It seems that everyone knows a few phrases or verses from the Bible, but people often take them out of context and are unwilling to consider these phrases or verses to mean anything other than what they have been taught or think they mean. One such phrase is "we cannot know the day or the time of His coming" ... of Jesus' return. The actual quote from Matthew 24:42 says, "Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming." Jesus goes on to say, "Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect" (Matthew 24:44).
In the first chapter of my book, " ... the end.", I refer to II Peter 3:1-13 as a crucial passage in determining that we are nearing the end. Peter writes, "First of all, scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation'" (II Peter 3:3-4).
I write in my book, "It was not until the late 1800's and early 1900's that 'Zionism,' the idea of a Jewish homeland in the very place God had promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, was even discussed. And it was not until the establishment of the nation of Israel in 1948 that some people began to sit up and take notice. A few within the Church began to search the Scriptures with renewed zeal, considering for the first time that perhaps, just maybe God's promises to Israel, the physical descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, were meant to be taken literally!! Maybe all the prophecies about the future glory of Israel being restored through the coming of the Messiah to reign, including the coming of the Antichrist, the Rapture and the battle of Armageddon, were actually descriptions of literal events that would take place prior to Jesus' return!!
Since 1948 and the events surrounding Israel, the Jewish people and the rest of the nations of the world, more and more signs spoken of in the Bible appear to be nearing their fulfillment. And interestingly, the more Christians and the Church talk about 'end times,' the more the 'scoffers,' both inside and outside the visible church, have attempted to distract people by coming up with their own theories of cataclysmic events that may lie ahead, from radical changes in the climate, to weapons of mass destruction, asteroids striking the earth, disease and war and a host of other possibilities. Even those in the secular world talk about financial ruin causing social chaos or the need for social change to preserve the fabric of society ... whatever is left!
What the Bible describes, however, is not the natural consequences of mankind's activities, but rather, the hand of God guiding the people of the earth and the nations of the world toward His desired end."
We are living today near the end of what some call "the church age." According to God's plan, His promise to Abraham to bless all nations through His promised "Seed," the Messiah, was fulfilled in Jesus' first coming, as the Spirit was poured out and the Gospel proclaimed. What is happening today in the Middle East, in Russia, China, Turkey and other places ... and what is happening in our own nation this week ... is part of God's plan to align the nations to accomplish His purposes prior to Jesus' return ... to gather His people and to pour out God's judgment upon the rest of mankind.
The only escape from God's just judgment is faith in Jesus Christ, His anointed King! While most of mankind lives in darkness, God says to believers, "You are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief!" (I Thessalonians 5:4). It's time to WAKE UP! May God use His Word either to awaken your soul or to bring you comfort and encouragement as you place your hope and trust in Him today and live to serve Him. Jesus Christ is Lord!!
If you would like to purchase a copy of " ... the end." email me at pastorsteve@lighthouse-ministries.org.
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