|
|
A
brief check list
(Not
in order of importance)
We
are presently living in "The last days" or "The latter
days", a period which began at the Day of Pentecost and finishes at the
return of Jesus.
References
to "the last days" include the people of Israel and what conditions
will be like for them.
1.
The people of Israel will be in a position of ascendancy, i.e. national and
international power. This will apply to the house of Israel, the house of Judah
and the Jewish remnant.
Genesis 49:1 And Jacob called
unto his sons, and said, Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you [that]
which shall befall you in the last days.
Isaiah 2:2 And
it shall come to pass in the last days, [that] the mountain of the LORD'S house
shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the
hills; and all nations shall flow unto it.
Micah 4:1 But in the last
days it shall come to pass, [that] the mountain of the house of the LORD shall
be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the
hills; and people shall flow unto it.
2.
The coming of the Holy Spirit to all believers at the day of Pentecost will
herald the beginning of a time of unprecedented grace to the world.
Acts 2:17 And
it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
2 Timothy 3:1 This know also,
that in the last days perilous times shall come.
James 5:3 Your
gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against
you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together
for the last days.
2 Peter 3:3
Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking
after their own lusts,
3.
The conditions on earth just prior to the return of Jesus will be very similar
to those just prior to the great flood.
Matthew 24:37 But
as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew
24:38
For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking,
marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
Matthew 24:39 And knew not
until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be.
Matthew 24:40 Then shall two
be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Matthew 24:41 Two [women
shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.
Matthew 24:42 Watch
therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Matthew 24:43 But know this,
that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come,
he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.
Matthew 24:44 Therefore be ye
also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
4.
The fig tree, a symbol of the Jewish nation, was to put forth leaves but not
fruit just prior to the return of Jesus. Old
Testament references have been included to show how God uses the picture of a
tree to depict a nation. Leaves represent nationhood, but the lack of fruit
represents the lack of righteousness required.
Judges 9:10 And the trees
said to the fig tree, Come thou, [and] reign over us.
Judges 9:11 But the fig tree
said unto them, Should I forsake my sweetness, and my good fruit, and go to be
promoted over the trees?
Isaiah 34:4 And all the host
of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a
scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the
vine, and as a falling [fig] from the fig tree.
Jeremiah 8:13 I will surely
consume them, saith the LORD: [there shall be] no grapes on the vine, nor figs
on the fig tree, and the leaf shall fade; and [the things that] I have given
them shall pass away from them.
Matthew 21:19 And when he saw
a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves
only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever. And
presently the fig tree withered away.
Matthew 21:20
And when the disciples saw [it], they marvelled, saying, How soon is the fig
tree withered away!
Matthew 24:32
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer [is] nigh:
Mark 11:20
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the
roots.
Mark 11:21
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the fig tree
which thou cursedst is withered away.
Mark 13:28
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth
forth leaves, ye know that summer is near:
Luke 21:29
And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees;
5.
The trampling down of Jerusalem and Palestine by Gentiles was a temporary
problem. When the "trampling" finished, the people of God were to see
this as a signal that the return of Jesus is near. The "trampling"
lasted 2520 years, from 604 BC when Nebuchadnezzar marched through to 1917 when
General Allenby liberated the city from the Turks at the end of WW2. (One might
argue that the Jews were not being "trampled" during the first advent,
but even then the Romans were the dominant force.)
Luke 21:20 And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then
know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
Luke 21:21 Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and
let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in
the countries enter thereinto.
Luke 21:22 For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are
written may be fulfilled.
Luke 21:23 But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give
suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath
upon this people.
Luke 21:24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled.
6.
When Jesus returns his coming will take many by surprise. One
reason why this happens is the fact that just prior to his return the Church
will be in a general state of confusion, ignorance and apostacy. (See point 6)
1 Thessalonians 5:1
But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto
you.
1 Thessalonians 5:2
For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in
the night.
1 Thessalonians 5:3 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.
1 Thessalonians 5:4
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a
thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the
night, nor of darkness.
1 Thessalonians 5:6
Therefore let us not sleep, as [do] others; but let us watch and be sober.
7.
The Laodicean church represents the type of Church in general prevailing at the
end of the age. It
is described as "lukewarm"
because it has become a mixture of godliness and ungodliness, worldliness and
spirituality. We see this clearly in the way ecumenicalism, new Age teachings,
false signs and wonders and heresy have become widely established.
Notice that Jesus is standing outside the door of the church
(not some individual sinner's heart) knocking to be let in. The reference to
spueing out of the mouth refers to the role which the Church is meant to play
i.e. the mouthpiece of God.
Revelation 3:15 I know thy
works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
Revelation 3:16
So then because thou art lukewarm,
and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Revelation 3:17
Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of
nothing; and knowest
not that thou art wretched,
and miserable, and poor,
and blind, and naked:
Revelation 3:18
I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich;
and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy
nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest
see.
Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
Revelation 3:20
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the
door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
8.
The Jewish nation would be established at the end of the Age, undefeated and
undefeatable. Jerusalem
the capital is to be protected, no matter how large the invading force. Since
1917, when the times of the Gentiles (non-Israelites) ran out, Jerusalem has
withstood several major attacks, including the 6-day war, and continues to
flourish.
Zechariah 12:1 The burden of
the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the
heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man
within him.
Zechariah 12:2
Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round
about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against
Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:3
And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all
that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of
the earth be gathered together against it.
Zechariah 12:4
In that day, saith the LORD, I will smite every horse with astonishment, and his
rider with madness: and I will open mine eyes upon the house of Judah, and will
smite every horse of the people with blindness.
Zechariah 12:5
And the governors of Judah shall say in their heart, The inhabitants of
Jerusalem [shall be] my strength in the LORD of hosts their God.
Zechariah 12:6
In that day will I make the governors of Judah like an hearth of fire among the
wood, and like a torch of fire in a sheaf; and they shall devour all the people
round about, on the right hand and on the left: and Jerusalem shall be inhabited
again in her own place, [even] in Jerusalem.
Zechariah 12:7
The LORD also shall save the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house
of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem do not magnify
[themselves] against Judah.
Zechariah 12:8
In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is
feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David [shall
be] as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.
Zechariah
12:9 And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy
all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
9.
The rise of the Pentecostal movement, has
been the springboard for many deceptive 'miracle' events, in which signs and
wonders have ocurred. The 'Toronto manifestations, the Pensacola experiences and
so on. Included in these events have been uncontrolled laughter, animal
behaviour (i.e. barking, crowing, honking etc), birth-pangs, falling down,
shaking, going into a trance, weird vocalisations, visions of angels and other
things, glory clouds, gold dust and gold fillings replacing amalgam fillings,
and oil dripping from hands. All of these strange events have an uncanny
similarity to identical events connected with the worship and veneration of Mary
in grottos and other places.
As a result of the false miracles, many thousands of sincere Christians
have been led to accept heretical teachings. The miracles have confirmed the
teachings, in the same way that visions of Mary have wiped out the clear
Biblical teaching that the living have no communication with the dead.
Christians are also seeking the same thing which followers of the occult seek,
namely personal power.
Nobody is led astray all at once. The 'signs and wonders' movement is
aimed at: leading astray God's people, undermining the authority of the written
Word, and at making fools of the saints.
As Jesus said : Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and
false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if [it
were] possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
The coming of the 'signs and wonders' movement is permitted by God, as a
means of sorting out those who adhere strictly to the written Word and those who
do not.
1 Corinthians 11:19 For
there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made
manifest among you.
2 Peter 2:1
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
One prevalent heresy in the 'signs and wonders' movement is the idea that
the Holy Spirit can be imparted through the hands (or an inanimate object) into
another believer like some sort of fluid, transferred from one bucket to the
next. This makes nonsense of God the Spirit who is not at any preacher's beck
and call, neither is He transferable this way. As a Person He does what He
wills, not what some preacher wants.
Another heresy is the teaching that there are categories of Christian :
those who are 'slain in the Spirit' and those who are not. If a Christian does
not receive some sign or wonder, they feel inferior to those who do. Not only
that but this heresy negates the clear Biblical teaching that all believers have
received the Holy Spirit.
2 Corinthians 1:22 Who hath
also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
Ephesians 1:13
In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of
your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise,
Luke 11:13
If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much
more shall [your] heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?
Ephesians 4:30
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of
redemption.
1 Thessalonians 4:8 He therefore that despiseth, despiseth not man, but God, who hath also given unto us his Holy Spirit.