8-27-21 Should Christians Leave the Cities?

Should Christians Leave the Cities? This is a difficult subject to write about because the scriptures seem to make the answer clear, and we all know intuitively the answer but expressing it in these times without sounding like an alarmist is not easy. It is not the intent of this email to cause any alarm but share what we already know and are supported by the Scriptures in these last days. The Scriptures provide sincere advice about this topic but is not a requirement. The problem with cities: Today, all the larger cities have morally decayed and any Christian living within them will be tempted to sin more than those that live outside them. Christ has warned us about today, calling us the Laodicean, or the lukewarm church, in which the majority of Christians do not follow Christ. This is not allowed and even those “Christians” will be spued out of His mouth (Rev 3:16). This is the result of “the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it [they] becometh unfruitful.” (Mark 4:19). The convenience of cities and the high-tech society we live in brings us further away from the Lord as everything we need is at our fingertips and the Lord becomes secondary in our lives. It seems that the more the Lord blesses us the more people turn away from Him. Throughout the scriptures, we see the pattern and examples where God called those serving Him to live outside the cities, especially large cities. Lot, who lived within a large city by his choice, was a righteous man and was deeply repulsed by the people there. Peter tells us that “Lot [was] vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked. For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.” (2 Peter 2:7-8) Are those of us that live in the cities repulsed similarly by the actions and words of those around us daily? We should be. Logically, it would make more sense today to strike a balance between the convenience of a city and getting away from the moral decay and temptations found in larger cities. If you have children, the moral decay within cities is now to the point where your children at all ages are being taught immoral behavior by the school systems and their friends, making themselves the center of their lives and focusing on what “they” want. With this type of daily indoctrination by the school systems and their friend, it will be difficult if not impossible for a Christian family to reverse that kind of programming. We are clearly living in the Last Days: A prior email we sent showed that the foundation for the Mark of the Beast is quickly being laid. The governments of the world are telling everyone to take the mRNA based “vaccine”, and many are now insisting that anyone who doesn’t take it will have restrictions placed upon them. These restrictions include expulsion from higher education, travel restrictions, gathering restrictions, and employment restrictions. Many universities and businesses are now forcing students and employees to take the vaccine or be expelled from school or terminated from their job. The United Kingdom and France have even suggested that those that don’t take the vaccine should not be able to “buy or sell” (Rev 13:17). Does that phrase ring a bell? This should tell everyone that we are indeed heading into the last days. Large Cities are not advised for Christians these Last Days: Before the 3rd temple can be built, there will be a war in Israel in which it will be surrounded by its Arab neighbors. It is this very short battle that causes the “treaty to be confirmed” (Dan 9:27) in which the Jews are then permitted to build the temple. Before the battle, we will see Israel surrounded by its enemies as the Scriptures foretell. With the increasing tension in the Middle East, we already see many of the surrounding nations as enemies of Israel. Here is what the Scriptures advise us to do as this unfolds. The first part of the instruction is for Jerusalem and Israel specifically, and the remaining instructions are for everyone, including us. “… when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, you will know that her desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city. For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.” (Luke 21:21 BSB) Christians are advised to leave the cities if they live in one and if they already live outside the cities to not move back to the cities. The problem we find ourselves in is "when" to move and since we don't know the timing of the events, many have chosen to simply move sooner than later as their jobs provide them the ability to do so. We clearly see these events happening so anytime would be a good time if we are able to do so. Over a hundred thousand Christians have already moved out of the larger cities over the last few years to more peaceful places in smaller towns. They intuitively knew we are heading into the last days and they want to avoid the increasing moral decay of cities. The larger cities will get worse and anyone who stays there may eventually find themselves in a position where moving may prove difficult if not impossible for a variety of reasons. As these End-Times are unfolding, Are you Getting Closer to God? The New Testament provides God’s plan of salvation and how we should live our lives to serve him, and if we do, we will become his adopted children and live in Heaven with him eternally. Over the centuries, definitions of individual words have been slowly changing, and the original meanings of each of the Greek root words used in the New Testament have come to light. The Pure Word is an unparalleled New Testament translation from the Original Greek. It is the only translation that incorporates the original meanings of each of the 5,624 Greek root words as written over 1,900 years ago, along with their detailed parsings.