Process
It is important to piece together the narrative of events promised to accompany Jesus' return. The events are related to heart issues.
Jesus warned His followers to not be deceived. Over and over the warning is given not to the world, but to those already in relationship with Jesus:
Mark 13:22“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
23“But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
One of the main realities of Jesus' return is the PROCESS of it. It unfolds over years.There are moments of advance and then moments of delay in the plan.
Another one of the main aspects of Jesus' return is that it is promised to get HARDER to see it and stay awake to it as it nears! That is one of the main realities!
Matthew 25:1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2“Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3“Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4“but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5“But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7“Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
This parable says "this is how the WHOLE kingdom will be at the time of his return" (in context, the time described in Matthew 24). When you hear people start to put it out as decades away, know that it is probably much sooner than you think, but that it will also require much more patience than you imagine!!
There is a spiritual sleepiness promised to the entire church. Only a few watchmen will stay awake. Even the wise will sleep. That means, the closer we get to the moment of Jesus' return, the less we will feel the relevancy of it!
This is promised throughout the Bible. The 2nd coming of Jesus will meet the same requirements as the first!:
Isaiah 29:9Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
They are drunk, but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10For the LORD has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
11The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”
12Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”
13Therefore the Lord said:
“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
There are Old and New Testament warnings about this sleepy and dull-hearted reality in the Church just before He comes! Not everyone else's Church...our Church!
The same was true in Noah's day before the flood. One guy was awake building a boat and the rest asleep. The same flood that drown the earth lifted up and showed the wisdom of the boat! The same is true in our day. Peter said Isaiah was prophesying of OUR day!:
2 Peter 3:
1Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
The delays, sleepiness, dullness, and PROCESS of Jesus return is one of the main reasons we are warned to not be deceived. It will take faith to see it unfold. The humble realize what Peter didn't in the garden...Satan has asked to sift the church.
There is very soon coming a moment where all over the world a cry will go out:
"Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Let's go out to meet Him."
It's important to understand this will happen at the sixth seal of Revelation. There is still much more that will transpire after that cry to meet Him.
Many will be stirred for a moment and then run out of steam. Many will be afraid. Many will gather to the false prophets (those who sell oil.). Many will go back to their dullness and delusion. Some will be found with vision and will draw even more near to Jesus. It will be very confusing.
This next passage is describing the same moment in time as the "midnight cry":
Revelation 6:12I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
All of the people in these passages are "beholding" the same events. Some see the lamb as desireable, some see Him as terrible...all will have to respond to this moment.
At that SAME time the Spirit of God will be poured out on all flesh AND the devil will be cast out of heaven!
The division we see right now will become MUCH more stark. That means the dull hearted apathy that comes with it will increase!
The dividing line will be oil and the vision that comes from having true light in the darkness:
Revelation 12:7And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
11“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
12“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
We get ready for this time in continual prayer now...when it seems there is little to see. When even the wise fall asleep, the watchmen remain awake...they will cry out "behold, the Bridegroom is coming. Let's go out and meet Him."
Luke 21:25“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
29Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30“When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.
31“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
This is the first resurrection. Many believers will not participate simply because they didn't want to!
Luke 14:17“and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18“But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19“And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20“Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21“So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
Revelation 20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
Jesus warned His followers to not be deceived. Over and over the warning is given not to the world, but to those already in relationship with Jesus:
Mark 13:22“For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
23“But take heed; see, I have told you all things beforehand.
One of the main realities of Jesus' return is the PROCESS of it. It unfolds over years.There are moments of advance and then moments of delay in the plan.
Another one of the main aspects of Jesus' return is that it is promised to get HARDER to see it and stay awake to it as it nears! That is one of the main realities!
Matthew 25:1“Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
2“Now five of them were wise, and five were foolish.
3“Those who were foolish took their lamps and took no oil with them,
4“but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.
5“But while the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.
6“And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the bridegroom is coming; go out to meet him!’
7“Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.
This parable says "this is how the WHOLE kingdom will be at the time of his return" (in context, the time described in Matthew 24). When you hear people start to put it out as decades away, know that it is probably much sooner than you think, but that it will also require much more patience than you imagine!!
There is a spiritual sleepiness promised to the entire church. Only a few watchmen will stay awake. Even the wise will sleep. That means, the closer we get to the moment of Jesus' return, the less we will feel the relevancy of it!
This is promised throughout the Bible. The 2nd coming of Jesus will meet the same requirements as the first!:
Isaiah 29:9Pause and wonder!
Blind yourselves and be blind!
They are drunk, but not with wine;
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10For the LORD has poured out on you
The spirit of deep sleep,
And has closed your eyes, namely, the prophets;
And He has covered your heads, namely, the seers.
11The whole vision has become to you like the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one who is literate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I cannot, for it is sealed.”
12Then the book is delivered to one who is illiterate, saying, “Read this, please.” And he says, “I am not literate.”
13Therefore the Lord said:
“Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths
And honor Me with their lips,
But have removed their hearts far from Me,
And their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men,
14Therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work
Among this people,
A marvelous work and a wonder;
For the wisdom of their wise men shall perish,
And the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
There are Old and New Testament warnings about this sleepy and dull-hearted reality in the Church just before He comes! Not everyone else's Church...our Church!
The same was true in Noah's day before the flood. One guy was awake building a boat and the rest asleep. The same flood that drown the earth lifted up and showed the wisdom of the boat! The same is true in our day. Peter said Isaiah was prophesying of OUR day!:
2 Peter 3:
1Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),
2that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior,
3knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts,
4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”
5For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
6by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.
7But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
8But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
9The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
11Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
12looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
The delays, sleepiness, dullness, and PROCESS of Jesus return is one of the main reasons we are warned to not be deceived. It will take faith to see it unfold. The humble realize what Peter didn't in the garden...Satan has asked to sift the church.
There is very soon coming a moment where all over the world a cry will go out:
"Behold, the bridegroom is coming. Let's go out to meet Him."
It's important to understand this will happen at the sixth seal of Revelation. There is still much more that will transpire after that cry to meet Him.
Many will be stirred for a moment and then run out of steam. Many will be afraid. Many will gather to the false prophets (those who sell oil.). Many will go back to their dullness and delusion. Some will be found with vision and will draw even more near to Jesus. It will be very confusing.
This next passage is describing the same moment in time as the "midnight cry":
Revelation 6:12I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.
13And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.
14Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.
15And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains,
16and said to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!
17“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”
All of the people in these passages are "beholding" the same events. Some see the lamb as desireable, some see Him as terrible...all will have to respond to this moment.
At that SAME time the Spirit of God will be poured out on all flesh AND the devil will be cast out of heaven!
The division we see right now will become MUCH more stark. That means the dull hearted apathy that comes with it will increase!
The dividing line will be oil and the vision that comes from having true light in the darkness:
Revelation 12:7And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought,
8but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer.
9So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
10Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
11“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
12“Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
We get ready for this time in continual prayer now...when it seems there is little to see. When even the wise fall asleep, the watchmen remain awake...they will cry out "behold, the Bridegroom is coming. Let's go out and meet Him."
Luke 21:25“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;
26“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
27“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
28“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
29Then He spoke to them a parable: “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees.
30“When they are already budding, you see and know for yourselves that summer is now near.
31“So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near.
32“Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all things take place.
33“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
34“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
35“For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
36“Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
This is the first resurrection. Many believers will not participate simply because they didn't want to!
Luke 14:17“and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready.’
18“But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.’
19“And another said, ‘I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.’
20“Still another said, ‘I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.’
21“So that servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the maimed and the lame and the blind.’
Revelation 20:4And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection.
6Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.
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