Posted on 03/20/2011 2:34:25 PM PDT by TaraP
Natural disasters 'escalating like labor pains' may be linked to the return of Jesus, says Rev. Franklin Graham. In an exclusive Newsmax.TV video, the evangelist says the end could come in 2012 or later.
*escalating birth pains*
(Excerpt) Read more at realclearpolitics.com ...
I don’t ever recall a REPLACEMENTARIAN et al answering that Scripture forthrightly . . . much less remotely adequately.
I know in my case it opened my eyes and I started rethinking my views. Scripture is powerful.
Love it.
INDEED. PRAISE GOD.
And Scripture is all the more powerful when there are eyes to see and ears to hear digesting it.
Agreed, He shows when he shows. Like Elvis, without the tassles.
Thanks!
Good to hear from you Quix!
I’m talking about the *Season*..What season is Jesus speaking about in Matthew 24?
THX THX.
Likewise. Feeling much better. Still some distance to go before full functioning. Thanks for all your caring and prayers.
I'm with you Brother!
It can be difficult to accept a view that you've held for a long time is wrong. On the plus side, I believe a lot of people start searching Scripture in search of answers about the end times and in the process become Born Again.
Ahhh, never read it. I know it’s based on the bible and prophecy, but, I rather read real life books and studies on the bible and biblical prophecy :)
It can be difficult to accept a view that you’ve held for a long time is wrong.
QX: ABSOLUTELY INDEED. Try making that happen with a long dysfunctional married couple!
On the plus side, I believe a lot of people start searching Scripture in search of answers about the end times and in the process become Born Again.
QX: ABSOLUTELY INDEED AGAIN. Have long used prophetic Scriptures and current events in just that way—to significant effect.
I haven’t really studied the tribe of Ephraim to any extent but among the causes which operated to bring about the disruption of Israel was Ephraim's jealousy of the growing power of Judah. Epharim’s numbers and influence had declined because of contentions with other tibes.
The descendants of Joseph formed two of the tribes of Israel, which included Ephraim and Manasseh so Joseph may have replaced Ephraim as the tribe name.
These contributed, imo, to the exclusion of them in the 144,000.
Good to hear your feeling better Quix. I know my wife and I felt pretty rough for a while. We’re now back planting garden and getting the chicken coop ready.
Really both 1948 & 1949 Israel was formally accepted into the United Nations in 1949 but the declaration of statehood was 1948. I used 1949 because of world recognition.
If you say Jesus is coming back Friday, then I know for a fact that he isn’t. I’ve got the authority of scripture on that. He will come at a time when you think not. And YOU are the target of that prophecy. And so am I.
Again..Jesus speaks about a *Season* did GOD inform Noah about the time that he would destroy the earth? yes...Noah was not sitting on the Ark with no idea when the rain would start....Jesus told us when the *Season* would happen, he told us about the *Signs* we know the Season, well at least some do....
How long is a season? Christians have been falsely prophesying the retun of Jesus for 2000 years and every one of them pointed to the same kinds of signs and seasons. Trust me, the world was a much scarier place in 1939 than it is today. When the world starts looking worse than it did in 1940, then you can start making your end of the world prophesies. Right now it just ain’t that bad. And since I don’t think Jesus is going to return tonight, then maybe he will.
My girlfriend from 1971 and Jesus Hernandez, who was deported back to Mehico this past Friday, will come back sooner than your Jesus!
Is God done with Israel?
In the sense that Dispensationalists view "Israel": yes.
In the other senses of "Israel": no"
One of Dispensationalism's many faults is the deliberate division of the Church into two separate entities under two different Covenants - the Bride of Christ is considered a "parenthesis", a footnote of sorts in the Grand Scheme. As you know, this idea is resoundingly rejected by everyone else in Christendom. The Orthodox view of "Israel" is that the Law shows the inadequacy of works-righteousness and the need for a one-time sacrifice to make atonement for all sins. The Judaic system, being absent Christ, has no viable mechanism for atonement with God. David, the Prophets and others of Faith believed in a coming Savior, are arguably the first Christians of the Bible - Able being the first of us all.
When the Temple Veil was torn in two, we saw the sign of the Promise that became real at Pentecost; made since the Garden; repackaged for Abraham was the expansion of spiritual Israel from the Elect Jews to now people of all nations and tongues on earth. In other words, the true Israel is both Jews and Gentiles who hold the same faith as Abraham in our LORD Jesus Christ. This, I believe is "The Mystery" revealed. In that sense, God is no where near finished with "Israel" but will continue to gather in the harvest of the Gentiles, along with ethnic Jews until the last Gentile named in the Book of Life is redeemed.
From this point, people vary on what happens next. The two primary camps are: God is done, the harvest is complete, our LORD returns to Judge the Earth. The other camp believes, to some extent, that there will be a mass revival of ethnic Jews then the Parousia.
Personally, I am OK with either view since we know that ethnic Jews find salvation yesterday, today and likely tomorrow, so it isn't like ethnic Jews had this huge inrush in the first century, have been excluded since then and will be like a dam burst of conversions shortly before the LORD returns, though one can argue successfully that such a dam burst is exactly what Paul is talking about in Romans 11.
With some creative symbolism, I can argue that the Parable of the Ten Virgins has a double fulfillment, not only warning ethnic Jews to the 70AD destruction (which it clearly is doing); but because of the implied Bride element must also find its composite fulfillment in the Parousia. This is typical Amillennial Here/Yet templating and may or may not be appropriate here. I recognize that.
Not to make a big deal out of the number ten, it is generally understood to mean "more than a few" and many consider it a number representing completeness. My campfire story works better if it does indeed mean completeness, so lets say that ten represents that.
