FINAL HOURS....WATCH NOT SCOFF
How much time do we have left until Jesus Christ returns from heaven to take us out at the rapture? Although, we cannot know the exact date of His return, the signs are so abundant about us that we know that we must be near.
Is it wrong to speculate as long as we don't set a date for the Lord's return? I don't believe so! God tells us in His Word, "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom (Psalms 90:12)." As we look at the signs of the times and then speculate, we realize that we may not have much time left.
Certainly, there is an abundance of verses that tell us that we should be watching and alert to the signs of His Coming. The Scriptures clearly teach that the Day of the LORD (tribulation period and millennium) should not catch us believers by surprise. "But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief (I Thessalonians 5:4)." Because we have the Scriptures and God has set down so many things to look for, we should be fully aware of the nearness of His Coming.
I honestly do not think Jesus gets all upset about anyone trying to speculate when He will return anymore than a betrothed man will get upset when his bride speculates when he will come to elope with her.
Nevertheless, I do know that certain men do get extremely excited when someone speculates about when Jesus will return. If that date projection comes and goes they like to call them false prophets or false teachers. Sometimes the reason they do is because they themselves once put too much stock in someone speculation and sold the farm or they say they know someone who did. Now they have a vendetta against all watchmen because someone they knew believed the teachings of a cult.
Why tell believers to look up when you see the signs if there is nothing to see (Lk 21:28)? Hebrews tells us not to forsake the assembling together and so much more as you see the day approaching (Heb 10:25). If we cannot see the day approaching, what is the point of this passage saying that we can? Elijah knew when the Lord was coming to take him to Heaven and also told Elisha?
Jesus said to the Church at Sardis "therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev 3:3). Conversely then, the passage implies that there will be those that are watching and that they would know when Jesus was coming. Jesus confirms this with His message to the church at Philadelphia. Jesus said, He will delivered them from the trial that comes on everyone on the earth because they were faithful and watching (Rev 3:10).
There is a huge difference between setting a firm date and talking about the likely season of the second coming of Jesus Christ. So please understand that from the scriptures a reasonable case can be built that the true Church will indeed know the general timing of the second coming of Jesus. So in spite of the passages that say no one knows the exact day or hour and that the disciples living in Jesus' time would not be told when the Jewish Kingdom would be restored, I believe it would be wrong to say that the Church will be in darkness about the second coming of Jesus Christ.
I believe there is more danger in NOT WATCHING, then to be one who goes around
beating his fellow servants .....with his tongue, every time someone SPECULATES, for
good reason that Christ may come soon...maybe even on a feast day.
Technically, we cannot know the day or hour because of time changes in the world.
I recently read a post where a guy writes, “HERE WE GO AGAIN. A NEW ROUND OF
DATE-SETTING THEORIES POPPING UP LIKE BAD PENNIES” ETC., ETC.
http://www.aoreport.com/mag/index.php?option=com_content&task...
He says, as I do, that the idea of the “theory” that the Lord might return on a particular
feast day has merit, and the idea is worthy of strong consideration, but he goes ballistic on
his fellow servants with his tongue.....coming close to crying my Lord delays his coming,
and goes on to give the 39 less one with his tongue, practically calling them heritics
for WATCHING.
I believe there is much more danger in NOT WATCHING then those whom are
HOT and not lukewarm.....who may error but are Watching as the Lord said to do.
When He comes be caught watching and not beating your fellow servants....with your
tongue.
Don't be bothered too much about being wrong! It just makes us ALL study the Scriptures more closely, and rise to a higher level of watchfulness and readiness. The rapture is NOT A SECRET, but it certainly IS A SURPRISE to those not WATCHING . The rapture certainly will happen because Jesus promised it to us, and He WILL NOT FAIL US!
I for one, very much believe their heart is in the right place, and you are NOT leading anyone astray just because you are wrong about something. Look how many people will not express an educated opinion because they are afraid of being wrong and ridiculed by scoffers.
I believe Jesus did not give us complete and exact information in the Scriptures for the very reason that He knew that we like to solve a mystery, and that would keep us studying His Word right up to the time of the rapture of His Church to Heaven.
Come Lord Jesus!
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