As of today, I'm not prepared to write the post on the Gospel of John that I had originally intended too. Instead I have another thought which is in Revelation 1:3. It says, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Mark 13: 35-37 says, "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: Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping: And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch."
Recently Harold Camping, who is an American Christian radio broadcaster, who is president of Family Radio, a California-based station group that spans more than 150 markets in the United States, made the prediction that the rapture of the church would take place on May 21, 2011. That date has passed and the rapture didn't take place on May 21, 2011. I can recall back in 1988 when I was a junior in high school there was a book written entitled, 88 Reasons Why Jesus Is Coming Back in '88. It was written by Edgar Whisenant whom I believe predicted that Jesus would come back around September 11-13 in 1988. That prediction never took place. Going back in time there was a man by the name of William Miller in Massachusetts who stated in 1843 that Jesus was going to return to this earth in March 1844. So he and several followers, dubbed Millerites, climbed a high mountain and looked up into the sky waiting for Jesus to return. Nothing happened. Why? March 24:36 states that "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only." Those who preach Jesus is returning on a particular date is in error. Jesus explicitly stated only the Father in Heaven knows the date. Nevertheless, since Jesus ascended into Heaven, there have been many that have tried to pinpoint a date concerning the Lord's return. Every time they've done so they've always been in error. Man's not going to outsmart God. The Heavenly Father will make sure no man can predict the exact day. According to what I read in the book of Mark, He will return unexpectedly in an hour we think not.
Matthew 24 lists some of the signs that indicate the Lord's return is imminent. Verse 4 in Matthew 24 mentions there will be those that come in Christ's name and deceive many. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nation will rise against nation. There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. We're seeing all those things taking place. In the last two years there have been a plethora of earthquakes throughout our world such as Haiti, Chile, New Zealand, Japan, one off the coast of Alaska, etc. There have been floods, droughts, deadly tornadoes across the South and the Midwestern part of the United States. Then in later verses in the same chapter you'll read about iniquity abounding and the love of many shall wax cold. Another sign of the Lord's coming is the rebirth of Israel in the Middle East which took place around May 15, 1948. Israel is now a country as the Bible predicted. One of the reasons why Whisenant predicted Jesus would come in 1988 was due to 40 years passing since Israel was reborn. The number "40" is significant in the Bible in a number of cases which I don't have time to cover in this post. However, man's not going to pinpoint a precise date concerning the Lord's return regardless the number of years since a major event took place such as Israel's rebirth.
There also will come the day where there will be a Great Tribulation upon this earth. This will happen once the rapture of the church takes place. I believe in a premillennial rapture in which all of God's people will be raptured out of this world before God's cataclysmic judgment takes place. Then Jesus will come back to this earth to establish his Kingdom on earth for one thousand years. There will be a thousand years of peace on this earth while Jesus rules and reigns. Nevertheless, Jesus is coming. He's not coming according to our timetable. He will come in His timetable. He will come in an hour that man knoweth not. Matthew 24:37 states that as in the days of Noah were, so shall the coming of the Son of man be. Jesus makes the comparison between the days before His coming to the times of Noah right before Noah and his family entered the ark. The people on the earth were eating, drinking, and making merry. Those on the earth at that time didn't pay any attention to the preaching of Noah concerning the fact there would be a worldwide flood. Then all of a sudden the flood came and destroyed all those that didn't enter the ark. They heard the preaching but they didn't heed to Noah's warning to get ready because the flood was at hand. That's the same thing happening today. God's men are preaching that Jesus could come back at any moment and those that are without Christ need to repent. How many are taking heed to that? Many are living like the Lord's return is years away. There are many that attend church faithfully that haven't given a serious thought to the fact that Jesus could come today. There are many professing Christians who believe Jesus will return, but it probably won't be in their lifetime. I'm afraid that's the mentality of many in the church today. WE live like Christ won't come back in our lifetime. The truth is he could come today.
II Timothy 3:1-8 mentions that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God .... I could continue with these verses but the point is we're definitely living in the last days. The signs are ripe for the Lord's coming. Matthew 24:42 says that we are to watch for we know not what hour the Lord cometh. Verse 42 goes on to mention that if the goodman of the house would've known what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and not suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up or burglarized. However, the goodman didn't know the hour the thief had come which is why his house was broken into. There will come a time when Jesus will return and there will be those that won't be anticipating his return at that particular time. They won't be ready for his coming. Jesus is coming. He's coming suddenly. No man can predict the day nor hour when Jesus will return. But we're to watch for his return as the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Mark says we should. As far as I'm concerned, there's no prophecy that has to be fulfilled before He returns. He is returning. Will we be ready when he does come?
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