Orphans Displaced And Refugee Children And Children Living In Poverty Need Special Care
Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor Zechariah 7:10
Children are vulnerable even in good circumstances, but when theres poverty or violence, kids can suffer real damage. The Bible singles out orphans for us to help. Those without fathers are close behind orphans. And children living as refugees or displaced by conflict or living in extreme poverty are also vulnerable. There is no social or financial safety net for them no one to provide for their nurture or needs. God asks people who worship him to help take care of kids in such vulnerable places.
What Does The Bible Say About Locusts
In the Bible, God afflicts ancient Egyptians with ten plagues for their sins. One of them was the plague of locusts
By Rajat Ghai
Recently, there have been multiple new reports about locust attacks in Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. An alert has been issued in Delhi, the national capital, as well.
Looking at the vivid images of locusts shared by the news channels or across various social media platforms, I was reminded of a story. It was the story of Moses and the Ten Commandments as mentioned in the Bible. To be more specific, it was the story of ten plagues inflicted upon ancient Egypt as a divine punishment.
In the Biblical tale, Moses, a prophet and leader of the Hebrews whom the Jewish people consider to be their ancestors, warns the Pharaoh of Egypt that his kingdom would be ravaged by plagues if he did not free the Israelites and allow them to go back to Canaan.
As the story goes, the Israelites came to Egypt at the invitation of a Pharaoh. Jacob, one of the patriarchs of the Hebrew Bible , was the leader of the group that migrated to Egypt. At some point, these people lose their status as free people and are enslaved on the orders of a Pharaoh who is jealous of their growing prosperity.
There was also the plague of hailstorm and fire. The world in 2020 has already seen the fires of Australia and the Amazon in 2019. This year, it has seen the cyclone Amphan, which has devastated large parts of India and Bangladesh.
All Believers Are Strangers On Earth
live out your time as foreigners here with reverent fear.1 Peter 1:17
This is a principle for Gods people of all times. Moses instructed the Israelites not to sell any of the land permanently, because the land belonged to God and they were only foreigners living there .
Think of how graciously God treats us, the foreigners living in his world. His kindness to us can guide our thoughts and actions towards those living as strangers among us.
Don’t Miss: What Does Sanctification Mean In The Bible
‘the End Times’ Part : The Judgment Day
Editor’s note: This column is part 10 in a series about the biblical end of days and the book of Revelation.
Much is said about the judgment day, but not all is understood. The Bible tells us, “it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” . However, death will not be experienced by those who are alive at Jesus’ second coming.
Who will be the judge? There will be two judges — God and Jesus. God is one , Jesus is the other , but God puts Jesus in charge of the judging .
Where will the judging occur? In the angelic heaven where angels live and God and Jesus sit on their thrones . We studied the “angelic heaven” in earlier lessons. In the moment after our death, our souls will be perfect and happy, but we’ll not be in our final state of the new heavens and new earth.
We’ll be in a temporary state. The best will be yet to come. We call this the intermediate state. What will be lacking in our angelic-heaven state? We will be without a body as we enter the angelic heaven. Like people still alive on Earth, we will be waiting for the second coming, the day of resurrection, the day of judgment and our final heavenly home. That will be the day we get our new bodies and will live in final heaven, forever.
The souls of all the dead saints are in this heaven. On the day of the second coming Jesus will gather his saved souls. They will all appear in the sky in the second coming. Then follows the resurrection of the dead and raptures.
Tom Meyer Recites Revelation 16 From The Bible
We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info
The end of the world will coincide with war and natural disasters, according to prophetic scripture in the Christian Bible. Before the end times and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, many Christians believe the Antichrist will arive to deceive the world during a seven-year period known as the Tribulation.
Read Also: Does The Bible Say Anything About Transgender People
As Sexual Perversion Increases In The Post
In Genesis 19, God destroys Sodom and Gomorrah with fire and brimstone, foreshadowing the last-days destruction of the earth . The final insult to God is the attempted homosexual rape of the two angelic witnesses whom He sent to Sodom to confirm its wickedness .
Importantly, the incineration of Sodom and Gomorrah is completely unique in Biblical history. Gods intentional association of homosexuality with the outpouring of His wrath by fire is absolutely unmistakable, as is His warning that it was simply a preview of the last days.
He condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to destruction by reducing them to ashes, having made them an example to those who would live ungodly lives thereafter .
Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire .
But What If These Interpretations Are Wrong
The answer to this question will be different depending on the tradition of the person asking. For example, for some Christians, affirming or not affirming transgender and non-binary people is connected to salvation and eternity. For other Christians, the afterlife isnt their main concern, but instead their focus is determining what it means for Christians to contribute to human flourishing and to the moral integrity of the church. Whatever is at stake for the person asking, it is important to note the role of humility, grace and having a consistent standard to apply in discerning what is true of God. We read in Pauls letter to the Corinthians that until Christ returns we are bound to see truth in a way that is incomplete, a mere reflection, as in a mirror, dimly . The Bible calls its interpreters to the awareness that even if ultimate truth about any subject isnt always in our grasp, we can still remain committed to the task of trying to find it.
You May Like: Do Unto Others Bible Verse
How Shall We Then Wait
The cross of Christ is the supreme sign staked out by God Himself in the historical pathways of this old world. There was life before Christ, anticipating His first Advent. There is life after Christanno Domini, in the Year of our Lordnot only awaiting His Second Advent, but actively fulfilling Gods mission in the world. The entire epic of redemption in the coming of the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth His life lived for us, His sacrificial death on the cross for us, His burial, resurrection, appearances, ascension, and the Holy Spirit coming upon the disciples gathered in the Upper Room, catapulting the Kingdom of Christ unto the ends of the earthinaugurated the final act in the Plan for a New Heaven and a New Earth. We must faithfully seek answers to our questions about the last days in the larger cosmic context of the panorama of redemption. Rather than quarreling over the sequence, details, and apocalyptic imagery designed to say, whatever you think, its greater than that, we are called to just wait. To borrow a title from Lewis, the End Times is Mere Waiting. Holy Waiting. But holy waiting is not passive. Holy waiting is active: living the Gospel, teaching the Gospel, and proclaiming the Gospel, so that there will be a multitude of souls safe in the arms of Jesus when He comes again. To wait by working in the Temples of our lives we fulfill Gods mission. And it is true:
References/Notes:
How About The Antichrist Isnt That In Revelation
Nope, Beal says.
The writer of the first book of John in the New Testament warns of generic “Antichrists” who deny that Jesus is the messiah. But there is no figure like the central character in the film, “The Omen,” a cunning son of Satan with the number 666 stenciled on his body.
So what about 666 — isn’t that in Revelation?
Yes, but it doesn’t refer to Satan. Instead, theologians say the number references another incarnation of evil for the first Christians: Nero, the Roman emperor.
Jones, the Texas church youth director, cited Revelation 15:1-3, which warns about “seven angels with seven plagues.”
“I don’t think posting things of that nature is to spread fear, ” Jones says. “My belief is God is coming soon and there will be things that were written that will take place, things that may seem a little scary, but I think it reaffirms what God said would happen.”
Don’t Miss: What Books Are In The Catholic Bible
Children Are Part Of Gods Creative Plan
God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number fill the earth and subdue it. Genesis 1:28
After creating Adam and Eve, God commanded that they be fruitful, or have children. The original design included families with children. Kids werent an afterthought. Everything about creation was pronounced good, including his design for children.
End Times As The Days Of Noah And Lot
In Matthew 24 and Luke 17, Jesus gave us a clear warning and indication of what this world would be like near the time of His second coming.Looking forward to the time just before His return, Christ saw the scene of this world and it was a mirror of what it was like back inboth Noah’s and Lot’s day.
Matthew 24:37-39 …’But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the daysthat were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.’
Luke 17:28-30 …’Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted,they builded But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it bein the day when the Son of man is revealed.’
But it does not end there. Take a look at what else the Bible says people were like in the days of Noah and Lot.
IN NOAH’s DAY –Genesis 6:5,11,12 …’And God saw that the wickedness ofman was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The earth also was corruptbefore God, and the earth was filled with violence. And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt for all flesh hadcorrupted his way upon the earth.’
Read Also: What Does God Say About Helping The Poor
Bible Verses About End Of Days
At the end time the king of the South will collide with him, and the king of the North will storm against him with chariots, with horsemen and with many ships and he will enter countries, overflow them and pass through.
