If you are interested in a Bible based synopsis of End Times signs, this is a must listen. You will need one and a half hours, but it is well worth the time. The content is comprehensive, make a note of all the Bible verses for your own study.
Category Archives: Jesus second coming
JESUS SAID, THERE WILL BE FAMINES, PESTILENCES, AND EARTHQUAKES IN VARIOUS PLACES
‘We are losing a dangerous race’: ‘Super malaria’ spreading rapidly in Asia.
A highly drug-resistant strain of malaria dubbed “super malaria” is spreading rapidly in South East Asia, leading scientists to warn that it could soon be a global threat.
The disease, most commonly transmitted by mosquitoes infected with the parasite, was first detected in Cambodia in 2008 but has now spread to the three remaining countries that make up the Eastern Greater Mekong subregion: Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
In a letter, published in Lancet Infectious Diseases, the team studying the spread of the disease from the Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok, said the rapid spread “presents one of the greatest threats to the control and elimination of malaria.”
Adding that the fact it is mostly drug resistant is a “sinister development”.
“A single mutant strain of very drug-resistant malaria has now spread from western Cambodia to northeastern Thailand, southern Laos and into southern Vietnam and caused a large increase in treatment failure of patients with malaria,” letter co-author Prof. Arjen Dondorp said.
“This could result in an important increase in malaria transmission in these countries and severely jeopardize their malaria elimination efforts,” he added.
Dondrop hopes that this new evidence will be used to combat the diseases spread in the region before it becomes “close to untreatable.” His colleague, Prof Nicholas White, thinks that “we are losing a dangerous race” and that something must be done to tackle this public health emergency urgently.
Roughly 212 million people are infected with the disease each year, the majority of cases, 92 percent, are in Africa. If this super malaria strain spread to the continent the effects would be disastrous.
Drug resistant Malaria? Treatment fails to cure 4 UK patients in medical first http://on.rt.com/81zn
Also prophesied to increase in the “last days” are natural disasters, earthquakes and apostasy. all of which we are seeing now. Is your church standing on the word of God? If it is, then expect increased persecution. If it isn’t, then find one that is and start preparing for Christ’s return and be joyful for your redemption is nigh.
FOR CHRISTIANS & JEWS, VICTORY IS NOT TOO DISTANT
In a few days, we will be celebrating the Feast of Trumpets, and Jews—along with a growing number of Christians—will gather together to observe this biblical holy day.
On Rosh HaShanah, a prayer called Avinu Malkeinu (Our Father Our King) is recited. Yet His Kingship is relegated only to the His ability to forgive His people. He is much more than a forgiver; He is a redeemer and deliverer. He is strong in mighty and strong in battle. This shofar blast is not simply to call us to repentance. It is to remind us of why we are called to repentance. It is a reminder of what comes after repentance: victory.
Defeat is swallowed up by victory. This, in essence, is what the sound of the shofar should do for those hearing it.
For Israel, the King is coming with His army (Saints) to bring total victory against their enemy. Every year when the shofar blasts on Rosh HaShanah, their hearts are reminded that with every year that passes, the King riding upon His white horse is getting closer and closer and one day soon they will hear the Great Shofar sound and the enemy will be vanquished.
For Christians, we are reminded that our King will appear with His angels in the clouds to gather the elect at the Rapture. We also get to ride with our King, to deliver Israel, and defeat the enemy. For both Israel and Christians, Rosh HaShanah is not intended to remind us of our defeats; it is intended to keep us watching for His deliverance as we are set free.
The GOSPEL is as much Jesus Second Coming as it is His First Coming. There are more prophecies about Jesus Second Coming and The Day of the Lord than there were about His First Coming. The Pharisees and Sadducees did not get His First Coming and sadly the church is asleep about His Second Coming. In the Olivet Discourse Jesus tells us to WATCH and gives six signs to watch out for prior to His coming on the clouds with His angels to gather His church. We are in the “last days” when these signs are beginning to manifest.
