A Conversation With Jesus

04 June, 2006

How exciting would it be to sit down with Jesus and have a talk about the things we don’t understand?
Wouldn’t He be able to answer the questions we all have?
Wouldn’t it clear up the confusion of so many things?
Wouldn’t it be cool to ask Him anything we wanted and get a straight answer right from our Lord?

The reason I am writing this, is because I am realizing that we'll believe some things in life simply because we’ve never known anything different. We’ve never given some things the attention they deserve and searched for the Truth, beyond what someone else might have told us. And then sometimes, we'll believe certain things just because it’s more “comfortable.” It makes life a little easier...so is that such a bad thing?

Well, maybe it is, and maybe it isn’t. I mean, we can believe that the neighbor across the street, though mean and grouchy and seemingly unreasonable still has some good qualities that might be deeply buried. We can believe the best about them by remembering that that person is a creation of our Mighty God, and if their heart is given over to God, miracles can take place within their personality at any age.

There is always that hope…

We might also believe that even though the gas prices seem to rise daily, there’s always the slim possibility that they will drop again. It was just a few months ago that they dipped below the $2.00 mark at some stations, although, not for long. It seemed too good to be true, and perhaps it was. But, we can still believe that it may happen again, for whatever reason.

It might make life a little easier.

We might also believe that even though the doctors have not given us a chance, that the “odds” are against us for recovery, that the percentages just don’t add up in our favor, we could still live. It’s happened before. I’m sure we all know someone either personally, or through a friend or relative, that has beaten the odds. Some would say God healed them, some would just say they were “lucky”…whatever the reason we give it, we can believe that the unbelievable does still happen today.

We’ve witnessed it, so why not?

So what about the things we believe simply because we want to? Simply because it makes our world a little easier to bear, or it’s the “reality” we want to live in. And what do we do with those ideas when our “boat” gets rocked, and we find out things we never knew before, and we are called to change our minds about the way things are…are we willing to change, or will we be stubborn and not budge an inch?

You know I’m trying to get to a point here, so I might as well just get there, and then we can move on…

Just in the last couple of weeks, I’ve changed my mind about something. What happened was this; I started thinking about the Rapture and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. And it didn’t add up…what I had always believed, or wanted to believe, suddenly didn’t make sense, and to tell you the truth, I didn’t even know why I was thinking about it. It’s not that I had been studying this particular subject, or had even been concerned about it. It just popped into my head one night, and I said to my husband, Jim, “Are the Rapture and the Second Coming two different events, or do they happen at the same time?” I suddenly needed to know more!

I had always thought that when Jesus appears in the clouds to gather the believers from this earth and take us home, we would then get our new heavenly bodies, be lifted into the air, and be on our way. But recently, there became a problem with that thought…if that’s true, then what’s this whole left behind thing? How does all that fit in? If people just suddenly disappear from this earth before the Second Coming of Jesus, as in the series of books that have been written, then when do the believers hear the trumpet blast that signals the gathering of Jesus' chosen ones? When does He appear in the clouds as He did when he left this earth, as talked about in the Bible?

It was not long after he said this that he was taken up into the sky
while they were watching, and he disappeared into a cloud. As
they were straining their eyes to see him, two white-robed men
suddenly stood there among them. They said, “Men of Galilee,
why are you standing here staring at the sky? Jesus has been taken
away from you into heaven. And someday, just as you saw him go,
he will return!”
Acts 1:9-11 (NLT)

I love that thought!
I love that Truth!
I love that Jesus will come back one day, one cloudy day, and all who believe in Him will be taken Home at last! Our troubles will be over! No more tears, no more pain, no more confusion…

But am I confused? Something just wasn’t adding up here lately in my thinking!
I wondered, “God is that You?”
“Are you putting these thoughts on my heart?”
“And why? Why now? And what for?”

The only two answers that came to me were, “If I am going to talk/write about the things of God, I better know what I believe and why I believe it, not just because ‘I like it that way.’” And secondly, “There may be someone who reads what I am writing, who needs this too.”

Well, that was an interesting thought. Are you that person? As you read this today, will it speak to your heart? I don’t know, I only know it’s been an interesting couple of weeks, and I’ve changed my mind about some things, and I’m more excited than ever about the things of God, the things to come, and when Jesus will come to take us Home!

