Just a thought that confuses me. Exactly what day will Christ come? Notice that I didn't say what date as the master himself does not even know. But since Australia is 9 Hours ahead of Ghana, for instance and Japan is also 9 hours ahead and Texas is 6 hours behind and China is 11 hours ahead. That means if he comes on a wednesday (Ghana time), it would be Thursday for China and Japan and Australia. The bible says that when he comes, all eyes shall see him. So I ask again, what day exactly will he be coming. Will time stand still for him to appear to us all at the same moment? Because if he comes on a monday in Ghana which is already tuesday in China, the Chinese would have cheated us by one full day or at worst half a day. Does anyone have a clue?

'Maranatha' - He is coming soon. How soon? No one knows but we are in d end times. The day he'll be coming only talks about a 'period in histroy'. Its not specified in scriptures when it would start or how long the rapture would last. We only know it would happen. The dead christians would rise first from d graves with glorious bodies first and the rest of us (alive then) would be metaphorsed and be as glorious as he is (appearance) and meet him in air. It could happen within a twinkling of an eye such that Newspaper headline the world over could state 'Mysterious Dissapearance of millions-World in Confusion'. Shortly after, the antichrist takes over...............

Nice attempt. Still doesnt answer if the Chinese will cheat us of one day or not

No cheating. Its same Time in history.

false! i'm not even convinced of his first coming talkless of the second!

The Bible is there. Read it. Whether you're convinced or not does not mean it will not happen.

goodguy:

The Bible is there. Read it. Whether you're convinced or not does not mean it will not happen.

Goodguy, you're continuously referring to the Bible to support what's in the Bible. You need outside sources and other supporting evidence to make it convincing.

The second coming was prophecised to happen within the lifetime of some of his disciples.... why hasn't he come yet?

It's all good people. Goodguy, what part of the bible am I going to read to clarify the issue of time differences? Nferyn, don't say it aloud otherwise, Rhodarose and goodguy will tell you how you will be damned forever. Are people not tired of telling others to believe what doesn't make sense to them? You will either believe or burn in a lake of fire made of brimestone. There is a simple law of physics. Anything put into fire will burn to ashes unless it is a stone, and give a stane 10 years in hot fire, it begins to disintergrate. And don't tell me about God having the power to do all things. I read an article today, this article asks that you perform a simple experiment. It says you should get an amputee, someone who has both legs cut off and get people to pray for him fervently, in fact get some people world wide millions of them to form a prayer cell for this man and pray that God restore his limbs, pray for one year and see what happens. If this one is too technical for you, get a coin and pray over the coin. Pray "Oh lord, I believe in you and I believe you can do all things. I am going to toss this coin 50 times, please let it land heads all fifty times, in Jesus name I pray. Amen" The article says you wont get past the 6th throw before you turn up tails. Ofcourse you can tell me that you can not try God and etc etc... I understand all that. Let us say you win, but how come God wont make it turn tails for all that time just to prove to your unbelieving heart that he is God if only to save you from this sulphure and brimestone circle to which you are doomed? Afterall the bible says that God delights in the repentance of just one sinner.

I know people will soon start telling about not tempting the lord my God and that his ways are different from the ways of man. That is all good but don't bother, because it wont deal with the issue at hand

But really who are you test him? I just wonder why a lot of us are proud of our irrational approach to issues. First someone said to proove existence of supernatural with logic. Now someone is bringin in experiments to proove the existence of God. These are people who cannot even summon obasanjo to a test...yet would want to summon the supreme deity.
Truth is u hav believed in His non-existence..reason why u take to such approach to see him...and the result would always be the same.
We aint talking of a natural phenomenon that can be proven or disprooved. We are talking about a supreme 'beign'. Why should you give him a test? Why are u aversed to relating with him like a being and not a 'thing'?
"GOD IS BIGGER THAN YOUR EGO". Whether u believe or disbelieve cannot alter the truth.

nferyn:

Goodguy, you're continuously referring to the Bible to support what's in the Bible. You need outside sources and other supporting evidence to make it convincing.

The Bible is the only reliable source that tells us about the 2nd coming of Christ. That's why I'll continually refer people to it.

nferyn:

The second coming was prophecised to happen within the lifetime of some of his disciples.... why hasn't he come yet?

