God's Time9 [Matt 24:29-41] / Anne's Faith Column

 

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God's Time9

[Mat 24:29-41]

/ Anne's Faith Column 

 

/ By Pastor Priscilla

 

Through

many phenomena

and signs happening

in the world today,

 

 

we can recognize

that the Word of God

is being fulfilled.

 

 

In addition, whenever

we face the events

taking place in the

world,

 

 

we can recognize that

the Lord's Second

Coming is getting closer.

 

 

Sometimes, seeing

many misunderstandings

and misinterpretations

of the last day,

 

 

due to excessive obsession

with the Lord's Second

Coming, we must

 

 

develop spiritual

discernment above all

in order not to be

deceived by falsehood

 

 

and in order to

 stand firm in the Lord.

 

 

Then, how can we

 discern God's time?

 

 

According to the Bible,

the people of Israel

became captives

of Egypt.

 

 

Even though living

430 years there, they had

a strong faith that they

were God's chosen people,

 

 

 and God would not

forsake or leave them,

and would surely release

them from Egypt

in God's time.

 

 

And the Bible finally

shows that the covenant

 

 

and promise made

between God and the

chosen people was

 fulfilled in God's time.

 

 

In the early church days

of the New Testament,

it can be seen that

 

 

the saints lived with

the consciousness of

an impending end of the

age longing for the time

of the Lord's coming.

 

 

The same goes to the

believers living in the

modern times.

 

 

(Ex : Joshua)

 

 

Every time -'Joshua' 

went to war, he asked for

God's time first ahead

of the war for the

 conquest of Canaan.

 

 

(Ex : Gideon)

 

 

-"Gideon" in the Bible

shows us what he did

after receiving a mission

from God.

 

 

He asked for God's time

when he would go forward

after receiving the

 mission from God.

 

 

Many times he persistently

asked for the evidence

that he was chosen to

 save Israel out of Midian.

 

 

On the other hand, 

in the Bible, a man

made mistakes with

impatience and greed

 

 

because he hadn't

discerned God's time. 

 

 

(Ex : King Saul)

 

 

 That's King 'Saul',

the first king of Israel.

 

 

Just before the war,

he offered a sacrifice

on behalf of the prophet

'Samuel' who had been

delayed. 

 

 

He faied to wait for

God's time. 

 

 

And also at his own

judgment, he took some

livestock and booty.

 

 

Furthermore, in his

disobedience to God,

 he didn't kill King 'Agag'.

 

 The Bible says:

 

 

"But Samuel replied:

"Does the LORD delight

in burnt offerings

 

 

and sacrifices as much

as in obeying the voice

of the LORD?

 

 

To obey is better

than sacrifice, and

to heed is better than

 the fat of rams.

 

 

For rebellion is like

the sin of divination,

and arrogance like the

evil of idolatry.

 

 

Because you have

rejected the word

of the LORD, he has

rejected you as king."

 (Sam 15:22-23)

 

 

Eventually, with

Samuel's warning,

King Saul was abandoned

by God because of hi

s disobedience.

 

 

Is that all?

 

 

(Ex : Jonah)

 

 

 What about 'Jonah'? 

 

 

He didn't discern

God's time and even

though God ordered him

to go to 'Nineveh'

 

 

but he was not willing to.

Rationalizing himself,

he took a boat to 'Tarshish'

 

 

but his disobedience

caused him to be inside

the fish three days

 

 

and nights until he was

saved by God.

 

 

As you see, it is

important to discern

God's time.

 

 

Then, in what attitude

should we live a

 life of faith?

 

 

1. Above all, we must

value ourselves.

 

 

That's because

the ransom on the

 cross is for ourselves

 

 

That is, we were

bought with the blood

of Jesus our Savior. 

 

 

Therefore, we need

an attitude to value

ourselves

 

 

 

so that the sacrifice

of our bridegroom

Jesus may not be in vain.

 

 

According to the teaching

of the Lord, we must live

with the assurance

of salvation

 

 

today and value

of life given to us. 

 

 

2. We must pray to

become Christians who

live by discerning the

currents and times

of the world,

 

 

 

seeing the changes

that occur according to

natural phenomena

or times.

 

 

3. This is the time when

our hopes for the kingdom

of God continue to overflow. 

 

 

We must live faithfully

in patience day by day

 

 

with a heart ready

for the Lord's

Second coming.

 

 

4. You need an attitude

to expect 'the last

 day' with hope.

 

 

Although no one knows

about that day or hour,

 

 

it is the duty as a disciple

of the Lord to have hope

for the kingdom of God

 

 

 

and to look to the

end of age. 

 

 

For this reason,

we will have a glorious

future as the Lord's

prepared bride, whom

all angels will adore.

 

 

Furthermore,

as children of God,

we live in this world

as a mist.

 

 

However, we must be

armed with the Word

of God and meditate

 day and night.

 

 

We need a firm

determination and

will to keep our faith

and live with victory

every moment.

 

 

Therefore, let's stand

firm in the  Lord

and go marching to

only Jesus Christ.

 

 

"Immediately after

the distress of

those days

 

 

the sun

will be darkened,

and the moon will

not give its light:

 

 

the stars will fall

from the sky, and the

heavenly bodies

will be shaken.

 

 

At that time the

sign of the Son of Man

will appear in the sky,

 

 

and all the nations

of the earth will

mourn.

 

 

They will see the Son

of Man coming on

the clouds of the sky,

with power and

great glory.

 

 

And he will send his

angels with a loud

trumpet call,

 

 

and they will gather

his elect from the

 four winds, from one

end of the heavens

to the other.

 

 

Now learn this lesson

from the fig tree:

As soon as its twigs

get tender

 

 

and its leaves come

out, you know that

summer is near.

 

 

Even so, when you see

all these things, you know

that it is near, right

at the door.

 

 

 I tell you the truth,

this generation will

certainly not pass away

until all these things

have happened.

 

 

Heaven and earth

will pass away, but my

words will never

pass away.

 

 

No one knows about

that day or hour, not

even the angels

in heaven, nor the Son,

but only the Father.

 

 

As it was in the days

of Noah, so it will be

at the coming of

the Son of Man.

 

 

 For in the days

before the flood,

people were eating

and drinking, marrying

 

 

and giving in marriage,

up to the day Noah

entered the ark;

 

 

and they knew nothing

about what would happen

until the flood came

and took them all away.

 

 

That is how it will be

at the coming of the

Son of Man.

 

 

Two men will be

in the field; one will be

 taken and the other left.

 

 

 Two women will be

grinding with a hand mill;

 

 

one will be taken

and the other left."

 (Matt 24:29-41)

 

 

Prayer

 

Lord! 

 

 

There are several

interpretations about the

 impending eschatology.

 

 

However, I wish

to meet with the Lord

after living faithfully

 

 

every day with the mission

entrusted to me only

in my place. 

 

 

Holy Spirit help me

 

 

Amen

 

 

 

2008/11/10

 

 

/ By Priscilla