I had always thought that as believers, we’d get out of here before the trouble really gets started. But now, I don’t want to “believe” that we escape it, if we don’t, just because it feels better that way. I want to believe the Truth and be prepared for whatever may be ahead. I don’t want to be the one who is not watching. I want to be like it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:4, “But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.” (NIV)

Jesus has warned us, we are to know the signs and recognize when His coming is imminent. It is the unbelievers who will be surprised, not the believers! As I read on one of my searches through what has written about this, it is true that we can’t know the day or the hour, but isn’t it interesting that it doesn’t say week or month…we will see the signs, we will know He’s coming, but we won’t be taken unawares. As one writer described it, “How can signs of the return act as signs of the return if they occur after the return?” Good point!

So, if you’re interested in this at all, I will take you down the path I have been traveling, and then you can do with it what you will. Because, in the end, all who believe in Jesus Christ will be saved. We will all end up in the same place, our glorious heavenly home, and it will be a day to celebrate! When and how we get there, we can debate until the cows come home, it won’t change what God has planned, and even if we can’t get an answer on the exact timetable, we can trust that we are safe in God’s plans when our heart belongs to Him.

Now, we’re not the first, nor will we be the last to wonder when the end will come and what the signs will be. Let’s imagine for a moment that we were there the day Jesus discussed all of this with His disciples as they left the Temple grounds, and later sat with Him on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. (This story is taken right out of Matthew 24, New Living Translation.) Just for fun, I’m going to put myself in the place of one of the disciples, and have “A Conversation with Jesus.”

Let’s begin…

Diane: Look at those buildings Jesus, aren’t they something?
Jesus: Do you see all these buildings? I assure you, Diane, that they will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another!

Later sitting on the hill together with Jesus…

Diane: Jesus, when will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to signal your return?
Jesus: Don’t let anyone mislead you. For many will come in my name, saying, “I am the Messiah.” They will lead many astray. And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic.
Diane: Don’t panic? Jesus! You’ve gotta be kidding! With wars and people deserting the Way, it will be a very scary time!
Jesus: Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world.
Diane: That sounds horrible Jesus! What a hard time for believers!
Jesus: But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. Then you will be arrested, persecuted, and killed. You will be hated all over the world because of your allegiance to me. And many will turn away from me and betray and hate each other.
Diane: Oh, Jesus, that doesn’t sound good…
Jesus: And many false prophets will appear and will lead many people astray.
Diane: Then I need to know you more and more each day, so I will not be fooled, especially when the times get tougher.
Jesus: Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold.
Diane: That seems like now Jesus, can it possibly get any worse? Will neighbor really turn against neighbor, and family member against family member? What should we do?
Jesus: (But) Those who endure to the end will be saved.
Diane: It will be important to be ready then, so that we can endure whatever may come. What can we do to help out during those times?
Jesus: Preach the Good News about the Kingdom throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then finally, the end will come.
Diane: Is that why you're letting us know what to expect?
Jesus: The time will come when you will see what Daniel the prophet spoke about: the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing in the Holy Place—pay attention!
Diane: I will Jesus, I will be watching for all the things you have been telling us!
Jesus: Those in Judea must flee to the hills. A person outside the house must not go inside to pack. A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. It will be very difficult for pregnant women and nursing mothers and their babies.
Diane: They will need our help. We have to do all we can to help those who are struggling to survive.
Jesus: And pray that your flight will not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For that will be a time of greater horror than anything the world has ever seen or will ever see again.
Diane: With all we have already endured, it is hard to believe it can get worse, but if you say so, we must be ready.
Jesus: In fact, unless that time of calamity is shortened, the entire human race will be destroyed.
Diane: So, what will happen?
Jesus: It will be shortened for the sake of God’s chosen ones.
Diane: So we can have hope when we believe you, no matter what, because we will be saved by You?
Jesus: Yes, but if anyone tells you, “Look here is the Messiah,” or “There he is,” don’t pay any attention. For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive if possible, even God’s chosen ones.
Diane: We have to be prepared for this, and not get caught unaware!
Jesus: See, I have warned you. So, if someone tells you, “Look, the Messiah is out in the desert,” don’t bother to go and look. Or, “Look, he is hiding here,” don’t believe it!
Diane: So what are we supposed to believe and look for?
Jesus: As the lightning lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.
Diane: Jesus, is there anything else that we should be aware of?
Jesus: Just as the gathering of vultures shows there is a carcass nearby, so these signs indicate that the end is near.
Diane: So, when do we get to see you again?
Jesus: Immediately after those horrible days end, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Diane: Wow, that won’t be hard to miss, will it?
Jesus: And then at last, the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the nations of the earth.
Diane: Why deep mourning instead of gladness? Oh wait, many will not have believed in you…how sad it will be for them then. It will be so obvious to all then, that you are True, but it will be too late for those who have rejected you.
Jesus: And they will see the Son of Man arrive on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Diane: How awesome!! There’ll be no questions then, will there?
Jesus: And I will send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they will gather together my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
Diane: Halleluiah!! What a day that will be!!

