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Simple Bible Answers - A web site to further understand the Word of God.
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Are we in the End times?
Q. Are we in the end times? Q. Are there signs that we have entered the end times? Q. Isn’t it wrong to try and guess when the end times
are? Q. How should we live if it is getting close to the end?
Man has been thinking that we are in the end times, or that we are just about to enter them, from the time that Jesus was here, and before. When Jesus was here that was as close to the end, then at any time, till now. Jesus came with a valid offer, and the Jews rejected it (Jn 19:15). Moses and Elijah showed up (the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3-6)) and they had to be sent back because Israel wasn’t ready for their Messiah (Matt. 17:3-13). God knew they wouldn’t (but they had full freedom to accept) and used their rejection to reconcile the rest of the world. If they had accepted their Messiah, Jesus more then likely would have started His rule after a tribulation period with Rome, and the rest of the world. The devil didn’t understand this and must have thought that if he could have Jesus killed, God’s plan would fall apart. The devil didn’t see the plan of Salvation in the death of Jesus, and was more then happy to help. Remember the devil is not all powerful, or all knowing, nor can he understand the Bible any better then man. In fact since the Holy Spirit helps the saved to understand the Word of God, most Christians will have a easier time then him. Any gifted teacher in prophecy that is out there today, can almost count on visits from his gang. They are looking for insight into Gods plan just as much as man. That is some of the reason times, dates, names, and details will remain veiled till they happen. But there is a wealth of information that is allowed. Like I said people have been predicting the end, from the beginning of the New Testament writings. Paul wrote words of assurance at times because some were concerned that they had missed the rapture (2 Thess. 2:1-17). John wrote one of the main books about the end (Revelations) around 90 A.D., but there were Christians that believed they were in the tribulation before the writing. The destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. signaled, for even others, the start of the end. 70 A.D. is a key year for many on their end time beliefs. A number of different faiths, and end time scholars, point to this as the beginning of the Kingdom Age. This is flawed on many levels. The reason they believe this is pride; they feel the church has replaced Israel. That belief came because the church didn’t believe the Jews could ever regroup and form the state of Israel. The church didn’t take God at His Word, as far as they were concerned the Jews were a lost race that was out of Gods plan. One would think that these churches would have dropped this belief when Israel was reborn, but they haven’t. They believe God must be wrong because they could never be (if you don't believe the Word as written, you don't believe God). They have pride. Pride that Christians are better then the Jews (they were Christ killers after all, never mind the fact that gentiles had their hands in it, or the fact that Jesus gave His life, no one took it). Pride that they couldn’t have been wrong. Pride they know the truth, pride that only they know the will of God. It’s time for those churches to drop their pride, and reevaluate some of their teachings, or at least admit they may be mistaken. If Jesus did come back in 70 A.D. He sure didn’t show up as the Bible said He would. No writing from that time eludes to Him showing up. His second coming is to be as the Lion of Judah (Rev. 5:5). If coming as the Lamb of God turned the world on it’s head, I would think coming as a Lion would have left somewhat of a impression. If 70 A.D. was to be the Millennium age, then why has it been 2000 years since then? The age is only a 1000 years (Rev. 20:2). The Millennium is to be a age that Jesus will rule from Jerusalem. If this world is now under the “Iron Rod” (Rev. 2:26-27) of Jesus, then I pray that we never see Him, rule us under a velvet glove. If this is the Millennium, and Jesus is ruling us by way of the church, then the Bible has over sold the whole concept of what it would be like. After the 1000 years we were to get the “New Heaven and New Earth” (Rev. 21:1-2). Is this it? Starbucks, 7-11’s, Wal-mart’s and banks? The loin was to lay down with the lamb, not to many shepherds I have knowledge of, are herding the two together. All the film coverage from the middle east leads me to believe not many swords have been beaten into plow shears either. To make the 70 A.D. date work requires more juggling of Gods word then one would see in the center ring of the Ringling circus. Gods’ word to the Jews, is for the Jews. His Words to the Church, are for the Church. There is great knowledge to be gained from all His Word but we must keep it straight. Another thing they do is spiritualize Gods Word to the point that none of it can be taken at face value. Yes Revelations has a lot of imagines in it (7 scrolls, 7 bowls, etc.), but facts are stated as facts. 1000 years is 1000 years. 