THE KING IS COMING!
Maranatha! Maranatha! echo throughout the world by many who sense that we are living near the end of history. The word "maranatha" was spoken by the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 16:22. This Greek word conveys the excitement that enveloped a village upon learning that their king was approaching. It was loudly shouted throughout the city as people happily prepared by cleaning the street of debris and smoothing its surface. Then they positioned themselves alongside the streets to greet their king.
Yes, today multitudes are excited about the coming of Christ, but much
confusion arises from a misunderstanding of the events pertinent to His
arrival. Just how is He coming? And what happens when Christ arrives? Let
us study Christ's words that convey this exciting hope of His imminent
return.
Jesus knew His disciples would be confused
and discouraged at His crucifixion--His kingdom was not to be established
in Judea as they anticipated. So, at the last supper, Christ comforted
them with these words: "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if
I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to
myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2, 3). This is
the great hope of Christendom, the second coming of Christ; He has promised:
"I will come again."
Jesus is building mansions in heaven for the redeemed to live in--for you and me. We can easily accept that thought, but for the Jews this concept was perplexing. Abandon Israel and go to heaven? How about Jerusalem and the promises of its restoration? Jesus' disciples just could not fathom the thought that their nation would perish. Even after His death and resurrection they asked Him this question: "Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" (Acts 1:6). Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the Father has set by His own power" (Ibid., verse 7). Then while they were looking, "He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (verse 9). Were they to be abandoned? No! Jesus had just spoken of the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, but God realized they would need additional words of encouragement. He sent two messengers from heaven to give them this assurance: "You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven" (Ibid., verse 11).
Christians are just
as confused today as were His disciples. The majority of believers divide
His coming into two events. At the first coming, they say that Jesus takes
a special group to heaven for a short time, leaving a confused world behind--meanwhile
the Antichrist reigns and the Jews preach the Gospel. Then Christ again
returns a few years later with the "raptured" saints to establish a "New
World Order"--and we live happily ever after. Variations of this scenario
are also embraced by Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, and Messianic Jews. All
project that Christ is to soon reign on this planet. The Messianics are
often of Jewish descent and believe that Jesus is the Messiah; they look
at the many prophecies of Jehovah establishing Israel as the capitol of
earth; yes, almost everyone hopes and anticipates that King Jesus will
soon return to begin this earthly reign.
To hold solidly to these scenarios requires
avoidance of other prophecies that embellish this vital topic. One must
exercise caution; by neglecting scriptural counsel, we will certainly find
ourselves deluded by Satan, the great impostor.
One area of misunderstanding is that we
forget the "conditionality" of Scripture. In Deuteronomy 28, God sets before
His people two great streams of prophecy--two roads to travel. Upon obedience,
Israel would serve as a model nation for the world--God's plan was that
they would be a blessing to humanity and the world would become devout
followers of the great I AM. All the prophecies of prosperity and
the visible Messianic reign promised in the Bible would occur if
Israel obeyed God: And this shall come to pass, if you will diligently
obey the voice of the Lord your God (Zechariah 6: 15). The second
stream of prophecy is the "curses." These must fulfill because Israel
lost
their original commission through transgression. The nation that should
have welcomed the birth of Jesus and declared Him King of Kings, instead,
crucified the Majesty of heaven and earth. Therefore, the great nation
that could have saved the world from destruction by transgressors
will, like the mighty Samson, perish with the wicked--it could have been
different.
There are certain risks associated with expecting Christ's literal reign on earth for the coming millennium. If we are looking for a utopia in our day, especially after a rapture that allegedly causes us to disappear from our vehicles, beds, grinding mill, or elsewhere, then we will become careless and not properly prepare for important events that precede His coming. Jesus warned His followers He is coming like a thief in the night: "Therefore be also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes" (Matthew 24: 44). With this thought, let us study those verses that are so troublesome.
Today we ask the same question: "Lord, will you at this time restore again the kingdom..." (Acts 1:6). The one greatest reason for confusion results from childhood "conditioning"-- indoctrination to the fact that when we die, we go immediately to heaven. Therefore, when we read the biblical truths of the resurrection to heaven of the living and dead at Christ's return, we use our conditioned beliefs to misapply important texts to the resurrection. Let us read Christ's description of His coming. Pretend for a moment that you were not so conditioned, and that we are Christ's Jewish disciples, and like them, we have never been taught of heaven. Instead, think that you always believed that the Messiah will establish Israel's earthly reign when He returns. Realize that Jesus is trying to teach you that transgressors are to be destroyed like those in Sodom, and the world before the flood.
