What will you do at the time of the end?

[Keraz]

God has made known His purpose:

Acts 13:40-41 Beware lest you bring down upon yourselves the doom prophesied. Understand this and perish, you despisers of the truth, for I am doing a deed in your days, a deed that you will not believe when you are told of it.

Jeremiah 17:15-18 People say: Where is the fulfilment of God’s Word? Let it come, if it can! It isn’t just the prospect of the coming disaster that makes me follow the Lord. I do not wish for Your judgement, You know all my thoughts and desires. On that evil day, be my refuge, may my persecutors be confounded, may they, not I be terrified. Bring onto Your enemies Your Day of vengeance and destroy them utterly.

Psalms 2:1-4 He who sits enthroned in Heaven, laughs at the wicked who conspire against Him and His people. Angrily, He rebukes them with His wrath.


Jeremiah 25:30-38 The Lord roars from on high, He thunders from His dwelling place, against His Land and those who dwell in it. This great noise reaches to the ends of the earth, for The Lord brings judgement to all the nations and indeed to all mankind. The godless and evil will be fuel for the fire. Ruin spreads around the world from this mighty tempest and those killed on that Day will lie scattered as dung upon the earth. Cry out, you leaders and shepherds of My people for this is your time to go to the slaughter, you cannot flee from the Lord’s fierce anger.

Jeremiah 4:23-28 I looked at the earth, it was in chaos, reeling to and fro, in darkness. Nobody could be seen and the land was a desolate wilderness, the towns ruined and deserted, because of the fierce anger of the Lord. The whole world will be affected but not completely destroyed. The earth will be in mourning for this. I have made known My purpose, I will not relent or change it.


Jeremiah 10:17-18 My people, gather up your goods and flee the country, for you are living under siege. The Lord says: This time, I shall throw out the whole population of the Land. I shall press them and squeeze them dry. Jeremiah 12:14

Isaiah 26:20-21 Go, My people enter your rooms and shut the door after you, withdraw for a little while, until the Lord’s wrath has passed. The Lord is coming from His dwelling place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their sins, it will hide its transgressions no more.

Jeremiah 29:11-14 I alone, know My purpose for you, it is wellbeing and not misfortune, for you and your descendants. If you call Me and pray to Me, I shall listen to you. When you seek Me, you shall find Me, if you search wholeheartedly, I will let you find Me, says the Lord. I shall restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and all the places to which I have banished you and then I will restore you to the place from where you went into exile. Ref: REB, NIV, KJV. Some verses abridged.


The Lord has ‘made known His purpose’, that is to bring disaster onto the godless and the enemies of His people. This coming terrible Day of judgement will ‘affect the whole world’ and millions will die from the effects of the huge CME sunstrike that he will use. The Middle East will be cleared and cleansed and His Christian people who listened to His warnings and kept safe under shelter, will repopulate the Holy Land. As so clearly stated in Ezekiel 34:11-16, all the faithful Christians, the Israelites of God will gather and live in all the Land promised to Abraham. They live in peace and prosperity, in the new country of Beulah, Isaiah 62:1-5, sending out 144,000 missionaries to proclaim the forthcoming Kingdom of Jesus.

 

[quietthinker]

Jeremiah 5:1-2 Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note, search for anyone who acts justly or one who seeks the truth – that I might forgive that city. People may swear by the Lord, but in fact they perjure themselves.

Is it possible to find anyone there today, acting in real truth and justice?

Jeremiah 5:3 Go; You look for righteousness. You have punished Your people, but they took no heed and refused to learn. They hardened their hearts and would not repent of their sins.

Israel and Judah, punished by their exiles, but they still don’t truly repent.

Jeremiah 5:4-5 The Lord thought; these are only the common people, those that don’t know the Laws of their God. I will go to their leaders and teachers, they should know the right ways. But, they too, have gone away from the right path and no longer keep the Laws or trust the Lord.

Jeremiah 5:6-9 So they will be struck down by disaster, for their rebellious deeds and apostasies are beyond counting. Why should I forgive them for this? Your children have forsaken Me, with idols and adulteries. Shall I fail to punish them for this? I will exact vengeance on these people.

