'If not now, when?'

[MrVersatile48]

Encouragement from http://www.crosswalk.com to redeem the time, this wet weekend, & let your PC help spread the word & hasten Christ's return:-

If Not Now, When?
David Jeremiah

Jesus is coming soon; but we don't know the exact day or moment, so we need to be alert, ready, and faithful. We have work to do before He returns. We should live with a constant awareness of four essential facts.

The Lord Is Near

First, the Lord is near. Jesus said, " So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors!" (Matthew 24:33). His coming is near-at the very door!

We're closer to His arrival now than we've ever been before.

The Task Is Great

While that's one of our happiest thoughts, it also brings a measure of sadness; for we know that most of the world isn't ready for Him yet. There have never been so many needing Christ. Today over six billion inhabit this planet, and the net population increases by two people every second.

Many of them are being born where the Gospel isn't heard. Of the 83 million people born this year, 82 million will be in the developing world. Increasing segments of humanity are casting away all concern about God. The number of secular or nonreligious people grew from about three million in 1900 to nearly a billion in 2000.

Yet the church of Jesus Christ is on the move. I believe God intends for us to complete the Great Commission. Peter has a fascinating phrase about this: " You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming" (2 Peter 3:11-12 NIV).

We can speed its coming. We can hasten the day of our Lord's return by advancing the Good News! Jesus said, " 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).

The World Is Lost

Christians should go to bed every night with the lost on their hearts and awaken every morning seeking to do something to extend God's kingdom, living with a sense of urgency. We should see the globe through the eyes of Christ.

Time is short, the task is urgent, and the work is global. It may not be convenient, and it might cost all we have. But men and women are drowning, and we must win the lost at any cost. Hudson Taylor lamented to crowds: "What of the millions whom we leave to perish...eternally? What of the plain command, 'Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature'?"

The Time Is Now

The time is now. We're the only ones who can reach our generation. God is calling some of us to be His overseas or cross-cultural missionaries. He wants some of you to give of your means to support the expansion of the Gospel. Others can take a short-term missions trip for the purpose of ministry and of better understanding the nature of the task.

Include a missionary section in your prayer notebook and earnestly plead for heaven's blessings on the work of those who are laboring in difficult areas. Make friends with internationals in your town. Read books on missions, study missionary websites, volunteer for soul-winning and missions ministries at your church, and read the newspaper every day with the eyes of a "World Christian." Our daily newspaper and news broadcasts deliver global prayer requests right into our homes.

Study what the Bible says about the return of Christ. The Second Coming is a great motivation for ministry and missions. Prophecy gives us a perspective on the future, a certain knowledge that Christ is in control, that the world is in His sovereign hands, that He has a plan and a program. The Lord Jesus might come before you finish reading this article; but if He doesn't, He wants you to go to work.


I know not what of time remains, To run its course, in this low sphere, Or what awaits of calm or storm, Of joy or grief, or hope or fear... I only know that He is near, And that His voice I soon shall hear.



This article was excerpted from Turning Points, Dr. David Jeremiah's devotional magazine. Call Turning Point at 1-800-947-1993 for your complimentary copy of Turning Points.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Training for 'Net evangelism @ both http://www.web-evangelism.com & http://www.gospelcom.net - sign for their free monthly Web Evangelism Bulletin & see archives for helpful tips

http://www.gospelcom.net/ministries/newsletters/

http://www.thinkchristian.net/?p=836

http://guide.gospelcom.net/#links

God bless!

Ian

 

[BradtheImpaler]

First, the Lord is near. Jesus said, " So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors!" (Matthew 24:33). His coming is near-at the very door!

But He said it was "near, at the very door" over 1900 years ago, so how can you appeal to any sense of imminence or urgency since "at the very door" could very well refer to a period of time of ANY length? It could be 1900 MORE years, or 10,000. All you can say is it's closer than before but that doesn't mean anything. If Jesus (and several remarks in the Epistles) warned and/or promised the people of that generation that His coming was imminent, and it didn't happen in their lifetimes, then the promise of His "soon coming" to any successive generation is no guarantee of anything to that particular generation either.

