Posted on 03/29/2010 4:05:06 AM PDT by Freedom'sWorthIt
(This is NEWS - Please Keep This in Breaking News, Admin Moderators. It is not about "religion". It is about Current Events!)
1 Thessalonians 4: 13 - 18:
But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
From what I've been able to figure out, we are not to try to predict the day, but to be watchful and aware of what is happening. Like being aware of the time of day or the season. When we see certain events come to pass, we have an awareness of where we are on the Biblical timeline.
Many predicted events have come to pass, Israel being the most obvious, but many others have not come to pass for us to be in the Rapture?
Will He ping me, or will there be other signs?
Amen! We should always look forward to Christ’s return, and it will happen in His own perfect timing. Blessed is the Name of the Lord!
Of course, and I never said or implied that we shouldn’t.
However, it was someone who was familiar the end times prophecy who witnessed to me about what was going on in the world and how it fit in, that lead me to the Lord.
I would have resisted being preached at, but he end times stuff was very convincing and convicting and it was a great way for me to get more information without coming out and asking for it. All I’d have to do is make some odd comment about the end of the world and he’d bite.
A Christian who knows their stuff about end times prophecy can have many excellent witnessing opportunities in a very non-personally threatening manner.
Excellent post. Thank you.
My understanding is that the Tribulation period begins with the signing of the peace treaty between the anti-christ and Israel. The rapture is believed to happen sometime in that time period.
The Left Behind series gives a good overview of what is the commonly accepted sequence of events for the whole thing.
The books are not the best written, and there’s a lot of rehashing of previous material in the later books. IMO, they could have cut the series down by about two books worth if they didn’t have so many flashbacks. However, they do present the whole rapture and tribulation period in a format that makes it easier to remember what is supposed to happen and when. The first book is pretty good. Books 2-4 are dry, and the series really gets going at book 5.
I tend to think along the lines that the rapture is a good explanation for a catastrophic event that solidifies the antichrists grab for power. It would be a good excuse to impose martial law for example, to control the chaos that would ensue.
I always try to be humourous if I can. Or snarky. Or just downright cantankerous.
There are WAY too many things that can bring us done; and besides - a merry heart doeth good like a medicine.
I do not believe in the rapture as there were only two people who were ever born to this earth that did not sin (Mary and Jesus), so they were allowed to be "beamed up."
There is NO evidence of this. Mary was as much born with sin as the rest of us.
Using the 'logic' of a PERFECT Saviour cannot be conceived in an IMPERFECT vessel is not Scriptural - only some 'tradition' that the Fathers thought up.
The time is *not* near, and it is manipulative to falsely claim otherwise just to press your own beliefs.
End-time prophecies refer to the nation of Israel. The State of Israel did not exist from 78 - 1948. So anyone prior to 1948 who ever thought "today could be the day," didn't know their end-time prophecy.
He is calling you who are reading this - to come to Him NOW
All who Call upon the Name of Jesus Shall Be Saved!"
I respect your intentions here, my FRiend. But, your theology is incorrect. Jesus has no more interest in this generation than He did the one three thousand years ago...and no less. (Yes, He was around 3,000 years ago). He is not "pulling out all the stops", in spite of what you may feel, think, spiritualize or "sense". That is your own mind at work.
If Jesus were to "pull out all the stops", you would see letters across the sky 50,000 miles high, prophets raising men from the dead, parting of the Pacific Ocean, a column of smoke/fire 6 million feet in the air. Get it? He is/has always been wooing people, but he effectively draws all those whom He has determined to save. Read John 6 and you will see that no one, not one single person ever, that God has given to Jesus has or will be lost. Don't panic. Paul did not panic, Peter did not panic, there was no frenetic tone in their voices. They simply said, God will rescue those whom He wishes. They calmly taught the Gospel, told folks to repent and come...and then watched to see what God would do. We should follow suit.
And, the converse of this is also true. Not everyone is being called. Again, read John 6, Romans 9, Eph. 1, I Peter. If you are laid hold of, you will be drawn into the kingdom. But, if you are not, you cannot come (John 6:44, Romans 9:16ff). He is the Ark, but God did not rescue all of the people...although He could have. In some senses you are offering a false assurance to men/women who have not been called. This is similar to the error of Campus Crusade a number of years ago when they used to say, "God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life!". I think they have since changed this to "God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life." But, it is still wrong.
There is no question that "All who call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved." The real question is...who is going to be permitted to genuinely call upon His Name? Can anyone who says, "Lord, Lord." consider this calling? Apparently not. Recall, there will be those pounding on the door who cast out demons AND performed miracles in Jesus' Name, but are told to depart because He did not know them, not they did not know Him. Hmmm.
Your zeal is commendable, but zeal without knowledge got the Jews nowhere. The Scriptures are clear. Jesus knows His sheep, and His sheep hear His voice. So, we call to those who have been granted eyes to see and ears to hear and we tell them that if they find themselves clinging to the cleansing blood of Christ to wash their sinful souls, if they recognize that there is no merit in themselves, they can be assured that this faith was born there by the Holy Spirit and they are rescued. They did not choose Him, but He chose them. That is where security comes from.
At least this thread isn't about pets.
A lot of people thought THE END was near during WW1 and WW2, when tens of millions of people died. One could hardly blame them. Our troubled world today seems more peaceful than it did back then. The truth is, nobody knows when THE END will come - it could be today or a thousand years from now. However, we all will face an “End” when we die. So focus instead on your own salvation rather than fretting over when the THE END is coming - we probably won’t be around to see it, but if we do, that’s fine also.
You'll be called a "Calvinist" for that kind of talk but if you are, I'm another one.
Freedom'sWorthIt - I've heard the "end times" preached all my life and I'm almost 65 years old and I'm sure it has been preached for the past 2,000 years or so. It will happen in God's own due time and we cannot predict it.
It will not happen until God calls the last person He wants to call. That's not to say that we aren't to pray for those who haven't accepted Him yet and urge them to do so but He, most assuredly, has the final yea or nay.
I don't waste any time worrying about my own long term future. My name has been in the book of life since before the world was formed.
Freedom'sWorthIt - I've heard the "end times" preached all my life and I'm almost 65 years old and I'm sure it has been preached for the past 2,000 years or so. It will happen in God's own due time and we cannot predict it.
It will not happen until God calls the last person He wants to call. That's not to say that we aren't to pray for those who haven't accepted Him yet and urge them to do so but He, most assuredly, has the final yea or nay.
I don't waste any time worrying about my own long term future. My name has been in the book of life since before the world was formed."
AMEN!!!! Every word worth repeating. I'll see you at the Marriage Feast of the Lamb, if not before.
Terrific story and rings of truth. Thanks, brother, for sharing that with us.
'She' did; huh?
Sorry to break it to you; but Mary is DEAD; waiting in HER tomb for the trumpet sound; just like every other person who has died in Christ.
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