SHE MEANT TO STOP HIM COMING TVGuide March 27, 05, p. 18
In NBC’s theological thriller Revelations, Natascha McElhone plays Sister Jo, a nun investigating strange phenomena that may signify the Apocalypse. “So many people believe we have to save our souls right now,” says David Seltzer, executive producer of the sure-to-be-controversial miniseries. “Sister Jo believes in Revelations but she refuses not to have hope. She feels that humankind can come together and forestall the end of days.”
BEING READY WHEN HE COMES Charles Swindoll
I worked in a machine shop for 4 1/2 years alongside a fellow named George. His job was to sweep and clean out ht shavings underneath the huge lathes and machines we were running. George was born again, and he loved the teaching of Scripture on prophecy. I remember hearing him sing hymns as he worked. Many of them had to do with the coming of Christ, such as "In the Sweet By and By" and "When the Roll is Called Up Yonder."
Late one Friday afternoon about 10 minutes to quitting time when we were all weary, I looked at George and said, "George, are you ready?"
He said "Uh-huh." But he was all dirty. He was just obviously not ready. In fact, he looked like he was ready to keep on working.
I said, "Aren't you ready to go home?"
He said, "Yeah, I'm ready."
I said "Look at you! Man, you're not ready. You've gotta go clean up."
"No," he said, "let me show you something."
So he unzipped his coveralls and underneath were the neatest, cleanest clothes you can imagine. He had them all read. All he did when the whistle blew was just unzip and step out of that coverall, walk up, and punch his clock and he was gone.
He said, "You see, I stay ready to keep from gettin' ready - just like I'm ready for Jesus!"
COLUMBUS PREDICTED Paul Lee Tan Encyclopedia of 7,700 Illustrations
A little-known fact from the life of Christopher Columbus is that he predicted the end of the world. He wrote a volume called The Book of Prophecies in which he prophesied that the world would end in the year 1656. He even stated very definitely that "there is no doubt that the world must end in one hundred fifty-five years."
BIBLE COLLEGE WITH 666 PHONE # by Roger Alford AP
VANCLEVE, Ky. - A small Appalachian Bible College is fighting to change it's telephone prefix is disturbing to Christians who recognize it as the biblical mark of the beast.
"People say, 'You're a Bible College and you have 666 in your phone number?" said Carlene Light, an office worker at Kentucky Mountain Bible College. "It's the connotation. No one wants to be part of the mark of the beast."
THEY'VE ALL BEEN WRONG SOURCE: Timothy Peck. Citations: Richard Kyle, "The Last Days Are Here Again," pages 27, 55, 87. Abanes, "End Time Visions," pages 337-338.
Looking back at how Christians have viewed Christ’s second coming in the past, we find many people obsessed with figuring out all the details and making predictions.
Here is a quote: "The last days are upon us. Weigh carefully the times. Look for him who is above all time, eternal and invisible" That statement was not made by a modern prophecy expert. That statement did not come religious TV. It was made by a Christian named Ignatius, who lived in 110 AD, just a few decades after 1 John was written.
Here is another quote: "There is no doubt that the Antichrist has already been born. Firmly established in his early years, he will, after reaching maturity, achieve supreme power" That statement wasn’t made by a radio prophecy teacher. It was written by a Christian leader named Martin living in 375 AD.
In the year 236 AD a church leader named Hippolytus predicted that Christ was sure to return by 500 AD.
The years between 999 and 1030 AD were characterized by excessive speculation about Christ’s second coming among Christians, so much so that it led to social chaos as farmers didn’t plant crops for the next year, buildings weren’t repaired, and the details of daily life were neglected because they thought Christ would return in their lifetime.
In the 1500’s the Protestant reformer Martin Luther said, "We have reached the time of the white horse of the Apocalypse. This world will not last any longer… than another hundred years."
Christopher Columbus said he was sure the world would end by 1656. The year 1666 saw an explosion in end time speculation, so much so that one pastor wrote in his journal that every time a storm hit, people would go to church to await Christ’s second coming.