![Rapture: Case Closed?: Enhanced Edition by [Walters, Nelson]](https://images-fe.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51wpfVi1U0L.jpg)
Let me give a plug for Dr Nelson Walters book Rapture case Closed? It does a great job of revealing when the Rapture will take place.
A special edition of this book has just been sent free to a thousand Christian leaders in the USA in an effort to alert the church to coming prophesied tribulation.
Christians will not be on earth when the wrath of God is poured out, but the big question is, when is the wrath of God poured out on the earth. Nelson shows clearly that the wrath of God is poured out in the trumpet and bowl judgements.
Yes! Christians will be on earth during the tribulation and will see the Antichrist. Get the book, you will be glad you did.
ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO JESUS SECOND COMING WITH GREAT JOY AND EXPECTATION?
The phrase, “come like a thief,” occurs only 5 times and always refers to the return of Jesus at the arrival of the Day of the Lord. Check them out – 1 Thes. 5:2, 4; 2 Pet. 3:10; Rev. 3:3; Rev. 16:15. The use of this term originated based on the parable Jesus taught:
“But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. “For this reason you be ready too; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect it.”( Matt. 24:43-44)
This exhortation and warning follows upon His teaching that when you see the “signs” of the great tribulation, you will know that His coming is right at the door, just like we know that summer is near when we see leaves on the trees. (Luke 21:29).
But He immediately tells us that no one knows the day or hour of His coming. In other words, we can know the “season” of His coming, when He will be “right at the door,” but we cannot know the exact day of His coming. Thus the exhortation for watchfulness so we might be prepared when God brings that arrival of Jesus “in His own timing” (1 Tim. 6:15).
Jesus did not teach imminence here. He taught that the events of the tribulation would precede His coming and that once those events transpire, we should know that He is right at the door and we should “be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming,” (Mat. 24:42).
But our watchfulness should not be out of fear or sorrow, but out of great joy and expectation, knowing that at His arrival He will take us to Himself so that then we shall ever be with the Lord. That is why Paul calls this “the blessed hope” (Lit: the HAPPY confidence, Titus 2:13)).
He will come like a thief, only to those who are unprepared. But for the believer, walking in fellowship with God, they “are not in darkness that the day should overtake you like a thief,” (1 Thes. 5:4). Accordingly, Paul immediately follows that up with an exhortation to all believers including himself, to “not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and balanced,” (2 Thes. 5:6).
The exhortation then is to watchfulness and preparedness, not in view of an “any moment” coming of Jesus, but in view of the DANGER of not being ready when “the signs” come on the scene.
All the words used to encourage our watchfulness communicate the attitude of “expectation” and the strong emotion of longing, in view of His promised arrival, not in view of an “any moment” arrival.
No, Jesus did not teach imminence at Matthew 24. Instead, He taught that specific events had to occur first. Peter knew and understood this. And he even knew that the Lord would not come during his lifetime.
Thus, he exhorts the recipients of his letter, to be diligent to maintain holy conduct and godliness (2 Pet. 3:11) and to be found in Him, in peace, spotless and blameless,” (v.14) so that just like John warns, “we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in shame at His coming,” (1 John 2:28).
You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him {be} the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Pet. 3:17-18)
Peter did not teach imminence in chapter three. He taught the need for growth, preparation and watchfulness,
“looking for and promoting the coming of the day of God,”
Imminence is only a valid concept once the SEASON that Jesus taught about arrives. Once that season is here; once the events of the tribulation have begun, it is then and only then, that He can come as a thief at some unknown day and hour. Accordingly, the promises for watchfulness teach that the Lord could come in ANY generation as long as the prerequisite “signs of summer” occur.
Pretribbers fail to separate the arrival of Jesus TO the earth in the clouds of the sky, which IS the second coming, from the descent of Jesus ONTO the earth sometime later after the wrath of God is poured out in the trumpet and bowl judgements, which is NOT the second coming, but an event that occurs DURING the second advent.
