “to cause withering or drying” and “to burn, scorch, mark, or injure with or as if with sudden application of intense heat.” This aligns perfectly with what Jude previously said of these deceivers: they are “clouds without water” and “trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.” (Jude 12) They are dead in their trespasses, for their life does not belong to Almighty God but to the devil, to whom they have turned and who has branded them as his.

Notice in the verses above that it specifically says “forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats.” Are we not seeing the push to stop eating meat in the name of “climate change,” where globalists and even churches are serving and worshipping the creature or creation, more than God Himself? In July 2022, the Catholic Pope released a letter to participants of the 2022 European Youth Conference that encouraged young people to eat less meat: (See: https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/messages/pont-messages/2022/documents/20220706-messaggio-conferenza-giovani.html)

“There is an urgent need to reduce the consumption not only of fossil fuels but also of so many superfluous things. In certain areas of the world, too, it would be appropriate to consume less meat: this too can help save the environment.”

At the 2023 COP28 conference, formally known as the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties, a debate was held to discuss reducing red meat consumption particularly by wealthy countries to meet “climate change” goals: (See: https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2023-12-11/food-and-agriculture-organization-red-meat-reduction-cop28/103213512)

“According to a new roadmap from the world's peak food security body, wealthy countries will need to cut back meat and dairy consumption to hit health and environmental targets.”

To reduce meat consumption, we have Bill Gates, the cofounder of Microsoft, pushing his lab-grown meat: (See: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/02/14/1018296/bill-gates-climate-change-beef-trees-microsoft/)

“I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef. You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time. Eventually, that green premium is modest enough that you can sort of change the [behavior of] people or use regulation to totally shift the demand.”

On December 30, 2022, the Washington Examiner reported on the push to replace meat consumption with eating bugs: (See: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/push-to-eat-bugs-the-creepy-crawly-alternative-to-eating-meat)

“Bill Gates and big names in Hollywood are pushing to eat bugs as a way to prevent climate change. The argument is that bugs are high in protein and could replace the high intake of beef, chicken, and pork. Critics against eating meat say raising these animals is adding to pollution. Time magazine even came out with an article pushing bugs as a sustainable, healthy alternative to meat.”

We also have many “pastors” in “churches” who are pushing toward eating less or no meat at all. Any quick Google search on the words “pastor advocate eating less meat” can provide many examples of such, including in the Seventh-day Adventists, Mormons, Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Episcopalian, Methodist, and other “churches.” They are examples of those that Paul describes in the book of Romans chapter 1:

“For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead [divine nature]; so that they are without excuse: because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain [futile] in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves: who change the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” (Romans 1:20-25)

Regarding marriage, we are seeing a trend toward declining marriage rates all around the world. (See: https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/07/19/why-are-people-not-getting-married-anymore.html#:~:text=In%20the%20U.S.%2C%20marriage%20has,at%20the%20University%20of%20Virginia.)

“Almost 90% of the world’s population now live in countries with falling marriage rates. In the U.S., marriage has declined by 60% since the 1970s, while the median age for first marriages has increased for both men and women.”

As the agenda toward “climate change” continues to move forward by the globalists who worship and serve the creature and earth instead of the Creator, perhaps marriage will be banned altogether in order to “save the children.” We are already headed in that direction. An article was written regarding how “climate change” is causing an increase in child marriage. Instead of blaming the religions that allow these child marriages to happen, the globalists are putting the blame on “climate change.” (See: https://www.usaforunfpa.org/marriage-in-the-forecast-the-link-between-climate-change-and-child-marriage/)

“Deciding who and when to marry is a deeply personal choice. It can impact where you live, how many children you have, what level of education you can attain, and how financially secure you are. The consequences of forced marriage are dire. Every year, as climate change becomes more extreme and unpredictable, so too do girls’ futures.”  

While we have not seen laws yet that prohibit marriage between a man and a woman, which is the only Biblical definition of marriage, we can be assured it will happen, just as God said it would.

Paul also wrote to Timothy about the attitudes and characteristics of people in the last days. Paul was writing about people in churches who profess to be saved. They are pretenders; they have a form of godliness but are not saved. I have written about this Scripture several times and it is worth including it here because it is a perfect portrayal of the attitudes of people today, not only in America but around the world. It is these types of people who mock and scoff at true believers, we who believe every word of God is true, and who believe in the prophecies that have not been fulfilled yet but know that they will be and it will be in God’s perfect timing.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous [money lovers], boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent [without self-control], fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady [reckless], high-minded [haughty], lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was…But evil men and seducers [imposters] shall wax [grow] worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:1-9, 13)

The deceivers in the churches truly do not believe in the one true God and have not believed in His Son for their salvation. They are following the ways of the world and are not following Jesus, for if they did, they would not have the characteristics that Paul describes above. Many people in our world, especially since March 2020 have been worried about a virus killing them, but what truly is killing them is the sin virus. This virus has infected many Christian churches, who perhaps at one point were solid in their teachings, but now have been given over to their reprobate minds and are deceiving and being deceived. When someone who calls themselves a pastor but are motivated not by the things of the Spirit but by things of the flesh, such as money and sexual desires, the result is what we see today, especially in America, where many people go to church but who have all the characteristics listed by Paul in 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and 13. What does Paul tell us to do about them? He tells us to turn away from them.