Jeremiah 5:10-13 Prune the vine, lop off the branches, for they are not the Lord’s. Faithless are Israel and Judah, both faithless to Me, they both deny their God, saying: He does not see or care – no harm will come to us, we won’t see war or want. The prophets just spoke empty words, meaningless wind. Therefore, because they talk this way, I shall make My words a fire in your mouth and it will burn up these people like brushwood.

Apostate, atheistic Judah, the Jewish people, and Israel, the Christian peoples, are still similar to their ancestors. The clear prophetic warnings were ignored then and are ignored now. The ‘burning’ did not happen then, still future.

Jeremiah 5:14-19. I am bringing against you a distant nation, of mighty warriors, they will conquer you and destroy cities. But in those days, I shall not make an end of you. When you ask; Why has the Lord done this to us? You will say; it was because we forsook our God, so we must serve foreigners and live in another land.

In ancient times Assyria conquered Israel then Babylon conquered Judah. Judah has returned and now the decreed punishment by exile of the 10 Northern tribes of the House of Israel, is nearing completion. Ezekiel 4:4-5

Jeremiah 5:20-25 Proclaim this to the people of Israel and Judah: Listen you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see nothing, ears and hear nothing. Do you not fear your Maker and tremble before Me? But My people have a defiant and rebellious heart. They have rebelled and gone their own way. They did not acknowledge how the Lord gives the rain and their prosperity. Their wrong doing has upset natures order and their sins have kept away her bounty.

Jeremiah 5:26-31 For among My people there are scoundrels, who lay traps and prey upon others, They grow rich and fat, by turning a blind eye to wickedness. Shall I fail to punish them for this? There is an appalling outrage in this Land. Prophets prophesy lies, the Rabbis and priests rule by their own authority – that is the way the people like it. What will ye do in the end thereof? Isaiah 51:1-30

Reference; REB, NIV, KJV. Some verses abridged.

We read of God's punishment but how does this work if God is merciful and long suffering? ......and what is meant by 'long suffering' anyway?

I propose this view: .....I will attempt to keep it brief as is my style however will need to introduce some background to get perspective.

The Hebrews wrote from their view of God which primarily consisted of God being One. This view was/is fundamental to how they saw and communicated.

Other nations had multiple Gods to which they attributed certain and different characteristics. There might be the God of Fire or the God of Thunder or the God of War and so on. The plethora of Gods hardly ended and to these Gods they brought their petitions. They (the people, the worshippers) assumed the ability to manipulate the outcome of their requests in their favour by certain activities (behaviour, gifts, privations, chants, prayers....etc etc) or lack of it by their failure. (the Gods were angry)

An intrinsic part of the Hebrew view that God is One is the idea that The God is responsible for everything, both good and bad. This comes through in several OT scriptures....Isaiah 45:5 'I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God....' and a couple of verses down in Isaiah 45:7 'I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the Lord, do all these things.'
I might add, these are not isolated texts. These ideas spawned the view that there is no opposing power like that which Christians call the Devil or Satan.

Satan is only mentioned three and a half times in OT writings and was viewed as being what we today would describe as a prosecutor; one whose objective was to bring out the truth. He was not seen as the evil being which Christians have come to know (and that solely by the witness of Jesus) no more than a prosecutor is evil in our modern day court systems.

The language in the OT is primarily one of punishment and reward which God dishes out according to behaviour. Obey my laws and it will go well, disobey and red hot curry so to speak, will be your portion. Leviticus 26 lays it out in all its details.

Along comes Jesus and shifts how they interpreted. He not only identifies a villain in the cosmic fabric, John 10:10 ' The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.' 'the thief' of course being the Devil, identified in John 8:44 'You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.'

Jesus introduces another player and another angle.....a player who is responsible for evil contrary to how the Hebrews saw.....although I must add a caveat; during the captivities and religious influences of the various Nations which subdued them they did come to believe there were 'devils' who exercised power independent of God but this did not alter anything in their view of 'God being One' or God being ultimately responsible.

Jesus reality demonstrated the element of mercy in real terms, not just a theoretical or theological construct. He revealed the ultimate heart of God by forgiving not only his people but his enemies as well. (much more can be and needs be said about this but not now)

Now to the matter of punishment. Punishment is seen (past and present) as an external power which dictates (arbitrarily might I add) what is to be dished out for an infraction of the rules.......yet we learn in the NT that 'punishment' is a natural consequence of the violation of certain Law. For example, if I fall or jump off a ten storey building and go splat on the pavement, nobody has 'punished' me so to speak.....it is the natural consequence of an action (conscious or unconscious)......and so Paul uses this principle as an example in Romans 1:18-32 of God's wrath against the wicked as being that of 'giving them over'. In other words, suffering the natural consequences of the actions they engage.