This is the end of this “Conversation With Jesus,” but I have to tell you, I don’t understand most of Revelation--I don’t understand all about the churches and the signs and the events that are described there, and I’m sure it is all important and means a great deal to those who study and understand all that God had John report about with all that he saw, but it’s a bit much for me. On the other hand, this conversation between Jesus and His disciples that is written about in Matthew 24, and again in Luke 21, I get. Jesus seems to keep it simple and clear, and He is telling us we'll see Him when He returns!

And because of this and other Scripture I found, I started to understand what I never understood before, that my thought about a Pre-Tribulation Rapture was not based on anything I personally knew or understood, but simply what others had said, and a “wish” that we would escape the difficulties to come and get on out of here before our faith is tried and tested through these times. I had gone through all of my adult years with the belief that a Pre-Tribulation Rapture was the best way to go, because that would be the most “comfortable” way, but I hadn't investigated it on my own. Our desire should always be to understand, as best we can, what God's Word says--as in Scripture like1 Corinthians 15:51-52, where it talks about being transformed in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet. God wants us to read His Word, and to test all things in light of Scripture, bringing it to Him in prayer.

The time of Tribulation will have great difficulties, but if we are here, I would have to believe there would also be great joy and excitement for believers, mostly because we know the end of our earthly trials is near! Through it all, we are told to watch for Jesus’ return. When we do see it getting closer, we should be overjoyed at the prospect that we’re almost done!!

Some believe that we are truly already in the season of the end times. There are signs that indicate that. There is the fact that, “In the war of 1967, the Jews actually defeated the Arabs and God had given them back the Temple Mount which He promised He would.” (This was shared with me through a friend who understands these things better than I. Thank you Ray!) He went on to say, “The scriptures tell us that that generation (The generation after the time of the Gentiles is over) will see God's salvation upon the earth, which is signifying the Messianic Age upon the earth which is Jesus' return. A generation is normally, scripturally, thought of as 40 -60 years. If you take that thought and add 40 - 60 years unto the year that God gave the Temple Mount back to His people - 1967, we see that we are in the season of the end times.”

Now learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its buds become tender
and its leaves begin to sprout, you know without being told that summer
is near. Just so, when you see the events I’ve described beginning to
happen, you can know his return is very near, right at the door.
Matthew 24:32-33 (NLT)

Now, I was joked with today that since, “God TOLD me that it wasn’t Pre-Trib, but rather Post-Trib…etc..etc…” And I’m here to tell you, God didn’t tell me anything of the sort! I believe what God did “tell” me was that I should know what I believe, and why, and teach the Truth from a firm foundation of what I know from a personal knowledge of Scripture and through prayer, and not go on simply what I have heard, what I wish, or even what's in someone else's published work. With all that we are being taught through others, we still need to be in the Word ourselves, and see for ourself what the Word says. God will honor our honest attempts to seek Him and know His Word of Truth, even if we are still misguided and incorrect from time to time. He simply wants His children to come to Him and know Him, as the disciples did with Jesus that day, and not form our opinions solely from those around us about what His Word says.

