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.
Bump.
The dispensational view has also been shown to have been around in the first centuries of the church.
I know SHRILLERY
has a lot of UNFANS
on that score.
However, the AC has to be accepted as the Jews Messiah.
NO way that will be a woman.
Matt.24:36
[36] But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Hope it's soon!
It appears there are "signs" but till
1Thes.4:16
[16] For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Then I'll know for sure when He is coming.
I haven't seen reliable stats which would confirm your assertion at all about the bluck of the home school and Christian school people being categorized as post millenial.
Good Scriptures.
Don't expect them to sway naysayers!
great answer.
I still believe that quakes, as The Bible says, are going to be an increasing sign of the end.
There were the two reports I've asked you about--the geologists reporting the well in Virginia rising dramatically directly as a function of waves from the Sumatra quake.
Another geologists report noted that the ground raised what--1-3 centimeters on the opposite side of the globe from Sumatra as a function of the big quake.
I postulated that both of these events were the sorts of events which you stated soon after the quake would not happen; were impossible etc.
You have yet to reply. I'd still love to hear your reply. Were these things you'd have never expected, or not?
I consider all notions demoting blood Israel from Biblical prophecies of the end times to be
UNBiblical;
Illogical;
Ill-informed;
Silly;
Out of Step with the Nature of God and His priorities;
Ignorant of God's commitment to HIS FRIEND Abraham. God's promises regarding Blood Israel are basically God's thanks to Abraham. God does NOT go back on HIS PROMISES--to anyone--and especially not to Abraham.
Stay tuned. We shall see how rapidly those issues change.
Thanks.
Sure prefer those to be right!
RIGHT.
Not only so, satan via the MSM and HOLLYWEED has conditioned virtually the planet to be
ATTRACTED
to death and gore; to wallow in death wishes; S&M and the like.
Talk about desentizing toward a new holocaust! SHEESH!
There will be sex of all kinds on the sidewalk, in neighborhood parks; on subways etc. in daylight etc.
Stay tuned.
Life is already super cheap in many places on the planet, including the USA.
Freedoms have never been so diminished in the USA, as they are now and getting more so.
Evil has never been so rampant, glorified, taught in the USA as now.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO BLESSED AND THRILLED
that you are
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WRONG.
PTL!
There will be sex of all kinds on the sidewalk, in neighborhood parks; on subways etc. in daylight etc.
And this would be in the Bible where?
Was this not happening in the Roman Empire? God wants us to stay firm in the faith until the Last Day. It may be in our lifetime and it may not. We need to do the work of spreading His Gospel and not spend time trying to determine the day He will return.
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.
I have no idea what you are talking about since I can not find anywhere on this thread, that I posted to you.
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.
I know that right now we do not see him as a wonderful saint in the USA but from what I glean from more and more of the rest of the world their opinion is moving in that direction. Many Muslims already convinced that he is their Messiah.
In the end times the Jews according to the Bible have built the temple for the worship of God but then the AC takes it over. I don't think that when they make the initial agreement with the AC they do it in the spirit of worshiping him but rather because he promises peace. Maybe they will feel OBL is powerful enough among the Muslims to assure it. After the AC makes the abomination that makes desolation in the temple it is at that time that the Jews are told to flee by Jesus, not retuning to take anything out of their houses. The Jews that flee are then protected by the LORD. Many believe that they end up in Petra.
Not doctrine about OBL but just light speculation. PTL and God Bless.
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