Sorry for being an arrogant, pretentious ass, but I want an explanation from God as to why he/she felt it was necessary to kill what is expected to be 100,000 people, probably more, especially in so nasty a fashion and especially when tens of thousands of the victims were children who never hurt anyone.
I've seen you do many horrific things in my lifetime, including what happens to innocent people's bodies in war, but this time you crossed the friggin' line.
If you are reading this, God, I require an explanation...and an apology.
Howdy Gunny,
PLEASE BEAR WITH ME. YOU ASK A WEIGHTY QUESTION AND I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DEAL WITH IT BRIEFLY.
1) You are in good company. Even Job asked why.
2) However, a caution: GOD IS GOD. We are not.
3) I ask you to recall THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST. I hope you saw it. I hope you realized that even as vividly as it was portrayed IT WAS STILL ANEMIC COMPARED TO THE REALITY OF THAT EVENT.
4) In short: CHRIST KNOWS MORE ABOUT SUFFERING than the most suffering amongst us. Further, HE FEELS ALL THAT ANY OF US FEEL--INCLUDING THE MOST INNOCENT CHILD. HE FEELS OUR PAINS AND HAS INFINITE COMPASSION FOR THEM.
5) SCRIPTURE INDICATES two other KEY CAVEATS:
. . . (A)GOD SAYS: HE THAT SEEKS ME, SHALL FIND ME. I personally believe that that CAN [no guarantees in individual cases--God knows the heart]--It CAN, may, might well mean that God redeems folks and introduces them to Christ as Savior even at moments of death. Certainly NOT something to count on.
. . . (B) GOD SAYS HE is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. We don't know what this means. It at least seems to mean that IF THERE IS AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A SERIOUS, AUTHENTIC, EARNEST HEART TO KNOW GOD, then God will find a way to introduce Himself to them and save them.
. . . (C) a caution about (A) & (B) God is playing for eternal keeps. He is rearing up tested and proven leaders to rule and reign with Christ--evidently throughout countless galaxies and endless ages. THAT IS A SUPREME GOAL. Evidently a LOT else is very secondary and grist for the mill. (A) and (B) above must not be considered a get out of jail free card in a kind of cheap grace the last split second of life. That could be an easy way to eternal death/pain. God says NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. None of us know if we shall live tomorrow or not--as this tragedy illustrates so vividly. We ALL MUST WALK AS CLOSE TO GOD AS WE ARE ABLE, moment by moment by the grace and power of His Spirit.
. . . (D) God also says that he who calls on the Name of The Lord [Jesus] shall be saved. We don't know precisely what all that means either. But I believe we'll be surprised at how comprehensively God has applied it. GOD IS LOOKING FOR BIBLICAL EXCUSES TO SAVE PEOPLE, NOT BIBLICAL EXCUSES TO DAMN THEM.
6) GOD HAS MORE COMPASSION FOR AN INDIVIDUAL--EVEN FOR AN ANIMAL--CERTTAINLY FOR A CHILD--THAN ALL THE COMPASSION OF ALL MANKIND ADDED TOGETHER.
7) GOD IS LOVE AND JUST. But Scripture indicates that GRACE/MERCY TRIUMPHS OVER JUDGMENT. He IS JUST *AND* HE IS LOVE. ONLY HIS WISDOM knows how to balance all that out in each case. WE CAN TRUST HIM in such judgments.
8) I FIRMLY BELIEVE that when we can look back from His perspective--that even HIS ALLOWING SUCH TRAGEDIES--WE WILL BE LEFT WITH THE DEEP CONVICTION THAT:
HE DOES ALL THINGS WELL. We WILL NOT have the least criticism or fault to find with HIM WHEN we HAVE ALL THE EVIDENCE AND FACTS AT OUR AWARENESS IN ETERNITY.
9) At this point, we see reality through a very dark, foggy glass. We THINK WE KNOW NEAR EVERYTHING AND AT LEAST ENOUGH TO JUDGE GOD. THAT'S A VERY HAZARDOUS FALLACY. Compared to what HE KNOWS; HIS perspective, we know virtually NOTHING. It's silly, knowing near nothing--to criticize HE WHO IS ALL AND KNOWS ALL.
10) IF you dare to ask God such a question, You'd best be ready for HIS answer and for HIS . . . MANIFESTED REPLY to you. I don't know what that might be. But I assure you that HE IS PAYING ATTENTION to you. He knows the number of hairs on your head, too. He knows your question. He knows the attitude it comes out of. He knows if there is rebellion in your heart toward Him, or not. AND, HE !IS! THE BOSS.
11) As He said to Job--WHERE WERE YOU WHEN HE LAID THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE WORLD. And, as Bill Cosby once paraphrased: NOAH, HOW LONG CAN YOU TRED WATER?
12) God has SOME compassion for our why's when earnestly asked out of a struggling heart seeking truly to understand rather than to trumpet an excuse for more rebellion. He doesn't tolerate any competition, as satan himself found out.
