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.
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
Yes and no.
Focus on the "yes" part as long as you can get away with it.
There is the evidently likelihood that it is blinding you to the "no" part.
Things have always been bad, but was there eever a time in history that it was legal to kill babies, clone people, take D.N.A to make part animals part people, or for homosexuals to marry?
Ms. Casey
I suppose you feel comfortable calling Almighty God obsessed
and according to your perspective and criteria, to boot.
Not something I'd want to get carried away doing.
He IS HIGH AND LIFTED UP, AND HIS TRAIN FILLS THE TEMPLE.
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD ALMIGHTY.
Your face to the floor before Him is much more fitting than your cheeky assertions, accusations, broad-sides and private interpretation, personal judgment/criteria derisions toward Him and the way HE HAS CHOSEN to write HIS WORD about such matters.
It's reasonable that you don't comprehend it. I don't think anyone has it all figured out.
It's another leap of . . . fool-hardiness . . . to therefore begin a freewheeling assault on the respect do ALMIGHTY GOD.
Sheesh.
It absolutely is more serious in a list of ways.
I have no interest to engage in the obvious futility of trying to educate you on that score.
Which means that when the church leaves the earth - Israel will still be here as a nation - and they will be saved as a whole nation upon Jesus' final return to set up a new Jerusalem. Wow! I love knowing that "a nation will be saved".
Logically,
THE ANTI-CHRIST MUST be alive given the closeness of the global government.
It is interesting that the reports of his moves behind the scenes seem to increase every year.
Well put.
THX.
PLEASE NOTE
in that Scripture:
"day and hour"
that leaves week, month, season, year, era . . .
Sigh.
Do you know who the anti-christ is?
EVIDENTLY *HE* EXPECTED US TO KNOW THE SEASON, ANYWAY!
Not to sound sarcastic, but what season is He coming?
JESUS ALSO SAID SEVERAL THINGS ABOUT WATCHING FOR CERTAIN SIGNS SO THAT WE WOULD *KNOW* WHEN THE TIME WAS APPROACHING, AT HAND.
Those signs have been happening since He rose into heaven. He said that no one except the Father knows the time of the end.
So what do you have against those who think that the end could "come as a thief in the night"?
Probably one of the better presentations on the topic I've read. Am still not sure that he has it all figured out.
But he makes many good points, imho.
"THE ANTI-CHRIST MUST be alive given the closeness of the global government."
The New Testament says that the anti-Christ was already in the world back then.
Not OsamaBL.
AC will be a man of great peace etc. etc. etc. and slick, seemingly wonderful saintliness.
He has to also convince the Jews that he is their Messiah.
True, true, true.
And I readily identify with that feeling.
YUP.
It
IS
getting worse certainly by the week, if not by the day
faster and faster.
Things are true now, in the USA and around the world that our parents never expected to see happen even imagining The Great Tribulation.
Evidently you are unaware of many things already here.
And many more things looming in the wings ready to be revealed any day.
I don't understand such . . . short-sightedness.
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