Category: What do you think?

The separation that comes when Christ returns

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

The Bible describes a future event in Matthew 25 where Jesus Christ will judge humanity by separating people into two groups, much like a shepherd dividing sheep from goats. This judgment happens at a specific time in history, after a seven-year period of great suffering known as the tribulation.

When Jesus comes back to Earth, He arrives with two purposes. First, He will judge all people who are still living at that moment. Second, He will establish His kingdom on Earth. This kingdom represents a thousand-year period of His rule, often called the millennial reign.

The judgment itself uses imagery that people in ancient Israel would have understood immediately. Shepherds regularly separated their flocks because sheep and goats often grazed together in mixed herds. Even today in Israel, you might see these animals grouped together.

In this judgment, the goats represent those who have rejected God. These individuals will face condemnation and destruction. They will be sent to hell for their unbelief and rebellion against God. This fate awaits everyone on Earth at that time who does not belong to Christ.

The sheep, however, represent those who have placed their faith in Jesus and belong to Him. These believers will not face destruction. Instead, they will enter directly into Christ’s kingdom while still alive. They will receive the promised blessings that come with His reign on Earth.

This separation is final and complete. Everyone alive when Christ returns will be evaluated and placed in one of these two categories. There is no middle ground or third option. The judgment covers all people across the entire planet at that moment in time.

The event marks the beginning of a new era. After removing the ungodly from the Earth, Jesus will rule with His faithful followers in a kingdom of glory. This fulfills ancient promises made throughout Scripture about a coming age of peace and righteousness under the Messiah’s direct leadership.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” Matthew 25:31-34

The coming of great deception

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

The apostle Paul wrote about a serious judgment that will happen in the future. In his letter to the Thessalonians, he explained that God will allow a powerful lie to take hold of people who have turned away from the truth. These individuals will accept false teachings and believe things that are not true.

Throughout human history, people have been misled about spiritual matters. Many have been confused about who God really is and what the Bible teaches. This happens because Satan works as a liar and an enemy of truth. He has been deceiving people since the beginning. However, what Paul describes goes beyond the normal deception that has always existed.

According to biblical prophecy, a specific period called the tribulation will occur in the future. This time will last seven years, as indicated in the book of Daniel and explained further in Thessalonians and Revelation. During these seven years, Satan’s deceptive work will grow to levels never seen before. The world will experience an outbreak of demonic lies and false teaching.

Paul warns that during this period, people will face a severe form of judgment. This judgment comes in the form of widespread delusion. Those who have rejected the gospel will find themselves unable to recognize truth. They will accept lies of all kinds. When someone refuses to believe what is true, they do not simply believe nothing. Instead, they become willing to believe anything and everything.

The Antichrist and the false prophet will work together with Satan during this time. Whatever false signs, teachings, or messages they produce, the world will accept them. People will be completely drawn in by the deception. They will not be able to see through the lies that surround them.

This period of intense deception will continue until Jesus Christ returns. When He comes back, He will destroy those who deceive others, those who have been deceived, and the deception itself. After removing all falsehood, Christ will establish His kingdom on earth.

I believe this shows how important it is to hold onto truth now. Those who reject the gospel today may find themselves unable to recognize truth when deception reaches its peak. The consequences of turning away from God’s message are serious and eternal.

“The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.” – 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10

A warning about what is to come

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

During his time on earth, Jesus often told people to be ready for his return. In Matthew chapter 24, he spoke about signs that would appear before that day arrives. One key sign is found in verse 15 and is called the abomination of desolation. This event points to a future period known as the tribulation.

According to this teaching, the tribulation will last seven years and will reach a turning point halfway through. At that time, a figure known as the antichrist will enter a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem and misuse it in a way that dishonours God. This act marks a clear change in what is happening on the earth.

The early part of the tribulation is described as a time that looks calm on the surface. There will be agreements between nations, including Israel, and the antichrist will be accepted as a leader who brings order. That calm will not last. When the temple is defiled, his true nature will be shown.

After this moment, open violence begins against those who follow Jesus. Jesus warned that this period would be so severe that, if it were longer, even faithful people could be led astray. This event begins what is called the great tribulation, and its progress is explained further through the trumpet and bowl judgments in the book of Revelation.

Are you ready for His return?

Thoughts on how God may view time

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

When the Bible says that one day is like a thousand years to God, and a thousand years like a single day, I don’t believe it means that time has no meaning to Him. The verse from 2 Peter 3:8 reminds us that God experiences time differently. While we live within the limits of time, God stands outside of it. He is eternal and not affected by the hours and years that shape our world.

Still, are the time references in the Bible without reason. When Scripture says that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh, some say those days carry their normal meaning. Throughout the Bible, numbers such as 40, 3, and 1,000 are used with care. Forty days appear often, a period of testing or preparation. The time between Jesus’ resurrection and His return to heaven was forty days, an exact and meaningful period. When Jesus said He would rise again in three days, I believe He meant three real days.

Prophecy also uses specific spans of time. The book of Revelation speaks of 3½ years, or 42 months, of judgment on the earth, and Daniel gives exact numbers of days. I do not believe these are to be taken as symbols because there is no reason for them to be taken that way. The thousand-year reign described in Revelation 20 is likely a thousand actual years, since that length is repeated several times in the same passage.

So, while God Himself is not bound by time, the timeframes written in the Bible have a clear meaning. To Him, time does not pass as it does for us. He sees it all at once, eternal and complete.

The Darkness at the Cross

Published on by Texas GospelLeave a comment

JEFF TURNER

The death of Jesus Christ stands out as the most significant moment in the New Testament. When Jesus hung on the cross, he spoke words that seem almost impossible to understand. He called out to God, asking why he had been abandoned. This moment reveals something much deeper than physical suffering.

During the crucifixion, darkness covered the land for three hours. This was not just a natural event. During those dark hours, Jesus took upon himself the sins of every person who would ever be saved throughout all of history. This raises an important question. How could three hours be enough time to pay the punishment that would normally last forever for so many people?

The answer lies in who Jesus is. Because he is God, he could endure an infinite amount of punishment in a limited time. His divine nature made it possible to absorb what would otherwise require eternity. As he bore this judgment in the darkness, he experienced something he had never experienced before. For the first time in his life on Earth, Jesus’ perfect relationship with God the Father was broken.

Until those hours, Jesus had only experienced complete and uninterrupted fellowship with the Father. But now that connection was cut off in a way we cannot fully grasp. God the Father, who had always loved the Son perfectly, now judged him perfectly instead. This happened because Jesus was carrying our sins.

Jesus spoke those words because they were true. He really was forsaken in that moment. He asked “why” because he was completely without sin and did not deserve this punishment. Yet he willingly took our place.