Tag: second coming

Why Did Jesus Not Know the Time of His Return – January 25, 2023

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Why Did Jesus Not Know the Time of His Return

There is a Scripture that, at first glance, seems confusing. Matthew 24:36 declares about the day of the Lord’s return, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.”

We ask the question, “How could it be that Jesus Christ would not know the day or hour of His own return?” We must begin by remembering a few things. Jesus is and was one hundred percent God and one hundred percent human. In His first coming, Jesus came precisely to pay for our sins and provide salvation. In doing so, He limited Himself in many ways.

First of all, Jesus is God, so He is omnipresent. That means that He is all places at all times, and yet, Christ limited Himself to one body, to walk on this earth one place at a time. Jesus is omnipotent; He has all power. Yet, He did not use the power available to Him many times, as when He was nailed to the cross. He could have stopped all that, and He could have used His power in many ways, but He willingly chose not to, in order to provide our full salvation.

It is the same with the omniscience of Jesus. He knows everything, but He chose not to operate by that omniscience in every situation. The instance of Matthew 24:36 happens to be one of those situations. When He came the first time, He descended and lived here in order to make a way for us to be right with God. Jesus knew, that for Him to tell us the day and hour of His return, would be to stop us from being always prepared.

As a matter of fact, just a few verses after this, Jesus shares a parable to speak of the fact that somebody who thinks that Jesus will be delayed – that the Master is not returning soon – is somebody that is actually a hypocrite, who is not truly living for the Lord. (Matthew 24:48-51) We are to always be waiting for Jesus. We are not to know when the rapture of the church is going to take place, so that we are perpetually ready. That is called the imminent return of Christ.

Does Jesus know the point of His return, now that He has been restored to the glory of the Father in Heaven (John 17:5)? I believe that, yes, He does. However, on earth, He withheld that information from even Himself, so that He could instruct us in the way to live and be right with God.

– Shelli Prindle

Point of Rapture – September 9, 2022

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Point of Rapture

As demonstrated in the historical truth of Sodom and Gomorrah, when Lot was taken out at the last minute before destruction, and as indicated by the Apostle Peter, that the Lord, to our understanding, seems slow to keep His promise of return, because He desires that no one perishes eternally, we know that Jesus will come suddenly to snatch His people from this world right before the judgment of the tribulation.

God is waiting for every last soul that will put their trust in Jesus as Savior to do so. Simultaneously, He is waiting for wickedness to reach a threshold that He will no longer tolerate, to the detriment of His people.

Therefore, when these two factors meet that God-given point of intersection, Jesus will whisk away His followers from this world, and then God will usher in the tribulation period.

The number of truly righteous people declines as the last-days apostasy sets in, and wickedness grows as godlessness and lawlessness increases. Surely, a number of falsely “spiritual” people still exists, but only those dedicated to the truth of Jesus Christ are righteous, for it is only the blood of Jesus Christ that He shed on the cross that can make any of us right with God.

The rapture is coming. Judgment is coming. Jesus is then coming back with His people to set up His millennial kingdom. Amen!

– Shelli Prindle

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but hat all should reach repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)

“As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, ‘Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.’ But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city.” (Genesis 19:15-16)

“And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” (Matthew 24:10-12)

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

From MESSY to GLORY

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We are familiar with the beauty of the adult monarch butterfly. The orange and black pattern of the delicate wings reminds us of life’s small miracles. We know the butterfly was once a caterpillar. The crawling insect became a thing of grace that sails in the air around us.

Do you realize the caterpillar started as a tiny egg about the size of the period at the end of a sentence? And do you further realize that the bright little caterpillar shed its final layer of skin to become a chrysalis? The green chrysalis is not a cocoon, but rather the actual body of the monarch caterpillar.

Truly amazing is what happens to the chrysalis while hanging on a silk pad. The caterpillar body’s own digestive juices eat away the caterpillar tissue. The whole thing breaks down into a rich culture medium, or – put simply – mush! Then a miraculous process takes place in that mysterious liquid as imaginal cells begin to form the parts of the new, butterfly body! Cells in that mush direct what used to be a caterpillar to now grow wings!

Soon the fluid media begins to transform into a butterfly. What a process! The caterpillar turns to liquid in the chrysalis, and the liquid turns to butterfly.

Now, if we were to interrupt the process and try to peek inside the chrysalis too soon, we would see what appears to be a gooey mess. In fact, a first grade class at my school saw this when a caterpillar bit a hole in a chrysalis. The liquid came out of the chrysalis, and the soon-to-be butterfly was destroyed. Sure, the process is somewhat messy when the chrysalis is young, but the splendor is just around the corner.

When it comes time for the monarch butterfly to emerge with its newly transformed body, the chrysalis undergoes a stunning change – it becomes clear. The green turns translucent when the gorgeous butterfly is about to appear.

God is demonstrating glorious truths in the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly. First, the work of the Lord in a person’s life can at times appear messy. The goo of the chrysalis may not seem attractive, but God works miracles in that goo! The cells he has placed in the liquid are working their way into a butterfly. In the same way, our lives –and the lives of fellow Christians – may not always seem as they ought. But, God is working miracles in the mess!

