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Archive for Second Coming

The Second Coming

By Linda Hill
Friday, June 19th, 2020
Following the exposure of the abomination of desolation, Satan is poised to finally finish his job by destroying the woman (Israel) who gave birth to the Son. Antichrist, still livid from the destruction of Babylon and from the Jews’ rebellion against the desecration of their temple, takes out unbridled vengeance on the Jews. Two-thirds in the city will die, one-third will escape (Zech. 13:8-9). Those escapees will flee to Bozrah to hide from the wrath of the Antichrist. After his destruction of Jerusalem, the Beast knows what has happened, reorganizes his army, and heads that way. As he approaches Bozrah, the signs mentioned in Matthew 24:29 begin to occur. The sun begins to grow dark and the moon begins to lose its light. The Antichrist’s army will surround and close in on the Jewish remnant. The Jews hiding in the rocks and caves will begin to call upon the name of the LORD in utter desperation. “Come, Lord Jesus, please come!” He will answer them, “‘This is my people.’ And each one will say, ‘The Lord is my God’” (Zech. 13:9).
God will turn off the lights; no light anywhere. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven. Heaven will at last open, and the rider on the white horse, who is called “Faithful and True” will return in righteousness to judge and to make war. His eyes will be like a flame of fire. Out of His mouth will come a sharp sword with which He will smite the nations. He is called the “Word of God” and will rule with a rod of iron. All of the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with power and great glory. He will send His angels with the sound of a trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds – from one end of heaven to the other. He will tread the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of almighty God. He has on His robe and on His thigh the name “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” (Rev. 19:11–16; 2 Thess. 1:7-10).
John’s words add to this scene. “Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, ‘Thrust in Your sickle and reap, for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So He who sat on the cloud, thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped” (Rev. 14:14-20). The Lord Jesus will bring devastation with the sword that proceeds out of His mouth, and the great rescue will commence (Rev. 19:21; Job 41:21; 2 Thess. 1:7–10, 2:8).
The hiding remnant from Bozrah will see Him, the one whom they pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son (Zech. 12:10). They will know immediately that the Lord Jesus is the King they rejected, but this time they will not reject Him. After the greatest rescue in human history, Bozrah, like Babylon, will be destroyed (Jer. 49:13–14; Amos 1:12).
These words from Isaiah now ring loud and clear. “Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah, this One who is glorious in His apparel, traveling in the greatness of His strength?—I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Why is Your apparel red, and Your garments like one who treads in the winepress? I have trodden the winepress alone, and from the peoples no one was with Me. For I have trodden them in My anger and trampled them in My fury; their blood is sprinkled upon My garments, and I have stained all My robes. For the day of vengeance is in My heart, and the year of My redeemed has come. I looked, but there was no one to help, and I wondered that there was no one to uphold; Therefore, My own arm brought salvation for Me; and My own fury, it sustained Me. I have trodden down the peoples in My anger, made them drunk in My fury, and brought down their strength to the earth.” (Isa. 63:1–6; 2 Thess. 1:7-10).
When the rescue ends at Bozrah, the King will move to the Kidron Valley for a meeting with the unholy trinity. It will be at that very location that the Antichrist and his false prophet will meet their doom and be cast alive into the lake of fire. Satan will be chained and thrown into the bottomless pit for one thousand years (Joel 3:2, 12; Rev. 19:19–21; Rev. 20:1-3). At the height of his success, the Antichrist will be broken and destroyed (Dan. 8:25). God said there would come a time when the Jews in their affliction would earnestly seek His face. This will be that time. The Jews will cry out for Him to come and heal them and treat their wounds. They will pledge to pursue knowledge of Him (Hosea 5:15, 6:1–6; Romans 11:11).
The King will ascend upon the Mount of Olives, where His feet will once again stand, just as God through the angels promised at His ascension (Acts 1:11, Zech. 14:4). This small mountain, along with other massive changes in creation, will return to their pre-Fall beauty (Zech. 14:5–8; Rom. 8:20-22). The King will be joined by His people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation. There will be a magnificent celebration of His victory as He descends down the mountain.
This time will be much different than before. This time as He approaches the Kidron Valley, thousands upon thousands will be shouting and screaming praise to almighty God. This time they will throw olive branches before the King as He rides through the Kidron Valley toward Jerusalem. This time, He will not be riding on a donkey but on a beautiful white horse. This time, He will be destined to wear, not a crown of thorns, but the crown of a Mighty Victor. This time He will pass through the eastern gate, which was sealed shut, but this time it will be reopened. This time with one voice, His followers will shout, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” (Matt. 23:39).
And the Lord shall be King over all the earth (Zech. 14:9). Then will come the days of the King, and they will be blessed. Blessings!
Categories : Kingdom, Prophecy, Second Coming

