This morning my reading was in Zechariah 14. It is a passage that speaks of the end of times when Jesus will stand on the Mount of Olives and the mountain "shall be split in two." The particular passage ends with the statement "And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be - 'The Lord is one, and His name is one (14:9)."
One of the things we know for certain is that this is not a prophetic passage that has already been fulfilled. It has yet to be accomplished. It is a prophetic message that speaks of the certainty of the End Times yet to come. As the fulfillment of so much of prophecy proves the validity of the Scriptures, the prophetic messages that have yet to be fulfilled ought to cause us to respond in at least two ways.
1) Knowing that these things will come to pass, what matter of persons ought we to be (2 Peter 3:11)? My question to you is, does the reality of prophecy cause you to respond differently to the world and events in the world than you would other wise? If so, how? If not, why not?
2) Because of the reality of prophecy and it's fulfillment in the past and certainty of the future, are you "looking forward to and hastening the day" of the Lord's coming? Do you look with excitement towards the Lord's coming or with uncertainty?
Think about it, pray about it and then comment about it.
Blessings,
pd
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1) Knowing that these things will come to pass, what matter of persons ought we to be (2 Peter 3:11)? My question to you is, does the reality of prophecy cause you to respond differently to the world and events in the world than you would other wise? If so, how? If not, why not?
Yes as it adds a stone to my wall of faith in realization of the yet unfulfilled prophecy. The first chapter of Revelations tells us "for the time is near", and 1:7 tells us "Behold he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him". This gives me hope that I will one day live in a world without hate among other things and the promise that the Lord will be coming for me. Does it cause me to live differently than I would if there were no promise of the return of our Lord? Shouldn't I really live as if I will die tomorrow anyway? After all only God knows when and how I will parish. I would really like to say at this point and time "no" that I wouldn't live differently, however there is some slight hesitation in my response. At times the fleshy side of me thinks "what's the use, your life is been one big scary roller coaster ride why not just live it the way you want too?"(satan always trying to add his two cents). My own answer is "who therefore am I serving"?. Do I continue to serve the Lord my creator with no hope of him ever coming to rescue me. My answer (honestly) would be and is, yes. I would continue to serve my Creator, my Master, my Father in Heaven because the reality is I don't know if tomorrow I will die naturally, at the hands of another, or because of the rapture. All for certain is I will die and I have faith in a Heaven. With all the evidence of the Father's powerful works in my life I would suffer greatly with shame and feel deep sorrow knowing my Father was in Heaven shedding tears over my deliberate disobedience. Good works is a demonstration of our FAITH to the Father. Should I tell my husband I will love him only after he has completed a list of things I request him to do? No, God doesn't want us to live that way. We are to love him unconditionally because he first loved us, and therefore love him with or without the promise of even a Heaven. I wouldn't wait until I am falling on of the sky on an airplane headed straight for earth to call and say "I love you". When I have left this earth no matter how, I want my family and frends to say "she loved us". Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the four books of the behaviors of Jesus on earth. We are to pattern our lives after him this way, in faith and in love for him. In Paul's final message to Titus, he again warns us that if we believe in God we should be careful to maintain good works. Additionally in 2:11 he states we should live righteous in the present age (not just in the age of his coming). Once we have trusted Christ to save us from our sins, the bible gives us the guidance we need, and we have the strength of the Holy Spirit to obey God and live forever. Romans 2 tells us that God will render to each one according to his deeds. How many deeds can one crunch in the final hours? Again Revelations tells us that satan will throw some of us into prison to make us suffer, but he "the Lord" knows our good works. Again, good works is a demonstration of our faith.
2) Because of the reality of prophecy and it's fulfillment in the past and certainty of the future, are you "looking forward to and hastening the day" of the Lord's coming? Do you look with excitement towards the Lord's coming or with uncertainty?
Personally, yes and no. There are so many reasons to look forward to the day coming quickly as I sometimes grow tired and weary of the ways of the world, and know that things will in no way get any easier as we progress forward. Some day's I wish the Lord had come for me years ago, but at the same time I am excited, I have matters of the heart that disturb me. What do we really know about Heaven? The book of Matthew tells us that "Heaven is like a treasure hiding in a field", and we are told when we find it we will want more of it. Hebrews 12:28 tells us we are receiving a Kingdom which cannot be shaken, and in Revelations Heaven is described as a "Bride Adorned for her Husband" which must mean it's very beautiful. The uncertainty is this; Revelations 16 talks about what is going to happen to men on earth that don't repent. It speaks of the wrath of God being poured out of the bowls on to the earth, and men will be scorched, there will be pain, sores, darkness, and the earth will shake. Will the pain be greater then it is now, or will there be more believers that trust the Lord? Who will be left behind? Will it be people I love, will it be the little old lady down the street that doesn't know Jesus died for her sins? Will it be some of my children, and when I get to Heaven will I miss them, will I even know they are missing from among us? Will I feel sorrow and pain for those that didn't make it, will I grieve them? Will any of this matter when I get there? Will the people who have treated me with wickedness be left here to parish, although I pray for them will they die not ever knowing the love of Jesus? It may be all they get is the happiness they made for themselves on earth. It doesn't matter how much you want someone to know the goodness of our Father and his promise of Heaven if they themselves don't want to believe. Evil lurks in every crook and cranny of my life and being and if it were not for the strong faith I have in our Father it will be difficult for me to resist such strong temptation. Therefore I would be like those I pray for, I would be left behind. So for me it's a mixed bag of both issues of the heart and issues of the spirit.
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