Things the Bible DOES say about the End Times

[ghtan]

13. Jesus will come like a thief on unbelievers, while watchful Christians will know that He is about to come.

Any scriptural backing for this one? I seem to remember that the 'thief in the night' sayings were all directed at believers.

Oh, how about this?:

1Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 

I take it you refer to v 4. However, there is no indication there that believers will be given any sense of timing. Instead, what Paul means is for us to be ALWAYS ready - hence alert and sober in v 6 - and the day will not overtake us like a thief. That is in line with Jesus' clear teaching in Mk 13:33 "Be on guard! Be alert! You DO NOT know when that time will come."

What is curious though is v 3. If it were referring to the Second Coming, and we know that the armies of the world will be gathered at Armageddon to make WAR against Jesus (Rev 19:19), why on earth would they be shouting "Peace and Safety" of all things?! 

[Sister]

Oh, how about this?:

1Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. 2For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. 3While they are saying, “Peace and safety!” then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape. 4But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief; 5for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; 6so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. 

 

What is curious though is v 3. If it were referring to the Second Coming, and we know that the armies of the world will be gathered at Armageddon to make WAR against Jesus (Rev 19:19), why on earth would they be shouting "Peace and Safety" of all things?! 

ghtan

 Revelation 11:3   And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

 Revelation 11:5   And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

  Revelation 11:6   These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

  Revelation 11:7   And when they shall ***have finished their testimony****, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and ***kill them****.

  Revelation 11:8   And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

  Revelation 11:9   And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations ***shall see their dead bodies three days and an half****, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

  Revelation 11:10   And they that dwell upon the earth ****shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another****; because ***these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth***.

Revelation 11:11   And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

  Revelation 11:12   And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

  Revelation 11:13   And ***the same hour*** was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.
 

 Jeremiah 51:39   In ***their heat*** I will make ***their feasts***, and I will make them drunken, ***that they may rejoice****, and sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake, saith the LORD.

[gdemoss]

While I have no problem seeing that there is no declaration of the 144,000 being evangelists, I have no problem with the conclusion that they are.  How can one be all the things the bible says they were without being evangelists?

[missmuffet]

While I have no problem seeing that there is no declaration of the 144,000 being evangelists, I have no problem with the conclusion that they are.  How can one be all the things the bible says they were without being evangelists?

That is my take on it.

[Last Daze]

What is curious though is v 3. If it were referring to the Second Coming, and we know that the armies of the world will be gathered at Armageddon to make WAR against Jesus (Rev 19:19), why on earth would they be shouting "Peace and Safety" of all things?! 

The scenario that I see is that the two witnesses have been killed and raised and the oppressive plagues have subsided.  This is at the end of the second woe (sixth trumpet / bowl).  The conditions allow for the gathering of the armies.  Why gather the armies into one place?  We know that it is for the battle of Armageddon.  The armies that gather likely do so in an effort to defend against any retaliation for killing the two witnesses or for some defensive purpose.  I see approximately 45 days between the second woe and the third woe while the armies gather.  The lack of immediate retaliation from above gets people saying "peace and safety".  Thinking that the false prophet has gained victory over the "evil plague bringers", life returns to normal....people marry, eat, drink, as in the days of Noah totally oblivious to the sudden destruction on its way.  It's during this time that Jesus says in Rev 16:15 that He is coming like thief.  It's also a time of testing.

[Montana Marv]

Scripture does not say the 144,000 are evangelists, only that they have been sealed and protected.  Scripture gives only two functions.  1. To follow the Lamb wherever He goes; and 2. To sing a new song to the Lord, which only they understand.  Both are for the Mill.  They are not sealed for what they may due in the 70th Week, but for what they will do in the Mill.

In  Christ

Montana Marv
 

[Omegaman 3.0]

Those are interesting thoughts Marv, let me ask this. If these 144,000 Jews are present on Earth during the 70th week, what do you see the idea that they "follow the Lamb wherever he goes" as meaning?

[missmuffet]

These Jews are “sealed,” which means they have the special protection of God from all of the divine judgments and from the Antichrist to perform their mission during the tribulation period (see Revelation 6:17, in which people will wonder who can stand from the wrath to come). The tribulation period is a future seven-year period of time in which God will enact divine judgment against those who reject Him and will complete His plan of salvation for the nation of Israel. All of this is according to God’s revelation to the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27). The 144,000 Jews are a sort of “first fruits” (Revelation 14:4) of a redeemed Israel which has been previously prophesied (Zechariah 12:10;Romans 11:25–27), and their mission seems to be to evangelize the post-rapture world and proclaim the gospel during the tribulation period. As a result of their ministry, millions—“a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language” (Revelation 7:9)—will come to faith in Christ.

http://www.gotquestions.org/144000.html

Edited October 13, 2015 by bopeep1909

[Ezra]

Scripture does not say the 144,000 are evangelists, only that they have been sealed and protected.  Scripture gives only two functions.  1. To follow the Lamb wherever He goes; and 2. To sing a new song to the Lord, which only they understand.  Both are for the Mill.  They are not sealed for what they may due in the 70th Week, but for what they will do in the Mill.

In  Christ

Montana Marv
 

Correct. And we see them in Heaven ("before the throne of God"), not on earth. Also the "seal" is "His Father's name written on their foreheads" (Rev 14:1).  For some reason they were mistakenly called "evangelists", but that is not the case.

[Last Daze]

Is this fifth trumpet description a reference to the 144,000?  If not, then who does it refer to?

They were told not to hurt the grass of the earth, nor any green thing, nor any tree, but only the men who do not have the seal of God on their foreheads.  Revelation 9:4

By inference, there are those who have the seal of God on their foreheads.  Otherwise, that phrase would be meaningless.