There are many up in arms about the movie, “The Da Vinci Code,” and I have written about it myself--and I have to wonder if God put this whole Pre-Trib/Post-Trib discussion on my heart now because maybe, as believers, we should also be more aware of the “Left Behind” series and movies that are out. We should know what we believe, and why, just as in speaking out about “The Da Vinci Code.” I saw the DVD’s about the “Left Behind” books that are available, and found them intriguing. I never expected to change my thoughts about what I saw in those movies, until about two weeks ago…and then I started to question it, and I thought, “Oh my, what’s going on God? You don’t really want me to go there…to even begin to go against such a popular idea such as Pre-Tribulation Rapture? You’ve gotta be kidding…why me?”

But, here I am, and you can take from it what you'd like, but mostly, I hope you will investigate it for yourself and believe what God teaches you through that investigation and not what I write here, or what Tim LaHaye writes in His books, or even what Morgan Edwards wrote in the 1700’s. Did you know that from what I have found out, and correct me if I’m wrong, Mr. Edwards was one of the first to separate the Rapture from the Second Coming? I couldn’t believe it! The 1700’s! And do you know what this particular site, www.lasttrumpet.com, also says? It says that in the last few decades, the trend is moving away from Pre-Trib belief due to individual Christians studying the Bible.

There again, man put together this site about Morgan Edwards, and as I looked through sites such as revelationstation.com where you’ll find The End Times Project, there’s all sorts of information concerning their ideas about the Rapture and Second Coming of Jesus. You can find everything to argue every side of whatever it is you want to believe, and if you go to Tim Lahaye’s site, www.timlahaye.com he’ll argue his side, as well as his colleague Thomas Ice. Then there’s Dave MacPherson’s site, which if you just type in his name, will take you to an article by Tim LaHaye’s friend Thomas Ice who is totally discrediting what Dave MacPherson has to say--but if you go to www.tribwatch.com you will find a site where Dave MacPherson seems to touch on everything you ever wanted to know about the Tribulation, the world we live in today, and more. On the site www.lamblion.com, and looking through “The Origin of the Concept of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture,” there, Dave MacPherson will be discredited and other ideas given as to what is true…!!!

What and who are we to believe?

God! That’s it! God and His Word, and our times with Him will be what are most important through all of this!

In all the studying that I have done, I have not even scratched the surface on all the information that is available on the Internet today--just on this one subject! It reminded me of going to the library and pulling book after book off the shelves, spreading them all over the table and pouring through them for hours on end. It would take a lifetime to search through them all--now we have most of that information at our fingertips, in our own homes, and it goes on and on until we end up blurry-eyed from all the ideas just on Biblical Truth alone.

Most of these people, these teachers, I would venture to say, mean well, they really do. They do lots of research, and then share it with the world, just as I am doing here, just as our Pastors do on Sunday morning. So what are we to do when we simply want to know what and who to believe with all the differing opinions?

Once again, go to God and His Word for our answers, and hold whatever we hear from others up to the light of Scripture. There are amazing teachers in the world today, teachers with the gift to help us understand God’s Word, but even with those teachers, we must hold their teaching up to Scripture and see if their teaching is the truth.

…the people of Berea were more open minded than those in Thessalonica,
and they listened eagerly to Paul’s message. They searched the Scriptures
day after day to check up on Paul and Silas, to see if they were really
teaching the truth. Acts 17:11 (NLT)

There is a site that can help us sort through it all, it’s www.biblegateway.com. This is a great way to find what we are looking for on any subject, and with many different translations of the Bible, making it easy to compare them. It’s easy to use once you get there. You might try going to Keyword Search, then type in something as simple as “Jesus coming.” Pick any translation, or many, and hit “Search for keyword or phrase” at the bottom. In the New International Version alone, you will get to read 28 different times in the Bible where the words “Jesus, coming” are used. It’s a great tool for searching around God’s Word when we don’t know where to turn!

If we will spend time in God’s Book, the Holy Bible, we can accomplish the most important goals out there…getting to know our Lord, learning His Word, discovering His promises, and preparing our hearts for the arrival of Jesus Christ one day--and until that day comes, we can learn to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength, and with all our mind. Secondly, we can learn to love our neighbor, as we should. (Luke 10:27)

Then, whenever Jesus comes to get us, we’ll be ready to meet Him face to face, to join Him in His Holy Place, and to leave the world as we know it behind, once and for all.

Enjoy the journey, and read the Map along the way!

Diane