We continue on in the fourth chapter of Jeremiah. In today's verses, he is in anguish over the devastation that has occured because of the judgement of God for the sins of the people.
19 - 26: " Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins. In an instant my tents are destroyed, my shelter in a moment. How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet? My people are fools; they do not know me. They are senseless children; they have no understanding. They are skilled in doing evil; they know not how to do good. I looked at the earth, and it was formless and empty; and at the heavens, and their light was gone. I looked at the mountains and they were quaking; all the hills were swaying. I looked, and there were no people; every bird in the sky had flown away. I looked, and the fruitful land was a desert; all its towns lay in ruins before the Lord, before his fierce anger".
Many people kind of skip over passages like this in the Old Testament, because they don't see how passages like this can relate to us in our present day. Again, I tell you that the Lord has given us all these tales of history for us to learn by.
Jeremiah says that the devastation was so vast, that the earth seemed to be in its original state. We see in Genesis 1:2, "Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep". How scary that must have been for him to see what was once a beautiful land, be turned into this condition.
How do you see our world today? Do you look around and see as Jeremiah did, the continuing and increasing evil? Does it grieve your heart, as it does mine, to see the conduct of people getting more selfish, more hard in heart?
The Lord allowed the invasion of the enemy in order to bring his people to repentance. He continues to do this throughout time, for the same purpose.
Jesus tells us in the Gospels, and then in the Revelation of John, that we as believers, are to be ready in an instant, for his calling home of the church, which is referred to as the "Rapture". (I Thessalonians 4: 16 - 18 says, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, and with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore, encourage each other with these words.) Another passage that speaks of this snatching away of the church is found in (I Corinthians 15: 51 - 52: "Listen, for I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep(die), but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.)
The world will suddenly be missing millions of people, and many will know what has happened, because they have either heard it in church at some point, but never took the step to receive God's gift of salvation, or they have heard it from those who were believers, trying to witness to them. All of a sudden, it doesn't sound so silly as it did before when they heard it, and they will grieve in heart because they missed their chance. There will be many who have no explantion of what occured, and there will be all kinds of excuses and reasons that will be broadcast around the world.
For those who are not believers at the time of the Rapture, they will still have the chance to get redemption from the Lord during the Tribulation, but they will not have it easy here. They will live in a time when one has to take the mark of the beast in order to buy and sell - they will be martyrs, some being be-headed for their faith in Jesus.
After this occurs, the world will go into what is called "The Tribulation", which will last for a period of 7 years. The judgements during that time will be horrific, much like those we just read in Jeremiah today. There will be plagues, famine, and death all around. This is the time when the Anti-Christ and his false prophet will deceive the world into a false sense of peace, before they show their true colors, and wreak havoc, and evil everywhere.
My reason for telling you this, is so you can make sure you get yourself right with the Lord, and don't have to be around for that time of evil. Put your trust in the Lord Jesus while you have time! All you have to do is confess to him, that you know you are a sinner, and need a Savior. Confess that you trust God in that Jesus was God in the flesh, who came to earth and lived a sinless life, was crucifed and resurrected after three days. He will take over from there, and renew your life.
If you have a Bible, read the books of the Prophets, along with Paul's letters, and the book of Revelation. Ask God to open your eyes and your heart for understanding of the prophecies.
I would also suggest reading a series of fictional books based on this subject, called, "Left Behind". There are 13 books, written by Tim LaHaye, and are a good and easy read, telling the story of what it could be like here on earth after the Rapture of the Church.
With each day, I feel more and more, the urgency to tell everyone about Jesus, and his love for us, and how to recieve his gift of Salvation. I pray for other believers to have the same conviction in their hearts - to reach out to those who are lost, and tell them how to find the One Way, the ONLY way, to God, which is through Christ Jesus. (John 14:6 - Jesus answered, "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.")
Shalom,
Janelle
Showing posts with label Rapture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rapture. Show all posts
Friday, October 17, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Looking Ahead
Today's passage in Jeremiah, chapter 3 gives us a glimpse of the way things will be at the return of Jesus. He is telling them how he so wants them to return to the Lord, and shares with them how things will be in the future, I think as a way to try to get them to leave the evil practices they were still involved in. He shows us the same thing in the Gospels, when presenting Christ to us. He tells us about eternal life through him, and gives us a glimpse of what heaven will be like, and how salvation can even give us a new life here, to prepare for our new life in heaven.