13) THE WAGES OF SIN = DEATH. I firmly believe that A VAST BULK of this reality is A VAST OBJECT lesson to all mankind as well as satan.
. . . . (A) WE CANNOT BE GOD.
. . . . (B) WE CANNOT FIX OURSELVES.
. . . . (C) WE CANNOT FORM A PERFECT ENOUGH SOCIETY AND GOVERNMENT TO REMEDY SUFFERING. We canNOT. We are UNable. WE ALLLLL ARE UTTERLY DEPENDENT ON GOD FOR ALL THAT IS GOOD. God is determined to make that TRUTH ABUNDANTLY VIVIDLY KNOWN by all mankind and indeed by ALL CREATION. Perhaps that is the reason, if as some claim, that more than 70 ET races observe this object lesson. And, as The Bible says that ALL CREATION GROANS EAGERLY, EXPECTANTENTLY FOR THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SONS OF GOD--evidently to help rid Creation of the suffering brought by the pollution of sin.
14) We all want perfection. Man has to get over the delusion that man can have his rebellion and perfection, both. God is NOT going to have another satanic rebellion amongst the heavenly hierarchy!
15) Some have postulated that ALL THIS is some virtual reality in God's computer. I don't think so. God tends to have a passion for THE REAL THING. But it doesn't matter. He has still constructed a reality that requires US to exercise FREE WILL INDIVIDUAL CHOICES:
. . . (A) TOWARD LIFE, ETERNAL LIFE and
. . . (B) AWAY FROM DEATH, ETERNAL DEATH.
16) FOR THOSE CHOICES TO MEAN ANYTHING AT ALL THAT'S REAL--THEY MUST HAVE REAL CONSEQUENCES; REAL RESULTS. If you eat your child vs nurture it and God rewards both equally--then the choice is meaningless.
17) SUFFERING ON THIS SIN SOAKED GLOBE IS A FUNCTION OF MILLIONS OF CHOICES TOWARD LIFE OR DEATH OVER THE AGES AND IN OUR INDIVIDUAL LIVES. Scripture indicates that even tangible nonsentient life and even the rocks are ready to vomit out, as it were, sin polluted contamination. ALL CREATION IS SIN SICK AND SICK OF SIN. It cannot be otherwise. Choices MUST have consequences or NOTHING MEANS ANYTHING. I may as well shoot you as feed you if nothing makes any difference.
18) I believe that AT THE MOMENTS OF DEATH for all those children--God's angels and Holy Spirit were very tangibly present. There's a LOT of evidence that when looking from the perspective of Heaven or eternity--even the worst of this suffering on this planet is laughable. That's mind boggling. But Scripture does say that the worst of the suffering of this life is not worthy to be compared to the glories of the next life. I really believe that.
19) There have been many NDE's NEAR DEATH Experiences that verify exactly that. Patients undergoing the most horrid medical treatment and in pain beyond the meds on leaving their bodies find utter peace and are sometimes amused at the anguish they'd just been feeling. Ditto for accident victims.
20) Of course there is the experience of the Atheist MD who died 11 times and kept waking up screaming to get him out of hell. The nominal Episcopalian MD resucitating him was annoyed and thought he was delusional. But finally in frustration to try and shut him up screamed back: OH, PRAY TO JESUS AND SHUT UP. The man stayed alive that time. And later reported that he did ask Jesus to save him at that point and that Jesus came and did. Dr Ebe later lived to a ripe age of 80+. He may still be alive. He's no longer an atheist.
21)I think I'll stop there for the personal-to-you reply. I hope this gives you at least some food for thought and that Holy Spirit will make it real to you. If you try and play games and run from God, I will pray that the HOUND OF HEAVEN pursue you as a fiercely Loving suiter.
And the following via my fingers earlier this morning: First posted as
post #422 at thread:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309980/posts?page=428#428 # # # # # # # # #
ANOTHER POSTER:
"Hey, has someone figured out yet what the message from God is on this one?"
# # # # # # # # #
QUIX: Elementary, I think . . . I feel, . . . sense . . . that:
ALMIGHTY GOD SAYS:
WAKE UP, OH MANKIND.
I'M GOD! YOU'RE NOT!
THE GOD OF ABRAHAM, ISAAC AND JACOB DESERVES WORSHIP, LOVE, AWE 1 AND OBEDIENCE!
I WILL !NOT! LONG BE MOCKED OR IGNORED.
YOU ARE BUT GRASS. GET YOUR AFFAIRS IN ORDER.
YOU ARE BEING WEIGHED IN THE BALANCE. MOST ARE FOUND MORE THAN WANTING.
ALL THAT CAN BE SHAKEN, WILL BE SHAKEN.