In the 1800s a Christian named William Miller said, "I am fully convinced that somewhere between March 21st, 1843 and March 21st, 1844 Christ will come." When Miller’s date came and went, hundreds of people walked away from the Christian faith. If their pastor was wrong about that, what else was he wrong about?
In our own generation, many modern day prophecy experts guessed that 1981 would mark the rapture of the church and the beginning of the terrible seven year tribulation period that would culminate in the battle of Armageddon. Now as we near the year 2000, dozens of prophecy experts on Christian TV, radio, and in books are making new predictions related to the year 2000.
Christian historian Richard Kyle cautions us, "Through two thousand years of Western history millions of…sincere, devout, and knowledgeable people have seen the end as [about to happen in their own lifetimes]…But they have all been wrong."
WAITING FOR JESUS
In July of 2002, nine miners who had been caught in a flooded mine, waited for three days in a pitch black tunnel while those on the outside attempted to rescue them. To protect each other from slipping away into the darkness, they tied themselves together with rope. At one point, a mike had been let down so they communicate with those above. When they were finally rescued, the first words that were spoken were: "We've been waiting for you."
PAGAN PREDICTIONS OF END Uncle John's 5 thBathroom Reader
Buddhism - Founded in the 6 th century B.C. in India. One of its primary teachings is observance of the 10 moral precepts (standards of conduct).
According to Buddha in the Suttapitaka (Buddhist scriptures and sermons): signs of the end will be that the 10 moral courses will disappear… and people will follow the 10 immoral courses instead - "theft, violence, murder, lying, evil speaking, adultery, abusive and idle talk, covetousness, and ill will, wanton greed and perverted lust." Poverty "will grow great." Also, "the Dharma (universal law, or truth) will have disappeared from the world… as a counterfeit Dharma arises."
But when the end comes, a new Buddha 'by the name of Maitreya" will arise. This new Buddha will "replace the counterfeit Dharma of materialism and selfishness… and give new teachings to solve the social problems of the world."
Zoroastrianism - A Persian religion based on the belief that the universe is filled with good and evil spirits. There will be an ultimate battle between these forces, and evil will be eliminated.
Signs the End is Near: The Zand-I Vohunan Yasht predicts "(At the) end of thy tenth hundredth winter… the sun is more unseen and more spotted; the year, month and day are shorter, and the earth is more barren; and the crop will not yield the seed; and men… become more deceitful and more given to vile practices; they have no gratitude…. Honorable wealth will all proceed to those of perverted faith… and a dark cloud makes the whole sky night… and (it will rain) more noxious creatures than water."
When the World ends according to Zoroastrianism, Saoshyant, the Man of Peace, comes to battle forces of evil. "The resurrection of the dead will take place - the dead will rise… the world will be purged by molten metal, in which the righteous will wade as if through warm milk, and the evil will be scalded."
At the end of the battle, the Final Judgment of all souls begins. Sinners will be punished (apparently for 3 days), then forgiven, and humanity will be made immortal and free from hunger, thirst, poverty, old age, disease, and death. The world "will be made perfect once again."
Hinduism - "Hindu" is a Western term for the religious beliefs of numerous sects in India dating back to 1500 B.C.. Their goal: "liberation from the cycle of rebirth and suffering."
Signs the End is Near: The world falls into chaos and degradation; there's an increase in perversity, greed, conflict. According to Corneilia Dimmit's translation of the Sanskrit PurAnas:
"When deceit, falsehood, lethargy, sleepiness, violence, despondency, grief, delusion, fear and poverty prevail… when men, filled with conceit, consider themselves equal with Brahmins… that is the Kali Yuga (present era)."
When the World Ends: A savior (avatar) will appear. "The Lord will again manifest himself as the Kalki Avatar… He will establish righteousness upon the earth and the minds of the people will become pure as crystal…. As a result, the Sat or Krta Yuga (golden age) will be established."
SOON! Lynda Peterson of Mesa, Ariz. R.Digest 9/01
Because we have teenagers, our house has frequently been decorated with toilet paper, a favorite prank of adolescent boys. One Saturday night I awoke to get a glass of water, and caught 4 boys in our front yard with a package of toilet paper. Seeing me, they jumped into their car and sped off.
