Posted on 12/21/2004 11:49:02 PM PST by JohnHuang2
Wednesday, December 22, 2004
By Joseph Farah
© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness. From then on and forevermore ..."
– Isaiah 9:6-7 (NASB)
As we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ this week and prepare for 2005 next week, I can't help but think about how close we must be to the Second Coming – when the Lord will return for His church and personally rule over the Earth for 1,000 years.
Oh, I know, some of you don't believe in such things. You think it's just a bunch of silly superstition. Even some Christians don't believe in the Second Coming. Many prefer I stick to writing about news events of the physical world rather than arcane spiritual matters.
But, as a journalist, I can't ignore hard evidence – no matter where it may lead me. And the more I study the prophetic scriptures of the Holy Bible and look at the condition of our world today, the more convinced I become that we are nearing that time. In fact, I think we are very close.
For just as Jesus' virgin birth in Bethlehem was foretold by the Hebrew prophets hundreds of years earlier, so, too, was His return to Earth predicted. The only question is when.
The most dramatic evidence for His imminent return our generation has witnessed was the rebirth of the nation of Israel more than 50 years ago. The Jews, God's chosen people, were, as prophesied, scattered over the whole earth for nearly two millennia beginning shortly after Jesus' death on the cross. Yet, in my opinion, the scriptures leave no doubt that the Jewish state would exist once again before He returned.
Interestingly, Orthodox Jews have long taught that the world would last for 6,000 years before the Messiah would come and usher in a 1,000-year period of restful human history. Since God created the world in six days, according to Genesis 1:31, and rested on the seventh day, according to Genesis 2:1, they reasoned the world's history would climax the same way. They cite Psalms 90:4, which says: "For a thousand years in Thy sight are like yesterday when it passes by."
Likewise, Christians have looked to II Peter 3:8: "But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
The early church understood this "six-day theory" of world history. It was widely accepted teaching for the first three centuries of the church. From the time of Adam, we've got genealogical records to show that 4,000 years passed until the time of Christ. From Jesus' time until the present age represents another 2,000 years for a total of 6,000 years or six days.
There's also a three-day theory: Jesus rose on the third day. Would the beginning of the third millennium – or thousand-year period – not be the likely time for His return to Earth? There is even strong scriptural evidence for such a theory provided in Hosea 6:2: "After two days will he revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight." Note that this prophecy is not about the Resurrection of Jesus – it's either about the resurrection of Israel after 2,000 years of dispersal or the physical return of the Lord.
In 1772, Edward Gibbons published "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," in which he cites early documents suggesting the Christian disciples of the first century were taught that Jesus would return after 2,000 years. We'll soon find out if they were right.
For many reasons, I believe Jesus is returning soon. But I'm especially drawn to II Timothy 3:1-5, which describes the state of the world in the "last days." Tell me if this doesn't sound like our world:
But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these.
To me, that sounds like our world today.
Christmas represents a time of great hope for Christians. Of course, we're grateful that Jesus came about 2,000 years ago and died for our sins. Now we should be hopeful and expectant of His imminent return.
Merry Christmas. And happy birthday, Jesus.
Why don't you ask Him. I'm sure He'll be glad to let you know.
I agree.
I have images of God protecting Believers by directing them here and there to places of refuge supernaturally protected etc.
It's a bit complex and confusing at times.
Christ WILL HAVE A SPOTLESS CHURCH.
CHRIST WILL HAVE A UNIFIED CHURCH.
CHRIST WILL HAVE AN OVERCOMING CHURCH.
CHRIST WILL HAVE AN VICTORIOUS, CONQUERING CHURCH.
etc.
He will not always leave us a rag tag wimpy group of groveling, sniveling, whining, self-pitying, impotent, sin ridden motly assorted combative rebellious brats at war with HIM and each other.
Getting us from one to the other state will likely prove to be most interesting. One of His greater miracles, no doubt.
