Are There Signs of the Second Coming in Today's World?

Are there signs of the Second Coming in today's world? That's just one of the questions we'll be answering on today's edition of CORE Christianity. Well, hi, this is Bill Meyer, along with Pastor Adriel Sanchez, and this is the radio program where we answer your questions about the Bible and the Christian life every day. If you have a question for us, we'd love to hear from you. Here's our phone number.

It's 833-THE-CORE. You can also post your question on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. You can watch us on YouTube, and you can email us your question at questionsatcorechristianity.com. First up today, let's go to Bridget calling in from Iowa. Bridget, what's your question for Pastor Adriel? My question retains to his name. Are we permitted, from the Messiah being our God, are we permitted to change his name because of a different language, or should we go back to the original text and try to find his true name of what they called him?

Hey, Bridget, thank you for that question. This is actually a question that has come up many times throughout the history of the church. There are even entire movements that have made a big deal about this. You think about the Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, who will say, well, you know, we've changed the Bible because we're not translating the name of God in Scripture. They'll say Jehovah or Yahweh. Now, in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew Bible, we're not translating the name of God in Scripture. They'll say Jehovah or Yahweh. Now, in the Old Testament, in the Hebrew Bible, the divine name, we really don't know how to pronounce it because we don't know what the original sort of vowel points were, but it consisted of four letters or four consonants, and it wasn't even spoken. I mean, there was this great sense of reverence that the ancient scribes had. They wouldn't say or pronounce the divine name. Instead, they would just say Lord or Adonai. And so you see this even at that time. I don't think there's anything wrong with, you know, if you look at your English Bible, typically when you see Lord in all capitals, that's a reference to the divine name.

I don't think there's anything wrong with that, and I think there's a great way to see this. In the time of the New Testament, in the time of Jesus, the Bible that most people use, the copy of the Scriptures that most people use was called the Septuagint. It was the Greek translation of the Old Testament because many people were speaking Greek at that time, and they didn't transliterate the divine name as, you know, they weren't trying to pronounce it in Greek. Instead, they just used the Greek word for Lord, kurios, and so it was good enough for them, and that was really the Bible that Jesus and his disciples used primarily.

And so I often, you know, when I'm having conversations with Jehovah's Witnesses, for example, who make a really big deal about this, and they say, oh, you've changed the Bible. It doesn't say the divine name. It just says Lord, and that's a really bad thing. I just say, well, look, that's basically what was happening in Christ's day as well, and he was using, his disciples were using this translation, this Septuagint, and it did the exact same thing, and Jesus didn't ever raise any issues about this.

We didn't have any examples in the New Testament of Jesus saying, hey, you know, don't use the Septuagint, that kind of a thing, and so it just highlights, I think, an area where people are maybe focused not on the right thing. So we wanna focus on the pronunciation of the name of God instead of the revelation of who God is and how he's revealed himself in scripture, in particular, in his son, Jesus Christ. And so I don't think that there's any problem with that, with the way in which we've translated the divine name in our English Bibles, for example. It is helpful to do a study on these things to know that when you see Lord in all capitals, that that's typically the translation of the divine name.

If it's just capital L, lowercase o-r-d, that's probably in the Old Testament the Hebrew word adonai, Lord. And there are many different ways in which God revealed himself to his people through the divine name, but other ways, just through these pictures that he gave us, it's all this great big analogy where God is helping us understand who he is. And so I appreciate that question, Bridget, and may the Lord bless your day. You're listening to Core Christianity with Pastor Adrian Sanchez. There is a group of people that we wanna say thank you to today. They're called our inner core. These are people who support this ministry on a monthly basis, and we could not do it without you.

Yeah, thank you. If you're a part of our inner core, first of all, I just wanna say that because it really is such a huge encouragement for us. It helps us to continue to do the work that we're doing here. The inner core is a group of people that support us with their prayers and a monthly gift of $25 or more. It really goes a long way, and if you've been blessed by Core Christianity, by this broadcast, would you consider joining the inner core? As I said, it is a huge encouragement for us as a team, one of the ways we can partner together to get the word of the gospel out to people who desperately need to hear it. And as a thank you, we'll send you a copy of the book, Core Christianity, which is just a wonderful resource that we know will bless you in your walk with the Lord and help you understand the core truths of the Christian faith for yourself on a deeper level.

