I’d prefer this thread in general debates as it is a topic not confined to only Christians but moderators please feel most welcome to move it if you wish.
Christ said to ‘watch and pray’ for His Return.
My understanding is He said this so that His Second Coming would not be missed.
How will you know from your own watching and praying whether He has returned or not? Or will you rely on scholars, priests ministers and clergy or the pope to inform you?
I think Jesus left a couple of clues. To know the difference between a true Prophet and a false Prophet He said that a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit, that He who testifies that Jesus came in the flesh is of God and also that whatsoever things are of good report to think on these things.
There have been wars and rumours of wars throughout the centuries after Jesus ascension. There was the Crusades, the Inquisition and holy wars so how do you know which wars He was referring to?
And the sun has been darkened many times and so has the moon turned to blood and stars falling has been a common occurrence. So if no man knows the hour then how can one say He has or has not come unless He came quietly like a thief? What does ‘He that has eyes let him see and he that has ears let him hear mean’? Aren’t we all from birth born with eyes and ears?
And if He comes quietly like a thief and not a spectacular light show in the sky how will you know as no one knows what He looks like or has any DNA to prove it is Him?
Could it be a Great Spiritual Being like Christ who will appear but will be misunderstood like the Jews who were expecting an earthly King?
I believe that the signs accompanying His Return have been misread and that He has already come and gone as a thief. You all probably know that I believe Baha’u’llah was Christ returned in the glory of the Father. What do you think? Is it possible that as the Jews misread the signs, that once again they have been misunderstood? Is man capable of making the same mistake twice or is man’s judgement perfect and he couldn’t have possibly missed the Second Coming?
Christ said to ‘watch and pray’ for His Return.
My understanding is He said this so that His Second Coming would not be missed.
How will you know from your own watching and praying whether He has returned or not? Or will you rely on scholars, priests ministers and clergy or the pope to inform you?
I think Jesus left a couple of clues. To know the difference between a true Prophet and a false Prophet He said that a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit and a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit, that He who testifies that Jesus came in the flesh is of God and also that whatsoever things are of good report to think on these things.
There have been wars and rumours of wars throughout the centuries after Jesus ascension. There was the Crusades, the Inquisition and holy wars so how do you know which wars He was referring to?
And the sun has been darkened many times and so has the moon turned to blood and stars falling has been a common occurrence. So if no man knows the hour then how can one say He has or has not come unless He came quietly like a thief? What does ‘He that has eyes let him see and he that has ears let him hear mean’? Aren’t we all from birth born with eyes and ears?
And if He comes quietly like a thief and not a spectacular light show in the sky how will you know as no one knows what He looks like or has any DNA to prove it is Him?
Could it be a Great Spiritual Being like Christ who will appear but will be misunderstood like the Jews who were expecting an earthly King?
I believe that the signs accompanying His Return have been misread and that He has already come and gone as a thief. You all probably know that I believe Baha’u’llah was Christ returned in the glory of the Father. What do you think? Is it possible that as the Jews misread the signs, that once again they have been misunderstood? Is man capable of making the same mistake twice or is man’s judgement perfect and he couldn’t have possibly missed the Second Coming?