And what we are looking for is the GLORIOUS appearing of Jesus, which is the SECOND COMING. The second coming and the rapture are NOT two different “events” – unless one wants to list the various things that happen after Jesus arrives in the clouds of the sky as several different events. But then, one must recognise that the second coming is the ONE ARRIVAL of Jesus, which begins a time period known as His parousia or His presence in this earthly arena, which is also known as The Day of The Lord. And that during that parousia, there are several events that will occur. The first event is the rapture and his return with the Saints to win the battle of Armageddon is an event down the list, and not even the final event, for the separation of the sheep and the goats is the final event prior to the official start of the millennial kingdom.
WAKE UP CHURCH: WE NEED BELIEVERS MINISTERING IN THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
We urgently need a mighty move of God. We need a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit, which will awaken believers to the reality of people lost without God.
Urgency can be defined as importance requiring swift action. As such, one of the essential qualities of the kingdom of God is urgency. Let me suggest that if multitudes are going to receive the witness of Jesus Christ, there is a great urgency, which exists for the continual manifestation of the power of the Holy Spirit
Jesus tells his disciples in Luke 10 as they engage in the evangelism of their generation: “Say, … the kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:10b-11b). How were the disciples to demonstrate the nearness of the kingdom? Jesus tells them to heal the sick—a direct manifestation of the Holy Spirit’s power.
Urgency in 21st century evangelism is the announcement that the kingdom is just as near today as it was then.
Why would the kingdom manifest in our generation with anything less than it was in Christ’s? Urgency means that the kingdom is of supreme importance and requires a demonstration of God’s power. Such kingdom urgency necessitates a kingdom message, coupled with kingdom power. How do we live in this place of urgency?
We need the Spirit’s presence! We must not allow the “tyranny of the immediate” in today’s culture to numb us from our need of “immediate urgency” for the Spirit’s presence.
Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is righteous, joy and peace in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17). Our ongoing fellowship with the Holy Spirit equips us to be kingdom ambassadors operating with kingdom urgency and power.
It is His holy and healthy power working in us and through us that draws the world around us to His transforming grace.
Let me offer two thoughts on this idea based on the internal and external expression of the Spirit’s presence in our lives:
His Grace Working Inward
There is an inward urgency of the Spirit within the lives of believers:
We see this in Romans 15:13. “May the God of hope fill you with joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Spirit.” The greatest need for every human being is hope. Paul tells us that no matter the obstacles or challenges it is possible to overflow with hope. This is the work of the Holy Spirit establishing the kingdom—righteousness, joy and peace—internally. Are you abounding with hope? Without it, urgency is impossible. Only the hope-filled recognize the importance of swift Kingdom action.
His Grace Working Outward
There is an outward urgency that the Holy Spirit release through the church to draw the lost to Christ’s transforming grace. This is found in
Romans 15:19: “By the power of signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and as far around as Illyricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” This verse shows us Paul expressing the kingdom with urgency through his witness. The result was that throughout all the surrounding cities and provinces the Spirit manifested the message of the Kingdom.
The importance of the kingdom requires our swift and holy action. Our generation wants an expression of authentic kingdom urgency. Jesus the King is worthy of nothing less. 
Mikel French has challenged spiritual awakening all across America, where many celebrations extended into multiple weeks, and has conducted celebrations in France, Sweden, Russia, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Moldova, Serbia, Germany, South Africa, Malawi, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Haiti, Japan, Singapore, India and Thailand. He conducted an outreach celebration in Manila, Philippines, reaching 200,000 teenagers with The Book of Hope. Through the generous support of partners, he has presented the message of Jesus Christ to millions of people in the nation of Russia through televised citywide Soul-Winning Celebrations. Mikel considers it an honor to assist in conducting the annual pastor’s conference, where thousands of pastors from Russia’s 11 time zones come for training, teaching and equipping. Mikel and his wife, Marsha, reside in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
ARK LIT WITH RAINBOW – COVENANT REMINDER
The rainbow is a reminder God will never again judge the wickedness of man with a global flood—next time the world will be judged by fire.