Follow closely as Christ attempts to correct their error. Instead of telling them that Israel will be saved, He likens His coming to the destruction of the wicked: "For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and [the unbelievers] knew not until the flood came, and took them all away... (Matthew 24: 38,39). Now for the confusing part--just keep in mind that Jesus is speaking of the WICKED BEING TAKEN as they were in Noah's day. "Then shall two be in the field; the one will be taken, and the other left. Two will be grinding at the mill; the one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore: for you know not what hour your Lord comes" (Matthew 24:41, 42). If you can see that the wicked are taken in death, like the skeptics were in the flood, and the righteous are left safe, as those in the ark, then we properly understand Christ's teachings.
The word TAKEN causes
some confusion. It is derived from the Greek word paralambado which
is translated in the King James Bible as follows:
Receive--15 times; take--32 times; take unto (taken)--2 times;
and take with--one time. It literally translates: TO TAKE ALONGSIDE. This
word is never used to mean raptured (or resurrect--Greek: anastasis,
exanastasis and egesis), yet that is how our conditioned minds
want to interpret it. Let us review the only other text where paralambado
is translated TAKEN. That just happens to be in a parallel verse where
Jesus is again discussing the same topic--His coming and the destruction
of the wicked.
In this chapter, Jesus first tells His disciples that "the kingdom of God is within you" (Luke 17: 21). Then He speaks of His literal coming where all would see Him, "For as the lightning, that flashes out of one part under heaven and shines to the other part under heaven; so will also the Son of man be in His day" (Ibid., verses 24, 34, 35). He again likens His coming to the destruction of the wicked in Noah's day, "and the flood came, and destroyed them all" (verse 27). After this, He repeats this thought by recalling the destruction of Sodom, "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all" (verse 29). Now Jesus explains how God differentiates between the "chosen" and the "lost", even if they are in close proximity to each other:
"In that night there will be two people in one bed; the one will be taken, and the other will be left. Two people will be grinding together; the one will be taken, and the other left. Two people will be in the field; the one will be taken and the other left" (verses 36). His disciples always understood that the believers would be saved, and wanted to know where the wicked were taken to. They said, "WHERE, Lord?" And He said unto them, "Wherever the body is, there will the eagles [literally "vultures", Proverbs 30:7] be gathered together" (verse 37).
It is quite clear that in these verses Jesus is not speaking of a resurrection to heaven, but of the death of the wicked who are gathered where corpses lay and vultures feed. For this to be possible, God must make a distinction between those with the "seal of God" and those with the "mark of the beast." Is this possible? Yes! That is exactly what He promises in His word. Daniel 12:2 says it this way: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life [you will want to be in this group], and some to shame and everlasting contempt" [these will be "taken" in destruction]. The saints are to be divinely preserved as the wicked are destroyed: "When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you, for I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior" (Isaiah 43:2, 3).
About one century after Isaiah wrote those words, God rewarded His faithful servants by miraculously sparing them amid a flaming inferno. You remember the story, don't you? The three faithful Hebrews who refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar's idol set up on the plain of Dura. God displayed His faithfulness to their obedience, even though the furnace was made seven times hotter. This event is written in Daniel 3:22: "And the furnace [was] exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego." Their faith was literally tried by fire and the wicked "were taken" in destruction. The king was amazed. "I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire," he exclaimed, "and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God [Jesus]" (verse 25). Yes, while the wicked were destroyed, God's faithful ones were preserved by the presence of Jesus, the Son of God, and so will we!
In the past, I always
enjoyed the thought that the righteous would be resurrected before
this world is destroyed. Now I must accept the chilling fact that Scripture
says the righteous must have their faith literally tested as those young
men in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace. It is not my thoughts, feelings,
inclinations, or conditioning that matters--it is what God says that is
important because it will literally transpire. "A thousand will fall at
your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near
you. Only with your eyes you will look and see the reward of the wicked"
(Psalms 91:7,8).
The apostle Peter describes the intensity
more graphically with these words: "But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens shall pass away with
a great noise, the elements shall melt with fervent heat [you are
composed of elements and compounds], the earth also and the works that
are therein shall be burned up. [Seeing] then [that] all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner [of persons] should you be in [all]
holy conversation and godliness" (2 Peter 3:10,11).
Peter's statement sums up the theme of the whole Bible--what type of person we should be, "in holy conversation and godliness." This is, as Paul Harvey would say: "The rest of the story." We must live the heavenly lifestyle here and, with divine assistance, apply God's principles in our lives--to do otherwise is presumptuous self-deception. God has given ample warnings and every provision to prepare us for the future. If there is no "secret rapture" to snatch us out of our beds, cars, or wherever, while life goes on and business is as usual on earth, then we need to actively prepare for the future.