Later I heard a car door slam and tires squealing away. I ran to the door. Sitting on our lawn was a single roll of toilet paper. Written on it in big black letters was one word: "Soon."
SHE IS WAITING Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew, Gr. Rapids: Zondervan, '95, p.275.
There is a woman who is buried under a 150-year-old live oak trees in the cemetery of an Episcopal church in rural Louisiana. In accordance with this woman's instructions, only one word is carved on the tombstone: "Waiting."
WRONG PREDICTIONS Brett Blair, www.eSermons.com, August 2001.
Hal Lindsey, in his book "The Late Great Planet Earth," which has sold over 30 million copies, predicted in his book that 40 years after the establishment of the country of Israel Jesus would return to earth and 7 years after that return the church would be raptured to heaven. The problem
is this: Israel was established in 1948. Christ should have returned in 1988 and the church raptured in 1995. I have a little news for us all. If this is heaven we're all in a lot of trouble. In 1997 Hal Lindsey was forced to change his predictions.
Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson predicted that Russia was the great Gog and Magog mentioned in Ezekiel 18. When Russia collapsed in the early 90's, loosing its status as a world power, they were forced to change their positions.
I remember going in to the Zondervan book stores in the late 80's and seeing a picture of Mikhail Gorbachev with his characteristic birth mark on the top of his bald head on the cover of a prophecy book. The author had it all worked out. He had charted the biblical prophecies and decoded the symbols and proven that Gorbachev was the anti-Christ. I never bought into it for a
minute and I was delighted when Gorbachev, far from a world dictator, turned out to be the single most responsible person for the demise of Soviet Russia.
Harold Camping, president of Family Radio, predicted the world would end in September of 1994. Grant R. Jeffrey wrote a popular book called Armageddon stating that the year 2000 was the most likely date of the world's end. Now that we are moving past the year 2000 and the year 2001 hopefully most of these doom and gloomers will give it a rest but I'm not holding my breath.
WHY DIDN'T JESUS SAY…? David Vaughn Elliott in The Sword & Staff Vo.38 Num. 3, 2000
Did you notice in the context who was taken away (in Matthew 24:37-42)? It was not Noah and his family that were "taken." Speaking of the wicked, verse 39 says "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away." The wicked were taken away. Noah remained. This is the complete opposite of the modern rapture theory.
The context of "one will be taken and the other left" is "as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." The rapture will be like Noah's time. Did Noah mysteriously disappear? When Noah entered the ark, did the world continue with normal daily life? We all know better. "The world that then existed perished" (2 Peter 3:6).
Jesus did not have the modern rapture doctrine in mind. Rather, He said that when He returns, the earth will pass away.
If the popular rapture theory were correct, Jesus would have used totally different examples. Jesus would have said, "As the days of Enoch were," "as the days of Elijah were." Righteous Enoch disappeared out of this world and the world continued on. Elijah's case is even more striking. After the whirlwind took him up into heaven, 50 men went searching for him for 3 days. Now there is the flavor of today's rapture doctrine!
NEWSPAPER TYPE
Did you know that the type most newspapers use for astounding events is called "second coming" type? These are large, heavy, black letters reserved for only the most stupendous, amazing, front page news -- such as the return of Jesus Christ. Many will remember seeing this banner headline used to announce the surrenders of Germany and Japan, marking the end of World War II. It also told the news of the assassination of John F. Kennedy and the shooting of President Reagan. This bold heading style has proclaimed successful flights into space, presidential election winners, and other dramatic events of universal importance. One day mankind will witness the great event for which the "second coming" type was named for -- the return of Jesus Christ. Yes, the Savior will literally come back to this planet He left so long ago. He will fulfill the promise He gave to His disciples before He ascended to heaven. And when He does, it will command the attention of all earth's inhabitants. The whole world will know that the Lord Jesus is alive. Truly it will be a "headline event!"
HE WAS 2 HOURS LATE
Are you ready for His return? A young woman was expecting her date. She was dressed-up and waiting patiently. However, by the time he was an hour late she figured she'd been stood-up. So, she took off her makeup, put on her pajamas, gathered all the junk food in the house and sat down to watch TV with the dog. As her favorite show was just coming on, the doorbell sounded.
