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Category Archives: Return of Christ

The Last Days – Two Kingdoms Side by Side

09 Jan

agricultureI believe that we’re in the Last Days before the return of Christ.  Did you know about the weeding that is going to take place in the Last Days?  Christ taught about it during His earthly ministry.  Very few people talk about it because it doesn’t fit into their view of the end times.

I want to take a few posts to examine this important concept.  I think that it’s important for every believer to know what to expect on the road ahead.

The following is based upon the events and teachings found in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 13 and verses 24-41.  I encourage you to read that passage first, before continuing this post.  You will have a greater understanding of what I’m saying.

This is actually the second teaching given by Jesus concerning the last days.  He gave it to the disciples in parable form.

At this point the disciples already knew that there would be a day of resurrection sometime in the future.  They knew that on that day the graves would be opened.  Someday all believers will rise with a new resurrected body.  In this teaching, Jesus builds upon that knowledge.

In the parable, the Lord teaches about a farmer who sowed good seed in the ground.  Secretly, an enemy sowed bad seed during the night.  When asked what he would do about it, the farmer said that he would let both plants grow together until the harvest.  That way he could tell the difference between the weeds and the wheat.

The disciples had no idea what Jesus was talking about.  Later on in the day, the disciples found themselves alone with the Lord.  They took that opportunity to ask Him about it.  It’s Jesus’ explanation that I want to talk about.

According to the Lord, sons of the kingdom (that’s us), were sown into the world.  But the devil also sowed his sons into the world.  According to the parable there are two kingdoms, on earth, growing side by side.  I believe that’s where all the spiritual tension comes from that we are presently experiencing.

The kingdom of God and the world are both headed in opposite directions.  They have two different kings and vastly different goals.  As we approach the end, both kingdoms are going to start developing to the point where they’re bearing fruit.  The closer we get to the return of the Lord, the clearer we will see both the church of Jesus Christ and the world for what they truly are.

It is the overlap of the world and the church that causes the problems.  This parable addresses what God intends to do about it in the Last Days.  This is a very important subject.  If you haven’t already done so, subscribe to this blog for email delivery, so you won’t miss any of the posts.

Question: How have you experienced the tension between the kingdom of God and the world?

© Nick Zaccardi 2013

 
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Posted by on January 9, 2013 in Return of Christ

 

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Waiting for Christ’s Return

07 Mar

Acts 1:9-11
After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.  They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them.  “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
(NIV)

Yesterday I shared about the reason we need to know about the return of the Lord.  We saw that Jesus taught His disciples that the important thing was being a witness.  After explaining all this to the disciples, He rose from the earth and was taken out of their sight.  The tragedy is that there are too many Christians around who are just like those disciples.  You know them.  It’s almost as if their life can be summed up with those words, “WHY ARE YOU LOOKING UP INTO HEAVEN?”

That seems to be their whole outlook on life.  Their only goal is to find out when Jesus is coming back.  “Lord, is it today?  Can somebody tell me?  Is it going to be this week?”  Their whole Christian life is looking to see when Jesus is coming back.  In doing that they miss the main emphasis given to us by Christ, which is “BE A WITNESS.”

What we usually find when we read through the Scripture is that when Jesus or the Apostles talk about the Second Coming of the Lord, the main theme of the teaching is usually about something else.  The Return of Christ itself is not their main focus.  When we think about it, the main emphasis should be the change that is needed in our lives to prepare us for the return of the Lord.  The apostles only seem to use the return of Christ as a side illustration to emphasize the urgency that is needed to spur us on to change our ways.

There are so many people worried about what’s going to happen next.  They are always asking, “Am I going to make it?”  If that’s you – SNAP OUT OF IT!  God is going to see us through.  I’ll tell you now how it all ends – we win.  All the rest is about how we get there.  The end has already been written even though we haven’t reached it yet.

Christ is returning.  That is a Scriptural fact.  The real issue is what I am doing with this knowledge.  Am I sitting back, doing nothing until He comes to get me?  Or is it propelling me forward to share God’s love with others?  The choice is yours.

 
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Posted by on March 7, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

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Why We Know About the Return of Christ

06 Mar

The Bible talks a lot about the return of Christ.  Why is that so important to us?

Acts 1:6-8
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
(NIV)

The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is probably the most talked about subject in all of Christianity.  Unfortunately, many believers miss the point of why God put this teaching in the Scripture.  Too many people want to know about Christ’s return for the wrong reasons.  Some want to know simply to satisfy their curiosity.  Others like sensationalism.  These are not good reasons to study the Word of God.

As Jesus prepares His disciples for His departure into Heaven, He tells the them to go to Jerusalem and wait there for the baptism of the Holy Spirit.  When that happens, they will be given all the power that they need to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

As they share this time with the Lord, they ask Him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”  This was a burning question that they had on their minds.  Think of it.  Jesus rose from the dead!  When Jesus was ministering on earth He was able to feed 5,000 people with just a few loaves and fishes.  Just imagine Him leading the army of Israel.  The Romans can’t kill him.  He can supply all the food they need.  He can get money out of a fish’s mouth.  How could they lose with a commander like that?  The disciples must have decided that now is the time to restore the Kingdom of Israel.

Surprisingly, Jesus tells them that they don’t need to know the Father’s timetable.  The most important thing to know is how to be a witness.  We know about the Return of Christ in order to be a WITNESS.  Why?  By knowing the times and seasons, we can better understand the hour in which we are living.  We can better understand the closeness of Christ’s return.  It is this information that will give us the incentive we need to bring others into the kingdom before it’s too late.  That’s why Jesus shares with them the exhortation that they don’t have to worry about the “when”.

You don’t have to be anxious about the day or the hour of His return either.  These things are all in the Father’s hands.  That’s His job.  What you and I need to know is how to be the best witness we can be.  We must major on how to bring God’s glory to the earth while we still have that chance.

 
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Posted by on March 6, 2012 in Return of Christ

 

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