Tag: Ready

In my first message of this series, “Are You Ready? part 1”, I made some rather criticizing remarks about scholars who’ve spent vast amounts of time specifically on end-times prophecy. 

We cannot afford to get distracted.

I’m not saying that it’s wrong to study the end-times, but I certainly don’t think it should ever be our main focus. Let’s suppose, for example, that Jesus’ returns next Tuesday at 6 am, sharp. For those scholars that have spent decades telling others that this would happen or that would happen and they were wrong, how could you begin to count the wasted hours of being misdirected? Not to mention the people that read their books and listened to their messages.

Do you see how a subject such as this, biblical as it is, can become a distraction? I think you can talk about the end-times without having a firm opinion on any of the main events. There is still a lot to be said about the end-times that is for our benefit but that doesn’t mean we have to have it figured out. Heck, we could talk about Heaven all day long and it wouldn’t get old for me, we’re told to talk about such things, but it really doesn’t matter to me what happens between now and then.

Just know that what God says will happen, happens.

 I hope that this message (all 4 parts!) gave you a “bigger picture” about how God operates and great hope for His return. Based on the earlier passages of Scripture we can learn that God makes plans and they happen, make no mistake about it. This we can count on. If you study Revelation at all it’s not hard to see God working in the world today in a way that is setting the stage for prophesied events to happen. The Bible has a lot to say about the last days and here’s a good example:

 2 Timothy 3:  1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!

 If there’s one “message” that is emphatic, central and universal to the subject of last days/end times/any date in the future, it is this:

BE READY!!!

Luke 12:  35 “Be dressed for service and keep your lamps burning, 36 as though you were waiting for your master to return from the wedding feast. Then you will be ready to open the door and let him in the moment he arrives and knocks. 37 The servants who are ready and waiting for his return will be rewarded. I tell you the truth, he himself will seat them, put on an apron, and serve them as they sit and eat! 38 He may come in the middle of the night or just before dawn. But whenever he comes, he will reward the servants who are ready.

 39 “Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would not permit his house to be broken into. 40 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

Do you know what to do to be ready?

 If at this point, you’re not sure what you should be doing to “be ready” or you just want to make sure you know or maybe you’re clueless. Please ask someone that you regard as godly and trusting and they may be able to offer some guidance. You can always ask the Lord and He will direct you. Lastly, you could reply to this message and we could discuss it. Either way, I would advise you to do all that you can to be ready. As they discovered in Noah’s day, just because it never rained doesn’t mean that it won’t!

 Here’s more food for thought: 

Revelation 21: 1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone. 2 And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

 3 I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. 4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

 “Oh Lord, your magnificence is breathtaking…

You are so awesome and beautiful. I love to read your Word and marvel at the things you’ve done and plan to do. How can I ever thank you enough? Please help me to do that which you’d have me do. Help me to know you more so that I can be on the same page as you. I see your plans and I’d like to participate. Thank you for calling us to be your servants so that we can reside with you on that most glorious day. In Jesus’ name, amen!”

Thank you for staying with me for the third installment of this series, “Are You Ready?“.

Last week we discussed the question that we all might have entertained at one time or another and that is “Can we really be sure there will be the second coming of Jesus?”. Then I proceeded to point out some prophecies in Scripture that show a clear track record of God coming through on the promises He’s made. Today I’m picking up where I left off, with more promises. I hope you’ll enjoy it…

Prophecies of the coming Christ…

The Israelite’s under Moses’ leadership prayed for an intercessor after the terrifying experience at Mt. Sinai. An intercessor that was gentle and not as intimidating. In Deuteronomy 18, roughly 40 years later and to the second generation Moses announces that God will deliver “according to all [they] desired”.

Through Moses

Deuteronomy 18:  15 Moses continued, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. 16 For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’

 17 “Then the Lord said to me, ‘What they have said is right. 18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.

Through David

 During David’s life, he writes many Psalms, one of which is Psalm 22. Is it “just another psalm” or is there something a little special about it? Several verses stick out; I’ll just use a couple:

Psalm 22:
  16 For dogs have surrounded Me;
         The congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. 
         They pierced My hands and My feet;
 17 I can count all My bones.
         They look and stare at Me.
 18 They divide My garments among them,
         And for My clothing they cast lots. 

 Think of this, what did a Jewish reader think about when reading this prior to Jesus’ death? “They’re pretty strange verses, aren’t they? Did this actually happen to David?” They might’ve thought and discussed. All three verses happen on the day Jesus hung on the cross. And here, about 1000 years prior, they are spoken in the present and past tense. Pretty wild eh?