7 years are 7 years, 1/3 is a 1/3, the 12 tribes are the 12 tribes, and sorry to say (for some of you), 144,000 Jews ARE 144,000 Jews (after all the Word even lists the tribe names (Rev. 7:4-8)). They aren’t witnesses, Christians, or anybody else but Jews…live with it. Again much of this is because the early church couldn’t phantom how Israel could rise from the ashes of world history. No other nation ever returned from such a complete decimation. But no other nation has been God’s chosen people. The church made the mistake of underestimating God, never a wise decision. God said it would happen, I have found He hasn’t been wrong in the past, no reason to believe He’ll get it wrong now. Every age has thought they were in the end times. Every new war, famine, nation change, scientific advance has lead someone to head to the mountains. But not till Israel was reborn could the end come. The reformation of the Jews homeland restarted God’s time clock. What is going to happen now will pick up in speed. Hang on world, your about to partake on the ride of your life. In Revelations Jesus tells us to be ready because “I am coming quickly” (Rev. 22:20). Quickly here isn’t a good choice of words. It gives the impression that after the writing the time of His return would be short. The word interpreted “quickly” has little to do with time span, this time. The word in Greek is "tachu". It has two meanings, here it means suddenly or by surprise. We might say “be prepared for I will come out of the blue”. When He comes it will be as if you turned around and... “hello”! There are many signs, but I have another page for most of them, here we’ll just cover just a few. God predicted Israel would reform. Ezekiel told of the dry bones reforming (Ezek.37:1-14). Israel is now standing but hasn’t put on the flesh of God yet. They have returned but, for most, their religion is a tradition, something that has bound them together, a common belief, but they have forgotten God in most of it. The synagogue is more a social event, a way to pass on traditions, history, customs, and a way to bind them. The love for God that the Jews have, has been channeled to a pride, and defense, of being a Jew, more then to God. There are Jews that do strive to follow the law, and in that, express their love for God. In Israel they are the minority. Israel at this time is a secular county built because of common religionist traditions. God knew what He was doing in picking the Jews as His chosen people. The Jews were (and many still are) faithful in those traditions, and the keeping of God’s Word (Old Testament). They just don’t understand what the meaning of the actions, in their traditions, mean. The Seder dinner has the Lord Jesus' stamp all over it, yet they don’t see it. God has veiled their eyes for the sake of the rest of us, so we too could join them in the family of God. Soon the veil will be lifted, and after they get over the shock and regret of all the wasted time, and missed birth rights of being Gods chosen people, the world will see a new Israel. A 144,000 Jews will see the truth, that sift necked, tenacious, mono-optic qualities that have so represented the Jews will be funneled into support of their Messiah (our Christ), and those who they convert may die spreading the Word (Rev. 14:1-5). The world will see just what some of His chosen people can do when they have turned their faces back to Him. Not all will turn back, just some. The faithful remnant that lives though the tribulation will finally take their rightful inheritance. No other people, or race, could ever take the place of the Jews. The churches that feel they have replaced Israel need to drop that idea, or be doomed to never fully understanding much of God’s prophesies. That being said you may ask what’s the big deal? Why is it so important that it’s Jews, and not the church? Every generation in the past that predicted the end was near, had to over look that fact. But Gods Word tells us the generation that witnessed this rebirth of Israel wouldn’t pass away without seeing the return of Jesus. The Bibles time line has always, and is still, been centered around the Hebrew race. The Israel to come, the Israel at that time, the Israel that was, and the Israel that will be. At one time in America there was a saying “as goes G.M., so goes the nation”. You could tell the state of the nation by the state of, and what was happening, at General Motors. It’s a little like that with Israel and the world. "As goes Israel, so goes the world", just check the papers. Gods hand is still dealing with Israel. They are His chosen people and the world should mind what they do. I’m a father and if, when my kids were small, I spanked them, that was my right, but the Lord have mercy on anyone else. The Jews have been spanked a lot by the Father, He doesn’t need our help. The Jews, as a people, took a lot of wrath for the sake of all nations. It’s an honor to be Gods chosen people, but that honor comes with a price. Now that Israel, as a nation, is back (in location, not faith) we need to know what a generation is, in this sense. Love to help you on that one, but I can’t. Many have predicted 20, 40, 80, 900+ years, and a whole host of other numbers. They base it on how long the Jews were in the wilderness under Moses, the age of Christ when He died, the age of Methuselah, any number of times to fit whatever outcome they were trying to present. Since knowing the actual length that this generation would live before the tribulation started would be date setting, we aren’t going to go there. But we can discuss the length of a generation, and in that know if we are in the “season”. The old saying “fools go where Angels fear to tread” may be appropriate here. Let me venture into this mess with my own idea, and show you what a fool I am. Before a "foreshadowing" of the rapture (the flood of Noah), God said He would suffer man no more then a 120 years (Gen. 6:3). This may seem a long time to be considered a generation but