1/5/2020
Here we are already the fifth day in the new year! I hope your start has been helpful, hopeful, and heartfelt in every way that is positive for your life! It’s been my new year clarion cry for years to bring a positive message of the pre-eminence of the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives and then carry the same theme for the whole year. It looks like the reasons for such are here again. We live in a war torn world, so starting a new year with the same idiocy ripping through our minds is nothing new. Justified? Not Justified? Why try to figure it out! Let’s go back to being positive about our collective future…..I’m glad to be here and I’m glad you’re here, so let’s do something with this new year besides observing it!
When I awoke this morning, “The King is Coming” was on my mind. The King, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the SIMH were ringing out this is THE King and He is coming and it is our blessed hope. Now that is a good year! Whether 2020 is the year or not, the promise is secure. Back to the SIMH: this song was written by the Gaithers, Bill and Gloria, with the help of one other man-Charles Millhuff (I don’t know if he is a singer or not.) I can’t remember the year, somewhere around 1971or ‘72, I suppose. About that time, we went to see the Gaithers in concert, in the days when it was Bill and Gloria and Bill’s brother Danny. This song was new then, I believe. (I just asked Barb if she knew when it was and she can’t remember us going to hear them in concert. Hmmm, is my mind making that up? No, too vivid—Danville, Illinois, high school auditorium, we saw several concerts there.)
You know, songs come from poetry attached to a tune in someone’s mind. The poem of the King is Coming is stirring, but not particularly true to biblical prophecy in the manner it unfolds THE DAY. But, we accept the poetic license of many other songs and we shall this one. The Gaithers were not of the particular sect which knew anything about what we today refer to as “the rapture” so not many of the lines in the song are actually foretelling the story. But the glorious event is true, it is going to happen. We know nothing of the time, nor why the timing is perfect, except that the Lord is doing it, and not us.
From the bible: When Christ ascended into heaven and many watched Him go, the two “men it white apparel” told the crowd He “ shall return in like manner as ye see him go.” The SIMH follows that pattern which is spelled out in the old Testament promises to Israel describing it. But, the “revelation of the mystery” given by Christ to the Apostle Paul describes a different event (and that because it is told to a different people), an event which is described with these words: “Behold, i show 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.” “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God..” (parts of two passages by Paul—1 Cor.15;51,52 and 1 Thess.4:16. The event described by Paul isn’t like the Acts 1 account of the promise of His return. Here’s a short reason why both events are going to occur: The Acts 1 ascension of the Lord and then the promise from the two (no doubt) angels is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophetic plan of God to anoint the Lord Jesus as He is to be “king over all the earth” —described in Zech.14:9 —read the whole chapter. This time is spelled out rather well in many passages and whole chapters in the Old and New Testaments. In fact, Hebrews through Revelation is all about the fulfilling of all that prophecy.
The event described by Paul in several passages of his 13 epistles is nothing like that at all. When Paul says we, the church which is His body, are granted His glorious appearing, we immediately leave the earth and meet the Lord in the air. The Lord doesn’t return to rule “over all the earth” at the time of our departure, we go! Not the same events and not for the same peoples. So, check yourself: do you really believe all the bible is God’s word? Oh, how I pray that you do! If so, don’t mix things together and expect them to make sense. Study by “rightly dividing the word of truth” as we are instructed to do in 2 Tim.2:15, and allow things that differ to be different. It is amazing what the Lord will show you when you study in His manner.
Just a reminder: we have a Sunday afternoon bible class (4PM Central time) and would love to have you attend. In person if you live close to Fort Payne, AL just call me and I’ll give you directions-210-378-5748. On Zoom on the computer: go to zoom.us/j/210-3785748 and log in to the meeting. Or, on FaceBook on my page, Jerry Lockhart. That’s all about hearing the class live, Sundays at 4pm. Each of these classes is then put on my YouTube channel, Jerry Lockhart ( or Brother Jerry Lockhart for older ones) and there are many classes recorded there.
Today’s class will be about the above subject. Hope you can join us.
Thanks for reading, the Elder.
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