Jesus Returning

[kurt73]

I'm glad to see that the majority of people live with an expectation of His return. We do not know the day or the hour, but the Bible does call us to be watchful and expectant.

First of all it never says that no man "CAN" know, only "no man knoweth" present tense. So no man, at the time of the writing and no doubt well beyond, knoweth. But let's look at Christ's 1st coming:

1. Zechariah and Elisabeth knew that their son was going to prepare the way for Christ. They knew that Messiah's coming was very near. Probably in the lifetime of their son's generation.

2. Mary & Joseph knew Messiah was coming a full 9 months prior to his birth.

3. Wise men and shepherds knew he was born, so they knew that He would be revealed -- if not in their own lifetimes (perhaps they were very old) then indeed in their children's generation.

4. When they brought the baby Jesus to the Temple, both Simeon and Anna knew that Messiah had been born, and that they had witnessed the generation that would see Messiah's work.

5. John knew to look for Messiah, because he would show up at the river one day, and John would recognize him by the Holy Spirit descending upon him.

This all means that people knew Messiah would be revealed and do his work some 30 years prior to the event.


Jesus said, "“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto” (Luke 21:20-21). Now, of course He did not say, "In 70 A.D., when ye shall see...," but He let them know the sign of the destruction of Jerusalem, and told them that it would swiftly follow the sign, so they had no time to pack or anything just flee. They didn't know the timing of the sign, but they certainly had a heads up as to the destruction the sign would foretell.

Paul knew that Jesus' second coming would not be in his lifetime, because he said that the day was not yet at hand (2 Thess. 2:1-3; 2 Tim. 4:6-8)), and that after his death, the apostasy would come (Acts 20:29). He also knew that someone would see that day coming (Heb. 10:24-25).

When God called Noah, He didn't tell him when the flood would be, so Noah built an ark, knowing only one thing: God gave him enough time to get it built. As the time drew nearer, God told him to get in the ark because the flood would come in 7 days. Now Noah knew the day, a full week in advance.

Moses brought the children of Israel to Mount Sinai. God called Him up and told him to prepare the people for the third day, “for the third day the LORD will come down in the sight of all the people upon mount Sinai.” (Ex 19:11). Though they didn't know the day, they knew that they were going to meet the Lord when they left Egypt. Now they knew the Lord was coming three days before the event.

GOD NEVER CHANGES!!!

“Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” (Amos 3:7 AV)

Before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the immutable God said, “And the LORD said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do” (Gen. 18:17), then He proceeded to inform Abraham of Sodom's impending doom.

Jesus said to His disciples, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” (John 15:15).

God told His friend Abraham (James 2:23) what he was about to do. Jesus told His friends all things which the Father told Him. Does God have no living friends today? No one to whom He would desire to tell the exciting work that He is doing/about to do? Are we to rejoice, and shout "PRAISE THE LORD, WE KNOW NOTHING, IT'S GOING TO BE A SURPRISE PARTY!"

What of Israel's tribe of Issachar? “And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them [were] two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.” (1 Chron. 12:32). Are there no such people today?

Yet we are often taught that those "left behind" will know precisely the return of the Lord following the "rapture." These apostates and sinners will know that He's coming seven years after that, but the Saints -- God's friends -- that were taken know nothing of time at all? That makes no sense at all!!

No dear brothers and sisters, before the Lord comes there will be signs. We will see things and know that it is near, even at the doors (Matt. 24:33). One of the greatest signs of Jesus' coming will be when "His wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7). He's not coming until she's ready, and she's not ready yet. But according to the will of the Lord she WILL be, and He will come very, very soon after that.

But reading the comments of those having an "expectation" of an event that they don't expect to happen in their lifetimes reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matt. 25:

“Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. And five of them were wise, and five [were] foolish. They that [were] foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.” (Matt. 25:1-5).

These thought He was coming, but He took longer than they thought He would have, so they all went to sleep. But at midnight a cry was made that he was coming. Midnight is near. A cry will preceed His coming. Are you wise or foolish? Will you be ready when Jesus comes? Will you hear the cry and respond? Will you enter into the chambers? or will you find yourself with the foolish on the outside?

I agree and if you look at the feast as a timeline you will also see where we are at.

[bibleguy]

I don't know. I just don't. I don't even know what to expect, honestly. A blink and a flight? Awful, unspeakably horrific world conditions before that? It is so easy to just read the times, see the world around us and WISH, HOPE, etc., fervently, that He will return and make things right. Hoping He does just that is healthy, obedient, all good. Living like He will is, too. But, if you asked me my opinion "do I think Jesus will return to Earth, personally and bodily, in my lifetime?", I'd have to tell you I don't think so. So much time has already passed and He has not returned. Things have reached the fever pitch of disaster for all people great and small, and still He tarries. So, I trust His timing. This world, this order of things, makes me sick more and more every day. I'm probably impatient about His return. But, like Gerald, I have to acknowledge that it may very well be another two millenia, three, four, five .... I don't know.

