Are you ignoring the warning signs?

Our world is in both moral and political upheaval at present.

It has been for some time.

It might not be of much interest to people who don't believe the Bible.

It was not of much interest when Noah built an ark.

Judgement came on an unrepentant world in the form of the great worldwide flood.

As a result of this God decreed He would never again destroy the world by flood.

He put the rainbow in the sky as a promise of this.

Genesis 9

⁸ And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
⁹ And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
¹⁰ And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
¹¹ And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
¹² And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
¹³ I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
¹⁴ And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
¹⁵ And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
¹⁶ And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
¹⁷ And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Note now the symbol of the rainbow has been hijacked to mean something not even close to the covenant God has made with His people.

Ignoring God's warnings and twisting of His truth is really fore-shadowed in the following passages.

We ignore these warnings as nations and as individuals at our peril.

Matthew 24King James Version (KJV)

24 And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.

² And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.
³ And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
⁴ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you.
⁵ For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
⁶ And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
⁷ For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
⁸ All these are the beginning of sorrows.
⁹ Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake.
¹⁰ And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
¹¹ And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
¹² And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
¹³ But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
¹⁵ When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
¹⁶ Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
¹⁷ Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
¹⁸ Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
¹⁹ And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
²⁰ But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
²¹ For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
²² And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
²³ Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
²⁴ For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
²⁵ Behold, I have told you before.
²⁶ Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
²⁷ For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
²⁸ For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.
²⁹ Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
³⁰ And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
³¹ And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
³² Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
³³ So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.
³⁴ Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.
³⁵ Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
³⁶ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
³⁷ But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
³⁸ For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
³⁹ And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
⁴⁰ Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
⁴¹ Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
⁴² Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
⁴³ But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
⁴⁴ Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
⁴⁵ Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season?
⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.
⁴⁷ Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.
⁴⁸ But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming;
⁴⁹ And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken;
⁵⁰ The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,
⁵¹ And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

King James Version (KJV) Public Domain

"World Aflame"

"World Aflame"  That is the name of a book written by Billy Graham in 1965.
It was and is a Prophetic book analysing the world of 1965 and looking at Biblical Prophecy.
If you were to read it now the message is equally as important for today's world.
It is a challenge for Christians and non Christians alike.

Here are the chapter titles.
1.Flames out of Control
2.The Old Immorality
3.Our Psychological Jitters
4.The National Idolatory
5.The Searchers in a Flaming World
6.Who am I?
7.Man's Fatal Disease
8.The Inadequacy of Modern Religion
9. The Incredible Journey
10. How does God speak?
11.The Inescapable Christ
12. God's Foolishness
13. The Day Death Died.
14.The Possibility of the New Man(Woman)
15.How to become a New Man(Woman)
16.The Dynamics of the New Man(Woman)
17.Social Involvement of the New Man(Woman)
18.The Fabulous Future
19. The Distant Trumpet
20. Signs of the End
21. The Coming Judgement
22.The World on Fire
23. The World of Tomorrow

Human Beings have been always on a journey towards an individual destiny.
With or Without Jesus Christ.
The world is also on a collision course with it's end and its new creation.

If you have not examined these big questions don't delay.

I can assure you we are only here for a short while.

Then what?

What on Earth’s Going to Happen?

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This is an outline of the message I shared the Parkrose Nursing Home United Church Fellowship on 29/11/15 

In talking to my friend Norbert in Ghana a few weeks ago he was reflecting on the state of the world with horrible things happening all the time.

"What's the world coming to?" he pondered.

I said a man called Ray Stedman has written a very good book on the subject.

It's called:

"What on Earth’s Going to Happen?"

Hence the title of my address this morning.

Every morning when we wake up do we look forward to what the day might bring?

Or do we get quite down because of all the doom and gloom?

Particularly when we read the news or watch it on TV.

Some of us become very concerned about what is going to happen to this world.

Concerned about wars, climate change, accidents,bush fires,earthquakes, tornadoes, even sharks if we swim in the sea.

We become quite fearful.

You know some fear is healthy.

The fear that comes when you see a poisonous snake nearby, or spider that causes you to give it a wide berth.

That is a healthy fear.

Unhealthy fear is always worrying about the world we live in.

Where worry and fear becomes our constant companion.

.

Some people are very superstitious and consult with fortune tellers and read the stars or horoscopes in the magazines and newspapers.

The Bible tells us that we should not be doing this.

In Christian circles some Churches specialize in often bringing a sermon about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the end times.

My formative Christian  years were at the Grote Street Church of Christ where the late Pastor Harold Long often preached on the “second coming” .
(see below a link to my youtube channel where I have posted audio of some of Harold's addresses on the subject in the 1970's)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqPbR_Sd9wM 

Some Churches don’t bother to talk about it hardly at all.

