Category: Love

Angry with Religion

written by a sinner

My past. Churches and religion were all the same to me: full of righteousness, rules and tradition and I wasn’t, I was the outsider, a little rebellious and the rejected one. I wanted God in my life, but I didn’t want the rejection I felt in the church or through religious doctrine, so I avoided it. You wouldn’t find me reading a bible, I wasn’t that type of person. I wanted to be a “good” person, but if I was honest with myself, I knew I wasn’t. I prayed occasionally but not regularly.

In hindsight. I know now, what I didn’t know then, and life became clear when I finally read the Bible. No one could have reached me the way the Bible did. In fact, I believe it was God who reached me, the first time I was seeking an answer from the Bible, I prayed and asked Him to show me something that would answer my question. I randomly opened the Bible and there was the answer to my question. I believe God answered me. So many of the questions I had about life, situations, afterlife, etc. were eventually answered, but not immediately. I had to read, search, discover and study to find the answers. This was a long process.

Looking back to my “anger” with churches and religion: I was aware of the 10 Commandments but I also saw the hypocrisy, fakeness within the church, it seemed no one was truly living in accordance with them. I must admit no one had been truly unkind to me, and I wasn’t judging others, I was observing. I think it was my own self-conviction, guilt and disappointment in myself that made it so uncomfortable for me to be there. It made me “resentful” in a sense, I knew others were not perfect, but for some reason I felt rejected even though they were included/accepted. This was likely spiritual warfare. I didn’t know about spiritual warfare until I read the Bible, but this could easily be a situation of being attacked spiritually to keep me from being a part of the community, separate me from God. It was so easy to no longer have the obligation of going to church, (that meant more free time to do what I wanted). And that’s how I remained until God shook up my life in many ways (before I read the Bible). Now, I can see others in my former status having the same reaction I had: anger, distancing, intolerance to hear or spend time (in church, studying the Bible, etc.).

The further we get away from God, the easier it is to fill that time with things that take us away from God and the easier it is for evil to influence us. (I saw this following quote from the bible, 3 days after I drafted this- see what I mean about the bible answering questions!)

“The mind governed by the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” Romans 8:7

I’m writing this to reach someone who feels the way as I did (rejected) and who doesn’t know about spiritual warfare. I no longer feel this way- thankfully! But it would have helped me if I had known this.

12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Ephesians 6:12

Please know this happens; allowing evil to misguide us will eventually lead us to a place we don’t want to go Hell/death- eternal separation from God. This is exactly why we need the opposite of “avoiding”. We need God. If the people at church are a deterrent, don’t go, but pray, read and study God’s words which is the Bible (it is spiritually influenced), as often as possible. (If you continue reading the bible, you will eventually become aware that this is not like any other book, and you will see that it is spiritually influenced.) Whenever fear, guilt, shame or disappointment sets in, remember what is in John 3! Know that God loves us and wants us to be in a personal relationship with Him. It is so much better once we cross to the other side (meaning with God and not against Him): there is a feeling of peace in all circumstances.

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How to Prepare for the “Great Tribulation”

Preparation is what enables us to proceed with confidence into “Great Tribulation”. We probably agree that not being prepared is one of life’s greatest regrets, isn’t it? Have you ever thought: “If I only knew _________ before this happened!” What if we are heading into one of the toughest times of our lives in this world, as time moves forward? Do you believe you are prepared today? Don’t make that mistake of being unprepared again, heading into the toughest times ever experienced in the world, get prepared now.

