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Topic: A Warning About End-Times Beliefs and Prophecy
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 01/17/2016 at 8:39pm
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A Warning About End-Times Beliefs and Prophecy
How often have you heard 'we are living in the End Times'? How many prophetic words include mention of the fact that we are in the last
days? Perhaps a better question would be when last did you hear a prophetic word that didn't include mention of End Times or Last Days?
Years? Never?
A concern with the End of Days is nothing new. Jesus Himself preached the message that 'the Kingdom of God is at hand', referring of
course to Himself, but it was, in essence, a millennial message. In the 2000 some years since then there have been many millennial
movements, both Christian and non-Christian. Humans seem fascinated with the notion that at some point either God, or we, are going to be
the agent(s) of destruction bringing the world to an end, and, consequently, we are equally fascinated with how we are going to survive
and live past this cataclysmic event.
Here is a partial list of some of the more recent millennial movements that have arisen:
2012 Doomsday Prediction
Boxer Rebellion
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
Branch Davidians
British Israelism
Canudos War
Christian Israelite Church
Christianity
Cult of the Holy Spirit
Convulsionnaires of Saint-M้dard
Dulcinianism
Earth changes
L'Encobert
Fifth Empire
Fifth Monarchy Men
Boxer Rebellion
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
Branch Davidians
British Israelism
Canudos War
Christian Israelite Church
Christianity
Cult of the Holy Spirit
Convulsionnaires of Saint-M้dard
Dulcinianism
Earth changes
L'Encobert
Fifth Empire
Fifth Monarchy Men
Ghost Dance
The Heaven's Gate cult
Hojjatieh
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jewish movements started by claimants to be the Messiah
Neu-Salems-Gesellschaft
Joachimites
The Living Church of God
Lord Our Righteousness Church
The Lord's Resistance Army
The Mahdist Movement
Marxism
Millerism
Boxer Rebellion
Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University
Branch Davidians
British Israelism
Canudos War
Christian Israelite Church
Christianity
Cult of the Holy Spirit
Convulsionnaires of Saint-M้dard
Dulcinianism
Earth changes
L'Encobert
Fifth Empire
Fifth Monarchy Men
Ghost Dance
The Heaven's Gate cult
Hojjatieh
Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant
Jehovah's Witnesses
Jewish movements started by claimants to be the Messiah
Neu-Salems-Gesellschaft
Joachimites
The Living Church of God
Lord Our Righteousness Church
The Lord's Resistance Army
The Mahdist Movement
Marxism
Millerism
Mormonism
Nazism
Nostradamus
Plymouth Brethren
Pueblo Revolt of 1680
The Qarmatians
Rastafari movement
Sebastianism
Shakers
Taiping Rebellion
Tepehuแn Revolt
Shia Islam
The Turner Diaries
Yellow Turbans
Now I know you are going to say'BUT', and I am going to say'BUT' back to you. Here is the 'but':
Mark 13:32-33 "But of that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. Take heed, keep on
the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come."
For you do NOT know when the appointed time will come!
Every single one of the movements listed above and including all the ones I have not listed have ended in deception, or violence and Jesus
warned about it:
Matthew 24:23-24 "Then if anyone says to you, 'Behold, here is the Christ,' or 'There He is,' do not believe him. For false Christs and
false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect."
This I believe to be specifically warning about deceptions about the End Times. The one single event that everyone looks to is the return
of Christ, and this verse speaks a warning about those who say 'He is here, or there' or, we can add, claim to have knowledge of the
times.
There are all sorts of justifications for this knowledge, but none explain how the prophets have knowledge that is specifically
contradicted in Mark chapter 13. "You do not know when the appointed hour will come". It follows that if one does not know when, then one
cannot prophesy that we are in the End Times.
While Jesus said "Therefore, be on the alertfor you do not know when the master of the house is coming, whether in the evening, at
midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning" (Mark 13:35)essentially saying, that because we do not know when He will come, we
should always be ready for the moment it might happenso that one could argue that we have been in the last days since the time of Christ,
I believe that there is a difference, indeed a dangerous difference, between in the state of preparedness Jesus spoke about, and
specifically believing that the events spoken of in the Book of Revelations are imminent.
