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Category Archives: Return of Christ

Do You Know the Two Resurrections

GravesWe’ve been discussing Jesus’ teaching on the resurrection as the key to understanding the Second Coming. In talking about this, the Lord describes two kinds. Here is the first.

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life. I tell you the truth, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live.”
John 5:24-25

It’s obvious that Jesus is talking about a spiritual resurrection here, because He uses the phrase, has now come. It was not future, but was being fulfilled in the days that Jesus walked the earth.

The Pharisees were the dead people (spiritually) that Jesus was talking about. He was telling them, “Wake up! You’re dead and if you want life, you must believe and obey my words.”

It was time for them to hear and live. Jesus loved them and desired that they would pass over from death into life.

They could have experienced the life-giving power of God. Unfortunately, their pride kept them from accepting Christ for who He was. Even today pride is one of the biggest hindrances to the move of God in the church.

Jesus makes an important point here. It’s the basis of our belief in His return. Christ is the Life-Giver. This is the foundation for everything else. He uses it as the platform from which to speak of His future ministry of raising the dead (physically) to life.

“For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son to have life in himself. And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.
“Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
John 5:26-30

This is the first recorded incident in Jesus’ ministry where He mentions the end-times. No, He doesn’t say a lot about it, but what He does say is at the very core of our belief in the Second Coming.

Jesus explains that there’s a day coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice and will come out – those who have done good will rise to live; those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.

Unfortunately, we usually miss this key. Yet it’s the foundation stone for everything else that you’ll learn about when you study the Second Coming of Christ. The entire message that Jesus teaches builds on this.

Question: Have you experienced spiritual resurrection? How did it change your outlook on life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 17, 2016 in Power of God, Return of Christ

 

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Jesus Christ the Life Giver

One WayI took a couple of posts to deal with the importance of properly studying the Second Coming of Christ. Now I want to look at the key to it all – resurrection. That was the first track of teaching that Jesus brought to His disciples.

In the Gospel of John, chapter 5, we have the first recorded mention that Jesus makes of the end times. I find it amazing that even though this is where Jesus started, I’ve never heard anyone else begin here. As a matter of fact, in this blog you’re going to look at a lot of Scripture not commonly taught as pertaining to the Second Coming of Christ.

In this section of Scripture, persecution is starting to arise because of the things Jesus is saying and doing. The Pharisees don’t like the way Jesus is ignoring their religious traditions. Among other things, He’s healing on the Sabbath.

In this chapter, the Pharisees were starting to have a problem with the Lord. They didn’t like the fact that Jesus made himself out to be God in the flesh. According to the Old Testament, that’s who the Messiah was meant to be.

Jesus couldn’t lie about who He was. Of course, this didn’t sit well with the Pharisees, who wanted all the praise for themselves. They didn’t want to hear who the Lord was, because it meant that they would have had to submit their will to His.

In spite of their unbelief, the Lord starts to explain some things to them.

Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these. For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it.”
John 5:19-21

Jesus is telling this group of unbelieving Pharisees that He does the same work as the Father. The Father can raise the dead, so He can raise the dead. This is the basis for our trust in Christ. He’s the Life-giver. If I want to live an abundant life, then there’s nowhere else I can turn to.

Elsewhere, Jesus says emphatically that He is the Resurrection and the Life. Our hope must be firmly planted in Him. He’s the source of our life.

The next few verses tell us that Jesus has the same authority as the Father. Disrespect of the Son is disrespect of the Father who sent Him. That’s why any study about the Return of the Lord must start with His teaching. If I contradict His word, then I’m the one who’s wrong. His teaching is the basis for all others.

Question: What place of authority does the teaching of Christ have in your life?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 15, 2016 in Power of God, Return of Christ

 

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The Second Coming – Order is Everything

CakeIn my last post I began looking at how to make the return of the Lord less confusing to us. I talked about methods of study that are helpful, and not so helpful.

Another confusing method that some people use is to start their study of the end times with the book of Revelation. They just can’t wait. They don’t realize that Revelation is the icing on the cake.

When baking a cake, we don’t start by getting the icing into the shape we want and then try shoving the cake into the icing. That would be foolish (and messy). But some Christians do that with the Second Coming by starting with the book of Revelation.