The Scripture plainly
tells us that earth will be decimated by the seven plagues preceding Christ's
coming (Revelation 16:1-21). After the sixth plague we are still here and
encouraged to endure a little longer with these words: "Watch, I come as
a thief. Blessed is he that watches and keeps his garments, lest he walk
naked, and they see his shame" (verse 15). My friends, after the government
voids God's fourth commandment by enforcing Sunday legislation, the Spirit
of God will begin to withdraw from humanity; then, the plagues will cause
extreme turmoil, including food shortages. Blaming these calamities upon
those who refuse to honor Sunday, Satan's counterfeit Sabbath, the last-day
global organization will have assumed sufficient influence to force a Sunday
decree that none can buy or sell unless they have the "mark" (Revelation
13:17).
Because we are facing devastating plagues and
intimidating legislation, it will be essential that we relocate from the
crowded cities to smaller towns, or better yet, to the country where one
can prepare by supplementing their food supply from a small garden. When
God's people can no longer enter into commerce, the saints will be living
more closely to the lifestyle of their forefathers. No running water, no
television or telephone, any air conditioning, hot tubs, refrigerators,
no automobiles. . . . "Oh!" you say, "I'd rather die than forsake these
luxuries." God's word is explicitly true, you will be abandoned to perish
in the last plague. Your death will be with those who receive the mark
of the beast (Revelation 14: 9-12).
Preferably, though, you will not be with this group but will be found among
the faithful who trust in Jesus' teachings and adequately prepare--your
every movement must be supplemented by earnest prayer and a firm trust
in God's Word and His faithfulness. It may seem that you will perish, but
God promises deliverance to His faithful.
This reasoning is enforced by Jesus' statements that appear contrary to common reasoning. "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it" (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33). Those faithful saints who refuse to receive the mark of the beast will be those appointed for translation without knowing death. The promise to these saints is predicted by Isaiah. "Who among us shall dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us shall dwell with everlasting burnings?" "He shall dwell on high: his place of defense shall be the munitions of rocks: bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isaiah 33:14, 16 ).
When the Abomination of Desolation obtains enough influence to enforce death legislation against the saints, they must then flee the villages to solitary places as lot fled Sodom--remember Christ's admonition to not look back: "remember Lot's wife", Christ warns (Revelation 13:15, Genesis 19: 17; Luke 17:32). God's loyal saints will be cared for in the wilderness like the children of Israel being given water from the Rock, and manna, the bread from heaven. When Ahab decreed death for Elijah, he fled for solitary places and his food was miraculously provided by ravens--God will not abandon His faithful, and he will have a people of faith to translate alive like Enoch and Elijah.
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good: for his mercy endures forever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, who he has redeemed from the hand of the enemy; and gathered them out of the lands.... They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them out of their distress. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a [heavenly] city of habitation.... Those who are wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the lovingkindness of the Lord. Psalm 107:1-7, 43
To survive these troublesome times will require a complete trust in God manifested by obedience to all of his commandments: "If I regard iniquity [sin] in my heart, the Lord will not hear me" (Psalm 66:18). We are encouraged to overcome eight times in the book of Revelation with such words as "To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the hidden manna", and "He that overcomes shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son" (see Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3: 5, 12, 21; 21:7). God has made provisions for the sanctification of His saints, and promises that our essential needs will be met. We must trust in God's faithfulness at this time, "bread shall be given him; his waters shall be sure" (Isaiah 33: 16). This luxury will not be accorded to the wicked.
As conditions grow increasingly worse for earth, hope is kindled in the hearts of God's faithful people who have been hated and rejected by society for their faithfulness to God's law. "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring. Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And THEN SHALL THEY SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD, with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, THEN LOOK UP, AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS; FOR YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR" (Luke 21: 25-28).
"And at that
time shall Michael stand up, the great prince who stands for the children
of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble such as never was
since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your
people will be delivered..." (Daniel 12: 1). The wicked see the "Prince
of Peace" coming, wearing His royal crown and adorned in garments of rulership;
casting aside their weapons of war, "every battle of the warrior is with
confused noise... [and they shall be for] fuel of fire"
(Isaiah 9: 6, 5).
Ministers who have preached smooth words of salvation
to transgressors are filled with terror: "With lies you have... strengthened
the hands of the wicked... by promising him life" (Ezekiel 13: 22). Too
late they realize they have herded their flock to barren ground, and they
must answer to Him who demands purity: "And the shepherds shall have no
way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape" (Jeremiah 25: 34,
35).
