Tag Archives: Are we living in the end times

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Newsflash: Jesus To Return On May 21

“For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night.”
(I Thessalonians 5:2)

This is Friday, May 20, 2011, and according to radio host Harold Camping, Jesus is coming back this Saturday.  Apparently, he and his friends has discovered “that WE CAN KNOW from the Bible alone that the date of the rapture of believers will take place on May 21, 2011 and that God will destroy this world on October 21, 2011.”

Maybe—maybe not.  I personally think Harold is a misguided soul, but one thing I do know is that Jesus is coming someday—which I think, and hope, will be very soon.  Another thing I know is that we ought to be living like he is coming back tomorrow.  Scripture makes it pretty clear that we ought to be living with our bags packed.

The Apostle Paul talks quite a lot about the return of Christ in both of his Thessalonian letters. He concludes the first letter by reminding his readers that this great event will happen when people least expect it—“like a thief in the night.” That means, as believers, we must therefore live each and every moment expecting the unexpected. We are to live with our bags packed, so to speak, ready to leave for our true home—heaven—at a moment’s notice.

What does it mean to live in such a way? Paul gives a checklist of sorts in the final verses of this letter. Perhaps you’ve used a checklist to make sure you have the right things packed in your suitcase before going on an extended trip. As you prepare for this journey home—which by the way, will be an extended trip with no return—here is your spiritual checklist to help you be ready:

Be alert:  I Thessalonians 5:6—be on the lookout; remain on guard as to Christ’s return and the evil conditions of the time in which it will take place.

Be self-controlled: I Thessalonians 5:6 & 8—keep your life, your passions, your desires and fleshly drives in check.

Be armed: I Thessalonians 5:8—put on the armor of faith (conviction), love (self-sacrifice) and hope (the assurance of your salvation).

Be edifying: I Thessalonians 5:11—instead of finding flaws in others, build them up and help them to be ready for Christ’s return.

Be respectful: I Thessalonians 5:12-13—treat your spiritual leaders—ministers and lay leaders—with high regard and deep love. Give them respect not because of their position, educational achievements or popularity, but because of the nature of their work.

Be peaceful: I Thessalonians 5:13—seek peace actively, not passively, with fellow believers.

Be involved: I Thessalonians 5:14-15—get involved with others by warning the idle, motivating the timid, helping the weak, being patient with everyone, and exhibiting kindness rather than retaliation toward those who’ve hurt you.

Be joyful: I Thessalonians 5:16—maintain an attitude of joy no matter what.

Be prayerful: I Thessalonians 5:17—stay in God’s presence continually.

Be thankful: I Thessalonians 5:18—not only in good times, but even in bad times exhibit an attitude of gratitude.

Be sensitive: I Thessalonians 5:19-20—develop a sensitivity and an appreciation for the work of the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ; especially as it relates to prophecy.

Be discerning: I Thessalonians 5:21—be knowledgeable of the Bible so that everything can be tested against it.

Be diligent: Thessalonians 5:21—cling to the truth of God’s Word, being quick to obey it.

Be pure: I Thessalonians 5:22—moral purity should continually characterize your life.

Be surrendered: I Thessalonians 5:23-24—be wholly dependent on God and cooperative with the Holy Spirit to bring about sanctification and blamelessness in your life—body, soul and spirit.

Be interceding: I Thessalonians 5:25—regularly intercede for others before the throne of God.

Be friendly: I Thessalonians 5:26—love and affection must be demonstrative, and an outward expression of your inner affection for fellow believers.

Be unselfish: I Thessalonians 5:27—take responsibility to share God’s truth with other believers.

Be gracious: I Thessalonians 5: 28—live in the light and reality of God’s grace, personally, relationally and continually.

Are you ready to go, or do you need to do some more packing? Jesus may come today, so make sure you’re ready for the journey.  And if he comes tomorrow, I’ll see you in a pretty cool place.  If he doesn’t, then I’ll see you in another pretty cool place—church this Sunday!

Maranatha!

“Our deepest calling is not to grow in our knowledge of God. It is to make disciples. Our knowledge will grow—the Holy Spirit, Jesus promised, will guide us into all truth. But that’s not our calling, it is His. Our calling is to prepare the world for Christ’s return. The world is not ready yet. And so, we go about introducing a dying world to the Savior of Life. Anything we do toward our own growth must be toward that end.” ~Jeffery Bryant

 

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Are We Really Living In The End Times?

Read Mark 13:1-14:72

Are We Really Living In The End Times?

Watch therefore, for you do not know when the
master of the house is coming.
Mark 13:35

Go Deep: Will there really ever be a second coming of Christ? The early believers were convinced that Jesus would return in their lifetime, but he didn’t. Were they mistaken?

Now it’s 2,000 years later and he still hasn’t returned. Can we keep saying we are living in the end times and that Jesus could come back at any moment, or are we mistaken as well? All these signs that he predicted here in Mark 13 have been fulfilled—yet still no Jesus! Are we just fooling ourselves?

We would do well to remember what Jesus said in Mark 13:31 & 37, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away…And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!”

I suppose it is possible that Jesus could delay his coming another 2,000 years—I don’t think so, given the increasing instability of Planet Earth. Whatever the case, 2,000 years is no reproach whatsoever to God’s faithfulness or the truthfulness of his Word. That is precisely the point Peter made in II Peter 3:4 when he responded to the scoffers who taunted, “Where is the Lord’s coming?”

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (II Peter 3:8-9)

The real reason Jesus has delayed his return is not negligence or carelessness, but kindness and mercy. And frankly, I am glad for that! I am glad Jesus didn’t return in 1956, because I would not have been born. I am glad that Jesus didn’t return in any one of the years since then, because in each successive year I know people who became followers of Jesus and were spared from a Christless eternity.

The fact that 2,000 years have passed is utterly irrelevant to the promise of Christ’s return. His coming is still imminent. It could occur at any moment. And his command to be watchful and ready is just as applicable today as it was to the early church. In fact, the possibility of his return should be even more urgent for us because we are now 2,000 years closer to it.

Paul said in Romans 13:11-12, “The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here.”

The writer of Hebrews said, “So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and will not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith.’” (Hebrews 10:35-38)

What Jesus, Paul, Peter, the writer of Hebrews and every other New Testament author are all saying is that one of the greatest acts of faith is simply this: To keep an eye on the sky and live each day as if Jesus might return at any moment!

That is how the early church lived, and that is exactly how God wants you and me to live! And if I were to truly grasp that, here is what that would mean for me today:

  • I would be more patient in suffering. (Hebrews 10:32-39)
  • I would be more loving and kind. (Jude 21)
  • I would be more assertive in sharing Christ. (II Peter 3:9)
  • I would be more forgiving to those who have hurt me. (James 5:8-9)
  • I would be more careful in my moral life—my thoughts, attitudes, words and actions. (II Peter 3:11-12)
  • I would be a better steward of the resources God has given me. (Matthew 25)
  • And I would be more focused on the eternal and less concerned with the temporal. (II Peter 3:13)

The truth is, we were made for another world! Jesus said, “when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up, for your salvation is near!” (Luke 21:28, NLT)

So as you go about your business today, keep one eye on the sky—this could be the day!

“Even so, come Lord Jesus!”

Just Saying… C.S. Lewis wrote, “Has this world been so kind to you that you would leave it with regret?  There are better things ahead than any we leave behind…If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” And honestly, I can’t wait to see my new home!