Sunday, May 3, 2015

REJOICE, OUR REDEEMER DRAWETH NIGH!

Christians have been saying the Lord is about to return soon, for almost 2000 years.  The disciples thought there would be no gap between Christ's Resurrection and His Kingdom. In Acts 1:6, they asked Jesus, "Lord, wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"  The next two verses tell us of His response to them: 

"It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:7-8)

They would not know when He would take His rightful place upon the throne of David, but it would be quite a while, because before that would happen, they had the unbelievable task of proclaiming His Gospel to the whole world (Mt. 28:19-20)!  Yes, in a day when communication travelled no faster than that of a messenger on horseback, it would be years before their mission could be accomplished!  Jesus had hinted at such a great passing of time in His Parable of the Talents (Mt. 25:14-30); in verse 19, Matthew wrote:  "After a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them."  And yet, by the time the Apostle Paul wrote his epistle to the Roman Church, he apparently believed Christ's Great Commission had been accomplished.  He wrote that their "faith is spoken of throughout the whole world" (Rom. 1:8)!  This is also obvious in his first epistle to the Thessalonians (notice the pronouns): 

"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.  For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.  For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.  But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.  Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.  Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.  For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.  Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do" (1 Th. 5:1-11).

If born again believers, living in Paul's day, were by then to be expecting the Lord's return, how much more should we be expecting Him?  Especially since Israel is again a nation surrounded by enemies!  And because of satellite communications, we know of wars, famines, disease, earthquakes, and the worldwide epidemic, drugs (Rev. 18:23 - "sorceries" - is from the Greek word φαρμακεία (pharmakeia),  from which we get the words "pharmacy" and "pharmaceuticals!"


Yes, in this case, bad news is really good news!  His return is imminent!

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