many or few?

[Brother-Paul]

Has the first seal been broken?

Has the first scroll be opened?

If it has we are in the tribulation period, if it hasn't it is getting extremely close.

The birth pangs have continued, they are Strong, time is short, very short.

 

[JerryfromMass]

Rapture timing has been a matter of contention for a very long time among those of us that believe the church will be exempt from the wrath of God that is to come. I'm not going to add to the contention here, but only advise you, my brothers and sisters, be about our Father's business always and praise HIS name for HIS wonderful gift of eternal life. Hallelujah. Amen.

 

[Sue D.]

Has the first seal been broken?

Has the first scroll be opened?

If it has we are in the tribulation period, if it hasn't it is getting extremely close.

The birth pangs have continued, they are Strong, time is short, very short.

Look at Reve 5: 2 An angel is asking with a loud voice "who is worthy To open the scroll and to loose the seals.?" vs 5 " Do not weep . Behold, the Lion of the bribe of Judah, the Root of David has prevailed to open the scroll and to loose it's seven seals."

Now look at chapter 6: 1 -- the 1st seal is opened. A white horse and the rider had a bow and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer ." And That is the 1st one. It IS true that 'as we speak' that Israel and Palistinions are sending rockets / missles back and forth. And there Are some who'd say -- Yep it Is taking place. And others would say No.

After all 7 seals are opened and activities taking place, there are the 7 angels with their 7 trumpets starting to sound.

And during that time are the three woes.

And then in chapter 16 -- "Go and pour out the bowls of the wrath of God on the earth."

I've been skimming the book and don't see where the 1st scroll Has been opened. Only that Jesus Christ is the only One worthy To open it. Maybe that's referring to the fact that Jesus Christ is our Savior. Our salvation has been provided. Those Not accepting that Will be experiencing all those things in the future. Speculation on my part. But does make sense.

 

[Brother-Paul]

I am aware of the above Sue, the point of my comment was that we are so close now, and that is not based on Israel/hamas at this time, but what has happened since 1948 and the strength of the birth pangs at this time.

Time is running out fast, Praise the Lord

 

[Sue D.]

@Brother-Paul

Well -- you Did bring those things up. I'm simply responding back to those.

It's sort of obvious that the time is getting closer and closer.

 

[Beetow]

• Rev 20:13 . . I saw the dead, and they were judged, every one of them

That verse says that "every one" of them were judged. Well; I don't know precisely
how many every one will eventually entail, but let's say that it's the number of new
arrivals in the update.

UPDATE: 222 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 13,791,528 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.

If each of those 13,791,528 judgments were to take an hour to complete, we'd be
looking at 574,647 calendar days, i.e. 1,577.6 solar years; that's if the judging
goes around the clock 24/7/365.

Just think of that. In only 222 days, enough cases have accumulated on our
hypothetical docket to keep the great white throne busy a minimum of fifteen and
three-quarter centuries.

I once commented to a Christian friend about how long it will take for God to judge
everybody. My friend responded: Well; he has plenty of time.
_

 

[JerryfromMass]

• Rev 20:13 . . I saw the dead, and they were judged, every one of them

That verse says that "every one" of them were judged. Well; I don't know precisely
how many every one will eventually entail, but let's say that it's the number of new
arrivals in the update.

UPDATE: 222 days have elapsed since my first comment. If the figures in post No.5
are in the ball park, then something like 13,791,528 new arrivals have checked into
the fiery sector of Hades since Oct 08, 2020.

If each of those 13,791,528 judgments were to take an hour to complete, we'd be
looking at 574,647 calendar days, i.e. 1,577.6 solar years; that's if the judging
goes around the clock 24/7/365.

Just think of that. In only 222 days, enough cases have accumulated on our
hypothetical docket to keep the great white throne busy a minimum of fifteen and
three-quarter centuries.