This shifts how 'God's punishment' is understood significantly. It gives a new perspective different to the OT perspective of arbitrariness.

Now, if we use the perspective of punishment as something dished out arbitrarily by a power greater, (God) then we miss what Paul presents in Romans 1. We misunderstand 'mercy' and feel justified in judging (condemning) while superimposing this condemning view onto God.
We miss John 3:17 'For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.'

'nuff for now.

 

[michaelvpardo]

Jeremiah 5:1-2 Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem, look and take note, search for anyone who acts justly or one who seeks the truth – that I might forgive that city. People may swear by the Lord, but in fact they perjure themselves.

Is it possible to find anyone there today, acting in real truth and justice?

Jeremiah 5:3 Go; You look for righteousness. You have punished Your people, but they took no heed and refused to learn. They hardened their hearts and would not repent of their sins.

Israel and Judah, punished by their exiles, but they still don’t truly repent.

Jeremiah 5:4-5 The Lord thought; these are only the common people, those that don’t know the Laws of their God. I will go to their leaders and teachers, they should know the right ways. But, they too, have gone away from the right path and no longer keep the Laws or trust the Lord.

Jeremiah 5:6-9 So they will be struck down by disaster, for their rebellious deeds and apostasies are beyond counting. Why should I forgive them for this? Your children have forsaken Me, with idols and adulteries. Shall I fail to punish them for this? I will exact vengeance on these people.

Jeremiah 5:10-13 Prune the vine, lop off the branches, for they are not the Lord’s. Faithless are Israel and Judah, both faithless to Me, they both deny their God, saying: He does not see or care – no harm will come to us, we won’t see war or want. The prophets just spoke empty words, meaningless wind. Therefore, because they talk this way, I shall make My words a fire in your mouth and it will burn up these people like brushwood.

Apostate, atheistic Judah, the Jewish people, and Israel, the Christian peoples, are still similar to their ancestors. The clear prophetic warnings were ignored then and are ignored now. The ‘burning’ did not happen then, still future.

Jeremiah 5:14-19. I am bringing against you a distant nation, of mighty warriors, they will conquer you and destroy cities. But in those days, I shall not make an end of you. When you ask; Why has the Lord done this to us? You will say; it was because we forsook our God, so we must serve foreigners and live in another land.

In ancient times Assyria conquered Israel then Babylon conquered Judah. Judah has returned and now the decreed punishment by exile of the 10 Northern tribes of the House of Israel, is nearing completion. Ezekiel 4:4-5

Jeremiah 5:20-25 Proclaim this to the people of Israel and Judah: Listen you foolish and senseless people, who have eyes, but see nothing, ears and hear nothing. Do you not fear your Maker and tremble before Me? But My people have a defiant and rebellious heart. They have rebelled and gone their own way. They did not acknowledge how the Lord gives the rain and their prosperity. Their wrong doing has upset natures order and their sins have kept away her bounty.

Jeremiah 5:26-31 For among My people there are scoundrels, who lay traps and prey upon others, They grow rich and fat, by turning a blind eye to wickedness. Shall I fail to punish them for this? There is an appalling outrage in this Land. Prophets prophesy lies, the Rabbis and priests rule by their own authority – that is the way the people like it. What will ye do in the end thereof? Isaiah 51:1-30

Reference; REB, NIV, KJV. Some verses abridged.

Lift my hands to heaven and praise the name of Jesus.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

Nope, I didn’t forget. But many people believe it (future as you said) hence why I wrote it. What book/chapter/verse says we go to heaven?

John 14

1 Thess 4

Rev. 19

2 Cor. 5

 

[Keraz]

Lift my hands to heaven and praise the name of Jesus.

Good. But what we are actually told to do, is to: Call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved.
In 3 scriptures: Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21

 

[michaelvpardo]

Good. But what we are actually told to do, is to: Call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved.
In 3 scriptures: Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21

Did that 27 years ago.

