Like a thief to those in the dark

Since the days of the Apostles followers of Jesus have eagerly looked forward to the Lord's return.

When the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, "Lord, are you going to free Israel now and restore our kingdom?" "The Father sets those dates," he replied, "and they are not for you to know. But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere -- in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men suddenly stood there among them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go, he will return!"  Acts 1:6-11 (NLT)

A movie is coming out soon based upon a lie told so often since it first became popular during the 19th century that many today believe it to be true. In this revamped version of the popular Left Behind book starring Nicolas Cage many will flock to see it. Some because of the message behind the story and some because they like Nicolas Cage, but none will hear the truth concering the second coming of Jesus.

There is no known writing existing, or referred to by other writers, of the pre-trib rapture teaching prior to 1830. None of the early Church fathers or anyone else throughout Church history wrote about the saints being raptured before the end-time Great Tribulation. This does not conclusively mean that the theory is false, only that it is a historical fact that this teaching did not exist among the early Christians or the Church fathers or any Christians throughout history until 1830.

Reportedly the origin of the pre-trib rapture teaching was with a fifteen-year-old girl named Margaret MacDonald in the town of Port Glasgow, Scotland. Supposedly in 1830 she had a dream or vision that Christians were raptured just prior to the Great Tribulation. In 1831 or 1832 a Presbyterian pastor in London, England named Edward Irving heard about this dream or vision that Miss MacDonald had and started teaching it to his congregation. These are well-known reports among scholars of eschatology.

These reports concerning the origin of the pre-trib rapture theory may or may not be true. What is well-documented is the fact that John Nelson Darby, the founder of a group known as the Plymouth Brethren, after visiting Miss MacDonald began teaching this new theory. http://lastdaysministry.com/pretrib.htm

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do. And so I solemnly urge you before God and before Christ Jesus -- who will someday judge the living and the dead when he appears to set up his Kingdom: Preach the word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching for a time is coming when people will no longer listen to right teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever they want to hear. They will reject the truth and follow strange myths. 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Timothy 4:1-4 (NLT)

And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus comes, God will bring back with Jesus all the Christians who have died. I can tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not rise to meet him ahead of those who are in their graves. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the call of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, all the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. So comfort and encourage each other with these words. I really don't need to write to you about how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters. For you know quite well that the day of the Lord will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. When people are saying, "All is well; everything is peaceful and secure," then disaster will fall upon them as suddenly as a woman's birth pains begin when her child is about to be born. And there will be no escape. But you aren't in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won't be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don't belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be sober. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6 (NLT)

"I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours, You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. Now they have known that all things which You have given Me are from You. For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours. And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them. Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth. "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; John 17:6-20 (NKJ)

Jesus told them another parable: "The Kingdom of heaven is like this. A man sowed good seed in his field. One night, when everyone was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. When the plants grew and the heads of grain began to form, then the weeds showed up. The man's servants came to him and said, "Sir, it was good seed you sowed in your field; where did the weeds come from?' "It was some enemy who did this,' he answered. "Do you want us to go and pull up the weeds?' they asked him.  "No,' he answered, "because as you gather the weeds you might pull up some of the wheat along with them.  Let the wheat and the weeds both grow together until harvest. Then I will tell the harvest workers to pull up the weeds first, tie them in bundles and burn them, and then to gather in the wheat and put it in my barn.' " Matthew 13:24-30 (GNT)

Summer Is Near - The Return of Jesus

One day Jesus and His disciples were hanging out and they asked him when He was going to assume his leadership of Israel as its king. "When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return and the end of the world?" Jesus goes on to describe the events that would occur prior to His return and then give’s His followers this parable, "Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer is near. Just so, when you see the events I've described beginning to happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door. I assure you, this generation will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.”

Which generation? The generation that sees those events begin to happen. It’s funny to me how some people think the world will be destroyed by a flood as shown in the movie 2012, but the bible teaches that won’t happen again. I’m going to talk about why Jesus will be coming back very soon, but first I want to share a funny video that demonstrate what it’s like to do tech support. Afterwards I will explain how it relates to bible prophecy.

The video gives a pretty accurate representation for those of us who do tech support.

The reality is technology and everyone’s desire for information is growing exponentially faster every day. See what Hal Lindsey had to say regarding exponential growth. 