 

[MrVersatile48]

First, the Lord is near. Jesus said, " So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors!" (Matthew 24:33). His coming is near-at the very door!

But He said it was "near, at the very door" over 1900 years ago, so how can you appeal to any sense of imminence or urgency since "at the very door" could very well refer to a period of time of ANY length? It could be 1900 MORE years, or 10,000. All you can say is it's closer than before but that doesn't mean anything. If Jesus (and several remarks in the Epistles) warned and/or promised the people of that generation that His coming was imminent, and it didn't happen in their lifetimes, then the promise of His "soon coming" to any successive generation is no guarantee of anything to that particular generation either.

He said, "When you see ALL these things..." - see Matt 24

Matthew 24 (New International Version)

Signs of the End of the Age

1Jesus 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."
3As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,[a]' and will deceive many. 6You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9"Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.

12Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

15"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Danielâ€â€let the reader understand 16then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!

20Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until nowâ€â€and never to be equaled again.

22If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.

23At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the electâ€â€if that were possible. 25See, I have told you ahead of time.

26"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather.

29"Immediately after the distress of those days
" 'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'[c]

30"At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

32"Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. 33Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it[d]is near, right at the door. 34I tell you the truth, this generation[e] will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.

35Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

The Day and Hour Unknown

36"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father. 37As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39and 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. 40Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41Two 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. 43But 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. 44So 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? 46It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he returns. 47I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.

48But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying away a long time,' 49and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and drink with drunkards. 50The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. 51He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Footnotes:

Matthew 24:5 Or Messiah; also in verse 23
Matthew 24:15 Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11
Matthew 24:29 Isaiah 13:10; 34:4
Matthew 24:33 Or he
Matthew 24:34 Or race
Matthew 24:36 Some manuscripts do not have nor the Son.


Israel - God's 'fig tree' - (a common Bible picture of Israel, as the cedars of Lebanon) - only 'put forth its leaves' in the miraculous rebirth of 1948: Jews were scattered worldwide when Jerusalem fell in AD 70

Briefly, when His friends asked Him when He'd return & what signs would show it to be near, you can sum up His reply in one word: birthpains

He forecast all kinds of natural, social & spiritual disasters to multiply & intensify - as all birthpains always do - serving to bring on the Great Delivery - the instant airlift Rapture rescue of all who love Jesus, before the worst time on Earth comes - Matt 24:30-31 (& 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 etc)

Don't miss it: that's why He could say, 'Don't be afraid..don't be alarmed.. trust in God..trust in Me'

Must go!

Ian

 

[BradtheImpaler]

First, the Lord is near. Jesus said, " So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near-at the doors!" (Matthew 24:33). His coming is near-at the very door!

But He said it was "near, at the very door" over 1900 years ago, so how can you appeal to any sense of imminence or urgency since "at the very door" could very well refer to a period of time of ANY length? It could be 1900 MORE years, or 10,000. All you can say is it's closer than before but that doesn't mean anything. If Jesus (and several remarks in the Epistles) warned and/or promised the people of that generation that His coming was imminent, and it didn't happen in their lifetimes, then the promise of His "soon coming" to any successive generation is no guarantee of anything to that particular generation either.

[quote:cb4ef]He said, "When you see ALL these things..." - see Matt 24

[/quote:cb4ef]

But the fulfillment of "all these things" is subject to interpretation. A case can be made that either all, some, or none of those "things" have transpired. For instance, if you are correct about the fig tree blooming being the political re-establishment of Israel in 1948, then were all those generations before 1948 to believe that Christ couldn't return yet? It seems to me the intent of the 2nd Coming passages in the NT is that He could have, if not, was, coming back in the lifetimes of those who first heard those words?

 

[Atonement]

Mathew 24:32-25 tells us that the generation that sees the blooming of the fig tree will also witness the Return of our Lord. Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 we believe this started the generation. You add 51.4 to 1967 and it comes out to 2,018. This is why, though we are not setting a specific date, we believe that the Lord's return could happen between now and 2,018.

