Some Disciples Would Be Alive Till Jesus Comes
Why did Jesus say this? The last Disciple, John, died about 1900 years ago! The subject of Why Jesus Hasn't Come Yet cannot be covered properly in a Website, it deserves a whole book. The question is the main theme of EVERY Website this author has written.
The question is particularly applicable to Adventists. About 100 years ago, Ellen White said Jesus would have come "err this" if Adventist had done what they had set out to do! In a sentence, Jesus is waiting for His people to reflect His character; waiting for them to take His words seriously and use the power He offers.
Instead of seeing how much we can cling to the world and still be a Christian, we should ask the Lord for strength to do His will. We should ask, "Lord. What wilt thou have me to do?" Satan would have us believe that laid-back Christians need not change. “Grace means God loves you just like you are and you don’t need to change.”
Wars are won two ways; strengthen your army or weaken your enemy’s army. If a general renders his enemy’s troops too lazy to fight, he’d win without firing a shot. General Lucifer has almost done this very thing by spreading the lie that we can disregard God's 10 Commandments because of "Grace."
God can never release the four angels holding the four "winds of strife" until we are ready for the storm (see Rev.7:1).
Some scholars say Jesus was referring to the "Mount of Transfiguration" when He said, "There are some standing here, who shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom” (Matt.16:28). This may have been a partial fulfillment, but, did Jesus, “come in His Kingdom” and did He “reward every man”?
Let’s look at a similar statement Jesus made only days before His death. Speaking of signs of His Second Coming, He said: “Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled” (Matt. 24:34).
Another: “I tell you of a truth, There are some standing here, who shall not taste death, till they shall see the Kingdom of God” (Lk.9:27).
Another: “Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, who shall not taste death, till they have seen the Kingdom of God come with power” (Mk.8:38-9:1).
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus as saying He'd be back in their lifetime. In a moment we will see where John also repeated many prophecies declaring the same. Did Jesus miss-speak or give a false hope? Absolutely NO! God always has a perfect plan, but we humans get distracted and fail to do our part, thus He mercifully extends our time. He's "not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance” (2Pet.3:9).
When Israel left Egypt, God never intended they spend 40 plus years wandering in the wilderness. Had they followed His plan, they could've entered Canaan within months. They all could have seen the Promised Land, but because of their lack of faith, all but Caleb and Joshua died in the wilderness.
When Jesus went back to Heaven, He told His followers to prepare for their Heavenly Promised Land and that His Return could happen in their lifetimes. But, when a prophecy involves human responsibility, it is conditional. When humans fail, God always has a back-up plan. Apparently we've been stuck in this back-up plan for almost 2000 years and we'll remain here till we correct OUR problem. We must reflect Jesus' character.
Did Jesus Make a False Prophecy?
Some think Jesus knew all the secrets of the universe while here on earth. Serious Bible students know better. Jesus laid aside this ability and took on humanity. While on earth He did not know the time of His Second Coming. Notice what He said:
“But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no not the angels who are in Heaven, NEITHER the SON, but the Father”
(Mk. 13:32).
Didn't Jesus Know When He'd Come Back
Early in His ministry Jesus said “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand" (Matt.4:17). Later He sent Disciples saying “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt.10:7). He said, “Verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come" (Vs. 23). John the Baptist said “Repent; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt.3:2). Evedently something was supposed to happen during Jesus' ministry that didn't happen. We know the Jews rejected Him, but was there supposed to be something Grand and Glorious that didn't happen because they rejected Jesus? A careful study into what SHOULD have happened renders some serious speculation, but now we must focus on what DID happen.
God Didn't Fail. WE Failed!!!
Did all New Testament writers believe and Prophesy that Jesus would be back in their lifetimes? They did absolutely! Note the following:
Paul— “Then WE who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Thess.4:17).
James— “Be ye also patient, stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (Js.5:8).
John— “Little children, it is the last time; and as ye have heard that Antichrist shall come, even now there are many antichrists, by which we know that it is the last time” (1Jn.2:18).
