We’ve studied the major signs that will precede the Second Coming. Now it’s time to dig deeper into the incredible event that will occur seven years after the Rapture.
As Christians, we are quite familiar with our Lord’s first coming to earth because we accept the record of the four gospels. The Bible clearly tells us He is coming to earth again. Though the exact epxression “Second Coming of Christ” is not found in the Bible, Scripture makes the assertion in many places. For example, the writer of Hebrews said:
One of the reasons some people are confused by the prophecies of Christ’s Second Coming is the fact that the Old Testament prophets did not understand the first and second advents of Christ as separate events.
It is evident that even Jesus’ followers expected Him to fulfill the florious promises realting to His Second Coming when He came the first time. Only after He ascended to heaven did they realize that they were living in the time between His two appearances, as if on a plain between two mountains.
Signs play an important role in the modern driving experience. They tell us what’s coming. They alert us to possible problems. And they help keep us safe.
The same is true for the “signs” identified throughout God’s Word. Thankfully, those signs cannot be altered or adulterated!
THE BASICS OF BIBLICAL SIGNS
Here are 6 critical signs contained in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse:
Pop star Taylor Swift has come under fire following the release of a surprise 31-song double album, titled “The Tortured Poets Department,” last Friday (April 19). Some have criticized Swift, who has described herself as a Christian, for her “self-worshipping” lyrics that include biblical imagery.
One person who has sounded the alarm on Swift’s new album is Shane Pruitt, the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Director of Next Gen Evangelism for the North American Mission Board (NAMB). Pruitt emphasized in a recent social media post that “LYRICS MATTER.”
“Disclaimer, I’m definitely not the minister or parent that has the ‘no secular music’ stance. Also, I fully realize unbelievers are going to act like unbelievers,” said Pruitt, who used to listen to Swift’s albums.
“HOWEVER,” he added, “there is a difference between being secular, and being ANTI-CHRISTIAN.
Pastor Shane Pruitt then posted – The other day I made a social post simply sharing a few lyrics from the new Taylor Swift album, and asking a few questions for us to consider.
Since then I’ve been flooded with messages that started with “I am a Swiftie… then, much further down in the message… I am also a Christian.”
Maybe, that is the root issue. Our identities are out of order.
If you’re a Christian, your PRIMARY identity is found in being a disciple of Jesus, not a pop star. He is the One who paid for your sins. He is the One who gives you eternal life. He is the One who gives real hope and meaning to your life. He is the One who gets you through difficult days. He is the only One worthy of worship.
Our primary calling is to be ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20), not ambassadors for celebrities.
Another friend posted this image
If you can’t see it. I pray the veil be lifted from your eyes and your ears closed to this music
It’s not Swifties vs Christians… 🙅🏼♀️
What it’s REALLY about is being reminded that our words have power…. ✝️ 💀
•God spoke the earth into existence in Genesis. •Jesus spoke and calmed a raging storm in Matthew.
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21
Lyrics are words 🎶 🗣️
When we listen to specific lyrics and sing specific lyrics we are allowing the power of our tongue to bring life or death to our spirit, mind, soul, emotions, etc.
Fruit is the result of something… not all fruit is good and can actually be curses for our lives, our families, and future blessings.
Have you ever thought about the biggest book of the bible and what it actually is??? The book of Psalms has 150 chapters and they are all songs!!!
Out of all the things God could have added to the Bible He chose to have the biggest book of the Bible serve as a songbook for God’s people. Over half of Psalms was written by King David, who God said was a man after His own heart (1 Samual 13:14).
If lyrics didn’t matter to God or to our Christian walk then why would God make such a big deal about it??
Lyrics do matter to God!
So, yes… to the other bloggers who argue Taylor is old enough to write whatever songs she wants. You’re correct.
But, as Christians we have the choice to support it or not, to listen to the songs or not, to buy the concert tickets or not, to protect our daughters or not also!
God kept a whole generation of people from the Promise Land because they talked negatively against God. Would you choose to sacrifice future blessings just to listen to lyrics mocking God?? For me and my house, we will not!
What we will do though…
Is pray for Taylor and every swiftie to have such a personal encounter with God that they choose to use their power, gifts and talents to glorify God instead of mock him. 💜🙌🏻
There are many times when silence is a powerful witness to the facts, and that’s true when it comes to the Rapture of the chruch and the events of the Tribulation as we find them in the book of Revelation. So far, we’ve already established our conviction that the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation. The “curious incident” of dead silence regarding the church in the core chapters of Revelation comes alongside that conclusion and helps corroborate it.
The Rapture is a biblical promise stating that one day Jesus will drop everything, bring His people to Himself, and make our deepest dreams come true by welcoming us to His Father’s house for all eternity.
In this chapter, we’re going to closely examine one verse of Scripture that indicates a before-the-Tribulation Rapture. It’s one of the most important verses in the entire New Testament on this subject and worthy of investigation.
All of us who know Christ are His ambassadors, His representatives in a deteriorating world. Just before the storm of the Tribulation’s violence hits the gates of the church, our great Commander is literally going to airlift us to safety, rescuing us before the storm.
We’ve talked about that rescue often in these pates – it’s the Rapture. What you may be surprised to learn is that God has followed that pattern many times in history. Proverbs 11:8 says, “The righetous is delivered from trouble, and it comes to the wicked instead.”
Here’s how this worked our for two families in the Old Testament and what it all means for believers today. By studying the ways God acted to rescue His people in the past, we can learn much that will add to our understanding about God’s future rescue of His people at the Rapture.
We saw in the previous chapter that the Rapture is Imminent, meaning it can happen at any moment. Yet our Lord Jesus has not yet returned. For two thousand years, Christians have watched and waited for the catalyst of the Rapture to coalesce into the next phase in God’s prophetic plan. And we are still waiting.
One of the key teachings about the Rapture that is recorded in several places in Scripture is often called the doctrine of imminency.
When something is imminent, it could happen at any moment. There are no barriers that need to be removed or qualifications that need to be met before it occurs. Importantly, an event that is “imminent” is not necessarily “immediate.” Saying an event is imminent does not mean it is guaranteed to occur in the immediate future, only that it could occur at any time.
Bible expositor A. T. Pierson wrote, “Imminence is the combination of two conditions . . . certainty and uncertainty. An imminent event is one which is certain to occur at some time, uncertain at what time. Imminent is not synonymous with impending. It is not exact to say what is imminent is near at hand; it may or may not be.”
I am highlighting this term because the Bible presents the Rapture as an imminent event – one that could take place at any moment. This chapter will show you where to find those claims in Scripture and why the doctrine of imminency is important for your everyday life.
The grace of God will pull many people out of the rubble of the Tribulation. There will still be hope for those left behind after the Rapture. The gospel will still be available, even if the church is gone.
There will be at least four streams of gospel truth that will cut a channel through the Tribulation. In fact, it is possible that the spiritual awakening that will occur during the Tribulation will be the greatest evangelistic harvest the world has ever seen.