The King Comes, part 2

By Linda Hill
Wednesday, June 17th, 2020

Our Lord’s coronation day begins with the King’s return at the end of the Tribulation – the seventieth week of Daniel (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 19:11-16). The King will return to rescue and restore the nation of Israel in order to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Abraham (Zech. 13:8–14:19; Rom. 11:25–36; Rev. 19:11–20:3; Isa. 61:2b–64:12). God will purge and purify the Jews from their rebellion against Him and prepare them to face their King (Zech. 12:9; Mal. 2:3–4). He will make the nation of Israel, now dead, to live again (Rom. 11:25–26; Ezek. 37:4–12). The King will also return to reclaim and renew the earth from the clutches of Satan (Isa. 11:3–9; Rom. 8:19–22; Luke 4:6–7; 2 Cor. 4:4; Jn. 16:11, 12:31; Rev. 5:6–10). And the King will return to reign over a kingdom on a renewed earth for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4–6).

 

The church is referred to as the mystery by Paul – the dispensation of grace, or the mystery of Christ (Eph. 3:1-4). This mystery is a gap of time between Messiah being cut off (crucified) and the catching up of the church (Dan. 9:26). This gap has lasted for now over 2,000 years. The seven literal churches in the book of Revelation actually represent seven church ages: Ephesus (30-100 A.D.), Smyrna (100-313), Pergamum (313 – 600), Thyatira (600-1517), Sardis (1517-1648), Philadelphia (1648-1900), and Laodicea (1900 to the present).

 

After the church age, a series of judgments on God’s people (the Jews) will be unleashed. These judgments are broken down in Revelation 5-19 into seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls, each being worse than the one before. They come like waves on a beach. The first wave of judgment (the seal judgments) begins with the opening of the seven-sealed scroll. John was crying because there was no one to open the scroll. He then heard the roar of a lion that startled him, and he turned and saw a Lamb as though it had been slain (Rev. 5:6). The Lamb was worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals. The scroll is the title deed to the earth. With the opening of the scroll, the waves of judgment begin on the earth to reclaim and renew the earth for the kingdom to begin.

 

When the last seal is broken, the first of seven trumpet judgments begin. They are worse than the seal judgments. When the last trumpet is blown, it will usher in a time called the seven bowls – a time of horror like never seen before in history. The last bowl judgment ends with the great campaign of Armageddon (Rev. 16). This judgment begins with three insidious demons being belched out of where: the dragon (Satan), the Antichrist (the Beast), and the false prophet (another beast). These demons are commissioned by Satan to gather the whole world together at the Valley of Megiddo for the battle of the great day of God Almighty (Rev. 16:12–16). Their mission is to destroy the woman (Israel) who gave birth to the Son (the Lord Jesus), but we already know from Genesis 3:15 that the Son is destined to kill the dragon, Satan.

 