Terror fills the hearts of those who received the mark of the Beast, who haughtily bought and sold while neglecting the saints. They attempt to "enter into the rocks and hide in the dust, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty... For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up: and he shall be brought low... And they shall go into the holes of the rocks, and into the caves of the earth, for fear of the Lord, and for the glory of his majesty, when he arises to shake terribly the earth. In that day a man shall cast his idols of silver and his idols of gold... to the moles and to the bats" (Isaiah 2: 10, 12, 19, 20).
At this moment the righteous dead will be raised from their graves, and the saints who have endured the trial by fire will be changed and receive a new body that will never again know aging, disease, or death. Paul says: "Behold I show you a mystery: We will not all sleep [die] but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we [the living saints] will be changed.... And this mortal must put on immortality.... then will be brought to pass the saying that is written, ‘Death is swallowed up in victory'" (1 Corinthians 15; 51, 54).
When the saints "meet
the Lord in the clouds" and are raised to heaven, the abandoned corpses
of the wicked lie wasting on the surface of the earth with no one left
to bury them (2 Thessalonians 4:17, Jeremiah 25:32,33). "Thus says the
LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a
great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the
slain of the LORD shall be at that day from [one] end of the earth even
unto the [other] end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither
gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground" (Ibid).
We will be able to sit with those who "looked
for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God" (Hebrews
11:10).
Yes, and we will have our private
"mansion" in the city of God. We will wear our crowns of victory in
heaven for 1,000 years as this planet stabilizes from the onslaught
of Armageddon--but it doesn't end here.
Then there will be
the lovely John who leaned against his Master on the night of betrayal.
John will again tell you, only this time in person, "We are now going to
be in heaven for 1,000 years (Revelation. 20:6). After that, we will travel
in the Holy City. It will descend to the earth 'prepared as a bride adorned
for her husband'" (ch. 21: 2).
Peter will also be there. Oh, yes! He repented
for denying his Lord at the moment of His greatest need; but Peter will
again assure us: "Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).
And then you can sit at Isaiah's feet and marvel
at his faith. Even though he was sawed in half for his faithfulness, he
is not complaining. "It's not over yet!" He will say. "Planet earth is
not to be abandoned; don't you remember I wrote that the Lord will restore
it: 'For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former
shall not be remembered, nor come into mind'" (Isaiah 65:17).
But best of all, there will be our new emperor, King Jesus. By sinning, Adam forfeited his right to leadership so the King of the entire universe came to take Adam's vacant throne (1 Corinthians 15:22-45). But He gained victory over the "serpent" in a much harder way--God, in the person of Jesus, became a little child. He knew poverty, hardship, temptation and a lifetime of assaults by Satan. In heaven we will look at Jesus' radiating face, but it will look different than normal. There are a few blemishes where the crown of thorns was so mockingly forced upon His noble brow. His robe of glory will cover the scars on His shoulders, back and side--these testify of His Majesty's abuse. He will never show these to us, but we know they are there. And of course, we all see the pierce marks in His hands. They glow much brighter than the rest of His body. We first saw them when He came to rescue us from this planet during its destruction (Habakkuk 3:3, 4).
Now, in the Holy City,
we sit at Jesus' feet. We humbly take our crowns off and lay them before
Him--He deserves all the glory--it was not our righteousness, but
His, that qualified us for glorification--we know that He is the only reason
we have eternal life. He could have abandoned us to perish along with Lucifer
and the fallen angels, but His love was so unspeakable. Forsaking the glories
of heaven, He became a man. Yes, a stunted, weakened, human; just for us
He accepted our punishment for disobedience to God--we deserved those lashes
with a whip; yes, and eternal death.
We take His scarred hand in ours and recall that
He told us 1,000 years in advance of their mutilation: "Like lions, they
are at my hands and my feet... They part my garments among them, and for
my clothing they cast lots" (Psalm 22: 17, 19). We know, and He knows,
so well the story of His great sacrifice. But then, just because we never
want to forget what one "little" sin cost, we ask the question: What happened
to your hands? "'What are these wounds in your hands?' Then He shall answer,
'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends'" (Zechariah
13:6).
