Lots of people are curious about the endtime. Some care what the Bible has to say on the matter. Other Christians say it does not matter. Or that we do not have to worry about it if we are saved. While I agree with both somewhat, it is not something to be ignored either. If it is not important why did Jesus make several comments concerning it. When he was nearing the end of his life he took the time to lay out a lot of details of things that would happen in that time. His disciples also mentioned it many times. In fact the whole last book of the New Testament deals with the subject almost exclusively. There are two verses I find in the Bible that I think make the matter pertinent to this day and age. Several other verses speak directly into this day and age. Hopefully I can explain them in a way the average person can understand. Many of the unsaved and others I have had fellowship with over the years spoke to me mainly because that was a subject that they were worried about.
Opening the door to a conversation is one of the good points of knowing what the Bible says about the endtime. The first two verses I intend to quote give very strong reasons for understanding what the Bible says. The first, Hosea said it the best. "My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge." That is what God supposedly said. He did not say the heathens or the lost are destroyed. He said "MY PEOPLE." So knowing God's Word can save us from destruction. That is not me speaking it is the Bible. That makes it a pretty good reason. The second is much like it. In Luke 12:56 Jesus said, "Ye hypocrites, Ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth: how is it that you do not discern this time." He said clearly they should have understood the time. All they had to do was look around themselves and read the scriptures which would tell them what was happening. However in Matthew, Jesus gives some very clear warnings if people will only listen to what he is saying.
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be."
Jesus makes it clear there will be things we can observe. They will be marrying and drinking just as they were in the days of Noah. He makes clear nobody got it in the time of Noah either, until Noah entered the Ark. He makes it clear that it will be the same when he comes back. Jesus is the Incarnate Word of God, what does the Word say was happening at that time.
" And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. "
At the time of Noah men were living for hundreds of years. Not just a hundred as is now the case if you are lucky enough. The key point in this scripture is that wickedness was great in the earth, men thought of evil continually. Verses 11 and 12 say it plainly that there was violence and corrupted flesh. Those things are what we read about daily and see in the news.
In the 24th Chapter of Matthew and the 21st Chapter of Luke Jesus lays out for his disciples the things to watch out for. The things that will be happening in the endtime. In Matthew 24:6 Jesus starts off by telling his disciples, "You shall hear" However when he gets to verse 15 he changes it to "You shall see." Is that just a figure of speech. I think not. I have a reason for not thinking it is and accident. In Revelation 11 it lays out the story of two witnesses to the endtimes. They are supposed to prophesy for 3 and 1/2 years and then they will be slain. That is when it gets interesting. Verse 8 sets the location as Jerusalem. Verses 9 ans 10 describe what is going on. It says " the peoples and kindreds and tongues, and nations shall "see" them dead in the streets. And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry and shall send gifts one to another. because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt upon the earth. After three days and a half the spirit of God entered them. They stood upon there feet and ascended into heaven. It says great fear fell on them who saw it. I bet it did. What could two prophets do to the whole world. They told them where they were headed if they did not change there ways I imagine. That would terrify any reasonable person. The point of telling that scripture is this. That scripture could not have been fulfilled till the last few years. The advent of worldwide satellite technology make it possible for people all over the world to "see" what was happening. Also the fact that people were sending gifts to each other. That implies it was not just the local people who knew about it and saw it. In three days at the time the prophecy was made seventy five miles would have been the average distance traveled in that time. It definitely implies greater mobility. Which leads me to my final Bible quotes that say we are in the end time
In the book of Daniel another book that has a lot to say about the endtime. Chapter 12:4 the Angel told Daniel to close up his book and seal it till the time of the end. It also says in the time of the end two things shall happen. "People shall go to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Well anyone can see the explosion of knowledge that has taken place over the last few years. Also people definitely to go to and fro all over the earth. Hopefully I have made my point. As I am able it is my goal to lay out an endtime Bible study that reinforces and explains other reasons to believe we are in the end time. Why should you care? Well it might help you make the decision to give your life to the Lord. If you already have it might help you to make changes in your life and live like it.
One of the events that is explained in the old testament is in the book of Micah in the 5th through the 7th Chapters it says that the Jews will be dispersed among the Gentiles for a period of time. However Jesus said in Luke Chapter 21:24 that the Jews would be dispersed till the time of the Gentiles was fulfilled. Well when the Jews returned to "their" land that completed the time of the Gentiles. When you look at the Bible from the historical point of view. It was roughly 2000 years from Adam till Abramham. It was also about 2000 years from Abraham to Jesus. Then finally it has been 2000 years from the time of Jesus till now. In 2nd Peter Chapter 3 and verse 8 it says. " A day with the Lord is as a thousand years. Based on that verse mankind has been around for about six days. The seventh day is the Lords Day. It is the period of the 1000 year reign of Christ on earth.
Hopefully I will be able to lay out and show people how all the prophecies of the Old Testament point to the end time. How if we really study and look at the Bible we are at that point. The time is definitely ripe for the second coming of Christ. My writing will lay out several prior periods of time. Certain events that occurred in each time period. Events that foreshadow things happening in this day and age. The key thing is that it is the Bible showing the events not me. All I am doing is putting them together in a way I hope opens peoples eyes. My goal is for this all to make sense to those who take the time to read it. Hopefully I will be blogging on this subject at least one day a week. Laying out what I have studied and understand it to mean. Till then keep looking up.
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