Tagged: Second Coming Toggle Comment Threads | Keyboard Shortcuts

  • J. Randal Matheny 9:05 am on January 10, 2013 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , Second Coming,   

    No date so defining for me as today 

    baptism-dead-worldToday is my spiritual birthday. On this day back in 1971 I was united with my Lord. Many dates are important to me, but none so defining as today. I am who I am because of the decision made that day. Not made, actually, but realized. The desire was present long before that.

    My baptism should have happened earlier than at 14 years of age, but my timidity as a youngster held me back. When, that is, if I write an autobiography, it will make for an interesting story. I was the tenth of 10 responses that Sunday morning in the Stonewall church building, set among the Arkansas cotton and soybean fields. The preacher, who normally preached calm and positive lessons, decided a strong dose of hell was needed to jar loose a group of unmoved youth. He was right.

    When all the other motivations are in place, and maybe when they’re not, fear is a great motivator. Fear of “the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” Mt 10.28 NET, especially.

    • Our third precious grandchild was born yesterday afternoon, after a day and a half of agonizing waiting. It might have been a bit tough on the mother in labor, too. This is our oldest son’s first. Our second son forged ahead with two. We hope to visit the newest family addition before long.

    • The FPress website is down. Again. Methinks we’ll be moving from our host server when the account expires. Isn’t technology a wonderful thing, when it works?

    • By coincidence I ran into this yesterday, George Washington’s first inaugural speech as president.

    … there is no truth more thoroughly established, than that there exists in the oeconomy and course of nature, an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness, between duty and advantage, between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy, and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity: Since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained … (More …)

     

  • Richard Mansel 9:14 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Second Coming   

    Boom! 

    We felt and heard a loud boom in Southeast Georgia at 8:30 AM this morning. I went outside and looked around because I thought the building might come down. It was felt an hour away in two directions. Stations in Savannah are working on figuring out what it was.

    It is very disconcerting when something like this happens. It reminds me that a final day will come (Revelation 20:11-14). As today, we will be going about our lives and suddenly it will wake us from our routine and stupor. With certainty, a price will have to be paid when the Lord returns with a boom (2 Thessalonians 5:1-6; 1 :7-8; 1 Corinthians 15:50-52, et al).

    Will we be ready?

     

    • J. Randal Matheny 9:20 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink | Reply

      Richard, you live, as do we and the Taubaté residents, in a military area. I suspect in both instances that may likely be the explanation. Good link to the last day.

      • Richard Mansel 9:25 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        That seems the most likely explanation but that has been checked and that wasn’t it. No one knows, yet. Savannah TV stations and others are trying to track it down. It was felt too far away for it to be from the base. Thanks, brother.

        • J. Randal Matheny 9:35 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink

          Ah, OK, nobody here even mentions the army base as a possibility. Loud silence, know what I mean?

        • Richard Mansel 10:39 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink

          “Air Force & GEMA confirms loud boom was a sonic boom from Air Force pilots training off the coast of Brunswick.” We are an Army area. We don’t think of the Air Force here.

      • Richard Mansel 9:37 am on March 15, 2012 Permalink | Reply

        A lot of things are being considered. We hear artillery here all the time but this didn’t sound like what we are accustomed to. I understand what you mean. :)

  • Larry Miles 12:00 am on August 3, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , , , , Second Coming   

    Praise God We Have Changed Kingdoms 

    Jesus is Coming back for us! This is a reality! Praise the Lord that He has called us out of a “dark world into the light of the Gospel.”

    “For He has rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in who we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.” (Col. 1:13-14)

    Most of us, I’m sure, prefer light to darkness. Without Jesus all of us were in darkness, members, though we might not have known it, in the kingdom of Satan. Our Heavenly Father desires that we all come to a saving knowledge ans has provided the means through His Son, the Lord Jesus. We are glad that we can share in the inheritance He has for us (Col. 1:12)

    The Word of God describes this transformation as changing kingdoms. We have been brought out of darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel. The terminology used here by Paul is a military illustration. It pictures Rome going into a free country and as a result of waging a war and winning they subdue that nation and take them into captivity.

    But in the spiritual realm, we are the ones in “bondage” and when we accept the Lord Jesus and obey the Gospel, we are “transferred’ (NASB) or “translated” (KJV) or are “conveyed” (NKJV) out of that bondage into the light of the Gospel. But it does not end there. Since we have redemption, the forgiveness of our sins (Col. 1:14) we must put our new found faith to the test.

    We have been called out of that dark kingdom, changed by the light of the Gospel and now have the privilege to go back into that kingdom, now empowered by the Holy Spirit and utilizing the Whole Armor of God (Eph. 6:10-20) to help others find their way out.