TODAY IS THE DAY OF SALVATION. NOW MUST BE THE HOUR OF YOUR VISITATION. TODAY IS THE DAY OF CONFESSION, REPENTANCE AND CHOOSING THE BLOOD COVERING OF MY SON.
THE MOUNTAINS WILL MELT AT MY VOICE.
THE OCEANS WILL ROAR WITH MY RAGE.
THE AIR AND HEAVENS WILL WAX AWESOMELY IN TURMOIL AT MY BREATH.
PREPARE YOU THE WAY OF THE LORD. PREPARE YOUR LAMPS. PREPARE YOUR OIL.
DRAW CLOSE TO ME AND I WILL DRAW CLOSE TO YOU. THOSE WHO EARNESTLY SEEK ME (OUT OF THEIR HEART'S YEARNING) SHALL FIND ME. I AM NOT A GOD THAT I SHOULD LIE.
PRAY. REND YOUR CLOTHES AND PRAY.
PRAY. REND YOUR HEARTS AND PRAY.
PRAY. WAIL AND MOAN AND PRAY.
PRAY. DRAIN YOUR EYES AND PRAY.
YOU HAVE LAUGHED IN DERISION AT THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS. THE TIME OF YOUR LAUGHTER IS DRAWING RAPIDLY TO A CLOSE. IT IS THE TIME OF MY LAUGHTER AT THE DREAMS AND VANITIES OF MEN.
THOUGH YOU WALK THROUGH THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH, I WILL COMFORT YOU AND LIFT YOU UP. IS YOUR HEART STEADFASTLY CENTERED ON ME? MAKE IT SO. MOMENT BY MOMENT, MAKE IT SO. AND I WILL BE YOUR HIGH TOWER. I WILL BE YOUR STRENGTH. I !WILL! PREPARE A BANQUET BEFORE YOU IN THE PRESENCE OF YOUR ENEMIES.
THE EARTH TREMBLES AT MY VOICE. THE WAVES ROAR AT MY THOUGHTS. THE AIR VIBRATES AT THE FIERCENESS IN MY EYES. PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD. I AM COMING.
FIRST I CLEAN HOUSE. THEN, WE 2 PARTY.
PREPARE!
PREPARE!
PREPARE!
PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD IN YOUR HEARTS; IN YOUR LIVES; IN YOUR WORLD!
PREPARE!
I WILL HAVE A PEOPLE. I WILL HAVE A TRIED PEOPLE. I WILL HAVE A REFINED 3 PEOPLE. I WILL HAVE A PURE BRIDE FOR MY SON.
YES. I !AM! THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF YOUR FAITH. I !AM! THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF YOU. YET, I REQUIRE YOUR UTMOST COOPERATION. I REQUIRE YOUR SINGLE-MINDED DEVOTION TO ME. PRAY THAT YOU HAVE MY PASSION FOR MY PRIORITIES.
WALK IN MY SPRIT. LIVE IN MY WORD. WRITE MY WORD ON YOUR HEARTS. MEDITATE ON MY WORD IN YOUR MINDS. APPLY MY WORD IN ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AND AFFAIRS. BE CERTAIN YOU APPLY MY WORD IN ALL YOUR RELATIONSHIPS.
PREPARE!
PREPARE!
PREPARE!
Blessed be the Name of The Lord.
Let the discerning and Full of and gifted of The Holy Spirit discern the above, whether it be of God, or not. Let them post their discernment following. May you judge rightly by HIS SPIRIT. Amen.
1 REVERENTIAL FEAR, RESPECT, AWE, SINGLE-MINDED AWE-STRUCK DEVOTION
2 THOSE WITH HEARTS HARD AFTER ME AND I
3 REFINED 7 TIMES IN THE REFINER'S FIRE AS GOLD, YES, AS FINE, PURE GOLD.
The following was posted with more vivid formatting on this linked thread:
post #1311
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/1274030/posts?q=1&&page=1301
WHY LORD?
Jeremiah Chapter 14
8 O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, WHY shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
9 WHY shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O LORD, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not.
10 Thus saith the LORD unto this people, Thus have they loved to wander, they have not refrained their feet, therefore the LORD doth not accept them; he will now remember their iniquity, and visit their sins.
11 Then said the LORD unto me, Pray not for this people for their good.
Most people are not aware that the book of Jeremiah is not laid out in Chronological order.
Careful study reveals this chapter…chapter 14, as the first place where Jeremiah was told that he was not to pray for the people of Judah. James Ussher, the Arbishop, placed the date for this revelation as 602 B.C., in the 27th year of the ministry of Jeremiah.
CONTROVERSY WITH GOD
The backdrop for receipt of this word was a drought induced famine. No rain was falling. Every bit of ground was parched as verse 4 of this same chapter indicates. No rain meant one thing to these people: God had a controversy with them.
