"Are We Living In The Last Generation Of The Church?" by Sharon L. Clemens

                       * All scriptures within this study are linked to BibleGateway.com.

"Are We Living In The Last Generation Of The Church?"

    IN MY LAST TWO ARTICLES, I BEGAN TO SET THE STAGE FOR A CHALLENGING NEW SERIES ON THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS CHRIST--"When The Lamb Stands." In the issue "What Is Gong On?" I noted that the signs of the end times are increasing in frequency and intensity, as Christ warned they would preceding His return [Matthew 24; Luke 21:25-27]. Things are not getting better; they are getting worse. Even the evangelical church is losing its truth focus and sliding into the complacency and compromise of Laodicea [Rev. 3]. As Dr. M. R. DeHaan stated, the only hope for this age is the return of Jesus Christ, NOT the solutions of man.

    In the issue "Judging God," the Haiti earthquake was considered as a warning to all believers. Earthquakes will continue to increase until they become GLOBAL during the Tribulation [Revelation 6:12-14]. But our response is not one of fear; it is one of expectation of Christ's return to restore all things to His original purpose and intention [Luke 21:28--"Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."]

    If this is not enough to engage your interest, let me ask you a question. Are we the last generation of the Church before the Rapture? Anne Graham-Lotz, daughter of Billy Graham and passionate Bible teacher, is convinced that she is part of the "last generation" according to
Matthew 24. In Matthew 24:35, Christ Jesus said the generation that sees the rebirth of Israel as a nation will not pass away before all the signs of Christ's Second Coming are fulfilled. Anne was born in May 1948--the month and year that the nation of Israel was reborn after 2,000 years of non-existence as a nation. [Ref. "Flash Traffic: Washington Update," Joel Rosenberg.]

    Bible prophecy has even come to the political stage. Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, stated in a speech celebrating the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, that the rebirth of Israel is a prophetic fulfillment of Ezekiel 37. Israel has been reborn from their valley of dry bones. Teachers of Bible prophecy recognize that the restoration of the Jewish state is a key sign of Christ's return. May 14, 1948, was a brilliant red flag in Bible prophecy. End times prophecy could not be fulfilled until Israel became a nation once again because prophecy speaks of Israel as an active entity and the epicenter of God's plan during the Tribulation.

    In Matthew 24:32-35, Christ Jesus spoke of Israel's rebirth as the budding fig tree:

"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near--at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away."

    This passage narrows our focus: Which generation will not pass away till all these things take place? The generation that sees the budding of the fig tree, Israel. What things will "take place" in that generation's time span?-- All the signs of the Second Coming of Christ listed in His Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24. THOSE WHO WERE BORN in 1948 and after ARE OF THIS GENERATION. We have a front-row seat in the transition from the Church Age to the Tribulation. We are seeing "the beginning of sorrows" now, according to many scholars. The Rapture is nearer than ever before as the Church will be taken to our Lord before the Tribulation begins.

    Israel IS the fig tree, the nation chosen by God to produce fruit. The nation of Israel is the pre-eminent sign of the unfolding of the end times because after a time of unfruitful cursing, it would produce leaves again near the Second Coming . The Lord cursed the fig tree outside of Jerusalem to demonstrate that God's plan for Israel would be interrupted for a time when they rejected their Messiah. He looked for fruit in Israel, but Israel bore no fruit of repentance. [Matthew 21:18-22; Mark 11:11-14; 20-24; Matthew 21:43] The nation rejected Him; only a small remnant truly believed. Therefore, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth is postponed until His Second Coming when Israel, after budding again, will finally receive Christ as Lord [Zechariah 12; Romans 11]. When the Church is taken out in the Rapture, Israel will be called back into service to God by His mercy and promise and be given another opportunity to bear fruit; then Christ will return. [Acts 15:13-16]

WHAT LIES AHEAD:

    I can identify with Anne Graham-Lotz's passion for Christ's return. His coming should be recognized as "the blessed hope" of all believers according to Titus 2:13, but the majority of professing Christians know little about it. I was born in February of 1949--one year after Israel became a nation again. I believe, like Anne and our Old Testament example, Esther, that I was born "for such a time as this." And so were you! We have a choice--to embrace our destiny to His glory, or to ignore His imminent return [Luke 12:45-48] and struggle hopelessly against it. I urge you to follow in this study of Christ's return so that we will be waiting, working and watching with expectation for His victorious return [Luke 12:35-40]. Woe to those who are not ready when He will appear in the clouds for the Church.