    We can never work our way into Heaven, but upon salvation, we are to be the best workers the Lord has. So, my fellow believer, while we are waiting and watching for the Lord’s return, let’s be letting our light shine for Him! (I Peter 2:10)

     

     

     

  • Larry Miles 2:00 am on August 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Second Coming   

    How Do We Know Jesus Is Coming Again? (Part 2) 

    The Testimony of the writers of the Epistles.

    All throughout the Epistles we have the teaching that Jesus is coming again. In I Thessalonians 1:10 the Christians at Thessalonica and we today are told to “wait for His Son from Heaven.” In I Thessalonians 4:13-18, Paul assures us that “the Lord Himself” will come back for us. We have the same admonition in Titus 2:13. We must be looking for the return of the Blessed Hope.

    But while we are admonished to be a people who are always on the alert an d looking for His coming, we must also be a people who are active in His service. We must be waiting and watching every day, but also we must be a people, who because we are saved, are working for the Lord in His Kingdom. We must be thankful to have been called out of a kingdom of darkness into the marvelous light of the Gospel. (Col. 1:13-14)

    Since we are now in the light of the Gospel, we must be seeking to help the lost find their way into the light of the Gospel. We must also be found seeking to strengthen the saved.

    Keep looking up! Jesus may come today! This attitude must translate into greater service. It must motivate us to love the lost more and concentrate our labors in that behalf.

    These passage have established the authority that Jesus is coming back! Do we know when? No, we do not. But we know that according to Romans 13:11 “Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than we first believed.”

     

  • Larry Miles 12:01 am on August 1, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Second Coming   

    How Do We Know Jesus Is coming Again? (Part 1) 

    The Testimony of the Lord Jesus

    We have the testimony of the Lord Jesus Himself in John 14:1-4. In telling the Disciples of His upcoming death He gave them the promise that He would come back for them.

    The Testimony of the Holy Angels

    At the Ascension we have the comforting words of the holy angels. In Acts 1:11 they give the Eleven these great and comforting words: “why do you gaze up into the sky? This SAME Jesus who you see go up into Heaven will return in like manner.” This passage, along with the one in John and others in the New Testament tell us that Jesus will keep His word and come back for us personally.

     

  • Larry Miles 7:43 am on July 31, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Blessed Hope, , , Second Coming   

    How Do We Know Jesus is Coming Again? (Intro) 

    As is the case in dealing with Biblical matters, we want to have authority for what we believe and teach we must look for a “thus says the Lord.” We must not rely on tradition, opinions, church history and the like as a basis for believing in and eating the Word of God.

    We read in Psalm 119:89 “Your eternal Word stands firm in Heaven.” (NLT) It must be our aim to be like the “Bereans” in Acts 17 who were commended because “they searched the Scriptures…” So, what is the authority we have in God’s Word that Jesus is coming again?

    Should Christians be looking for the return of the Lord Jesus? Can we know when He will return for His Church? The answer to the first question is a resounding yes. On the second question posed, the Bible says we cannot know the time He will return.

    There have always been those in the history of the Church who have tried to pinpoint the time of the Lord’s return. Those who have done so have brought reproach and ridicule upon the Lord’s Church by their actions.

    In light of the fact that we cannot know the timing , what should be our attitude be in regards to the fact He is coming again as He promised? The Bible is full of many promises of the return of Jesus for His own.

    We have the testimony of Jesus Himself, the testimony of the holy angels, and the testimony of the writers of the Epistles to validate this promise; He is coming again! Just one verse and one instance of testimony should and would be enough for a faithful Christian, but the fact that there are numerous accounts in the New Testament of this hope, reality, and promise should reinforce our faith in the Word of God.

     

  • Larry Miles 7:42 pm on July 30, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Second Coming   

    Lift Up Your Eyes For Hope! 

    Jesus IS Coming Again! This is not just a “hope” as the world defines hope. It is not just “wishful thinking.” It is not a far-fetched fantasy for faithful believers. We don’t know when the Lord Jesus is coming back for His Church, but we do know for a fact that He is coming again!” I want to talk about the following 2 points:

    • How do we know that Jesus is coming again? (Authority)
    • How are we to ‘live’ while we are waiting for His coming? (Application)

    If someone were to ask you: “How do you know that Jesus is coming again?” how would you answer? What do we mean when we say that His coming is “imminent?” We mean that it could happen at any time. Critics will point out 2 Peter 3:4: “They will say, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.”

    When we say that we believe in the “soon or imminent” coming of the Lord Jesus, what we mean is that He can come back at anytime, even right now. Are your ready!