Jeremiah knew the scriptures that gave this as a heralding sign of doom: Deuteronomy 28, or 2 Chonicles 7:13. Drought was once of three signs listed there, along with devouring locusts, or pestilence. The people were told that when they saw one of these three things, they had better 1) HUMBLE THEMSELVES, 2) PRAY, 3) SEEK GODS FACE, and 4) TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS.
If the people refused to do all four of these things, God would keep His promise to empty their land of its’ inhabitants.
Jeremiah was quite shocked when God told him not to pray for his people for the very first time. Look at his words:
Jeremiah Chapter 14
13 Then said I, Ah, Lord GOD! behold, the prophets say unto them, Ye shall not see the sword, neither shall ye have famine; but I will give you assured peace in this place.
14 Then the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their heart.
15 Therefore thus saith the LORD concerning the prophets that prophesy in my name, and I sent them not, yet they say, Sword and famine shall not be in this land; By sword and famine shall those prophets be consumed.
16 And the people to whom they prophesy shall be cast out in the streets of Jerusalem because of the famine and the sword; and they shall have none to bury them, them, their wives, nor their sons, nor their daughters: for I will pour their wickedness upon them.
Early in the history of America, our forefathers believed these same things. Historians such as Peter Marshall have documented that whenever the early settlers encountered times of drought, or famine, or pestilence, they regarded that it was an omen from God: God had a controversy with them. They declared times of national fasting and prayer in response to such things.
Oh, but we have become so sophisticated. We have invented a “mother nature”. We now ascribe these things to random occurrence. Nevertheless, let God be true and every man a liar. God’s word still stands, and God has said in more than one place that He is no respecter of persons.
LEGAL PRECEDENT
One thing may be concluded from this: God is a God who works through the establishment of precedent. What God has done in the past for one country, He will do for another country in the future. Our legal system, with its’ reliance upon established legal precedents according to case history, is based upon this principle. God moves upon precedents that He has established by His words, and by His previous actions.
Many in America cannot understand why God would send hundreds of prophets to proclaim that He is wroth with America. Hundreds have gone forth, proclaiming that God is preparing to move in America. America will vomit out its’ inhabitants, and many do not understand. Do not our other prophets and our TV ministers tell us that all is well? Do they not say that we are proclaiming the light of Christ around the world, and God will bless us? Do we not have Christian churches on every corner? How or why would God be angry with America at all?
The answer to these questions is legal precedent. God has lain down certain precedents. Do these things, the Lord says, and I will do what I have said in my word.
THE LAST STRAW
Many years ago, just after God sent me as His prophet, I was inquiring of Him, just as Jeremiah did. I simply didn’t fully understand why my nation was in such trouble with Him. I received a very clear answer. God explained it to me. Since my ministry call preceded the start of my internet ministry, certain things God has revealed to me have not yet been published on my websites.
Yesterday, I was asked by a friend if I could explain this on my websites: why is God so wroth with us? Why will God turn us over to invading armies? Why is God not giving us favor in our military campaigns? Why is our economy struggling? Why is drought gripping more than 50% of our nation? Why are pestilences such as AIDS spreading? Why is God going to allow many of our cities to be burned up in nuclear fire? Why is crime increasing? Why are our children committing suicide in record numbers?
I searched my website, and realized that I had never written down the revelation the Lord gave me. It is quite clear. It is undeniable. It is a one word answer.
ABORTION
2 Kings Chapter 17
9 And the children of Israel did secretly those things that were not right against the LORD their God, and they built them high places in all their cities, from the tower of the watchmen to the fenced city.
10 And they set them up images and groves in every high hill, and under every green tree:
11 And there they burnt incense in all the high places, as did the heathen whom the LORD carried away before them; and wrought wicked things to provoke the LORD to anger:
12 For they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
13 Yet the LORD testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets.
14 Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the LORD their God.
15 And they rejected his statutes, and his covenant that he made with their fathers, and his testimonies which he testified against them; and they followed vanity, and became vain, and went after the heathen that were round about them, concerning whom the LORD had charged them, that they should not do like them.
16 And they left all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made them molten images, even two calves, and made a grove, and worshipped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
17 And they caused their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire, and used divination and enchantments, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
God was very patient with the Northern 10 tribe Kingdom of Israel. Elijah the prophet was sent to them, and proclaimed a 3 ½ year drought during the days of King Ahab. Signs from heaven were seen. Great miracles continued to be performed in the ministry of Elisha. Then, God sent the interceding prophet Amos, during whose ministry a great earthquake struck the kingdom. Surely, these things should have been enough to warn the people, but they did not have ears to hear, and the land vomited out its’ inhabitants, as the Assyrians came forth and carried the Israelites away as captives to the ends of the Earth.
You can see, in the verses above, that God had many controversies with these people. Their hearts were far from Him in many ways, but when we reach 17:17, we see the LAST STRAW in view: abortion.
These people had given over
their children
to human sacrifice.
These were babies,
who were being thrown into the fire,
in worship of a so called God named Molech.