John- "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave to Him, to show unto His servants things which MUST SHORTLY COME TO PASS" (Rev.1:1).
None of us believe these prophets were wrong. They spoke the truth as the Holy Spirit dilivered it to them! So what went wrong?
We Went Wrong! - BIG TIME! We weren't living then, but Church History shows how Christianity took a wrong turn; a VERY Wrong Turn!! Jesus said, “This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt.24:14).
When Jesus spoke these words, Satan became desperate. In an attempt to stop the Church from growing, he inspired the Jewish leaders to kill Stephen. This only made the Gospel spread into the “uttermost parts of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Satan was defeated in this attempt, but, as always, he had back-up plans. Satan obviously took up the position, "If Ya Can't Beat em, Join em!"
Satan's Tares Implanted Into The Church
Satan lost no time. Just as Jesus prophesied, he immediately began sowing his tares within the Church, and that plan served his purpose in a very big way (Matt. 13:24-30; 37-43)!
The Gnostics
The Bible doesn’t say a lot about these Gnostic tares. Church history implies that Simon Magnus the Samaritan magician and Nicolas the deacon from Antioch were among the first to apostatize and begin teaching a false gospel. Satan is seldom caught off guard, and even when he is, he immediately springs into action!
In a link called The Gnostcs you'll find the history of these evil implants from Satan. We reference them throughout our Websites because of their horrid impact on the early Church—an impact leaving an ugly mark on the Church to this day; a mark that will someday be the Mark of the Beast. Also a mark that may be the reason Jesus waits to come back.
Although the New Testament prophets do not use the name "Gnostics" in their Letters and Gospels, they all made reference to the doctrines of devils invented by these heretics. Gnostics were Satan’s second line of attack and they dealt a near deathblow to Christianity—a deathblow that is likely the reason we are still here—the reason Jesus waits. Every doctrine implanted into the Church by these Gnostics was designed to prevent the Second Coming of Jesus.
Jesus said He could not come again until "all nations witnessed" the power of the Gospel of the Kingdom (Matt.24:14). He said, “Go ye therefore and teach all nations…Teaching them to OBSERVE all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt.28:19-20). Obviously Satan took this challenge. If only he could reverse this. How about "Grace frees us to disregard the things Jesus Commanded us to Observe?" That has worked perfectly for him, because Christians began to IGNORE “all things He commanded” them. To this day Christians scatter pamphlets in rest rooms and parking lots, declaring, “Grace frees us from God’s Law”. “Obeying the Law is legalism”. Wouldn't those early Gnostics be proud if they could see what a great job we are doing following their lead!
Let's quickly look at Gnostics doctrines firmly implanted into Modern Christianity. Again, this may be why Jesus Waits. Let's take a look at Gnostic Doctrine:
Old Testament God and New Testament God not the Same??? The Gnostics said the God of the Old Testament was evil; said He gave us an evil, unkeepable Law. The Gnostics said Christ came to free us from that evil Law.
Modern Preachers openly agree with the Gnostics on this last point. They say God actually did give the Jews an unkeepable Law. They don't actually come right out and saythe Law is evil, but they do say loud and clear that it is impossible to obey, even if we ask God for strength. They say the Law was only given to show us how hopelessly evil and weak we are. They say that in our sinful nature, we can never obey God’s Law; we can never overcome! This is not exactly the same as the Gnostics, but it is close enough that it makes Satan very happy.
But Jesus completely disagrees with our modern popular Preachers! He said, "To him that OVERCOMETH will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I OVERCAME and am set down with My Father on His throne" (Rev.3:21).
So why does Jesus Wait? A big reason could be that hundreds of thousands of preachers all over the world are constantly telling their congregations every week that they need not overcome! They are saying, "Grace took care of it for you!" And now, even Seventh day Adventist Ministers have picked up this banner of Satan!! Jesus Waits because His Church is being duped by the enemy. Could it be that Jesus Waits, because He's "Not willing that any should perish."