Contrary to popular belief, there will be no fighting in the Jezreel Valley. There is really no such battle as the Battle of Armageddon. In the Jezreel Valley, storm clouds gather in the form of the armies of the Antichrist, preparing to destroy Jerusalem (Rev. 16:12-16). The battle is called “The Great Day of God Almighty.”  God will dry up the mighty Euphrates River to allow the Antichrist and his army to get to the Jezreel Valley. There is little doubt that one of these armies will include much of the revived Roman Empire which surprisingly is made up of a large percentage of the Muslim Arabic bloc that circles the Mediterranean Sea and surrounds the tiny nation of Israel today. What a coincidence! This army will be headed by the Antichrist himself. I made the observation in my book “A Glimpses of the Coming King,” that wouldn’t it be the one of the greatest “gotcha’s” of history for Islam’s coming Mahdi (Twelfth Imam), and the Beast mentioned in the Bible, to be one and the same. I really think – because of the identity of the Mahdi given in the Muslim writings – the Koran and the Sunna (the Hadith), and the characteristics identifying the Antichrist, that they are. Both Russia and China will be involved. These armies will realize the genius of the Antichrist, and they will pledge their allegiance to him. It is from this Jezreel Valley that these soldiers under the leadership of the Antichrist will gather, organize, and ready themselves for battle – to go first against Jerusalem.  One serious motivation for this looming battle could be the vast supply of oil and chemical resources of the Dead Sea. There is now technology available to mine those resources. It will be granted to him (the Antichrist) to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:7–8). Remember the sign, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place” (Matt. 24:15).

 

Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Categories : Kingdom, Prophecy, Second Coming

The Sign

By Linda Hill
Sunday, May 31st, 2020

The disciples had asked Christ for the sign of His coming again and of the end of the age (Matt. 24:3). Note that they wanted “the sign.” Christ answered, “When you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place – whoever reads this, let him understand” (Matt. 24:15). The abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet refers directly to Daniel 9:27. This passage reads, “And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined is poured out on the desolate.” “One who makes desolate” refers to the very person that Christ called “the abomination of desolation.” Can’t miss this!

Now don’t let this next point throw you. This “abomination of desolation” was just one piece placed within a gigantic puzzle that our Lord called “the times of the Gentiles.”  Said another way, the “times of the Gentiles” forms the glue that holds the puzzle together. The “times of the Gentiles” is a period of indefinite length, lasting from the beginning of the Babylonian captivity (586 BC) to the end of the tribulation period (which is yet to come). It is that time during which Israel is out of their land, having no king and no temple. Israel is now back in their land, but they have no king and no control over their temple. They are still under the disciplining hand of God. This time will grow stronger until it reaches the greatest persecution that Israel – and the world –   has ever known, and I think it is close.

This persecution will be led by the one that our Lord called “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” He is also called in the Bible the Antichrist, the Assyrian, the beast, the man of sin, the little horn, and alongside him will be his press agent called “the false prophet.” They will be the dynamic duo. In order to understand this complete puzzle one must begin with five pieces found in Dan. 2:31-45; Dan. 7:1-28; Rev. 13:1-10; Rev. 17:1-14 and Dan. 9:24-27.

Let’s begin to put this puzzle together. Throughout history, many Gentile leaders have desired to be king over all the earth. There was Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, Cyrus the Persian, Darius the Mede, the Caesars of Rome, Alexander the Great, Constantine, Charlemagne, Napoleon, Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, among others. But no one has ever been king over all the earth. God’s unchanging Word says that One is coming who is to be that King: “And the Lord [the Lord Jesus Christ] shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be—The Lord is one, and His name one” (Zech. 14:9).

The Hebrew language says that Yahweh shall be King. Yahweh, the great I Am in the Old Testament (Ex. 3:14), is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ of the New Testament (Jn. 8:58; 10:30). (See A Glimpse of the Christ). Let’s go back to the “abomination of desolation” mentioned by Christ. King Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a great image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron, and feet and toes, part iron and clay. It ended with a stone cut out without hands destroying the image (Dan.2:31-45). The background is this (Dan. 2:1-30). The king had a dream that disturbed. He sought an explanation. He first went to his leaders. He demanded that they first tell him the dream and then the explanation. He realized that if he told them the dream, they would come up with their own explanation. Nebuchadnezzar was very wise. They obviously refused saying no one could do that.

Enter Daniel! Daniel told the Babylonian king that there is a God in heaven that could give him the answer (Dan. 2:28). Daniel was always careful to give God the glory. The king’s image is a picture of world history written in advance. Amazing! Daniel began. He told the king that his dream involved a giant image with a head of gold, breast and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, and legs of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay. The metals represent nations that would control the world. The head was Babylon. The chest and arms of silver were the Medes and the Persians.  The belly and thighs of brass were the Greeks (Hellenists). The legs of iron speak of Rome. The feet and toes of iron and clay represents the spread of the Roman empire throughout the world. Nebuchadnezzar’s dream ended by the image being destroyed by a stone cut out without hands. This refers to the divine origin of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the stone became a great mountain that filled the entire earth – the mountain spoken of in our last post. Daniel will now begin to explain this image. Stay safe and stay tuned.

