A Lot Of Talk About The End And The Rapture . . . . How Near?
Do you want war? I know I don't. I know lot of people don't . . . . but it seems a lot of people who have a big say in what is going to happen seem to want war. I am just so tired of fools and the super intelligent advisors to the powerful who make stupid, dangerous and deadly decisions. So tired . . . . come Lord Jesus.
With the neo-cons back in more power they are once again pressing their primary agenda of using America as the world enforcer in an attempt to spread "American democracy" around the world, with the aim to conform all the world into the image of America which they believe will achieve that new world order they have long dreamed of.
War is the best means of distracting the population while being able to call for the need to have more taxes and higher government spending and an expansion of the government and military for the purposes of the elite to exploit.
Many Republicans, with them not even having assumed control of congress yet, are already calling for enhanced military action, provocations to war and outright war in several Mid-East countries, in Ukraine against Russia, in Africa and possibly even a tougher stance in the Asian-Pacific region.
Perpetual war and promoting fear of "enemies" all around has long been the hallmark of out-of-control governments and tyrannical leaders. Never mind the mess, corruption, lawlessness, and misery within the country, just make sure the population is fearful of some "enemy" out there that must be dealt with first...or else!
Meanwhile, a large percentage of American Christians support the use of America as world policeman and advocate for war after war. Little time left for spreading the Gospel, living for Christ, shining the light of Christ for the lost world to see.
The Rapture of the Church is imminent...it can come at anytime. Nothing needs to precede it and nothing will "make it happen". It will happen in God's perfect timing. I believe it is closer than we think. So, get right or get left (behind)!
What really gets me is those "prophecy preachers" who say this but at the same time over the last several decades they have also continually said something akin to, "now that this has happened, nothing else needs to happen before Christ returns" or "with this occurring we can now know the end is upon us".
So, which is it, can Christ return at any time and could have returned at any time before, or were these various things they keep talking about over the years things that had to take place before Christ could return? They are very inconsistent in their teachings.
I would think that since the Apostles and other believers at the time the New Testament was written were expecting that Christ could return at any moment, there was nothing specific that had to occur before then.
Which makes me wonder all the more why so many "prophecy preachers" point to a dozen or more different things that had to happen before Christ could return. If that were the case then no generation prior to those things happening could have rightly expected Jesus might return in their lifetime.
If we make our calling and election sure (make sure we are biblically born again in Christ) then we will be with Him whenever He returns. Hopefully, as Scripture instructs, we will be found living for Him when He returns and not "doing our own thing".
We speak a lot on the imminent return, how the Apostles, like Paul, acted as though the rapture could occur at any minute. But, have we considered that Paul and the other apostles didn't yet have the book of the Revelation, if it was, indeed, written, as many believe, around 90AD? And the Revelation contains a lot about what would occur around the rapture, and the subsequent second coming of Christ Jesus, things the Apostles and other believers didn't know, as the book and its contents, in total, had not yet been delivered.
That having been said, merely for consideration, I don't worry much about the rapture or its timing. The Lord will call us when He calls us. Yes, I pray for the Lord to return; Yes, even so, Lord Jesus, Come! But until then, we have the promises of the word of God to hold to until then: that wicked men will wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived, the very men spoken of at the beginning of this post, who think they are in charge, yet are not. We are promised tribulation, (not speaking of THE tribulation here), in this life if we will live faithfully for Jesus. We are promised that the world will hate our Lord, and thus, us; that the devil will fight us. that in general, things are going to get worse, before they get better. And even when it seems things are getting better, ('peace, peace') then will come sudden destruction.
So really, I think we need to just continue to concentrate on the work of God, on souls, on living faithfully for the Lord until we either die and go to glory, or the Lord returns. We don't really know what all is on God's agenda before Jesus calls us out-nothing says He told us everything-so let us just be faithful. I love my wife dearly, but she is one of those that is constantly looking at this and that as signs: this is the chip, that may be the antichrist, middle east, israel, etc, etc., and I have to remind her to relax and just keep busy. Yes, we should be watchful, but in all the watching, like on the walls of Jerusalem in Nehemiah's time, have one eye on the enemy, and your sword strapped on, while working the work until it is complete.
I am assuming you are referencing 1 Corinthians 15:52?