That is sad because the whole Bible is given to us for our benefit and blessing.

This includes the book of revelation which many find too hard to bother with.

Our late Aunty Doreen used to say that sermons should be based on the Book, The Blood and the blessed Hope.

I am inclined to agree with her.

Our communion service should definitely have these elements in it.

Getting back to looking at what the world is coming to.

If we are always worrying about the future

It can mean we are taking our eyes off how Jesus can make a difference in  our lives and the lives of others here and now.

If we go to Jesus in prayer,daily Bible reading,Christian worship both here in a setting like this or privately what a difference , what a change can come into our lives each day.

In looking at the daily offerings in the news we can see that the world seems to be plunging headlong into a crisis.

I believe it is, and, we can understand in broad terms what is going to eventually happen through studying the Bible.

Our Bible reading today is Jesus telling the disciples what some of the signs are of His coming again.

Luke 21:25-28New Living Translation (NLT)

²⁵ “And there will be strange signs in the sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. ²⁶ People will be terrified at what they see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then everyone will see the Son of Man^[a] coming on a cloud with power and great glory.^{[b] 28} So when all these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”

And there is much more of His teaching on this theme in Luke 21 and also Matthew 24.

Here is some of Matthew 24. Verses 4-14

Jesus talking to His disciples. It is the same time as the Luke passage.

Matthew 24:4-14New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁵ for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. ⁶ And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁷ Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. ⁸ But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.
⁹ “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.^{[a] 10} And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. ¹¹ And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. ¹² Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who endures to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations^[b] will hear it; and then the end will come.

In spite of what’s coming as Christians we have nothing to fear.

2 Timothy 1:7

  KJ  For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

AMP For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgment and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control].

God has given us His Holy Spirit when we became Christians.

If we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives then this verse will become true.

This means we are expected to use our God given abilities and to put into practice what the Bible teaches us.

Reading all the words of Jesus in the New Testament is a good place to start to actually learn what God’s will is for us.

So when we look at the papers or the TV what do we do?

Do we despair or do we pray?

When you learn of terrible things pray for those who are left to suffer.

We can be praying for the people who have suffered as a result of this weeks bushfire in the Barossa Valley.

We can pray that evil men will be reached by God’s Holy Spirit.

We can pray for world leaders who make right decisions.

Those leaders we agree with and those we don’t.

We can love our enemies as we are instructed too.

Pray for your loved ones when they are travelling on our roads.

So what on earth is going to happen?

One thing you can be sure is that God has a plan.

He is even now working out His plan in the lives of all of us as we let Him.

One day we will all stand before our God.

It is my prayer for all of us that He will say well done thou good and faithful servant.

We don’t need to know the future.

We need to know Jesus who has the future under control.

We do need to know that time is advancing.

We look at the time each day and don’t take too much notice of time ticking away.

We use it to measure when we think we should eat, get up, go to bed, go to an appointment but it just ticks away each day.

The time when we sometimes take notice is at midnight on New Years Eve.

Then we notice another year has slipped by and that time is indeed advancing.

Our present time is an exceedingly important commodity.

It is given to us to redeem and be redeemed.

We do not need to know what the world’s coming too but who is coming to the world.

In fact He is already here living within us.

We do not need to be full of worry about the future.

 We do need to watch and wait for it will be agreat day when Jesus returns.

We should be looking forward to it.

No one knows when that will be.

It could be today or another 1000 years .

But we should live our lives as if He were coming today.

Jesus living in us is more than sufficient for us to deal with any evil that may come our way.

I heard the voice of Jesus say is our closing Hymn.

(read this out first)

2. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"Behold, I freely give
The living water; thirsty one,
Stoop down and drink and live."
I came to Jesus, and I drank
Of that life-giving stream.
My thirst was quenched, my soul revived,
And now I live in Him.

3. I heard the voice of Jesus say,
"I am this dark world's Light.
Look unto Me; thy morn shall rise
And all thy day be bright."
I looked to Jesus, and I found
In Him my Star, my Sun;
And in that Light of Life I'll walk

      Till traveling days are done.

 (Sing Hymn now.)

Prayer before benediction.

“Lord Jesus ,thank you that we do not need to wait until some future day to know the glory of your presence, but can experience it every day that we live.

But we pray that in this moment of waiting and watching we shall recognize that the strength of our hope is determined by our experience of your present life.

Teach us then how to “occupy until you come”, in a ministry of loving concern and help to others.

In your name we pray Amen.

 Benediction 1 Thess 3:11-13  

1 Thessalonians 3:12-13New Living Translation

¹² And may the Lord make your love for one another and for all people grow and overflow, just as our love for you overflows. ¹³ May he, as a result, make your hearts strong, blameless, and holy as you stand before God our Father when our Lord Jesus comes again with all his holy people. Amen

Now unto Him

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS.

THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS.    HAVE YOU THOUGHT

ABOUT IT  LATELY?

By Geoff Thompson  1/2/10

When I became a Christian in 1974 it was in a Church where it was traditionally accepted that the Minister called to  that Church, that whatever else he did it was expected that we would be taught thoroughly about the doctrines concerning our Lord’s return for his Church and the end of the Church age. In other words the message of the book of Revelation and all other scripture both old and new testament that supported it.

The minister who led me to Christ as my Saviour, Harold Long, was vitally interested in such teaching and we heard many informative sermons on the subject many of which I still have on tape.

To a young Christian couple like myself and my wife we enthusiastically embraced this teaching which was all very new to us .

We became very expectant that at any time the Christians of the world would be taken up in the air to meet Christ which was also signifying the ushering in of the period of the Great Tribulation on earth and then the battle of Armageddon. In some circles this is called the Rapture, the seizing up of the Church.

I had a sticker on the glovebox of my car that said. “ you ride in this car at your own risk, the driver may disappear at any time!” Some people asked me about it but others probably thought they were riding with a weirdo. Notwithstanding that I don’t have such a sticker in my car now, the situation could still arise if the theology of the “Pre Millenial Rapture” is correct.

A prominent Author at the time was Hal Lindsey who wrote “There is a New World Coming!” “The Late Great Planet Earth” and “The devil is alive and well on planet earth.”

Many people ridicule his books today but I believe we are foolish to ignore this particular part of Christian Theology. The Lord himself said “When  I return will I find Faith on the Earth?”

Of course there are many commentators on the end times.

And you have all the myriads of conspiracy theories which are also in my opinion designed to lead us all astray and look to things other than the Bible to answer questions about where the world is heading.

I get  sick of hearing people talk about them.

To cut a long story short I made the mistake that so many do of really focusing on that subject for a while and getting caught up in what the bible tells us not to do. That is trying to read the signs of the times and working out how much time we have left. This was pre 1984 and having read George Orwells’ book ,1984, I though that this could well be a prophetic date in itself.

Anyway one of the things mentioned in the  Bible is about the Jewish temple of Old Testament times being re constructed in Jerusalem as being one of the signs of the times for the approaching end..

Well we can read below a report from local ABC Radio.

Orthodox Jews plan rebuilding of sacred temple

Anne Barker reported this story on Friday, January 29, 2010 12:34:0

ELEANOR HALL: Nearly 2,000 years ago the Romans under Emperor Vespasian destroyed the city of Jerusalem and according to Judaism demolished the second temple sacred to Jews.

Orthodox Jews have prayed ever since for the temple to be rebuilt and an 18th century rabbi even predicted that construction would begin in March 2010. 

But one modern-day institution in Jerusalem has taken on the task of preparing for the temple's reconstruction now.

Middle East correspondent Anne Barker has our report.

(Sounds from the Western Wall)

ANNE BARKER: Every day thousands of Jews in Jerusalem pray at the Western Wall, said to be the last remnant of the second temple which was demolished by the Romans in 70 AD.

Jews believe the second temple and Solomon's ancient temple before it were both built on the same site that today houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site in Islam.

(Sounds from Al-Aqsa Mosque)

It's arguably the most contested piece of land on earth because of its historic importance to Muslims and Jews.

And for nearly 2,000 years Orthodox Jews have recited daily prayers for the temple's reconstruction in keeping with the biblical commandments.

(Sound of prayers)

Today one Jewish institution has taken on the job of turning the prayer into reality.

YEHUDA GLICK: I believe that we're like 2,000 years late, but I'd say that in our modern era, in 1967 when the state of Israel united Jerusalem we should have immediately begun. And I think every single day is a day late.

ANNE BARKER: Rabbi Yehuda Glick is a director at the Temple Institute whose sole purpose is to plan the construction of the third temple which many believe must be done in time for the coming of the Jewish Messiah.

YEHUDA GLICK: One of the 613 obligations in the Jewish Torah is an obligation to build the temple and it exists every single day, whether the Messiah has arrived yet or not.

ANNE BARKER: Already the Temple Institute has spent around $30 million preparing for the temple's reconstruction.

Architectural plans have been drawn up and vast funds have been spent employing the best craftsmen to make the priestly robes and vessels to be used once it's built.

YEHUDA GLICK: We have the altar which is made of stone as you can see.

ANNE BARKER: Rabbi Glick shows me glass cabinets filled with dozens of objects fashioned on those in the Bible - among them a pure gold menorah, silver trumpets (sound of trumpet), an incense altar, even a new Ark of the Covenant to hold the tablets of law given to Moses on Mount Sinai.

YEHUDA GLICK: Actually it's very interesting because they were brought from the exact location of the altar built originally by Joshua.

