Current events seem to have many people in a spin. If it's not about the imploding U.S. economy, it's about the constant loss of lives in Iraq and Afghanistan, or about some grave threat from one of America's 'enemies.'
People are losing their homes and there are supposedly tent cities sprouting up for those who have no real home; gas prices seem to be increasing, grocery prices, too; the bees in the U.S. are dying off, there are earthquakes, floods, snow storms -- many scary things seem to be happening in our world today. And many people find these things terrifying.
The Bible-thumpers are saying it is the sign of the times and that the end is near. That very well may be the case. But that isn't really my main concern...because, quite honestly, Bible-thumpers have been saying that for centuries. It always seems to be the end of the world.
One of the things that Christians can be quite sure about is that our LORD and Savior Jesus the Christ will return to the earth and claim His inheritance. The Holy Bible says He will separate the believers from those who have rejected him. The earth and heaven will pass away and a new heaven and new earth will come into being (Isaiah 65:16-18, Revelation 21:23). He will live and rule among the people (who have been cleansed) and we will worship Him openly and freely.
As a Christian, you take these as facts...the primary of which is that the LORD Jesus the Christ will return. In Matthew, Jesus explains this to His disciples:
Matthew 24:
29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
So Jesus describes the setting of His second coming. Then He tells the disciples something very important in verse 36 of the same chapter in Matthew: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only."
The Christ goes on to say:
42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Now I tell you this: If the LORD GOD Almighty's Son, Christ Jesus, said Himself that "of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven," THEN THAT IS A FACT.
Christ Jesus told His disciples in very plain terms that only the Father knows when the Son will be returning to earth. No one knows the day, hour, month, or year of Jesus the Christ's return to Earth. No one knows. Only the Father, GOD Almighty knows the exact day, hour and minute.
There is no one living on this earth today who can predict the "day or hour" of Christ Jesus' return. No man on earth has the wisdom, as it does not take wisdom, but divine revelation from GOD, since HE is the only ONE who knows. Is it possible that GOD may have revealed or will reveal the specific time to someone (or persons) walking among us today? -- Of course, but I find it very unlikely that the LORD would have this person advertising the precise day of Christ Jesus' return. Do you know why?
Consider these verses in the same book of Matthew 24:
45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season?
46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.
If you everyone knew the exact day of Christ Jesus' return, then it would be quite likely that many would live a lax 'christian' life...with this foreknowledge that they have a time limit of sorts to repent.
The fact that GOD has not advertised the day of HIS Only Begotten Son's return is to inspire us to live a good, clean, holy and acceptable life before HIM always.
If you know that your boss could choose any old day of the week to give you an evaluation on your work, then you would probably make sure you always do good work. Likewise, if you know that your job evaluation is scheduled around the same time every year, you would probably decide on a good time to start "prepping" for a favorable evaluation. You want that raise, after all.
In like manner, live an acceptable life before the LORD always because you do not know the date of your evaluation, and you do want to sit with Him at the table when the banquet arrives, don't you?
As Jesus said, hold fast to what you have and let no man deceive you and keep you from inheriting eternal life. Don't think you can squeeze something in before Christ's appointed time. You may step away and never be able to return. GOD forgives, but HE does not forget and holds us all accountable for everything we do (unless HE chooses to blot it out).
If you are currently living in sin, it may be a good time to repent and turn towards GOD...while you can. Yes, you will suffer if you die or are "caught" living in your sin...or so it says in the Holy Bible.. Remember, GOD will show mercy to whom HE will show mercy, and have compassion on whom HE will have compassion.
If you are going to trust any man's words or calculations, trust the Most Divine Man ever come into this world - Jesus the Christ, the Living Son of GOD. If the LORD says no man, not even the angels of heaven, knows when He is returning, then believe Him for He does not lie. Don't be lead astray by the misguided and willfully ignorant, instead, to be sure, follow the Way, the Truth and the Light.
Brothers and sisters, "...hold fast what you have till I come. And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations..."
He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming quickly.”
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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Notes On Matthew #2: No One Knows The Day, Hour Of Christ's Return
Posted by Name: Theist Labels: end times, Jesus the Christ, Revelation
There is one thing (out of many) that behooves me about so-called Christians. It seems eternally and without fail that these Christians are always the first to sign up for the latest cult and join the latest heretical, blasphemous bandwagon. Why? Why would you, one who calls him/herself a Christian, seek after another Jesus?
I am speaking specifically of the folks who follow the Jim Joneses, the David Kureshes, the Jose Luis de Jesus Mirandas, etc. We are supposedly Christians -- who believe in Christ Jesus, the Holy Bible and GOD Almighty, yet we follow anti-christs.
