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Man has his own preconceived notions about Who Jesus is, what He should do, what heaven will be like. We are usually wrong. He does the unexpected! Consider His first coming:
--The man in Mark 2:1-12 expected healing but his sins were forgiven also.
--In Luke 5:1-11 the disciples went to sea and expected an ordinary day of fishing, but they met the Savior.
--A widow was expected to bury her own son, but Jesus restored her son to life. (Luke 7:11-17)
--The disciples thought the crowd should be sent home because there was no food, but Jesus used a small meal to serve thousands, and there were leftovers! (John 6:1-15)
--The people expected for a political leader to overthrow Rome's control, but Jesus offered them a spiritual, eternal kingdom instead that overthrew sin's control (Gospels)
--The disciples wanted to eat the Passover meal next to Jesus, their Master, but unexpectedly Jesus washed their feet instead- showing that He was also their servant (John 13:1-20)
--The religious leaders wanted Jesus killed and so got their wish, but no one expected the resurrection!! (*note: above synopsis from NIV Life Application Study Bible)
They wanted a lion, but got a lamb. No one expected that Jesus would pause for two thousand years and come to earth TWICE, the first time as a lamb for the slaughter and the second time as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. No one expected the Gentiles to be grafted into the Jewish family tree, and no one expected the rapture doctrine. That was something Paul revealed for the first time in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and in 1 Corinthians 15:52.
"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In this end of the end time, end of the Church Age, end of the days before Judgment, we know some things that will happen. The Lord graciously revealed them to us in the Olivet Discourse, 2Timothy 3, Jude, 2 Peter, Revelation and many other places in the New and the Old testaments. But as His thoughts are above our thoughts, we cannot see around the corners that He sees, we cannot understand how one variable will impact another variable, with what results. Who could foretell the Japan situation? It began with a 9.0 earthquake but the nuke reactors were rated up to 7.2. The tsunami came and the reactors were protected against 2 km waves, but these were 4 km waves. Incredible aftershocks that are major quakes in their own right caused reactor cooling failure. The roof was blown off and this allowed radiation to escape into the atmosphere. The possibility of atmospheric radiation making its way across the Pacific, and if it reaches North American shores, would impact the growing soil and air in fertile fruit and wine producing regions of California. Who could predict that Revelation 6:8's pestilence may be radiation poisoning? Skeptical? The Surgeon General of the United states says that buying iodide pills might not be such a bad idea.
We do know one thing though. And it is expected. The invitation to His cross is not going to be extended forever. There comes a point of no return in each person's life when He hardens their hearts. This is not a vengeful act, it simply is an act that confirms the person's choice. This has been true since the beginning of time. (Exodus 9:12; Romans 1:24-28; 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-12) After the Mark of the Beast is taken in Revelation 13, you have made a permanent choice. He is loving, but He is no fool and He will not be mocked. He wants you! He really does. But decide soon, it is in your own best interest. And you do not know when the moment will come that He chooses that it is time to give you over to your unbelief.
I hear all day every, day that non-believers want evidence. "Show me the proof!" they cry. But when Jesus first came, "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him." (John 12:37). Now is the time for faith, not sight.
What this means for you, non-believer, is to examine your beliefs about Jesus. Do you believe He is the risen Savior? Do you even believe in sins? Do you believe you commit them, and that they are crimes against God? Do you believe you qualify for heaven? If so, on what basis? Do you have faith that if you confess your sin-crimes, that Jesus will forgive them? These earthquakes and tsunamis and radiation poisonings and droughts and wars are happening for a reason. It is not normal, and in your heart of hearts you know this. You secretly wonder, what is happening? Could those Christians be right? We are right. Because Jesus is right.
For the believer, we need to rely on Him for strength. We cannot know what will happen next. His ways are so far above our ways. We know that there will be earthquakes, as He told us, and we think that is easily understood. On one level, it is. But on another level, it isn't. Who could have understood the magnitudinal effects of a 9.0 on Japan and the continually unfolding effects on an fallen world? Not me. I am in awe. Friends, keep the faith, and expect the unexpected. Our God is The Ancient of Days, the Great I AM, and He who is so far above us in thought and ways, came down to us once, and He will come down to get us again. May His name be forever praised!