Now, human nature tells you very quickly that any mother who loved her baby would not sacrifice her baby unto any God, but these women were doing it. Why?
They didn’t want these babies. Some were unmarried, and it was too difficult to support their babies. Some did not want the inherent restrictions of their lifestyles that come with the rearing of children. These babies were certainly inconvenient for them. And so, they decided upon the perfect solution. It was a legal solution, and it was a societally sanctioned solution: they would sacrifice their children by tossing them into the fire, in an act of worship. Verse 17 says THIS was what provoked the Lord to anger.
The abortion tally in America, in 2004, stands at approximately
60 million
by some estimates. That represents 2 million human sacrifices to the God of convenience and pleasure, every year, since 1972.
RIGHT TO CHOOSE
Yesterday, hundreds of thousands of women were protesting in Washington D.C. against what they view as restrictions on their right to choose. They are angry that our President has taken tiny baby steps to roll back this abomination. They want to make sure that they are allowed to continue with their licentious lifestyles. They want no restrictions to be placed upon this sacrifice of the unborn.
They even protest the recent actions of our government that outlawed a practice of baby killing known as partial birth abortion. For this restriction on their right to kill, they are angry.
Yes, our society has a right to choose. God has given us our volitional right. We can decide our fate as a nation.
REPENT
I know this: If America would repent, and return to God, then God would relent of sending all these calamities that He has announced through prophets like me. But, this repentance cannot be with words alone. We cannot continue to sacrifice 2 million unborn children per year, and expect God to relent. We have a choice to make as a society. Our future hangs in the balance.
We do have a right to choose.
CONSEQUENCES OF CHOICE
It appears obvious to me that, barring a shocking public turnaround that has only been seen in the city of Ninevah, more than three thousand years ago, our nation will choose to follow in the footsteps of Israel, as the prophet described in 2 Kings 17 above. The choices Israel made had consequences. They first chose, and then God acted.
God has sent hundreds of prophets to America. Those consequences have been clearly outlined for any who have ears to hear.
This is a partial listing of consequences:
1) Increasingly terrible terrorist attacks will come against our military, and against our cities. These attacks will include the use of nuclear weapons. We will be unsuccessful in our military campaigns.
2) Asteroids/Comet fragments will fall near coastal areas, inundating large sections of our coastlines
3) Natural disasters, such as earthquakes and volcanoes, will extract a terrible toll
4) Finally, America will be invaded and occupied by foreign powers. It will be unimaginably terrible to be alive, and to be an American, in those days
God does not want to do these things, but He is BOUND by previous legal precedent. What He did to Israel, under the same circumstances, He must do to America. He cannot do otherwise.
A WORD TO THE ENEMIES OF AMERICA You descendents of Ishmael: Arabs, give ear to me. Russians, Chinese, North Koreans, listen to me good! Mexicans and Cubans, pay attention! You Persians, do not close your ears! Yes, you Canadians too, give an ear! You Japanese, be careful! Chavez, are you listening? You others who will be tempted to pile on and join the feast of blood, are you awake?
The Lord sees your private plans and intentions. He sees the temptations that are upon you. He knows and has revealed your plans to aid in the downfall of America.
Yes, you will be doing the bidding of the Lord as you invade this land, but are you without sin? Wherewith do you cast the first stone, and think you will be blameless? Ah, you are mistaken and troubled indeed, says the Lord, for as your pour out trouble upon America, it will be repaid to you double.
Repent, I say, you nations of the Earth who will devour America: Repent. Turn from your wickedness, that the fierce anger of the Lord will turn from you. For by the same precedent that I will use to empty America, I will empty you out too, says the Lord.
Blessings,
Stephen L. Bening
Another edifying post from David Wilkerson follows:
Post #1323
The Coming Of The Lord
David Wilkerson
When I was a boy, the cry of the church was, "Jesus is coming! Like a thief in the night, he will return when you least expect him. He'll come in the twinkling of an eye, with the sound of the trumpet. Be ready at all times."
Throughout my teenage years, this cry was heard at every Sunday meeting. Every evangelist who came to preach in my father's church had a stirring message about the soon return of Christ. Their cries are burned into my memory. And the message formed in me a godly fear and expectancy. I learned to live expecting the Lord to return at any moment.
This cry, "Jesus is coming", is seldom heard in the church today. I can't remember the last time I heard a message on the coming of the Lord. As a result, when I look at Christ's body, I see little expectancy for the Lord's soon return. Sadly, only a few righteous servants seem to yearn and look for his appearing.
In fact, there is a new mindset on this subject among many Christians. The thinking is, "Jesus isn't coming. We've heard that for years now. Of all the prophecies that need to be fulfilled before his return, only a few have come to pass. Why should we expect his appearing? Everything continues just as it has."
The Bible warned of this very mindset. Peter said scoffers would come in the last days, mocking the message of Christ's return: "There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation" (2 Peter 3:3-4).
