Posted on 09/17/2017 5:15:40 AM PDT by Kaslin
Yes, it would be wonderful if Jesus returned for His people next week, but it’s not going to happen. Count on it. The Second Coming will not take place this year on September 23.
How can I be so sure? The Bible tells me so, and not in some ambiguous, mysterious language.
Instead, Jesus told His followers what had to take place before He returned, and those things have not yet happened, nor can they happen in just a few days. That’s why I’m quite certain that His return is not scheduled for September 23, 2017.
What, then, do I think about the claims of Christian numerologist David Meade, who argues that “verses in Luke 21:25 to 26 are the sign that recent events, such as the recent solar eclipse and Hurricane Harvey, are signs of the apocalypse”? And what do I think of the alleged correspondence between Revelation 12 and the alignment of Jupiter, the sun, and the moon?
Actually, I don’t think about these things at all, any more than I thought about the claim that Jesus was coming back between September 11-13, 1988, or the claim that Judgment Day was coming on September 6, 1994, or the claim (made by the same author who predicted the 1994 date) that Jesus would return on May 21, 2011.
There was not a shred of scriptural evidence to support these claims, and there was a mountain of evidence against them. Why, then, bother to give them any thought?
“But,” you ask, “didn’t Jesus say that no one who knew the day or hour of His return? If so, how can you be so sure He’s not coming on September 23?”
First, the fact that He says no one knows the day or hour of His return (Matthew 24:36) means that it’s utter foolishness to predict a specific day. If Jesus says no one knows the day, we should quit predicting specific days. Simple.
Second, Jesus said we could not know the specific day or hour when He would return. He never said we could not know when He would not return.
Put another way, if I get on a boat to sail across the Atlantic from New York to London, you might not know the exact time of my arrival. But you can certainly know that I will not be arriving in one or two days. It takes longer than that to cross the ocean by boat.
So, Jesus spoke of great world upheaval that would take place (far greater than anything we have yet witnessed) and of great cosmic signs (again, of unprecedented nature), while Paul wrote of major world events that would transpire before the Lord’s return (see, for example, Luke 21 and 2 Thessalonians 2).
The Old Testament prophets also painted pictures of what we could expect before the end of the age, and it is clear their words have still not come to pass (see, for example, Zechariah 12 and 14).
But this doesn’t mean that we should grow complacent and say, “The Lord delays His coming” (see Luke 12:45). God forbid.
Instead, we should always live with readiness to meet the Lord, and we should labor with all our might to make an impact for Him, since we have only one life to reach our generation. As one of my colleagues once said, “I don’t know if this is the last generation. But it is our last generation.”
As for those who believe that there will be a secret rapture that could happen at any moment, when hundreds of millions of Christians are suddenly and stealthily removed from the earth, that will allegedly happen without any definite signs. In other words, it could happen today as well as any other day, since the timing of it is unpredictable. Why, then, are we bothering to make predictions?
By all means, we should understand the times in which we are living and know what we should do (see 1 Chronicles 12:32). And we must be sober and alert lest we fall asleep in the light.
But let us stop making foolish predictions. Not only do they make us look like fools in the eyes of the world. But they rob us of a multi-generational perspective, since we’re always thinking, “Jesus is coming any moment,” rather than thinking and planning in the long term.
Little wonder, then, that we’ve lost so much moral and cultural ground in recent decades. While our ideological opponents are planning ahead, we’re planning our escape.
In the last few years, I’ve spoken to leaders and believers about the importance of developing a multi-generational mentality, and the impact of those messages has been very deep.
Sadly, this message is foreign to many Christians today, which is why I devoted a whole chapter to the subject in Saving a Sick America: A Prescription for Moral and Cultural Transformation. If America is to be changed for the good, it can only be through multi-generational thinking.
As I look back on my own journey, I came to faith in 1971 at the age of 16, and we were told that Jesus was coming at any moment. The signs of the times were all there! Little did we think that, in 2017, we’d still be here and my wife and I would have a 16-year-old granddaughter.
Let’s not repeat the same mistake today.
Instead, let’s live with readiness, with urgency, with focus, with purpose, and with a long-term, multi-generational plan. And if the Lord chooses to interrupt our plans along the way with His return, that would be a welcome prospect.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus! We long to see Your return. Until then, we’ll stay busy and pass the torch to the generations to come.
Yes, you have well-pointed out the remarkable things that will occur in the Tribulation and lead into the Great Tribulation.
The only thing I would say, if I’m reading you correctly, is that the Man of Sin, the Son of Perdition (II) is not the False Prophet - they are two distinct beings and each are captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire together, at the Second Coming (Revelation 19:20).