    Our Lord always warns before judgment and restoration. His plan for victory is outlined in His Word as follows:
    1. The Translation [Rapture/Resurrection] of the Church - 1 Cor. 15:51-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18; John 14:1-3
    2. The Great Tribulation - Matthew 24:21; Daniel 9, The 70th Week of Daniel or 7-Year Tribulation
    3. The Battle of Armageddon - Revelation 14:14-20; 19:11-13; Zechariah 14; Joel 3:1-17
    4. The Second Coming of Christ - Revelation 19:11-13; Zechariah 14:4; Matthew 24:27-30
    5. The Millennial Reign - The Kingdom - Revelation 20:1-6; Joel 3:18-21; Isaiah 11; Zechariah 14:20-21
    6. The Final Rebellion of Satan - Revelation 20:7-10
    7. The Judgment of the Wicked, Great White Throne Judgment - Revelation 20:11-15
    8. The New Heaven and the New Earth - Revelation 21:1; Isaiah 65:17; 2 Peter 3:10-13
THE RAPTURE OF THE CHURCH

    The next event on God's time table is the Rapture/Resurrection of the Church. This coming event is unprecedented in its scope and character because it will be the taking out of all living Church Age believers from the face of the earth in a split second of time. It is also the resurrection from the dead of all who already died "in Christ." This event will be discussed in greater detail as we work our way through the exposition of the Revelation. The Rapture is called an imminent event in the Bible because it can happen at any moment. Nothing has to happen before the Lord determines that the Bride is complete and He comes in the clouds to receive us to Himself [John 14:1-3].

    This generation, the generation that saw the historic rebirth of the nation of Israel, has every reason to live in expectation of Christ's any-moment return. Those who are not diligently watching, working and waiting, will be held accountable:

    "But if that servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the unbelievers." [Luke 12:45-46] "Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching... Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect." [Luke 12:37-40] Dr. DeHaan said that the Church denies the imminent return of Christ when they do not teach the Second Coming.

The Lord deliberately did not reveal the day and hour of His coming for the Church so that we must be ALWAYS ready. That is the due diligence of the Church.


UNSEALING THE END TIMES SCROLL--WE ARE LIVING IN EXCITING TIMES!

    I am excited to live in this generation, the generation witnessing "the beginning of sorrows"[Matthew 24:8]. It is exciting to witness God's prophetic truth breaking forth. THE SCROLL OF THE END TIMES WAITS TO BE UNSEALED [Revelation 5] and we long with anticipation for Christ to stand and to come forward to take the scroll and restore righteousness to the earth.

    Daniel was told to "shut up the words and seal the book until the time of the end," but the signs preceding its unsealing are upon us. Daniel was told "many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase." [Daniel 12:4] We cannot deny that travel has increased exponentially in the last few decades. Global travel is now commonplace. James MacDonald notes the difficulty for believers to maintain a viable spirituality in a time of rapid change: He quoted an article that stated "ALL ACCUMULATED KNOWLEDGE NOW DOUBLES EVERY FIVE YEARS... that's a staggering amount of change."

    I'm excited because Daniel was given another sign of Christ's return. He was told a huge disparity between those who understand what God is doing and those who are CLUELESS would occur! In Daniel 12:10, Daniel was told "none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand." In Matthew 13, the Lord said the Church at the end of the age would look like a wheat field so full of weeds, it would take the angels to supernaturally separate the harvest. Isn't that what we are seeing today? The church is full of professing Christians who deny Christ's return, deny the inerrancy of the Word, and even deny the basic theological truths of the Gospel--and yet they call themselves "Christian." I am excited to be wheat among the weeds because I know the time of the separation of light from darkness is near.

    I am excited that I can proclaim the Second Coming of Christ. "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand [imminent]." He has called this generation to herald His coming, and to watch for it expectantly... What fulfillment to know our calling and to be a part of God's glorious return.

IN THE WEEKS TO COME, YOU ARE INVITED TO JOIN IN WORKING THROUGH THE TIME LINE ABOVE AS IT CHRONOLOGICALLY UNFOLDS IN THE REVELATION. DON'T MISS THE SERIES, "When The Lamb Stands"!

In Him We Wait, Work, and Watch,
[Luke 12:35-59]
Sharon

[Prophecy Chat is a weekly commentary of current events in light of Bible prophecy. Sharon L. Clemens is an evangelical, premillennial, dispensational teacher of eschatology. She can be reached for comment or questions by e-mail at farmgrove@verizon.net]

REFERENCES:

Coming Events in Prophecy, M. R. DeHaan, M.D., p. 61.

I Really Want To Change...So, Help Me God, James MacDonald, p. 119.

Flash Traffic: Washington Update, "Netanyahu Says Ezekiel 37 Has Come True," Joel Rosenberg, Monday, February 01, 2010.