Coming Quickly

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;”  2 Peter 2:4-5  NKJV

When talking about the end times, I have found that most are familiar with the statement of Jesus comparing that period of time with the “days of Noah”.  One of the things I have often thought about is the fact that Noah and his family were outnumbered by roughly eight to the rest of the entire world.  Pretty lousy odds, wouldn't you say? Have you ever tried to put yourself in Noah’s place and think about how it would feel to be in that predicament and consider just what manner of abuse you would be subjected to?  Somehow I don’t believe the reaction of the world was limited to just scorn and laughter.

As I thought about that this past week, I couldn’t help but think about some of the more publicized events of the past few months where those who held beliefs based on the Word of God which were not popular with the rest of the world, were subjected to not only disapproval but outright hostility.  The unfortunate reality of the times we are living in today is that believers are being targeted by unbelievers and being subjected to hostility and even physical attacks.  How ironic that those who have for so long preached tolerance and acceptance are somehow unwilling to practice what they preach.

As I have watched the evolution of this culture of intolerance for those who choose to follow the teachings of God, and to use the Bible as a guide for their beliefs and lifestyles, I can’t help but think of Noah and how he and his family must have felt being surrounded by an unbelieving world.  What do you think the odds were that they suffered abuse and persecution at the hands of those around them?  Jesus made a statement during His ministry which I believe describes, as well as predicts, the situation both Noah and we as believers today find ourselves in.

“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”    Matthew 10:16  NKJV

Now in all honesty, how much comfort do you personally get from that statement?  Living where I do in the Northwest, I am all too familiar with the subject of wolves, what they are like, and what the majority of people feel about them.  It also goes without saying that it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to picture the outcome of a meek, tiny lamb being surrounded by a pack of wolves.  Yet this is what Jesus tells us our lot in life will be like.  Not only outnumbered, but placed in a situation where the rest of the unbelieving world looks at us like their next meal.  Just like Noah?

As believers, quickly seeing the odds change to the point where we are vastly outnumbered; don’t you believe that just like Noah we should expect to suffer abuse and outright persecution at the hands of those who disagree with our values and beliefs?  Jesus told us to be wise in order to cope with the situation we find ourselves in.  My answer to doing that is to look to the Word of God for guidance and direction and the wisdom to endure what is to come.  What follows is what the Holy Spirit shared with me this week as I thought about where the Church is today in relation to the world around us.

Expect to be persecuted.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.”         Matthew 5:10  NKJV

Expect to be ridiculed.

“And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure; being defamed, we entreat. We have been made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things until now.”         1Corinthians 4:12-13   NKJV

Expect to be protected.

“Keep me as the apple of Your eye; Hide me under the shadow of Your wings, From the wicked who oppress me, From my deadly enemies who surround me. They have closed up their fat hearts; With their mouths they speak proudly. They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth, As a lion is eager to tear his prey, And like a young lion lurking in secret places.”       Psalms 17:8-12  NKJV

Expect to grow.

“Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.”      Romans 5:1-4  NKJV

Expect to be blessed.

“If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified.”     1 Peter 4:14  NKJV

Expect to be rewarded.

“Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”       Matthew 5:12  NKJV

Noah found the strength to endure when the odds favored the opposition by an astronomical amount.  Just as he found grace in the eyes of the Lord, and was delivered from God’s judgment on an unbelieving world, so we too must endure until our Father sends His Son to take us home. 

“Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown.”   Revelation 3:10-11. NKJV

This verse contains the most important promise of all for believers today, and that is God’s promise to keep us from experiencing the coming judgment that will fall upon an unbelieving world.  The pre-tribulation rapture of the Church is our reward for our choice to believe and accept His gift of salvation provided by the cross and a crown is promised to those of us who long for His appearing.

“Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”  2 Timothy 4:8. NKJV

Finally it seems appropriate to mention that the one thing all seven letters to the churches in Revelation have in common is the admonition to “overcome”.  Our choice to believe and follow Christ will not be easy, and just like Noah the closer we get to our day of deliverance the worse it is going to get.  Yet the reward will be great and we have His promise that He is “coming quickly”.  If you have never made the decision to accept the gift of eternal life offered by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ I urge you to do it today.  Simply tell God you accept His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and turn your life over to His control.

 

Father, I know I am a sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Keep watching.