7 Steps to Prepare:

  1. Seek God for Wisdom (Non-Believer): If you don’t know what to say or how to pray, and you’re not sure what you believe, or if you believe, here is an example of what to say: “Dear God, I do not know You. I’m not even sure You exist at this point in my life, but I want to know the truth. If You exist, please allow me to get to know You, please reveal Yourself to me. Please give me wisdom to know the truth. If You reveal Yourself to me, I will in return take action to get to know You better through reading and studying the Bible and will continue to communicate with You through prayer. Please clarify and help me know the truth about Jesus and the Holy Spirit”
  2. Believe. (Keep studying the Bible and praying and the following will become clear to you.) There is one God (who interacts with people in 3 forms: God as the Father, the Son (Jesus, the Messiah) and the Holy Spirit. This one God in all three forms was present before, and during the creation of the earth (and everything on it) and is eternal. You may ask: Why would God be in three forms if there is one God? (There are specific purposes for each form, as humans, I don’t know that any of us have a complete understanding because as Jesus asked, how can I tell you of the spiritual things when we have so much difficulty understanding things of this world). God was physically present with humans in the beginning of the earth and will be physically present with humans in eternity on a new earth, but sin entered the earth through evil spiritual beings (Satan: the Devil and Fallen Angels: Demons-Evil Spirits) and has been destroying all the good that God created. The evil spiritual beings who separated themselves from God are at war with God and are actively influencing us on earth (even today) in an attempt to separate us from God just like they will be separated from God in eternity. Jesus came to earth (Mary gave birth to him, but he was conceived by God’s Spirit- Jesus was more than a man, or Prophet as some may think). Jesus came to fulfill prophecies, let people know about God’s future kingdom and to save all people who believe. Jesus was killed (by crucifixion) by people because of his teachings, but he rose from the dead after being placed in a tomb, he appeared to thousands of people, even ate with some of them so that people would know there is eternity and believers will understand there will be a new bodily, immortal form after death. He did this to reassure people of his teachings and to reveal God, and most importantly to serve as the required sacrifice (making atonement, purifying believers) so that Believers are able to have eternal life with God. He ascended into the clouds after spending time with people and reassured that he would return in the future. When Jesus left, the Holy Spirit was sent to his followers and continues to be sent to current Believers today. Believers who commit to living in accordance with God’s commands and then ask God for the Holy Spirit are given the Holy Spirit. God’s spirit residing in us is what we need to be raised from the dead like Jesus did. If we don’t have God’s spirit residing in us, we will not be raised to be present with God in eternity. The Holy Spirit works in us to prepare us for God’s future Kingdom. This is what we all need right now: the Holy Spirit residing within us. So how do we get it?
  3. Acknowledge our Sin. Everyone sins. The Bible tells us what sin is, it is not rules we, or anyone else, make up. God gave them to us, don’t let anyone twist the truth of the Bible or tell you it is “old fashioned”, “out of date”, etc. God is NOT old fashioned, out of date, He is current, He is living and aware of what each of us say, do and even think. NOTHING is hidden from God. Read the Bible to find out what sin is. Here are a few places in the Bible to know what separates us from God, defined as “sin”: breaking The 10 Commandments (Exodus 20), The Sermon on the Mount (Jesus’ clarification of the Commandments) Matthew 5, and a list of behaviors that will exclude us from eternity with God. (1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians– both are very short books of the Bible with 3-5 brief chapters, it’s worth reading all of it), (1 Corinthians 6), (Revelation 22 – verses 14 and 15)
  4. Repent. After acknowledging our sin and being sorry for it, we need to continually eliminate sin as it enters our life. It’s important to know that we can ask God for His Holy Spirit to help us with this. “What is impossible for us is possible with God.” (Matthew, Mark and Luke documented Jesus saying this)
  5. Get Baptized. This is a public commitment that we believe, we acknowledge our sin, we want to be forgiven and choose to live a new life. This is the affirmation that we are making the transition from an Unbeliever to a Believer. Jesus directed people to be baptized. Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus also mentioned this spiritual rebirth (being born again, meaning a new life with God’s spirit inside us) when he spoke with Nicodemus John 3:1-3
  6. Live according to God’s commands. Abiding in Jesus (through prayer and reading/studying the Bible) and our actions will keep the Holy Spirit with us and be evident to others by our character and way of living. People will be able to recognize those who have the Holy Spirit residing in them and those who do not. Those who have the Holy Spirit residing in them will have eternal life with God. This is how you can tell if the Holy Spirit is residing within someone, they will exhibit these characteristics:
    • love (love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8 Love never fails.)
    • joy (displaying delight, happiness due to knowing God)
    • peace (tranquility, calmness, restfulness)
    • forbearance (patient and restrained, easygoing, forgiving, understanding)
    • kindness (the quality of being friendly, generous, and considerate)
    • goodness (the quality of being morally good or virtuous)
    • faithfulness (the quality of being loyal, dependable, trustworthy; fidelity)
    • gentleness (the quality of being kind, tender, or mild-mannered)
    • self-control (the ability to control oneself, in particular one’s emotions and desires or the expression of them in one’s behavior, especially in difficult situations)