I really ain't sure about this. But even if it's true, what makes you so sure the prophesy was about the then desciples? I believe anyone (till date) that follows the way of Jesus is also a desciple.

elbaron:

It's all good people. Goodguy, what part of the bible am I going to read to clarify the issue of time differences?

I was talking to michelin who said she wasn't convinced. According to your own question now, my Bible tells me that Jesus will come the second time. The bible didn't tell me anything about time difference. That issue will be solved on it's own. Why bother about it anyway? I feel the most important thing we should worry about is that we all should be carried away with the LORD on that day.

elbaron:

Nferyn, don't say it aloud otherwise, Rhodarose and goodguy will tell you how you will be damned forever.

I really don't know what you mean by this.

Lk 17:34-36

34 I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. 35 Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 36 Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left.

In the above passage, we can see that the Word of God takes into consideration the different time zones when it talks about the comming of the Lord.

Men are at bed at night; ginding is done at the mills in the mornings for the day's bread. The typical eastern woman goes to the field in the evenings when the sun is down

Whereas the Lord was refering to a particular day and hour when He shall appear knowing fully well that when it is day in some parts of the earth, it is morning in some other parts.

i would be intrested that does passages/interpretations in Bible / Qur´an / hadiths allow or denye possibility that Jesus has already made his second coming, and possible is on it even as we speak who knows, could it have been happening during many life-times and generations?

meaning that as Jesus said in bible, that he will be back before last of diciples will die, could it be that he is only person experiencing thing that hindus and buddhists are after now, maybe even thousands of years after some prophets there long time ago? if Jewish prophets had prophesies about Messiah, why not them too (and from that then were misunderstood and transfered to include other as well?

and so what if descriptions in hadiths / Qur´an are from some certain life or from his last life?

goodguy:

The Bible is the only reliable source that tells us about the 2nd coming of Christ. That's why I'll continually refer people to it.

The only people for whom this is reliable, are the ones that already believe in a near literal interpretation of the Bible. For others, it carries little weight. People may believe in it, but that does not make it reliable.

goodguy:

I really ain't sure about this. But even if it's true, what makes you so sure the prophesy was about the then desciples? I believe anyone (till date) that follows the way of Jesus is also a desciple.

It was clearly about his second coming in his apostle's lifetime. I have quoted these passages already in another thread. They speak for themselves, I think.
"Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled" Matthew 24:34 (the end times)
"And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power." Mark 9:1

elbaron,

Rhodarose and goodguy will tell you how you will be damned forever. Are people not tired of telling others to believe what doesn't make sense to them? You will either believe or burn in a lake of fire made of brimestone. There is a simple law of physics. Anything put into fire will burn to ashes unless it is a stone

"ashes to ashes, dust to dust"....?

If you are not born again and die in the flesh, you do not "live" for eternity...dead is dead!  and "hell" is living outside the presence of God. So you can be in hell while living here on  earth or you can be in Heaven while being here on earth. 
No fire and brimstone and eternity spent in hell from me....dead is dead for eternity!

Joh 11:25-26
Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection, and the life:
he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.
Believest thou this?

I do, but than again I believe all that Jesus said   

RhodaRose

Tell us, when shall these things be?
and what shall be the sign of thy coming,
and of the end of the world?

Read Mt 24:4-31

Mt 24:32-34
Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh:
So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things(verses 4-31), know that it is near, even at the doors.
Verily I say unto you, This generation (that sees all these things) shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.

Jesus never said "the end" was before His disciples died but to the "generation" that sees "all these things"

As far as this verse:

Mr 9:1
And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.

Mr 9:2-4
And after six days ... Hang on, I think they are about to "see the Kingdom"....

Jesus taketh with him Peter, and James, and John, and leadeth them up into an high mountain apart by themselves: and he was transfigured before them.

And his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them.

And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus.

Wow, Wow, Wow 

No mystery there....

Oh, the B-I-B-L-E, that's the Book for me

I stand alone on the Word of God, the B-I-B-L-E

RhodaRose

Layi, I cant believe you wrote that. Anyhow, the point is that there is nothing in the post that points to my ego. I asked a very simple question: What day is Christ coming? Will be a monday? And if it is a monday, how about the people in China who would have been in their tuesday already? Will they cheat us of one full day? Or will time stand still? I suggest you try answering the question or simply say you dont know. Nobody has questioned God here and the issue of God is quite debatable though. Anyhow, read the post again and tell me, once more, about my ego. Have a nice day.