The Season of Passover

“Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, in the spring, and Sarah shall have a son."  Genesis 18:14 RSV

Do you have a favorite season?  While all have their redeeming qualities, if I had to pick one for my favorite it would be the spring.  One of my annual habits is to start searching my yard as soon as the snow melts in order to try and find my tulips starting to emerge. I like to call spring the time of new beginnings, because so much happens in so short of a time. I can watch buds appearing on my apple tree, the robins have returned from wherever it is they go in the winter, the ground is turning green, and of course, it’s time to start mowing the lawn again.

As I have studied the Word over the years, I have found that God ordained many events to occur in the spring as well. It is especially interesting to see how many of those events could be identified with the idea of a new beginning. In the passage above, God has visited Abraham and Sarah and told them that Sarah was to have a son. He also tells them that He will return to see them when that happens, and even tells them that it will be in the spring! If you look closely at the Hebrew you will find that in this particular case, the RSV translates it best, because if you take the two words mowed and chay together in the same phrase, you understand spring is identified as the season this event will occur.

mow`ed : 1) appointed place, appointed time, meeting

chay : 1) living, alive, a) green (of vegetation), b) flowing, fresh (of water), c) lively, active (of man), d) reviving (of the springtime)

Since Abraham is told he would become the father of the nation of Israel, the birth of Isaac began the fulfillment of that prophecy and as we see, it began in the spring.

We also find in the book of Exodus that the deliverance of the nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt occurred in the spring. The first three feasts of Israel, Passover, Unleavened Bread, and Firstfruits all occur in the first month on the Jewish calendar which normally begins around the end of March or the beginning of April on our calendar, and is called Nisan or Abib.

“And Moses said to the people: "Remember this day in which you went out of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the LORD brought you out of this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. "On this day you are going out, in the month Abib.”   Exodus 13:3,4 NKJV

Of course, of greater interest to us as believers is the fact that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ occurred at the time of these three feasts as well. If you recall, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples, was then arrested, crucified and  rose again on the third day which was the Feast of Firstfruits.

“Now it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, that He said to His disciples, "You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."   Matthew 26:1,2 NKJV

“Now after the Sabbath, as the first day of the week began to dawn, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.”   Matthew 28:1,2 NKJV

If we consider the idea of spring being a time of new beginnings, how important could the fact be that our deliverance from sin by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ occurred in the spring? Is it possible that so many events happening in the spring season are just coincidence? If you still think it may be, why not look at another event that is certainly significant to all believers. Just fifty days after the resurrection, on the Feast of Pentecost, something else rather important happened as well; the giving of the Holy Spirit.

“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting.”  Acts 2:1,2 NKJV

Do you begin to see what I mean about the spring being the most interesting season? The Bible is full of “new beginning” type events which occur in the spring. As I considered all of this, I had to ask myself the question if it's possible then that the rapture of the church could occur in the spring season? If it did, it would certainly fit in with the idea of a new beginning type event happening the same time as so many others have.  

Now you might wonder why I bring up the subject of the rapture of the Church?  Let’s return to the story of the Exodus for a moment. The thought occurred to me that we are told of deliverance along with a new beginning in the story of the children of Israel and their escape from Egypt. Curiously, however, not only were they delivered out of bondage in the spring, notice if you will when God arranged for them to enter the promised land forty years later.

“And it came to pass, when the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the LORD had come from the midst of the Jordan, and the soles of the priests' feet touched the dry land, that the waters of the Jordan returned to their place and overflowed all its banks as before. Now the people came up from the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month, and they camped in Gilgal on the east border of Jericho.”   Joshua 4:18,19 NKJV

Here we are again. Back to the first month, the spring, the time of new beginnings. God delivered the children of Israel into the Promised Land on the tenth day of the first month, and four days later they celebrated Passover.  Is it possible this is also a picture of when the church will enter her “promised land”? Could spring be the season of the rapture? Although I believe our deliverance could occur at any time, considering the fact that so many events have happened in the spring certainly makes me wonder if we as believers should be especially watchful in the spring.  That possibility brings us to this next passage which might be the most compelling argument of all.

“Woe is me!  For I am like those who gather summer fruits, Like those who glean vintage grapes; There is no cluster to eat Of the first-ripe fruit which my soul desires. The faithful man has perished from the earth, And there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; Every man hunts his brother with a net.”           Micah 7:1-2  NKJV

This passage from the prophet Micah describes the period of time we call the tribulation.  Notice he tells us that all the faithful have disappeared from the earth, every man is against each other, and looking for upright faithful people is like looking for the first grapes of the harvest and finding none.  So when does the grape harvest begin in Israel?  The first ripe fruit is gathered at the beginning of summer.  My thought is that if all the faithful are gone at the beginning of summer, they must have disappeared in the spring.