 

[sisterchristian]

Mathew 24:32-25 tells us that the generation that sees the blooming of the fig tree will also witness the Return of our Lord. Israel captured Jerusalem in 1967 we believe this started the generation. You add 51.4 to 1967 and it comes out to 2,018. This is why, though we are not setting a specific date, we believe that the Lord's return could happen between now and 2,018.

Like I said before. it has only been 2 days in the eyes of the Lord! :

 

[ThreeInOne]

Like I said before. it has only been 2 days in the eyes of the Lord! :

You beat me to it! :x

 

[Vic C.]

I'll be scheduling a Chat session on Jan. 1st. 2019 and you're all invited. ;-)

 

[Atonement]

I'll be scheduling a Chat session on Jan. 1st. 2019 and you're all invited. ;-)

Alright, I'm hoping to make it Vic, I'll add that to my Aztec calendar.. Opps that only goes upto 2012, along with many Mid-Eastren calendars. I hope that does not mean the world ends in that year. hmm

 

[Atonement]

Which in a since would be crazy because seven years later would be 2018. How long was the Tribulation period? Oh yeah seven years. hmmm

 

[Vic C.]

Alright, I'm hoping to make it Vic, I'll add that to my Aztec calendar.. Opps that only goes upto 2012, along with many Mid-Eastren calendars. I hope that does not mean the world ends in that year. hmm

LOL, yeah, I saw Chariots of the Gods in the 70's also. ;-) You do know the Jewish calendar is based on a 6,000 year time schedule? This is year 5767. Do you trust the calendar of God's people or pagan and heathen calendars? 8-)

Which in a since would be crazy because seven years later would be 2018. How long was the Tribulation period? Oh yeah seven years. hmmm

Hmm, lets see; 2012 + 7 = 2019. Anyway, that doesn't phase me since I believe the 70th. week has come and gone in the 1st. century. This is according to the beliefs of many of the Reformers. 8-)

You see, I haven't stayed stagnant in my eschatological beliefs; the more I study and pray over this, the more I have no choice but to adjust my position.

Keith, I know you are Calvary Chapel and Chuckie boy insists all his churches teach PreTrib. But since End Times is very subjective and since no one position is 100% correct, I do not believe churches should teach any End Times position as dogma. I believe it is personal and individual.

 

[sisterchristian]

Keith, I know you are Calvary Chapel and Chuckie boy insists all his churches teach PreTrib.

Hey I'm Calvary Too,
Chuckie Boy?? :smt062

 

[Atonement]

LOL, yeah, I saw Chariots of the Gods in the 70's also. You do know the Jewish calendar is based on a 6,000 year time schedule? This is year 5767. Do you trust the calendar of God's people or pagan and heathen calendars?

I trust in the calendar I'm staring at right now.. Good ole fashion All American calendar.... I was only implying that it's strange the Aztec, Mayan and Middle Eastern calendars ended in 2012. It's not a belief Vic, just an observation. And a factual observation, because they do end in 2012.

Hmm, lets see; 2012 + 7 = 2019. Anyway, that doesn't phase me since I believe the 70th. week has come and gone in the 1st. century. This is according to the beliefs of many of the Reformers.

You see, I haven't stayed stagnant in my eschatological beliefs; the more I study and pray over this, the more I have no choice but to adjust my position.

Keith, I know you are Calvary Chapel and Chuckie boy insists all his churches teach PreTrib. But since End Times is very subjective and since no one position is 100% correct, I do not believe churches should teach any End Times position as dogma. I believe it is personal and individual.

Well Vic depending on the Month and time zone it could be seven years LOL. . Again it was not to be taken serious.

Vic, I think the Church should teach what it feels as to be a qualified position. Yes there are no absolutes with anything in life. But I have the Word of God that I can rely on, and I see nothing that tells me that I'll be here for the wrath to come. You may call it pre-wrath, others may call it mid-trib etc. I'm pre-trib and will continue to believe that because to me it's personal and my Church as an individual sect. We agree with this as a whole.

