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Are
You Ready For God's Final Air Show?
By
John Wagner
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Have
you ever watched an air show with a precision flying team like the Blue
Angels? If you have, you watched impressive demonstrations of precision
aeronautics. Just as you looked into the skies to watch the performances
of those jet airplanes you need to realize something. There will be a day
when God will put on a massive air show! But it won't be with high powered
jets.
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It
will be the return of Jesus Christ to this earth!
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"...he
was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
They were looking intently up into the sky, when suddenly two men dressed
in white stood beside them. "...they said, "why do you stand here looking
into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven,
will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." |
Acts
1:9-11
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Just as
there were times when the clouds obscured your vision of the planes performing
their feats of skill, there are many things obscuring our vision of God
too.
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Obadiah
1:3-4
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"The
pride of your heart has deceived you...you who say to yourself, 'Who can
bring me down to the ground? 'Though you soar like the eagle and make your
nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down," declares the LORD." |
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We deceive
ourselves into thinking because we do not believe in God we don't have
to worry about His judgment. But we are only deceiving ourselves! We can't
avoid the ultimate judgment of God by saying we don't believe in Him any
more than the pilots of the planes you saw could ignore the laws of gravity
by saying they didn't believe in it!
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Matthew
16:2-3
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"When
evening comes, you say, 'It will be fair weather, for the sky is red,'
and in the morning, 'Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.'
You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret
the signs of the times." |
We can
forecast the weather (at least to some extent). But are we ignoring the
signs of the end of the age that is rapidly coming upon us?
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Do
you
recognize the signs of the times? |
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Matthew
24:4-14 |
"...You
will hear of wars
and rumors of wars...Nation
will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will befamines
and earthquakes in various places. All these
are the beginning of birth pains...At that timemany
will turn away from the faith and will betray
and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many
people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow
cold...And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." |
This list
of signs reads like today's international newspaper headlines! And every
one of them is on the increase both in magnitude and frequency!
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| "But
mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be
lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash,
conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God--having a form
of godliness but denying its power." |
2
Timothy 3:1-5 |
My friend,
if you don't see these on the increase every time you watch the news you're
not paying attention! |
No
one knows exactly when Jesus' return will be!
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Matthew
24:36 |
"No
one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father." |
The days
will be like they were before the great flood in Noah's day. Prior to the
great flood of Noah's day people were going about doing all of their normal
daily activities. They were totally unaware of the impending disaster.
But it didn't have to be like that for them and it doesn't have to be like
that for you.

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| "...people
were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day
Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until
the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming
of the Son of Man." |
Matthew
24:38-39 |
Don't
let Jesus' return catch you unprepared!
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Although
no one knows the exact time Jesus will return, Jesus did say in:
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Matthew
24:32-33 |
"Now
learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and
its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see
all these things, you know that it is near,
right
at the door."
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Just as
suddenly as the jets blasted past you during the air show you watched,
the Bible says the return of Jesus to earth will be:
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| "...as
lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will
be the coming of the Son of Man." |
Matthew
24:27 |
A
major public event!
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Revelation
1:7 |
"Look,
he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who
pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him." |
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Revelation
6:14-17 |
"The
sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was
removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals,
the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and
among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the
rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne
and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come,
and who can stand?" |
But the
return of Jesus to earth isn't all gloom and doom! Jesus Christ is full
of love and compassion. He isn't willing that anyone die without knowing
Him and having an opportunity to repent and receive Him as their Savior!
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| "Praise
the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all
your sins... who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love
and compassion...The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger,
abounding in love...he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us
according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from
the west, so far has he removed our transgressions [sins] from us. As a
father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those
who fear him; for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are
dust...But from everlasting to everlasting the LORD's love is with those
who fear him, and his righteousness with their children's children--with
those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts..." |
Psalm
103:1-18 |
Matthew
23:37 |
Jesus
showed us His heart when He said:
"O
Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to
you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing." |
Are
you
ready for God's final air show?
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Have
you
ever asked Jesus Christ to come into your heart or life?
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If
not, would you like to be ready for Jesus' return by asking Him into your
heart right now?
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If
your answer to the previous question was 'Yes', all you have to do is talk
to God and say something like I've written below. The attitude of
your heart is more important than the exact words.
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"Jesus,
I don't want to miss your final air show. I want to be ready when you come
back to this earth. I want to receive you as my Savior and Lord. Please
forgive my sins and come into my heart. Make me the kind of person you
want me to be. Thank you."
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| If
you prayed this prayer sincerely, then God has forgiven all your
past sins!
1
John 1:8-10
"If
we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in
us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we
have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place
in our lives."
And,
Jesus Christ has come into your heart because He promised to do just that
if we asked Him in.
Revelation
3:20
"Here
I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens
the door, I will come in and eat with him [her], and he [she] with
me."
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Would
you like us to pray for you?
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Do
you have any questions or comments?
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If
you asked Jesus to forgive you and come into your life, we'd like to know
so we can rejoice with you and keep you in our prayers. Please click on
the mailbox below to send your answers to the above questions to us. We'll
be happy to help you and will get back to you personally! |
Your
Opinion Matters!
Do
you think Jesus is coming back physically to this earth?
Are
you ready for His physical, bodily return to earth?
Email us and let us know what
you think or post a comment on our blog:
wagner@openbibleministries.com
http://www.openbibleministries.com
Copyright © 2002 Open Bible
Ministries, Inc. All rights reserved.
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