What I intend to do, is to start with Christ. If anybody knows about His return, it’s Him. He’s the One coming back. So we’ll start with His teaching and then build upon it by adding the apostle’s teaching to the Lord’s foundation.

Only then can we see how the book of Revelation applies to the whole. If you start with the right foundation, there’s no room for confusion and contradictions.

I’ll also be defining terms as we go along. Phrases such as the last days, the last day, the day of the Lord, and the day of the Son of Man need to be defined based on their use in Scripture. I can’t just use a term like the day of the Lord and make it mean whatever I want it to mean. I’ve got to know what the writer meant when the Holy Spirit inspired him to use that term.

As we look at all these things together, we must be prepared to let the Word of God speak to us. You’re going to hear some things that will challenge you. Hopefully you’ll rethink some of the things that you’ve always assumed about the coming of the Lord. Our goal is to be witnesses who are ready for Christ’s return.

Our direction is simply to follow Jesus’ outline as He taught His disciples. He started with one simple precept and built on it. What you’ll find, if you study out all the teachings of Christ, is that He taught on four main tracks in dealing with the end-times. We’re going to take each of these tracks of teaching at some point in my future posts.

We’ll proceed down these tracks in the order that Christ taught them to His disciples. In this way, we’ll have a clear picture of the end-times that’s received straight from the Savior’s mouth. If you’re prepared to receive Jesus’ teaching, wherever it may lead you, then you’re ready to begin the journey.

I suggest that you subscribe to these posts by e-mail, so that you don’t miss any of them.

Question: Are you excited by the thought that Christ will return? Are you looking forward to that day?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 12, 2016 in Return of Christ, Spiritual Walk

 

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The Second Coming – Are You Confused

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI believe that we’re quickly approaching the return of Jesus Christ to the earth. I also believe that just before His arrival, there will be a great, end-time harvest of souls into His kingdom. In that light, I want to do a few posts concerning the Second Coming.

For my first couple of posts, I’ll explain some things about how I teach the Second Coming of the Lord. I’m a little different than most people.

Many times the teachings I’ve heard tend to do a lot of jumping around in the Scriptures. They go from here to there, sometimes in the Old Testament and sometimes in the New. First a Scripture that looks like it’s talking about cars driving on the street and then one that might be about an atomic bomb.

I get confused just listening to them. My mind quickly turns to mush, especially when they get into their mathematical calculations. You know what I’m talking about.

Sometimes they try to calculate the actual day or month when Jesus is coming back. I’ve yet to find one that was correct; but people seem to enjoy making and listening to these calculations. If you’re looking for that, then this blog is definitely NOT for you.

I teach about the Last Days the way Jesus taught it, line upon line, and precept upon precept. First I try to build the foundation, then the walls, and finally the roof. I believe we’ll get more out of it that way.

I’ve found that when dealing with the return of the Lord, we need to emphasize the rules for studying the Word of God. In Bible schools and seminaries across America, students are required to take a course called Hermeneutics.

Hermeneutics is defined as a careful method of Bible study. It tries to ensure that the message God intended to communicate is accurately understood by man.

Usually there are five rules of hermeneutics that are taught. For our purposes, I’ll only deal with two of them. These are the two that are violated the most often in current teachings on the Coming of Christ.

1. Take the Bible literally unless you cannot. Unless it’s absolutely clear from the verse that something is not to be taken literally (like when Jesus tells a parable, for instance) we need to assume that the writer means what he says and says what he means.

2. Keep it in context. We must never interpret a part of Scripture without taking into account the verses, and even chapters, surrounding it. This is a very important concept, because many times in formulating the thought, a single verse, by itself, may sound just the opposite of what the entire passage was trying to get across to us.

If we’re willing to listen to what Jesus teaches about His return, then we’ll have a good foundation for our faith.

Question: Have you ever been confused by teachings about the Second Coming?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on August 10, 2016 in Return of Christ

 

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God’s Endgame

ChessThere’s a lot of talk about where God is bringing us to in His church. I believe that knowing where we’re headed is as simple as reading the end of the Book. Look at the last exhortation we’re given in Scripture.

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
Revelation 22:17

This is the last word of the Holy Spirit to the church. Everything after this is a warning about not changing the Word that was given. This statement reveals the heart of God, and where He desires to bring us to.

In this short verse we see four groups of people. There’s the bride, those who hear, those who are thirsty, and those who want the gift.