I mean no offense brother, really. But this really sounds like the virgins (both wise and foolish) of Matt. 25. The Lord seemed to delay (I say that because the Lord is always on time), and they nodded off and fell asleep. In that light, I could hear the yawn and see the eyelids droop while reading your post. He said "the Kingdom of Heaven" would sleep, and I guess that in and of itself is not sin. However, please be ready to move when the cry is made at midnight.

It cannot be millennia, for man has ONLY six thousand years to labor and do all his work, but the seventh millennium is the Lord's. God's people will begin to cry out very soon, and He will hear them. He isn't coming today, neither is He coming this week, but He will come during the lifetime of most of the people on Jude2. It is very, very near.

[dolfan]

I mean no offense brother, really. But this really sounds like the virgins (both wise and foolish) of Matt. 25. The Lord seemed to delay (I say that because the Lord is always on time), and they nodded off and fell asleep. In that light, I could hear the yawn and see the eyelids droop while reading your post. He said "the Kingdom of Heaven" would sleep, and I guess that in and of itself is not sin. However, please be ready to move when the cry is made at midnight.

It cannot be millennia, for man has ONLY six thousand years to labor and do all his work, but the seventh millennium is the Lord's. God's people will begin to cry out very soon, and He will hear them. He isn't coming today, neither is He coming this week, but He will come during the lifetime of most of the people on Jude2. It is very, very near.

No offense taken. This issue always gets at my heart and I don't speak clearly enough, maybe. I know that the Lord may return at any moment. Now, I'll not trumpet myself as being especially readier than anyone. I am as ready as I am or not, like yourself and everyone. But, I am not "how I am" due to a failure to anticipate His return. On the contrary, I think about it every single day, and hope for it. I really do. He can't arrive fast enough to suit me. What I am trying to convey, though, is if you were to ask me to give you an opinion on when I think He will return, I'd have to tell you I don't know and that my own views lead me to think that it will be a long, long time from now. He didn't intend to return when things have been "really, really bad" (for lack of a better phrase) in the past, or He would've. So, I can't just look around at all of the tumult today and conclude, "Well, this is worse, so He must be nearer." He's nearer because we're one moment, hour, day later in time than we were. Eventually, He's going to do what He said He will do. But, I have no objective reason to look around and think it should be sooner rather than later. He's the only One who knows, and He's the only One who knows the reasons. Quite frankly, I doubt whether anyone alive today can adequately address the parables of Jesus about His return and arrive at an intelligent, cohesive and accurate explanation of it in terms of what to expect and when. So, I have to decide to believe Him, that He will return, but only when He's ready and on His terms. Me? I could fall down the stairs here in a minute and meet Him before my flabby self hits the floor.

Seriously, I do get your point and I appreciate it.

[kurt73]

I don't know. I just don't. I don't even know what to expect, honestly. A blink and a flight? Awful, unspeakably horrific world conditions before that? It is so easy to just read the times, see the world around us and WISH, HOPE, etc., fervently, that He will return and make things right. Hoping He does just that is healthy, obedient, all good. Living like He will is, too. But, if you asked me my opinion "do I think Jesus will return to Earth, personally and bodily, in my lifetime?", I'd have to tell you I don't think so. So much time has already passed and He has not returned. Things have reached the fever pitch of disaster for all people great and small, and still He tarries. So, I trust His timing. This world, this order of things, makes me sick more and more every day. I'm probably impatient about His return. But, like Gerald, I have to acknowledge that it may very well be another two millenia, three, four, five .... I don't know.

I mean no offense brother, really. But this really sounds like the virgins (both wise and foolish) of Matt. 25. The Lord seemed to delay (I say that because the Lord is always on time), and they nodded off and fell asleep. In that light, I could hear the yawn and see the eyelids droop while reading your post. He said "the Kingdom of Heaven" would sleep, and I guess that in and of itself is not sin. However, please be ready to move when the cry is made at midnight.

It cannot be millennia, for man has ONLY six thousand years to labor and do all his work, but the seventh millennium is the Lord's. God's people will begin to cry out very soon, and He will hear them. He isn't coming today, neither is He coming this week, but He will come during the lifetime of most of the people on Jude2. It is very, very near.

The harvest has been ready for harvesting for awhile now, Rosh Hashana has to be coming soon.

[pastorables]

http://www.josh.org/site/c.ddKDIMNtEqG/ ... ue_Why.htm


The above link is an objective reading of the people of Israel and their relationship to biblical prophecy. Although Pastor McDowell doesn't address the end times relationship, Jesus spoke about these very things in relationship to the end times and his returning. Enjoy.

pa