    We will be dividing this article into several parts.

    The  next articles will be titled “How Do We Know He is Coming Again?”

     

  • Richard Mansel 8:31 pm on May 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Second Coming   

    Are We Empowering Enemies of Christianity? 

    Harold Camping made unsubstantiated predictions that May 21, 2011 would be the end of time. He had done this before in 1994 and he failed then, too.

    He did Satan’s work by making some believers in God look ridiculous. Everywhere I look online, people are making fun of Camping and the prediction. Sinners are having a great time laughing about the Second Coming of Jesus.

    Scripture says absolutely nothing about the Rapture, as Premillenial people teach it. Christ will return (John 14:1-4) and there will be judgment (Revelation 20:11-15). Moreover, no one but  God knows the date that Jesus will return (Matthew 24:36).

    My concern is that Christians are joining the fun and mocking this event and, by extension, validating the beliefs of the doubters. Are we in dangerous territory by joining the enemies of the Cross? Do we make people more comfortable in their sins by giving them the impression that they have plenty of time?  (Luke 17:26-29).

    Someone on Twitter said that the Rapture didn’t happen, so they could go back to sinning. Would it not be awful if we were the ones to indirectly empower them?

     

    • Larry Miles 9:22 pm on May 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Richard– I could not agree with you more. But what is also disturbing to me is the attitude of Christians, some on this site and other brotherhood sites and their attitude. One of the views that I saw during this time was the implication, and sometimes more than that, that Jesus was not coming today or could not come because some man predicted it.

      If the Lord had came today it would have been because it was the the Lord’s timing. W don’t know when He is returning and frankly many of the Lord’s people, if you would corner them, would believe that it is not imminent. By that I mean that it could happen at any time.

      Each generation of the Lord’s people from the 1st century on had the thought that He might come in their lifetimes. He did not, but a belief that He could should have and should now motivate us to greater service.

      I do not agree with the false teachings of the date setters, but I believe that we might learn something from folks who stress the coming of the Lord more than some of our brethren and sisters do.

      Let’s not join in with unbelievers and ridicule these folks, but rather, let’s pray that they will come to a better understanding of the Scriptures. Jesus is coming again! Keep looking Up! It might be still be today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you ready and are you “looking for Him?”

      Sorry for the rambling.

    • Joe Dukes 9:40 pm on May 21, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Many associate this prediction with a doctrine of Christianity, therefore, when they are making fun of Camping, they are also ridiculing Christianity in general. They don’t know this doctrine is false according true Christian standards. Many think if Christian doctrine is that ridiculous, then they want no part of it. Their view that since this teaching turned out to be wrong, this shows that the Bible is wrong. It is our job to show the contrast between true Biblical teaching and such distortions.

    • John Henson 1:05 pm on May 22, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      I do not feel that by pointing out the logical contradiction of someone’s misguided false doctrine that I am, somehow, empowering the lost.

  • Larry Miles 12:01 am on March 17, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: God's Promises, , Second Coming   

    A Home In Heaven 

    Christians are promised in the Word of God that their eternal destiny is to be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever (I Thes. 4:17). Wherever He is or goes, we will be with Him. We can know, in this life, that we are saved and have assurance of our salvation. Many, even some Christians do not have this assurance.

    The song “I’ll Put Jesus First,” in verse 3 uses the words “I Know.” We can look forward to a time “when death is no more, when struggle is o’er.” Christians are “the ransomed and blest.” When we sing this song we are forever reminded of the redemption we have in Christ. (More …)

     

  • Larry Miles 11:41 am on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , Second Coming, Watchfulness   

    Looking For The Lord’s Coming! 

    There have always been those in the history of the Church who have tried to pinpoint the time of the Lord’s return. Those who have done this have brought reproach and ridicule upon the Lord’s Church by their actions. There is one who has set a date of May 11, 2011. What is sad is that this same individual made a similar prediction a few years ago.

    In light of the fact that we cannot know the timing, what should our attitude be in regards to the fact that He is coming again as He promised? The Bible is full of many promises of the return of Jesus for His own. (More …)

     

    • Mike Riley 1:13 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Here’s a site that predicts Christ’s return as May 21, 2011: http://www.familyradio.com/index2.html. They go to great lengths to try and figure out the exact date, but they obviously haven’t read Matthew 24:35-36.

      Here’s a good study of Matthew 24 by Bro. Wayne Jackson: http://www.christiancourier.com/articles/19-a-study-of-matthew-24

      Also, a study of the parable of the ten virgins, indicate that only those folks who are “ready” when the bridegroom comes, will enter with Him into the marriage (Matthew 25:10). Those folks who were not “ready” were not able to enter.