--The man in Mark 2:1-12 expected healing but his sins were forgiven also.
--In Luke 5:1-11 the disciples went to sea and expected an ordinary day of fishing, but they met the Savior.
--A widow was expected to bury her own son, but Jesus restored her son to life. (Luke 7:11-17)
--The disciples thought the crowd should be sent home because there was no food, but Jesus used a small meal to serve thousands, and there were leftovers! (John 6:1-15)
--The people expected for a political leader to overthrow Rome's control, but Jesus offered them a spiritual, eternal kingdom instead that overthrew sin's control (Gospels)
--The disciples wanted to eat the Passover meal next to Jesus, their Master, but unexpectedly Jesus washed their feet instead- showing that He was also their servant (John 13:1-20)
--The religious leaders wanted Jesus killed and so got their wish, but no one expected the resurrection!! (*note: above synopsis from NIV Life Application Study Bible)
They wanted a lion, but got a lamb. No one expected that Jesus would pause for two thousand years and come to earth TWICE, the first time as a lamb for the slaughter and the second time as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. No one expected the Gentiles to be grafted into the Jewish family tree, and no one expected the rapture doctrine. That was something Paul revealed for the first time in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 and in 1 Corinthians 15:52."For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9).
In this end of the end time, end of the Church Age, end of the days before Judgment, we know some things that will happen. The Lord graciously revealed them to us in the Olivet Discourse, 2Timothy 3, Jude, 2 Peter, Revelation and many other places in the New and the Old testaments. But as His thoughts are above our thoughts, we cannot see around the corners that He sees, we cannot understand how one variable will impact another variable, with what results. Who could foretell the Japan situation? It began with a 9.0 earthquake but the nuke reactors were rated up to 7.2. The tsunami came and the reactors were protected against 2 km waves, but these were 4 km waves. Incredible aftershocks that are major quakes in their own right caused reactor cooling failure. The roof was blown off and this allowed radiation to escape into the atmosphere. The possibility of atmospheric radiation making its way across the Pacific, and if it reaches North American shores, would impact the growing soil and air in fertile fruit and wine producing regions of California. Who could predict that Revelation 6:8's pestilence may be radiation poisoning? Skeptical? The Surgeon General of the United states says that buying iodide pills might not be such a bad idea.
We do know one thing though. And it is expected. The invitation to His cross is not going to be extended forever. There comes a point of no return in each person's life when He hardens their hearts. This is not a vengeful act, it simply is an act that confirms the person's choice. This has been true since the beginning of time. (Exodus 9:12; Romans 1:24-28; 2 Thessalonians 2: 8-12) After the Mark of the Beast is taken in Revelation 13, you have made a permanent choice. He is loving, but He is no fool and He will not be mocked. He wants you! He really does. But decide soon, it is in your own best interest. And you do not know when the moment will come that He chooses that it is time to give you over to your unbelief.
I hear all day every, day that non-believers want evidence. "Show me the proof!" they cry. But when Jesus first came, "But though He had performed so many signs before them, yet they were not believing in Him." (John 12:37). Now is the time for faith, not sight.
What this means for you, non-believer, is to examine your beliefs about Jesus. Do you believe He is the risen Savior? Do you even believe in sins? Do you believe you commit them, and that they are crimes against God? Do you believe you qualify for heaven? If so, on what basis? Do you have faith that if you confess your sin-crimes, that Jesus will forgive them? These earthquakes and tsunamis and radiation poisonings and droughts and wars are happening for a reason. It is not normal, and in your heart of hearts you know this. You secretly wonder, what is happening? Could those Christians be right? We are right. Because Jesus is right.
For the believer, we need to rely on Him for strength. We cannot know what will happen next. His ways are so far above our ways. We know that there will be earthquakes, as He told us, and we think that is easily understood. On one level, it is. But on another level, it isn't. Who could have understood the magnitudinal effects of a 9.0 on Japan and the continually unfolding effects on an fallen world? Not me. I am in awe. Friends, keep the faith, and expect the unexpected. Our God is The Ancient of Days, the Great I AM, and He who is so far above us in thought and ways, came down to us once, and He will come down to get us again. May His name be forever praised!
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WOW Elizabeth! Preach! That was such a powerful word...I've never ever thought of Jesus in that way. Really powerful.