 

[quietthinker]

Good. But what we are actually told to do, is to: Call upon the Name of the Lord and you will be saved.
In 3 scriptures: Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13, Acts 2:21

So, how do you understand what this actually means ie, calling upon the name of the Lord?

 

[Keraz]

So, how do you understand what this actually means ie, calling upon the name of the Lord?

When the Lord sends his terrible fiery wrath, there will be earthquakes, storms, tsunamis and extreme heat. We must stand firm in our faith and trust Him for protection. As He has promised; Isaiah 43:2, Psalms 23, and many other scriptures.
We also have a demonstration that He can protect His people, with the 3 men in the fiery furnace.

What I try to do here, is to show what it is that the Lord will use on that sudden and shocking Day. We are told by the Prophets and knowing where it will come from, what it can do and how long it will last, will be a big help when it happens.

 

[quietthinker]

When the Lord sends his terrible fiery wrath, there will be earthquakes, storms, tsunamis and extreme heat. We must stand firm in our faith and trust Him for protection. As He has promised; Isaiah 43:2, Psalms 23, and many other scriptures.
We also have a demonstration that He can protect His people, with the 3 men in the fiery furnace.

What I try to do here, is to show what it is that the Lord will use on that sudden and shocking Day. We are told by the Prophets and knowing where it will come from, what it can do and how long it will last, will be a big help when it happens.

..but what does it actually mean to call upon the name of the Lord??

 

[Keraz]

..but what does it actually mean to call upon the name of the Lord??

It means; to place your trust on Him for your survival.
Protection for His people:

Psalms 23:4 Even if I walk through a valley of darkness, I will fear no harm, for You are with me.

Isaiah 41:3 For I the Lord, will hold your right hand, saying: fear not, I will help you.

Isaiah 43:2b…walk thru fire and you will not be scorched, thru flames and not be burned.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all you who obey Him, it may be that you will be sheltered on the Day of the Lord’s anger.

Proverbs 3:25 Do not be afraid when fools are frightened or when destruction overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side on that Day.

Daniel 3:25 An angel protects the 3 men in the furnace. THEY weren’t taken out of it!

Jeremiah 30:7 How terrible is that Day….yet Jacob [Israel: My people] will come thru it safely.

1 Corinthians 10:13.... God will not test you beyond your powers and when the test comes, He will provide a way out to enable you to endure.

Psalms 9:10 The Lord does not abandon those who seek Him and trust in Him.

2 Peter 2:9 God knows how to rescue the godly from their trials.

Psalms 18:3 I shall call upon the Lord, then I will be made safe.

Psalms 31:23-24 The Lord protects the faithful. Be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.

Psalms 64:10 The righteous rejoice, their refuge in the Lord.

Zechariah 9:15-16 The Lord of hosts will protect His people...On that Day, He will save them, like a flock, for they are precious to Him. Isaiah 61:10

Psalms 37:18-19 The Lord watches over the righteous, when times are bad, they will not be distressed.

Job 22:30 He will deliver the innocent, because their hands are pure.

Psalms 91:1-16 ...He will rescue you, you will not fear the terrors abroad.

Psalms 121:1-8 Our help comes from the Lord, He will guard your life.

Psalms 109:31 The Lord stands at the right hand of the poor and saves them from trials.

Isaiah 51:16 I keep you covered under the shelter of My hand.

Psalms 97:10-12 He keeps His loyal servants safe and rescues them from the wicked.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, they will be like trees by a stream, when the heat comes it has nothing to fear.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is a sure protection in times of trouble and cares for all those who make Him their refuge.

Psalms 60:4-5 To those who fear the Lord, He will show the way to escape from trouble.

Psalms 37:9 For evildoers will be destroyed, those who trust in the Lord will prosper in the Land.

Isaiah 26:20 On that Day, I will come to your aid.

Daniel 12:1 There will be a time of anguish, but at that time, Your people will be delivered, all those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 ...to give you relief when the Lord Jesus comes in blazing fire.

Joel 3:16 The Lord roars from Zion, the heavens and the earth shudder, but He is a refuge for His people and a defence for Israel.

Isaiah 65:9b My chosen ones will take possession of the land, those who serve Me will live there.

Ecclesiasticus 34:13-17 Those who fear the Lord will live, for their trust in Him can keep them safe. The Lord keeps watch over those who love Him, He is their shield and support, a shelter from the scorching wind and the heat of the sun. He raises their spirits and gives healing, life and blessings. Apoc.

