End Times, So What? (part 3) – The Man behind the plan

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So now to contradict myself! The 5 key questions are actually not the key questions of Jesus’ second coming. Well they are but they aren’t. The key question of the End Times is this: who is Jesus and what is He like? So often we get bogged down in trying to figure out the events and the time line of the End Times and this is important but only as a secondary pursuit. The End Time events reveal what Jesus is like: His identity as Bridegroom, King and Judge. Revelation 1:1 describes the book like this, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ…”. The book of Revelation is not the Revelation of the End Time events. It’s the Revelation of the true identity of Jesus. It’s the Revelation of the man behind the End Time plan. This is the key question.

This was also the key question of Jesus’ first coming. At His first coming the people expected Him to come as a conquering king to restore the kingdom of Israel. Yet He came as the Lamb who was slain for the sins of the world. Many were offended because He did not come as they expected or wanted. In fact, in a scripture saturated, religion obsessed nation – entrusted with God’s written word, the prophets and the covenants – there were only a handful of people who actually recognized His coming.

Yet for some reason we believe that at His second coming things will be different. It is, sadly, not so. Matthew 24:9 and 10 prophesy it, “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.”

At Jesus’ second coming offense at who He is and His ways will once again knock on the hearts of all who would name Him as Lord.

We, as Christians are now well familiar with the Lamb who was slain. Yet, at His second coming, Jesus is coming as a conquering Lion, passionate Bridegroom and reigning King. He comes to judge and bring justice, to rule with a rod of iron (Psalm 2). His judgements and His justice are to remove everything that gets in the way of love for Him and His ways.

Isaiah 26:9 speaks of this, “…when Your judgements are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.”

So the question of Jesus’ identity and what He is like is the key question of the End Times. This is where we need to put our focus – to know Him as He truly is, as described from Genesis to Revelation and revealed by Holy Spirit. This is also what makes the study of the End Times fascinating and engaging. And finally, it is the reason I’m writing these posts. This is the reason this blog exists. It’s an Isaiah 40 cry in the wilderness of our ‘business-as-usual-world’ to prepare the way of the Lord by doing what Jesus commanded: watch and pray (Luke 21:36). Watch to know the signs, pray to draw near to God so that we might truly know Him.

Luke 21:34-36 – “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighted down with coursing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the earth. Watch therefore, and pray always…”

J. Ratcliffe

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