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.
that's an honest gotcha. i was talking on the basis of my personal experience, personal conversations, rather than citing any rigorous statistics. as a rule, home-schooling families tend to be more thoughtful, deliberate, and savvy than their moloch-feeding peers. therefore, more likely to be post-mil calvinists. otoh, many christian schools are started by pre-mil baptist congregations, whose efforts i salute.
I just believe!
I also read this.
Most Jews and Christians are been taught to recognize the messiah as one that will bring peace. Though, ultimately this is indeed VERY true, there will be a long process of destruction and clean-up before he will achieve the peaceful world (if I understand correctly, it will take about 7 years). For that reason, many people will assume him in the beginning to be an enemy and will join the war against him.
My main concern when I was going to Israel back in 1994 was to warn as many Israelis as possible regarding this very issue. Unfortunately, many Israelis will fell into this trap.
** Ironically, it is the false messiah that will come 7 years previously and will appear to make peace. This is because he will NOT fight evil and therefore will appear to be a peaceful one. Most Jews and Christians will accept him as the true Messiah. This deception will be fatal for so many people. This is another issue that was important for me to warn Israel about. **
Written by Eytan Ben-Gideon
Isaiah 3:9
9. The look on their faces testifies against them; they parade their sin like Sodom; they do not hide it. Woe to them! They have brought disaster upon themselves.
1 John 2:18-23
18. Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
19. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.
20. But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of you know the truth.
21. I do not write to you because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because no lie comes from the truth.
22. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.
23. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.1 John 4:1-3
1. Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3. but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.2 John 1:7-8
7. Many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.
8. Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
You have only to go to the number of the post I replied to in order to find what I was replying to.
I usually go through a thread of one of my favorite topics and comment on whatever/all posts of interest to me, that I feel like commenting on.
You are welcome to ignore/skip the posts with my name on them.
I undestand your logic in your speculations.
I'm 99.999999999999999999999999% certain OBL is NOT the AC.
He could end up a right hand assistant but I doubt even that. I think he's a preliminary stoolie.
Sometimes ideas are funny.
Sometimes they are in the basements under . . . . sad.
No money is wasted obeying Christ's exhortation to watch, be aware, alert . . . READY.
Your attitude leads me to believe that you are not a prime candidate to be part of the 12,000 from one of Jacob's tribes.
Therefore, a Saving relationship with Christ overtly, directly and early will likely be THE hope available to you, as to the rest of us.
Ignore at your peril.
Sometimes ideas are funny.
Sometimes they are in the basements under . . . . sad.
No money is wasted obeying Christ's exhortation to watch, be aware, alert . . . READY.
Your attitude leads me to believe that you are not a prime candidate to be part of the 12,000 from one of Jacob's tribes.
Therefore, a Saving relationship with Christ overtly, directly and early will likely be THE hope available to you, as to the rest of us.
Ignore at your peril.
ahhhhh.
Yes, I could understand that, in your network.
Happy to cheer you on in that effort.
Don't want to see your head bloody on the brick wall, however.
Our descendants will likely see the above headline c. AD 3000...
Was just going on my personal impressions and convictions. I'd forgotten about those Scriptures.
Thanks.
Was just going on my personal impressions and convictions. I'd forgotten about those Scriptures.
Thanks.
I am ready too. Whether or not one believes in the thousand year reign, rapture of the church or other theological points is not as important as knowing Jesus Christ as your atonement for sins. I personally am a believer of these doctrines. Come today Jesus! I am ready!
Does this fit the bill as a description of todays liberal.
Probably not. If you want a profile of the antichrist, I submit the following:
He will be physically attractive. He'll have a wonderful personality, a ready smile and a firm and friendly handshake. He'll be an effective speaker, highly intelligent and very persuasive. He'll preach conservative economic policy, low taxation, the strength of the market, etc. resulting ins great economic prosperity.
He'll be a flatterer. He'll make peole comfortable in their sins and so be immensly popular.
He will be an effective arguer against religion. He will persecute Christianity with the support of the people.
He won't seize power, he'll be given power.
He will discredit God by claiming to be god, not so much as a feed to his own ego, but as a way to convince people that they can safely ignore, persecute and imprison these nut cases who believe in God.
That's my take. I don't think anyone in the Christian community is going to spot him until well into the game.
Very true, yet there are some empirical differences. Legalized abortion. Homosexual marriage. 50% divorce rates. Gang violence. Living together outside of marriage as a common and accepted practice. Nudity in "family" films. Explicit content and nudity at public sports events.
These are all events which did not exist 50 years ago.
Consider. The St. Valentines Day Massacre was considered truly horrible because 7 people were gunned down in cold blood in Chicago. Seven people! That would barely make the evening news these days, yet then it was a national story for months and became infamous enough to make it into history books.
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