I believe that the warnings not to follow after anyone who claims to know when and where or interprets 'the signs of the times' need to be
taken far more seriously. We should take great warning from the millennial movements of the past. The people caught up in them were
sincere in their belief that the end was nigh, and we can look back now, with the benefit of hindsight, and see how wrong they were, but
are we avoiding the exact same trap in this present day? I believe that people who prophesy, or include mention of the End Times in their
prophecy, are sincere, but what makes them any different from any who have gone before who have fallen into deception?
The problem with focusing on the End Times, or End Time events is not just the risk of falling into deception, but missing out on what God
is actually doing in the moment. Focus on the here and now, focus on God, on what He is doing now. The rest is not for us to know, either
now, nor when it is actually happeningthe Bible is clear that the return of Christ will be unexpected, that people will be going about
their daily business unaware of what is unfolding around themso don't be concerned with it.
I shall leave you with one last thought"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." James 4:8.
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Bruce McKerras
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Posted: 01/18/2016 at 1:27pm
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It isn't the Return of Jesus that will be unexpected, that will come exactly 1260 days after the Temple is desecrated.
It is the Lord's terrible Day of wrath that we can't predict when it will happen. But we can see the signs that Jesus gave us and obviously God wants us to be ready at all times, to stand firm in our faith as He destroys His enemies.
A large percentage of our Bibles pertains to end times prophecy. Should we just ignore it?
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You, my friends should not be in the dark about end time events.
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 01/18/2016 at 8:28pm
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To give you a short answer - yes.
Sorry -
Matthew 24: 36-42 is pretty explicit:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it
will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to
the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one
will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come."
And verse 44 is also very clear:
Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
As I said previously we need to be in a state of preparedness precisely because we don't know. We can't be like the watchman who derelicts his duty
knowing the time of his master's return. We don't know, we aren't meant to know, because in not knowing we don't have the luxury of shirking off
thinking it's OK we have time to get our act together before ... ANYTHING that suggests otherwise is utterly wrong.
The slightly longer answer to your question is yes and no. Yes we need to ignore it because it really actually doesn't matter, what happens will
happen when God ordains it and not before. We won't know before hand and what we do need to know for that period God will let us know. Given how
explicitly clear the Bible is on the subject of us NOT knowing, I really really really am very very certain God will not say 'Well you know guys,
the end is near, and you must be ready'. He already said VERY clearly we will not know! So any prophetic word that says God said its the End Times
... is misinterpreting something or just putting their own expectation into what God said. And that is why we must ignore it. All this focus on the
end, the end, and people hearing trumpets blasting and what not is not supported by what the Bible has said so very clearly. Therefore it detracts
and distracts from what God IS doing, while also quite possibly introducing a dangerous deception that has without exception ended badly in the
past, as well as changing what God is actually trying to say.
While it is up to the recipient of a prophetic word to apply discernment and filter out that which is not from God, (which the Bible is also clear
about. It is the prophet's task to be obedient to speak and the listeners task to discern), but I do believe that there is a responsibility to say,
'that is wrong'. The OT is pretty harsh on the subject, but the principle still applies. And the prophets do have a responsibility to mature in
their understanding and bring as accurate a word as possible.
The 'no' part is that there are spiritual principles and general warnings that apply at any time in the verses about the end. That makes them worthy of
study in order to learn and apply the spiritual lessons / principles.
Since the drama about Y2K and so on there has been a steady infiltration into the prophetic about the End Times, and now you can barely read a
single word that doesn't have mention of it. I have no idea of the psychology behind why people so desperately want to think and believe the End is
Nigh ... but just STOP IT! It isn't, we aren't and even if we were we wouldn't know and God wouldn't be saying it was.
Edited by Rose Cooper on 01/18/2016 at 8:42pm
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Bruce McKerras
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Posted: 01/20/2016 at 1:14am
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Thank you, Rose for your nice reply.
As I know the Lord has tasked me to point out the prophesies about the soon to happen end times events, would you suggest what I am doing is sinful?
The really wrong thing about the prophesies is as you have said, the false teachings and wrong predictions.
I am careful to quote the prophesies in their proper context, I promote passages that as a church goer for 70 years, I had never heard from the pulpit. Is this right? It cannot be right to ignore a third of the Bible. God HAS given us the information about what He has planned for us during these difficult times ahead. Even the timing is given.
But, yes as Daniel 12:10 says: only a few will know the truth. The rest will be shocked and terrified, many will renounce their faith in this forthcoming great test.
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You, my friends should not be in the dark about end time events.
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 01/20/2016 at 8:47pm
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Hi Bruce,
Thanks for your interest!
