How Much Longer?

Chris

Administrator
Staff member
How Much Longer?
By Tim Moore

When I was a teenager, I met a wonderful man named Bill Smith. He was a senior adult at the church I attended and simply took the time to express genuine interest in me. Each time I saw him at church, he made a point to speak to me. Eventually, I began calling him Grandpa Smith. His wife Nellie became Grandma Smith.

They did not have any grandchildren, but in the years that followed my entire family adopted Grandpa and Grandma Smith. We also met and loved their daughter, Annette.

Bill Smith had been a world-class car salesman, earning awards and recognition at the national level. He was also an avid golfer — walking 18 holes every day except Sunday well into his eighties. But for most of his adult life, he was far more committed to serving the Lord and sharing the Gospel with everyone he could.

Grandpa Smith carried a Gideon Bible everywhere he went. He was always in good spirits and ready to share a Scripture verse with someone in need of encouragement or direction. In short, he exuded the kind of joy every Christian should exhibit.

Bill went home to be with the Lord in 2013. His daughter asked me to speak at his funeral, and then offered me anything from his estate that would have meaning to me. I asked for his beloved Gideon Bible. It is now one of my most cherished possessions.

Bill began carrying that Bible in 1967 — the year after I was born. He had notes in the front and back flyleaves, including a series of Bible verses to lead someone to salvation. But he also had notes that I reprinted in my booklet, “Looking Forward to the Reign of Jesus Christ.”

Here is what Bill Smith wrote as his own personal testimony:

– 2000 years – Adam to the Flood
– 2000 years – Flood to Christ
– 2000 years – Holy Spirit (Church Age)
– What time is it?
– How much longer?
– Our Lord may come sooner than we anticipate.

Grandpa Smith’s willingness to pour into a young man 53 years younger than him tell of a man secure in Jesus Christ and eager to pass his faith forward to another generation. His Gideon Bible and handwritten testimony demonstrate his eager anticipation of Jesus’s soon return. I believe with all my heart that his faith and his anticipation are inexorably linked.

Some would say that Bill’s hope was not realized. Unlike Simeon, he did not live long enough to see the Messiah with his own eyes. But that misses the point. He is now with the Lord and will live forever in His glorious presence. When Jesus comes for His Church, Bill Smith will rise from the grave and be given a glorified body. And, like Paul, He will be given a crown of righteousness, because he truly loved the Lord’s appearing.

I look forward to seeing Grandpa and Grandma Smith again. How much longer? Perhaps much sooner than we anticipate…

“…in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.” – (2 Timothy 4:8)

https://www.raptureforums.com/spiritual-life/how-much-longer/
 

RedRx

Well-Known Member
I understand all of the signs and I get that more people consider that the Rapture will happen soon. But what reference points are you using? There is scripture that talks about a thousand years being like a day. God’s definition of soon could be far different from ours.

Hasn’t every generation since Jesus was on this earth included many people that thought Jesus was returning in their lifetimes? I guess my question is this: what’s different enough for us that we’re not just the latest generation to think it’s all about us?

I’ve seen surveys that report more than half of evangelicals think it will happen before 2050. That means a lot of people on this earth now expect to still be alive for this event.

I think what I am struggling with is viewing things as signs because I want an event to happen soon rather than objectively evaluating if those signs are true indicators of it’s imminence. I don’t want to be blinded by personal wishes.

I guess I just think about the incredible odds of actually being in the generation that sees this event in their lifetimes. It’s kind of like winning the lottery: theoretically you know there’s a chance but realistically what are the odds? Maybe that is a poor analogy but you get the idea.

I’ve been struggling with this lately and I don’t want anyone to think I’m claiming they are wrong for what they believe. I guess I just want reassurances that I’m not fooling myself because I want something to happen rather than looking to see if that something is realistic.

Am I seeing what I want to see or am I seeing true indications of an event coming soon by my definition of soon? That is the question I struggle with inside my head.
 

Umbrella Girl

Now we see through a glass, darkly; (1 Cor 13:12)
I understand all of the signs and I get that more people consider that the Rapture will happen soon. But what reference points are you using? There is scripture that talks about a thousand years being like a day. God’s definition of soon could be far different from ours.