Through Isaiah

 Somewhere around 700 years after Moses, God asked King Ahaz to ask for a sign:

Isaiah 7:  10 Later, the Lord sent this message to King Ahaz: 11 “Ask the Lord your God for a sign of confirmation, Ahaz. Make it as difficult as you want—as high as heaven or as deep as the place of the dead.”

 12 But the king refused. “No,” he said, “I will not test the Lord like that.”

 13 Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? 14 All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).

 There’s the sign of the coming Messiah. Over 700 years prior to Jesus’ birth.

Another, of many, through Isaiah

 I would be remiss if I failed to mention Isaiah 53:

 7 He was oppressed and treated harshly,      
      yet he never said a word.
   He was led like a lamb to the slaughter.
      And as a sheep is silent before the shearers,
      he did not open his mouth.
 8 Unjustly condemned,
      he was led away.
   No one cared that he died without descendants,
      that his life was cut short in midstream.
   But he was struck down
      for the rebellion of my people.
 9 He had done no wrong
      and had never deceived anyone.
   But he was buried like a criminal;
      he was put in a rich man’s grave.

 Need I say more? I think it speaks for itself. If you have not read this complete chapter lately, put it on your shortlist of things to read.

Aren’t you just blown away with the magnificence of Scripture?

 We all know the rest of the story. But isn’t it quite amazing how God used so many participants throughout the ages to prophesy about the coming Messiah? I say this not only to illustrate the amazing way God works but also to consider this: It was impossible for anyone to predict when the Messiah would come and exactly how He would appear and how His life of service would play out. No one knew and no one figured it out. Yet it was all there in the Old Testament for people to see. Only after Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection can we see how the puzzle fits together.

 Do you see where I’m going with this? The scholars I mentioned above (part 1), who all have countless hours of study focused on end-times all think they have it figured out to some degree. Whether they predict a date or not, they all have theories, guesses or firm opinions on the second coming. And from one end of the spectrum to the other, there are plenty of differences between the scholars. Do they all study from the same book? I say that jokingly, but the Bible isn’t just another book as we all know.

Next week I’ll wrap this up and make it practical, tying it with an essential lesson as part of being a true disciple. I hope you’ll stay with me!

Picking up where we left off in part 1 (long, long ago) of “Are You Ready? part 1”…

There is one passage, and probably many others, that I am always drawn to when it comes to “the important matters”. You know, key verses that keep us focused on the main thing. So that the “main thing” remains the “main thing”, which keeps our focus where it needs to be.

What is the most necessary thing?

This is just one of those passages…

Luke 10: 41 But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! 42 There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.”

Jesus is referring to her sitting at His feet and listening to Him.

Here Jesus emphasizes this attitude again:

 Luke 13: 22 Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he went, always pressing on toward Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, will only a few be saved?”

   He replied, 24 “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail. 25 When the master of the house has locked the door, it will be too late. You will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Lord, open the door for us!’ But he will reply, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’ 26 Then you will say, ‘But we ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.’ 27 And he will reply, ‘I tell you, I don’t know you or where you come from. Get away from me, all you who do evil.’

 The keywords here are “I don’t know you or where you come from.” which I believe indicates that our relationship with Him is much more important to Him than any work or service we perform.

Can we really be sure there will be the second coming of Jesus?

 I know very well that some people may be reading this and say: “Can we really be sure there will be a second-coming of Jesus; it’s been over 2000 years since that old book has been written. How reliable can it be? Surely He would’ve come back by now.”

 Peter has a good answer to this:

2 Peter 3: 8 But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day. 9 The Lord isn’t really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent. 10 But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment.

 If that’s not enough, allow me to remind some of you of some things that will give you even greater confidence about our Lord’s return. I want us to study the history of God which is always a good thing to do and will boost anyone’s confidence in the Lord’s return.

God foretells the 400-year era of slavery.

 Consider these words God speaks to Abram (Abraham):

Genesis 15:  13 Then the Lord said to Abram, “You can be sure that your descendants will be strangers in a foreign land, where they will be oppressed as slaves for 400 years. 14 But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth. 

 Note that God says “You can be sure…”. Abraham goes on to father Isaac, then comes Jacob, then Joseph, who we know gets sold as a slave and then goes on to become in charge of the entire land of Egypt, 2nd in rank only to Pharaoh. Then comes the famine that forces Jacob’s sons to seek grain in Egypt which ends with the whole family moving there. Sometime after this, we read that things change…

 Exodus 1: 8 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country.”

