Knowing The Time Of Visitation

[Alive]

17 minutes ago, BibleStudent100 said:

Hi OrangeCat,

I enjoyed your thoughtful responses.  I too was/am sometimes "critical" of why the Israelites so bitterly complained of their years in the wilderness and their lack of faith, DESPITE personally observing so many eye-popping and visually stunning miracles that broke the "laws of physics"!  I used to think, if I had SEEN those 10 plagues and water being held back on the Red Sea while I crossed it (those walls of water could have been 60 feet high), I would have NEVER have complained about the Lord's hand being short.  But then I visited the Masada in the Negeb Desert and then I saw:  that is the barrenest desert I have ever seen and I live in the Mojave Desert!  There is barely a scrub bus in much of that area.  Can we imagine the hardships of wandering from place to place for all those 40 years?  Yes, one's faith could be tested as we frail humans think way too much in the present and we focus on our current comfort level versus thinking about our future salvation.

Yup…my wife and I were discussing this a couple Sundays ago. In the end, it points to just how much grace is needed. It was brought about by contrasting Peter’s behavior before and after the infilling at Pentecost.

Peter, was with the Lord and saw much and yet, unaided, he fell as well as the others. And after? Very different.

its an amazing thing. An amazing transformation.

[Dennis1209]

20 hours ago, AdHoc said:

The burning question is; Was Israel blind at first, or later. In Romans Chapter 1 the wrath of God is directed at those, "who hold the truth in unrighteousness". But it goes further ...

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (Ro 1:18–19)

That is, they "hold" the truth, but deny it. Thus, in the parable of Vineyard it is made clear that the Pharisees knew Who Jesus was - the Heir - and yet set out to murder him. This would indicate that men are not blind at first, but it is given to them later fro ignoring the truth.

If this be true, your posting addresses a grave situation for us Christians. The Jews are upbraided for not knowing the time of their visitation. SO ALSO THEN THE CHRISTIAN! When one follows the various threads on prophesy, it at once becomes clear that 90% or more will be caught unawares at their visitation. The spectrum of belief among Christians ranges from the denial of a Rapture to a "get-free-ticket" totally at odds with the warnings to the Church. Unlike Israel, to whom God accorded signs, the Church has no signs. they have no John Baptist to declare Jesus coming. There will be no warning of the rapture. The Lord and His day come as "a thief".

In the grand type of the Rapture, Noah is warned 120 years before the fact, and 7 days before the fact he is ensconced in the Ark. I ask the Christian; Are you looking out for some event? Are you ready to be raptured and face the Bema Seat of a Christ Who has changed the age from grace to judgment? Is your fruit hanging heavy from your branch of the Vine? Is your talent multiplied? Do you have extra oil in your Vessels? What was your last action when dealing with your brothers and sister in the Lord? Where you harsh and acrimonious? Have you filled your tax form in honestly? What were your thoughts in the last Assembly when that good-looking sister smiled at you across the meeting hall? Did you covet your brother's car as you both arrived for the meeting? Have you been intimate with our Lord Jesus the whole week, or did you give Him 5 minutes of your busy days? Do you really know Him? And worse, are you familiar with the "fellowship of His sufferings"?

Great was the rebuke by the Lord Jesus against the Jews. What will it be for those who had the Holy Spirit and still didn't care?

Studying prophecy IS NOT AN OPTION! Do you know the signs and times of your visitation??? Ignorance is not an excuse. It is heaped accusation with consequences.

Matthew 21:8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. [emphasis added]

Another question that has always nagged me. As prophesied to the day, on Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem and was accepted by a very great multitude as their Messiah and King. Possibly a political leader to free them from the yoke of Rome. 

Matthew 27:23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.

Where were these people and voices during the cries to crucify Jesus?

·         For fear, did they abandon their Messiah as Peter did?

·         Did the Pharisees and Sadducees change their minds?

·         Did something change in the interim?

[Mr. M]

@AdHoc, @AnOrangeCat, @Sower, @BibleStudent100

22 hours ago, Mr. M said:

Before Christ, came John...

Luke 7:28-30 For I say to you, among those born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he. And when all the people heard Him, even the tax collectors justified God, having been baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the will of God for themselves, not having been baptized by him.

 

The OP went into some detail about the role of John the baptist in establishing who would be blind to Messiah and who would accept them. In looking at the highlighted portion, they hardened their hearts against the testimony of John, which left them no room for repentance.

Matthew 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him.

So now we come to what I was surprised to find controversial on another forum. What about this prophecy?

Malachi 4:4-6 Remember the Law of Moses, My servant, which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. And he will turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse.

[Alive]

A great many of those Jews and proselytes were still in Jerusalem, heard Peter’s sermon and returned home the world over carrying the Gospel…just as the Lord intended…so that when Paul and others went out, they reaped a harvest and local expressions established.

[Mr. M]

12 minutes ago, Dennis1209 said:

Another question that has always nagged me. As prophesied to the day, on Palm Sunday, Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem and was accepted by a very great multitude as their Messiah and King. Possibly a political leader to free them from the yoke of Rome. 

Personal expectations compromises our faith when they are not in line with scripture.

