The gospel will go out to the whole world. Publisher: OpenBible.info. But the question is how the term imminence should be defined. We are going to use these verses to walk through the book of Romans, seeing how God deals with those who have never heard the gospel The testimony of Scripture is clear that all unconverted people are under the wrath of God. 1:14). When Jesus Christ comes again to the earth, He will do the following things: He will cleanse the earth. I dont think the Bible speaks clearly of Jesus coming at any moment. He can open them as he pleases. It is not talking about the rapture and His coming FOR His bride. In this mass of people was the woman who had had a hemorrhage for 12 years. Well, it is a big deal when we read through the period and incorporate the prayer for the coming Millennial Kingdom and skip back in time to the present day and include, in the same breath (which makes the two thoughts equal) Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.. We cant believe that He overheard what was being spoken for Himself. Will the Church escape the Great Tribulation under Antichrist? Be ready and watchful, and about His business. 100 Bible Verses about Jesus Return Matthew 24:36 ESV / 504 helpful votes "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. 8:11 ). T The things we think upon, focus on, mediate upon, listen to and speak out can either grow our faith or grow our unbelief. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. There is nothing that HAS to take place prophetically before His comes FOR His bride. You can imagine how blessed I was when I came upon this hymn by Isaac Watts (d. 1748) Let The Seventh Angel Sound On High. But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. That is why a Christian can smile in the midst of all that is happening We know what the end will be: the triumph of the Lord Jesus Christ., Read 5 things the Bible says about Jesus Return. Here in Lukes version of the Lords Prayer we can clearly see that Your kingdom come. is left to stand on its own as a complete thought and confined to a single sentence. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. So Peter opened his mouth and said: Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. I dont see how Paul could say that and expect the Thessalonians to believe that Jesus could come that afternoon. 24:4551; 25:5, 19; Luke 18:7; 19:1127). Thank you. Answer Some Bible interpreters believe that there will be absolutely no chance for salvation after the rapture. BGEA is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Jesus while He was upon the earth healed the sick and raised the dead, not merely to typify a spiritual healing and quickening, but to prove that He was indeed the promised Deliverer by destroying the works of the devil, and also to give a fore-taste and a shadow of the ultimate effect of His redemption upon the whole man, body and soul. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. G Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Is the time of Jacobs trouble past with the Holocaust or future? The New Testament provides at least six reasons for why Christians embrace the trials they undergo with joy. See Matthew 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Kings of the earth, with glad accord, 1:14) and none in the ESV. Hello, Pastor John! Home For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. Why then are we so quick to judge the sick, examining them to find out whether they are remorseful enough or worth praying for? At . So there will be one flock, one shepherd. And that was their expectation. Romans 2:12-16 is the signature text in the Bible on this controversial subject. E Second, Christians who hold to any-moment-return teaching often seek to account for these passages by distinguishing two stages of Christs return: a secret, pre-tribulation rapture that could occur at any moment; and a public, post-tribulation appearing that will have signs preceding it. Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: Children have I reared and brought up, but they have rebelled against me. But again, it doesn't have to occur before the rapture can happen. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. (A. J. Gordon, Ministry of Healing, 1882). So where is he? in Jesus wept. the body of Christ seems to read right through the period of Thy Kingdom Come. giving the prayer a very altered and indiscriminate or arbitrary meaning. OpenBible.info Then, second, after a period of seven years of tribulation on earth, Christ will return to the earth with His church, the saints who were raptured (Matthew 24:30, 2 Thessalonians 1:7, 1 Peter 1:13, Revelation 1:7). the appearing of the glory of our great God (Titus 2:13), the revealing of the sons of God (Rom. What do you think?. What does it mean that he who endures to the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. In this view, the rapturewhich is the transformation and catching up of all Christians, dead or alive, to meet Christ in the airwill be secret, for it will be unknown to the world of unbelievers at the time of its happening. I almost ridiculed the very idea of such a possibility. So, lets seek that power now, and lets finish that mission. By BGEA Admin An Interpretation of Matthew 24-25 - Liberty University Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. James Cameron says Titan passengers had warning of implosion - Los How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? But this doesn't change the fact that Jesus can come at any moment and we (like the early church did well before the gospel had gone to the whole world) should be eagerly awaiting His imminent return - where we will meet Him in the clouds and be taken back to the place He has prepared for us! Far be that from you! The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead., To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.. Christ Will Not Return at Any Moment March 20, 2019 | Sam Waldron Sebastien Gabriel on Unsplash Advertise on TGC Could Christ return at any moment? Unbelief comes from listening to the tests and clinical reports of the Doctors, who I might add, are paid to give us the worst case scenarios. You and I both know it is one thing to ask Jesus for healing but quite another to ask for resurrection. Then he says this: A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. So, whats the point in that? From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.. See Matthew 24:14, And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Jesus has just talked about all kinds of terrible things that will happen, cataclysmic events that will point to the end of time. B Why will you continue to rebel? And there the matter rested. Many interpretations exist regarding this passage. And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel. O The effect of this removal, in the absence of multitudes of people, will, of course, be evident on earth. The terminology of alertness occurs frequently, for instance, in the Olivet Discourse of a coming after the tribulation of those days (Matt. So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him. Although we will never fully know Gods plan for the end times, He has given us promises about that time in His written Word. 2023 BGEA I have a question. What Does the Bible Say About Return Of Christ? Now those who were scattered went about preaching the word. What do missionaries do? MichaelGriffiths, Faith vs. Unbelief The key to finding yourmiracle., Thy Will Be Done: Sickness, Faith, and the God WhoHeals. But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison. 21:34; 24:32; Mark 12:38; Luke 21:30), which occur at regular intervals. 