Second, there exists a certain mystery to who we truly are in Christ. For now, we struggle with sin in a broken world, and the truth of our being may not be clear at all times. Just like the green of the chrysalis in the beginning stages, God is yet working His plan in this age of grace. However, when Jesus comes back, we will appear with Him in glory! The real me will then be seen. The heart that has been cleansed by the blood of Jesus will be truly set free to be as He is in that New Heavens and New Earth. Just as the glory of Jesus is not completely revealed until the splendor of His Second Coming, so the glory of His followers is not yet visible. It will be, though. Without a doubt, when Jesus appears in all His glory, we will appear as we ought!

Do not give up, do not be discouraged, and do not give in. Let the goo of the chrysalis remind you of the beauty of the butterfly. We will be free!

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you will also appear with Him in glory.” – Colossians 3:3-4

Tracing God’s Heart through Geography and History: The Mount of Olives

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Today in the Middle East, just to the right of Jerusalem, stands the Mount of Olives. This mountain is separated from the great city by a narrow area called the Kidron Valley. The Mount of Olives is approximately one mile long and rises to 2,680 feet above sea level. This mountain tells us much about the heart of God. For, God is the God of geography and history. Too many people today think the true God is “spiritual only,” but He is God over every realm! He is Lord over geography because He made this terrestrial ball and the entire universe (Psalm 121:2), and He is Lord over history because He stands outside of time as the “Beginning and the End” (Revelation 22:13).

What does this actual, geographical location reveal to us about the heart of God? Let’s look at three things:

    1) In Luke 21:37, we learn that Jesus would actually rest on the Mount of Olives following long days of teaching disciples. Our Savior would close His eyes and sleep on the mount at night. This amazes me, because Matthew 26:38 reveals that at this same place – the Mount of Olives – Jesus was nearly overwhelmed by the weight of the sacrifice He would make for the sins of the world. You see, the Garden of Gethsemane – where Jesus prayed right before His arrest and crucifixion – lies on the western slope of the Mount of Olives. Our Savior commenced His unimaginable suffering at the very place He rested so many other days before. I am ashamed to say that there have been times I can hardly sleep at night if I know I have an impending difficult time ahead; yet, Jesus rested in the very place He knew He would carry the weight of human sin. Jesus Christ could rest because He knew that His plan would prevail in the end, no matter how dark the time at hand.

    The Mount of Olives reminds us that we can rest in the midst of difficult circumstances and while facing an unknown future because God is in control.
    2) The words of Acts 1:9-12 tell us that Jesus Christ left this earth from the Mount of Olives. After instructing the disciples that they should concentrate on spending their lives as a testimony to God by the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, Jesus was taken up into a cloud and was drawn out of sight. The disciples no doubt stood dumbfounded. They had finally wrapped their minds around His divinity because He had risen from the dead just as the Scripture promised, and He had walked on the earth for forty days following His resurrection. Now, after those seemingly short forty days, He was leaving! Their mouths probably hung open as they watched Him go. Perhaps they were thinking, “Why is He leaving us after rising from the dead?” and “Why is He not fixing this world system right now; why is He allowing the Romans to continue in their plot?” and “When will we see Him again?” As those disciples stood there, two angels informed them that “this Jesus” will come back the same way He left.

    I love it! “This Jesus”! Not another Jesus, but the very same One who walked with them, hugged them, ate with them, was nailed to a cross for them, resurrected for them, walked with them again in His new, glorified body; and ate fish with them in His new, glorified body – this Jesus would return to this earth! The Jesus that was put in the tomb is the Jesus that came out of the tomb and is the Jesus who will return on day. Similarly, the same me that dies physically is the same me that will rise physically and enjoy what Jesus prepares one day. Because of Him, we live too!

    The Mount of Olives reminds us that a very real Jesus is coming back to this earth to make a home of righteousness for us to enjoy with Him in very real, glorified bodies.
    3) The prophet Zechariah declares in Zechariah 14:4 that one future day the feet of Jesus will stand again on the Mount of Olives. At some point before the second coming of Christ, great armies will go to battle against Jerusalem. The city will be captured, and the end of Jerusalem and its inhabitants will seem inevitable. But, just when things seem hopeless – and not before – Jesus will descend on that mount. His feet will cause the Mount of Olives to split in half, producing a valley between the newly formed northern and southern halves of the mountain. That valley will be the way of escape for the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Zechariah goes on to explain that the inauguration of the millennial reign of Christ will mean the people of Jerusalem will dwell securely, with no more curse (Zechariah 14:11).

    Just as God provided a way of escape for His people when they were caught between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptians, so He will provide a way of escape when the Antichrist and all the godless armies seek to destroy God’s remnant of people. Nothing stops God’s plan. In a real and tangible way, Jesus will once again be seen on the Mount of Olives.

    The Mount of Olives reminds us that Jesus is in charge of this world and all of history. He will provide the way of escape for His people and usher in the beginning of His, perfect kingdom.

Allow the God of all history and geography to strengthen your heart with the truths about one, particular location in the Middle East. The Mount of Olives is very important to Jesus, and it should be very important to us, too.