Goodguy, you cannot prove the authenticity of a book by refering to that same book. As nferyn told you, you need other sources to prove it. I'd like to see one of those books. By the way, I am posting an article soon on the history of the bible. Have you ever heard of anyone called Constantine? I doubt it, but he actually started all this bible thing. There are also other versions of the bible which survived the burnings by the Holy Catholic Monopoly.

I will leave it here for the moment. You guys think about it. I suggest we all look at the issues raised from an unbiased point of view. Let us leave Dogma and damnation and doubting God, alone for one singular minute, you might be suprised what you will turn up.

U gotta believe I wrote that and don't try 'cornerboxing' because it don't always work. U deviated by bringin in experiments and stuffs. I countered that and u say i'm deviatin from the topic.
What a smart move.

I have read the history of the church, constatine, cannonical scriptures and dead sea scrolls, reformation era etc. And I've come to 1 conclusion...the devil is trying hard to make humans fall. Bringing proofs to discredit scriptures. All over the world, almost evry religion have 1 or 2 things to talk against the church with doumentary evidences to buttress their point. They hardly counter themselves.
All i know is I have the grace of the Lord jesus, The Love of GOD and the sweet fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Experiential knowledge of GOD makes the difference.
U can't know him if u don't believe him. It called FAITH but it aint blind faith because it obvious that there is a beginnin of existence. Some Beign out of time has created it. Nothing wrong in searching for knowledge...but look in the right places. Any knowledge to discredit what u know to be true is wrong. I know the Holy Spirit is Real..I 'experience' Him daily any knowledge to discredit that no matter how logically is wrong.

Have a Nice day as well.

layi:

the devil is trying hard to make humans fall. Bringing proofs to discredit scriptures. All over the world, almost evry religion have 1 or 2 things to talk against the church with doumentary eveidences to buttress their point. They hardly counter themselves.

This exactly has been my point on all religious threads. But of course, the atheists here will always find something to say to that.

Honestly, those who do not believe in Jesus can not believe in His second coming. So if u r a believer then its a fact, if not then its fiction. SIMPLE.

You're right, prettyH.

It  is good we define something here  ladies and gentlemen because there needs to be a clear understanding of what  we are refering to here as the second coming.

The second coming of Jesus Christ is not the same as the rapture of the church and the  rapture of the church isn't the same as the second coming.

For at the rapture, the scriptures tell us that Jesus will wait in the air for the saints who will be  caught up to  meet him in the air. So he does not come to the earth for the  rapture but recieves his people in the air and takes them into heaven.

He will be seen at the rapture by only believers who have maitntained their faith in christ and their union with the spirit of God. The scriptures tell us:

1 Thes 4:15-17

"For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which 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."

1cor 15:51-54

"Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.  So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory."

Whereas, for the second coming, all men shall see him. He shall come as the Lord of judgement, riding on a white horse and with a sword in his hand with which he will smite all that opose Him and all that have done wickedly to his people Isreal. He will come to rule and reign with the saints who will be coming with him in glory halleluyah!

Mk 13:24-27

"But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light,  And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven."

So which 'coming' are you waiting for?  Is it the rapture or the second coming?

For those who have chosen to be perpetual sceptics and who insult and question holy things; you can refer those questions and insults to Him one on one.

Look at the book of Jude:

"...to execute judgment on all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness which they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

Donnie, you have done well. So the second comming is different from the rapture? I understand your explanation. But my point is, will it occur on the same day for everybody (All the believers) in the world? Such that if it happens at 2pm on a tuesday in Taipei, it will also be 2pm on tuesday for the believers in Cameroon?

God lives in Eternity and is not bound by "time" as we here on earth are.

We should not be so obsessed with "what time" as ARE WE READY.

We should always be ready and waiting and watching for we know not what hour our Lord is coming...

Even if one knows the exact year and month it would not be allowed to diverge the info for it is only for their personal knowledge to get others ready for His return...always be ready and waiting and watching...for it is near, even at the Door.