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Daniel 12:4 KJV I heard what he said, but I did not understand what he meant. So I asked, "How will all this finally end, my lord?" But he said, "Go now, Daniel, for what I have said is for the time of the end. Daniel 12:8-9 NLT

Twice in Daniel 12 he was told this vision was for those living in the end times. I believe the prophecy of Daniel 12 is being fulfilled in my generation. Why is this prophecy being fulfilled now?

Throughout the course of human history the most common means of financial livelihood was through hunting and gathering and farming. It was an agrarian led culture. However; things began to change about mid 18th century with the Industrial Revolution.  According to Wikipedia the Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way. Most notably, average income and population began to exhibit unprecedented sustained growth. In the two centuries following 1800, the world's average per capita income increased over tenfold, while the world's population increased over sixfold. 

People like to put history, current events or just about anything really into a box with nice tidy bow to help them understand. This process is known as Periodization - 

the attempt to categorize Universal History or divide time into named blocks. The result is a descriptive abstraction that provides a useful handle on periods of time with relatively stable characteristics. However, determining the precise beginning and ending to any "period" is often a matter of debate.  (Wikipedia)

We’re familiar with various “blocks” man has used to divide history into time. For these time periods economically or technologically speaking we have the following: stone age, copper age, bronze age, iron age, industrial age, second industrial age, atomic age, jet age, and space age. About mid 20th century as the growth of technology increased we began to have more white collar jobs compared to blue collar jobs. More people were going to office type work environments rather than doing manual labor type jobs. 

I work in IT – Information Technology and many say the Information age began in 1970, but it doesn't just involve those of us who work in IT. All of mankind craves information. Look how the internet has exploded since its inception and especially when it began to be interwoven within our culture. We love Facebook and YouTube and we say things like “let me Google that for you” or use Wikipedia as reference material. 

Though the Internet itself has existed since 1969, it was with the invention of the World Wide Web in 1989 by British scientist Tim Berners-Lee and Belgian Robert Cailliau and its implementation in 1991 that the Internet truly became a global network. Today the Internet is a global platform for accelerating the flow of information and is pushing many, if not most, older forms of media into obsolescence.  (Wikipedia)

“What's more is that the very notion of our actions, our endeavors and especially our mistakes, being perfectly archived is somewhat terrifying to say the least, no matter what level of accepted virtue or morality we may possess. There is a stronger sense of urgency to obtain success and well-being in these modern times. People are more intellectually engaged than ever before, because of the Internet.” — Lallana, Emmanuel C. and Margaret N. Uy, The Information Age 

We can see during our own lifetimes how knowledge has increased and how travelling long distances has become increasingly easier for everyone. Not only going on vacation halfway around the world, but how many of us commute 20 or more miles to work?

In addition to the increasingly growing power of technology Jesus also tells us what the days would be like shortly before He returns. 2 Timothy 3:2-9 describes mankind and shows the depravity of those who act Godly but deny the truth. The depravities of these last days are very similar to Lot and Noah; another sign of the soon return of Jesus.

26 And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: 27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. 28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; 29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. 30 Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. 31 In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. 32 Remember Lot's wife. Luke 17:22-37 NKJV

The bible talks about what people were doing before the flood and before the fire. “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage” “They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;” But why was there a flood and why did fire rain down from heaven destroying Sodom? 

There was another similarity between these two events and it was great sexual perversion. We’re familiar with what it was in Sodom. How men of the city wanted to have sex with the visitors who were with Lot, but what about Noah?

1 When the human population began to grow rapidly on the earth, 2 the sons of God saw the beautiful women of the human race and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not put up with humans for such a long time, for they are only mortal flesh. In the future, they will live no more than 120 years." 4 In those days, and even afterward, giants lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with human women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes mentioned in legends of old. 5 Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally evil. 6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. 7 And the LORD said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am sorry I ever made them." 8 But Noah found favor with the LORD. 9This is the history of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless man living on earth at the time. He consistently followed God's will and enjoyed a close relationship with him. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth had become corrupt in God's sight, and it was filled with violence. 12 God observed all this corruption in the world, and he saw violence and depravity everywhere. Genesis 6:1-12 NLT

This is talking about fallen angels having sex with woman which resulted in giants. In verse 9 the NKJV says “This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God.” Satan was trying to corrupt the bloodline of the One who would defeat him and he nearly did it. Some believe that the entire World had become corrupt with this intermingling between humans and fallen angels. 