Therefore say to them, Thus says the Lord God, I will make this proverb cease so that they will no longer use it as a proverb in Israel. But tell them, The days draw near as well as the fulfillment of every vision.
And it will come about in the last daysThat the mountain of the house of the LordWill be established as the chief of the mountains.It will be raised above the hills,And the peoples will stream to it.
Lord, make me to know my endAnd what is the extent of my days Let me know how transient I am.
Now it will come about thatIn the last daysThe mountain of the house of the LordWill be established as the chief of the mountains,And will be raised above the hills And all the nations will stream to it.
Though your beginning was insignificant,Yet your end will increase greatly.
Behold, days are coming, declares the Lord God,When I will send a famine on the land,Not a famine for bread or a thirst for water,But rather for hearing the words of the Lord.
Since his days are determined,The number of his months is with You And his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.
Constable: Are The End Times Here Well No Says Biblical Scholar
-
A biblical scholar and professor, Lombard native Tom Meyer knows every word of the apocalyptic book of Revelation by memory. As chaotic as the world seems today, Meyer says this isn’t the End Times.Courtesy of Tom Meyer
-
Lombard native Tom Meyer, a biblical scholar and professor, says while he’s waiting for the End of Days, he tries to live a good life with his wife, Sarah, and their children, Hosanna, 8, Scarlett, 6, Abigail, 4, and 3-year-old Tommy.Courtesy of Tom Meyer
-
In his career reciting Bible books by memory, Lombard native Tom Meyer, left, meets all kinds of people, including martial arts cult hero Chuck Norris.Courtesy of Tom Meyer
-
While many people read the Bible, those stories were meant to be heard, says Tom Meyer, a Lombard native who performs books of the Bible that he has memorized.Courtesy of Tom Meyer
A fridge-sized asteroid hurtles toward Earth as we cope with a pandemic, horrific storms, racial atrocities, wildfires, violence and political pandemonium. “We are at the end of time,” warns a flyer left on our front porch. It proclaims the Earth will come to an end in 2020 with chaos, war, famine, natural disasters and a presidential election “like nothing you have ever witnessed before.”
Granted, it does seem as if we’re headed in that direction. But Lombard native Tom Meyer, 44, a biblical scholar who built a career reciting Bible books by memory, is still booking gigs for 2021.
Recommended Reading: What Does The Bible Say About Sadness And Depression
Bible Verses About Signs Of The End Times
We do not see our signs There is no longer any prophet,Nor is there any among us who knows how long.
And I will grant wonders in the sky aboveAnd signs on the earth below,Blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke.
I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth,Blood, fire and columns of smoke.
Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
What Drives These Doomsday Prophets
Many include wildly inaccurate readings of the Book of Revelation. Often these pandemic prophets end their predictions with sign-offs such as “IF YOU DON’T HAVE A BIBLE, BUY ONE!”
Maybe it’s no wonder some people are stocking up on guns and ammo.
But some who study religion and prophecies for a living say it’s time for these social media prophets and psychics to take a self-enforced quarantine. Doomsayers are harming peoples’ spiritual and psychological health, they say.
Theyre also claiming knowledge that even the most revered figures in religion didnt dare assume. Whenever Ulrich Lehner, a Catholic theologian at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, comes across a social media preacher warning that COVID-19 means the end of the world is near, hes tempted to tweet back this response: Matthew 24:36.
That’s the passage when Jesus says about the end of the world: “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
“Jesus himself said, ‘You don’t know the hour,’ yet some self-appointed prophets today seem to know more than the angels around God’s throne,” Lehner says.
Lehner says some of the doomsday prophets may be driven by another sin: pride.
“Perhaps in these guys who create mass panic there is also a certain pride, a bloated self-confidence that ‘I have some special insight,”’ says Lehner, author of “God is Not Nice: Rejecting Pop Culture Theology and Discovering the God Worth Living For.”
You May Like: Bible Definition Of Love
Bible Verses About The End Times
What does the Bible say about the End Times?
Primarily discussed in the Book of Revelation, the end times are described in the Bible as a great tribulation. Believers of Jesus, saved by faith, will be delivered to heaven with eternal life.
Discover important Bible verses about the end times in this collection of scripture quotes.
NIV
1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
NIV
NIV