The last two groups are easy to recognize. They’re the world without Christ. They’re spiritually thirsty. Nothing in this world can satisfy the hunger within. They need Jesus.

It’s up to God’s people to call them to salvation, and a life that’s overflowing in Christ. Unfortunately, we live in a generation that seems to be satisfied simply giving God two or three hours a week. We were created for so much more than that.

Please be warned. I haven’t heard many people teach what I’m about to tell you. But if I wasn’t convinced that it’s absolutely Scriptural, I would never write it.

I don’t believe that all Christians will be a part of the bride of Christ. I DO believe that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved and in the kingdom. It’s just that being saved and being part of the bride are two different issues.

For an in-depth teaching on this subject, click here for my series on The Bride, which I posted last year. You’ll see that in many places the Bible talks about distinct levels of rewards (or no rewards at all) given to believers.

Having said that, I also believe that it’s God’s greatest desire that everyone be a part of the bride. Unfortunately, not every believer wants to do what’s necessary to prepare themselves for the coming of the Groom.

The above verse tells us that the Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” There’s no hesitancy, no pause. The Spirit and the bride say the exact same thing at the exact same time.

That’s where God wants to bring His people. To speak and move in perfect step with the Holy Spirit.

Of course there’s the other group. They believe God’s Word and are walking in His salvation. But they need to be prompted. Some time after they hear, they say, “Come.”

They’re obedient to what the Spirit is saying. It just takes them a little longer to decide to follow through.

We need to do what it takes to be found in the first group – the bride. That will take spending time in the Lord’s presence, communing with the Holy Spirit. Of course, that’s what engaged couples do – they spend enormous amounts of time with each other.

Question: How serious are you about hearing and obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 

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Living Today with our Hope in View

SpotlightI’ve been posting about Paul’s view of the Second Coming of Christ in 1 Thessalonians. We understand that the Resurrection Day is the great hope of the church. But it’s not just about the future.

You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him. Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
I Thessalonians 5:5-11

Paul tells us the attitude we need in the last days. He says that we’re to be alert and self-controlled. The literal meaning of these words are awake and sober. We can’t be in a spiritual stupor and be victorious as we approach the end of the age.

He also tells us to put on faith and love as a breastplate. As you know, if you’ve been reading my blog for a while, I believe that this is the oil and the lamp that we’re to keep burning. These are the two non-negotiable parts to serving God.

Without faith it’s impossible to please God, and without love your faith is worthless. You have to use both of these spiritual commodities. You can’t live for God without faith and love.

And so, these fruit need to be evident in all of our good works. Everything we do for the Lord has to spring from faith and love. Paul is in total agreement with the teaching of the Lord as found in the Gospels.

Finally, we must have the hope, or literally, the expectation of salvation as a helmet. We have to expect the salvation of God. We know what’s going to happen. We know that God is going to rescue us, so we might as well live like it.

Paul said that we’re not appointed to wrath. According to the Lord’s own words, wrath was not going to fall until the Last Day. Before it fell, however, Jesus said that He would gather up His elect to Himself. All of this happens on the last day of the age, according to Jesus. The Church will be taken to safety first, and then the wrath of God will fall.

It’s clear from both the teaching of Christ Himself and Paul the Apostle that God did not appoint us to wrath. What Paul is saying here is that we who are alive in the last days – who see the signs approaching as labor pains – must not get worried as people who don’t have any hope.

We must realize that we have the helmet of salvation on. We’re not appointed to wrath, so when The Day gets here, we’re going to be protected.

Don’t worry about the future, even though you see problems coming. Be prepared. Be self-controlled. Be alert. Be working for God, but don’t be afraid.

The last thing we need to remember is to continue to encourage one another, to build one another up and to exhort one another as, in fact, we should be doing.

That’s what being a part of the church is all about. We must help each other in areas of weakness. It’s only as we work together that we’ll gain the victory.

Question: How does your future hope affect your walk with Christ today?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on May 16, 2016 in Return of Christ, Revival, The Church

 

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Labor Pains – Not a Surprise

pregnantI’m looking at Paul’s Second Coming teaching in 1 Thessalonians. It lines up with everything that we know about Jesus’ end-time teaching.

We know from the Gospels that the Lord will come down out of heaven. Jesus said that every eye would see Him in the clouds. The Lord also mentioned that the angels would accompany Him on that day.