Incredibly, many dread the sudden return of Christ. The very thought of their life coming to an end, and of having to face a day of judgment, is so frightening that they put it out of their minds. How could this be true of believers, you ask? According to Peter, their lives are dictated by lusts: "walking after their own lusts" (3:3).
Think about what Peter is saying. If you cling to a bosom sin, you want nothing to do with this message of Christ's return. The idea that Jesus will come and judge you is the most frightening thought any sinner could have. So you have to mock the idea of having to stand before God in your consuming lust and give an account.
Peter's message to us is clear: "Here is what's behind all the flippancy about Christ's coming: a mockery of God's law. It's a hatred for the Bible, a despising of the Ten Commandments, a contempt for the evangelical gospel. That's the cause behind all the lawlessness, the flaunting of sin, the powerlessness of the church. Mockers are preaching a new message: 'Christ isn't coming. There is no day of reckoning. All things continue just as they have for years. You don't have to fear a judgment day.'"
Just as Peter prophesied, those mockers are here today. And they're not mocking the law of the land. They're mocking the laws of God. We see it in the push to break down the institution of marriage between a man and a woman. Their focus isn't the Constitution, but God's Word. And these mockers are in high places: in Congress, in high courts, in colleges and schools, even in biblical seminaries.
Because of this rampant lawlessness, people have been plagued with a willful blindness. Mockers can be heard saying, "All things continue on in an orderly fashion. The sun will rise on schedule tomorrow, the seasons will come and go. All the warnings we heard in the past still haven't come to pass. So, let nothing disturb you. Indulge and enjoy yourself. Do whatever makes you happy."
I have to shake my head at this. How could anyone living today say that things continue as they always have? Think of the absurdity of this statement, in these terrifying times. Terrorists have destroyed the Twin Towers in New York. They've blown up a train station in Spain. And they're beheading people in the Middle East.
It has been said that a mass genocide like the Holocaust could never happen in our day. Yet 700,000 innocent Rwandans have been slaughtered by their own countrymen in a matter of months. AIDS is killing millions in Africa, China, India and other nations. Rogue countries with the hydrogen bomb are poised to hold the rest of the world hostage. And there is a rise of deadly new diseases, such as SARS and Ebola, that consume a person's flesh within weeks.
"All things continue as they have"? What willful ignorance. It should be clear even to the ungodly that the Lord is shaking everything that can be shaken. And what's coming in the near future is too dreadful even to think about.
Yet, as all these things happen, there is a mighty, unseen power at work in the earth. It's a power no man can evade or ignore. I'm talking about the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Christ's administrator on earth. He was sent to empower the righteous, and to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment.
The Holy Spirit knows exactly why Jesus hasn't come yet. It is because our Lord is longsuffering. He is patient toward sinners, willing that no person should perish. In his mercy, he's waiting for the vilest sinner to repent. And for that very reason, the Holy Spirit will not let up on his assignment. You can mock him or try to shake him off, but the Spirit comes again and again, convicting of sin and revealing the truth of Christ.
--- Although mockers will come, Scripture says the Holy Spirit will also come in the last days, being poured out on the earth. ---
This has happened, at Pentecost. And now, at the closing of the age, the Holy Spirit is making a final, midnight cry: "Jesus is coming." Islamics and Hindus will hear this cry. Atheists will hear it. Every sinner and saint, every Jew and Gentile on earth, will hear it. This truth will be proclaimed to the nations.
You may ask, "What kind of 'coming of the Lord' are you talking about? Are you referring to a secret rapture? Are you speaking of a pre-tribulation return, or mid-trib, or post-trib? Or, do you mean Jesus will come at the very end of time?"
Some Christians believe that Jesus will suddenly evacuate his people from the earth in what's called a rapture. Others teach that Christ will come midway through a period known as the great tribulation. This period will last for seven years, and will be marked by terror and chaos such as the world has never seen. Others believe Jesus will come at the end of this seven-year tribulation period. Still others teach that Christ will return at the very end of all things.
There are respected biblical scholars in each of these camps. Yet there is one thing every Christian can agree on: Jesus himself says no man knows the hour of his coming, not even the angels. And for the true lover of Christ, the timing of his return is not an issue. Such servants are ready to go at any time, whether through a sudden rapture or in the midst of tribulation. It doesn't matter to them whether they have to endure terrible trials and suffering. They trust that the same Jesus who carries them through each day now will see them through all things. They live in constant expectancy of his return.
No, there is a greater issue at work here. And that is the wicked thought that Satan has implanted in many who claim to be true believers. The devil is whispering a vicious lie into the ears of multitudes of God's people: "Christ has delayed his coming."
In Matthew 24, Jesus tells a parable about being ready: "Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 24:44-51).