Hasn’t every generation since Jesus was on this earth included many people that thought Jesus was returning in their lifetimes? I guess my question is this: what’s different enough for us that we’re not just the latest generation to think it’s all about us?

I’ve seen surveys that report more than half of evangelicals think it will happen before 2050. That means a lot of people on this earth now expect to still be alive for this event.

I think what I am struggling with is viewing things as signs because I want an event to happen soon rather than objectively evaluating if those signs are true indicators of it’s imminence. I don’t want to be blinded by personal wishes.

I guess I just think about the incredible odds of actually being in the generation that sees this event in their lifetimes. It’s kind of like winning the lottery: theoretically you know there’s a chance but realistically what are the odds? Maybe that is a poor analogy but you get the idea.

I’ve been struggling with this lately and I don’t want anyone to think I’m claiming they are wrong for what they believe. I guess I just want reassurances that I’m not fooling myself because I want something to happen rather than looking to see if that something is realistic.

Am I seeing what I want to see or am I seeing true indications of an event coming soon by my definition of soon? That is the question I struggle with inside my head.
Those are good questions, and we’ve all asked them, too…

My foundational point of reference is the “fig tree” prophecy, given by Jesus Himself, regarding Jerusalem. Are you familiar with it?
 

Spartan Sprinter 1

Formerly known as Shaun
I understand all of the signs and I get that more people consider that the Rapture will happen soon. But what reference points are you using? There is scripture that talks about a thousand years being like a day. God’s definition of soon could be far different from ours.

Hasn’t every generation since Jesus was on this earth included many people that thought Jesus was returning in their lifetimes? I guess my question is this: what’s different enough for us that we’re not just the latest generation to think it’s all about us?

I’ve seen surveys that report more than half of evangelicals think it will happen before 2050. That means a lot of people on this earth now expect to still be alive for this event.

I think what I am struggling with is viewing things as signs because I want an event to happen soon rather than objectively evaluating if those signs are true indicators of it’s imminence. I don’t want to be blinded by personal wishes.

I guess I just think about the incredible odds of actually being in the generation that sees this event in their lifetimes. It’s kind of like winning the lottery: theoretically you know there’s a chance but realistically what are the odds? Maybe that is a poor analogy but you get the idea.

I’ve been struggling with this lately and I don’t want anyone to think I’m claiming they are wrong for what they believe. I guess I just want reassurances that I’m not fooling myself because I want something to happen rather than looking to see if that something is realistic.

Am I seeing what I want to see or am I seeing true indications of an event coming soon by my definition of soon? That is the question I struggle with inside my head.

I guess one of the indicators could be the frequency of the birthpang signs increasing to almost daily occurances, to me if these are what are meant to be signs of the tribulation almost beginning then i guess the rapture isn't too far on the horizon or even on the doorstep !
 

Andy C

Well-Known Member
I understand all of the signs and I get that more people consider that the Rapture will happen soon. But what reference points are you using? There is scripture that talks about a thousand years being like a day. God’s definition of soon could be far different from ours.

Hasn’t every generation since Jesus was on this earth included many people that thought Jesus was returning in their lifetimes? I guess my question is this: what’s different enough for us that we’re not just the latest generation to think it’s all about us?

I’ve seen surveys that report more than half of evangelicals think it will happen before 2050. That means a lot of people on this earth now expect to still be alive for this event.

I think what I am struggling with is viewing things as signs because I want an event to happen soon rather than objectively evaluating if those signs are true indicators of it’s imminence. I don’t want to be blinded by personal wishes.

I guess I just think about the incredible odds of actually being in the generation that sees this event in their lifetimes. It’s kind of like winning the lottery: theoretically you know there’s a chance but realistically what are the odds? Maybe that is a poor analogy but you get the idea.

I’ve been struggling with this lately and I don’t want anyone to think I’m claiming they are wrong for what they believe. I guess I just want reassurances that I’m not fooling myself because I want something to happen rather than looking to see if that something is realistic.

