END TIMES
My daughter bought a GREAT bumper sticker a few months ago .. it read, “JESUS is COMING .. look busy !!”
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On Wednesday night, I began a teaching on End Times .. it seems that the attack on our country last week has caused MANY to think about the END TIMES .. are we THERE?? .. WHAT SHOULD WE DO ?? etc..
Let me share with you some of the thoughts that Godly men and women have proposed through the years …
The “SEVENTH DAY” theory:
2 Pet 3:8-14 (NIV)
8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives
12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
14 So then, dear friends, since you are looking forward to this, make every effort to be found spotless, blameless and at peace with him.
If you compare the life spans of ALL the people recorded in the Bible from Adam till now, you will find almost 6,000 years of human history .. JUST AS God created the Heavens and the Earth in 6 days and rested on the seventh, MANY believe that we are ABOUT to come into God’s Sabbath Rest .. the SEVENTH day .. the millennial reign of Jesus on Earth.
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THE “THIRD DAY” THEORY …
Hosea 6:1-3 (NKJ)
1 Come, and let us return to the LORD; for He has torn, but He will heal us; he has stricken, but He will bind us up.
2 After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.
3 Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; he will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.
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Another popular scripture passage that gives us a HINT about what may come is found in Matt 24
Matt 24:37-51 (NIV)
37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;
39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.
40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.
41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
42 "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.
44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
45 "Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper time?
46 It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns.
47 I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
48 But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,'
49 and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards.
50 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of.
51 He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
UNDERSTAND
we have a LEASE on PLANET EARTH – Have you ever noticed the scriptures where
Jesus cast out demons and they cried out. “Have you come to torment us BEFORE
THE TIME??” WHAT TIME ??
Matt
8:28-32 (NKJ)
28
When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes,
there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly
fierce, so that no one could pass that way.
29
And suddenly they cried out, saying, "What have we to do with You,
Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?"
30
Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding.
31
So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to
go away into the herd of swine."
32
And He said to them, "Go." So when they had come out, they went
into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down
the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
UNDERSTAND,
the Bible clearly teaches us that WE DON’T OWN THE EARTH (at least not yet):
Ps
24:1-4 (KJV)
1
The earth is the LORD's, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they
that dwell therein.
2
For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.
3
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his
holy place?
4
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
Rom
8:17-22 (NIV)
17
Now if we are children, then we are heirs-- heirs of God and co-heirs
with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also
share in his glory.
18
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the
glory that will be revealed in us.
19
The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be
revealed.
.
. .
22
We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of
childbirth right up to the present time.
God
gave us DOMINION, not OWNERSHIP in the beginning … we are being TESTED for our
FAITHFULNESS and STEWARDSHIP !!
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Some
more popular signs: The European Common Market (Rev 17:12-13, Dan 7:7-8), Wars
& earthquakes (Matt 24:5-8), the GREAT STATUE (Dan 2:29-45), the LATTER DAY
RAIN (revival) (Joel 2:23-32), and the TRANSFER of WEALTH (Prov 13:22) . . .
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The
sign that MOST scholars accept for Jesus’ return is Israel becoming a nation
again after almost 2000 years:
Mark
13:28-37 (KJV)
28
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and
putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
29
So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know
that it is nigh, even at the doors.
30
Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all
these things be done.
31
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.
32
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which
are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
33
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
34
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house,
and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the
porter to watch.
35
Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh,
at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
36
Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
37
And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
However,
since a GENERATION is not DEFINED, we have no way of knowing exactly what year
the Lord will return …
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Here
is a REALLY popular sign:
Matt 24:14 (NIV)
14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
The PROBLEM with getting excited over THIS verse is in the MISREADING of scripture ..
Matt 24:1-3 (NIV)
1 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings.
2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "(#1.) when will this happen, and (#2.) what will be the sign of your coming and of (#3.) the end of the age?"
You see, the GOSPEL will STILL be preached after WE are GONE J The GOSPEL will be preach until the END of the WORLD (#3.), so THIS is NOT a sign of His coming (#2.)…
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WHAT
WE KNOW FOR SURE: (What IS reliable)
1.)
1Thes 4:16-18 (NKJ)
16
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.
17
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.
18
Therefore comfort one another with these words.
The
BIGGEST problem I see with getting excited about the Lord’s return is the
IMMATURE attitude of ESCAPISM … Sure, we are to LOVE HIS APPEARING
2
Tim 4:8 (NKJ)
8
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the
Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but
also to all who have loved His appearing. . . but . .
2.)
We DO know: Jesus ALSO said ..
“Occupy till I come .. “
4231
pragmateuomai (prag-mat-yoo'-om-ahee);
from
4229; to busy oneself with, i.e. to trade:
KJV--
occupy.
Luke
19:11-27 (KJV)
11
And as they heard these things, he added and spake a parable, because he
was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should
immediately appear.
12
He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to receive
for himself a kingdom, and to return.
13
And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said
unto them, Occupy
till I come.
14
But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will
not have this man to reign over us.
15
And it came to pass, that when he was returned, having received the
kingdom, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had
given the money, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading.
16
Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17
And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
Etc
. .
3.)
We DO know that Jesus said, “
Matt
24:35-36 (NIV)
35
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
36
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor
the Son, but only the Father.”
4.)
We DO know:
Prov
13:22 (NIV)
22
A good man leaves an inheritance for his children's children, but a
sinner's wealth is stored up for the righteous.
But,
Pastor, what if I work hard and save and invest and THEN Jesus comes for us
BEFORE it gets to my children’s children??
IT WILL NOT BE WASTED – GOOD MANAGEMENT ON EARTH TRANSLATES DIRECTLY
(ROLLS OVER) INTO AUTHORITY IN THE COMING KINGDOM J
Luke
19:16-17 (KJV)
16
Then came the first, saying, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds.
17
And he said unto him, Well, thou good servant: because thou hast been
faithful in a very little, have thou authority over ten cities.
PREPARE
for 100 YEARS - - - .. but STAY READY! ! !