On What Does Your Faith Stand?

by Roger Shouse “Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour” (Matthew 25:13). It happened 180 years ago. It was proclaimed as the Second Advent. The nation was caught up in a religious fever about the teachings of a rural New York farmer, a lay Baptist preacher by…

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Is the Modern Nation of Israel Important?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2005/06/Is-the-Modern-Nation-of-Israel-Important.mp3 Text: Hebrews 6:13-20   I.         It doesn’t take a genius to realize that the nation of Israel holds importance in the eyes of many people in America             A.        Jerry Falwell: “God has raised up America in these last days for the cause of world evangelism and for the protection of His people, the Jews. I don’t…

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Will There be a Rapture?

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Will-There-Be-a-Rapture.mp3 Text: I Thessalonians 4:13-18   I.         People have always been fascinated with the second coming of Christ             A.        That fascination increased greatly as the 21st century approached.             B.        A very popular series, called “Left Behind” by Tim LaHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins claims to tell the events of Christ’s return in fictional form. The books were written…

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I Thessalonians 5:4 and the Destruction of Jerusalem

by Terry Wane Benton Is “this day” (I Thessalonians 5:4) the destruction of Jerusalem? No! If “this day” is talking to the Thessalonians about the coming of the Lord in wrath on Jerusalem: How would that day overtake the Thessalonians as a thief? How did “sudden destruction” overtake any Thessalonians? Why did everyone “escape?” (I…

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How should we deal with end-times prophecies?

Questions: I have seen an abundance of things on the internet recently of people who claim the end times are “near” and we are currently seeing biblical prophecy unfold. I have seen these videos swarming since the pandemic on every internet platform. They are using world events such as the drying of the Euphrates River,…

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God’s Timing

by Terry Wane Benton “But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (II Peter 3:8). “Where is the promise of His coming?” (II Peter 3:4) is the question Peter has been addressing. The argument that all things continue…

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The Scoffer’s Starting Error

by Terry Wane Benton “For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water” (II Peter 3:5). Peter is countering the scoffer’s argument that “all things continue the same from creation.” Peter shows that the creation saw a…

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Is the second coming the last promise to be fulfilled?

Question: Is the second coming of Christ the last prophecy to be fulfilled? Answer: The judgment comes after the second coming. Heaven or hell awaits after the judgment (II Peter 3:13; I John 2:25). Thus, there are other promises that happen after the second coming.

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The End-Times

 by Terry Wane Benton Many do not realize that scriptures have a context, and cannot be applied to everything one wishes. The “end-times” is one of the most abused topics of the Bible. Many take verses out of context. If you take a verse out of context, forget the immediate people first written to, and…

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Compare Babylonian “Coming” with the Roman “Coming”

by Terry Wane Benton Both times Jerusalem was destroyed it was the coming of the Lord by means of a powerful nation. When the Babylonians invaded and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC it was the Lord of Hosts (later named Jesus) who came in “glory” (Isaiah 2:12-22). The Lord came in His glory. He came…

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The Day of the Lord

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/The-Day-of-the-Lord.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Acts 2:14-24   I.         In Peter’s first sermon, he quotes the prophet Joel who warns of the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord.             A.        As we read the warnings of God through the prophets, repeatedly we find references to “the day of the Lord” or “the day…

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Parables on the Second Coming of Christ

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Parables-on-the-Second-Coming-of-Christ.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Thessalonians 5:1-11   I.         The early disciples longed for the return of Christ             A.        I Corinthians 16:19-24 – The term “maranatha” is a transliteration of the Greek, which was in turn transliterated from two Aramaic words. It literally means, “Our Lord come!”             B.        II Peter 3:10-12 – Looking for and hastening…

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God’s Mornin’

 by Whit Sasser Cameron S. Smith tells a wonderful story. It is about the only white person in the state of Georgia buried in a cemetery reserved exclusively for African-Americans. This man had lost his mother when he was just a baby. His father, who never married again, hired a black woman named Mandy to…

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How do I clean up my life before Jesus returns?

Question: Hello. I was hoping to receive some help and answers. With the shape the world is in, I can’t help but foresee Jesus coming soon. Frankly, I just read Matthew 24:1-31 and can’t help but feel fear. I struggle with a lot of things that I can’t seem to break. How do I turn…

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Ages to Come

by Terry Wane Benton Paul spoke of God showing the exceeding riches of His grace “in the ages to come” (Epheisans 2:6-7). Thus, the gospel of God’s grace would keep spreading for ages to come. Some erroneously think that Paul wrongly thought that Jesus would come back in his lifetime, but Paul knew the end…

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New Heavens and a New Earth

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/NewHeavensAndANewEarth.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Isaiah 65:17-25   I.         A frequent mistake made in reading the Scriptures is to recognize the meaning of a phrase in one area of the Bible and then assume that the phrase has the same meaning everywhere it is used.             A.        An example of this is found in Isaiah 65:17.                         1.         Some…

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And Then There Were None

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/AndThenThereWereNone.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Amos 6:3-11   I.         One of my favorite mystery writers was Agatha Christie. She would write books where you tried to figure out who did it before the end of the book, but in the process you were distracted by so many possibilities.             A.        One of my favorites was based on…

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Your site is one of my favorites

Question: Hello, I just had to thank you again for your site. I consider it a favorite. I loved your article on Matthew 24. I think it is right on. I am in what you might call an institutional church of Christ. Thanks again. Answer: I’m glad you are finding the material useful in your studies.