7. Help Others. This is how we LOVE others: by sharing how to prepare for eternal life! Please share this with all the people you love. Don’t leave anyone behind. Jesus said the Greatest Command is to love God with all our hearts, souls and mind and second to that is to love others.

John 14:21

Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

Jesus

This is how we will be prepared to endure through the trials, troubles and tribulation we have throughout our life on earth. Something valuable is worth the preparation. Eternity/immortal life with God is valuable and worth the preparation. Jesus gave us the map, the directions, the guidance, the warnings, and the help through the Holy Spirit- we have all we need to be prepared. Those who prepare will not be caught by surprise “like a thief in the night” when Jesus returns. We need God’s spirit residing in us. We can receive God’s Spirit when we prepare and we will know we have God’s spirit when our lives begin reflecting the behaviors and characteristics listed in #6 above. Jesus did the hardest, truthfully the impossible for us: he made it possible for us to be in eternity. In fact, if we are living righteously (prepared) when Jesus returns, we may not even experience a physical death! All Believers who are living at that time will rise to meet Jesus! (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18)

God is so good to us: He gives us life, He provides everything we need, He gives us an escape from eternal death (made possible through Jesus), He gives us His Spirit to help us prepare, and He has an amazing future prepared for those who believe. EVERYTHING good is from God! When we comprehend this, there is so much to be joyful about! Be confident always! Choose to be a Winner in the most important Event (Eternity) of your life! 1 Corinthians 9:23-25 Be strong and courageous because God is with Believers and there is nothing more powerful than God! Ephesians 6:10-18, Romans 8:38-39

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“Coincidence” – or – We are living in the final 7 years?

(This is a link to the podcast on Spotify for this post, if you prefer to listen.)

Wake Up. When the world took notice of the “pandemic” in 2020, it made me wonder: Is there more significance to this? Affecting the entire world, is this a “wake up” call from God? I think it was. It is now 2022 and the “signs” have not ceased, they have increased. Most who study bible prophecy and are honest about what they discover, will tell you, we won’t know for certain when the final 7 years starts, but approximately 3.5 years into the 7 years, we will know (once the man of lawlessness, AntiChrist, is revealed). Until then we will only see signs, Jesus tells us those signs in Matthew 24.

Preparation Time. I’ve been thinking that we might be in the final 7 years and while the timing of it shouldn’t be our focus, the preparation should. I feel a sense of urgency knowing how long it took me to “get my life in order” (meaning with God). It wasn’t overnight! I can see other people that I care about are just like me before my eyes were opened – so that is what concerns me and brings out this sense of urgency. We may not have much time, but others don’t feel that way or see the urgency like I do. I know I can’t do it for anyone, but I care about them. It is exhausting having conversations when you know that someone doesn’t see it, understand it or doesn’t believe it and I can’t force a belief on anyone, all I can do is pray, which I do. If someone believes, they will take action, if they don’t, they will stay the same. The urgency is always present because we are not guaranteed to live “X” number of years, anything could happen at any time. So the urgency is present whether it is 7 years from now, or if God says our time is up unexpectedly. It is a race against time in that regard.

My Question to God. As I mentioned, it’s not enjoyable telling anyone that there may be a short time before Jesus returns, so I prayed (2/12/22) and asked God if we are in the final 7 years and asked what should I be doing right now? As I’ve done before, in prayer, I ask God about something, then open the bible to see what scripture shows up (it is consistently relevant to me). When I asked the question above, this was the page I opened to:

Then I called my sister and told her what happened and said this doesn’t say anything about the final 7 years so I guess I should back off a bit. But she pointed out, you asked 2 questions: one was is it the final 7 years and the second was what you should be doing. She had a point. So I told her I would try again and let her know.