NOAH WAS PERFECT IN HIS GENERATIONS – MEANING HIS DNA WAS the ONLY NON-TAMPERED-WITH-GENES by FALLEN ANGELS on the PLANET  The modern altering would not be done through sexual contact with the sons of God, but rather through man’s knowledge of science and breaking the DNA code. We are now living in a time when man’s DNA is being tampered with just as it was in Noah’s day.  (Steve Quayle)

We see great sexual promiscuity in our world today. Sometimes it feels as though we’re living in a modern version of Sodom and Gomorrah. President Obama has said his thoughts toward gay marriage have evolved over time, but this is simply not true. 

“I've just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.” - May 9, 2012, as president, in an interview with Robin Roberts of ABC News.

You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognize relationships between two men or two women as just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman. President Obama speaking at 2009 Human Rights Campaign 13th annual dinner 

I think the rise of same-sex marriage rights and proponents of abortion rights are another sign of the end times. Abortions and contraceptives just give people the excuse to be sexually active outside the bounds of marriage. If there are no consequences for disease or pregnancy how much deterrent do people have to stay pure until marriage? Sex is the most addictive “drug” in the world because it’s natural part of our lives. We all have a need for it. Our sexual health is just as important as our physical, mental, and spiritual well-beings.

In the book of Daniel it describes the antichrist when he comes to power.

36 "Then the king shall do according to his own will: he shall exalt and magnify himself above every god, shall speak blasphemies against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the wrath has been accomplished; for what has been determined shall be done. 37 He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall exalt himself above them all. 38 But in their place he shall honor a god of fortresses; and a god which his fathers did not know he shall honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and pleasant things. 39 Thus he shall act against the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, which he shall acknowledge, and advance its glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain. Daniel 11: 36-39 NKJ

Biblical scholars have said this portrays the antichrist and some have even said he will be gay because it says he will not have the desire for women. I don’t think that’s a correct interpretation.  

I think there are two things we can take from this passage. First I think it is talking about different levels of authority; the authority of God, the authority of man, and the authority of Satan or false religions. Second I believe there has been some confusion over verse 37 “He shall regard neither the God of his fathers nor the desire of women, nor regard any god” Some translations say  “He will have no regard for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god beloved of women, or for any other god,” (NLT). 

I think rather than be someone who is gay he might be someone who favors gay rights. Does the bible say anything about the desire of women?  “Your desire shall be for your husband” (Gen 3:16a). Little girls dream about Prince Charming and often begin planning their wedding day from an early age. This is depicted in popular children’s stories such as Snow White and Cinderella. Most women I know also desire to have kids. Homosexuality and abortions are in direct contrast with these desires and against the commandment to be fruitful and multiply. If Satan wants to destroy humanity he tries to prevent marriage between a man and a woman. He also tries to prevent women from having kids.

The last part of Daniel 11:39 is important too, “and divide the land for gain.” In recent years there has been talk of a shared temple mount or a situation where the third temple will be rebuilt next to the mosque. 

According to American fundamentalist Protestant author Hal Lindsey, the Third Temple could be built right next to the Dome of the Rock. He believes, based on the theory of Dr.Asher Kaufman regarding the location of the Eastern Gate, that the Dome of the Rock was built on what the Bible refers to as the Court of the Gentiles. He states that according to Revelation 11:1-2, the rebuilding of the Third Temple was not to include the section of the temple mount known as The Court of the Gentiles. Therefore, he believes that the Third Temple and the Dome of the Rock could stand side by side.  (Wikipedia)

Many political leaders of our world today are pro gay rights and pro abortion rights and it's not limited to the Democratic party. The spirit of the Antichrist has existed in the world for some time ( 1 john 4:1-3). One could look at the theory of evolution or the different religions as proof of this.  

Finally I want to talk about modern nations in the bible that would have to be present before Jesus comes back. 