ReplyDeleteWe are truly at a crossroads right now and you are right, those that ask for signs will not get one until they take a single step of faith toward Jesus and He's seriously waiting with open arms! I was one of those people and it was being in a desolate place mentally and emotionally that pushed me to take a step of faith. Honestly, people either harden their hearts to God, get a bit closer to God or completely turn to Him. It will take the complete desolation left by the rapture/tribulation for some to turn their hearts to God and it will also take the same thing for others to completely harden their hearts to Yahweh. I remember reading Revelation when I was younger and I was of course just blown away and simultaneously confused beyond belief about what I was reading. Anyway, the thing that made NO sense to me was how people could have all these things happening and still shake their fists at God (There will be no atheists in the midst of the tribulation!) and not repent...but now I get it and we are seeing it already happen.
I don't know if this is good and even though I try to share the gospel, I'm glad we'll have no recollection of life on earth. I would not want to remember all that will perish because they did not have Christ. I'm not going to let myself fall into universalism or anything but I can see why in times like this people do not want to believe that SO MANY PEOPLE will be living an eternity in the lake of fire completely devoid of God's presence. Our human minds just can't wrap anything around it but Christ was way ahead of us and said narrow is the way. Like you said though, His ways are far above mine and I put my trust in Him because he turned my life around and EVERY promise in His word has come to pass in my life. When I yield to Him, supernatural things happen so I cannot pick and choose what I want Him to be in complete delusion just to please my current existence. It's really sad that so many are right now.
Anyway, you are so right; we need to ONLY look to God right now who is in PERFECT control. I loved that song you posted this weekend, it’s been stuck in my mind the past couple of days. Solid Rock came into my mind after reading your post though.
“On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand”
Thank you ANonymous, for your comments :)
ReplyDeleteYou're right, I did not understand at first how people could NOT be aware that it's God and not something really, really bad that will right itself in the end. If you notice the last lines of Rev 6, people are aware it's God and say it is His wrath. In the end of the judgments, they STILL know it is God, because they blaspheme Him, (Rev 16:21). By then, of course, their hearts are hardened so much that they hate Him, and even are deluded enough to think they can overcome Him at Armageddon. That was satan, convincing the nations that he is the good guy and Jesus is the bad guy.
What all that adds up to is a waste and a shame, I mourn for their foolishness, but it also points to the time of no return. They are too entrenched in their hate and blasphemy to ever turn back. God lets it take its natural course.
I am SOO glad you put every trust in Him! I do too. He is the ONLY worthy one.
Wow...I've been following the Seismic Monitor at this site: http://www.iris.edu/seismon/ and i've been noticing that there are many earthquakes happening today across the globe...I'm thinking the great earthquake of the tribulation is near or there is definitly signs of it coming. Man...I hope I am seeing the signs correctly, if not, then I'm just hyping something that doesn't need to be hyped about.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the order of these three events?
ReplyDelete- Destruction of Israel
- Rapture
- The Great Earthquake
-Rapture first
ReplyDelete-Destruction of Israel: not gonna happen. BUT...
The Gog-Magog battle: Russia/Iran/Libya etc make a stab at it. But God supernaturally saves Israel at the last second, and it is this salvation of the nation that causes Israelis to renew their covenant with God, and claim Him. Since this resumes the Old Covenant, stopped 7 years before the end of the decree, the church has to be gone at least by the conclusion of Gog/Magog, if not before.
--Great Earthquake
that's in Rev 6:12. The wrath is not poured out onto the Church so we will be gone when this happens.
So; rapture, then Gog-Magog battle clicks on the Tribulation, Great Earthquake concludes seal judgments
William, thanks for the link of the seismic monitor.
ReplyDeleteMark 13:8 records Jesus saying that there will be earthquakes in diverse places as part of the end time signs. There will be many quakes, and since the signs are likened to birth pangs, we know from the process of childbirth that the contractions get more frequent, more intense and more painful as the birth nears. The Great Earthquake will not occur until after the church is gone, that is the final Seal Judgment recorded in Revelation 6:12-17:
"There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red, 13and the stars in the sky fell to earth, as late figs drop from a fig tree when shaken by a strong wind. 14The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.
15Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16They called to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”.,