Will the Lord Jesus take believers up into the kingdom of heaven when He comes again?

The Lord has promised to us, “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3). We know that the Lord has prepared a place for us in heaven. When He’s back directly to the kingdom of heaven, we’ll go. So if the Lord has returned, I truly wonder why we are still here and not in heaven.

Why We Beware of the Leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees

Liu Zhi

“… Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6).

Once-in-a-hundred-year Total Solar Eclipse Passes God’s Warning of the Last Days!

Once-in-a-hundred-year Total Solar Eclipse Passes God’s Warning of the Last Days!

On August 21, 2017, the news of huge interest, the once-in-a-generation total solar eclipse in the U.S., almost hit the headlines of every main news media on computers and TVs.

The eclipse began its sweep over Lincoln Beach, Oregon of Western United Statas, at 9:05 a.m. local time on August 21., At 10:16 a.m., the moon completely blocked out the sun, creating a total solar eclipse, a rare astronomical phenomenon. Anywhere inside the 70 -mile of the Path of Totality experienced 2 minutes and 40 seconds of darkness. The whole sun gradually could be seen after 11:36 a.m. local time. Next, the band passed through Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and other 10 states, and finally this spectacular total solar eclipse ended near South Carolina, at about 3 p.m. EST.

The once-in-a-hundred-year total solar eclipse drew many astronomers and stargazers flocked to the site to witness it. Everyone has his own mood and feeling toward this rare spectacle. Some people marveled at it, some felt excited, some older people felt lucky to see the wonder in their lifetime. However, as Christians, we thought of the almighty God’s prophecies and warnings first while viewing the rare total solar eclipse.

There are many prophecies about the signs of the last days in the Bible, some of which convey God’s warning to the people of the last days through the appearance of astronomical signs, such as, “And it shall come to pass in that day, said the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day” (Amos 8:9). “A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread on the mountains” (Joel 2:2). “The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD come” (Joel 2:31). “…her sun is gone down while it was yet day” (Jeremiah 15:9). “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring” (Luke 21:25).

That is to say, today, in the last days, when the sun was covered suddenly at a sunny day and the earth plunged into darkness, it was the fulfillment of the prophecies of God in the last days, which is to say, God has begun to judge this world and send down great disasters. Yes! The fulfillment of the prophecies of the last days has a direct relationship with the catastrophe predicted in Revelation and also is closely related to God’s warning.

There are some comments on the Internet, saying that this total solar eclipse corresponds to the news the prophet Jonah conveyed to the Ninevites that God would destroy them. People who are familiar with the Bible know that, before Jonah conveyed God’s will to the Ninevites, the people of Nineveh, from their king to the common man, were ensnared in sin and licentiousness, eating, drinking and having fun, worshiping false gods and evil spirits to such a point that it was unbearable for God to witness. So God raised up the prophet Jonah to warn the Ninevites that He would destroy the whole city after forty days. When they heard God’s warning, the Ninevites turned away from their evil ways, thus winning God’s mercy and tolerance through their sincere confession and repentance for their sins, which was a special event that God’s punishment toward man transformed into forgiveness through the historical record of the Bible. Almost during the same period, the city of Sodom which was evil and corrupt to the extreme as the Nineveh, were burned away thoroughly by the brimstone and fire God sent from heaven. This is because, the people of Sodom were not only corrupted by Satan and lived in sin, but remained impenitent, greedily enjoyed the pleasures of sin, even harmed the messengers of God. Ultimately, the only thing that awaited them was certainly God’s wrath and righteous punishment!

