The Beginning of the End???

> the issue is not if the trumpet will sound, I know it will... the issue
> that seems to divide people is the "when" the last trumpet will sound...

I believe that as Christians we individually and collectively are responsible for asking the question... "Is THAT TIME near"? The Bible tells us that we must be diligent, weary, always on the lookout!

¹ Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers and sisters, you do not need to have anything written to you. ² For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. ³ When they say, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them, as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and there will be no escape! ⁴ But you, beloved, are not in darkness, for that day to surprise you like a thief; ⁵ for you are all children of light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness. ⁶ So then let us not fall asleep as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober; ⁷ for those who sleep sleep at night, and those who are drunk get drunk at night. ⁸ But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, and put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. ⁹ For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, ¹⁰ who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with him. ¹¹ Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing.

1 Thess 5:1-11 (NRSV)

Therefore, nobody knows for sure when that time will come, but as "children of light", we will know! Each and every one of us must ask the question and then look around to ... see if that day is near. We must lookout for our generation's sake. If our lives come to an end prior to that day, then it will be our children that must carry the torch for their own and their children's sake. How will we know? Again, Jesus himself told us:

Parable of the Fig Tree

³² "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. ³⁴ "Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. ³⁵ "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
³⁶ "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. ³⁷ "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. ³⁸ "For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, ³⁹ and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ⁴⁰ "Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. ⁴¹ "Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.

Matt 24:32-41 (NASB)

Here is how I see it. This is my personal view:

Throughout the Old Testament whenever God became enraged with his people, He would punish them by wiping the sinners off of the face of the earth or abandon them for awhile. The Great Flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, Forty Years in the Desert, the rule of the Philistines, Nebuchadnezzar, Ptolemy and the Romans are but a few examples. Eventually, God would always have a "change of heart" and Rescue His People!!!

For nearly the last 2000 years, the Hebrew Nation has been scattered throughout the world. They were persecuted, tortured, burned alive, and of course we had the attempted Genocide during the time of Adolph Hitler. They were a people without a country!!! Prior to 1948, Israel did not exist. Maps of the time showed that country to be Palestine, inhabited by the Palestinians. They were not one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel!!! WHY???

Never in the history of the Hebrew Nation were God's people so harshly punished! Was it because they failed to recognize the great sacrifice that God Himself brought forth to the altar for the forgiveness of their sins? His own son! Their Messiah!! They were looking for "A Knight in Shining Armor" and what they got was a humble, meek, caring, unassuming man with impeccable moral conduct and unwavering convictions about His message. He taught love, empathy, compassion, forgiveness, restraint, unselfishness and kindness. "Love thy enemy", He would say often. Virtues that were foreign to the High Priests and Pharisees, but not to the common man. Hebrews at large welcomed Him, loved Him, believed Him and what He stood for. It was a revolution! Conduct so radically different that the High Priests and Pharisees were suddenly at risk. They felt that they had the most to lose! They were unwilling to change how they went about their lives! In short, they failed to understand that this was Their God's New Covenant, The New Standard by which He wanted them to live their lives! So, they led their people astray. The great irony is that had they looked in the Torah, they would've found the Messianic Prophesies that were planted there for them so that ...THEY WOULD NOT MISS HIS FIRST COMING!!!!

Here are some thoughts about our world today:

-In the late 1940's, Hebrews from all over the world came back to the Promised Land! I believe that by the grace of God, they were able to form the nation of Israel in 1948! Lets face it, they were surrounded by large adversarial nations, were in fact vastly outnumbered, and yet they pulled it off. I believe that this marks the beginning of the End Times.

-We look at our society and see abominations, and acts despicable in God's eyes all around us, becoming more and more prevalent with each passing day. The savvy and guile of Satan runs rampant in our midst. "Tolerance" is now a new word that is passed around in schools like candy. Was Jesus Christ tolerant when He threw the merchants, swindlers and peddlers out of the Temple?

