Will you be surprised?????
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8453823555097403930&q=source%3A014720761827513451988&hl=en
From the time Jesus ascended into the heavens His return has been anxiously anticipated.
Acts 1:9
And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Acts 1:10
And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.
Acts 1:11
They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven."
What stands out to me in scripture are the words ..will come in just the same way... Jesus is coming again. If you are in agreement with the Bible then the next question is obviously when will Jesus return.
Matt 24:27
"For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
The Bible does not give a date of the Lord's return but the Word of God does explain a great deal about the conditions of His return and The Bible does describe to us what it will be like.
It would be a fast as lightning if lightning strikes in the east we can immediately see it looking from the west. It will be as fast as lightning or we can saw it will be instantaneous. If you are not ready when He comes When He does come you will not have time to get ready. Like the kids use to say while playing hide and seek, ready or not here I come. The difference here is that this is not a game and there will be nowhere to hide.
Depending on your status with Jesus at the time of HIS coming, there will be either great joy or great fear.
Matt 24:30
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and beat their breasts and lament in anguish, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory [in brilliancy and splendor].
What is your current status with Jesus is everything alright between the two of you? Are you trusting in Him are you relying on Jesus are you clinging to our Saviour?
John 3:16
For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life.
Now if everything is all good with the Lord His return will bring about the greatest joy that we have ever ever known. And we should not be taken at by surprise if we have been watchful. The surprise is for the enemies of the cross.
1 Thess 5:2
For you yourselves know perfectly well that the day of the [return of the] Lord will come [as unexpectedly and suddenly] as a thief in the night.
1 Thess 5:3
When people are saying, All is well and secure, and, There is peace and safety, then in a moment unforeseen destruction (ruin and death) will come upon them as suddenly as labor pains come upon a woman with child; and they shall by no means escape, for there will be no escape.
1 Thess 5:4
But you are not in [given up to the power of] darkness, brethren, for that day to overtake you by surprise like a thief.
1 Thess 5:5
For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness.
1 Thess 5:6
Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect).
The Lord's coming contrary to popular opinion will NOT be a surprise to us. We both read it clearly from the inerrant Holy indisputable Word of the Living GOD. Sounds like to me we can put that in the bank well maybe not in the bank considering today's economy maybe in a mattress...LOL...
Amos 3:7
Surely the Lord God will do nothing without revealing His secret to His servants the prophets.
Now if you believe like I believe that the Lord does indeed have prophets in the earth logic would suggest there will be some revelation regarding the coming of Christ since the Word of God says specifically He will not do anything unless it is revealed to His prophets. Who are His prophets well we will have to reference my study titled ..Ministry Proofs, or you can do a little research on your own for the answer, which I highly suggest.
Is the Lord coming soon??????? soon is a relative term, to the Lord a thousand years is as a day and a day as a thousand years. I like to think of this explanation about time to mean that time is not a constraint to GOD. And for that very reason I like to look at the conditions surrounding the Lord's return. Here are a few conditions;
2 Tim 3:1
BUT UNDERSTAND this, that in the last days will come (set in) perilous times of great stress and trouble [hard to deal with and hard to bear.
2 Pet 3:3
To begin with, you must know and understand this, that scoffers (mockers) will come in the last days with scoffing, [people who] walk after their own fleshly desires
Matt 24:15
So when you see the appalling sacrilege [the abomination that astonishes and makes desolate], spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the Holy Place--let the reader take notice and ponder and consider and heed this.
There may be yet time left since all the condition are yet to be met But I will say the storm clouds are gathering. Let us be clear minded about our current state, let us not delude ourselves into thinking things will proceed as normal. Because things are NOT going to proceed as normal , the days are getting darker and darker as sin multiplies itself in our world.
Luke 17:26
"And just as it happened in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:
Luke 17:27
they were eating, they were drinking, they were marrying, they were being given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
Prov 29:1
A man who hardens his neck after much reproof Will suddenly be broken beyond remedy.
