A large portion of the Bible is used to tell us of the end times. Speaking of when destruction will come and all that we see will be gone forever. Jesus is coming back for His church and will take all those who have placed their trust in Him to Heaven.
Matthew 24:35 (ESV)
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Matthew 24:30–31 (ESV)
30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Scripture has even been telling us for thousands of years that we are actually living in the end times. That the glorious return of Jesus is on the horizon and it is only a matter of time before the earth and everything in it will pass away.
1 John 2:18 (ESV)
18 Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.
It’s been over 2000 years since those verses were first penned. Not only that but it’s also been over 2000 years since Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. Yet the world has not ended and Jesus has not yet come back for His church.
Does this discredit the Bible as God’s word? Is He not coming back for us or has He forgotten about His promise? These are just a few of the questions that many ask because the Lord has yet to return.
Believe it or not, these are the same questions that were being asked by the first church thousands of years ago. The answer given by the Apostle Peter still applies today. Giving us the greatest understanding as to why prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.
2 Peter 3:9 (ESV)
9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
God does not want to see anyone die and go to hell. Contrary to the sad view of our faith held by many today our God is a God of love. He wants to see every single person receive salvation and the gift of eternal life. It is for this reason that Jesus came to earth in the first place.
John 3:16–17 (ESV)
16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Jesus has not yet returned in order to give as many people as possible the opportunity to turn to Him. To believe in Him, repent of past sins, be baptized, and filled with the Holy Spirit. Ultimately so all people will be able to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God wants nothing more than for all people to be saved. So He is giving them every opportunity to do so.
1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV)
4 who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.
While God has been gracious and given time for people to be saved. We must not become complacent and believe that you will have the time to give up your sinful ways later. The time to turn to God is now! Accept the forgiveness and salvation that He is offering you today. So that you will inherit eternal life in heaven.
Because still, no one knows when the Lord will return. It could be this very hour or it could still be years in the future. What we do know is that everything will happen in the blink of an eye and there will not be time to turn to God at that moment. So choose the way that leads to life while you still have time.
Matthew 24:36 (ESV)
36 “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
1 Thessalonians 5:2–3 (ESV)
2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
2 Peter 3:10 (ESV)
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Hopefully, you are now able to see that God knows exactly what He is doing. There is a purpose to the waiting. It is so that you and everyone else can have every possible opportunity to receive salvation. Our prayer is that if you have yet to turn your life to God you will make the decision to do so now before it is too late.
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