While the western world has already celebrated Easter, in Israel the week of these spring feasts is set to begin this week starting Monday evening with the arrival of Passover.  As always, with so much happening in the world right now I find it difficult if not impossible to not keep looking up at the clouds with anticipation of hearing the trumpet blast and our call to come home.  I also find it comforting to know that so many in the body of Christ are experiencing and feeling these same emotions at the present time and have been willing to share that with me.

As myself and many other believers are looking at the condition of the world around us and asking the question why are we still here, my question to you today is this.  Just how close do you believe the rapture of the Church is on God’s calendar?  If you believe like many others that it could be right around the corner,  the most important question of all is have you  come to this point in your life and not made a decision to accept the free gift of salvation offered to you by our Savior Jesus Christ?  If not, don't you think it would be a good idea to do it now? You can do that by simply praying this prayer and accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered all of us by the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner and I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life to you. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank you for saving me. Amen.

Keep watching.

Watching for Signs

“Let us hold fast the confession of [our] hope without wavering, for He who promised [is] faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as [is] the manner of some, but exhorting [one another], and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

Hebrews 10:23-25 NKJV

Have you ever taken a road trip with small children and heard those famous words, “are we there yet”? I remember well taking our first vacation with my children driving over a thousand miles to visit my parents and hearing that phrase for most of the trip. So I used that opportunity to teach my daughters how to watch for the road signs to help answer that question, and it didn't take long for them to concentrate on watching for the signs rather than asking me how much farther we had to go.

It's funny though how that experience taught me something about the coming rapture and Jesus' command to watch for the signs of His return. One of the first things my daughters noticed is that there are no signs telling how far it is to San Diego to be found in Washington. The roadsigns did not begin to appear until we got much closer, and then, the closer we got the more often we saw them. By the time we reached Los Angeles you could see a sign almost every fifteen minutes telling us how close we were.

Now with that thought in mind, might I ask you a question? How many signs of Jesus' return have you seen in the last few years and are those signs decreasing or increasing? You see, even those who don't watch are at the point where they are asking what in the world is going on in the world today. The signs of Jesus' return are coming faster and faster almost to the point where it is hard to keep up with them all. Do you think that might mean we are getting close to “arriving” at our eternal destination?

As we turned onto the final street where my parents lived, we would go over the instructions for how they were to act during our visit.  “Be on your best behavior, don't tear the place up, be polite, ask when you want something, remember this is not your house, etc”. We all have done that, yet have you ever thought of what we should do as we approach the rapture of the Church? When I thought of that the passage from Hebrews came to mind and as I read it I was struck by the similarities between what it says and those road trips we would take as a family. So let's look at what this passage says a little closer this morning.

“Hold fast”. Might that translate be patient? It's a long trip but eventually we will get where we are going because our Father has told us so. Many of us have waited a very long time to see the days we are now living in and the closer we get the more impatient we become. Hold fast because the signs are coming so quickly that it can't be much longer before we go.

“Stir up love and good works”. Be on your best behavior? As we approach our final destination, we have the opportunity to share about our faith and give an explanation of what the world is going through. How much more will the world pay attention if we are are seen as a body of believers that are concerned with loving others and doing good works rather than being selfish and self centered.

“Not forsaking the assembling together”. We are family. When one of my daughters misbehaved we didn't leave her by the side of the road and move on. Over the years we have had occasion to hear people tell us how well behaved our girls were, and I must admit that made us feel good about the decisions we made as parents. I believe the most important decision was to attend church regularly so as a family we could meet and form relationships with other believers. Good or bad, what we experienced within the body as we grew as a family helped us form the foundations of our faith which are apparent today. We not only learn from our own experiences, but also the experiences of others.

“Exhorting one another”. We won't learn much if we don't meet together with other believers and also use that time to encourage and lend support to the family we are. The word translated “exhort” in this version is also translated “encourage” and “beseech” in other versions. As I studied this verse I looked to see how this word is used in other passages in the Bible and came to the conclusion that we are being told to “strongly encourage” each other. The word for exhort in the Greek is “parakaleo” and here are a few of those other passages using the same word.

“Holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict.”