It was her date. He stared at her wide-eyed: I'm two hours late, and you're still not ready?
QUOTE: "I believe you should live each day as if it were your last, which is why I never have any clean clothes. Because, come on, who wants to do laundry on the last day of their lives?" - Unknown
THE CAPITAL DECLARATION
The Dome of the Capitol in Washington D.C. has this inscription: “One God, one law, one element; And one far off, divine event to which the whole creation moves.”
THE 2 ND COMING – A CONTINUOUS EVENT??? (Appendix to Ray C. Stedman, Waiting for the Second Coming, Discovery House Publishers, Grand Rapids, 1990.
COMMENTATORS HAVE OFTEN portrayed the second coming of Jesus as a single dramatic event (Matt. 24:21, 29), following the Great Tribulation, where the Lord will suddenly appear in power and great glory, visible to every eye (Rev. 1:7). The church will be caught up to meet Him and will then return with Him to earth (1 Thess. 4:13-18) where He will judge the living and dead. This either establishes His millennial kingdom or ushers in the new heaven and new earth, depending on which millennial view the commentator holds.
This scenario has numerous difficulties connected with it, however, not least of which are the several promises in the New Testament that the true church will not be present during the Great Tribulation. A key to understanding the teaching of the New Testament on this subject is the Greek word parousia. This word is commonly translated "coming," which in the mind of the reader projects the vision of the single dramatic appearance described above. But parousia should properly be translated "presence." This is the meaning given first by both Thayer and Arndt and Gingrich lexicons and includes the idea of an entrance, a consequent duration, and either an exit or a continued presence. It is not, therefore, a single event (V), but a continuum (I---------I) of unspecified duration.
This meaning is the only way to make sense of Jesus' revelation in Matthew 24 of His return to earth in the last days. There He describes a coming in power and glory immediately following the terrible time of trouble that He calls "the great tribulation" and the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars from heaven (Matt. 24:28-30). But it would be impossible for such a coming to take anyone by surprise who knew of our Lord's description. For in the same chapter Jesus speaks of His coming as unexpected and sudden as the flood came upon the people of Noah's day; and He likens it to a thief creeping into a household at night, without warning, and surreptitiously removing its treasure (vv. 36-44). Yet how could His coming be both unexpected and preceded by such cosmic events of dramatic character?
The only answer is that one passage describes His initial, totally unheralded and unexpected appearing while the other describes the disclosure of His presence by a dramatic display of power and glory after the Tribulation has run its course and the sun, moon, and stars have done their predicted thing.
Jesus' coming like a thief would be a fulfillment of I Thessalonians 4:13-18: He would catch up His true church to Himself and then remain on earth during all the events of the Tribulation, but in the same conditions He manifested during His forty-day post-resurrection ministry when He appeared and disappeared at will. After the darkening of the sun and the moon He would disclose His presence to the entire earth in fulfillment of Matthew 24:28-30 and Revelation 1:7. Thus His initial, thief-like coming, His continued presence behind the scenes on earth, and His final revelation in power would all be covered by the term parousia. It is noteworthy that where Paul refers to the public revelation of Jesus in 2 Thessalonians 2:8, he calls it "the splendor of his coming" (NIV), which literally means "the epiphaneia ("out-shining") of his parousia ("presence").
But what happens to the church after it is caught up to meet the Lord in the air, as I Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes? The answer of Scripture is "so shall we ever be with the Lord." Wherever the Lord is, there the church will be also, sharing with Him in His work whatever it will be. But some may object, "I thought the church was to be in heaven with the Lord."
And indeed it will-but what and where is heaven? It is certainly not another place in the cosmos, within the time-space continuum with which we are familiar. In the light of the new physics of Einstein and others, many are coming to see that heaven is a term for another dimension of existence. It need not be spatially removed from us at all, but may be as present on earth as it is anywhere else. When Jesus appeared and disappeared in the course of His post-resurrection ministry, He was simply stepping in and out of the invisible dimension where spiritual realities exist-heaven. Yet all the time He was in some sense on earth, for He said that He had not yet ascended to His Father.