In 2016, Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis urged Christians to reclaim the rainbow and teach young people its true meaning.
“The rainbow itself wasn’t designed to be a symbol of freedom, love, pride or the LGBTQ movement. God created this beautiful, colourful phenomenon and designated it as a sign of His covenant with Noah and his descendants forever.”
“Sadly, people ignore what God intended the rainbow to represent and proudly wave rainbow-coloured flags in defiance of God’s command and design for marriage. Because of this, many Christians shy away from using the rainbow colours. But the rainbow was a symbol of God’s promises before the LGBTQ movement—and will continue to be after that movement has ended. As Christians, we need to take the rainbow back and teach our young people its true meaning.”
The 500-foot-long ark is the centrepiece of the biblical theme park based in Williamstown, Kentucky. Hundreds of thousands of visitors have toured the replica of Noah’s ark.
“The ark is lit permanently at night with a rainbow to remind the world that God owns it and He decreed it’s a sign of His covenant with man after the Flood—Christians need to take back the rainbow as we do at the Ark Encounter,” Ham said.
Critics denounced the decision—accusing him of stealing the rainbow colours from the LGBT community.
“This is Ken Ham’s sad attempt to take back the rainbow symbol from the LGBTQ community,” read a headline in the Orlando Weekly.
“It makes the ark look incredibly gay,” Kentucky Fairness Campaign’s Chris Hartman told USA Today.
“Knowing this first: scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’ For this they wilfully forget… by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded by water.” 2 Peter 3:3-4
WHAT WILL THE CHURCH LOOK LIKE IN THE LAST DAYS?
Considering the following Hillsong video, what does it say about the state of the church in these last days, surely this video demonstrates we are witnessing the precursor to the prophesied great falling away in the church as persecution increases.
In this video “Vigilant Christian” gives a warning of a very possible Trojan horse deception! (wolf in sheep’s clothing). The warning is about Hillsong because of their starry night Christmas special! The performance was done Hollywood style, worldly, sensual and of the flesh! Please pray for God to give you discernment on this issue! God Bless, STAY VIGILANT & FEAR NO EVIL !!!
JESUS CHRIST’S SECOND COMING
The Lord’s second coming (parousia) will be a comprehensive-complex whole. In other words, it will not be a simple, instantaneous event as the rapture will be. Instead it will span various events that will fulfil divine purposes.
We can illustrate this by looking at Jesus’ first coming. When we think of this event, we do not think exclusively of his birth. His birth was his arrival, but his subsequent presence included his upbringing, teaching ministry, miracles, discipleship, death, burial, and resurrection. It was a complex whole that God used to fulfil his purposes. Similarly, the second coming will begin with Jesus’ arrival in the clouds to resurrect the dead and rapture them along with believers who are alive at that time (1 Thess. 4:13–18). The biblical writers often emphasised the arrival aspect of the parousia because they wanted to induce godly living in their listeners. But it would be a mistake to think they viewed it as limited only to Jesus’ glorious appearing in the sky to resurrect the dead and rapture all believers. This is because his subsequent presence (parousia) will encompass major events such as the day of the Lord’s wrath, bringing the remnant of Israel to salvation, and reclaiming his earthly regal-rule, which will extend into the millennium. In short, Christ’s parousia will be realised in his delivery of God’s people, judgement upon the wicked, and reign over the world.
What are key passages that you believe best represent your Prewrath position for the rapture?