Categories : Prophecy, Second Coming

The King is Coming

By Linda Hill
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020

The King Will Bring Universal Peace (Isaiah 9:6–7)

Isaiah described a Wonderful Counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father, and a Prince of Peace yet to come who will bear all the responsibility of governing and rendering perfect justice in every case. There will be no end to His reign upon the throne of David and over His kingdom. Every conflict will end in swift and fair judgment, and justice will prevail.

The King Will Renew This Fallen Creation (Isaiah 11:1–9)

A descendant of Jesse, David’s father, will come on the scene, and he will be filled with the Spirit of the Lord and will rule with supreme wisdom and understanding. His judgment will not be based on human instincts or perceptions but on righteousness. His weapons of judgment will be the rod of His mouth and the breath of His lips. He will wear righteousness and faithfulness like a belt. It will be a time of utter peace on the earth, when even wild animals will not consume each other and will be led about by a little child.

The King Will Bring Healing (Isaiah 35:5–6)

In this new kingdom, the blind will see, the deaf will hear, the lame will walk, and the dumb will sing. The desert will flow with water, the mountains will be no more, and the clouds will be rolled back.

The King Will Be Known by All (Jeremiah 31:34)

Everyone will know the Lord, from the least of them to the greatest. Their sins will be forgiven and remembered no more.

All Will Have Access to the King (Isaiah 2:2–3)

In the latter days, all nations will flow to the Lord’s dwelling place to learn of Him and walk in His paths. His law will go forth from Jerusalem.

All the Scattered and Lost Sheep Will Be Brought Home (Jeremiah 23:5–7)

The people of Israel will be scattered because of their disobedience, but the Lord will gather a remnant of His flock from all countries back to their own land. They will be fruitful and have every need met. They will no longer be afraid or dismayed or lacking. The Lord will raise up from David a King to reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness. His name will be called the Lord Our Righteousness.

The Gentiles Will Seek Him (Isaiah 11:10–16)

This descendant of David, King Jesus, will be as a banner to the people so that even Gentiles will seek Him. His resting place will be glorious.

The King Will Give Beauty for Ashes (Isaiah 61:1–11)

Isaiah declared that the Spirit of the Lord was upon him because the Lord had anointed him to proclaim good tidings to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and open the prison to those bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance, to comfort all who mourn, and to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness—that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

The King Will Rejoice over His Subjects (Isaiah 62:1–12)

In that day, Gentiles will realize that Israel is God’s chosen people, and all kings will recognize her glory. God will give Jerusalem a new name, a crown of glory, and a royal diadem. She will no longer be called forsaken or desolate but shall be called Hephzibah, and her land will be called Beulah. The Lord will rejoice over her as a bridegroom does over his bride. His people will be called the holy people, the redeemed of the Lord, and they will be sought out in a city not forsaken.

Jerusalem Will Be the City on the Hill (Micah 4:1–5:5)

The mountain of the Lord’s house will be established on the top of the mountains, and people shall flow into it. Many nations will come and say, “Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths for out of Zion the law shall go forth and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” The Lord will judge between many peoples and rebuke strong nations. Swords will be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks. War will be no more, and people will dwell in safety under their own fig trees. The Lord will gather His remnant and reign over them in Mount Zion.

The Whole Earth Will Be Filled with the King’s Glory (Psalm 72:1–20)

Men shall be blessed in Him, and all nations shall call Him blessed. David, the psalmist, cried out, “Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who only does wondrous things! And blessed be His glorious name forever! And let the whole earth be filled with His glory. Amen and Amen.”

