LEARNING DAILY

Revelation 1:7, Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of Him. Even so. Amen.

Pastor Ed Newton continued his message by saying, “The return of Jesus is going to be visible.” The return of Jesus is going to consist of two events – the rapture of the church and the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. In the rapture, all Believers [and only Believers] will “go up” to meet Him in the clouds; this will occur when the horn (the shofar?) is blown. Be ready. Be listening. There are three thoughts on when the rapture will occur – before the tribulation, mid-tribulation, and post tribulation. I believe the rapture will occur before the tribulation!

All Believers will come down to earth when King Jesus returns. He will be riding on a white horse, coming in righteousness to judge and make war on the Antichrist and his followers; the whole world will see His return (Revelation 19:11-16).

I have recently addressed that no one knows the time or day of Jesus’ return. Pastor clearly stated the reason for this is to prevent idleness on the part of the Believer. If they knew the time and date, people would not live holy lives until just before Jesus returned. He wants us to live righteous and holy lives right now (EN).

The disciples said, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign when all these things are about to be accomplished?" (Mark 13:4 and from the Listener Guide). Jesus did not tell them when, but He did give indicators or descriptions of the times when His return was near. I am going to list what Pastor had on the Listener Guide; I want you to just take a moment with each to consider if we are in those times. One world government – “peace, provision, and protection being promised” (EN). Think about United Nation’s organizations during covid. How easy was it to shut down government, the economy, and bring regulations to people’s lives. Think about the economy today and the ability to buy and sell. Have you heard any talk of one world currency? What about digital money or just getting rid of money and using cards or apps on the phone you use? Think about the talk regarding biometrics that would “be easier, more convenient forms of identification for buying and selling (Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13:16-18)?

Pastor mentioned the “groaning of creation and culture.” That includes the geopolitical upheaval in the world, along with war and the rumor of war. Pay attention to what is happening with Russia, China, and Iran regarding the Middle East! Matthew 24:7 continues the groaning of creation by including plagues, famines, and earthquakes. Anyone else thinking about frequency and severity of these happenings around the world? Read again   2 Timothy 3:1-5 and 4:3-4 and consider the thought that “holiness is outdated – you can live like hell and still claim to be a Believer ready for heaven. Consider the belief that you can have Jesus without surrender, forgiveness without repentance, heaven without a cross, love without Lordship, grace with no call to godliness” (EN – he was preaching!). He continued, “Grace gives me the power to look at my sin and stop! Jesus did not call us to discover ourselves; He called us to die to ourselves that He would rule and reign with us. These verses written to Timothy by Paul were written for Church people. There is moral collapse in the pulpit today in the name of cultural relevance, the message of repentance is being replaced by the message of acceptance and affirmation of lifestyle. There is silence on sin because of fear of being called judgmental.

Wake up! Ready or not, Jesus is coming!