The Virgins must be ethnic Jews because throughout the Scriptures, the nation of Israel is likened to a virgin or harlot in terms of her spiritual station. The idolatry of other nations isn't called harlotry, but when the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob participate in the same idolatry of other nations - they get the Scarlet Letter. Thus for the sake of the analogy, Virgins are exclusively ethnic and practicing Jews who are not believers in Jesus Christ as their LORD and Savior.
The number five has symbolic meaning, but it isn't necessary here, five in conventional phrasing means a group of indeterminate size, which to me in this story is important since trying to discern the proportions of one group or the next is discouraged by using five (yes, it could mean exactly half, but I doubt it).
The Bride isn't mentioned but it is pretty clear what the Bridegroom is set about to do, the absence of the Bride I think has amillennial importance because the Bride is inconsequential to a quick exit from Judea when the Roman armies set siege and began the Great Tribulation. The Bride is integral to a Future prophetic interpretation which is what I am feebly trying to explain here. Thus, for this picture, the Bride is the Church of all believers in Jesus Christ, both Jews and Gentiles.
I strongly believe that this meeting of the Bride and Bridegroom is the Parable equivalent of what Paul is describing in the famous "rapture" passage of 1 Th 4:17. Because of the large number of ethnic Jews (virgins) who are assumed to be part of the party, this Parable, to me is that point in Romans 11:25 in nexus with 2 Peter 3:9 where all of the Elect Gentiles have been redeemed, there is no longer any point or apparent purpose for our LORD to tarry further, and thus according to Peter's words, He now comes to unite the universal Church and Judge the Earth.
But what about Romans 11:25? If the Jews came to faith in the exact same manner as Able, Noah, David, you and me, then they would be counted as the Bride in Christ (after all, Paul, a Jew, considered himself to be the part of the bride of Christ). This which follows, I admit, is HEAVY in speculative theology, but makes for a good campfire story.
So the picture is this: The fullness of the Gentiles has come about, the traditional means of salvation have filled the storehouses with the harvest of the wheat, all that remains now is the tares and the "ten virgins". The ten virgins are waiting for the Bridegroom so that they may enter in to the party. I submit that this is those few religious Jews who believe in a Messiah, but up until they see the Bridegroom, do not accept Jesus Christ as that Messiah spoken of by the Prophets.
The word picture spoken of in the Parable talks of a slumber that is similar to that sort of sleep you have when you know you need to wake up at a certain time but don't have the alarm set so you drift off to sleep only to keep waking up a few minutes later each time to check the time to see if you can get a bit more sleep worked in. This, in my opinion, is the same sort of care and concern that today's Jews have the Messiah. Its pretty low on the priority list, not talked about much, and certainly not perseverated on.
The oil is universally understood to be Grace. Those who do not have the Grace of our LORD at the time of His return are those who head off to the world to find their fulfillment and wisdom, yet at midnight, they will not find anyone who will provide them with Grace they need, and those who do have their lamps full cannot distribute the Grace God has given them.
So the Bridegroom comes, a loud "cry" goes out. This could very well be the Trumpet of God, the Shout of the Archangel that is not the cosmic dog whistle that only Dispensationalist Rapturenauts will hear and respond to, but this is the one and only return of Christ where He brings together all of the Elect. Those ethnic Jews who did not respond to the Gospel call by their Christian neighbors, who have the Grace given to them by God and remain to recognize the visible return of our LORD will see the exact same Jesus Christ that saved the Church. They will respond to the exact same Jesus Christ that is the only way to salvation by recognizing then that this is the one David and the Prophets were talking about.
Whereas the Church, made up of both ethnic Jews and Gentiles over the millennia came to Christ by regeneration, faith, repentance and baptism (of the spirit), those five virgins will in an instant be regenerated, recognize the Victorious LORD as their Messiah and that flood of ethnic Jews will complete the Church of Jesus Christ at that time.
So, in a very long-winded way, I hope I answered your loaded question in a satisfactory manner. I cover the issue of who is Israel (in three manifestations), the Romans 11:25 question, the Parousia, and how it all ties together.
Returning to the original objection I made to those who are claiming seeing "signs" that conclusively argue that we are that lottery winning generation, I submit that there is only one true sign of our LORD's return.
In John 6:39 (and elsewhere) we know that the Father determines who Jesus will save. The Father, since eternity past (Ep 1:4) chose who Jesus would save, therefore only the Father would know all whose name is found in the Book of Life. In conjunction with the Paraclete who regenerates and sanctifies, the fullness of the Godhead works together to build the Church. When the disciples queried our LORD as to when He would return He answered "not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" This is perfectly consistent with John 6. Now tie 2 Peter 3:9 in which is directly related to our LORD's return and we learn that this "millennium" we are living in is the time of the Harvest, our LORD is patient and longsuffering as He waits for the Father and the Paraclete to prepare for Jesus His bride. When the fullness of the Gentiles is then complete, the Father presents to Jesus the Bride and then as we read in Revelation 21, the "New Jerusalem" or the "Bride of Christ" is presented to our LORD, the ethnic Jews who were awaiting the Victorious Christ come to saving faith, and we all live happily ever after.
So the only "sign" of the LORD's return is when the Last of the Elect has been Redeemed. No sooner, and not much later.
The End
When Jesus stated in Matthew 24:
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.
6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
*This would of not of made much sense to the generations before the one that started the *Prophetic Clock* in 1947-Israel....
The Clue is found in Daniel when it speaks of how communication and knowledge would increase.....
Most *Generations* before our’s had no idea what was going on in there next city, let alone across the oceans..
DANIEL 12:4
But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
It’s just the last 120 yrs, we have shed our communications of Horse and Buggy...
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