The Apostle Paul also reminds us:

Final Instructions

¹⁷ I urge you, brothers and sisters, to keep an eye on those who cause dissensions and offenses, in opposition to the teaching that you have learned; avoid them. ¹⁸ For such people do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. ¹⁹ For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I want you to be wise in what is good and guileless in what is evil. ²⁰ The God of peace will shortly crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Romans 16:17-20 (NRSV)

-Idololatry is as prevalent today as it was during the time of the "Golden Calf"! One word, MONEY! It is one thing to be blessed by God with virtues and possessions and give thanks, fully aware that it is by His Grace that we may have prospered. The book of Job is undeniably one of the best illustrations of this, from which I must quote one passage:

Job Is Humbled and Satisfied

¹ Then Job answered the LORD:
² "I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
³ 'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
⁴ 'Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.'
⁵ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
⁶ therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes."

Job 42:1-6 (NRSV)

It is totally different however, to believe that money is power and expend your life's energy to that end! Isn't that what our society teaches us today? Isn't the "Worship of Money" so rampant that it consumes everything that surrounds us these days?

-The persecution of Christians today all over the world. In our country, if you are a Christian, you are labeled an extremist. The "separation of church and state", has become a farce so great that it's true purpose is now clouded in a shroud of lies and deceptions. Lets talk about that for a moment!

Our country was founded by God loving and God fearing Christians. They were familiar with and lived their lives by the word of God. Paintings of the founding fathers frequently show them holding a Bible. They read it and were influenced by it. "The Separation of Church and State" was clearly meant to prevent the persecutions endured in Medieval Europe by an arrogant and ruthless tyranny, masquerading as the all powerful "Church of God"! For the founding fathers of our nation, Gods word was a way of life! The word "God" appeared in all of their minutes, speeches, coins, documents, and if I am not mistaken in the Bill of Rights!

WHY THEN IS THE WORD "GOD" BEING REMOVED FROM EVERYTHING?

-Violence reminiscent of mankind's darkest hour, is now rampant! The beheadings of Christians and Jews is being aired on some media outlets around the world. This is the most arrogant, and vile manifestation of the"dark side" of human nature, yet seen. This movement wields a warning that threatens to make its way of life, OUR way of life. Recruits are being taught how to sever the head of a human being by the use of underground videos of actual executions in this manner! This network flourishes in the Middle East and is spreading like wildfire to the suburbs of Paris, London, Amsterdam, and other European cities! Isn't this the realm and the magma from which the Antichrist will serve notice?

On 9/11, we were eating, drinking, working, praying, living and laughing. The kids were at school. Mothers were giving birth to their children; wives were lamenting the death of their husbands. Little boys were walking their dogs or fishing with their grandfathers. We seemed to be at peace! Then, in a "twinkle of an eye", our world changed forever!!!!

WAS THAT THE BEGINNING OF THE END???

It is generally believed that before the second coming of Christ that the Temple of Solomon will be restored. I have searched the Bible on many occasions and have not been able to find a passage as such. If it is meant literally, that the Temple must first be restored, then, it is almost certain that the Last trumpet will not sound in our lifetime! On the other hand, the Temple of God could be used symbolically? Let us explore this thought for a moment!

Firstly, Jesus spoke of tearing down the Temple and rebuilding it in three days. He of course was speaking of Himself! The significance of the symbolism is undeniable. So, lets accept the fact that the Temple is still present although it is mostly ruins. Then it follows that without anyone to worship there over the last 2000 years or so, that it was really no ...Temple at all!!! It may as well have been just another relic, a ruin of antiquity. Using this line of thought then, isn't it possible that the restoration of the Hebrew state could in fact be the restoration of the Temple? Having said this much, does this passage now from the Prophet Zechariah, not make more sense?