 11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves.

 This begins their 400 years of slavery which God said “You can be sure” over 200 years prior. How’s that for telling the future? Not only that, but it all comes true, God punishes Egypt with 10 horrible plagues and then He compels the Egyptians to give the Israelites gold and silver as parting gifts!

God foretells the coming of Cyrus to bring His people home.

 It is believed that Isaiah the prophet lived from 778 BC to 732 BC. We know that he served Kings Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Isaiah writes this in his 45th chapter, I highly recommend reading the entire chapter, it is a great read:

Isaiah 45:
13 I will raise up Cyrus to fulfill my righteous purpose,
      and I will guide his actions.
   He will restore my city and free my captive people—
      without seeking a reward!
      I, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, have spoken!”

 Who is Cyrus? You might be asking. (no relation to Miley, by the way).

 2 Chronicles 36:  22 In the first year of King Cyrus of Persia, the Lord fulfilled the prophecy he had given through Jeremiah. He stirred the heart of Cyrus to put this proclamation in writing and to send it throughout his kingdom:

  23 “This is what King Cyrus of Persia says:
   “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth. He has appointed me to build him a Temple at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Any of you who are the Lord’s people may go there for this task. And may the Lord your God be with you!”

 King Cyrus became king of Persia around 538. This is roughly 200 years or more after Isaiah wrote the prophecy! It was all God’s plan and that’s what happened.

This is why we need to read the Bible consistently.

The more we read, the more we’re reminded of what God said and that what He said will happen. This activity that we engage in, sitting at His feet and reading what He wrote, is always where our focus should be.

There’s more incredible information coming in the third and final part 3, so stay tuned!

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

Over the ages and I think especially in the last 100 years or so there has been lots of speculation in regards to the end of the world and the second coming of Christ. The popular term scholars use to describe the subject is eschatology, which simply means the study of end-times or end-times prophecy.

Can you say Eschatology? [ˌeskəˈtäləjē]

 Eschatology has been the subject of many books, movies and news stories over the last few decades. Some have even dared to put a date on Jesus’ arrival. I find it ironic that the people who proclaim to know these details, the ones who seem to know all there is to know about what the Bible says regarding the end-times are the ones picking the dates when Jesus himself said this:

 Matthew 24:  36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.

 Of course, these scholars would be able to make the best guess, but for anyone to try to pretend to know such information is being quite presumptuous, and that’s putting it nicely. Here’s something we do know:

  37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

 Some scholars say we’ll be raptured prior to the tribulation period, some say during and some say after. Some don’t believe we’ll be raptured at all. I used to believe strongly that we’ll be raptured prior to the tribulation. The reason I believed it is because that’s just what I was taught and it seemed like a really good idea to me. I want to make it clear that my prior belief was NOT because I knew the Bible really well; honestly, I didn’t read it much at all back then.

We need to be ready!

Ironically, now that I’ve read through the Bible several times I have no opinion. Although I had a “pre-trib” bias, I am much less certain about the events at the end of this age. This is OK with me and I am much more comfortable with my agnostic position than I was comfortable with my beliefs in a pre-tribulation rapture. What I do have a firm belief in, as I’ve never had before is that the second coming will happen. We need to be ready, regardless of our eschatological viewpoints, and that God cares infinitely more about our heart for Him than He does our intellectual knowledge about the end-times.

 By the way, the Great Tribulation as many people like to call it comes from Daniel chapter 12, here is an excerpt, read the full chapter for more details.

the Great Tribulation

 Daniel 12: 8 I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, “How will all this finally end, my lord?”

 9 But he said, “Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is kept secret and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined by these trials. But the wicked will continue in their wickedness, and none of them will understand. Only those who are wise will know what it means.

 11 “From the time the daily sacrifice is stopped and the sacrilegious object that causes desecration is set up to be worshiped, there will be 1,290 days. 12 And blessed are those who wait and remain until the end of the 1,335 days!

 13 “As for you, go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days, you will rise again to receive the inheritance set aside for you.”

 I believe that the study of eschatology, for some at least, has become a distraction at best and at worst an obsession (idol), which is an absolute shame. Some teachers seem to have a greater concern about when their Lord is coming back rather than enjoying the blessing of knowing Him and spending time with Him now. When we really get to know Him these details become less and less important. I enjoy discussion of these events, but they no longer dominate my thoughts.

In part 2, I’ll give further reasons why we need to be ready and where our focus should lie in the meantime.

God Bless!

Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash