Watch: Are We In The End Times and How Can We Tell?

Religion
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Thank you my friend. As I approach this subject, my POV leans toward;

25 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, who took their [a]lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five were wise. 3 For the foolish, when they took their [b]lamps, took no oil with them: 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their [c]lamps. 5 Now while the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6 But at midnight there is a cry, Behold, the bridegroom! Come ye forth to meet him. 7 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their [d]lamps. 8 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our [e]lamps are going out. 9 But the wise answered, saying, Peradventure there will not be enough for us and you: go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10 And while they went away to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage feast: and the door was shut. 11 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. 13 Watch therefore, for ye know not the day nor the hour.

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Men added the chapters numbers and the verses numbers.

Jesus was speaking privately to his disciples. Matt 24:3 “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying,. . . . . .”

This was not a warning to God’s children today.

All of Matthew chapter 25 should be with chapter 24. It is a continuation of chapter 24. - the Olivet discourse and should be read like this …

24:50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, 51 and will punish him, and put him with the hypocrites; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. 25:1 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.”

The subject was the coming of their Messiah to destroy the rebellious Judeans: The destruction of Jerusalem and the end of the ritualistic Mosiac system. Jesus instructed the Apostles to “watch” and “remain awake.”

Jesus’ Apostles have been dead almost 2000 years. They knew it would be while some of them were still alive, biologically. (Matt 24)

Jesus was telling his Apostles about his coming and what the kingdom of heaven would be like. He used the illustration using “ten virgins.” The same number that were ready, was the same number that were locked out of the kingdom of heaven.

The word virgin does not always describe a female. as in this passage: “These are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins.” Revelation 14

The word used here is not so much to the sex, but the pureness or faithfulness of the person. They each had their own personal lamp. They went forth to meet the bridegroom. A bridegroom denotes a marriage. The ones that were ready went in with him to the “marriage feast.”

The ones without light were in total darkness.

The bridegroom tarried for about 40 years. They were instructed that it would be in their generation Matt 24-34 while some were still living." Mark 9:1 And it was.

There is no record at all in the Bible of another coming. No second coming. The Bible never used the phrase “second coming.”

He made a promise in Matt 24 and said that the time was in that current generation (the 1st century) with Him.

All scripture was written before that event in AD 70. Jesus fulfilled all prophecy concerning Him in that 1st century. He kept his promise.

What did he promise us?

John 11:25 "Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

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Has the “man of lawlessness” been revealed? If so, what’s next?

The United States has 70 prosecutors in office linked to left-wing billionaire George Soros after 12 left office last year.

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2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness[a] is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

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…now let’s watch whether Soros somehow finds his way to the Temple in Jerusalem?

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That man of lawlessness was most likely a Jew that was against Jesus.

Ananias was the high priest that commanded someone strike Paul on the mouth. He was a high priest in Jerusalem from 47 AD to 59 AD.

Paul said to Ananias: “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Law, and in violation of the Law order me to be struck?” Acts 23:3

We depend on the historians that recorded the history of what happened later because it happened after the deaths of the Apostles and writers of the NCS. Josephus was one historian that recorded eyewitness accounts of that time in history. He wrote that in the New Testament, he figures in two passages some facts about Ananias was the son of Nedebaeus and was nominated to the high-priestly office by Herod. In 52 AD, he was sent to Rome by Quadratus, to answer a charge of oppression brought by the Samaritans, but the emperor Claudius acquitted him.

On his return to Jerusalem, he resumed the office of high priest.
He was deposed shortly before Felix left the province, but continued to wield great influence, which he used in a lawless and violent way. He was a Sadducee, wealthy, haughty and unscrupulous. He filled his sacred office purely selfish and political ends, anti-nationalist in his relation to the Judeans (his own people), but friendly to the Romans. (Oh Lord, this sounds exactly like our president)

He died an ignominious death, being assassinated by the popular zealots at the beginning of the last Judean war – 1st Century. In the New Testament, he figures in two passages.

  1. Where Paul defends himself before the Sanhedrin. The overbearing conduct of Ananias in commanding Paul to be struck on the mouth was characteristic of the man. Pauls anger was for a moment aroused, and he hurled back the scornful epithet of “whited wall.” On being called to account for “reviling Yahweh’s high priest.” He recovered the control of his feelings, and said “I knew not, brethren, that he was high priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of a ruler of thy people.”

  2. In Acts 24:1, here is Ananias coming down to Caesarea in person, with a deputation from the Sanhedrin, to accuse Paul before Felix. Shortly thereafter, Ananias was struck dead exactly as Yahweh had predicted by Paul. Ananias was given credit with stopping the daily sacrifices.

IMO, Ananias could have been the lawless one taking the position of the High Priest in the temple. That seat was God’s seat of authority among the Jews in the temple.

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You are obviously more versed than I. Thank you for your contributions.

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Thank you. I’m just putting some possibilities out there.

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Is anyone noticing how Christianity is being framed now by the media claiming that, “Jesus was woke”? Love The Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself. Applying this in real life is not woke, it’s a remnant of being baptized by the Holy Spirit.

More and more articles are appearing across the board in the MSM working against Christianity. This is something that I thought I would see reinforcing the question that we maybe in the end time and is just one of many, many articles that are IMO attacking the Christian faith?

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“The World Would Be Better Off Without Religion.” 15 People Take Sides

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/the-world-would-be-better-off-without-religion-15-people-take-sides/ss-AA1hCJGb?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=74103a4e51554f7883f64162e8233896&ei=31#image=1

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What I notice is what the media is actually claiming is that Jesus is a follower of the “woke”. Perhaps the media and the “woke” should remember Jesus saying, "I am the way, the truth, and the life…"

All need to beware–or be aware–of a common ploy of manipulators: Claim the person who already has followers so that person’s followers can be absorbed into their Borg.

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To all of my Catholic friends…I am not trying to step on any toes here but I am seeing some turmoil with in the Catholic Church which would IMO be another indicator that we may be in the end times. The Pope has made some decisions regarding many current social issues.

The Pope minced no words, asserting that U.S Catholic conservatives have veered off course, prioritizing ideology over genuine faith.

Francis went even further, arguing that being a Catholic means allowing your views to change over time, referring to subjects such as abortion and gay rights.

The Pope’s comments brought to light the deep-seated divisions within the U.S. Catholic Church, calling them “backward.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/attacked-by-americans-pope-francis-insists-on-evolution-and-slams-backward-us-conservatives-for-letting-ideologies-replace-faith/ar-AA1ipZm1?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=a05757d6a6ad4191b0d51b5c8ef1f1e8&ei=9

I mention this because Peter was the first Pope and the Catholic Church has played a very important role in Christianity. Now…this house is being divided…which in this American conservative’s opinion…is another sign.

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You missed my toes! First, I disregard “End Times” mainly because that idea has been playing for thousands of years–even in the centuries before Christ. The world periodically goes through some horrific times, and our own time is not exempt.

As far as Pope Francis: He seems to bypass the idea of the Great Fall and how the result was a broken humanity. We are all a broken people, and many of us still toil to walk with God. Some don’t. It has been this way from the beginning, with Cain being an example of the fallen, while Adam’s third son, Seth, notes descendants such as Noah, Enoch, and Levi who walk with God.

No, I am not saying ALL of Cain’s descendants are fallen and ALL of Seth’s descendants walk with God. We are a broken humanity where many, many still strive to do good, despite this brokenness. I am merely noting how the Bible presents the difference of those who struggle to walk with God and those who are fine with what is broken.

If the Pope is suggesting homosexuals, trans, those who have/support abortions, etc. should be given a pass and assured they are perfect just as they are, he is doing everyone a disservice. The first disservice is division–that some groups should be given special treatment. Instead, a gentle reminder to all that we are all a broken people living in a broken world would be, in my opinion, more uniting. The pope can then talk about how we can all reach out to heal our brokenness–in all its forms–in positive ways. He can talk about the reality that all our lives we will need to work towards this healing, and offer encouragement and Good News to all.

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I realize how long the “end times” record has been playing and that’s why I simply add bits and pieces as they happen. I think of it kind of like breadcrumbs that seem to keep dropping that I am simply trying to follow.

Thank you for sharing your Catholic viewpoint and your Christian perspective. Over the many years we’ve conversed, you’ve always displayed a beautiful heart.

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There were times when there were two popes. Turmoil and division has marked the Catholic Church since the beginning of the Catholic Church. The Church has endured far worse division than what we’re seeing now. Mix fallen humans into any entity, and you’re going to see messes.

“… and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it…”

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Consider Israel has been attacked by Hamas of the Palestinians killing over a thousand and they’ve taken over 200 hostages. Israel is bombing Gaza very hard but precisely and thousands have been killed. It’s escalating to the point where Israel is about to send in ground forces and their stated goal is to completely wipe out Hamas.

This is something I’d expect to see in the end times. Are we there? Nope but there sure is a lot going on and all of you out there in the world…keep watch. Even if it’s not the end times, they sure will be considered strange times in our world’s history.

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More attacks on Christianity by the media…again…as expected if we were in the end times.

Walking Away from the Pews: 7 Reasons for People Leaving Church

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/opinion/walking-away-from-the-pews-7-reasons-for-people-leaving-church/ss-AA1gR1fM?ocid=msedgntp&cvid=45ed839fa4d44e2f9a9c3ba3c22a65c4&ei=19

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Presently, within the Catholic Church…the Pope has changed the church’s policy towards the LGBTQ community and offered marriages, blessings and recognition that previously the church stood against. Now there are religious leaders around the world that disagree and are being ousted like this Bishop in Texas. This is unprecedented and could very well continue to blow up within The Catholic Church. If it does, this is one of the things I thought I’d see during, the end times.

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Are the haters of Christians and Jews creating all of the wars and destruction to prove that the so-called “Christian God” does not exist?

If Jesus is supposed to bring “world peace” like the preachers claim, and He doesn’t show up no matter how many wars and much destruction men cause, would many Christians lose their faith?

Could this be what the enemies of the Cross have in mind?

Where in Scripture does Jesus say He will bring peace to the world?

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