⁶ Up, up! Flee from the land of the north, says the LORD; for I have spread you abroad like the four winds of heaven, says the LORD. ⁷ Up! Escape to Zion, you that live with daughter Babylon. ⁸ For thus said the LORD of hosts (after his glory sent me) regarding the nations that plundered you: Truly, one who touches you touches the apple of my eye. ⁹ See now, I am going to raise my hand against them, and they shall become plunder for their own slaves. Then you will know that the LORD of hosts has sent me. ¹⁰ Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! For lo, I will come and dwell in your midst, says the LORD. ¹¹ Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day, and shall be my people; and I will dwell in your midst. And you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. ¹² The LORD will inherit Judah as his portion in the holy land, and will again choose Jerusalem.

¹³ Be silent, all people, before the LORD; for he has roused himself from his holy dwelling.

Zech 2:6-13 (NRSV)

If we accept all that I have stated thus far, merely, as a possibility, then the end may be near. The two prophets still need to appear at the site of the Temple, in order to convert 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel from Judaism to Christianity. Hence the 144,000 lives saved from the Book of Revelations!

Jesus then comes after the opening of the Seventh Seal, and the subsequent sound of the Seventh Trumpet!

"The Rapture will occur next", and Gods people are subsequently saved!!!

What follows is the WRATH OF GOD!!!

Is this fiction? Are we really close to the End Times? Was 9/11 a significant event? What about the recent Tsunami??? Was this not a cataclysmic event the likes of which the world had not seen since the time of ...Noah? Was the creation of the Hebrew State the beginning of God's final attempt to save His people? To do so He will bring two prophets well known to the Hebrew Nation. It will take someone like Moses, Elijah or Enoch to convince 144,000 skeptics that Christ is our Savior. That Jesus Christ is the Messiah whom they did not recognize when He first appeared and whom they cannot afford to miss ...at His second coming! I leave you with the words of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

³² "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; ³³ so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door

Matt 24:32-33 (NASB)

Humble/Humility

According to the dictionary, the definition of the word humble is: “Marked by meekness or modesty in behavior, attitude, or spirit; not arrogant or prideful.” The definition of humility is “the quality or condition of being humble.” What a great word with which to begin our discussion!

The word humble appears in the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, 41 times. The word humility appears 13 times. That seems rather infrequent! When you perform a topic search however, where humility is implied but not necessarily mentioned, then things change dramatically. There are more than a thousand such occurrences in the Bible. Here is an example:

¹⁷ O LORD, you will hear the desire of the meek;
you will strengthen their heart, you will incline your ear

Psalms 10:17 (NRSV)

I could not possibly talk about each of these occurrences at this juncture. I will be writing for days. Let me just briefly, make two points for now:

First, lets look at Jesus Christ himself. We can read the Gospels and/or reflect on the movie, “The Passion Of The Christ”. I would say that He is humility personified. He was not arrogant or prideful and He certainly was modest in the way that He carried Himself. He also happens to be the Standard that we as Christians must try to emulate in our quest toward eternal salvation!

Second, lets look at what Jesus said to His disciples:

¹ When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ² Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:

³ "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

⁴ "Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

⁵ "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

⁶ "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

⁷ "Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.

⁸ "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

⁹ "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.

¹⁰ "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

¹¹ "Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. ¹² Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matt 5:1-12 (NRSV)

I believe that He is describing, among other qualities, a person who humbles himself before the Lord!

Salvation, a message for us all!

In ancient times, the "Law" was God’s way of demonstrating to man, that...man was flawed!!! There could absolutely be no human-being who adhered to the "Law" completely, continuously, throughout one's lifetime. For the sake of argument then, lets suppose that every believer must've come to the conclusion sooner or later that he or she was at Gods mercy because of his/her flawed nature. The bar was set so high, it couldn't be reached! We can be certain that there were those who were in complete denial about everything in life and could've cared less about any of this. I am sure that those amongst us today had their counterparts way back then! For the sake of discussion though, lets talk about "devout believers." Lets also concentrate on the Ten Commandments in view of the fact that there are many examples before the time of Moses where God demonstrated to man the flaws of his ways.