Am I seeing what I want to see or am I seeing true indications of an event coming soon by my definition of soon? That is the question I struggle with inside my head.
Perhaps all the signs listed on the link will help. The link was pulled from the new site Chris just started

https://www.eternal-life.com/second-coming-prophecies/
 

RedRx

Well-Known Member
Yes, I’m familiar with the parable of the fig tree. And it is one area that gets my attention. But honestly, there doesn’t seem to even be consensus regarding what is a generation.

There is one more thing. I feel guilty when I find myself longing for the Rapture. This will be so horrible for so many people left on this earth I can’t help but think that I should hope that this happens as long into the future as possible so more people might find the truth.

Such death and destruction widespread throughout the world yet it will also be a time for so many to finally be with Jesus. How does one process such different emotions and outcomes?
 

Umbrella Girl

Now we see through a glass, darkly; (1 Cor 13:12)
Honestly, simply the fact that we now have a worldwide pandemic - not of Covid, but of men who think they’re women and women who think they’re men, and they believe there’s something like 150 different genders - that fact alone tells me that the Rapture and Second Coming of Christ must be very soon indeed. And I mean OUR understanding of “soon,” not some arbitrary, abstract, ethereal idea of it…

Many women are literally growing beards and having their breasts chopped off because they believe they are really men. And “do no harm” butcher doctors carry it out. If that’s not a sure sign o’ the soon end times, then I don’t know what is. Seriously…
 
Last edited:

SarahRose

Well-Known Member
Perhaps all the signs listed on the link will help. The link was pulled from the new site Chris just started

https://www.eternal-life.com/second-coming-prophecies/
This is a good list. I hope I can get my printer to work so I can have it handy!

My personal feeling of the rapture occurring soon comes from the convergence of signs. As said at the end of the list, some of the signs have happened before at different times, but we are the first to see such a convergence of signs happening at once. And things seem to be happening rapidly, as birth pangs do, getting faster and faster as they go on.
 

Umbrella Girl

Now we see through a glass, darkly; (1 Cor 13:12)
I look back to the year 1980 as another point of reference for me. I was 12 years old in 1980, and it was at that age when I started to develop more of an awareness of the world at large…

The world back in 1980 was a very different world in many ways, compared to now. Very very different. And not in a good way. (Other than great advances in medicine, of course).

The pic of me, my Dad, and Kit Kat, which I use as my profile pic, was taken in 1978. That world barely exists anymore. And it breaks my heart in many ways…
 

Bethlehem57

Well-Known Member
Those are good questions, and we’ve all asked them, too…

My foundational point of reference is the “fig tree” prophecy, given by Jesus Himself, regarding Jerusalem. Are you familiar with it?
As well as the convergence of all these signs happening together as they have not had in the past. Look at how many of them are all taking place at the same time! We live in exciting times!
 

Belle of Grace

Longing for Home
Am I seeing what I want to see or am I seeing true indications of an event coming soon by my definition of soon? That is the question I struggle with inside my head.
RedRx, you would have a lot of these questions answered by viewing Pastor's Point of View #235 on YouTube.
Also, Jan Markell's ministry would be of great benefit to you, as well. You're confused and questioning because you haven't been properly taught in the area of end times (eschatology).
The Scripture that says 1000 yrs is as one day to the Lord has been misapplied in the area of end times study for many years now. God is outside of time. He's eternal and His view of everything does not have time as part of the prophecies He gives us. So please set that verse aside for right now, and don't let it keep you from looking up, for truly our redemption draws near.
 

lightofmylife

Blessed Hope-Prepare To Fly!
RedRx, you would have a lot of these questions answered by viewing Pastor's Point of View #235 on YouTube.
Also, Jan Markell's ministry would be of great benefit to you, as well. You're confused and questioning because you haven't been properly taught in the area of end times (eschatology).
The Scripture that says 1000 yrs is as one day to the Lord has been misapplied in the area of end times study for many years now. God is outside of time. He's eternal and His view of everything does not have time as part of the prophecies He gives us. So please set that verse aside for right now, and don't let it keep you from looking up, for truly our redemption draws near.
We watched Andy Woods and Jim McGowan last night it was an interesting program with many good topics.
 
Back
Top