Verses 16 - 17 say,
"In those days, whenyour numbers have greatly increased in the land, men will no longer say, ' The ark of the covenant of the Lord'. It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor another one made. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts".
When Christ returns, the ark of the covenant will not be missed or replaced, for Jesus enthroned will be worshipped in Jerusalem.
The Jews have been looking for their Messiah for centuries. Even though they have had the books of specific details of how to recognize the Messiah, given by the Prophets, they failed to recognize or acknowledge him as the Chosen One when he came the first time.
I watch the news constantly, and there are so many things happening in our world that are exactly what has been foretold by the Prophets and Jesus himself, as how things will be at "the end of the age". They are coming more and more, and closer together, with more intensity - just like Jesus said they would, as he compared events to a woman being in labor. He said that we need to be on the watch, and to read the signs. Many people have different theories on when the rapture of the church will happen - pre tribulation - mid tribulation - post tribulation. I am a believer who thinks this will happen pre-trib. To read more about this subject - go to the new testament, the book of I Corinthians, 15: 31 - 32. Make sure you are ready - for those who are left behind when the church is taken away, will face times so difficult, it's hard for us to imagine.
Janelle
Verses 16 - 17 say,
"In those days, whenyour numbers have greatly increased in the land, men will no longer say, ' The ark of the covenant of the Lord'. It will never enter their minds or be remembered; it will not be missed, nor another one made. At that time they will call Jerusalem The Throne of the Lord, and all nations will gather in Jerusalem to honor the name of the Lord. No longer will they follow the stubbornness of their evil hearts".
When Christ returns, the ark of the covenant will not be missed or replaced, for Jesus enthroned will be worshipped in Jerusalem.
The Jews have been looking for their Messiah for centuries. Even though they have had the books of specific details of how to recognize the Messiah, given by the Prophets, they failed to recognize or acknowledge him as the Chosen One when he came the first time.
I watch the news constantly, and there are so many things happening in our world that are exactly what has been foretold by the Prophets and Jesus himself, as how things will be at "the end of the age". They are coming more and more, and closer together, with more intensity - just like Jesus said they would, as he compared events to a woman being in labor. He said that we need to be on the watch, and to read the signs. Many people have different theories on when the rapture of the church will happen - pre tribulation - mid tribulation - post tribulation. I am a believer who thinks this will happen pre-trib. To read more about this subject - go to the new testament, the book of I Corinthians, 15: 31 - 32. Make sure you are ready - for those who are left behind when the church is taken away, will face times so difficult, it's hard for us to imagine.
Janelle
Friday, August 8, 2008
Are You Ready?
Each day, as I sit here in my room where I do my Bible study, my sewing, and anything else that requires a computer, I have on in the background, Fox News.
I like to keep up with current events, and if I weren't a believer, I would be terrified by all the horror and tragedy that is reported day by day. With each passing day, we hear more about wars erupting, strange events in our world's weather patterns, horrific stories of the wickedness of people, and how some are involving so many children in their evil schemes.
The Bible addresses these things all throughout the books written by the Prophets in the Old Testament, as well as Jesus himself addressing these issues in the New Testament. After Jesus' return to Heaven, the apostle Paul and others also wrote about such events happening in the world to come, and we are seeing this all unfold before our very eyes.
As a believer, I see it happening, and am saddened at the condition our world is in, yet I have no fear - I know that I know that I know that these things are the forerunners of the return of Jesus.
In the NT, the book of Matthew 24, Jesus is telling us in detail, what to look out for before his return. I will touch on a few verses, but I encourage you to read the chapter in it's entireity. Beginning with verse 4: "Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one decieves you. For many will come in my namd, claiming 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pains".
How many false "Christs" have we seen pop up on the scene in our generation? How many wars has our generation seen? How often do we hear about the world's problem of hunger, the more frequent events such as earthquakes, storms and such? Note where the Lord called them "birth pains". Every woman who has ever gone through the birth of a child, and every man who has witnessed this event, knows that the closer the time for the birth - the more frequent, and the more intense the pains of labor occur.
Now going over to the book of I Thessalonians Chapter 4, the apostle Paul tells us again what to look for before the Lord Jesus returns. First, he will "come in the air" for his "church", meaning those who are believers in him. Then those who are not believers will be left behind in this world to face the tribulation.
4:15, " According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left til the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede thos who have fallen asleep( dead). For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel Michael, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words".
If you've ever heard the terminology "the Rapture", this is taken from Latin meaning, "caught up".
Skipping down to Chapter 5: 2, "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "peace and safety", destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, let us not be like the others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled".