ANNE BARKER: There are even plans to produce a sacrificial red heifer which the Bible says must be slaughtered before the temple can be built.

For all the biblical specifications though Rabbi Glick believes the third temple will be a thoroughly modern building.

YEHUDA GLICK: The third temple doesn't have to be as was the second temple or the first temple in terms of, I mean there can be air conditioning, parking lots, computers. I mean just the fact that people used it at the time used oil doesn't mean that today we can't use electricity.

ANNE BARKER: There is of course one not-so-small problem. The temple site has for around 1,300 years housed the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Many Muslims in fact say no Jewish temple ever existed here and that Jews are yet to produce a single shred of archaeological evidence.

Not surprisingly some, like one Palestinian leader Mahdi Abdul Hadi, warn of warfare if Jews try to build another temple over the Dome of the Rock.

MAHDI ABDUL HADI: We will defend it, we will fight for it, whether we are religious, non religious. It's our place. It's our holy place. And this is bringing us back to the Middle Ages and the empowerment of self with the idea of killing each other.

ANNE BARKER: For now though the mosques are safe. But if the 18th century Rabbi Vilna Gaon was correct in his prophesies the temple's construction would begin in about six weeks.

This is Anne Barker in Jerusalem for The World Today.

Below is one of the Bible Chapters touching on the subject of the end times.

Matthew 24 (New Living Translation)

Matthew 24

Jesus Foretells the Future

       1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. 2 But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”

       

       3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives. His disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will all this happen? What sign will signal your return and the end of the world?[a]”

       

       4 Jesus told them, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, 5 for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many. 6 And you will hear of wars and threats of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains, with more to come.

       

       9 “Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because you are my followers.[b] 10 And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 14 And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations[c] will hear it; and then the end will come.

       

       15 “The day is coming when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about—the sacrilegious object that causes desecration[d] standing in the Holy Place.” (Reader, pay attention!) 16 “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. 17 A person out on the deck of a roof must not go down into the house to pack. 18 A person out in the field must not return even to get a coat. 19 How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for nursing mothers in those days. 20 And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For there will be greater anguish than at any time since the world began. And it will never be so great again. 22 In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, not a single person will survive. But it will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.

       

       23 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. 25 See, I have warned you about this ahead of time.

       

       26 “So if someone tells you, ‘Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,’ don’t bother to go and look. Or, ‘Look, he is hiding here,’ don’t believe it! 27 For as the lightning flashes in the east and shines to the west, so it will be when the Son of Man[e] comes. 28 Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.[f]

       

       29 “Immediately after the anguish of those days,

       

         the sun will be darkened,

            the moon will give no light,

         the stars will fall from the sky,

            and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.[g]

       

       30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.[h] 31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world[i]—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

       

       32 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is near. 33 In the same way, when you see all these things, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. 34 I tell you the truth, this generation[j] will not pass from the scene until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.

       

       36 “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself.[k] Only the Father knows.

       

       37 “When the Son of Man returns, it will be like it was in Noah’s day. 38 In those days before the flood, the people were enjoying banquets and parties and weddings right up to the time Noah entered his boat. 39 People didn’t realize what was going to happen until the flood came and swept them all away. That is the way it will be when the Son of Man comes.

       

       40 “Two men will be working together in the field; one will be taken, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding flour at the mill; one will be taken, the other left.

       

       42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming. 43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into. 44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.

       

       45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them. 46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward. 47 I tell you the truth, the master will put that servant in charge of all he owns. 48 But what if the servant is evil and thinks, ‘My master won’t be back for a while,’ 49 and he begins beating the other servants, partying, and getting drunk? 50 The master will return unannounced and unexpected, 51 and he will cut the servant to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Well why am I thinking and talking about this today.

I am because it is a much ridiculed doctrine of the Bible and even Christians are guilty of this.

It doesn’t help of course when recently a Man in the US had lots of people thinking the rapture was going to happen on 21/5/11.

It didn’t of course and the Bible tells us no one knows except God the Father when this will happen.

The thing is though it could have happened.  

At least the man who warned the world was warning them even though he didn’t help by naming a date.

I made myself look stupid when I told a friend one night, as alluded to earlier that I thought Jesus would return in 1984.

It didn’t happen of course and now I am older and wiser.

There are 3 things I think are very important about the return to earth of our Lord.

1.  We need to be ready when He comes. We don’t want to be caught napping.We don’t want to take our salvation for granted and enjoy what some call cheap grace.There is a cost in being a Christian.

2.  We should tell people about the first coming of Jesus and all that it means to them.

3.  We should not neglect also this teaching of Jesus return  as it gives a real hope to those who despair of the world and it’s injustice and evil.    

Geoff Thompson.