Did you hear that, my brothers and sisters? My God, and your God, calls us friends. He did not die in vain. It was because of a love that is deeper than the most profound thought can fathom. It is higher than the heavens can span, and will never be fully understood throughout the endless days of eternity. And as dimly as we perceive this sacrifice, and as often as we "crucified afresh" our Lord and Savior through un-heavenly conduct, we can look at the scars in His hands and say: "I can see exactly what He did for me, and know that more than a parent loves and pities his wayward child, my Savior loves me. We are in the Kingdom because He pardoned our sins, and accounted us as perfect as God himself. God nurtured our spiritual growth with His Holy Spirit, and He enabled us to tenaciously cling to His promises: "Let him take hold of my strength, [that] he may make peace with me; [and] he shall make peace with me" (Isaiah 25:5).
Come with me, my friends in Christ--make that all important decision. "Blessed is he who WAITS, and attains to the 1335 days" (8010), and "all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:7, 12). These are the ultimate messages sealed in Daniel 12--the restoration of earth and a sinless eternity with our Savior. It has not entered into our imaginations what God has prepared for us; we can only imperfectly speculate of the glories prepared for those who WAIT for the Lord. After one-thousand years in heaven, earth will be re-created and Jesus will govern the entire universe from our "rebuilt" home. Yes, this unworthy "prodigal" planet, once lost, will wear God's best robe and ring of rulership, and be exalted as the new capitol for the endless galaxies of God's vast creation--the least will become the greatest. "And the Lord my God shall come [to earth], and all the [redeemed] saints with Him" (Zechariah 14: 5)
Our unique galaxy displays stars visible from earth, and was created especially for us (Genesis 1: 17, 18). Because of the blight of sin, it, like the earth, has experienced decay since the fall of man, but is then restored from the curse (Romans 8: 20-23). Even the illuminator of our solar system, our sun, diminishing in intensity and size (about 1-1/2 meter, or 5 ft. per year) for 7,000 years (seven times), will be perpetually renewed to the brilliance of Eden: "Moreover the light of the moon will be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be sevenfold [restored to its original intensity], as the light of seven days, in the day that the LORD binds up the breach of his people, and heals the stroke of their wound" (Isaiah 30: 26).
Like a colossal space ship, the Holy City, the New Jerusalem, travels from heaven and descends to the mount of Olives; then Jesus cleanses the earth of all evidences of sin and sinners (Zechariah 14:4; Revelation 21:2).
The world is now restored to its immaculate condition before the curse of sin. The mount of Olives is the very point where Jesus triumphantly descended into Jerusalem and cleansed the temple 3,000 years earlier, but this time the cleansing is permanent: "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Mark 13:3; Luke 19:37). Jesus is not sitting on a donkey this time, but upon His majestic throne: "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:3).
Angels who have been traveling between God's throne and earth will then
have a new planet for a home base. We will "mount up with wings as eagles"
and join them as we soar vast regions to celestial systems where our finest
telescopes have never penetrated (Isaiah 40:31).
There will be a "river of life" flowing
from the throne, watering the now thirsty deserts of this parched globe
we cling so tenaciously to; and the tree of life with its "12 manner of
fruit..." (Revelation 22:1-5; Isaiah 35:1-10). Each month we will attend
a special banquet and taste a different fruit that contains a unique ingredient
that keeps our DNA replicating throughout eternity--we will never grow
old. "And it shall come to pass, from one new moon to another [monthly],
and from one Sabbath to another [not Sunday], shall all flesh come to worship
before me, says the LORD" (Isaiah 66:23 ).
In addition to a weekly church service there,
we have our personal "royal suite" in the Holy City that Jesus and the
angels have prepared for us (John 14: 2; Revelation 21:1-3). But that is
not all--we will have a country home. If it takes you 10,000 years to build,
so what! We have eternity to finish the construction. And the best part
is that "They shall build houses and inhabit them; and they shall
plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build,
and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the
days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and my elect shall long enjoy
the work of their hands" (Isaiah 34;35; 65:21, 22). The Bible is precisely
correct! God has revealed His plan of redemption and restoration throughout
His Word and for humanity today, especially by the Daniel 12 code--"the
wise shall understand."
Once more, just so you do not forget, God's message to us living at "the end of the days" is this: "These words are true and faithful", and "all these things will be finished"; "blessed is he who WAITS, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days [8010]" (Revelation 21:5; Daniel 12:7;12). What do you think? Is this magnificent inheritance worth the WAIT? Yes! A thousand times, Yes! All heaven is willing that you obtain these immeasurable riches. Yes! And God requests your presence R.S.V.P. Yes! And God sends the following invitation : "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that hears say, Come, and let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely... [Jesus, who] testifies these things says, 'Surely I come quickly. Amen.' Even so, come, Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ Abide with you all. Amen" (Revelation 22: 17, 18, 20, 21).