My answer. I prayed again and asked God to show me something that would let me know if we are in the final 7 years. I didn’t want to affect the outcome of what page was opened (i.e. knowing what part of the bible is Old Testament vs New Testament and turning to a certain area of the Bible influencing the outcome) so I placed the bible on the spine of the book and let it open. Well first, the cover opened and it was a blank page, Second the same think happened, then the 3rd time it opened to Ezekiel 38 (about Gog and Magog). When I saw that I called her again and said this is about the time after Jesus returns, so I guess we are not in the final 7 years. And I went about my day, not giving much more thought to it. But then I watched this video and Amir mentions Ezekiel 38 unfolding! That certainly caught my attention: click here for the video but it was too late at night when I watched it, so I decided I would look into that scripture more the next day, which I did, I searched for studies on God and Magog; I watched this and then re-read the scripture, I can see the third opinion: This war likely will be a long war that could begin before the man of lawlessness is revealed and finish at Armaggedon, when Jesus returns. It was certainly an interesting theory, one that I hadn’t heard before and certainly made turning to Ezekiel 38 more relevant regarding the final 7 years. It seemed to be an affirmation to me. I wouldn’t jump to this conclusion if I didn’t have prior questions answered in this way, some that were future events that occurred the way the scripture indicated, and not the way I hoped it would be. Another point, it’s always God’s will, not ours and no matter what we plan, God’s will/His word, will prevail. This is a humbling experience because we realize we ultimately don’t have control of anything. If you haven’t learned that yet, just wait, you will learn that eventually.

What is next? God doesn’t reveal things without His purpose in mind. As I was reading prior chapters in Ezekiel to get a better understanding, I read Ezekiel 33, verse 6: 6 But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes someone’s life, that person’s life will be taken because of their sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for their blood.’ It made me reflect, I don’t want to be responsible for someone’s demise, if God is showing me this and telling me we are in the final 7 years, I need to communicate this!

All Christians: I think this applies to you right now too: If your eyes are opened to what is going on in the world, use that wisdom to help those who are not yet aware.

Maybe someone will be impacted by what happened to me, maybe by you, or various sources? I know what happened to me a couple days ago, what has happened to me in the past and what time period I believe we are in right now: The End Times. Even if I am wrong, if I misunderstood or let my personal thoughts influence this, the final 7 years doesn’t matter, but preparation does. (Technically there is a benefit to getting right with God sooner than later, you could possibly not die an earthly death, you could ascend to meet Jesus when he returns, but that shouldn’t be the goal, it is just a benefit if a person has prepared prior to Jesus’ return and is living righteously) 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 NOW is the time to prepare, no matter if we are in the final 7 years or if it turns out to be far into the future. Being prepared (spiritually) is the most important thing to do right now. Pray to God, reconcile with God, repair that relationship, ask for His Spirit to guide you daily and give you wisdom and discernment about what is happening right now. If we seek Him, He will reveal Himself in a personal way to each of us. Don’t put this off. What if war happens unexpectedly and somehow you or I am in the area of destruction? Will you be ready? Have you told God you want His presence? Don’t fear what can happen to the body, fear what can happen to your soul. (Matthew 10:28)

God has amazing plans for us in the future, when we become immortal! You don’t want to miss out on this! Revelation 21 and Revelation 22 I can’t wait for this period; I’d like to miss the in between period, but that is not likely!

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12 Questions to answer and find out if you will have eternal life.

Let’s just get to the point. Russia is currently setting up outside Ukraine. China has been threatening Taiwan. Iran is enhancing its nuclear capacity and openly expresses its unacceptance (to put it mildly) of Israel and the United States. The Middle East in general is continuously in some level of conflict.