I once commented to a Christian friend about how long it will take for God to judge
everybody. My friend responded: Well; he has plenty of time.
_

You err when you determine your own time sequence for how much time God needs to judge a person or 100 billion persons, for that matter. God can do it all in a moment in time, in the twinkling of eye, and it's done. Just as God is going to change all us saints, dead and alive, in the immeasurable time of the twinkling of an eye, he can do the same for all the condemned as well. My advice: stop playing God.

 

[Sue D.]

@Beetow -- maybe the Important point is that they were all judged.

The entire verse reads "The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and hades delivered up the dead who were in them, And they were judged, each one according to his works."

I take the time to type the verse out, because it's easy to read the "Rev.20:13" but not hover over it to read the entire verse.

Does the real number really matter? It's based on your starting 'update' time. Which may or may Not be accurate.

 

[Sue D.]

You err when you determine your own time sequence for how much time God needs to judge a person or 100 billion persons at once, for that matter. God can do it all in a moment in time, in the twinkling of eye, and it's done. Just as God is going to change all us saints, dead and alive, in the immeasurable time of the twinkling of an eye, he can do the same for all the condemned as well. My advice: stop playing God.

Very well stated.

 

[Reba1]

I was born in 1946, while Dad was a Bible student . I dont remember 1948 i do remember some scary things from around 1955. The end of the world is scary to a 9-10 year old .. See, when rapture did not happen in 1948 the out loud thinking i heard was down the lines of 7 is the number of completion so He will return in soon. The next year was to be 1988 or before because He will cut the time short... 40 years for a generation... in the meantime the talk in my dispensational Christian home was about how to wait on the Lord... things like stay out of politics they Lord will rapture us soon.. I remember talk about my younger brothers not needing higher education because the Lord will rapture us soon . Us girls would marry should the Lord tarry .. He is coming soon. . Khrushchev 's line of "we will bury you" Don't worry, forget about politics, He will rapture us soon. I am sure my family was not alone in this thinking they were a part of the Assemblies of God following the dispensational teaching of the day. Kinda the same thing at the Bay of Pigs time.. The war of 1967 . . .
My point ?
We have His word we don't need newspaper headlines which now days are o so often mistruths . Knowing how some things work in forums please note i have not said there is no rapture. Matt 24 is as relevant today as His words were 2000 years ago .

 

[Beetow]

Rev 20:13 . . I saw the dead, and they were judged, every one of them

There's a few points related to that scene worth special mention.

1» According to Jude 1:14-15 the dead will be given a fair trial.

2» According to Matt 12:36, every word that the dead have spoken will be
used as evidence both against them and for them; not just their serious words,
but also their careless words.

3» The scene doesn't depict one future out of a variety of possible futures;
no, it depicts the actual future.

A Danger Foreseen; Is Half Avoided.
(Cheyenne Proverb)
_

 

[JerryfromMass]

I was born in 1946, while Dad was a Bible student . I dont remember 1948 i do remember some scary things from around 1955. The end of the world is scary to a 9-10 year old .. See, when rapture did not happen in 1948 the out loud thinking i heard was down the lines of 7 is the number of completion so He will return in soon. The next year was to be 1988 or before because He will cut the time short... 40 years for a generation... in the meantime the talk in my dispensational Christian home was about how to wait on the Lord... things like stay out of politics they Lord will rapture us soon.. I remember talk about my younger brothers not needing higher education because the Lord will rapture us soon . Us girls would marry should the Lord tarry .. He is coming soon. . Khrushchev 's line of "we will bury you" Don't worry, forget about politics, He will rapture us soon. I am sure my family was not alone in this thinking they were a part of the Assemblies of God following the dispensational teaching of the day. Kinda the same thing at the Bay of Pigs time.. The war of 1967 . . .
My point ?
We have His word we don't need newspaper headlines which now days are o so often mistruths . Knowing how some things work in forums please note i have not said there is no rapture. Matt 24 is as relevant today as His words were 2000 years ago .

