Hi,
I'm pretty new here. Perisseuo recommended this forum to me and I appreciate the fact that he did. I like the site and I have read some of the articles in the magazine. I am also aware that sickness has been spoken of in this thread and I didn't know whether to start another topic or not but my questions do come from Matthew 24 so I went ahead and continued in this thread. I'm also fearful of jumping in over my head here on this forum and on this subject.
But Mr. Kirby stated above:
< Then there's a shift in vs. 36 -- "but concerning THAT day and hour now one knows..." Jesus has just given all kinds of signs for the disciples to watch for -- false Christs, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, etc. The destruction of Jerusalem would be accompanied by many signs, and would happen in their lifetime. Not so His return and the end of the age. No signs there, no warnings beforehand -- people will be living normal lives just like in the days of Noah. Jesus will just appear, like when a thief comes unannounced. Therefore, we are always to be ready for His coming, since we don't know the time.
Although no one knows the hour or day as Mr.Kirby correctly stated, do those statements mean to imply that there will be no signs or clues whatsoever as regards Christ's second coming and that it will happen suddenly and without the slightest sign or hint of imminence? I'm presently trying hard to understand amillennialism and I thought, although disagreeing on the millennium, that the premill and the amill view agree that there would be a time of apostasy and turmoil at the end of the age and the man of lawlessness and sin would appear. II Thessalonians 2:1-12 covers the day of the Lord and the man of lawlessness who will be destroyed by the Lord at His coming - II Thessalonians 2:8 - "And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;" I'm not trying to suggest that we should be overly concerned with who the man of sin and lawlessness might be and sit around playing a guessing game as to his identity. It's just that his appearance and eventual treachery are set in the context of many other events by the Bible and it seems that at least a clue of some sorts could be gleamed from these. I don't believe in a secret rapture that happens before the actual second coming and I won't even consider playing a guessing game there as to when. But I think some type of a picture, although not totally understood, can be gleamed from scripture as to conditions and definite events that even Jesus spoke of that will transpire when these things begin to take place at the end of the age that culminates in His second advent. We may be in the dark as the actual day and hour but that doesn't mean I think that we will be totally left in the dark. Scripture can be a great aid there. I'm just asking and I realize as happens many times I may have perhaps misread some of the comments I referred to.
Anyway, I'm open for replies and the like. Discussions are good.
"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief." (II Thessalonians 5:4)
"Doc"
I'm pretty new here. Perisseuo recommended this forum to me and I appreciate the fact that he did. I like the site and I have read some of the articles in the magazine. I am also aware that sickness has been spoken of in this thread and I didn't know whether to start another topic or not but my questions do come from Matthew 24 so I went ahead and continued in this thread. I'm also fearful of jumping in over my head here on this forum and on this subject.
But Mr. Kirby stated above:
< Then there's a shift in vs. 36 -- "but concerning THAT day and hour now one knows..." Jesus has just given all kinds of signs for the disciples to watch for -- false Christs, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, etc. The destruction of Jerusalem would be accompanied by many signs, and would happen in their lifetime. Not so His return and the end of the age. No signs there, no warnings beforehand -- people will be living normal lives just like in the days of Noah. Jesus will just appear, like when a thief comes unannounced. Therefore, we are always to be ready for His coming, since we don't know the time.
Although no one knows the hour or day as Mr.Kirby correctly stated, do those statements mean to imply that there will be no signs or clues whatsoever as regards Christ's second coming and that it will happen suddenly and without the slightest sign or hint of imminence? I'm presently trying hard to understand amillennialism and I thought, although disagreeing on the millennium, that the premill and the amill view agree that there would be a time of apostasy and turmoil at the end of the age and the man of lawlessness and sin would appear. II Thessalonians 2:1-12 covers the day of the Lord and the man of lawlessness who will be destroyed by the Lord at His coming - II Thessalonians 2:8 - "And then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming;" I'm not trying to suggest that we should be overly concerned with who the man of sin and lawlessness might be and sit around playing a guessing game as to his identity. It's just that his appearance and eventual treachery are set in the context of many other events by the Bible and it seems that at least a clue of some sorts could be gleamed from these. I don't believe in a secret rapture that happens before the actual second coming and I won't even consider playing a guessing game there as to when. But I think some type of a picture, although not totally understood, can be gleamed from scripture as to conditions and definite events that even Jesus spoke of that will transpire when these things begin to take place at the end of the age that culminates in His second advent. We may be in the dark as the actual day and hour but that doesn't mean I think that we will be totally left in the dark. Scripture can be a great aid there. I'm just asking and I realize as happens many times I may have perhaps misread some of the comments I referred to.
Anyway, I'm open for replies and the like. Discussions are good.
"But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief." (II Thessalonians 5:4)
"Doc"