I could easily see satan using Islam to remove other religions and then remove Islam to assume god status. He is sooooo utterly evil and ruthless--Islam has no clue.
yes I have been reading that thread, I find it very fascinating.
I agree about Israel being the fig tree.
Has anybody seen this or is it another urban legend?
Paul Harvey: Christians Have Rights Too!
Paul Harvey says: -
"I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin, but didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his theory of evolution. Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30-second prayer before a football game. So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game. "But it's a Christian prayer," some will argue. Yes, and this is the United States of America, a country founded on Christian principles. According to our very own phone book, Christian churches out number all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect-somebody chanting Hare Krishna? If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer. If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer. If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha. And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit. When in Rome...
"But what about the atheists?" is another argument. What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized.. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds.. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer! Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.
Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating, to pray before we go to sleep.
Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying. God, help us. And if that last sentence offends you, well..........just sue me. The silent majority has been silent too long.. it's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard, that the vast majority don't care what they want. it is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray.. you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance, you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him. That is your right, and we will honor your right... but by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away ... we are fighting back... and we WILL WIN!
God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him... God bless America, despite all her faults, she is still the greatest nation of all.
God bless our service men that are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God. . . .
May 2005 be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions.
I apologize if this has already been posted.
So, you don't believe Christ will set foot on the Mt of Olives and it will cleave in a big quake exactly as Scripture and as Shell oil confirmed in oil research in the area?
You don't believe in the NEW JERUSALEM coming down out of Heaven?
There's a lot of Scriptures which indicate that Christ will overtly reign on earth--evidently for 1,000 years.
I accept those Scriptures at least at face value--whatever else they may mean.
AND
the Scriptures about ONE WORLD RULER being satan incarnate
WILL ALSO prove to be literally true.
It boggles my mind that people fail to see his manipulations behind the scenes toward the global government already. . . . and even in our last election.
I agree.
I think it could be a religion, Islam. It makes a lot of sense. It's origins go all the way back to Abraham's son Ishmael, so basically that line of humanity has been going down through the centuries with the line of Isaac and Jacob, or Israel.
Fine.
Forget LaHaye's fiction.
Scripture is clear enough.
Ignoring Scripture will cost anyone who does.
Someone wrote a book recently that the anti-christ would come out of Islam because the muslims would never listen to a Jew. I wish I could remember who wrote it.
AMEN! AMEN!
YEA! THANKS.
PLEASE CHIME IN! Always appreciate your posts.
Wisdom would dictate your restraining your assaults and insults.
THX.
Hadn't seen it before.
Where does it say the anti-christ will have a bad arm and a bad eye? It does say that he will recover from a head wound that is fatal.
BTW, I think it's enormously cheeky of you to call doug from upland a religious crazy.
I think you owe him an enormous apology.
IIRC The events in the first coming all line up with spring time Jewish feast days. Second coming events line up with fall feasts
I think you're dead-on re: the significance of 9/11. Some other factors to consider:
1) With Saddam gone and the sanctions lifted, you're going to see a lot of foreign money flowing into Iraq over the next few years--Baghdad, after all, sits within 1000 miles of something like 90% of the world's oil supply.
2) China is increasingly dependent on Mid-east oil, and are starting to get involved in the diplomatic games out there too. They're also gearing up for a war with us.
3) Europe is starting to slowly awaken to the Islamic threat. I'm personally of the opinion that the AC will initially emerge as the "savior" of Europe and the "moderate" Muslims of the ME against the "extremists," and that the ecumenical movement will mushroom as a result. That doesn't make me right; that's just to let you know where my opinion rests these days.
Strangely enough, it's Jerusalem which is the centerpiece of the diplomatic empasses. I say "strangely," but of course to those aware of the spiritual and prophetic realities, it's not strange at all. Don't be too surprised, btw, if the Temple Mount collapses under the Dome of the Rock--the PA has been undermining it to get rid of the evidences of Solomon's Temple for years, and it's starting to show signs of instability.
One thing's for sure: Life's going to be very interesting in the coming years.
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