by Diane M. Hoffmann
I often come across people with whom thoughts about the awesome Creation of the universe are exchanged.
One of the questions that come up is “Is there life on other planets?”
My response to that is always “I personally don’t think so”.
Then people will say “Why not, the universe is so large and unending with millions of planets, stars and galaxies throughout -- there must be other intelligent beings somewhere out there.”
My response again is that I personally do not think so, which usually brings on the next comment “How do you know?”
I reply that I know because of what the Bible says. However, there is usually no time to continue a discussion on such a lengthy topic in brief meetings or encounters.
Even if there is some time to talk, I have the big picture in my head but not the details readily accessible for a discussion.
So, I decided to sit down and take some time to put it together for future reference and to make it available on my blog for those interested.
The more I read the Word of God, the more I am convinced that there is no other life on other planets or galaxies besides our own “life-giving blue planet”.
To read the article, click here
Please note: You will be asked to click again on the link provided there.
.
.
Scriptural answers to critical issues in the church today affecting both men and women.
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Why Do So Many Churches Not Talk About The End Times?
Author: 24 Hot
Potatoes in the Church Today
www.24hotpotatoes.blogspot.ca
It is indeed amazing how few churches teach or preach on the
end times. Yet, many church goers and unchurched ask questions
about it, especially now, as we see the chaos and frightening events taking
place increasingly around us.
According to write-ups on the question of why most churches
don’t talk about the end times, there are diversified reasons given. Some
churches don’t take the Bible literally, particularly on the topics of
prophecies and end-times. Some feel the book of Revelation is a mere allegory
and therefore not a subject of belief. Others may have ministers who lack the
training and education in that area and do not take the time to expand their
knowledge on their own. Many have been turned off by the date setters and
sensationalists. But there is another reason.
Underneath all of the diverse reasons why the church does
not talk about the end times, ultimately the real reason is because of fear.
Fear of offending people, because there is so much division as to the exact
interpretation and understanding. Fear
of dividing the church and creating arguments among the congregation. Fear of showing
their lack of knowledge on the subject. Fear of the political correctness that
has reached up to the church in these last days.
The various understandings never fail to raise contentions
when discussions are attempted, so it seems best to leave it alone. For example, the rapture (pre-, mid- and post-),
the millennium (pre-, post- a-), the representation of the woman of Revelation
17, the mystery of Babylon, the one-hundred and forty-four sealed servants, the
two witnesses, and so much more.
It is said that the most neglected book in the Bible is the
book of Revelation. It is often regarded as a difficult and complex book to
understand. Yet it is so important that God has attached to it a special
blessing for those who read, hear and keep the things that are written therein.
(Revelation 1:3).
And yet again, the first three chapters are most informative
and simple to understand. The next chapters, four to eighteen, are the more complex,
where the unfolding of the dealings of God on earth takes place, but one can
skip over this temporarily to the rest of the chapters and read about the
glorious victory that is to come.
Rather than focus on the parts of doom and gloom and
tribulation, we need to look at the book of Revelation as a book of hope. For
the Bible tells us to be “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)
It is a book of power, throne, and victory and kingdom on
earth for both Christ and His Church. His Church being not religions or
denominations, but all those who believe in Him.
It would be ashamed to miss out on the most important book
for the time we are living in now. We are living in the book of the end times. Everything else in the Word of God is in the
past – except of course for the letters on how we should live as Christians. Of
course we still need to read the past and understand that the Old Testament is
history moving forward to the work of Christ on the cross for the redemption of
the world through the grace and mercy of God.
Then we need to know that the death of Christ (God who came
in the flesh) brought personal Salvation to each and every human being – that
includes you and me – which we only need to accept and receive through
repentance. We need to know and understand all that, but ‘now is the future’.
The part of the book of Revelation that is the hardest to
read and understand is such because we are seeing it being revealed as we speak.
We’re not quite at the end yet. And it is only as we read it week by week,
month by month, that our eyes are opened to clearer vision. Nobody can claim to
understand everything about it yet.
There are prophecies throughout the Word of God that lead
into the last book of the end times. It is helpful to read within the books of
the major and minor prophets in the Old Testament, where we see history
repeating itself. The book of Daniel expands directly into Revelation. In the New
Testament, Jesus gives us a good summary of things to come in Matthew chapter
24, Mark chapter 13 and Luke chapter 21.
There is much in the Word of God that the church can use
creatively to weave into Sunday sermons, to guide the sceptic, and satisfy the
longing of both the beginner and the more advanced.
All sixty-six books/letters in the Word of God work
together. Some places are harder than others to grasp. But, the Bible
interprets itself through reading and re-reading. It has been said that the
Bible does not need re-writing, it needs re-reading.
There is no limit to the time we need to spend in the Word
of God in order to get it all. Even a
lifetime is not enough, because as we familiarize ourselves and connect the
dots of each of the passages of scriptures, we find new riches to be applied to
the times we now live in.
Surprisingly, most people are eager to learn about the end
times. They only need their pastors to give them the Word of God. At the very least, the church needs to guide
people to do their own study of the subject by providing reading and study
material from reputable sources, rather than leaving it up to them to obtain
the wrong teaching from unconventional self-made or false teachers on the
internet. Christians and non-Christians
should be encouraged to attend regular group Bible studies facilitated by
qualified teachers. And the pastor of
the church should participate in them all.
For those who have fear of the things to come, Jesus says,
“Fear not”. He gave the revelation of the end times to show to his servants the
things that must come shortly to pass (Rev.1:1). The church must be ready for
the time of the second coming of Jesus Christ as the Lord of Lords and the King
of Kings. The nations must be ready. “For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. (2 Timothy 1:7 - KJV)
There is nothing more effective to build the faith of the
church then seeing the prophesies that have been fulfilled. As the Word of God says, one does not know a
prophecy is true until it has come to past (Jeremiah 28:9). When we see that
God’s prophecies are true, we can be certain that those that have not yet come
to past will do so as declared by the Word of God.
“So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of
God.” “But how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:17 and 15). (Scripture quotations are from
the King James Version).
/dmh
.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)