The Lord said there was going to be a trumpet call. Paul mentions all of these things. Also, if you remember, Jesus said that He would gather His saints “from the four corners of the earth and from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31)

So we find that both Paul and the Lord describe that last day – the Day of the Lord – in exactly the same way. Of course this shouldn’t be any surprise, because the same Holy Spirit inspired both of them.

Now, Paul is going to move on to answer the second question posed by the church – when is it all going to happen? We’ll find that his answer is the same as Jesus’.

Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

Paul is talking here about those that are not prepared. Jesus used different words to convey the same meaning. The Lord said that to those not ready, He was going to come like a thief in the night. But He also said that the saints were not going to be caught unprepared. Even the way Paul describes it shows this truth.

Paul said that it was going to come suddenly like labor pains on a pregnant woman. Please realize that most women make it to the hospital in time. A mother-to-be knows that there’s a baby on the way. She even knows, within a few weeks, when the baby will arrive.

The woman can feel that there are things happening in her body. Sometimes they can even say, “It’s only a day or two now.” Why? Because she can feel within her that something is going on.

And then finally, when the labor pains arrive, she knows that it’s time to get to the hospital. She can feel them mounting. She knew what to expect, and it didn’t take her by surprise. Very few women experience labor so quickly that they don’t make it to the hospital.

That’s what it’s going to be like for us. We know what to expect. We’ll not be taken by surprise. The labor pains may come upon the world quickly and unexpectedly, but the delivery – the coming of the Lord – will not be a surprise to the church.

But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.
1 Thessalonians 5:4

That’s why we, as believers, should not be worried or anxious about all we see happening around us. We have the light of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. We know what’s coming.

We should be living for Christ with the knowledge that God is bringing all things to the fulfillment of His will. This should cause us to be excited about the future, not worried.

We know how the Book ends – WE WIN!!

Question: What is your anticipation level when you think about the return of the Lord?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 
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Posted by on May 13, 2016 in Return of Christ, Revival, The Church

 

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Looking Forward to the Resurrection

Cloud2I’m posting about Paul’s teaching on the Second Coming of Christ found in First Thessalonians. He was answering some questions that the church had. The first was about believers who die before the resurrection.

We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
I Thessalonians 4:14

Because of the foundation of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself, we know that Paul is talking about the day when Jesus returns. He’s speaking here about the Last Day, the Day of the Lord.

We remember how Jesus taught that on that day, when He returns, every eye shall see Him. This passage reminds us that on that day, He’s going to bring with Him those who have died in the Lord. All the saints that Jesus referred to as being gathered from one end of heaven to the other will be there.

According to the Lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.
I Thessalonians 4:15-18

In other words, those who have already died in Christ have a better place in the resurrection than we do because they’re the first to be called. At one point our church had a Christian Academy. Every morning we had opening exercises for the children.

At the end, my wife, Cheryl, (who was the Principal) always said, “O.K. ladies, you’re dismissed, young men, please wait.” The young men were not to precede the ladies in leaving the sanctuary. Sometimes it was very hard for them. Sometimes you could see that their legs just didn’t want to stay still. I think that’s what it’s going to be like for us.

The Lord returns, but we’ve got to wait for those who’ve passed on before us. The Scripture says here that we’re not going to precede those who’ve died in the Lord. There’s a divine order to the resurrection.

Obviously, it’s going to take place in an instant. It’s not like we’re going to have to wait around for an hour. But in that instant, when we’re resurrected, the dead in Christ are going to be resurrected first.

Paul is calming their fears that those brothers and sisters who have passed on before us will not be missing out on anything.   They have a good place in the resurrection.

This should be an encouragement to each of us. What we see of the material world is not all that there is. We have a hope that goes beyond the natural. We should be looking through an eternal perspective.

Question: How should our future hope affect our present way of living?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 

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The Resurrection – Our Great Hope

GravesI believe in the soon return of Jesus Christ. As I see what’s happening all around us, it looks like we should be working to bring in the end-time harvest of souls. I want to take a couple of posts to talk about what Paul wrote concerning the Second Coming in his first epistle to the Thessalonians.

First Thessalonians was written because Paul went there, evangelized that area, and then had to leave quickly. We learn in the Book of Acts that persecution broke out, and the people of that region threatened to kill Paul. The church sent him out of the city very quickly.