Note that Jesus is speaking about servants here, meaning believers. One servant is called faithful and the other evil. What makes the latter servant evil in God's eyes? According to Jesus, it's something he "shall say in his heart" (24:48). This servant doesn't voice such a thought, and he doesn't preach it. But he thinks it. He has sold his heart on the demonic lie, "The Lord delays his coming." Notice he doesn't say, "The Lord isn't coming," but "he delays his coming." In other words: "Jesus won't come suddenly or unexpectedly. He won't return in my generation."
This "evil servant" is clearly a type of believer, perhaps even one in ministry. He was commanded to "watch" and "be ready," "for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh" (Matthew 24:44). Yet this man eases his conscience by accepting Satan's lie.
Jesus shows us the fruit of this kind of thinking. If a servant is convinced that the Lord has delayed his coming, then he sees no need for right living. He isn't compelled to make peace with his fellow servants. He doesn't see the need to preserve unity in his home, at work, in church. He could smite his fellow servants, accuse them, hold grudges, destroy their reputations. As Peter says, this servant is driven by his lusts. He wants to live in two worlds, indulging in evil living while believing he's safe from righteous judgment.
--- Some claim that Paul warned against preaching that the Lord's coming is near, so as not to excite people. ---
Paul wrote, "We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-2).
Scoffers point out, "See, someone in the early church shook up believers with the message that Christ was about to come. And Paul told them, 'No, don't worry about it. Don't let it trouble or concern you.'"
But that's not what the original Greek reveals. The root word is "[be not shaken]...that the day of the Lord has come." What disturbed the Thessalonians was they thought Christ had already come, and that they'd missed it.
Paul reassures them in the next verse, "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (2:3). Paul was only addressing their fears when he said, "Don't be worried, because two things have to happen first."
So, what was Paul's primary theology about Christ's return? We find it in two passages: "Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, and the day is at hand" (Romans 13:11-12). "Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand" (Philippians 4:5). Paul is crying, "Wake up! It's past midnight already. The Lord's coming is drawing near, so stir yourself. Don't be slothful. Jesus is coming for those who expect him."
Skeptics may ask, "But what about Paul's own words? He did say two things had to happen before Christ returns. First, the Lord can't come until a great apostasy takes place. And second, the Antichrist has to rise up and proclaim himself God. We have to see the Antichrist sitting in the temple, demanding that people worship him, before Jesus will come."
First of all, you have to be willfully blind not to see a raging apostasy gripping the whole world. Unbelief is sweeping through nations, with believers falling away from faith on all sides. The apostasy Paul refers to clearly has arrived.
Note Paul's words here: "The mystery of iniquity doth already work" (2 Thessalonians 2:7). What is this mystery of iniquity? It is lawlessness. It's a spirit of chaos, with no respect for God's law. And it's the very reason why God destroyed the earth by Flood, because of man's violence and lawlessness.
If the lawlessness that Paul saw in his day has only increased, it's no wonder decent people today are alarmed and frightened by what they see happening. Laws and institutions that for ages kept society from falling into chaos are being torn down left and right.
Paul says of this, "He who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" (2:7). He's telling us, "There is a restraining power at work, holding back the chaos. But that restrainer is about to be removed." The Spirit will always be here to fulfill his mission. But his restraining ministry will be "taken," or lifted, "out of the way."
I can think of no power that's able to restrain lawlessness other than the Holy Spirit. Think about what happens to a society when the Holy Spirit lifts his restraining power. Every institution, from government down to families, spins totally out of control. I can't imagine what New York City would be like without the Restrainer holding back wickedness from erupting. I wouldn't want to be near this city if the Holy Spirit weren't at work.
Yet we see a spirit of lawlessness at work all over the world. The Antichrist forces are already gathering and revealing themselves at high levels. Right now, the European Union is putting into place a Constitution that totally denies God. A Pentecostal minister in Sweden sits in jail today for preaching against homosexuality. That's just one sign of how the stage is being set.
You may say, "Yes, but Paul clearly says Jesus can't come until the Antichrist is in power." Yet, consider what Scripture says: "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 John 2:22). According to John, the Antichrist is anyone who denies the Father and the Son. Moreover, he says, the increase of such Antichrists is proof that we're living in the very last days. In addition, there will come a man who will embody the "name of sin."
In short, nothing is holding back Christ's return. Think of the worldwide terrorism, the deification of self, the blatant attacks on marriage and godly values. Think of Islamic brutality, militant homosexuality, the vileness of TV and movies, the widespread molestation of children. One Catholic diocese on the west coast recently declared bankruptcy, unable to pay the millions awarded to sixty childhood molestation victims by one priest.
Consider that all this has been under restraint until now. I ask you, what happens when God says to the One who has been restraining it all, "Lift your restraining hand. Let it run its course to the climax"? Paul gives us a picture: "(The Restrainer) will...be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed" (2 Thessalonians 2:7-8).
The Holy Spirit knows what is soon to take place, when there will be no more restraint. Every man will give himself over to his lusts. Every militant religion will force its gods on others. Every holy thing will be despised. Every law will be broken freely. And the backslidden church will preach the most corrupt, damnable doctrines of hell.