Mt 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.

Mt 24:50
The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of,

Mt 25:13
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Mr 13:32
But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

Re 9:15
And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men

Ac 1:7-9
And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.

But ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you:

and ye shall be witnesses unto me
both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.

Just before He was taken up in the cloud for the last time before His return wouldn't you have thought He would speak something very profound?  and He did!

RhodaRose

STuffs like this makes me start questioning myself.

RhodaRose, I did not ask what time, I asked what day. See the difference? Let me agree with you for one second and adopt your contention that God is not limited by time. Let's say He is timeless as you say, he still has to deal with humans who are restricted and controlled by time. Or is the world going to become timeless just before he "appears"? Have a good day RhodaRose, nice reading your posts.

Its the same time in history. 1pm in UK is 2pm in Naija. That just caliberation but its practical the same time.

HotAngel,

This is good to question yourself.
Never stand still but be always learning and changing your mind
God is always "on the move"

RhodaRose

****************************
Elbaron,

"Time" included hour, day, month and year and even century.
God does not limit His thoughts to a "time" frame.
Wouldn't you think that knowing the month and year would be enough and the hour and day in Eternity not so important?
If you are His you live in Eternity NOW and there you have it:

Or is the world going to become timeless just before he "appears"?

the answer is no, For those who are His already live in a "timeless" eternity and the others it won't matter much because they are not waiting and watching.
"Time" is only needed for those who have worldly things to do and a short time to do them
Eternity does not limit you to "time" because....it is forever and ever....

Joh 11:25-26
Jesus said unto her,
I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?

Trust God and only Believe
RhodaRose

************************
layi.

Thank you for understanding "time".
Time is a man-made thing that God is not bound to controlled by.

RhodaRose

Elbaron,

The rapture will first take place. Between the rapture and the second coming is a period of seven years(according to the scriptures). During these seven years, while the saints are with the Lord in heaven, there will be great tribulation on earth, like the world has never seen since its foundation.

The rapture will happen in a 'twinkle of an eye' the bible says. Believers will be changed; they will have glorified bodies. The kind Jesus had when he walked through the wall and appeared to His disciples after His ressurection.

However, the rest of he world will notice that christians have disappeared all over the earth but they will make up stories to explain the phenomenon.

As for the exact hour or time, we cannot know that now because it is reserved for the father. So to bother youself with that is to give yourself a burden that God did not give to you.

All Jesus said was, "watch and pray...". He said we will sense spiritually when that time is just around the corner. There are definite signs that have occured already but there are yet a few more that christains all over the world are looking foward to. Jesus said that we will know the time of the end just as we sense the weather the exact hour is not important for now.

I believe that when that day comes it will dawn on all those who are walking in the Spirit that the time has finally come to leave this world. I believe they will be saying to one another, "i sense it is today". There will be a knowing in our Spirits.

Jesus told us that that day shall not take us like a thief in the night. But to those who are not in tune with the Spirit, it sure will!

We will leave this world in just the same manner that Jesus left.

Donnie,

AMEN

RhodaRose

Nice post, Donnie.

Of course the Rapture would happen at the same time worldwide. The issue then wouldn't be what time it is in Lagos or London, but who made the Rapture and who didn't.

Jesus never said anything to infer that the whole world must be in the same time zone when the Rapture would occur. In fact, He says 2 would be in bed, , and 2 would be in the field. This means that the bible acknowledges that ppl in different places would be at different time zones.

@Nferyn

The only people for whom this is reliable, are the ones that already believe in a near literal interpretation of the Bible. For others, it carries little weight. People may believe in it, but that does not make it reliable.

Appart from that there are justifiable reasons why christians have come to rely on it. All its prophecies have come to pass, except those that have not been fulfilled already. Which book do you know apart from the bible that has predicted and witnessed those predictions come to pass?

It had also laid down scientific principles that were later rediscovered by scientists. So in other words science is catching up with divine revelation.

Long before any scientists ever announced that the earth was round, the bible said it was. Long before scientist announced that air had weight, the bible said it long ago.

The bible has specifically predicted about the rise and fall of specific nations, and voila, such is the case. No force has been able to reverse God's words.

Isaiah 46:9,10
9 Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure

Preach on brother!