If you haven’t done this yet, it’s time to make sure your ETERNAL future is in the place of your choosing, because you may not end up where you expect. You need to make a decision and take action now. So here are 12 questions to know where you may end up and find out what you need to do if you don’t get the answer you want:

  1. Do you believe that JESUS is the ONLY way that you can be in eternity with God? (You can’t be “good enough” based on your own actions.) Yes or No?
  2. Are you familiar with the 10 Commandments? Yes or No?
  3. Do you admit that you break God’s commands? Yes or No?
  4. Do you know the following is prohibited by God and those who continually do this (and don’t change these ways) will not enter God’s eternal kingdom? (sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires, greed, theft, lying, slander, “magic” such as seances, astrology, mediums, practice of witchcraft, spiritist, interpreting omens, casting spells, anger, getting drunk, sexual perversion, false teachers of religion, false prophets of religion, pride, a person who stirs up conflict in the community, a person who loves and practices any false teaching, hypocrites, taking advantage of other people, practicing homosexuality, slave traders, anyone who speaks against God’s Spirit (the Holy Spirit), being conceited, prioritizing money or wealth) Yes or No?
  5. Have you rebelled against/sinned against God by doing anything in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  6. Have you asked God for forgiveness and subsequently made an effort to avoid all things listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  7. Have you told God that you want and intend to be obedient to Him by not breaking anything in #3 and #4, even though it is hard to do and you will mess up occasionally, but not regularly? Yes or No?
  8. Do you ask God for forgiveness then change the behavior if, or when, you do anything listed in #3 or #4? Yes or No?
  9. Have you publicly shown your commitment and surrendered to God and without hesitation state your belief in Jesus being the Son of God, the Messiah, who made it possible for you to be in eternity with God by being Baptized? Yes or No?
  10. Have you asked Jesus for God’s spirit (the Holy Spirit) to help you live according to God’s will? Yes or No?
  11. Do you know God personally? Do you have a personal relationship (ie. pray, read the bible, study the bible) with God? Yes or No?
  12. Is the Spirit of God residing in you? Yes or No?

If you honestly answered “Yes” to ALL the questions above, you can know that you will have eternal life with God. If you answered “No” to any of the questions above, then you have work to do if you want eternal life with God.

Here are some (but not all) links to scripture validating the questions above:

  1. John 14:6
  2. 10 Commandments: Exodus 20
  3. We all sin: 1 John 5:17, Romans 3:23, 1John 3:4, John 8:34
  4. Many Verses, Drinking
  5. Mark 21:7, Romans 3:12
  6. Acts 3:19
  7. Matthew 7:21
  8. 1 John 1:9
  9. Get Baptized, Matthew 10:32, Romans 8:2
  10. John 15: 26
  11. Matthew 7:14, Hebrews 8:12
  12. Romans 8:11, 1 John 5:18, 1 Thessalonians 4:8
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The Deity of Jesus Christ

Discussions about Jesus. This was on my mind this morning when I woke up, probably due to recent as well as years ago conversations, all through social media. In person conversations I’ve had typically don’t address the subject of Jesus. I’ve spent time and enjoyed being with people of various faiths: various denominations of Christians, Jews and Muslims. The ones whom I’ve spent time with, are people whose character and friendship I respect, our beliefs didn’t affect our relationship with one another none of us tried to convince the other of anything different regarding our personal beliefs. Was this right or wrong to be this way? Years ago, I think we were taught that faith was a personal choice and along with politics, those topics should always be avoided. Faith being a personal choice IS truth but should it be avoided? I don’t think it should be avoided, IF there is a willingness or curiosity to understand the other view, but it should be avoided IF there is a motive to force a belief on someone else with the attitude of “I’m right, you’re wrong”- that’s not a loving conversation, instead it’s a self-centered approach. We may each have strong beliefs because of many reasons such as: we grew up in the community (that was the first belief we knew) or we had a religious education (years of hearing the religious doctrine) or our family was a devout (whatever religion) person and would be upset if we went against that belief. Those are just some of the thoughts that came to mind, I’m sure there are more reasons. I understand why older generations enforced what they hold as a strong belief: because they believe they are correct and others are wrong and they have the responsibility to raise their children accordingly; that’s what happens when a belief is strong for someone. But at some point in a child’s life, that belief will get questioned, by those with different beliefs, and that is why I’m writing this article. Conversations of differing opinions are beneficial because it gives us the opportunity to exchange ideas, think for ourselves and realize our level of knowledge, understanding and faith in our own personal belief; it causes us to look deeper into our own beliefs and most importantly GROW! It allows us to know what is truly in our “hearts.” It’s an opportunity to pray to God for wisdom and understanding, get closer to God.

The Deity of Jesus. This is the primary separation of beliefs: who is Jesus? Yes, this is a doctrinal belief, but it is more important than tradition, customs or anything related to a specific religious doctrine. As written in the Bible, this belief matters most of all. (If you’re not sure about trusting the Bible, read this)

Why does this matter? Because our belief will have eternal consequences for each of us, personally.

The following are statements revealing who Jesus is, using the Bible as the reference source:

  1. Jesus was involved in the creation of the heavens and the earth. The following is an interesting find (to me) because I grew up Christian and didn’t learn Hebrew, but now with the online translation ability comparing many translated versions of the Bible, we can find clarity with the original words used in scripture: www.blueletterbible.org So when there is a verse that is confusing, it is helpful to use this website, because some concepts do get lost in translation. If I didn’t reference this, I wouldn’t know that in some scripture where it references “God”, the original Hebrew word is “Eloha,” which is singular but in other scripture, the original Hebrew word, “Elohim,” is plural! Genesis 1:1 is the plural version (click on Strong’s column for this additional information). I need to clarify here, that I don’t believe in multiple gods, there is only ONE God, but it is this relationship between God the Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit that is challenging to explain or comprehend. The best way that I can explain this unity is to compare it with a physical, material comparison: a 3-in-1 coat: the outer waterproof shell (layer 1) zips onto an insulated layer (layer 2) and this has a removable fleece liner (layer 3); each piece can function independently or together as one. In Genesis 1:2 the Holy Spirit (God’s spirit), the Hebrew word: “Ruah,” is present. Jesus was with God before the world began also. (John 17:1-5)
  2. Jesus existed before Abraham. (John 8:58) Jesus told this to the Jews.
  3. Jesus is the Messiah (Christ), the Anointed One, the Son of God and is God too (John 1:18). In Psalm 110:1, David says “The Lord (Yehova) says to my Lord (Adonay)” and Jesus points this out to the Pharisees in Matthew 22:41-45, when they say the Messiah is the Son of David and Jesus responds with the quote from Psalm 110:1 asking why would David call his son “Lord”? This point was also made when Jesus was talking with his disciples and asked them who they thought the “Son of Man” is; Peter replied: You are the Messiah, the Son of the Living God.” Jesus told Peter the only way he understood this was from revelation by the Father. (Matthew 18: 13-20) (John 4:25-26)(John 7:25-52) (John 8) (John 10) (John 11:25-27)
  4. Jesus came to fulfill what the Prophets foretold. (Matthew 5:17-20)
  5. God is the Father of Jesus, but Jesus has the authority of judging who will enter Heaven; (Matthew 7:21-22) Jesus gives eternal life. (John 1:1-5, John 4:14, John 6:25-71) (John 14:6-7) The connection between God and Jesus is explained in (John 5:16-47) (John 12:47-49) (John 14:10) (John 14:23-31) (John 16:27-33)
  6. Denying Jesus will exclude us from living in eternity with God. (Matthew 10:32)
  7. Jesus is God’s chosen servant. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy in Isaiah 42:1-4 as explained in Matthew 12: 13-21
  8. Jesus considers those who do the will of God as his brothers and sisters. (Matthew 12: 46-50) We are part of God’s family; his children.
  9. God told people Jesus was his son. Jesus took 3 disciples with him to a high mountain where they witnessed the heavenly splendor of Jesus, saw Moses and Elijah and heard God speak saying: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him! (Matthew 17:1-13) (John 12:27-36) (Mark 1:9-11)
  10. Jesus gave his life as a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:28)
  11. Jesus will return. Jesus replied to those who were going to crucify him when they asked him if he was the Messiah, the Son of God: “From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64) Jesus remained silent during much of the questioning because if he spoke, he may not have been killed. If he was not killed, he wouldn’t have obeyed the Father, and the ransom wouldn’t have been paid. If the ransom was not paid, people would not be saved (have eternal life with God as an immortal beings). No person is righteous enough to be in the presence of God, we are not perfect and perfect is required to be in the presence of Holiness. That is why Jesus was the only one (the only perfect one) who could “pay the ransom” for our lives. The only appropriate response that Jesus could say at that time, was there will be a return! The return is what we await. (Revelation 22:12-20)
  12. Jesus will rule when he returns. Jesus died and resurrected 3 days later, then visited people. Jesus’ message to the original 11 disciples after his resurrection was: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20)
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Is the End of Time near?

Began Questioning. In 2020 this question came to my thoughts for the first time ever. I don’t remember thinking about this before or having any reason to think about this, but 2020 events stood out to me. In 2019 I read the bible for the first time (front to back) so I was familiar with the bible and knew this question was covered in several Old Testament Books (covering the time period of approximately 1900 BC until Jesus was born) and New Testament Books (the story of Jesus and his followers covering the time period up to approximately 95 AD). The entire Bible covers events for approximately 2,000 years in total time.

Researching. I read the relevant scripture in the Bible, found Bible studies on this and listened to several people who have dedicated their “ministry” to learning and understanding the prophecies from a biblical perspective, a few having done this for 40 plus years, not from someone of today’s “dreams or visions,” but what does the Bible say about it? Yes, some people, many people in fact, add their opinions, it’s hard not to do that in order to explain one’s understanding of what they read. So I’ve seen and heard various versions of opinions about the “signs” and whether the end is near and at the beginning 2020, some Christians were skeptical while other Christians were saying there is very little doubt that we are living in the end times.

Various Viewpoints. In 2013, the Washington Times published an article, survey stating that approximately 41% of people they surveyed thought we were living in the end times: 54% Protestants, 77% Evangelicals and 27% Catholics (but the percentage of Catholics grew for the “practicing” Catholics, it went up to 45%) who believed we were living in the end times. What I found interesting is that I did not find a more recent article (from a neutral source- non-religious) than 2013 about this topic. I’m surprised! The exact opposite is true for people of faith who are close to scripture (and I am referring to many faiths, not just Christians): The Jewish are preparing for the coming Messiah, the Muslims are preparing for the Mahdi and coming Messiah and the Christians are preparing for the return of Jesus.

Going to my Source for truth: the Bible. So what does the Bible tell us about the signs? I view the Bible as truth, so unless it’s written in the Bible, it’s an opinion to me. Based on the Bible, the “end times” have been approaching, at a slow rate though, since the days following Jesus’ death and resurrection, so that means we’ve been in this process for a long period. However, the signs appear to be increasing rapidly. When I first wondered in 2020 if the end was truly approaching, I was skeptical too, but equally concerned, enough to motivate me to look into it and I’ve seen nothing but affirmation since then. I tell people if nothing happens by 2023 and things go back to “normal” maybe I’ll change my mind that this is further away than I anticipate, but unless or until there is a significant change from the real events that are happening, I can’t prove otherwise and I believe we are rapidly getting closer to Jesus’ return. Unless there are significant changes in events, I believe this could happen in my lifetime, which is something I never thought I would say. I’ll list the signs and provide the links to scripture:

  • The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 AD (about 40 years after Jesus’ death on the cross)
  • Many will claim to be the Messiah following Jesus (as well as False Prophets): a good way to know if it is the Messiah is if the return is witnessed out of the clouds, not any other way. So anyone who claims to be the Messiah, even if they perform miracles, they are fake unless they arrive out of the clouds and are witnessed by everyone. (That’s a pretty challenging feat, so it should be very easy to know if someone claims to be the Messiah, but Jesus warned that even believers may be deceived, because there will be one who arrives who will be charming and deceptive and convince many.) I’m sure if we searched, we’d find people who had mental issues that made this claim. Besides people claiming to be “the Messiah” there are also “false prophets” which is another reason people need to know what is written in the Bible, look at how many people were destroyed because they believed a person who distorted the truth from the bible in a convincing way such as in Waco Texas 1993, and Charles Manson was another one. These evil cult leaders distorted biblical truths and convinced others.
  • Wars and Rumors of Wars. (This will continue until Jesus returns, the bible tells us we will not have global peace until Jesus rules, after his return. So all of this working hard to reach global peace is futile, we understand this if we look in the bible for truth.)’
  • Famines. (This has also been continuous throughout history and documented in the Bible, so this alone doesn’t necessarily mean the end is near.)
  • Earthquakes. Again they have been occurring throughout history, but something interesting that I discovered is that they have been increasing in numbers of earthquakes over the years. I read an article that stated they were not reporting on this because too many people were getting concerned about this trend.
  • The Gospel will be preached to the whole world. With the ability of the Internet, the Gospel has the ability to circulate to most of the world. Many Christians feel this is their obligation: to share the Gospel (the story of Jesus and the ability for those who want to be “saved” to be saved). Jesus did tell his followers to go and share the “good news” which they did and it continues today through Christians. There is also a verse in Revelation 14:6 that tells us that in the very end, there will be an angel proclaimed to every nation, tribe, language and people, just before judgement. But if you read Revelation, the circumstances at this time are not ones most of us would want to experience. Becoming saved at the end is possible, but not likely due to the impact of evil that will surge. But God does give EVERYONE one last chance.
  • The AntiChrist is revealed. This was first told in the book of Daniel foretold by God’s messenger, the angel Gabriel and Jesus affirms this will happen in the book of Matthew. The Anti-Christ is revealed when he tells the world he is God from the temple (as written in the book of Daniel and by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. The third temple is not built yet, but the Jewish community has plans ready, interior furnishings ready and are waiting for the permission to build it.
  • The Great Tribulation. There will be tough times, greater than have ever been on earth before, but God cuts the time short for this so that all people do not perish (I think the bible means perish eternally, not in a physical sense) The longer this horrible time continues, the more than likely the more people will turn away from God when they are being tested. This repeatedly occurs in the bible: when people are tested they either seek God more or turn away from him. There are many stories in the bible of this. Jesus warned us, when this happens, if we are present, we need to persevere with the knowledge he gave us about this, don’t loose faith.
  • More False Prophets will deceive people during this time. Jesus foretold this.
  • The sun, moon will be darkened and the stars will fall from the sky: Immediately after these signs listed above happen, there will be noticeable “events” in the sky.
  • Jesus returns “arriving on the clouds”
  • The elect will be gathered: this is what people call “the Rapture”- here is a link to more about the Rapture.
  • These are the signs, as told by Jesus that we can look for to know if the End is near. As you can see there are several events that must occur before the end happens. The book of Revelation, as well as other prophets share several events that support this too and I may write about them in a future post, but trust me, or better yet, discover for yourself: none of this should come as a surprise; we were warned in scripture, in advance:

The Lesson of the Fig Tree
(Mark 13:28–31; Luke 21:29–33)

32Now learn this lessone from the fig tree: As soon as its branches become tender and sprout leaves, you know that summer is near. 33So also, when you see all these things, you will know that He is near,f right at the door. 34Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. 35Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.

  • Jesus also told his companions, the disciples, that the end would happen as a surprise to many (those who are not familiar with scripture), there will be some still living the carefree life (but this doesn’t mean they won’t be affected; it will be devastating for them; they will perish). Matthew 24: 36- 51
  • Jesus also warned his companions that people need to prepare, this shouldn’t be dismissed, we have a window of opportunity to get ourselves prepared (acknowledge our ways that need to be changed to live a life God “approves”, make a commitment to change, ask Jesus for help changing and let God know that you’ve made that decision, stick with that decision- don’t fall away), but if we don’t, we face destruction. That window of opportunity is which ever comes first: our physical death or when Jesus returns. Matthew 25: 1-13
  • Jesus wants his followers, the believers to share the Way with other people, not to hoard what they know or keep it a secret, it needs to be shared so others benefit from this amazing gift, treasure: eternity that Jesus told people about. Matthew 25:14-28
  • Judgement will happen following Jesus’ return. Matthew 25:31-46.

All of this above is the signs leading up to and the events that were told by Jesus. We are in the End Times, and we should remain watchful for the future signs, but most importantly we should be prepared and help others to prepare.

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