Could this then have been God’s way of enticing humans into submission? Of deciding for themselves voluntarily and with logical reasoning that without God they were helpless and that in fact they were at His mercy. They were all too weak, unable to conform to the standard that God himself had set for them. They sinned involuntarily, in full knowledge after the fact that they had sinned again and again. Despite all their efforts, they would need Gods mercy. They came to this conclusion voluntarily, of their own "free will." Why?

In the Old Testament we see strife, we see killings out of vengeance, and as punishment for failure to conform to the ways of God. "Conform to the way of the ‘Law’ or be prepared to surrender your life if necessary, if you step out of line." Yet, although they were all flawed and knew it, they had to create different levels of sin otherwise there would be nobody left to ...commit any sins! A petty thief was slapped on the hands but, if someone's wife committed adultery, she was stoned to death. If a High Priest happened to "covet" his neighbor's wife, well, that was between him and God, or was this even a sin since he didn't commit adultery, or did he in God’s eyes? He wasn't telling anybody about that. But.... that High Priest knew deep down inside, that he had sinned every single time that he had laid his eyes on that woman. He understood that God also knew! So what?

What's the big deal? If we cannot possibly conform, why not just carry on with our lives and do the best that we can? Well, that's what they did, because they just had to move on. They had to come to grips with the realization that the rest had to be left into the hands of God. A small matter that we shall call, "Life after Life"! This was the carrot! Paradise! The notion that they had a soul that needed to be saved was the sole motivating factor that brought believers back to the realization time and time again, that they had to try at all costs, to conform!! Man was not perfect and man knew it, still there had to be "hope"! How else would they enter Paradise if they could not shed their indiscretions?

It was the promise of the Messiah that gave them "hope"! God would send His Son to bear the sins of man. The sins of all those who lived before Him, and those who were to come. Messianic prophecies were scattered throughout the Old Testament. People living in those days, were comforted by the thought that they would do their best at "godly living", and if they fell short, at His coming, the Messiah would forgive the sins that they had committed despite their best efforts. Then suddenly, He was in their midst.

The great irony of it all was the fact that even though they had been waiting for Him for centuries, He had come and most of them didn't know it. They were looking for a "Knight in shining armor," and what they got was a pure and humble man with strong uncompromising convictions. He spoke of love for the first time, compassion, humility, forgiveness...words foreign to the Pharisees and High Priests! Unbeknownst to the establishment, Jesus Christ would become the standard that believers would have to emulate. The standard that they would have to live by if they were to have a chance to save their souls. For the first time, we were now to love one another, to turn the other cheek, to humble ourselves, to give to the needy.

Qualities becoming a believer were now to be gentle, hospitable, self controlled, temperate, respectable, sober, sincere, truthful, faithful, disciplined, peaceful, and certainly not materialistic! Are these qualities any less attainable? Is the bar not set as high? Yet, if we believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and are aware of the Truth of his coming, then we too can be part of the “Blessed Hope.” At what price?

All we need is the"courage". Courage to stand up for what is right in the eyes of God, never mind the consequences! Courage to live by your moral convictions, fully aware that you may be criticized by the pundits of a secular society. Courage to tell the world that Jesus is coming again, not as the Lamb, but as the King of Kings, wielding a mighty sword, and taking no prisoners! Courage to love thy enemy as you love yourself. Finally, the courage to understand that no matter how bad things may get, the worse that anyone can do to you is to take your life, but never your faith!

The salvation of our souls is possible through persistence in faith. All we have to do is to continue to reach for the standard that Jesus Christ himself set for us. We are indeed imperfect. It's human nature. Our indiscretions will be judged not by man, but by the ultimate redeemer, who happens to be very forgiving. Let our actions during our lifetimes speak louder than words. We must continue to beg for forgiveness for our sins, and we will be making a great start on that account. The door to Paradise is open to us all. What we do in our lifetime, will determine whether it is slammed in our face when it's our turn to ..walk in!