While I admit that this may be somewhat speculative and mysterious, it is supported by several passages of Scripture. It simply implies that the church (consisting of believers with glorified bodies) will accompany the Lord in His behind-the-scenes directing of the events of the Tribulation. It is this same church that the apostle John sees under the symbol of a glorious city, coming from heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. The marriage supper of the Lamb will already have taken place in those invisible realms while the events of the Tribulation rage on earth.
(My Comment: This was an intriguing and creative way to deal with the obvious problem within current 2 nd coming theology which requires a 2 nd and 3 rd return of Christ. Unfortunately for Stedman, this theory is unsubstantiated and contrived. It is created solely because of the inherent problem created by the theology he embraces).
IF HE’S COMING… Harry Heintz
During his 1960 presidential campaign, John F. Kennedy often closed his speeches with the story of Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives: On May 19th, 1780 the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, "The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, I wish that candles be brought." Rather than fearing what is to come, we are to be faithful till Christ returns. Instead of fearing the dark, we're to be lights as we watch and wait.
THEY’LL FLY AWAY James Cox, The Minister's Manuel, 1993, p. 326.
Some folk in Seattle are sure the end of the earth will come in the year 2000. Earthquakes. Floods, wars, and tornadoes will devastate the earth, they say, by the year 2001. They plan to
build an airship so that they can escape. Whatever of good or ill lies ahead, we need not worry about some human device to reassure us. In His own good time "the Lord shall descend from
heaven with a shout" and "we which are alive shall he caught up to meet him in the air." We have nothing to fear, and the only preparation we need to make is to stay close to the Lord Jesus
and keep our lives pure.
DID HE COME? A. E. Harvey, The N.E.B. Companion to the New Testament 1970
R.A. Torrey told of preaching on the 2 nd coming of Christ on one occasion. As the 2 ½ or 3000 people entered the auditorium, none of them had noticed a cloud in the sky. As he finished his sermon, Dr. Torrey felt carried away by his subject and climaxed saying: “It may be before we arise in the morning, or before we sleep tonight. It may be before we have finished our luncheon today. Indeed it maybe that before I finish this sermon we shall hear the sound of the trump and the voice of the archangel announcing ‘He is here!’”
At that moment there was a crash of thunder and a blinding flash of lightening filled the auditorium with white light. In panic, the crowd rushed to the doors. All except Dwight L. Moody’s sister who sat in front. She just threw back her head and laughed. A little later she told Mr. Torrey, “I thought the Lord had come.” That was what everybody else had thought. But their response had been one of terror rather than joy.
ALLOW 6 WEEKS
Actual TV commercial:
"Jesus is coming soon -- perhaps tomorrow! Send $10 for a video that will explain the Second Coming of Jesus Christ! Please allow six weeks for delivery."
NEXT TIME…
Several years ago Johnny Carson had Billy Graham as a guest on his show. At one point there was a lull in the conversation and Johnny said, "You know what Billy, I bet if Jesus ever came back to earth, I bet we'd do him in again!"
Billy Graham leaned forward in his seat, and said, "In the Bible we read that Jesus predicted that He would return to earth again. But the first time He came in love, the next time, He'll come in power-no one will DO Him in!"
COME AND LISTEN TO MY STORY…Uncle John’s Great Big Bathroom Reader (11 th edition) p. 223 from The Return of Heroic Failures
“[Using] the very latest equipment, Texaco workmen set about drilling for oil at Lake Peigneur in Louisiana during November 1980.
“After only a few hours of drilling they sat back expecting oil to shoot up. Instead, however, they watched a whirlpool form, sucking down not only the entire 1,300 acre lake, but also 5 houses, 9 barges, 8 tugboats, 2 oil rigs, a mobile home, most of a botanical garden and 10% of nearby Jefferson Island, leaving a half mile wide crater. No one told them there was an abandoned salt mine underneath.
“A local fisherman said he thought the world was coming to an end.”
PREPARING FOR HIS COMING R.Digest 8/98 p. 60 Mike Whitaker
I was working as a free lance photographer when I was assigned by a magazine to get pictures of an unkempt churchyard full of wildflowers. I searched for miles around, but all the churchyards were well-kept. Then one vicar gave me the address of a church he knew about, and I arranged a visit.