We Will Finally Be Home (Isaiah 33:17–24)

When the King sets up His kingdom, we will see Him in His beauty. Our eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet home, a tabernacle that will not be taken down. No stakes will be removed, nor cords broken, unlike the tabernacle that was moved with the people of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness. The Lord will be our lawgiver, our judge, and our King. Those who dwell there will be forgiven their iniquity. And the best for us is; “And we shall be priests of God and reign with Him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6) Halleluiah! S

Categories : Second Coming

Four Reasons for the King’s Return

By Linda Hill
Tuesday, May 5th, 2020

Life had been surreal for a small band of men who watched their beloved leader unjustly treated for three years and in the end horribly mangled, and ultimately crucified, buried, and miraculously raised from the dead. Along the way, Jesus Christ gave the Jewish people every reason to believe that He was, without a doubt, their long-awaited King. As predicted, He had come to His people and they did not receive Him (John 1:12).

The disciples had, no doubt, gone from bouts of being in utter despair and depression to incredible heights of inexpressible elation and joy. They were probably emotionally spent. This little group was assembled with the Lord Jesus Christ near Jerusalem at the foot of the Mount of Olives. They had been hanging on every word as Jesus taught about the kingdom of God. They hoped that at last their King was going to bring in this long-awaited kingdom. Their thoughts motivated them to ask again, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). The promise from God of a literal kingdom for Israel was at the heart of everything they hoped for. His teachings about this kingdom had led them to believe that it was to be a spiritual yet a real kingdom and that it was coming on this earth. The issue in their minds was simply, when.

The disciples asked Him one more time about this kingdom. Jesus did not put doubts in their minds concerning the fact of it. He gave them the impression that timing was the issue. He told them that its scheduling was under the authority of God the Father. “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:7). They must wait. In the meantime, the King would send them the Holy Spirit, and they would be empowered to become witnesses for Him in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

In fact, this small group of common men, armed with the gospel of God’s immeasurable grace, literally turned the entire world upside down (Acts 17:6). The disciples had seen the King show miraculous power over nature, angels, disease, demons, and death itself. Some of these events must have replayed over and over again in their thinking as they walked up the mountain with Him. They did not realize that He had saved one of His greatest performances for last. Suddenly, He was lifted into the air and up, up, and away into the clouds and out of sight. They saw this happen with their own eyes. This wasn’t a mirage. This wasn’t a spiritual, invisible ascension. It was real and very animated. Wow!

It didn’t stop there. A couple of angels put a final note on the miracle. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Jesus Christ will come again in the same way that He left. This was to be their thread of hope that was to sustain their faith. Their King was coming back. His feet would once again stand on the Mount of Olives.

There are at least four reasons that the King will come. First, He will return to receive and reward His people, the Church (John 14:1-3; 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-18; 1 Corinthians 15:51-58; Revelation 22:12-13). Second, He will come to rescue and restore the nation of Israel in order to fulfill God’s covenant promise to Abraham (Zechariah 13:8–14:19; Romans 11:25–36; Revelation 19:11–20:3; Isaiah 61:2b–64:12; Ezekiel 37:4–12). Third, He will return to reclaim and renew the earth from the clutches of Satan (Isaiah 11:3–9; Romans 8:19–22; Luke 4:6–7; John 16:11, 12:31; Revelation 5:6–10). And finally, the King will return to reign over a kingdom on a renewed earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4–6).

This is all to be taken literally – just like His first coming. Jesus Christ came to earth the first time as the promised King offering His kingdom to the Jews (Luke 1:31–33). He came! God predicted that He was going to come into the world through the seed of a woman (Genesis 3:14; Luke 1:26–35). He did! Micah foretold that this event would occur in Bethlehem Ephratah (Micah 5:2). It did! Isaiah predicted that He would be “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14). He was! The wise men knew that this was all to be taken literally (Matthew 2:2). They came, they asked, and and they saw! The prophets predicted precisely that He was coming to die for His sheep (Isaiah 53:1–6; John 10:14–16). He did! His bodily resurrection was predicted in the Old Testament (Psalm 16:10). He rose! We need to be reminded that this all happened in time and space just as it was foretold by the prophets. There is no reason to take the prophecies concerning His second coming any other way.  Stay safe and stay tuned.

 

Categories : Second Coming

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