I do not know a person who went through the two years of study who was not impacted or motivated to do more for the Kingdom of Christ. We know what is to come, and it for sure in me has stirred a fire to share the Gospel and make sure people know that if they do not choose Christ they are choosing to experience the Wrath of God poured out on the world. Also I now have a hunger for God's word, to know it, to live it, to see it manifested in my life. I am reading books:
- About the prophecies of the Old Testament that pointed to Jesus as the Messiah
- Evaluating the "I AM" statements of Jesus
- And on loving others
Here is what I want to share about the day and age we live in and the promises of the book of Revelation. The end of the Church Age has to happen before the Tribulation can occur. The Bible tells us this:
- Luke 12:56 (ESV) You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
- Matthew 24:42 (ESV) Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.
- Luke 21:36 (ESV) But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
- Matthew 25:13 (ESV)Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.
We do not know the date that God will call the saints of the church to heaven to be with Him. But there will be signs. And, as in the time leading up to the birth of Christ, the "knowledgeable" people will miss the signs.
Matthew 2 (ESV)
The Visit of the Wise Men
2 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men[a] from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose[b] and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet:
6 “‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who will shepherd my people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.
The wise men, whoever they may have been, they had been studying the skies, were familiar with the Messiah prophecy, and took action when they saw the stars pointing to the birth of the King. But the king's men, who lived in the area, who knew the culture, the scrolls, they were caught unaware. (This documentary is very enlightening for anyone who has the time The Star of Bethlehem Documentary 2007 .)
And so it will be before Christ returns. People, believers and unbelievers, are going to be caught unaware. But they don't have to be unprepared.
Last night I heard a great sermon about God Preparing Us for the Judgement Day. Pastor Jon did an outstanding job about explaining the judgement of believers and the judgement of unbelievers. But for the believer, their judgement will not be for their sins, but for how they lived - were their lives built with gold, silver & precious stones, or wood,hay, straw (1 Corinthians 3:12). The notes I added in my Bible by this passage are this:
- Judgement of Believers is about our service: what is holy, right, & true will be rewarded.
- What will be burned up is this: wrong motives, anything we did that was not for God :
- 2 Chronicles 25 (ESV)
- Amaziah was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jehoaddan of Jerusalem. 2 And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, yet not with a whole heart.
The main scripture he preached from, and I want to expound on, was 2 Peter 3:10-
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
We do not know the date of the "rapture," but we know it is coming at any minute. If we knew when a thief was going to break in, we would have double checked the locks, and make sure the house alarm is set. But because we do not know for sure if and when we could be victimized, we take steps all the time to secure what is precious to us. But we do now that Jesus is returning, He promised He would:
- John 14:3 (ESV) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also
And because of His promise to us, we need to live everyday as if it were the day He was returning.We need to be sharing the Gospel, warning people of what is to come, helping the less fortunate, showing the world the difference Jesus makes. We need to be in His word, we need to know the Gospel, and share. The sad reality is this: people are going to be left on earth to experience the wrath of god, known as the Tribulation. There is nothing we can do about that. But our responsibility is to make sure that we have told them what is to come. So that they cannot say they did not know; that the truth will be they chose to not accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior.
I believe I will be alive when the church is called home. I am not a conspiracy theorist, but it is hard to study Revelation like I have and not feel more aware. Events are happening. I believe the world (physically and culturally) is in the labor pains mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 5:
1 Thessalonians 5 (ESV) The Day of the Lord
5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Let's evaluate some:
- Wars and rumors of wars (Luke 21:10 0 Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.)
- North Korea launching missiles that have the U. S. in range July 29,2017 article
- Putin (Russia) has expelled 755 U.S. diplomats FOX News Article July 30, 2017
- Trump sings Russian sanctions legislation CNN article August 2, 2017
- Iran warns U.S. over Syria Iran U.S. Tensions - NYTimes
- Weather (Luke 21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and pestilences.)
- India - dry in monsoon season - Link
- 60,000 evacuated from Moscow due to severe weather - Link
- Heat wave in Portland, Oregon - Link
- Ecologic Disaster
I also want to add, there are events happening in Israel that most people seem to be ignoring or are completely unaware of occurring in the first place.
- On July 14, 2017 2 Israeli police officers killed in shooting in Jerusalem's Old City (Link) From unsealed.org(Link ), "I'm not sure how to convey to you both the seriousness and awesomeness of what may be transpiring in Israel. In short, the Jordanian Waqf has effectively lost control of the Temple Mount for the first time since 1967. It is now in the hands of Israeli police. Following the tragic shooting of two Israeli police officers on Friday by Palestinian terrorists, Israeli police assumed control of the Temple Mount. They have since installed metal detectors on all entrances used by Muslim worshipers and the Waqf has called for a complete Muslim boycott until the metal detectors are removed."
- Israel has regained control of the Temple Mount - where they will rebuild the Temple, King David's Temple, where the Abomination of Desolation will reveal himself at the beginning of the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation.
I trying to live very day as if it could be the day that the Lord could return. I am trying to not worry about things that do not effect eternity. But because we do not know when the Lord will come, I am living also like I have time: planning vacations, thinking up birthday party ideas for my kiddos, seeing if I can attend various Bible retreats.
How are you living?
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