Looking back to the different end of Sodom and Nineveh, while reflecting on ourselves, we have to admit that the extent of corruption of the whole mankind in the last days has even gone beyond that of people of Sodom and Nineveh. With the technological development and material abundance, many people fall into sin of luxury and dissipation and cannot free from it. In order to scramble for profit, there always start wars among different countries and races for destroying and killing. In order to satisfy desires, there are always human strife, attack, plots and murder among even ordinary people. In order to crave indulgence of the flesh, people eat, drink and play everywhere with music and dancing night after night, living in an evil and licentious life. Hence, when the prophesies of the last days are fulfilled one by one, it is the time that God’s warning reaches this mankind. If we still don’t repent and are stubbornly going our own way like the men of Sodom, can we escape the great disasters which are near to us?

The terms that Jonah conveyed the news of God’s destroying the Nineveh were 40 days, that is to say, from the moment that Jonah conveyed God’s will to the Nineveh, there were only 40 days left for the Ninevites to repent before God. Today, when you watched the total solar eclipse with different moods, have you thought about how long God will leave for us people in the last days to repent?

It was expected that seven years later, in 2024, the total solar eclipse will occur again. Many people know that in the Bible, seven is regarded as completion and it usually represents God’s will is fulfilled and completed. The Bible says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (Matthew 24:29). Now is the last days with a lot of misfortunes and mishaps. Before the arrival of the catastrophic disaster prophesied in the Revelation, within seven years before the next occurrence of total solar eclipse, how will God treat these people who are not willing to turn away from their evil ways and return to God like the men of Sodom? In recent years, thinking about the people who died in earthquakes, tsunamis, plagues, floods, droughts, typhoons, wars and terrorist attacks which frequently take place, and thinking back the different end of the Ninevites and the men of Sodom, the answer has been self-evident to all.

Source from Rainbow Covenant

How Should We Welcome The Return Of The Lord Jesus?

Nowadays, all the believers in the Lord are expecting the Lord Jesus’ second coming to bring man into the kingdom of heaven. Especially when people reading the scripture Acts 1:11, “Which also said, You men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven.”, they think that the Lord left on a white cloud, so he will surely return on a white cloud. Thus most people just wait for the return of the Lord Jesus passively. But over more than two thousand years have passed, man still hasn’t seen the Savior coming with clouds. In recent years, whenever I see the disaster is greater and greater and the church becomes more and more desolate, I couldn’t help looking up to heaven and crying out to the Lord, “O Lord! Nowadays various signs of the last days have already been fulfilled, but why have we still not seen your return?” With the passage of time, I began to doubt: Is it truly after God’s heart that we wait for God’s coming so passively? Then how shall we welcome the return of the Lord?

Jesus Cleanses the Temple

Jesus Cleanses the Temple – John 2

13 And the Jews’ passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a whip of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said to them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father’s house an house of merchandise. 17 And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of your house has eaten me up. 18 Then answered the Jews and said to him, What sign show you to us, seeing that you do these things? 19 Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and will you raise it up in three days? 21 But he spoke of the temple of his body. 22 When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this to them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

The Wedding at Cana

The Wedding at Cana – John 2

1 And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there: 2 And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage. 3 And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus said to him, They have no wine. 4 Jesus said to her, Woman, what have I to do with you? my hour is not yet come. 5 His mother said to the servants, Whatever he said to you, do it. 6 And there were set there six water pots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And he said to them, Draw out now, and bear to the governor of the feast. And they bore it. 9 When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not from where it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the governor of the feast called the bridegroom, 10 And said to him, Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but you have kept the good wine until now. 11 This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Jesus Christ is God Himself. The Holy Father, the Holy Son, and the Holy Spirit, They are One. We can know from the bible verses, the Lord Jesus said, “he that has seen me has seen the Father….” (John 14:9) “I am in the Father, and the Father in me….” (John 14:10) “I and my Father are one” (John 10:30).

Jesus Calls His First Disciples

Jesus Calls His First Disciples – John 1

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking on Jesus as he walked, he said, Behold the Lamb of God! 37 And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. 38 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and said to them, What seek you? They said to him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwell you? 39 He said to them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelled, and stayed with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. 40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first finds his own brother Simon, and said to him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, You are Simon the son of Jona: you shall be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.