"Like a Thief in the Night"

As far as most people are concerned, Christ's return is irrelevant. If they think about it at all, it's mostly to mock those who believe in it.

And who can blame them? False dates and fanaticism have deceived and damaged the faith of millions.

But is fear of repeating past mistakes reason enough to avoid the subject? Not according to Luke 12:37: "There will be special favor for those who are ready and waiting for His return." Luke 12:45 gives us the consequences of not being ready: "But if the servant thinks, 'My master won't be back for a while', and begins oppressing the other servants, partying, and getting drunk--well, the master will return unannounced and unexpected. He will tear the servant apart and banish him with the unfaithful. The servant will be severely punished, for though he knew his duty, he refused to do it." Apparently, God expects us to know the general time of Christ's return.

Before we go on, let's get something straight: Christ will come twice: once at the Rapture of the Church which takes place before the 7-year period known as 'the Tribulation' and for which there are no signs. He will come like a thief in the night when the world at large least expects Him. Then, at the end of the seven years of tribulation, amid unmistakable signs, Christ will come a second time.

Got that? There are yet two comings. One to rescue the church (the Rapture) and the Second Coming to rescue the Jews. We'll go over all this in more detail later.

For now, here's a simple overview of prophetic events:

1. The Rapture. When God delivers us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
2. The Judgment Seat of Christ (Bema). Where believers' lives are examined. If we've used our gifts and talents to help build the kingdom, we'll be rewarded. If we've squandered our lives on selfish living, we'll suffer loss. (1 Corinthians 3:13).
3. The Tribulation. When 7 years of trouble come on the earth consisting of deception, war/rumors of war, famines, pestilence, and earthquakes. (Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, Daniel 9). These 7 years are divided into two, 3-1/2-year periods. At the beginning of the 1st half, the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel and the Jewish Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem. The 2nd 3-1/2 years herald the Great Tribulation when the Antichrist breaks the 7-year covenant. (Daniel 9:27).
4. Armageddon: armies from around the globe gather at Megiddo in Northern Israel to launch a massive attack against Jerusalem. (Rev. 16, Zechariah 12:1-3, 14:1-5, Revelation 19:19).
5. Second Coming of Christ to earth. to rescue His Chosen people, the Jews, from annihilation and set up His millennial reign on earth. (Dan. 2:44, Matt. 24:27-37, Zechariah 14:4, 1 Thessalonians. 3:13, Rev. 19:8).
6. Judgment of the Nations. (Matthew 25:31-46).

 (Scripture references are not all inclusive. There are just too many to list them all. Please check cross-references in your Bible).

Words to the Wise: Be like the Bereans, "...in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so." (Acts 17:11).

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"Judgment of America?"

First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will be scoffers who will laugh at the truth and do every evil thing they desire.

This will be their argument: "Jesus promised to come back, did He?"

"Then where is He? Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly the same since the world was first created."

They deliberately forget that God made the heavens by the word of His command, and He brought the earth up from the water and surrounded it with water.

The He used the water to destroy the world with a mighty flood.

...The Lord isn't really being slow about His promise to return, as some people think.

No, He is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to perish, so He is giving more time for everyone to repent.

But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief.

Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment (2 Peter 3:3-6).

"God's judgment is coming to America and it's going to be ugly," says Anne Graham Lotz, daughter of Rev. Billy Graham.

"This past spring, Joel Rosenberg and I taught through the Book of Joel as we led a prophecy seminar...It was my privilege to give the first two messages that covered Joel 1:1 through Joel 2:17. The impact on me was profound.

"Both times, when I stepped off the platform, I knew God had spoken. The messages almost made the hair stand up on the back of my neck," she said. 

"Why? Because God was clearly warning that His judgment is coming on America and on our world and it's going to be ugly. I knew it then, and I know it now," Graham Lotz contends.

click  for more on Graham Lotz's warning...

A wise woman once said: "Institutions will collapse. Banks will close. The stock market will plunge. Government in America at every level will disintegrate...it's time to cry out to the Lord."  -- Anne Graham Lotz

"Watch out! Don't let me find you living in careless ease and drunkenness, and filled with the worries of this life. Don't let that day catch you unaware, as in a trap. For that day will come upon everyone living on the earth. Keep a constant watch. And pray that, if possible, you may escape these horrors and stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:34-36).

"Go back to what you heard and believed at first; hold to it firmly and turn to Me again. Unless you do, I will come upon you suddenly, as unexpected as a thief" (Revelation 3:3).

Not sure you're ready? click here

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