Witness Unto All Nations
“This Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come” (Matt.24:14)!
This text is telling us exactly Why Jesus Waits! Because of Satan's implants, the only thing “all nations have witnessed” is either a bunch of laid-back, pretend Christians making excuses for their disobedience, or a Church during the Dark Ages that attempted to force everyone to become "Christian" or be killed! The vast majority of Christianity has completely ignored everything Jesus said!! Almost the entire Christian world reversed everything Jesus said concerning the “least Commandment” (Matt5:17-19)! No doubt the powers of darkness slap each other on the backs, laughing and congratulating themselves upon their success. James wrote that if we “keep the whole Law, yet offend in one point [that Least Commandment], we are guilty of breaking the whole Law” (See Js.2:10).
In spite of this, Christians openly and blatantly declare that one of God’s Commandments is null and void. Jesus said, “Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven," yet Christians reverse each and every one of these words from Jesus. Some day Jesus may say, Here I come, ready or not. Someday, a portion of God's people will truly desire for the Character of Jesus to be reflected in them and He will come to take them Home.
Gnostics Say - Bad Body - Good Soul
Gnostics said the Body and Soul are separate. They said bodies are evil because an evil God made them, but Souls are good because a higher, good God implanted good souls within us. Thus, said the Gnostics, we needn't be concerned with evil deeds. We can't help it. We're made that way. Sadly, we've picked up the banner and proudly carried it for almost 2000 years!
How do our Preachers repeat this doctrine of demons today? They say our soul is trapped in this hopelessly evil body, thus, if we're saved, the real us, our soul, is good, but we cannot behave properly because of our evil body. They say we cannot, even with God’s help, overcome sin. They say that when Jesus comes, or when we die, then, and only then, will we be able to obey God. They laugh as they tell us we'll keep sinning till the very moment we look up and see Jesus coming in the clouds.
As long as we believe that, even with God's help, we'll never be overcomers, we will never be a good "witness to the nations," Satan has the vast majority of Christians right where he wants them; laid-back, couch potato Christians.
Gnostics said - Christ Was Not Human
They said Christ was not born of Mary, nor was He born at all. They said the reproduction system came from an evil God, thus Christ did not come to earth that way.
Our Preachers say Jesus was Human, but didn’t have our Nature. They say He used some of His Divine power to resist sin, and since we have no such power, we can never overcome the way Jesus overcame because our nature is just too evil.
Did Jesus really overcome using power that He withholds from us? But Jesus said, “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My throne, even as I overcame and am set down with My Father in His throne” (Rev.3:21). He said, “He that overcometh shall inherit all things, and I will be his God, and he shall be My son” (Rev.21:7). Did He ask us to do the impossible? If our Preachers are right, Jesus would be mocking and taunting us!
Some things are difficult to understand. This one's TOO easy! Could it be that Jesus Waits because we're letting our Preachers dupe us.
Someday we'll tell our preachers we don't believe them or their Gnostic forerunners. Someday we'll claim the Bible promises and stop accused Jesus of giving us an impossible task.
The Sabbath and Why Jesus Waits?
Gnosts said the evil Creator God was the God of the Seventh Heaven, thus the Seventh day Sabbath was His Memorial Day. They said the higher, Unknown God, the good God, was God of the Eighth Heaven, thus when Christ came, He abolished the Sabbath and instituted the eighth day in honor of His Father. They said the day following the Sabbath, Sunday, is the day Christ established after He abolished the evil Sabbath.
Gnosts said the evil Creator God was the God of the Seventh Heaven, thus the Seventh day Sabbath was His Memorial Day. They said the higher, Unknown God, the good God, was God of the Eighth Heaven, thus when Christ came, He abolished the Sabbath and instituted the eighth day in honor of His Father. They said the day following the Sabbath, Sunday, is the day Christ established after He abolished the evil Sabbath.