While there are timelines in the Bible - truthfully we don't know from when to measure them exactly, nor do we know if the time spans are literal or
symbolic and given that the Bible uses numbers both literally and symbolically I don't think we will know which it is until after the fact.
I'm not saying ignore 1/3 of the Bible - I'm saying that in terms of attempting to interpret current events to fit a Biblical timeline for End Time
Events is a minefield of potential for deception. There is much in those verses that we do need to be aware of, and valuable lessons and information.
I'm of the belief that when it really all happens there will be no need for guesswork or interpretation. We will KNOW. Supernatural, unexplainable
events will overtake the world and everyone - believer and unbeliever alike will know that God is at work.
In terms of prophecy, I appreciate your concern, I will stand by what I said in that it is up to the person hearing the word to discern its
truthfulness. Now we can have a whole long discussion on why people don't and why they aren't taught to and blah blah but that isn't relevant to the
topic at hand. 1 Corinthians 14:29 lays this out - And let the prophets speak by two or three, and let the others discern.. If you feel led by
God to share a word then it is your responsibility to share it. In all things be obedient. To put your mind at ease about your concerns - the reality
is that ALL prophetic words are filtered through the prophet's thoughts, knowledge, understanding, and expectation. 'We see through a mirror darkly' as
the Bible so poetically puts it. It is an unavoidable reality and that is why we are told to speak, and for the people hearing to discern. Every word
anyone receives should be examined through the insight of the Holy Spirit to discern which part is true, which part is God, and which part is not,
because all those elements are always there.
The words that I have found to be the 'worst' in terms of infiltration by End Times beliefs are in fact the ones that contain the greatest truths about
what is actually going on. I have given it a great deal of thought and I am thinking that two things are happening - we are at the end of an age
(actually the old has passed and the new has come already) and I think that people who have heard God's warning that things are about to change, that
the current way of doing is coming / has come to an end have only been able to think/hear/understand/comprehend it in terms of the End Times, but I
also think, in the wider picture, that Satan is using the whole End Times thing to distract and pull the wool over people's eyes. It's just too
widespread, not only in Christian circles, but in the media, in the movies etc to be a coincidence. Basically if you are sitting here with all your
attention focused on one thing you expect to be happening, you are entirely blind to the other thing that is actually happening over there.
All I am trying to do, in my small limited way, is to let those who have ears to hear, open themselves to possibility of something new. It is rather
like that Kung Fu proverb about the full cup - if your mind is full of one understanding, you aren't open to another. You have to make room for the
possibility of something new, something different, something else. God has been speaking about doing a new thing for so long, and this has been rather
overlooked. Go back, reread the words - even just the ones posted here on Open Heaven and filter out the End Times stuff and look at what's left - God
has been telling us all about something remarkable that He is doing for a long time. We need to start listening.
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Bruce McKerras
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Posted: 01/21/2016 at 11:58am
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Hi Rose,
It isn't something new that people should focus on, but the old story of God's plan to have a people, living in all of the holy Land, being a light to the nations and His witnesses. Isaiah 42:6, Isaiah 43:10
This is what will come about in the near future, Isaiah 62:1-5, and we Christians should be aware how the holy Land will be cleared and then be prepared to go there.
The false idea of a rapture removal has made millions become complacent and when the test comes, 1 Peter 4:12, they may not stand firm in their faith, losing their redemption.
The Greatest Truths are all there in our Bibles, if people would just read them as written, instead of being filtered thru others theories and false notions.
__________________
You, my friends should not be in the dark about end time events.
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 01/21/2016 at 7:57pm
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How can any of this be in the near future when we haven't even fulfilled Mark 13:10?
10 And the gospel must first be preached to all nations.
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Bruce McKerras
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Posted: 01/21/2016 at 11:12pm
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The good news of the coming Kingdom of Jesus WILL be preached to all nations before He Returns.
Isaiah 66:19 and Revelation 14:1-7 say who will do it.
[The angel flying in mid heaven is an allegory for the 144,000] The forerunner for this was Luke 10:1-10
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You, my friends should not be in the dark about end time events.
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 01/21/2016 at 11:50pm
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It is not my intent to be drawn into a debate. Those who need to hear this will be drawn to read it by the Holy Spirit, for me, that is all that is
important.
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Rose Cooper
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Posted: 02/08/2016 at 6:01am
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http://www.amazon.co.uk/Expecting-Armageddon-Essential-Readi ngs-Prophecy/dp/041592331X
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