1:7; 16:22; Phil. I think the apostles and Jesus both taught and lived as though they expected a significant delay in Jesuss coming, not as though he might come at any moment. 1 Pet. In actual practice by the church, then, our pray becomes morphed into O God, let your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven which, while maybe not unbiblical, is at odds with what Christ taught us and contrary to the truth. So, always stay awake spiritually. So, what do I make of Jesuss words when he says, for example, in Matthew 25:13, Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour, or in Luke 12:40, You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect? Satan has ever been seeking to thwart God byimitation. These have been redeemed from mankind as firstfruits for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found, for they are blameless. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 24:29, 4244; cf. Give up your kingdoms to the Lord. 1Pe 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Let me give you five of these delaying events: Just a couple of remarks. 2 Peter and the Return of Jesus - Reading Acts They are told not to fear but rather to comfort one another no matter what the circumstances because Christ will bring all things to a good end (1 Thessalonians 4:18). My guess is that most evangelicals today would respond, Of course! In fact, I suspect a No answer would seem close to heresy. The generation that Jesus speaks of "not passing" until He returns is a future generation, namely, the people living when the predicted events occur. The English words imminence and imminent are seldom used in our translations of the Bible. God's people will be hunted and killed. But it has not been much urged; and why? By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Emperor Constantines negative impact on the healing power ofJesus. (Johann Christoph Blumhardt), Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him. Be vigilant. So lets consider briefly why it matters. It may sound like, Oh, when the nations are reached, hes coming. Well, the nations being reached is not defined in the Bible with any clarity, so theres ambiguity in saying the end will come when the work is complete, though I am saying that. But I do have convictions, and Ill tell you what they are. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. For a collaborating view on this point I offer this from the Pulpit Commentary, one of the largest exhaustive Bible commentaries ever published: Thy kingdom come. It is the prayer for the end, when there will be no more tears and partings, no more sorrow and sin. We beat ourselves over the head trying to produce MORE FAITH and forget about the unbelief running rampant in our hearts. See 1 Cor. 3:13). No, a person who has knowingly refused God's calling and the way of life He reveals has only the lake of fire to look forward to, which will end his or her existence for eternity (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 10:26-29). Those Who Have Never Heard- Romans 2:12-16 - OnePassion And yet the terminology of alertness is still applied to them. Get our Question of the Week delivered right to your inbox! First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. Why? 200-258), bishop of Carthage, made this statement with reference to heretics, schismatics, and apostates from the church. At the same time, were urged not to ignore His coming, or assume that its never going to happen (at least in our lifetime). But at the same time, where people recognize the period (.) In actual fact, in Luke there is NO following mention of Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. as we find in Matthew. (Luke 9:1-2). He is author of. Keep in mind that Jesus was talking about something very different from the salvation you're likely thinking of. Jesus knew that the little girl would arise! In short, even from a pretribulational, any-moment perspective, these events are post-tribulational, and therefore cant occur at any moment. Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out. They have forsaken the Lord, they have despised the Holy One of Israel, they are utterly estranged. This comes from the book of Revelation. I am the good shepherd. Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him. He is the author of numerous books, including The End Times Made Simple and MacArthurs Millennial Manifesto: A Friendly Response. For more on the general prophetic signs see here. For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. With one word help was there. He said far country precisely to discourage them from thinking that hed come right away. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. But we mean chiefly the kingdom of glory which shall one day be set up when Jesus shall come the second time, and all shall know me, from the least to the greatest (Heb. was, "I can tell you one thing for sure - Jesus CANNOT come back tonight. Billy Graham: Do You Scoff at the Second Coming of Christ? Im going to call them that pointers for why I think the way I do. January 5, 2021. The subtle enemy of man [Satan] saw that there was more danger to his own kingdom from the use of this weapon than advantage; it might have led to a result very different from that of disproving the divine authority of the Bible. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Is this right? For by it the people of old received their commendation. Episode 1407 December 13, 2019 Interview with John Piper Founder & Teacher, desiringGod.org Subscribe Apple Spotify Audio Transcript Today we have an important missions question from a listener named Zach. Biblically speaking, you can be expectant and alert for Christs return without believing that he could return at any moment with no predicted signs preceding it. Signs of the End of the World? V For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. Who wast, and art, and art to come: Jesus' Return: What Peter Wrote About the Second Coming of Christ By providing your personal details, you accept that we will use your personal details to communicate with you about ministry updates and opportunities from Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. Why Satan doesnt expose our lack of signs following theGospel. 1. So, the main sentence in Zachs question that I need to respond to is this: he says, It seems to me that the disciples lived as though they believed Jesus would return at any day, and the Bible certainly speaks of Jesus coming at any moment. Now, I disagree with both of those statements, as widely accepted as they are. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. Jesus, the Lamb who once was slain, Only God knows when it will take placebut it could happen at any time, and we are admonished to be ready. Otherwise you too will be cut off. When looking at the weight of scripture we see that the Church was looking and waiting for Christ, Not any other sign or person (like the Antichrist). Now the decisive sentence hear; Privacy And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. A friend and I have been reading your book Let the Nations Be Glad. Jesus refused to listen to or better said He neglected to even hear the report of her death and sought to strength Jairus in his faith walk: Do not be afraid any longer, only believe. By keeping faith alive in the heart of Jairus and by purposefully refusing to hear a bad report, Jesus kept unbelief out as well.
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