The season of the return of Jesus Christ is near

Did you know that the Second Coming of Christ is one of the major themes of the bible?

There are 300 hundred prophecies about the First Coming of Jesus in the Old Testament, but there are 500 — five hundred! — in the Old Testament about His Second Coming! And in the New Testament, one out of every 25 verses has to do with the Second Coming of Jesus. In other words, there are many, many, many more prophecies about the Second Coming of Jesus than His First Coming. Probably twice as many. Why so many? Because Jesus is returning in wrath. The first time He came, He came as a compassionate Savior with tears in His eyes. But when He returns, He is returning as a conquering warrior with eyes like white hot flames because He is returning to judge and make war against the enemies of God. And so, since God does not wish that any should perish, He has given us sign after sign after sign to watch for. (source)

There are many of us who study the bible, including prophecy, and are eager for His return. We believe we are in the season of His return. The reason is not because there is one specific reason or sign, but because the signs are all converging with rapidity and laser focus. It's happening fast and it is happening intensely.

One of the signs is that there will be apostasy in untold amounts before the Son of Man returns. Some of the verses which speak of this are:
  • "Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction," (2 Thessalonians 2:3) NASB
  • "And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another."(Matthew 24:10, 12)
  • "Because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth" (Revelation 3:16)
  • "Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons," (1 Timothy 4:1)
  • "the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths." (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
Can there be any doubt that this time right now has had the greatest falling away from even professed 'Christians'? Where the foundational precepts that make the faith are ignored or denied? Here is one such example:

Methodist Pastor Frank Schaefer Faces Trial for Son's Gay Wedding "Schaefer, pastor of Zion United Methodist Church of Iona in South Lebanon Township, told his superiors in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference that he was going to perform at his son's wedding in 2007 and received no warning or reprimand. It was only this April, when a parishioner filed a complaint, that Schaefer was told he would face discipline for violating church doctrine."

How sad, that no one said anything for 5 years. Where is the discernment?  

"And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent, and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ." (Philippians 1:9-10). 

 What is my crime? I blessed two people that loved each other," Schaefer, 51, told ABC News.

Love doesn't trump God. It's not a reason nor an excuse. Love is not an indicator of anything, except that the heart is desperately sick and not to be trusted. (Jeremiah 17:9, Genesis 6:5). His crime is that he disobeyed God, and failed his office of pastor.

 "Jesus our Lord and Savior never mentioned homosexuality at all and my point is if it is that important of an issue, why didn't he mention it?," Schaefer said.

So we only need to follow the red words in the bible? The rest is chopped liver? Never let it be so! The Old Testament and the New Testament are replete with lists of sins that are abominations to God, homosexuality among them. (Genesis 19:1-13; Leviticus 18:22; 20:13; Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9, and Romans 1:26-27 shows that homosexuality itself is the judgment for those who had continually disobeyed God.) The minister forgot this verse, which says,

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," (2 Timothy 3:16)

 Apostasy is so rampant now that it boggles the mind that there are any decent churches left at all. And look, the article nears its conclusion with this statement:

 "On Saturday in Philadelphia, nearly 50 ministers participated in a same-sex wedding at a Methodist church as a symbol of support for their colleague, Schaefer, reports the Philadelphia Inquirer."

Apostasy now, but come soon, Lord Jesus.

Comments

  1. The remark that Jesus never mentioned homosexuality is not ture! He very clearly mentioned it in Romans1:27! And went on to say CHEIFLY these are the ones God will Judge!

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    1. Anonymous, I think the pastor who was quoted in the article meant that if Jesus Himself didn't say the verse, it is not as important and needn't be obeyed. In Romans, it is Paul speaking. However, the pastor who is quoted forgot that all scripture is breathed out by God, and Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit is God and effectively, all the bible are the words of Jesus. One cannot pick and choose which part of the bible to believe or obey simply on the basis of which part of his favorite personality of the Triune God said it.

      I agree, ROmans says clearly that homosexuality is a sin and it clearly says homosexuals will be judged, along with those who are "filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless." Rom 1:29-31. Jesus will judge all sinners. That is His chief concern.