      Then in Matthew 24:13, our Lord says, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherin the Son of man cometh.”

      If the Lord’s teaching is not plain in these passages, I don’t know what plain is.

    • Mike Riley 2:58 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Larry, here’s a group that have predicted Judgment Day as being May 21, 2011: http://www.familyradio.com/index2.html

      Guess they don’t take Matthew 24:35-36 seriously. Verse 39 states that those folks in Noah’s day didn’t know about God’s judgment day “until the flood came.” The same will hold true this time around as well.

      Also in the parable of the ten virgins, we have five of them being prepared and “ready” for the bridegroom [Christ] (Matthew 25:10). The ones who were not “ready,” did not gain entrance into the marriage festivities (Matthew 25:11-13).

      In vs. 13, the Lord tells us, “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”

      The Lord’s teaching is pretty plain to me.

    • Larry Miles 3:34 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Mike. Thanks for the reply. I think this is the same outfit. If I remember they had one date for His Coming and one for end of world. I have read some comments elsewhere that we can be sure that the date they gave is wrong. I’m not so sure. If we say that we go against the Lord who said, “the Son of Man will come in a day you think not”.

      So what I am saying is that if the Lord were to return that day it would not be because some man said so. We cannot discount or deny any day Keep looking up! He Will come again!

      • Mike Riley 3:42 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Yes, you are correct. We need to be ready when the Lord returns, no matter what day.

    • Larry Miles 3:47 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Mike hope all is well in El Paso. Thanks 4 the encouragement. Hope you liked other articles.

      • Mike Riley 10:36 pm on January 20, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        You are welcome, Larry. I do like reading all of the informative articles that you post. Keep up the good work!

  • Ron Thomas 7:50 am on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Second Coming   

    May 11, 2011 

    I submitted a letter to the editor today. I do not know if it will be printed, but I hope so. If they print it, it will be an opportunity to teach some and for others to aggravate. However, it is not the latter I seek, but the former. If the latter occurs, I will welcome the challenge.

    *****************
    Letter to editor,

    Can preachers preach lies in the Lord’s name? Sure! It has happened and it will happen until the Lord returns. How can we know the difference? There is a standard from which all preachers are to be (and will be) judged. You might consider the following: Isaiah 8:20, Acts 17:11, Romans 15:18, and 1 Peter 4:11; these are just some passages that address how one can know.

    Here is a present day illustration of a preacher preaching a lie in the Lord’s name. An Oakland California based radio program, Family Radio Worldwide, with its leader 89 year old Harold Camping is predicting that the “rapture” (a word not found in the Bible) will occur May 11 of this year. More than that, he predicts that the end of the world will be in October (source: http://www.aolnews.com, January 3, 2011). Yet, what did the Lord say: “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only” (Matthew 24:36). Either the Lord is correct or Harold Camping is correct, not both. Since the Lord made His plain declaration, any attempt to predict the Second Coming and the end of time makes one a false teacher, such as Harold Camping. It does not matter how devoted he is to the Lord; the fact is he plainly contradicts the Lord’s words.

    The website (www.wecanknow.com) encourages people to search the Scripture, and this is a good thing. As people search, we would encourage that they be sure to pay attention to the words. Many people abuse Matthew 24, and this is exactly what Harold Camping (and others) have done.

    Ron Thomas
    Preacher, Highway church of Christ
    Sullivan

     

    • Phil Sanders 8:35 am on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Ron, I’m planning to address this false and human prophecy (?) on the SEARCH program in late February. Thanks for your article. Only the Father knows when the Lord will return. Camping denies what the Lord teaches about coming like a thief in the night. The point of the figure is that we do not know. I look forward to seeing you at FHU!!

      • Ron 8:40 am on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply

        Phil, you are very kind in your remarks and your program series will be exceptional! I look forward to that coffee – I’ll even buy! :-) .

