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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | IsRapturenearfuture | Matt 24:3 | Sean | 58840 | ||
Depends if you believe in the Rapture or not (I will not go into the arguments for and against here unless someone really wants to know.) Generally, Jesus could come back at any time (Matt 24:42-44, Mk 13:32-33, Lk 12:40, etc.) The signs we should watch for: 1) Gospel preached to all nations - (Mk 13:10, Mt 24:14) 2) Great Tribulation - Mk 13:19-20 3) False Christs and Prophets - Mk 13:22, Mt 24:23-24 4) Signs in the Heavens - Mk 13:24, Mt 24:29-30, Lk 21:25-27 5) The coming of "the man of sin" and the rebellion - 2 Thes 2:1-10 6) Salvation of Israel - Rom 11:25-26 We are warned to watch and notice these signs as Jesus said, "But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." Lk 21:28. However, this wasn't to give as a warning He is coming, but to warn us of the false prophets and Christs who want to mislead us. Looking at the signs, it is easy to say that they are being fulfilled and we could be taken in the next few hours/months/years. You could also say that back in 1950 1) Gospel was available and preached in every continent and nation. 2) The slaughter of the First and Second World Wars was the Tribulation 3) The Spiritualist movement, started in the US in 1848, was on the increase. 4) The US and USSR were conducting atmospheric nuclear tests. 5) Hitler was The Man of Sin, The rise of Communism was the rebellion 6) New State of Israel proclaimed in 1948. My point is that although we need to watch, and we need to be on our guard, we cannot tell if Jesus is coming in 5 minutes or another 500 years. It is very easy to look at the world around us think the end times are upon us. Although I feel we are moving toward the end, one interpretation I have heard for the restoration of the state of Israel is that the Jewish poeple need to embrace Christ. We do not, can not and will not know the time of the return of Christ. Matt 24:44 "For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will. Matt 25:13 "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour. Mark 13:32-33 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come." Live your faith like he could come in the next few minutes with prayers on your lips and praise in your heart, after all you could be hit by a truck tomorrow. But plan to live a long, wholesome, fulfilling life in Christ. He will come when the Lord our Father knows the time is right. Sean |
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2 | IsRapturenearfuture | Matt 24:3 | kalos | 58844 | ||
Sean: Please do not think I am trying to bombard you with "proof texts." :-) It is just that I find the following Scripture quote to be highly significant and interesting related to the subject of the timing of the rapture. I sincerely thank you for your input and interest in this subject. Grace and peace to you, kalos ------------- 'Christ taught that His rescue of the elect of God will occur "ON THE SAME DAY" that His wrath will begin upon the wicked that remain (Lk 17:26-30). There is no gap of time between the rapture and His wrath' (emphasis added). Luke 17:26-30 (ESV) Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. [27] They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, UNTIL THE DAY when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. [28] Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot—they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, [29] but ON THE DAY when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all— [30] so will it be ON THE DAY when the Son of Man is revealed. (Emphasis added.) |
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3 | IsRapturenearfuture | Matt 24:3 | Sean | 59357 | ||
kalos, Thanks for the follow up - you give some excellent quotes. Just a few comments from myself. Firstly, on the doctrine of imminency, I think I need to clarify my position. I didn't use the word imminent and though I do believe that the return of Christ will be sudden and unexpected, I did not add "and soon" on the end of the it. I believe Christ will return, and it can be at any time of the Fathers choosing. I certainly did not intend to imply "he is coming soon." As I said "We do not, can not and will not know the time of the return of Christ." Scripture makes that clear in so many examples. The fictional historic examples I gave were to highlight that we can take any point in history after AD 70 and say "see how recent history fits Scripture, so the rapture is coming soon!" and be wrong. I was not trying to say the Rapture is imminent. My main concern is not that Christ will come tomorrow and I will not be ready, it is more that it is possible that tomorrow I may go to him and not be ready! To commute to work, I have to travel by motorbike down a road with a poor safety record - statistically I'm more likely to die young than get my "three score and ten." It kind of focuses my mind, but at the same time I'm paying a mortgage on a house, contributing to a pension and looking forward to watching my daughter grow up, leave home, marry, etc. As for your proof texts - keep them coming! There is a lot of interest in the rapture post 9-11 (in part due to the "Left Behind" series of books, partly the misery and suffering we see in the world all around us.) and it is at these times that we need clarity - the clarity that only Scripture can give us. God bless, Sean |
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