Our Preachers say the Disciples dropped the Sabbath and replaced it with Sunday because Jesus arose from the dead on that day. (Most serious Bible Studying, Sunday observing Preachers acknowledge that the Bible records no such thing). They say also that we're not under the Law, but under Grace, thus we can exercise our liberties and change the Law, choosing a day that better suits us. They say Paul warned us NOT to observe the Sabbath.
The following is from the Scofield Bible footnotes:
- “The early church was specifically warned against submitting themselves to the bondage of any legalistic observance of Sabbath days (Col.2:16;Gal.4:9-11). On the other hand, in the exercise of their Christian liberty, these same churches voluntarily chose the first day of the week as an appropriate time for fellowship and worship, the day in which the Lord arose and repeatedly appeared to His disciples. It was a new day for a new people belonging to a new creation, a day of commemoration and joy, service, and spiritual rest” (Scofield notes under Acts 20:7; emphasis ours).
Jesus said "Whosoever shall break one of these Least Commandments, AND TEACH MEN SO, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven" (See Matt.5:17-19). These words from Jesus make the Scofield footnote blasphemy. How does this affect Jesus’ Second Coming? Can we openly and completely defy the clear words of Jesus by chopping a Commandment from His Law and not know this is helping Satan’s cause? “For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all” (Js.2:10).
Does abolishing a Commandment cause Jesus to Wait? The last words He spoke to His Disciples before going back to Heaven were, “Go ye, therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to OBSERVE ALL THINGS WHATSOEVER I HACE COMMANDED YOU; and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Amen” (Matt.28:19-20). How can we "Observe all things" and yet abolish the only Commandment that requires we "Observe" it?
When a remnant of God’s people are obedient to His Word, God will move in a mighty way. When this remnant denounces all forms of Gnostic blasphemy and says, “We can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens us” (Phil.4:13), great things will happen and Jesus will no longer Wait.
“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 2:5). We hope that, with God’s help and blessing, this website can inspire Christians to take a stand. The powers of darkness shutter when they think of what will happen when this occurs—and it will occur.
Thank you Dear Reader for your time. See the list below for all of our sites.
Yours in Christ
Walter C. Martin Jr.
Antichrist - ANOMOS - Mark of the Beast
Antichrist Has a Church
Antichrist Has a Name
Antichrist Has a Sabbath
Antichrist Has a GIRL FRIEND
Antichrist Has Preachers
Daniel's 70 Week Prophecy
Mark of the Beast * Question & Answer
New Covenant Power
AWSOME Power of the New Covenant
Millennium
Christ's Heavenly Millennial Kingdom
Did Jesus Offer the Jews a Kingdom?
Ezekiel's Millennial Temple?
Gog and Magog
Marriage in Heaven - Marriage in the Millennium?
MILLENNIUM - FAQ
The Bride of Christ
Satan's Earthly Millennial Kingdom
The Animals in the 1000 Years
Pre-Tribulation Rapture
12 Bible Verses Challenging Dispensationalism
14 Causes for Pauses Concerning Pre-Tribulation
52 Un-Answered and Unanswerable Questions to Dispensationalism
One Taken - One Left Behind
Is There REALLY a Pre-Trib Rapture
Overcharged with Surfeiting?
Rapture * FAQ
Why Jesus Waits for His Second Coming
The Gnostics
Gnostic's Sabbath
The Sabbath and Colossians 2
The Great 7 Year Tribulation
Great TRIBULATION - Why - How Long
Who are the 144 Thousand - Maybe You are One?
Who's The Bride of Christ? - Maybe You Are Part?
Will Tribulation Prepare Church to be Christ's Bride?
Church is Israel - Israel is Church
Is the Church Israel
Could Israel have Entered the Millennial Kingdom 2000 Years Ago?
Who Are The 144 Thousand
HELL FIRE
Did Jesus Suffer ALL of Your HELL FIRE?
The Punishment of the Wicked
Torment Forever & Ever
FAQ * Death and Hell
The Rich Man and Lazarus
DEATH
The Truth About Death and Hell
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