‘Included in this imagery are CLOUDS and cosmic disturbances.’
Manay things form clouds, even modern technology.
If God wanted to, He could reveal an image of Himself in light prisms rising from clouds that atheists would call a ‘coincidence’.
I believe that most Signs can be explained via physics even though God planned them out that way long ago.
[”No man knoweth the day or the hour,” was the reply because everything had to be in its proper place for her to come.]
Interesting research.
I noticed an Old Testament verse that mentioned that the whole earth was starving and Egypt fed the whole earth. I personally have no problem with it since I assume that was the ancient assumption — so far as men knew it was the whole earth.
But as for the whole earth being flooded, I believe it was in reference to an entire civilization rather than the entire planet. In fact, it might somehow dovetail with Atlantis which ‘sank’ into the sea.
We see professing believers who have always opposed the pre-trib rapture joining with others to mock, scorn, and insult. Watch this clip about 42 minutes in for my reason as to why that group of disinterested Christians will be excluded from the Rapture and enter the Tribulation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGIGfT9Jbmg
Many signs and wonders can be fulfilled through technology alone.
No, I don’t think the 23rd will be the Rapture, but I do think it’s amazing how things are falling in place, such as 200 thousand thousand serpents / crossing the dried up Euprhates [which is not dry currently] / how the serpents and their weapons sound a like modern weaponry.
If God wants me to miss out on the Tribulation, then I will have one amazing life! I will see it unfold with these mortal eyes, and I can help point out the Truth to others until the Devil can’t stand me anymore.
Video player is not working on this machine right now (browser issue) - but I just send you FReepmail on one of your posts.
>>If God wants me to miss out on the Tribulation, then I will have one amazing life! I will see it unfold with these mortal eyes, and I can help point out the Truth to others until the Devil can’t stand me anymore.<<
This makes no sense.
If I miss out on the rapture, I will explain it all to other people as much as I can.
The point that is made is about the ten foolish virgins. They all had lamps and oil at the beginning. They were all believers. They all went to sleep — traditional doctrine.
5 of the Virgins got more oil — recent info on feast days, Rev 12 sign based on software recently made available. The 5 are expectant and desirous of the Coming of the LJC. The 5 are occupied with the things of the Lord. The Lord excludes the apathetic 5 and those go thru the Tribulation.
Yep, as I said earlier...
as prophesied.
Thanks for that add’l reference which I should have remembered - I was thinking of another but that one is absolutely spot-on. I used to remember it first so the reminder is well-appreciated.
Yes. This writer has conflated the Rapture and the Return.
But the Return is at the start of the 1,000 years, not the end, as you said.
Yeah I noticed that error.
Conservative eschatology? I’ve read a lot on eschatology, but I have not seen that term before. Can you explain exactly what you mean by “Conservative eschatology”?
We are not saved by works nor are we kept by works.
The ten virgins are coming to the wedding feast of Christ and His bride, who is already in heaven.
His bride is the church. The ten virgins are not the church.
Not sure they will be excluded, Eli. Depends on what is in their heart. If it’s something acceptable, except that they are unsure about the time of the Rapture, I think they will be accepted. But if there is mocking, scorning, and insulting, that would show that those people are not ready.
They could just be working hard to support their families, or whatever, and not watching as many YouTube videos as you and I.
I like Farag’s ABC: Admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead, and Confess it with your mouth. I think it’s a lot simpler than whether or not you believe in the 23rd as a date, which takes a lot of homework. It’s just a simple belief and profession of faith that all solid Christians have made to God.
Jesus is driving a Uber in Cleveland. I saw him.
Are you sure that wasn’t hay zeus?
I absolutely understand all the Feast Days and how they were either accomplished by Christ at His first advent or will in the second one. HOWEVER, He absolutely makes it CLEAR that NO MAN knows the day. No one. So, I take that that it will as He said, “He will come as a thief in the night.” Which to mean means that He will come when no one is ready for Him to come. We are to recognize the signs of the times, because that is what He bashed the Pharisees for, for not recognizing His first coming. But, BECAUSE “MEN” are making such a big thing about the 23d, that makes me fully believe that He will not come that day. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t mind it at all because I look for Him daily, as the Harpazo is an eminent event. No one knows. I believe we are in the season of His return. I also believe it is near. A month, year, years away, but I believe it is near. I also believe the Antichrist is alive on this planet today. Maybe not a mature grown man, but alive. Is he 5, 15, 20 years old or older or what, I do not know. I just believe with all that is going on, the signs of the times, the Middle East, Israel, Iran, etc., I just believe it is near. I just hope I am alive to live it. But, if not, I am in the first group to go up!!!!!!
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