 

[sisterchristian]

Well Vic depending on the Month and time zone it could be seven years LOL. . Again it was not to be taken serious.

Vic, I think the Church should teach what it feels as to be a qualified position. Yes there are no absolutes with anything in life. But I have the Word of God that I can rely on, and I see nothing that tells me that I'll be here for the wrath to come. You may call it pre-wrath, others may call it mid-trib etc. I'm pre-trib and will continue to believe that because to me it's personal and my Church as an individual sect. We agree with this as a whole.

I'm planning to be gone before the wrath to come also. 8-)

 

[Vic C.]

I'm planning to be gone before the wrath to come also. 8-)

So am I! God's Wrath that is, not Satan's persecution against believers, which, btw has been going on in one form or another for 2,000 years.

People, don't get angry at me for my differences in beliefs... I study from a historical perspective and honestly, the historical perspective brings a lot to the table that many End Times students may not know or shrug off due to lack of knowledge or understanding.

 

[Atonement]

So am I! God's Wrath that is, not Satan's persecution against believers, which, btw has been going on in one form or another for 2,000 years.

People, don't get angry at me for my differences in beliefs... I study from a historical perspective and honestly, the historical perspective brings a lot to the table that many End Times students may not know or shrug off due to lack of knowledge or understanding.

Angry? LOL come on Vic, I'm having a blessed day, you can not upset me. Your my brother. I know we disagree on End Times, we always have. But what truly matters is that we belong to Him and we will be called home one day. This we agree with. I'm not so concerned on dates. But I do have my belief in the pre-trib rapture

 

[Vic C.]

Angry? LOL come on Vic, I'm having a blessed day, you can not upset me. Your my brother. I know we disagree on End Times, we always have. But what truly matters is that we belong to Him and we will be called home one day. This we agree with. I'm not so concerned on dates. But I do have my belief in the pre-trib rapture

I know. It was a blanket statement for whoever disagrees with m... er, for whoever I disagree with. :-D I do remember a time though when you want ed beat down Judy and I for our Pre Wrath stance. :

Isn't it funny? When I got here 4 1/2 years ago, I was Pre Trib, but never really studied. As I got more into studying it, I turned Pre Wrath. Now as I continued, I see a nice Biblical and historical balance between the future Pre Wrath position and "classic" Historicism of the Reformers. So I guess my new position is partial historicism? 8-)

 

[Atonement]

It is funny Vic. Yes I use to be a little crazy about my pre-trib belief.. I've calmed down over the years. As you have stated, I also agree that the more I study about the rapture, with the help of Greek and Hebrew the more balanced I am leaning towards the pre-Trib "theory"

 

[Guest]

Vic. C - while I am not a fan of "labels", they do have their uses. Are you an "amillinienist" (spell check not working - that is my brian err.. brain)?

I tend to agree with the amillieniest position... though I would say that I follow the path of the wise virgins:

My lamp is ready, I have plenty of oil, the wick is trimmed, and I will wait for the Bridegroom to come.

To put it coursly - whenever He darn well wants too... pre-trib, pre-mill, post-trib, pre-mill, post-mill, amill. Hey, it's His call when we comes, we just know He is!

 

[Vic C.]

Vic. C - while I am not a fan of "labels", they do have their uses. Are you an "amillinienist" (spell check not working - that is my brian err.. brain)?

I tend to agree with the amillieniest position... though I would say that I follow the path of the wise virgins:

My lamp is ready, I have plenty of oil, the wick is trimmed, and I will wait for the Bridegroom to come.

To put it coursly - whenever He darn well wants too... pre-trib, pre-mill, post-trib, pre-mill, post-mill, amill. Hey, it's His call when we comes, we just know He is!

... Now as I continue, I see a nice Biblical and historical balance between the future Pre Wrath position and "classic" Historicism of the Reformers. So I guess my new position is partial historicism? 8-)

I am still premil, despite a slight shift in my eschatology. 8-) So lets call it partial premil historicism. ;-) :-D