We also have the words of the apostle Peter, which very closely mirror the words of Jude:

“This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep [died], all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: but the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against [until] the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness. Looking for and hasting [hastening] unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.” (2 Peter 3:1-13)

Peter reminded us that we will be mocked and scoffed at for believing that Jesus Christ is coming again, and this time, His coming will be for the judgment and destruction of the ungodly. The ungodly are like those in the days of Noah, when corruption and violence filled the earth. It was in those days that they likely mocked Noah for building an ark to save all those who would listen to his warnings, to come on board, and be saved from the destruction that would come upon the earth, and it did. But as in those days, the warnings fell on deaf ears, as they are now. Many people are more worried about “climate change” and “saving the planet” than they are listening to God’s words and the words of His apostles. They think they can save the planet and reverse “climate change” but are willfully ignorant to the words of God that says: it is He - God Himself - who is keeping in store the heavens and the earth but has reserved them for fire. They do not believe His words, or refuse to read them, and are ignorant of the fact that everything on this earth and the earth itself will one day be burned up with fire, and that includes their own destruction. The earth and the heavens will be gone, and will be replaced by a new heavens and a new earth on which only those who have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ will reside, in our new glorified bodies.

One of the major issues that both believers and unbelievers mock is the rapture of the church, and I would say particularly the concept of a pretribulation rapture. The main Scriptures that many believe, myself included, indicate a pretribulation rapture of the church, which is different from and occurs before the second coming of Jesus Christ, and which will happen before the start of the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble (tribulation period), are shown below.

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump [trumpet]: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” (1 Corinthians 15:50-54)

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [dead], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep [dead]. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump [trumpet] of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

“For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised up from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10)

“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves another, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” (1 Thessalonians 5:9-11)

The last book of the Bible, Revelation, discusses all of the judgments that will occur upon the earth during the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble, also known as the tribulation period. During this time, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, will bring His judgments upon a wicked and vile world, during a period with the purpose of opening the eyes of unbelieving Israel who have rejected their Messiah, Jesus Christ. While Jesus was here the first time, He told His apostles about this 7-year period:

“For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake [chosen ones] those days shall be shortened.” (Jesus Christ; Matthew 24:22)

Gotquestions.org has several articles that do a good job of discussing the rapture and listing the Scriptures that support it and on the varying views on when it will occur:

Dr. Andy Woods at Sugarland Bible Church has done a comprehensive, 71-part sermon study on the rapture, and his videos can be found on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLTUQ-6Lg74Xw_AVV7S2N74iv7Dq2pZn_R.

Another fact that has been used to support the concept of a pretribulation rapture is the usage of the word “church” in the book of Revelation; where it is found and where it is not found. (See: https://www.gotquestions.org/pretribulationism.html)

“Pretribulationism also finds support in what is not found in Scripture. The word “church” appears nineteen times in the first three chapters of Revelation, but, significantly, the word is not used again until chapter 22. In other words, in the entire lengthy description of the Tribulation in Revelation, the word church is noticeably absent. In fact, the Bible never uses the word "church" in a passage relating to the Tribulation.”

This definitely aligns with the fact that this 7-year period of time is called “the time of Jacob’s trouble,” where Jacob is Israel. We know that God renamed Jacob to “Israel” in Genesis 35:10. This is the time period the Bible speaks of when God turns His attention back to Israel:

“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: for this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)

No surprisingly, the mainstream media is mocking the concept of a rapture. One such article was posted on in September 2022 by CNN titled, “For some Christians, ‘rapture anxiety’ can take a lifetime to heal.” (See: https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/27/us/rapture-anxiety-evangelical-exvangelical-christianity-cec/index.html) But it’s not limited to those outside of a church. It is also happening from those within the church, with some saying the rapture was an idea invented by John Darby, that the rapture is a lie, and even calling it a “Satanic deception” (See: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1051&context=pretrib_arch)

Whether you believe in a rapture and the timing of it is up to you. I am doing my best to understand the Scriptures through the guiding and teaching of the Holy Spirit within me. Given the Scriptures I have previously listed and the fact that we have a precedent of when God snatched, took, caught up to Himself both Enoch (Genesis 5:21-24) and Elijah when they were alive, I do not think it illogical that the church can be raptured and that it will happen before the start of the 7-year time of Jacob’s trouble. However, my understanding is limited based on my knowledge of the Bible, and so is everyone else’s. I believe that if God wanted us to know every exact detail and timing of the events, He would have written the Bible that way, but He didn’t. He wants us to be ready for His Son’s return at all times, not being caught off-guard, and we can only do that by putting our faith and trust in Him alone for our salvation. I won’t mock my brothers and sisters if they have a different view of the rapture than I have. I believe that as the prophetic events foretold long ago continue to unfold, and are fulfilled before our very eyes, we will have a better understanding of those yet to be fulfilled. For example, there were believers who did not believe in a literal fulfillment of the Jews’ returning to Israel prior to the rebirth of the Jewish nation in May 1948. There were believers who did not believe in a literal mark of the beast because not that long ago, it was not possible to restrict the buying and selling of every single person on earth, but I believe we are getting very close to having that technology in place, and it may be in place already and we just have not seen it implemented yet.

So, the mockers will mock, and the scoffers will scoff, to their own peril, for they willfully choose to remain in their sin, walking after their ungodly lusts, having rejected the free gift of salvation and refusing to turn to Jesus Christ. As a believer in Christ and having put my faith and trust in Him alone for my salvation, I must not let the mocking and scoffing get me down and depressed, for I know this must happen before Jesus calls up His bride up to Himself in the clouds, followed by the time of Jacob’s trouble, and Jesus’ second coming to the earth to put an end to wickedness and depravity. My hope is not in this world; my hope is in Jesus, and I know one day soon, He will appear in all His glory, and oh, what a day that will be!

”Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy; to deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine. Our soul waiteth for the LORD: he is our help and our shield. For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted in his holy name. Let thy mercy, O LORD, be upon us, according as we hope in thee.” (Psalm 33:18-22)

“My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.” (Psalm 62:5-8)

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection [mind] on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” (Colossians 3:1-4) ✝️