because of environmental conditions, at that time, people were living up to the 1000 year mark. 120 years was a big cut in mans age span. He would suffer man no more then that, not that He wouldn’t suffer him less. That was a cap. If we were to take that at face value you have 1948 (reformation of Israel) plus 120, and the cap would be 2068. If the beginning of the tribulation is like the first cloud bust of the flood, then we can subtract 7 years there. That makes 2061. Bear in mind that doesn’t in any way mean that the end starts in 2061, under my way of thinking 2061 is the cap, it could start before you’re done reading this page. What it does, more then likely, mean is all those babies being born today, and much of the kids up to middle school, have a guarantee of being witness to the greatest event since the crucifixion. It will happen in the next fifty odd years, today, tomorrow, next week, next year are also just as likely as 2061. I would say we all are in the end times. Like I said 2061 ( plus or minus a few
years because of disagreements over dates to start counting from) is a cap. If
we go to Psalm 90:10 we have God telling us by way of the psalmist; We can’t set a date because only the Father knows that (and now Jesus because he has returned to his rightful place in Heaven). But Jesus took the people to task for not recognizing the signs (Lk. 12:54-56). God expects us to know the season, and be prepared. We are always to live as if Jesus is to return today, but there has never been a generation that has had more reason then this one. The schools throughout the world have tossed God out; God has been delegated to a simple belief system, for simple people. And the ones that do proclaim a belief in God seriously, have been lead astray to follow some seeker friendly, purpose driven false Jesus (you need to know the real Jesus for Salvation). If you have kids, or grandkids, it’s up to you to teach them. You’re the last generation that can, after you the few that do learn correctly won’t be enough to stem the tide. This upcoming generation is lost but for the few you will teach. And in truth we, and they, are the generation that will see the return; most just won’t know what they’re looking at. Once the rapture happens the Holy Spirit goes with the believers, those who remain will be at the mercy of this world (and this world has no mercy). Anyone you may have taught (and accepted Salvation by faith) will be taken also. After that only those who haven’t had a fair shot at the true Gospel message will have any chance. The 144,000 (Jews) will start a world wide revival, and their converts may have to pay with their lives for the Salvation that we now have offered to us for free. Many of those will die at the hands of the followers, of this, new age false Jesus many churches now teach. Followers of this false Jesus will be set up to accept the anti-Christ as a reincarnated Christ. The rapture will have come, and these people who have head knowledge of it, won’t even know they missed it, nor would anyone be able to convince them they did. The Bible speaks of a delusion that would deceive the elect if that were possible (2 Thess. 2:11). The reason it won’t be possible to deceive the elect, is because the some of the elect won’t be here. Much of the elect will be gone. Now for the rest of the Christian non-elect that are that are left, they will be deceived. They’ll turn on their radios and TV’s, and there will be their favorite preachers still thumping the pulpits, speaking of the return of Jesus. The anti-Christ will fulfill their words. They’ll still speak of how the church has replaced Israel, and how the promises made to the Jews now are for the church. They may still speak of the rapture, and not know it has happened. Without the real Church being here, and with the Holy Spirit having left with them, a wave of self-righteous anti-Semitism will sweep the world. It will be far worst then what the Catholic Church did in the Middle Ages, or what nazi Germany could have hoped for. The purpose driven, seeker friendly crowd will join (by way of out reach's, inter-faith programs and agreements) with the muslins, hindus, and every other faith, under a one world multi-faith one religion flag. That religion with join with the newly formed multi-national (European Union, U.N., North American union, NAFTA, nato, etc) one world government, and they will decide that Israel is the only reason peace can’t be reached in the world. At first the world will try a peace treaty (it always does), and like always it will fall apart. In the name of god, county, and the "good" people of the earth, they will attempt to rid the world of the Jews, once and for all. The mad man who the world thought would be their saving grace (the anti-Christ) will have set himself up as god and ruler, proclaiming it from the rebuilt Temple (those old silly Jews, and their love of that pesky Temple). His head quarters, where else, little Israel. This and much more will happen at the end. This all revolves around the Jews, and without them the end couldn’t happen. The sign that this would start would be the reawakening of the fig tree (Matt. 24:32). It has happened and God promised that this generation would live to see the return.
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Last modified: 12/15/07For a FREE downloadable KJV Bible click here. Opinions or questions: Mail@SimpleBibleAnswers.com
Re:22:18: For I testify unto every man
that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto
these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
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