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Not even Peter, who made the true confession of faith "You are the Son of God", was unable to avoid the catastrophic decision to deny Christ. When the Lord restored him, three times he was asked "do you love me"? Feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Peter now knew that it was not just about Him, that his life was to be dedicated to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

[Alive]

2 minutes ago, Mr. M said:

Personal expectations compromises our faith when they are not in line with scripture.

John 6:15 Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone.

Not even Peter, who made the true confession of faith "You are the Son of God", was unable to avoid the catastrophic decision to deny Christ. When the Lord restored him, three times he was asked "do you love me"? Feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Peter now knew that it was not just about Him, that his life was to be dedicated to bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world.

Peter was like Paul and his failure and Paul’s prior life haunted and motivated them…they needed to be broken in order to be His intended tools. This is one of those principles for true service. And a yardstick to observe.

[Mr. M]

8 minutes ago, Alive said:

A great many of those Jews and proselytes were still in Jerusalem, heard Peter’s sermon and returned home the world over carrying the Gospel…just as the Lord intended…so that when Paul and others went out, they reaped a harvest and local expressions established.

This is well illustrated in Acts 19 at Ephesus. There was already a minyam there, and Paul's arrival led to a mighty move of God in the region.

Acts 19:

7 Now the men were about twelve in all.

10 And this continued for two years, so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks.

11 Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul...

20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

There is no wonder that Paul's epistle to them is so deep with instructions on "the mysteries",  they were a very mature congregation compared to Corinth.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Mr. M
amend text

[Alive]

Yup..and the timing. Our God is a multi-tasker. The Roman world and raods were safe to travel and allowed for a rapid spread and turning the worls upside down…seeds all over the world never to be entirely extinguished.  A flame ended in smoldering, only to flair up in another place, as believers determined to live only for Him in love for one another.

[Mr. M]

https://www.worthychristianforums.com/topic/289641-why-did-you-doubt/#comment-3638984

@AnOrangeCat, @Alive, @AdHoc, @Sower, @BibleStudent100

What about John the baptist, and his crisis of faith?

[Dennis1209]

21 hours ago, AdHoc said:

The burning question is; Was Israel blind at first, or later. In Romans Chapter 1 the wrath of God is directed at those, "who hold the truth in unrighteousness". But it goes further ...

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. (Ro 1:18–19)

That is, they "hold" the truth, but deny it. Thus, in the parable of Vineyard it is made clear that the Pharisees knew Who Jesus was - the Heir - and yet set out to murder him. This would indicate that men are not blind at first, but it is given to them later fro ignoring the truth.

If this be true, your posting addresses a grave situation for us Christians. The Jews are upbraided for not knowing the time of their visitation. SO ALSO THEN THE CHRISTIAN! When one follows the various threads on prophesy, it at once becomes clear that 90% or more will be caught unawares at their visitation. The spectrum of belief among Christians ranges from the denial of a Rapture to a "get-free-ticket" totally at odds with the warnings to the Church. Unlike Israel, to whom God accorded signs, the Church has no signs. they have no John Baptist to declare Jesus coming. There will be no warning of the rapture. The Lord and His day come as "a thief".

In the grand type of the Rapture, Noah is warned 120 years before the fact, and 7 days before the fact he is ensconced in the Ark. I ask the Christian; Are you looking out for some event? Are you ready to be raptured and face the Bema Seat of a Christ Who has changed the age from grace to judgment? Is your fruit hanging heavy from your branch of the Vine? Is your talent multiplied? Do you have extra oil in your Vessels? What was your last action when dealing with your brothers and sister in the Lord? Where you harsh and acrimonious? Have you filled your tax form in honestly? What were your thoughts in the last Assembly when that good-looking sister smiled at you across the meeting hall? Did you covet your brother's car as you both arrived for the meeting? Have you been intimate with our Lord Jesus the whole week, or did you give Him 5 minutes of your busy days? Do you really know Him? And worse, are you familiar with the "fellowship of His sufferings"?

Great was the rebuke by the Lord Jesus against the Jews. What will it be for those who had the Holy Spirit and still didn't care?

Studying prophecy IS NOT AN OPTION! Do you know the signs and times of your visitation??? Ignorance is not an excuse. It is heaped accusation with consequences.

I could not agree more with what @AdHoc said above. Technically in theology, this is known as the doctrine of imminency. The apostle Paul thought Jesus's return could have happened in his lifetime by including "we."

1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Jesus gave many things to watch for before His second coming, not the church's Rapture (or harpazo). There is an absolute convergence of everything Jesus spoke of for the terminal generation, who will see the upcoming tribulation.

Luke 21:28 And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.

These things are rapidly occurring and worsening; they are all "beginning." Our redemption is ever so close.

Redemption ~ In theology, the purchase of God's favor by the death and sufferings of Christ; the ransom or deliverance of sinners from the bondage of sin and the penalties of God's violated law by the atonement of Christ.     Dryden. Nelson.

In whom we have redemption through his blood. Eph. 1. Col. 1.^[1]

In other words, as years ago, fill in your book of S&H or Green Stamps, redeem them, and cash them in. Just a little after Webster's 1828 dictionary, or he may have used my example also. LOL 😊

 

 

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^[1] Webster, Noah. Noah Webster’s first edition of An American dictionary of the English language. 2006: n. pag. Print.