Second coming - individualized

[Douglas]

Karen, I have to admit, you lost me there.

[Jill]

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[psychohmike]

Yeah Karen...You lost me too...Sorry

Pretty much from the first word to the last.

[Douglas]

The "coming" of the Lord I believe is for everyone for rewards or condemnation. Every Knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Upon death, they will know it.

Act 1:9 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," 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."

I think that when I die physically, I will see Christ coming for me just as described above.

The thief in the night aspect of only being for judgment appears to be correct regarding the up and soon coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, but at the same time, if one considers the way God dealt with Israel to be an example for us (2000 years later) of how He will deal with us in like manner individually, then maybe there is something to take away from that. For we know we will ALL be judged, right? Although we are not appointed for wrath if we believe in Jesus. I think maybe that judgment will happen upon our physical death.

I am obviously trying to put it all together still, so bear with me.

[Jill]

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[Douglas]

No problem Karen, we are just probably at different points of understanding and therefore such confusion is bound to happen at times.

I am very glad you enjoy posting here, as I am happy such a place exists that we can bounce ideas off of one another.

[Mellontes]

I personally am opposed to "end of the world" teachings, regardless what Bible group.

Would you mind if you gave your interpretation as to what you believe concerning the "end of the world" teachings...

It is such a small phrase; yet, it has so many different meanings for so many different groups...

Thanks

[mikew]

The "coming" of the Lord I believe is for everyone for rewards or condemnation. Every Knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. Upon death, they will know it.

How about considering the idea that for believers there was an offering of rewards to those who were fruitful but for others they survived, just without rewards? But in that time of judgment, those who didn't accept Christ were judged and condemned. The idea of rewards and of the condemnation appear to be first century eschatological elements rather than having general application to all believers or all people.

Act 1:9 ...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."

I think that when I die physically, I will see Christ coming for me just as described above.

Hope I didn't say it before ... but I don't see a contextual framework in that passage to suggest that Jesus was speaking of individual people's destinies, nor speaking of general doctrine. The goal of Jesus was to prepare these believers for the troubled times they would be encountering.
Also, scripture doesn't tend to speak in much detail about the afterlife experience. About the only instance that comes to mind is when Jesus described the state of resurrection of the Last Day to the Sadducees.

The thief in the night aspect of only being for judgment appears to be correct regarding the up and soon coming destruction of Jerusalem in AD70, but at the same time, if one considers the way God dealt with Israel to be an example for us (2000 years later) of how He will deal with us in like manner individually, then maybe there is something to take away from that.

I wouldn't think so. The problem with the Israel bloodline was that they were flesh, mankind could not become associated with God properly because of man's selfish nature. In contrast, Jesus came in love and preached love. But Jesus also pointed to the new nature, being born of the spirit. Therefore how can we be seen in the same way as Israel was?

For we know we will ALL be judged, right? Although we are not appointed for wrath if we believe in Jesus. I think maybe that judgment will happen upon our physical death.

It depends what you mean by judgment. Jesus tells us that believers skip past judgment into eternal life.
Joh 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life. (ASV)
So at least the worst concept of judgment doesn't apply to believers. Only the decisional or ceremonial aspect of judging for rewards applies (or applied) to believers.

I am obviously trying to put it all together still, so bear with me.

Certainly

[Jill]

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[Mellontes]

(mikew's above post is much clearer).

I personally am opposed to "end of the world" teachings, regardless what Bible group.

Would you mind if you gave your interpretation as to what you believe concerning the "end of the world" teachings...

It is such a small phrase; yet, it has so many different meanings for so many different groups...

Thanks

The earth will continue and people will continue to be born for a long long time. If church goers want to promote an end for themselves, thats up to them, but It gets on my nerves as a common teaching among the senior group to the new. Its a real peace ruiner. I, for instance, could think a bit better without a christian fire alarm going off every time I went to church, or turned on the radio. I think a repentance motivated by threat, is not real. Where as to find yourself repenting in order to move forward into a greater maturity, IS real.

I use the word REPENT. I do not know its original language if Aremaic (spl), but can get a general idea of what of merely by reading the scripture we already have.

As for end of the world teachings. This seems a nieve attempt to motivate greater participation in some foreign belief system. By reason of threat to the one and implied favoritism of the other. (Usually the crier of the end teachings themselves). To look forward to death, for what ever reason, is both morbid and fantastical, and is oximoron to the witness of Christ as found in the scriptures.

I might now be the smartest around here, but I did not catch what you meant. "End of the world" definitely means the end of something. Cna you be specific as to what you believe will be ending?