I think it's spelled out as plain as it can be. It's GOING to happen, and it IS happening before our very eyes, and I pray that if you are one of those who still lives in doubt of these words, who does not know the Lord, that you will search your heart and seek Him to reveal the truth of these words that His Holy Spirit has spoken through Jesus, as well as the others.
There is a series of books written from the late 90's by Tim LaHaye called "Left Behind". There are 13 books, which focus on this subject of the "Rapture" of the church, and a picture of how might possibly be on this earth, once the believers have gone. These books are written as fiction, not "gospel", so it's the author's interpretation of what it might be like - it does gives scriptures in there to reference things, so keep an open Bible along side you when reading them.
I have yet to read the 13th book in the series, as it hasn't been out but a year or so, and is always checked out at the local library - I guess those of us who read the other 12 books and waited so long for the last one to be written, are keeping the copies of it being continually passed around. I am thinking it might be worth just going out and purchasing, then passing it onto others, or donating it to the library, so they'll have additional copies.
Please heed these scriptures! Be alert and BE READY!
I'll close with a verse from the book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible - It is from the final chapter, 22: 20 - 21, "He who testifies to these things says, ' Yes, I am coming soon'. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. AMEN".
Blessings,
Janelle
I like to keep up with current events, and if I weren't a believer, I would be terrified by all the horror and tragedy that is reported day by day. With each passing day, we hear more about wars erupting, strange events in our world's weather patterns, horrific stories of the wickedness of people, and how some are involving so many children in their evil schemes.
The Bible addresses these things all throughout the books written by the Prophets in the Old Testament, as well as Jesus himself addressing these issues in the New Testament. After Jesus' return to Heaven, the apostle Paul and others also wrote about such events happening in the world to come, and we are seeing this all unfold before our very eyes.
As a believer, I see it happening, and am saddened at the condition our world is in, yet I have no fear - I know that I know that I know that these things are the forerunners of the return of Jesus.
In the NT, the book of Matthew 24, Jesus is telling us in detail, what to look out for before his return. I will touch on a few verses, but I encourage you to read the chapter in it's entireity. Beginning with verse 4: "Jesus answered, "Watch out that no one decieves you. For many will come in my namd, claiming 'I am the Christ', and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of the birth pains".
How many false "Christs" have we seen pop up on the scene in our generation? How many wars has our generation seen? How often do we hear about the world's problem of hunger, the more frequent events such as earthquakes, storms and such? Note where the Lord called them "birth pains". Every woman who has ever gone through the birth of a child, and every man who has witnessed this event, knows that the closer the time for the birth - the more frequent, and the more intense the pains of labor occur.
Now going over to the book of I Thessalonians Chapter 4, the apostle Paul tells us again what to look for before the Lord Jesus returns. First, he will "come in the air" for his "church", meaning those who are believers in him. Then those who are not believers will be left behind in this world to face the tribulation.
4:15, " According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left til the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede thos who have fallen asleep( dead). For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel Michael, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words".
If you've ever heard the terminology "the Rapture", this is taken from Latin meaning, "caught up".
Skipping down to Chapter 5: 2, "For you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "peace and safety", destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So then, let us not be like the others who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled".
I think it's spelled out as plain as it can be. It's GOING to happen, and it IS happening before our very eyes, and I pray that if you are one of those who still lives in doubt of these words, who does not know the Lord, that you will search your heart and seek Him to reveal the truth of these words that His Holy Spirit has spoken through Jesus, as well as the others.
There is a series of books written from the late 90's by Tim LaHaye called "Left Behind". There are 13 books, which focus on this subject of the "Rapture" of the church, and a picture of how might possibly be on this earth, once the believers have gone. These books are written as fiction, not "gospel", so it's the author's interpretation of what it might be like - it does gives scriptures in there to reference things, so keep an open Bible along side you when reading them.
I have yet to read the 13th book in the series, as it hasn't been out but a year or so, and is always checked out at the local library - I guess those of us who read the other 12 books and waited so long for the last one to be written, are keeping the copies of it being continually passed around. I am thinking it might be worth just going out and purchasing, then passing it onto others, or donating it to the library, so they'll have additional copies.
Please heed these scriptures! Be alert and BE READY!
I'll close with a verse from the book of Revelation, the final book of the Bible - It is from the final chapter, 22: 20 - 21, "He who testifies to these things says, ' Yes, I am coming soon'. Amen. Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. AMEN".
Blessings,
Janelle
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