God’s 1,000-year millennial rule will be ushered in by the second coming of Jesus Christ. As to the exact date of this event, Christ said that no man knows the day or the hour (Matt. 24:36). But He did give us very clear and definite prophetic events to watch for as signs or warnings of His imminent return. Christ predicted religious deceptions, wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes on a global scale immediately preceding His return (Matt. 24:3-35).
The present turmoil, escalating wars and strife now occurring on this earth will eventually develop into a total global conflict of such a magnitude that unless God were to intervene, no human flesh would be saved alive (Matt. 24:21-22). At the very climax of the events described in the 24th chapter of Matthew (also Luke 21; Mark 13), Jesus Christ will return as King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16). This time He is coming in power as divine God (Matt. 24:30) to establish a world super-government and rule all nations “with a rod of iron” (Rev. 12:5; 19:15).
As Christ is returning to this earth, the dead in Christ — including all the prophets of old (Luke 13:28) — will be resurrected from their graves as immortal spirit beings (I Thes. 4:14-16). Those then living who have the Spirit of God shall be instantaneously changed from mortal to immortal (I Cor. 15:50-54) and, together with those resurrected, shall rise to meet the descending glorified Christ (I Thes. 4:17) in the air.
Christ Himself will return to this earth where His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4-5) in the same manner that He left (Acts 1:11). Those changed, converted saints, made immortal at the resurrection, will then assist Jesus Christ in ruling literal physical nations made up of human beings — nations of mortals left alive at Christ’s return — for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:4; 3:21; Dan. 7:22, 27).
The Apple Of God's Eye 
Hi Melchia I believe Mr Armstrong was right about the present worldwide recession as this is the second time Greece has been bailed out by the IMF. Looks like Spain is in trouble as well.
However what about “666” the mark and number of the Beast. HLH mentions in his Compendium of World History that Germany is the danger and/or the Roman Catholic Church. Can you identify who 666 is? Bill Cooper (“After the Flood) reckoned it was Pope John Paul. (Is Bill Speculating?) I some how think so although I don’t know.
Is there not a danger that if anyone add to the prophessy in the Book of Revelation that he or she will be cursed with the plagues as the way I understand it is “that this prophessy was ment for the first century AD and that Nero and Domitian were 666. John
Comment by John Hext-Fremlin — July 24, 2011 @ 4:56 pm |
Interpreting scripture and adding to the Bible are two different issues John. One is given by God through a man to clarify and one is Satan through men making changes to deceive. As for the Number of the “Beast”—666—Whose Number Is It?
I won’t go list all the scriptures here for lack of time, except if you are truly interested. However, in short, this answer is based upon scriptures:
1) The mark means the rejecting and breaking of God’s commandments. And in James 2:10-11, God says if we break only one of the commandments, we are guilty of breaking the law—guilty of all!
2) The Roman Empire is the real author of this mark.
3) The church caused people to be deceived into receiving this mark.
4) Satan gave this Roman Empire its seat and great authority—it is the political instrument through which Satan works in deceiving the world.
5) Those who refuse this mark are prohibited from “buying or selling”—engaging in commerce, trade, or holding a job.
6) Many of those refusing this mark were, and shall again be, martyred because of their refusal—because they keep the commandments of God!
7) Therefore, the inevitable and plain conclusion is that the mark is something enforced by the church, originating in the paganism of the Roman Empire, which a cunning, deceiving devil would seize on as a means of cleverly deceiving people into breaking God’s Ten Commandments. And it involves a direct connection with holding a job—engaging in business—earning a living.
There is only one possible commandment—the one regarded by the largest number as the “least” of the commandments—and that is the Fourth Commandment, which says: “Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy … The seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God.”
No carnal mind can see, without the special spiritual revelation of God through His Word, where it makes any difference which day man observes.
Where did Sunday originate? Not with the church, but with the pagan religion of the Roman Empire! It is the day on which the ancient pagans assembled at sunrise, faced the east (as they do Easter Sunday morning today) and worshiped the rising sun. It was Constantine, emperor of the Roman Empire, not a pope, who made Sunday the official so-called Christian day of rest. But it was enforced—people were caused to accept it universally—by the church!
Comment by melchia — July 27, 2011 @ 3:04 am |