Arriving at the churchyard the next day, I heard a lawn mower. The minister had mowed everything in sight. "If you're taking pictures of our churchyard," he explained, "I thought I'd better tidy up a bit."
PREMILLENIAL CONCEPTS & THEIR SCRIPTURES "Jews for Jesus" Newsletter 94
1. Jesus promised His followers that He would return.
* "I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3)
* "You heard Me say, 'I am going away and coming back to you."' (John 14:28)
* "... be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Luke 12:40)
2. Angels promised Y'shua's followers that He would return in the same way, to the same place from where He left (in a cloud from heaven).
* "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.'"(Acts 1:10-11)
3. The Mount of Olives, a hill outside of Jerusalem that directly faces the Temple Mount, will have a central role at Christ's return. After a major cataclysm in the Holy Land, the coming King will physically appear on that very hill.
* "And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south. (Zechariah 14:4)
4. From that site facing Jerusalem, with a full view of the front of the Temple, Jesus answered His disciples' questions about His return.
* "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, ...what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3)
5. In discussing the characteristics of His return, Jesus said that wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines will not be the signs of His coming.
* "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars . . . all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows." (Matthew 24:6-8; see also Mark 13:7-8 and Luke 21:9-1 1)
6. The signs of Y'shua's return will be that the gospel will be preached throughout the whole earth and then the anti-Christ will be revealed.
* "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." (Matthew 24:14; see also Mark 13:10)
* Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him. . . . Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4)
7. We should not believe anyone who claims to know when Jesus will return because He told His disciples that no one will know.
* "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matthew 24:36; see also Matthew 24:42, 25:13 and Mark 13:32-35).
* "... they asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" And He said. . . , "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority." (Acts 1:6-7)
8. Y'shua will come at a time when no one expects Him.
* "Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." (Matthew 24:44; see also Luke 12:40)
9. Y'shua's return will be in conjunction with the Jewish people living in Jerusalem. There will also be a temple in existence where the anti-Christ will set up the abomination of desolation prophesied by Daniel.
* ". . . from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
* "And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who
makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined, is poured out on the desolate." (Daniel 9:25-27)
* "And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation." (Daniel 11:31)
* "Therefore when you see the 'abomination of desolation' spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place" (whoever reads, let him understand), "then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains." (Matthew 24:15-16; see also Mark 13:14)
10. The Messiah will come when all nations are gathered to make war on Jerusalem.
* "I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it." (Zechariah 12:3)
* "For I will gather all the nations to battle against Jerusalem... Then the LORD will go forth and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle." (Zechariah 14:2-3)
11. Many false messiahs will arise and lead many astray.
* "For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many." (Matthew 24:5; see also Matthew 24:23-24; Mark 13:5-6, 21-22; Luke 21:8)
* "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish." (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10)
12. Before Y'shua's return, there will be an atmosphere of unbelief.
* ". . . when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8)
* ".. . scoffers will come in the last days . . . saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation."' (2 Peter 3:3-4)
13. The expectation of Y'shua's return should motivate us to godly living.
* "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household . . . ? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods." (Matthew 24:45-47)
* "And do this, knowing the time . . . for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. " (Romans 13:I l-12)
* "Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God." (2 Peter 3:11-12)
* "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that . . . we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:11-13)
14. Y'shua's return is the blessed hope that comforts all who believe in Him.
* "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." (I Thessalonians 3:15-18)
Conclusion:
Paul wrote to the believers at Rome: "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed" (Romans 13:11). If that was true in Paul's day, how much closer is Y'shua' s appearing now!
Jesus promised, "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last" (Revelation 22:12-13).
Let us give thanks for this promise, as Peter wrote: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope... kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5). And let us say with John, "Amen. . .. Come. Lord Jesus" (Revelation 22:20).