Everything is in place for this to happen even now. Great apostasy has covered the earth. Self has taken the throne of men's hearts. And in a very short time, when the Restrainer is gone, there will come what Paul calls a "strong delusion, that they should believe a lie" (2 Thessalonians 2:11).
What is this lie? It's the blind acceptance that anyone who comes in Jesus' name speaks for God. False teachers will arise who acknowledge Christ as a good man but not as God: "having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (2 Timothy 3:5). Those who follow these deceivers will be drawn to another Jesus, another gospel. The blindness will be sweeping, catching up multitudes, including those who were once on fire for the Lord.
Why is God going to stop the Restrainer? Because, Paul says, "They...believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thessalonians 2:12). Right now we're seeing the Holy Spirit's restraints being lifted a little more each day.
--- This brings me to the heart of my message: the heart-cry of the man or woman who is in Christ. ---
In Revelation, Jesus announces, "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Revelation 22:7). Five verses later Christ says, "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be" (22:12).
Here is the cry of all who look expectantly for Jesus' return: "The Spirit and the bride say, Come" (22:17). This refers to the bride of Christ, made up of a worldwide body of believers under his Lordship. All these servants are born-again, blood-cleansed believers.
You may ask, "I understand this is the believer's heart-cry. But why would the Spirit also cry to Jesus, 'Come'?" It is because this is the Holy Ghost's last prayer, knowing his work on earth is almost completed. Like Paul or Peter, who were told by God their time was short, the Spirit likewise cries, "Come, Lord Jesus."
So, where do we hear this cry of the Spirit today? It comes through those who are seated with Christ in heavenly places, who live and walk in the Spirit, their bodies the temple of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit cries in and through them, "Hasten, Lord, come."
Let me ask you: when was the last time you prayed, "Lord Jesus, come quickly, come soon"? Personally, I can't remember praying this prayer. The fact is, I never knew I could hasten Christ's coming by allowing the Spirit to pray this prayer through me. Yet Peter gives us proof of this incredible truth: "Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat" (2 Peter 3:12). In Greek, the phrase "hasting...the coming of (that) day" means "to speed up, to urge on." Peter says our expectant prayers are hastening, speeding up, urging the Father to send back his Son quickly.
Only one issue is holding up that glorious event. It is a single unresolved matter: "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (3:9).
The Lord's merciful patience dictates the timing of his return. So, does this mean we shouldn't pray for his coming? Not at all. Christ himself tells us in Mark's gospel, "In those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be. And except that the Lord had shortened those days, no flesh should be saved: but for the elect's sake, whom he hath chosen, he hath shortened the days" (Mark 13:19-20). Imagine what might happen if, all over the world, Christ's bride were to wake up and pray in the Spirit, "Jesus, come."
Yet, if I believe the world is racing toward unrestrained chaos, and that Christ is coming soon, then my cry must be aimed at my unprepared family and friends. It would be hypocritical for me to pray for Jesus to come, and yet not intercede for my loved ones to be ready for that day. My prayer must be, "Come, Lord. But first, give my lost family and friends ears to hear. Save them, save the lost."
Paul wrote to his spiritual son, Timothy, "Without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day" (2 Timothy 1:3). Can you say with a pure conscience that you've prayed for your unsaved loved ones with such intensity?
--- Here is the heart of the matter. ---
For a moment, set aside all doctrines about Christ's coming. Consider this heart-cry of the man or woman who loves his appearing: "Then we shall see him face to face. We shall behold him" (see 1 Corinthians 13:12). Jesus' coming shouldn't disturb you. It ought to thrill you. If you truly love someone, you want to be near that person. Can you imagine what it will be like for Jesus to call your name?
Imagine a couple who's newly married, and the husband is called away for an extended period, perhaps on business or in the military. He tells his bride, "I'll be back, but I don't know when. Here's the address where you can reach me."
For the first few years, that bride writes to her husband often, with beautiful love letters. Yet she never says, "Please, come back soon!" Ten years pass, then twenty, and she writes him less and less. Still, she never says, "Come quickly, I beseech you. I need your embrace, I need to see your face. I'm praying for your soon return."
This is a picture of the church today. How can we tell Christ we love him and miss him, yet never pray that he comes back for us? How can we never express to him that he must return soon and take us with him, so we can be in his constant company? How can we not say, "I can't handle this anymore without your being here. I don't want to be away from you"?
In the midst of these times, I hear Jesus saying, "Surely I come quickly" (Revelation 22:20). And I hear the bride of Christ answering, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (22:20).
1,323 posted on 12/28/2004 6:11:25 AM MST by Quix (HAVING A FORM of GODLINESS but DENYING IT'S POWER. I TIM 3:5)
And via my own hand this morning earlier from this thread:
post #422 at:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1309980/posts?page=428#428