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  2. There is a new atheist mega church called "Sunday Assembly" where they believe in doing all the good works of a God based church BUT will and is removing all references to God and Jesus Christ. This is a perfect match for the church of Laodecia in Revelevations 3:15-18. The church of Laodecia in Revelations is a godless church (they needed to buy refined gold from God and get a white garment from God. God and white garment is an allegory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; salvation through faith.

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  3. Yes are father is so good to those who choose to listen its a sad sick world in which we live but He is our hope and truth we must continue to look up and not let are hearts be troubled

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  4. Trust the Lord and judge not with your eyes.

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    1. Marco, what bible verse is that? I can't find it. Thanks

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    2. How about 2 Corinthians 10:7a "You are looking at things as they are outwardly."

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    3. First Anonymous said:
      God and white garment is an allegory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ; salvation through faith.

      White raiment here is Gods imputed righteousness, after being refined (tried) like Gold.
      God Bless

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  5. If Jesus part of the God head (Trinity) and his Words are the Fathers Words, the Almighty specifically and numerously told us, Homosexuality is a pretty bad sin. God is the same today as he was 6,000 years ago, perfect and unchanging.

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  6. The remark that Jesus never spoke about homosexuality is not accurate! He most certainly did in Luke 17:26-30. The Lord said that the acceptance of homosexuality into the western culture would be a sign of the Apocalypse.
    But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.(Luke 17:29)
    Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.(Luke 17:30)
    The word revealed comes from the Greek word Apocalypse.
    The Russian President Vladimir Putin is the man who is riding the red horse of the Apocalypse.
    President Obama is the President of the Apocalypse, the American empire is at it's end.

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    1. Hello Melvin,

      Thanks so much for the verse from Luke! How sad for that pastor that he knows so little of the bible that he forgot or overlooked that verse, and publicly stated the opposite.

      I believe Putin could be Gog, though of course we won't know for sure until it occurs, and by then we will be gone and will be gazing in adoration at the Lamb in person, in heaven!

      I also agree that Obama has been playing a major role in marginalizing and destroying the US, I don't agree he is President of the Apocalypse. Obama is child's play compared to the hellish skill and craft the real antichrist will offer. I could be wrong. Again, we won't know until it occurs, because the antichrist won't be revealed until the falling away occurs and the day of the Lord begins.(2 Thess 2:3). And again, we won't be here. Thank the Lord!

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    2. Hey Elizabeth, Berit Kjos over at the Crossroads site has some very interesting articles today on some things that are leading to the New World Order.
      Thought you might find interesting.

      pam

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    3. thanks Pam. I'll check it out when I get home from work. Phew, I'm glad it is Friday :)

      I posted a headlines essay this AM, and though I don't like to do that usually I feel like there are so *many* things hurtling together, especially apostasy, that it reels my mind. I write about it hopefully in a way that still focuses on the bible as the only benchmark of truth

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  7. "Jesus Never Mentioned Homosexuality"

    When gays have birthdays, they don't mention everything they don't want but say positively what they do want.
    Likewise, Jesus didn't negatively list every sexual variation He knew mankind would invent, but positively stated that marriage involves only a man and a woman!
    Google or Yahoo "God to Same-Sexers: Hurry Up," "The Background Obama Can't Cover Up," and "USA - from Puritans to Impure-itans."

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    1. so true, Irv! The marriage verse you refer to is Matthew 19:4-6. There are other NT verses mentioning man-woman marriage, such as 1 Corinthians 7:2; and there are NT verses mentioning homosexuality directly, such as Rom 1:26-28,1 Corinthians 6:9-11, 1 Timothy 1:10 etc. When people try to claim "Jesus never mentioned homosexuality or gay marriage" they are wrong as you pointed out. And in a sense, since the Holy Spirit breathed these words into the men who wrote them, and the Spirit is God and Jesus is God, then Jesus also spoke them. We have a Trinitarian God, each personality of which spoke against the immorality of gay lifestyle. Thanks Irv for how you stated this, I like it:

      "Jesus didn't negatively list every sexual variation He knew mankind would invent, but positively stated that marriage involves only a man and a woman"

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