Amen. Date setting Christ's return is just plain wrong, and way too many people have engaged in it. I fully expect to live until I die, but if the Lord decides in HIS sovereign time to come for saints before I die, what a blessing that would be. Hallelujah. Praise the Lord. Amen.

 

[Reba1]

Joh 5:27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man.
Joh 5:28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
Joh 5:29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

 

[JerryfromMass]

There's a few points related to that scene worth special mention.

1» According to Jude 1:14-15 the dead will be given a fair trial.

2» According to Matt 12:36, every word that the dead have spoken will used
as evidence both against them and/or for them; not just their serious words,
but also their careless words.

3» The scene doesn't depict one future out of a variety of possible futures;
no, it depicts the actual future.

A Danger Foreseen; Is Half Avoided.
(Cheyenne Proverb)
_

And you err when you think that God needs time as you perceive time to pass judgment of all. A fair trial, an opening of the books, reading all that there is to be read, deliberating, deciding guilt, and sending the guilty to their punishment can all hapoen in the twinkling of an eye.

Question to you @Beetow: Do you believe God spoke things into existence, or that God created the heaven the earth and all that is in it in six literal days, or that God created man from the dust of the ground and then Eve from the side of Adam's flesh? If you believe these things, why or how can you doubt God is able to judge all those people that rejected him in the twinkling of an eye?

 

[Beetow]

can all hapoen in the twinkling of an eye.

The duration of a twinkle is roughly 1/10th second, i.e. ten twinkles per
second. Some twinkles are faster, but for now I'll work with the tenth.

At that rate, God would complete judging the 13,791,528 souls per post No.566 in
about 1,379,153 seconds, which is roughly equal to 22,986 minutes, or
383 hours, i.e. 16 calendar days.

Of course that's only for starters because the update in post No.566 doesn't take
into account the number of lost souls prior to Oct 08, 2020 and going all the way
back to Adam.
_

 

[Sue D.]

I was born in 1946, while Dad was a Bible student . I dont remember 1948 i do remember some scary things from around 1955. The end of the world is scary to a 9-10 year old .. See, when rapture did not happen in 1948 the out loud thinking i heard was down the lines of 7 is the number of completion so He will return in soon. The next year was to be 1988 or before because He will cut the time short... 40 years for a generation... in the meantime the talk in my dispensational Christian home was about how to wait on the Lord... things like stay out of politics they Lord will rapture us soon.. I remember talk about my younger brothers not needing higher education because the Lord will rapture us soon . Us girls would marry should the Lord tarry .. He is coming soon. . Khrushchev 's line of "we will bury you" Don't worry, forget about politics, He will rapture us soon. I am sure my family was not alone in this thinking they were a part of the Assemblies of God following the dispensational teaching of the day. Kinda the same thing at the Bay of Pigs time.. The war of 1967 . . .
My point ?
We have His word we don't need newspaper headlines which now days are o so often mistruths . Knowing how some things work in forums please note i have not said there is no rapture. Matt 24 is as relevant today as His words were 2000 years ago .

The year 1948 is when Israel became a nation. It was thought that That was not possible. But it Did happen. Maybe there were those who thought that when Israel became a nation that That was the 'end'. I was born in 1949 , so I don't remember much until I was 5 or so.

Dispensationalism is simply that the Bible is happening in various periods of time. A dispensation of a period of time. Dispensation of grace is where we are now.

I would suggest that you 'Google' dispensation / alism for yourself. I just did to remind myself of some of the specifics. And it does not have anything to do with the rapture of the Church. It Does have to do, somewhat, with the Church being separate From Israel.

It's not especially the dispensational teachings of the day. The teachings you grew up with through the Assemblies of God teachings sounds like escaptism -- to a certain extent. As in , there's no need to plan for the 'future' in Any realm because 'we' won't be here. We Are to be reading God's Word -- sharing the Gospel unto salvation with all who will listen. As we read and learn, we Are to share with others -- we are to learn from each other.