But we aren't to be surprised, are we? Jesus the Christ himself told the disciples that so-called Christians would do exactly what we have been doing since he left the earth. He explained quite plainly that false prophets and christs would come after him and that, if possible, even the very elect would be fooled.
Why, when even GOD HIMSELF tells us these things, do we still allow ourselves to be fooled? What are we looking for? Why can't we wait patiently on the LORD?
As it is written in Matthew 24:
3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you.
5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.
6 ...See that you are not troubled;
23 “Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it.
24 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
25 See, I have told you beforehand.
26 “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.
Lord Jesus says, "See, I am telling you before hand..." yet you will not listen (my own words). Don't you believe in your Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ? Can't you take him at his word? Look at all he has done for you...why would you doubt him now.
And how are we supposed to know when it is really Christ Jesus who has appeared? The answer to that, brothers and sisters, Jesus himself also provides.
In the verse above, Jesus the Christ compares his coming to lightning.
When there is thunder and lightning during a storm... it is not just a handful of people who hear and see it. Everyone in the neighborhood and in surrounding areas hears the thunder and sees the lightning. So my friends, you won't have to guess. And you know what else? It won't just be the Christians who see and recognize Christ Jesus' coming -- everyone with eyes to see ears to hear will see the Lord coming with his angels.
It reads in Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
Read that again, dear brothers and sisters. EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, EVEN THEY WHO PIERCED HIM. When the Lord Jesus the Christ comes to the earth a second time, IT WILL NOT BE A SECRET. IT WILL NOT BE SOMETHING THAT ONLY A FEW KNOW ABOUT. ALL -- EVERYONE -- WILL SEE AND KNOW WHEN CHRIST JESUS RETURNS.
Now the Spirit says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines or demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy...(Hebrews 4:1-2) But you, O man of GOD, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness... I urge you in the sight of GOD who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus..., that you keep this commandment without spot, blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ's appearing, which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords... (1 Timothy 6:11-15).
The Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Grace be with you. Amen. (2 Timothy 4: 22)
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Notes On Genesis #5: Man's Dominion Over The Earth
Posted by Name: Theist Labels: animals, beastiality, Creation, dominion, Genesis, natureIn the beginning "...God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth (Gen. 1:26)."
...Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth (Gen. 1:28).”
And after the Great Flood where the whole world was destroyed, but for eight people (Noah and his wife, and their sons and their wives) and a boat-full of animals, GOD again gave man rule over HIS creation. In Genesis 9:2 it reads, "And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand."
One does have to marvel, as David did, that the Almighty Creator saw fit to make it man's responsibility to care for the earth and its animal inhabitants. Psalm 8:
4.What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?
5.For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor.
6.You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet,
7.All sheep and oxen— Even the beasts of the field,
8.The birds of the air, And the fish of the sea That pass through the paths of the seas.
9.O LORD, our Lord, How excellent is Your name in all the earth!
It's amazing that we are so fearless as to tread near the lion, the alligator and other seemingly fearsome creatures (like python snakes, for example). It's even more amazing that some of us have mastered a real relationship with these animals (think of the late Steve Irwin, for example). You see it on Animal Planet all the time...we're not afraid of chimps, snakes, rhinos or elephants -- it's like we actually have put "all things under (our) feet."
As for all of the endangered animals, extinct animals and the general cruelty and neglect on our parts toward and of animals...humanity as a whole doesn't seem to be all together on this subject.
You don't have to be a genius or scholar to know that all of creation must be treated with some degree of respect. If animals have blood and flesh and bones as we do, then it goes to reason that they must also feel pain. So why do people beat their pets or even starve them?
And what is so corrupt in us that some of us even practice perversion by having sex with animals? Horses, dogs and who knows what else? And the thing that strikes me is that bestiality isn't 'new' and it's even addressed in the Holy Bible passages about sexual morality.
It state sin Lev. 18 (and other places):
23.Nor shall you mate with any animal, to defile yourself with it. Nor shall any woman stand before an animal to mate with it. It is perversion.
24.‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these things; for by all these the nations are defiled, which I am casting out before you.
What is wrong with us?! Intercourse with an animal?
As for the earth itself...with all the hoopla about global warming and pollution, I think I can guess how we're doing in that department. And whether or not you believe in global warming, you do have to admit that we humans don't exactly keep the earth, its atmosphere or its water very clean.
But one thing I do wonder -- would the earth naturally 'die off' anyway? Was the earth made to last forever? Or is it because of the destructive and sinful nature of man that it also became corruptible? I know the Holy Bible says earth will pass away (literally) and that there will be a new earth... perhaps the incorruptible one.
Anyway, just thinking out loud...
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