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Locked on 10/27/2009 12:40:43 PM PDT by Admin Moderator, reason:
Childish behavior. |
Posted on 07/25/2009 2:40:04 AM PDT by Quix
The Bible says we cannot know the time of the Lord's return (Matthew 25:13). But the Scriptures make it equally clear that we can know the season of the Lord's return (1 Thessalonians 5:2-6):
"You yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night... But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night or darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober."
This passage asserts that Jesus is coming like "a thief in the night." But then it proceeds to make it clear that this will be true only for the pagan world and not for believers. His return should be no surprise to those who know Him and His Word, for they have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to give them understanding of the nature of the times.
Furthermore, the Scriptures give us signs to watch for — signs that will signal that Jesus is ready to return. The writer of the Hebrew letter referred to these signs when he proclaimed that believers should encourage one another when they see the day of judgment drawing near (Hebrews 10:25-27). Jesus also referred to the end time signs in His Olivet Discourse, given during the last week of His life (Matthew 24 and Luke 21). Speaking of a whole series of signs which He had given to His disciples, He said, "When you see all these things, recognize that He [the Son of Man — that is, Jesus] is near, right at the door" (Matthew 24:33).
A Personal Experience
Every time I think of "Signs of the Times," I am reminded of a great man of God named Elbert Peak. I had the privilege of participating with him in a Bible prophecy conference held in Orlando, Florida in the early 1990's. Mr. Peak was about 80 years old at the time.
He had been assigned the topic, "The Signs of the Times." He began his presentation by observing, "Sixty years ago when I first started preaching, you had to scratch around like a chicken to find one sign of the Lord's soon return."
He paused for a moment, and then added, "But today there are so many signs I'm no longer looking for them. Instead, I'm listening for a sound — the sound of a trumpet!"
The First Sign
One hundred years ago in 1907 there was not one single, tangible, measurable sign that indicated we were living in the season of the Lord's return. The first to appear was the Balfour Declaration which was issued by the British government on November 2, 1917.
This Declaration was prompted by the fact that during World War I the Turks sided with the Germans. Thus, when Germany lost the war, so did the Turks, and the victorious Allies decided to divide up both the German and Turkish empires.
The Turkish territories, called the Ottoman Empire, contained the ancient homeland of the Jewish people — an area the Romans had named Palestine after the last Jewish revolt in 132-135 AD.
In 1917 Palestine included all of modern day Israel and Jordan. In the scheme the Allies concocted for dividing up the German and Turkish territories, Britain was allotted Palestine, and this is what prompted the Balfour Declaration. In that document, Lord Balfour, the British Foreign Secretary, declared that it was the intention of the British government to establish in Palestine "a national home for the Jewish people."
The leading Evangelical in England at the time was F. B. Meyer. He immediately recognized the prophetic significance of the Declaration, for he was well aware that the Scriptures prophesy that the Jewish people will be regathered to their homeland in unbelief right before the return of the Messiah (Isaiah 11:11-12).
Meyer sent out a letter to the Evangelical leaders of England asking them to gather in London in December to discuss the prophetic implications of the Balfour Declaration. In that letter, he stated, "The signs of the times point toward the close of the time of the Gentiles... and the return of Jesus can be expected any moment."
Before Meyer's meeting could be convened, another momentous event occurred. On December 11, 1917 General Edmund Allenby liberated the city of Jerusalem from 400 years of Turkish rule.
There is no doubt that these events in 1917 marked the beginning of the end times because they led to the worldwide regathering of the Jewish people to their homeland and the reestablishment of their state.
Since 1917
Since the time of the Balfour Declaration, we have witnessed throughout the 20th Century the appearance of sign after sign pointing to the Lord's soon return. There are so many of these signs today, in fact, that one would have to be either biblically illiterate or spiritually blind not to realize that we are living on borrowed time.
I have personally been searching the Bible for years in an effort to identify all the signs, and it has not been an easy task to get a hold on them. That's because there are so many of them, both in the Old and New Testaments.
I have found that the best way to deal with them is to put them in categories, and in doing that, I have come up with six categories of end time signs. We will explore these catetories beginning in Part 2 of this series.
This mysterious "Rome" poster seems to have been everywhere lately!
LOL!!!!
I have to assume that the FR Religion forum is big in Japan.
*snort*
lol. Everyone who disagrees with Rome is a "real bigot" according to Rome.
You'll notice that eventhough RCs pointed out the owner of that site doesn't like Calvinism, no Calvinist has called him a "bigot."
Disagreement is not bigotry. Learn it.
But, for the record, this grave image with title bothers me: photography by Ivan
The glory of the cross should go to God (Psalms 22):
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put [him] to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see [his] seed, he shall prolong [his] days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, [and] shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide him [a portion] with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. – Isaiah 53:10-12
For where a testament [is], there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament [is] of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth. – Hebrews 9:16-17
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. – John 17:1-5
And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we [are]. – John 17:11
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. - Mark 15:38
Could be. :)
The photograph by Ivan is called “Mary’s Sacrifice”
The photograph is of a gravestone in Granada, Nicaragua. The gravestone is not called “Mary’s Sacrifice” Mary is not on the cross.
But I guess one will see what one wants to see.
However, let us be clear. The Catholic Church and the Vatican have never taught that Mary was crucified. There has never been any suggestion of such a thing. There are heretics, but they do not speak for the Church.
I can join Roman Catholics in grieving with Mary at the foot of the cross.
But to put Mary ON the cross diminishes the place rightly reserved for God alone. Solo Christo.
The image itself bothers me - Jesus should be on the cross or it should be empty.
It bothers me whenever anyone depicts a mortal on the cross, e.g. Madonna. Or in this case, with an arm draped over it.
You can’t be rational with some people.
If someone wants to see Mary crucified on the cross, they will.
I can’t dogmatically insist my memory is flawlessly accurate on it.
1. However, I have a memory trace that I and my two busses full of tourists saw that post with those figures on it in Rome in 1973.
We were collectively incredulous at the symbolism. We were shocked. We couldn’t beieve the audacity of such a creation. Every single one of us—including those of Roman Catholic backgrounds . . . shook our heads in dismay.
That’s my memory. I don’t think it’s a fabricated memory.
2. It’s just the way the photo strikes me. It doesn’t appear to be photoshopped, to me.
However, I’m pinging JoeProBono; he can check it for us if he cares to bother.
3. Jerusalem has it’s own craziness. However, I think Rome takes the cake on that score . . . after, of course, Medina and Mecca! LOL.
4. I’m not a great fan of fossilized RELIGIOUS !!!!TRADITION!!!! of any stripe or label. And, the older, it seems the more horrid it is.
This is beyond mere disagreement.
It is a misrepresentation of what the Catholic Church teaches.
So you would have a problem with a depiction of Simon carrying the cross?
Because Mary sure isn’t “on” that cross.
BTW, I don’t spend much time on websites which seem to have virulent hostile axes to grind—even those against things I’m fiercely against.
I haven’t been to the site. Doubt I will go there.
Jeepers, I get offended every time some rock star depicts himself hanging on the cross. The symbol is just too important to be treated that way.
This grave statue was an artist's error, not a Church thing.
Oh, well that seals it!
LOL
Catholics do not worship Mary. They do not believe nor were they taught that she was crucified.
No, you said that this quotation could be found on "thousands" of Catholic websites. After I repeatedly asked for a link to a single site you acknowledged that it was your quote.
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