Saturday, Jul 18, 2009

7-17 This Generation Will Not Pass

Download this episode (22 min)   
“I’ve got a question?” Larry met us at the front door as we were leaving music practice. “What happened to the dinosaurs? Do dinosaurs prove evolution? Did God create them? If they were created along with all the other animals why are they extinct today?” Good questions. There are a few instances where dinosaurs are described in detail in the Bible. God did create the dinosaurs; he says so in Gen 1:21. The word for “whale” or “sea monster” could be translated “dragon” or “dinosaur.” The world before the flood was lush and beautiful… after the flood it was barren and inhospitable. The environment changed and dinosaurs did not adjust well. But every culture has its “dragon lore.” Behind the lore was a real dinosaur. There are occasional dinosaur sightings in South America. There is abundant evidence that Dinosaurs and humans lived together. We talked about dating methods, the age of the earth and a lot more! The evidence fits creation much better than it fits evolution.

Today's Scripture reading is 1 Kings 3; Zechariah 3; Luke 11:29-54
To Listen to Today’s Reading http://timewithgod.mypodcast.com - Archives can be found at http://timewithgod.podbean.com

Today’s thought comes from Matthew 24:30 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. 32 "Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 "So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! 34 "Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.

“This generation will by no means pass away until all these things take place.” Oops! I think we found a mistake in the Bible! That generation passed away 2000 years ago and Jesus has not returned! Some people think “this generation” of Matt 24 means that everything in this passage happened within 40 years of Christ’s death. Get real. You’ve got to do some powerful mind bending literary gymnastics to make that work. All these things have not yet taken place. So what does “this generation” refer to? Some people believe that the key is the parable of the fig tree. The fig tree they say is Israel. When the fig tree (Israel) puts forth leaves, there will only be a generation left until Christ returns. So if the leaves equal the reconstitution of Israel as a nation… add 40 years to 1948 and you get 1988! Ouch. That didn’t work. Maybe we should use 1967 when they took back Jerusalem… that would make 2007. Rats, missed again. Maybe a generation is longer than 40 years! How about something a little simpler? When a fig tree puts forth leaves, you know summer is near. When you “see these things” you know the end is near… in fact when you see these things ,those living, “this generation,” will not pass away until all these things take place. What are some of the things we should look for? The emergence of a world leader known as the Antichrist, the signing of a seven year covenant he makes with Israel, The “Beginning of Sorrows,” the “Abomination of Desolation,” and the “Great Tribulation.” When you see these things, you will know that you are near the end! If you are able to identify the signs Jesus mentioned in this passage, you will know that the end is near! But guess what? We are not there yet! We may be close… we’ve seen wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, false Christs… “but the end is not yet!” (Matthew 24:6). Sure there are a lot of exciting developments in the Middle East. I think we are close. But don’t jump the gun! Stay in the starting blocks. The biggies mentioned in this passage are yet to occur.

Dear Lord Jesus, come quickly. I see the end coming. It seems to be in sight. But since that day is at a time undisclosed to me, help me to be faithful right now! I don’t know how far off it is. The ending is written by you, but my life has many pages left to fill. May I fill them with love, devotion and service to you.

Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am

Posted by Dennis Kreiss at 8:46 AM |  MAKE A COMMENT  

<< Home