1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head while on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream, telling the main facts. 2 Daniel spoke, saying, "I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the Great Sea. 3 And four great beasts came up from the sea, each different from the other. 4 The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. 5 And suddenly another beast, a second, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. And they said thus to it: 'Arise, devour much flesh!' 6 After this I looked, and there was another, like a leopard, which had on its back four wings of a bird (KJV says wings of a fowl). The beast also had four heads, and dominion was given to it. 7 After this I saw in the night visions, and behold, a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, exceedingly strong. It had huge iron teeth; it was devouring, breaking in pieces, and trampling the residue with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that were before it, and it had ten horns. Daniel 7:1-7 NKJV

How do we know this is referring to nations? Daniel 7:17 tells us “Those great beasts, which are four, are four kings which arise out of the earth” We also know based on Daniel chapter 8 that these beasts cannot represent Media and Persia or Greece. Media and Persia were the two horn ram and the male goat is Greece.(Daniel 8:20-21) Some have said the Bear and Leopard in Daniel 7 represent Medo-Persia and Greece. If they did in chapter 7 then they would not be revealed to Daniel in chapter 8 as different animals. 

We know the nations of Daniel 7 represent nations that would be present at the time of the second of coming of Jesus because of verses 8-14 in Daniel 7:

8 As I was looking at the horns, suddenly another small horn appeared among them. Three of the first horns were wrenched out, roots and all, to make room for it. This little horn had eyes like human eyes and a mouth that was boasting arrogantly. 9 I watched as thrones were put in place and the Ancient One sat down to judge. His clothing was as white as snow, his hair like whitest wool. He sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire, 10 and a river of fire flowed from his presence. Millions of angels ministered to him, and a hundred million stood to attend him. Then the court began its session, and the books were opened. 11 I continued to watch because I could hear the little horn's boastful speech. I kept watching until the fourth beast was killed and its body was destroyed by fire. 12 As for the other three beasts, their authority was taken from them, but they were allowed to live for a while longer. 13 As my vision continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a man coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal -- it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed. (NLT)

Going back to Daniel 7:1-7 the beasts are:

1) Lion with eagle’s wings

2) Bear

3) Leopard with four heads and four wings of a bird (fowl)

The 4th beast is also shown in Revelation 13 where all the beasts(nations) except one are combined into one beast(nation) like a world government. It looks like there are 3 nations in Daniel 7:4-6, but there are actually five and they are nations currently in power on the earth today. 

Starting in verse 6 the Leopard with four heads represents Germany. Now the official animal of Germany is not a leopard, but the German people have a fondness for the leopard. They even named their tanks after the leopard. The design started as a collaborative project between Germany and France in the 1950s, but the partnership ended and the final design was ordered by the Bundeswehr, production starting in 1965.   It’s important to not over look France’s involvement as the national emblem for France is the fowl. The four heads of the Leopard represent the four times that Germany has risen to a world power. We’re all familiar with Hitler in WW2. Nazi Germany, also known as the Third Reich, is the common name for Germany when it was a totalitarian state ruled by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP).   Now Germany is reunited with the fall of the Berlin wall and the Fourth Reich is yet to come.

The Bear represents Russia. The Russian Bear is a widespread symbol for Russia, used in cartoons, articles and dramatic plays at least since the 17th century, and relating alike to Tsarist Russia, the Soviet Union and the present-day Russian Federation.  One of the most famous depictions was a Time magazine cover when Russia boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics. You can go to Time's website to see previous covers.

Lastly in verse 4 there are two nations represented. There’s a modern nation whose national animal is the lion. That nation is England. We know Daniel 7:4 represents England when we look at that verse again. The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings. I watched till its wings were plucked off; and it was lifted up from the earth and made to stand on two feet like a man, and a man's heart was given to it. Also the beast in Revelation 13 has the mouth of a lion and it could be said that English is the dominant language of the world today.

There are actually two modern nations in Daniel 7:4. England and the nation birthed from her – the United State of America.

We celebrate our independence from England on July 4th and the United States is unique in that we have two well known symbols. We have the bald eagle and we also have Uncle Sam. God showed Daniel the American Revolution. He not only gave him the two national symbols, but when chapter and verses were later added to scripture He put the two national symbols for the United States in chapter 7 and verse 4 – 7th month and 4th day. July 4th. 

The bible talks about the importance of 2 or 3 witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16)  and we have three right there that confirm America is in the bible.

Our King is coming back very soon. Pay attention to what happens in Israel. When you hear of peace talks or talks of rebuilding the third temple look up. For your Redeemer is coming!

And He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature... (Mark 16:15 NKJV)