    • Stan 10:06 am on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Since Christians are commanded to ask God to send severe judgment on persons who commit and support the worst forms of evil (see I Cor. 5 and note “taken away”), Christians everywhere should constantly pray that the Lord will soon “take away” or at least overthrow all US leaders, including Obama, who continue to sear their conscience and arrogantly trample the God-given rights of the majority including the rights of the unborn. Do we need a second American Revolution? (Theologically radioactive Harold Camping prophesied that Christ would return during Sep. 1994. Undaunted, con man Camping now predicts it will occur in May of 2011. Since Deut. 18:20-22 requires the death penalty for false prophets, Camping and his deluded groupies deserve inclusion in the above “take away” prayers. False prophets in the OT were stoned to death. Today they are just stoned!). For a rare look at the 180-year-old, imported-from-British-crazies endtime escapist belief which has long neutralized millions by promising them an “imminent rapture” off earth – which has diverted them away from being prepared to stand against all enemies, domestic as well as foreign – Google “Pretrib Rapture Dishonesty” and “Pretrib Rapture – Hidden Facts.”
      [Just spotted the above on the net! Stan]

      EDITOR (RT) – I include this portion of Stan’s remarks (rather than all his remarks). His remarks in total could easily be misconstrued. In fact, the above remarks might be misconstrued, but included them because it gets right to John Henson’s remark on there need to be BALANCE in one life, words, preaching, and Christian living. As I read Stan’s words, I did not balance in the tone.

    • John T. Polk II 12:36 pm on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Amen to Ron’s note. Harold Camping continues an almost “unbroken” line of false prophets whom God contradicts and condemns. ALWAYS the written Word of God is absolute, unchanging, and to be held in awe (Colossians 3:16-17; 1 Peter 3:15). Even in the days when God HAD oral prophets, false prophets were identified by adding to, ignoring, or contradicting what God had already spoken through His prophets. Please read Jeremiah 23:9-40 and note that those prophets who declare they represent the “oracle of God” were to be asked: “What oracle?” God’s people must always challenge the authority of those who claim they are representing God and/or His Word. The “Harold Camping”-s of the world always destroy people’s confidence in the Bible because their misrepresentations of that Word always fail, but because they claimed to be representing God’s Word, people think it is God’s Word that has failed! I don’t know why Paul waited “many days” to cast the false spirit out of the slave girl, but he acted out of his annoyance (Acts 16:16-18). Don’t you think it is about time Gospel Preachers became annoyed with the plethora of false prophets in our world, and distinguish them from the revealed, confirmed, and permanent Word of God? (Hebrews 2:1-4; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

    • John Henson 3:27 pm on January 4, 2011 Permalink | Reply

      Very good, Ron. Thanks.

  • Daniel Haynes 7:22 am on July 8, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: , , Second Coming   

    He’s Coming 

    In Revelation 22:6-21 the phrase, “I am coming soon,” is used three times (22:7, 12, 20) thus naturally serving as the theme for the Lord’s final reminder to the churches (22:16). Jesus himself makes this promise (see 3:11; 22:12-13, 20; cf. 1:7).

    While different interpretations surround the expression, “I am coming soon” one thing remains, “He has come, will continue to come, and is coming!” Because of this, three challenging points emerge as one meditates on his coming:

    1) Faithful or Unfaithful (22:7)

    2) Reward or Punishment (22:12)

    3) Ready or Not Ready (22:20)

     

  • Larry Miles 7:28 pm on February 7, 2010 Permalink | Reply
    Tags: Anticipation, , , Readiness, Second Coming   

    Jesus is Coming Again For His Church! 

    This is a promise that He made (John 14:1-6); one that the angels made at the Ascension (Acts 1:11). This glorious promise is made throughout the Epistles (I Thes. 4:13-18). Do we know when this will happen? NO! But that does not hinder us from looking for His coming with sweet anticipation.
    While we are looking and waiting, we must be found working for the Lord. Paul gives us a wonderful motivation for all this righteous living–Believers are waiting for a hope that is already a certainty; the second coming of Jesus Christ. We can look forward to Christ’s return with eager expectation and hope.

    “Blessed Hope” – Paul brings out 2 aspects of Christian living that must be stressed today:

    1. Waiting with anticipation and
    2. hoping for Christ’s glorious appearing. The waiting is good for us: it builds character, endurance and perseverance. The hoping makes the waiting bearable.

    C. S. Lewis wrote: ‘It is since Christians have largely ceased to think of the other world that they have been ineffective in this. Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in; aim at earth and your will get neither.”

    Jesus is the only hope this world has. The world has many anchors, but Jesus is the only one that holds. Will your anchor hold? Are you loving for and longing for His return (2 Timothy 4:6-8)? Live your life in expectation of the return of the Lord Jesus!  Keep Looking Up!  He May Come Today!

     

    • Larry Miles 7:31 pm on February 7, 2010 Permalink | Reply

      I would like to pose a question. How does a belief that Jesus could come back at any time affect our Christian life? This has, in my opinion, a lot to do with motivation.

c
compose new post
j
next post/next comment
k
previous post/previous comment
r
reply
e
edit
o
show/hide comments
t
go to top
l
go to login
h
show/hide help
shift + esc
cancel
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 2,082 other followers

%d bloggers like this: