Tag: Jesus' return

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.

by Categories: Face Fear, FAITH, God, Improvement, Letting Go, Love, Make It Count, priorities, RELATIONSHIPSTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a comment