I think the strongest passage is 2 Thessalonians 2, where Paul reassures the trepidation of the Thessalonian believers that they are not experiencing the day of the Lord’s wrath. Paul explains that they are not experiencing the day of the Lord’s wrath because two discernible events must happen first—the revelation of Antichrist and the apostasy. Since they have not happened, Paul argues, the day of the Lord has not materialised.
I also see Jesus’ Olivet Discourse as a key passage that supports the pre-wrath position. It depicts all the key elements: the Antichrist’s great tribulation, cutting short of the great tribulation, celestial disturbances, Son of Man’s return to the clouds, rescue of God’s people, and the impending wrath of God.
I would argue, as well, from the book of Daniel and Revelation, but the former two passages, in my view, form a strong case for the pre-wrath position.
What role does Daniel 9 have in your understanding of the timing of the rapture?
I do not see Daniel 9 informing a particular eschatological sequence vis-à-vis the rapture question (but I do in Daniel 11:36–12:4). There are at least two points that Daniel 9 informs us on: (1) There will be a future seven-year period during which time key events will unfold, and (2) the fulfillment of the salvation of Israel will happen when the seven-year period is complete.
Alan Kurschner is director of Eschatos Ministries, which is dedicated to teaching biblical prophecy from a futurist, premillennial, prewrath perspective. www.AlanKurschner.com.
AMERICA IS ON THE VERGE OF A BREAKDOWN
Report by Bill Bonner, author of New York Times best-sellers (Empire of Debt, Financial Reckoning Day, Mobs, Markets and Messiahs) and now his latest book (When The ATMS Go Dark).
A meeting with Greenspan (centre), myself, Bill Bonner (left from centre), and other experts at my office
In Baltimore, the stadium loudspeakers sounded again: “Ladies and gentleman, due to an ongoing public safety issue, the mayor of Baltimore and the Baltimore County Police Department have asked all fans to remain inside the ballpark until further notice.”
Then silence… Except for a distant white noise… the sound of an enraged mob tearing through stores, police, and bystanders…just outside the stadium walls.
Something had gone terribly wrong in the city that night…
By that time, the cell networks had started to go down.
In New York City, a man wearing a red Make America Great Again hat was choked on the subway as fellow passengers did nothing to help.
In Chicago, a 50-year-old man was dragged from his car and beaten. Instead of helping, onlookers accused him of voting for the wrong political candidate.
In Washington, a young woman who showed up to support the new president had her hair set on fire by “black bloc” radical leftist protesters.
In Berkeley, California, a Patriots Day rally turned into a battle for the streets between black-clad anarchists and a right-wing militia group.
A website by the anarchist group “black bloc” (the same ones who smashed windows, threw Molotov cocktails at police, and set Berkeley on fire) asks for donations to “send reports to uprisings and rebellions in so-called North America.”
Another “resistance movement” lists 5,983 local cells spread across the country – and they’re not just confined to the coasts, either, as you can see… The red dots are for upcoming “actions”, the blue dots are locations of the cells.
Now, we’ve had unrest before in this country. Many times.
During Holy Week 1968, the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., set off riots across the country.
In 1991, the Rodney King riots resulted in 1 billion dollars’ worth of damage, 50 deaths, and a vicious attack on an innocent truck driver.
But this is different. There is an anger brewing here. One I have never seen in my lifetime.
We have protesters caught on camera saying: “people have to die”…
Meanwhile, protected elites like Maxine Waters and Chelsea Clinton, safe in their million-dollar homes, egg the crowds on…
As of writing this, I count at least seven mass political actions scheduled in the next few months alone. Which of these will explode into a riot, I don’t know. Hopefully none will.
But a recent conversation among members of an extreme resistance group on the social media site Reddit shows an alarming trend…
Here’s a sampling of what they said:
- “I honestly think we need a campaign to get more [of us] armed.”
- “A shocking number of comrades went in there with absolutely no combat training.”
- “We need more than flags and bats. […] I know getting firearms in states and cities we have a presence is usually a hassle, but even handguns would help.”