Titus 1:9 NKJV

“Preach the word! Be ready in season [and] out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

2 Timothy 4:2 NKJV

“Finally then, brethren, we urge and exhort in the Lord Jesus that you should abound more and more, just as you received from us how you ought to walk and to please God;”

1 Thessalonians 4:1 NKJV

“I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called,”

Ephesians 4:1 NKJV

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your reasonable service.”

Romans 12:1 NKJV

One other thing I noticed is that most often this word is also used in the context of our behavior as believers. I think it's important to understand that God is very concerned with how we witness to the world by our actions, and He expects us to strongly encourage others in the body to “love and good works”.

“And so much the more as you see the Day approaching”. Are we there yet? We have all heard that question, and in this case the answer most believers who watch would give is “yes”! We should expect the rapture of the Church at any time, so now more than ever we need to be encouraging each other. Sharing what we see with other believers is a sure way to wake up those who might be slow to see just where we are in our journey home. How soon? I certainly can't say, but I do know this; we are almost there!

That said, whenever the subject of the signs of the rapture come up, there are sure to be those who protest that we can never know when that time has arrived.  So I thought I would share a portion of an article by Jack Kelley which addresses that position as well as any I have ever read.

No One Knows The Day Or The Hour

Now we’ll look at that other popular phrase, “No one knows the day or the hour”.

“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man“ (Matt. 24:36-37).

Let’s back up a few verses to make sure we have the proper context here.  After the Great Tribulation ends (Matt. 24:29) there will be various signs in the heavens. The sun and moon will go dark and the stars will fall from the sky. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear and all the nations will mourn.  After that they’ll see Him coming in the clouds with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30).  From both the context and the passage itself it’s clear that the day and hour the Lord was referring to in Matt. 24:36-37 is the 2nd Coming .

A few verses later, the Lord repeated the same thought, again in the context of the 2nd Coming.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But 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. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Matt. 24:42-44)

The Lord does not come to break into Satan’s domain at the rapture.  He calls us out of it.  And another few verses later.

The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 24:50-51)

There’s no way this can refer to the rapture because the things He described will not be done to unbelievers at the rapture. He’s speaking of the judgments that follow the 2nd Coming.

Then, for the fourth time in 28 verses the Lord said that believers on Earth at the time of the 2nd Coming will not know the day or hour of His return.

“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.” (Matt. 25:13)

This one is in the context of the parable of the 10 bridesmaids.

In previous studies I’ve shown that this parable can’t be about the church. The Church is the Bride, not a bridesmaid, there’s only one bride, not 10, and the banquet follows the wedding, it doesn’t precede it. There’s no way a newly married bride could be excluded from her own wedding banquet by a husband who claims he doesn’t know her. The parable is about tribulation survivors, 5 of whom are saved and enter the Kingdom and 5 who are not and don’t.

What’s The Point?

Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day-and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing”. (2 Tim. 4:8)

I’ve searched the Scriptures in vain trying to find either of the above phrases used in connection with the Rapture. But I can’t find a single verse that does so.  As I’ve shown they all point to the Second Coming and they are all directed toward Tribulation survivors, not the Church.

What I did find is that the Lord rebuked the religious leaders of His time for not expecting Him.  He criticized the Pharisees for not being able to read the signs of the times (Matt. 16:2-4).  We’re admonished to be aware as well.  For example, the Lord commanded us to understand Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy (Matt. 24:15).  Paul warned us not to let events leading up to the Day of the Lord take us by surprise (1 Thes. 5:4), and as we see above He promised that the Lord would award a crown to those who longed for His appearing.  And why shouldn’t we long for His appearing? After all, the rapture of the Church is one of the most exciting things our Creator has ever done for His followers.  It’s not for nothing that we call it our blessed hope. Therefore, encourage each other with these words.  Selah 09-05-09

https://gracethrufaith.com/end-times-prophecy/no-one-knows-the-day-or-the-hour-2/

The Bible, in my humble opinion, makes it perfectly clear that if we watch for the signs Jesus promised would come, we will know His return is near.  It is my firm belief that these signs are occurring before our very eyes at the present time and our appointment to meet with Jesus in the air could happen at any time.  Those who have made the choice to accept His gift of eternal life will go to be with Him forever for eternity. If you have never made the decision to accept that free gift I encourage you to do so today.  Simply ask God to forgive you of your sin based on your belief that Jesus died to pay the price for your sin, and turn over control of your life to Him.  You can do that right now by praying a prayer just like this one;

"Dear Lord Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I believe You died for my sins. Right now, I turn from my sins and open the door of my heart and life. I confess You as my personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

Keep watching.