Thursday, May 1, 2008

THE EVENTS BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

TOPIC: THE EVENTS BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.
TEXT: MATTEW 24: 1-51.

The fulfillment of the Holy Spirit, the establishment of the Church on the day of Pentecost where 3,000 souls were won for Church Act. 2:1- The persecution of the Church, this lead to the death of many Apostles and many early Christian, which is called death of the martyrs. According to the book of Matt. 24:1- In Jesus private teaching to the Disciples on the Mount of Olives. Jesus responded to three questions, concerning 1. The destruction of the temple. 2. His Second coming, and the End. The destruction of the temple was fulfilled by the arrival of the Roman army which besieged Jerusalem and destroyed the temple in A.D. 70. The Jewish historian Josephus, who witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem, gives a vivid account of the city’s fall, reporting that more than 1,000,000 Jews perished in one day.PERILOUS TIMES 2 Timothy 3:1 2Ti 3.1-9 even in gospel times there would be perilous times; on account of persecution from without, still more on account of corruptions within. Men love to gratify their own lusts, more than to please God and do their duty. When every man is eager for what he can get, and anxious to keep what he has, this makes men dangerous to one another. When men do not fear God, they will not regard man. When children are disobedient to their parents that makes the times perilous. Men are unholy and without the fear of God, because unthankful for the mercies of God. We abuse God's gifts, if we make them the food and fuel of our lusts. Times are perilous also, when parents are without natural affection to children. And when men have no rule over their own spirits, but despise that which is good and to be honored. God is to be loved above all.THE RAPTURE: The word “rapture” isn’t found in Scripture. The term derives from the Latin word for “Caught up”. Rapturo, which was used in the Latin translation of 1 Thess. 4:17; “Then, together with them. We who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet thee in the air and remain with him forever”. This events follows a resurrection of Christians who have died (1Thess. 4: 16), thereby uniting all believers in heaven.THE ANTICHRIST: While the world in general will oppose God in the last days, the head of the resistance is someone who has come to be referred to as the Antichrist. (The more common reference to him in Revelation is “the beast”). In one sense, anyone who stands against the work, teachings, and ministry of Jesus is considered an “antichrist” by this definition (1Jh. 2: 18). At one point, anyone who refuses to pledge loyalty to the Antichrist and receive his mark on his or her body will be denied the right to buy or sell anything.A RISE IN APOSTASY: Apostasy is essentially the abandonment of one’s personal religious faith. More specifically, the biblical references to the falling away of faith tend to be in regard to denying the Trinity of God or the belief that Jesus was both human and Divine 1 John. 2: 22-23. And Scripture consistently warns of an increase of apostasy in the last days. The “last days” can be technically defined as anytime after the life of Jesus Heb. 1: 2, we are told; “ For {the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ} will not come until there is a great rebellion against God and the man of lawlessness is revealed--- the one who brings destruction” 2 Thess. 2: 3. God is being patient with humanity, hoping that as many as possible will respond to His gracious offer of Salvation, so He postpones the final deadline for our benefit 2 Pet. 3: 8-9. But the longer Jesus waits to return, the more likely certain people are to use the delay as evidence that He’s not coming back at all. 2 Pet. 3: 3-4. Most of today’s Christians have dealt with apostasy of peers or family members. And as times goes by, apostasy is likely to spread.CONCLUSION: We should certainly enjoy all the good things of the world while we can. Sure, we will face some down times. We will have physical hurts and emotional scars. But God never deserts us, and He gives us the strength we need to overcome. And for those who overcome, incomprehensible wonders lie ahead. While you await the Lord’s return, you as His followers are to be faithful and responsible in your Service to the Lord. Because you are not doing it for anybody but to the glory of Almighty God. My fellow Christian remain bless till second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

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