Reference: Revised English Bible.

 

[quietthinker]

It means; to place your trust on Him for your survival.
Protection for His people:

Psalms 23:4 Even if I walk through a valley of darkness, I will fear no harm, for You are with me.

Isaiah 41:3 For I the Lord, will hold your right hand, saying: fear not, I will help you.

Isaiah 43:2b…walk thru fire and you will not be scorched, thru flames and not be burned.

Zephaniah 2:3 Seek the Lord, all you who obey Him, it may be that you will be sheltered on the Day of the Lord’s anger.

Proverbs 3:25 Do not be afraid when fools are frightened or when destruction overtakes the wicked, for the Lord will be at your side on that Day.

Daniel 3:25 An angel protects the 3 men in the furnace. THEY weren’t taken out of it!

Jeremiah 30:7 How terrible is that Day….yet Jacob [Israel: My people] will come thru it safely.

1 Corinthians 10:13.... God will not test you beyond your powers and when the test comes, He will provide a way out to enable you to endure.

Psalms 9:10 The Lord does not abandon those who seek Him and trust in Him.

2 Peter 2:9 God knows how to rescue the godly from their trials.

Psalms 18:3 I shall call upon the Lord, then I will be made safe.

Psalms 31:23-24 The Lord protects the faithful. Be strong, all you whose hope is in the Lord.

Psalms 64:10 The righteous rejoice, their refuge in the Lord.

Zechariah 9:15-16 The Lord of hosts will protect His people...On that Day, He will save them, like a flock, for they are precious to Him. Isaiah 61:10

Psalms 37:18-19 The Lord watches over the righteous, when times are bad, they will not be distressed.

Job 22:30 He will deliver the innocent, because their hands are pure.

Psalms 91:1-16 ...He will rescue you, you will not fear the terrors abroad.

Psalms 121:1-8 Our help comes from the Lord, He will guard your life.

Psalms 109:31 The Lord stands at the right hand of the poor and saves them from trials.

Isaiah 51:16 I keep you covered under the shelter of My hand.

Psalms 97:10-12 He keeps His loyal servants safe and rescues them from the wicked.

Jeremiah 17:7-8 Blessed is anyone who trusts in the Lord, they will be like trees by a stream, when the heat comes it has nothing to fear.

Nahum 1:7 The Lord is a sure protection in times of trouble and cares for all those who make Him their refuge.

Psalms 60:4-5 To those who fear the Lord, He will show the way to escape from trouble.

Psalms 37:9 For evildoers will be destroyed, those who trust in the Lord will prosper in the Land.

Isaiah 26:20 On that Day, I will come to your aid.

Daniel 12:1 There will be a time of anguish, but at that time, Your people will be delivered, all those whose names are written in the Book of Life.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 ...to give you relief when the Lord Jesus comes in blazing fire.

Joel 3:16 The Lord roars from Zion, the heavens and the earth shudder, but He is a refuge for His people and a defence for Israel.

Isaiah 65:9b My chosen ones will take possession of the land, those who serve Me will live there.

Ecclesiasticus 34:13-17 Those who fear the Lord will live, for their trust in Him can keep them safe. The Lord keeps watch over those who love Him, He is their shield and support, a shelter from the scorching wind and the heat of the sun. He raises their spirits and gives healing, life and blessings. Apoc.

Reference: Revised English Bible.

Let me share some humour with you Keraz:-
There was an advertised Christian tent crusade and at the appointed time the preacher was all set and ready but nobody showed up, so he waited 15 minutes, then 25 minutes, then 40 minutes. Eventually a lone cowboy walks in and sits down in the front row. This is the preachers que and he launches enthusiastically into his sermon. Half an hour goes by, then an hour.....eventually he winds up 90 minutes later. The cowboy just sits there in silence so the preacher asks him, well cowboy, what did you think? The cowboy is reflective and after a while says; I really don't know, I'm just a cowboy....but one thing I do know is, if I went out to feed my cows and only one turned up, I'd feed it, not dump the whole load on it. :)

 

[Keraz]

Let me share some humour with you Keraz:-

Your joke bears no relevance to the amount of scripture we use.
I made my point, does the fact that we must stay on earth and endure trials, with the Lord's help; until the end, conflict with your beliefs?