But, yes, we Do need to be aware of what Is happening in this world. We Do live here. At least for the time being.

No matter what the period of time Is -- we're still living in This world.

And, no, No one is to be setting dates for Christ's return to get us up and out of here. Only God knows when that will take place.

 

[JerryfromMass]

The duration of a twinkle is roughly 1/10th second, i.e. ten twinkles per
second. Some twinkles are faster, but for now I'll work with the tenth.

At that rate, God would complete judging the 13,791,528 souls per post No.566 in
about 1,379,153 seconds, which is roughly equal to 22,986 minutes, or
383 hours, i.e. 16 calendar days.

Of course that's only for starters because the update in post No.566 doesn't take
into account the number of lost souls prior to Oct 08, 2020 and going all the way
back to Adam.
_

Wrong. You're getting blink of an eye mixed up with twinkling. A blink can be measured with a stopwatch. A twinkling is an instantaneous event.

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[Sue D.]

The duration of a twinkle is roughly 1/10th second, i.e. ten twinkles per
second. Some twinkles are faster, but for now I'll work with the tenth.

At that rate, God would complete judging the 13,791,528 souls per post No.566 in
about 1,379,153 seconds, which is roughly equal to 22,986 minutes, or
383 hours, i.e. 16 calendar days.

Of course that's only for starters because the update in post No.566 doesn't take
into account the number of lost souls prior to Oct 08, 2020 and going all the way
back to Adam.
_

We Are told in 1 Corinthians 15:52 about the twinkling of an eye -- starting in vs 51 "Behold, I tell you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.etc, etc.

In other wards -- no one is going to have a quick chance to accept Christ when the rapture Does take place. It will happen quickly -- Very quickly.

And the other thing that Will happen is that Everyone Will be giving an account of their lives. Every knee will bow and acknowledge God. Born again believers Will face Jesus Christ -- All our thoughts, heart's desires will be known and faced. All our missed opportunities will be acknowledged. There will be tears of sadness for those Not having accept Jesus Christ. How Long that takes doesn't matter. The fact Is, there are no thoughts or intents that are not already known to God.

The same thing will be happening with non-believers. But I suspect that Most of their 'pain' will be remembering all the times that people had shared Gospel unto salvation with them and they refused to listen or laughed at them. And NOW, there is no 2nd chance. And a lot of their pain will be experiencing total darkness. Life apart from God. The lake of fire / brimstone. Like living in a bbq grill -- the hot coals and darkness and No way to get out.

What do you spend more time with -- this particular Forum thread Or sharing the Gospel unto salvation with whom ever will listen in an attempt to have one or more souls saved From this.

 

[Reba1]

What are the land boundaries given to Abram? What are the boundaries of todays Israel. Is this the same land ? I never believed Israel needed land to be a nation. They were a nation when they were in bondage to Babylon, just as they were a nation 2000 years ago, and on to today.
Where in Scripture do we read of God only partially fulfilling a promise . I read God's fulfillment of the promise here :

Jos 21:43 And the LORD gave unto Israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers; and they possessed it, and dwelt therein.
Jos 21:44 And the LORD gave them rest round about, according to all that he sware unto their fathers: and there stood not a man of all their enemies before them; the LORD delivered all their enemies into their hand.
Jos 21:45 There failed not ought of any good thing which the LORD had spoken unto the house of Israel; all came to pass.

 

[Sue D.]

@Reba1 -- there is the promised land that God gave to Abram -- your passage. The Children of Israel. God's chosen people. Jesus Came from the tribe of Judah. Jews.

They became a Recognized nation in 1948. No one ever thought That would happen.

Actually the event begins back in Genesis 12 -- to the land of Canaan. And then Abram moved them to Bethel. But the promise is repeated in chapter 17 Abram's name is changed to Abraham and Sarai becomes Sarah.
Abraham would become the father of many nations.