Is it any wonder then, that these same groups are setting universities on fire, while students who refuse to go along with the crowd are threatened with violence?
And it’s not just happening in “dangerous” cities like Baltimore and Chicago. Violent crime is now rising in places like Denver, Salt Lake City, and Louisville. In the small town of Tiburon, California, a 74-year-old conservative radio host and his 12-year-old dog were assaulted and knocked to the ground while out grabbing a bite to eat. In Ohio, another 74-year-old man was murdered live on Facebook, as he walked home from Easter lunch, young kids are putting police officers in the hospital. People are broadcasting racist attacks and murders live on Facebook.
And here’s the thing…
I think what we’re seeing here is merely Act One
As the magazine Foreign Policy recently explained:
“There appears to be…a sense that these are not just scattered outbursts, that all this is escalating somewhere.”
What it’s all escalating to…the magazine’s editors aren’t so sure.
In this report, I’m going to tell you what’s really causing this unrest…
…and why it’s leading to a disturbing conclusion…sooner than anyone expected.
- I see nearly half the population paying no taxes and dependent on aid from the federal government,
- I see more Americans are dying of drug overdoses than ever before and suicides just hit a 30-year high.
- I see a majority of Americans favouring wealth redistribution and higher taxes…which is probably why a Congress full of Republicans is unwilling to guard the rest of us against these things.
- And I see the increasingly vocal and even violent opposition to traditional American values in our streets.
Sadly, Bonner like John Adams has got it wrong by thinking that the root cause is economic mismanagement alone.
John Adams said at the Constitutional Convention of 1787:
“All the perplexities, confusion and distress in America arise not from defects in the Constitution or Confederation, not from a want of honour or virtue so much as from downright ignorance of the nature of coin, credit and circulation.”
Universities espousing a godless worldview, based on a totally false evolutionary theory of origins, has produced a younger generation that has no fear of their Creator God, nor respect for His values.
If there is no purpose or meaning in life, then what else would you expect but a ME generation of self centred, self serving young people prepared to do whatever it take to wrest control from the previous largely corrupt generation that has racked up debt that is unsustainable by providing services that cannot be maintained. This is the recipe for disaster that we see being played out. Moreover, this “end times” scenario is prophesied in the Bible, the book our Creator provided for us.
As I have pointed out in two recent posts, the reestablishment of the State of Israel back in 1948 (and its miraculous ( Six day War) retaking control of Jerusalem in 1967) is the first and major sign Jesus gave of His second coming, His return to earth at the place He left it, a little over two thousand years ago.
The Bible provides more prophecies of His second coming than His first. All of those were fulfilled, so you can be sure those of His second coming will be as well. Are you prepared for His second coming? Is your church prepared for His second coming? The Bible tells us there will be a great falling away in the “last days”. Even the elect deceived. As persecution intensifies, and it will if you take a stand against abortion, gay marriage and transgender issues, will you stand firm. Sadly, much of the church has already given up on Biblical inerrancy particularly on issues such as Creation, adopting evolution, homosexuality, gay marriage and the related issues of God given roles for male and females in the family and church.
WHY CREATION IN SIX DAYS? DOES IT HAVE SIGNIFICANCE FOR TODAY?
The immediate significance of a six days creation was as a pattern for man, six days you will work and the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. The finger of God wrote this fourth commandment, one of ten, on a stone tablet for Moses. We still have a seven day week but do we uphold God’s Sabbath?
Equally important, and of more significance in our day, is the prophetic significance of the six days of creation. Six thousand years of man’s reign on earth and the seventh, the Millennial reign of Jesus Christ.
The Bible’s history is clear on a young earth with genealogies in both the OT and NT giving us a six thousand year history. Sadly, the world does not acknowledge that God judged mankind with a worldwide chaotic flood, which reshaped the geography of the entire planet, laying down the fossil layers and creating the fossil fuels. The flood lasted one year and created what the world believes took billions of years.
