How many times...
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How many times have we read letters by some "enthusiasts" who tell us that the Lord has already come or is coming at any moment? Jehovah's Witnesses try to tell us that he already came in the early 1900s. Others say he came in 2000! There are always some who try to get you all excited about our Lord's coming. Paul warns us not to be alarmed by these words. They have not come from God or from any of his representatives.
Of course, our Lord will come some day. But Jesus told us on earth that even he did not know the hour or the day! Then why do we believe every idiot?
The day of our Lord's coming will be preceded, as Paul says, by the coming of the rebellion and when the man of lawlessness is revealed. I am old enough to remember WWII and when some said that Hitler or Stalin were the men of lawlessness. They even pointed up the fact that their names were six letters long and that 666 was the number of the devil! It may have been the end for some people, but we are still here and still waiting. Right? Stalin was supposed to be the big bear descending on the world, but he is gone!
It is not wrong to look for the end, but we should not spend all our time trying to discover when! As Luther said, if the world would end tomorrow he would still plant his tree that day. In other words, just keep on doing what the Lord gave you to do today! In a single year, 1843, seventeen people were admitted to a lunatic asylum in Worcester, Massachusetts, worried that the Lord was coming any minute and they weren't ready. Maybe the opposite is true today. There are too many -- even Christians -- who don't care! When you hear dire warnings all the time you tend to put them aside. Both parties in our government are predicting dire consequences of the other parties' actions!
Some have even made a god of democracy, but even Colin Powell warned that it would not work in some countries (where the majority might want sharia law for example). Democracy was a total disaster throughout scripture. If it weren't we would be worshiping that golden calf, which was voted in by the majority! So be careful!
We can find our hope in the promise that God has saved us through his sanctifying grace. Those last words should be read over and memorized. They should encourage us never to lose our faith. God loves us! Never forget that! He will never leave us or desert us!
Of course, our Lord will come some day. But Jesus told us on earth that even he did not know the hour or the day! Then why do we believe every idiot?
The day of our Lord's coming will be preceded, as Paul says, by the coming of the rebellion and when the man of lawlessness is revealed. I am old enough to remember WWII and when some said that Hitler or Stalin were the men of lawlessness. They even pointed up the fact that their names were six letters long and that 666 was the number of the devil! It may have been the end for some people, but we are still here and still waiting. Right? Stalin was supposed to be the big bear descending on the world, but he is gone!
It is not wrong to look for the end, but we should not spend all our time trying to discover when! As Luther said, if the world would end tomorrow he would still plant his tree that day. In other words, just keep on doing what the Lord gave you to do today! In a single year, 1843, seventeen people were admitted to a lunatic asylum in Worcester, Massachusetts, worried that the Lord was coming any minute and they weren't ready. Maybe the opposite is true today. There are too many -- even Christians -- who don't care! When you hear dire warnings all the time you tend to put them aside. Both parties in our government are predicting dire consequences of the other parties' actions!
Some have even made a god of democracy, but even Colin Powell warned that it would not work in some countries (where the majority might want sharia law for example). Democracy was a total disaster throughout scripture. If it weren't we would be worshiping that golden calf, which was voted in by the majority! So be careful!
We can find our hope in the promise that God has saved us through his sanctifying grace. Those last words should be read over and memorized. They should encourage us never to lose our faith. God loves us! Never forget that! He will never leave us or desert us!