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Coming with the Clouds

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/ComingWithTheClouds.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Revelation 1:4-7   I.         It is easy to make mistakes by assuming that a phrase always applies to the same event             A.        Revelation 1:7 – What is meant by “coming with clouds” or “coming with the clouds”? II.        Clouds             A.        God rides clouds – Psalms 68:4                         1.         Psalms 104:3 – Clouds are His chariot…

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Disbelief in the Coming of Jesus

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/DisbeliefInTheComingOfJesus.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:1-15   I.         Many false doctrines are rooted in a simple belief that word or phrase that has a particular meaning in one context has the same meaning in all other contexts.             A.        For example, the Greek word presbuteros in Acts 2:17 means someone advanced in age                         1.         So does…

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Why does the New Testament talk about Jesus returning soon?

Question: Hello, I just had an interesting thought that I’m confused about. This is in no way a lack of faith on my part but something I do not understand. Why in the Bible, specifically in the New Testament, do the apostles write about Jesus’ return being soon? I can find over 20 places that…

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How can Jesus be coming soon when it has been 2,000 years?

Question: Didn’t Jesus say that he would return soon? In this case, Jesus said something would happen shortly, but it hasn’t happened for over 2,000 years. What would be the difference between these two statements? Answer: In a discussion related to the destruction of Jerusalem, Jesus did promise that he would bring that destruction within…

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Doesn’t the Bible say we will live on earth after the millennium?

Question: Hello, I read your article about Jesus not ruling on a physical throne on earth because the earth will perish. Well, the first earth will perish because at the end of the millennium Jesus will make a new one and the eternal city will come down from heaven to the earth. Read the Bible. The final…

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Hastening the Day of the Lord

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/HasteningTheDayOfTheLord.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:3-15   I.         When there is an event coming up that you really look forward to, it seems that time just drags.             A.        Christmas when you were little, graduating from High School, going off to college, your wedding day, etc.             B.        But then in other ways you realize that there…

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Do the righteous leave this world?

Question: I had a study with someone and this was his explanation of these Scriptures. In I Thessalonians 4:13-17, Verse 13: Paul doesn’t want us to be ignorant concerning where are the dead. That’s the subject. Verse 14: God will bring those that have died back with him. Verse 15: They who are alive and…

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The Promise of His Coming

https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PromiseOfHisComing.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Peter 3:1-13   I.         The variety of beliefs regarding Jesus’ return is large.             A.        Many expect Jesus to return to rule here on earth             B.        II Peter 3 stands as a rebuke to those who desire to see the coming as anything other than what it is – the end of…

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If Jesus is God, how come he doesn’t know when the world will end?

Question: If Jesus is completely God, then how come the Bible says that not the son, nor the angels in heaven, but only the Father knows of the second coming? I don’t remember the verse but you probably recognize which one I’m talking about. Answer: “But of that day and hour no one knows, not…

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Your notes on Matthew 24 really help

Question: I am a student of Theology. I love your website. I stumbled on it through Google’s search engine while trying to research the events in Matthew 24. I appreciate your explanatory notes on the subject because it proffers a solution to the assignment given to me from school. I pray that Jesus Christ will continue to…

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What Will Happen on Judgment Day?

by Ricky Jenkins via Gospel Power, Vol. 16, No. 7, Feb. 15, 2009. “The deeds we do, the words we say, into the still air they seem too fleet, we count them ever past; but they shall last, in the dread judgment they and we shall meet” (John Keeble). On judgment day the Lord shall…

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Are we approaching the end times?

Question: II Tim 3:1-4; Matthew 24:12; I Corinthians 7:26-27. Are we approaching the end times? Between now and then, can we expect things to get worse and not better? e.g. sins like greed, immorality, suffering, etc. Is it better and safer to be unmarried and childless in current times if things are going to be…

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Can the world repent enough to postpone the second coming of Christ?

Question: Can the world repent enough to postpone the revelation and the second coming of Christ? Answer: There is no way to answer this question. But why so tied to this world? “Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for…

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Is it wrong to hope that Jesus won’t come soon?

Question: A while ago my grandma, who has been an amazing influence on me as a Christian, says sometimes she feels hypocritical when we sing and pray about wanting Jesus to return soon.  She says she wants to go to heaven, but she enjoys life and hasn’t had to deal with too much suffering. She’s a…

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Why doesn’t God just end the world and stop the corruption?

Question: We know, as a fact, that our God does not want anyone to perish and wants all to come to the knowledge of Him and salvation. We even deduce that he created us out of love, as He is love. At the same time, we expect that most people will not be saved, and…

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