It is enlightening to see what the early church fathers had to say on the subject.
St Justin Martyr had this to say “But I and others, who are right-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare. And further, there was a certain man with us, whose name was John, one of the apostles of Christ, who prophesied, by a revelation that was made to him, that those who believed in our Christ would dwell a thousand years in Jerusalem.”
Iraneus was another early Church Father who taught that the Church will face Antichrist during the Great Tribulation and after that Christ will return and usher in his Millennial Kingdom: “But when this Antichrist shall have devastated all things in this world, he will reign for three years and six months, and sit in the temple at Jerusalem; and then the Lord will come from heaven in the clouds, in the glory of the Father, sending this man and those who follow him into the lake of fire; but bringing in for the righteous the times of the kingdom, that is, the rest, the hallowed seventh day; and restoring to Abraham the promised inheritance, in which kingdom the Lord declared, that “many coming from the east and from the west should sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”
The Seventh Day: Iraneus mentioned the Seventh Day, but the Church has forgotten this critical teaching, which in and of itself proves the Millennial Kingdom. It is very well explained by the Epistle of Barnabas cited by Clemens, Alexandrinus, Eusebius, Jerome, and many ancient Fathers (even Origen.)
“And in the beginning of the creation he makes mention of the Sabbath. And God made in six days the works of his hands; and he finished them on the seventh day, and rested the seventh say, and sanctified it.
Consider, my children, what that signifies, he finished them in six days. The meaning of it is this; that in six thousand years the Lord God will bring all things to an end.
For with him one day is as a thousand years; as himself testifies, saying, Behold this day shall be as a thousand years. Therefore children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, that all things shall be accomplished.
And what is it that he says, And he rested the seventh day: he means this; that when His Son shall come, and abolish the season of the Wicked One, and judge the ungodly; and shall change the sun and the moon and the stars; and he shall gloriously rest in that seventh day (a thousand years)”. (Barnabas 13:3-6)
This wonderfully explains the understanding of the Great Creation Prophecy explained by Peter and the Writer of Hebrews which has been forgotten by the Church.
The writer of Hebrews clearly explains this teaching within the canon of scripture: “For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said, As I have sworn in my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. For he spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all his works. And in this place again, If they shall enter into my rest. Seeing therefore it remains that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Again, he limits a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus (or Joshua) had given them rest, then would he not afterward have spoken of another day. There remains therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.” (Heb. 4:3-11)
It is incredibly important to understand this passage which clearly speaks of the Millennial Kingdom, a Seventh Day. Notice the Writer of Hebrews says that Joshua (it is most likely Joshua, his name and Jesus’s are identical in the Greek) did NOT provide us rest upon entering the promised land and that is why a Seventh Day, a seventh 1000 years, is still coming.
Of even greater interest is what follows this statement. It is obvious that the seventh day (the 1000 years) and the rest of God was still remaining when Hebrews was written! We are told we must labour to enter the 1000 year rest. Our discussion of Amillennialism should end right here, but there is more, much more.
Peter speaks of this same 1000 years and calls those who claim there won’t be a PAROUSIA or Rapture are mockers or scoffers: “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming (PAROUSIA or rapture)? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water (the Creation) through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water. But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgement and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.” (2 Pet. 3:3-10)
Peter demonstrates that all the ages of the creation prophecy “days” are 1000 years long. Peter is clear that the mockers don’t know the date of Jesus’s return because they don’t understand the creation account (in which the seventh day is mentioned) and its prophetic meaning. If they did, they would know that Jesus returns 6000 years after creation; and that a 1000 year day of rest remains after that.
John of course, re-enforces this teaching in the Book of Revelation: “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God.They had not worshipped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:4-6)
John’s testimony is the same as the writer of Hebrews, Peter, and the early Church Fathers. There is a thousand year reign of Jesus in which the resurrected will reign with him.
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 