THE BOSS MAY COME TODAY
While on one of his expeditions to the Antarctic, Sir Ernest Shackleton found it necessary to leave some of his men on Elephant Island. It was his intention to go back for them, but I he was unavoidably delayed and could not return as he had planned. When he finally set out, the water had frozen over, and he was cut off from those he had left behind. Three times he tried to reach them but was blocked by the cold, unyielding sea. In his final attempt, he located a small, narrow channel through the ice. Skillfully guiding the vessel to the island, he was overjoyed and yet somewhat surprised to find his men alive and well. Since all of them had their belongings packed and were ready to get on board, they soon were on their way home. When they were out of the dangerous waters, Shackleton inquired how it was that each man was fully prepared to depart on a moment's notice. He was told that every morning the leader of the group rolled up his sleeping bag and shouted, "Get your things, together, boys. The boss may come today."
PREDICTIONS OF HIS 2ND COMING:
Earliest known prediction by Tichonius 381 A.D.; Then 500 A.D. by Hippolytus (170-236). Later, predictions surrounded the 1st millennium:
1000 A.D., 1009 A.D., & 1033 A.D. were popular.
1533 A.D. was agreed upon by both Michael Stiefel (1486-1567) a friend of Martin Luther's and by a group of Anabaptists of the period.
Isaac Newton held to 1715 A.D..
Recent memory has the two most famous dates as 1844 and 1914, predictions that laid the ground word for the 7th Day Adventists & J.W's
Just in this Century alone, predictors have declared the 2nd coming to begin in 1921, '22, 1953 or 54, 1960, '62, '64, '69, 1975, '77, '78, 1983, '88, and 2000 A.D..
Even the Hasidic Jews have gotten into the act, when Menachem Schneerson, head of a Brooklyn Based sect, declared September 9th, 1991 would be the date of the Messiah's return. His followers would shout "We want Messiah, Now!"
According to Jewish Tradition, the world is to stand for 6000 years - 2000 of confusion, 2000 with the Law, 2000 with the Messiah. Then, 1000 years of peace. In this tradition, the last 1000 years represents a Sabbath rest, the millennium.
I'm not sure how Schneerson explains the "missing" Messiah who "should have come" 2000 years ago, or why he feels Messiah will come this year. But he surely must be basing his understanding on some count. (This last comes from the "Lederer Letter" by Barry Rubin of Jews for Jesus September 1991.
NOT EVERYONE BELIEVES Charles Swindall's Survey indicated that only 3% of graduates from seminaries believe that Jesus is coming back
SCRIPTURE SAYS HOWEVER: II Peter 3:3-15 The days are coming when scoffers will ask where is the promise of His coming. But He is!
HIS RETURN DEPENDS ON HIS (JESUS) WORD:
1. He is God (vs 13). Alpha & Omega, 1st & last, beginning & end
Before Abraham was (John 8:48)
Rev. 1:8 describes God the Father as Alpha & Omega, who was/is/ & is to come.
II Cor. 1:20 - All promises find their "yes" in Him.
2. He's the fulfillment of prophecy-Root & Offspring of David v16
Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies in His life on earth.
Track record
3. Fulfillment of hope (the Bright and Morning Star - vs. 16)
Malachi 4:1-2 predicted this
4. Not everyone is going to be pleased (vs. 15)
Matthew 25:14-30
5. But we have reason to look forward to His coming. (vs. 12)
Revelation 21:1-5
I HAD A DREAM
I had a dream last night. In that dream, Cy and I had gone to heaven. As we walked the streets of the heavenly Jerusalem, we saw that the streets were lined with clocks of all kinds - grandfather clocks, wall clocks, wristwatches, etc.. And we noticed that each clock was ticking at a different rate (give illustration - some slow, some fast - tick tock). We were so intrigued that we questioned a passing angel. "Oh," he said, "those are our way of keeping track of the sins of people on earth. Each clock represents a person, and each of the ticks is the number of times he sins."
And so, Cy and I began to look at the clocks and saw the names of many people we knew in this church. It did puzzle us however, that we couldn't find Jack's (Cy's brother) timepiece. At length, Cy could stand it no longer & asked the angel where Jack's clock was.
"Oh," the angel replied, "we keep his in the back room. It gets hot back in there and we use it for a fan."