Because of this, he didn’t have time to really establish their church the way he usually did. When things started to calm down, he began to worry about them. He was afraid that they were not grounded well enough and that they were in danger of quickly falling away.

Paul sent his spiritual son, Timothy to check in with them and see how they were doing. When Timothy came back, his report was better than Paul could have hoped for.

The church was doing great. They were established in the Lord. They weathered the persecution and they were growing in grace and in the power of the Spirit. Paul then wrote this letter to thank God and encourage their church to continue on in the faith.

When Timothy got back to Paul, he also brought some questions that the church had asked during his visit. Paul sent the answer to these in his letter as well.

One of the questions they asked was this: When Christians die, does that mean they’re going to miss out on the Second Coming of Christ? That’s a good question. Another thing they asked was; when are all of these things going to happen? When is the END OF THE AGE going to take place?

The first question he answers is about those who die in the Lord, and whether or not they miss out on the coming of Christ.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope.
I Thessalonians 4:13

Please realize that the term ignorant was not being used in a bad sense. Paul means that he did not want them to be without knowledge. He did not want them to be lacking in their teaching on the Lord.

He also uses the term fall asleep. The early church used this to signify that someone was dead. They realized that when a believer dies, they don’t cease to exist but rather enter the presence of the Lord. Their body, however, looks like it’s sleeping.

They would say, “Brother John fell asleep” as a nice way of saying that he died. So in effect, Paul is giving them more godly information on those who die in Christ.

His first instruction to them is that they’re not to grieve as the world does. We are not to act as people who don’t have any hope. We have an eternal hope.

We know about the resurrection of the dead on the Last Day. Because of this knowledge, funerals don’t hold the same fear over us that the rest of the world has. We shouldn’t act like we’re never going to see the departed Christian again.

Yes, I realize that there’s a parting process. You’re not going to see that person for a long time – so there’s going to be that kind of grief. But don’t grieve as if you’ve lost them forever. Don’t mourn like somebody who has no hope.

Question: How should our future hope affect the believer’s view of death?

© Nick Zaccardi 2016

 

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The Last Days – Finishing Strong

JogToday’s post will conclude my series about last-days attitudes. I’ve talked about the things that cause the world to worry and fret about the future. God’s people are not to act like this.

The promises of God don’t go null and void simply because we’re living near the end of the age. We’re still under our covenant with Christ – a better covenant. That’s why we can look to what’s ahead with hope and anticipation.

He told them this parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees. When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near.”
Luke 21:29-31

This should be an exciting time for the Church of Jesus Christ. The Kingdom is near! That thought should push us forward to greater effectiveness in the Kingdom.

Jesus does give us a warning, however. That’s the key reason for this series. I think that we’ve somehow lost sight of His Word to us.

“Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.”
Luke 21:34-35

The Lord tells us that there are three things that we should be especially careful about in the last-days. The first of these is dissipation. Think about something like fog, when it dissipates. It seems to vanish right before our eyes.

That’s the distractions of the world. They dissipate your time, money, and strength. Then you find that you have nothing left to put into the Lord’s work.

Then there’s drunkenness. I don’t believe that Jesus is only talking about alcohol here. It could be anything that intoxicates God’s people. We end up chasing things when we should be pursuing the Lord.

The third is the anxieties of life. This is when you’re worried about things you can’t control. Put them in God’s hands. If you trust the Lord and follow His plan for your life, then the rest will fall into place.

Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36

This is the bottom line of how to live in the last days. We must be a people who watch and pray. We must spend quality time in the presence of the Lord. This includes praying in the Spirit and listening to hear God’s voice.

In this way, the Holy Spirit will give you insight on how to live. We’re told that living like this will allow us to escape. Escape what? The anguish, perplexity, fainting from terror, and the apprehension that’s coming upon the world.

Isn’t that our ultimate goal; to stand boldly before the Son of Man at His return? If we heed His exhortation to us, then we’ll be unashamed by our life on earth. I’ll know that I lived by His power operating in me.

We’ll finish the race strong, knowing there’s a reward waiting for us. Not in fear, but the faith that Christ is with us.

Question: What do find most exciting about living in the last-days?

© Nick Zaccardi 2015

 
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Posted by on November 23, 2015 in Faith, Prayer, Return of Christ, Revival

 

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