That book, written by Dr. Michael Horton, our founder, who actually began this program, and the book is just wonderful. We'll also send you some special resources that our inner core members receive. So if you'd like to learn more, go to our website corechristianity.com forward slash inner core to learn more. Well, one of the ways you can ask a question is by leaving a voicemail.

You can do that 24 hours a day at 833-THE-CORE. And here's a voicemail we received earlier this week from one of our listeners named Joseph. Are there any signs of the second coming of Christ occurring now that indicate we are near the second Advent? Of course, preaching the entire Great Commission is primary. Is the rapture the blessed hope? Can Christians escape the seven-year tribulation period?

Thank you. Well, it sounds like there was a few questions there and questions related to the end times, questions related to the second coming of Jesus Christ. Now, there are a number of, I think, signs that the New Testament gives related to the coming of the Lord of things that Scripture talks about taking place prior to the coming of the Lord. First, you have the gospel being proclaimed to the entire world, the inclusion, if you will, of the Gentiles in this community of faith. You see this in Matthew 24, verse 14, also in Romans 11, verse 25.

That's another place where it talks about this. And then you have also the language of this great restoration, revival, if you will, among ethnic Israel, Jewish conversion. You see this, I think, in the prophets, the minor prophets, Zechariah 12, verse 10, also in Romans 11, verses 25 and following. Another thing that the Scriptures frequently will talk about prior to the coming of the Lord is this great apostasy, people turning away from the faith. There's this association between that apostasy and the latter days. Paul in 1 Timothy, chapter 4, verse 1, says, Many will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and the doctrines of demons. And so you see that, and again, that's something that Jesus warned about in places like Matthew, chapter 4. You have the coming of the Antichrist or the man of sin, as he sometimes referred to, this sinister individual who opposes the Lord and opposes the people of God. Paul talks about this in 2 Thessalonians.

You also have the language of signs and wonders, which sometimes people will point to in Matthew, chapter 24. But those are the things that you see typically in the New Testament that are associated with the coming of the Lord. And your question is, are we seeing things right now that should indicate to us that, hey, this is happening.

It's right around the corner. Well, you know, I think that sometimes pastors will point to things that are taking place in the Middle East or even in our own country here in the United States. And they'll say, oh, you know, Jesus is right at the door, that kind of a thing. We always, brothers and sisters, need to be ready. From the very beginning, when Jesus was preaching, when the apostles were preaching, they were calling people to be ready to continue to walk in the light, not to be foolish. And so whether it was then or now, our charge is the same. And I would say rather than focusing so much on everything that's taking place around us and getting really concerned, fearful even about those things, what we should do is focus on Jesus and his word and that charge, really, to be prepared.

And what does that look like? You know, how should we live as Christians who are thinking about the end of all things, if you will? Well, I think Peter gives us a great example of what this looks like in 1 Peter 4. This is a text that I love going to these days because a lot of people have this question, you know, boy, things seem pretty bad. What should we be doing?

Should we be moving to the mountains, stockpiling toilet paper, you know, those kinds of things? Well, Peter says how we should live in light of the end of all things. 1 Peter 4, verse 7, listen closely to this.

The end of all things is at hand. Therefore, here's what you need to do, be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers. Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins. Show hospitality to one another without grumbling. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace.

Whoever speaks is one who speaks the oracles of God, whoever serves is one who serves by the strength that God supplies, in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Now, how does that sound, brothers and sisters?

The end of all things is at hand. Build a barricade? No. Flee to the mountains and sell everything you have and, you know, stockpile canned food?

No. He says be hospitable. Above all else, love your neighbor.

Be self-controlled, right? This is what we're called to. This is how we're called to live in light of the present age that we're in and the hope of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I think we need to be reminded of that because so many people are just gripped with fear, concern. They're reacting to things that they see in the media. It's causing them to go more and more inward and to recede, if you will, from society, from loving their neighbors. Instead, it's us versus them. Those are the bad people out there.

Peter, he says the opposite. We need to love each other. We need to be hospitable. We need to continue to share the truth of the gospel with the people around us. That's what God calls us to do in light of the present situation.

That's a pretty radical approach and I love it. I mean, if you think about it, it's the peace of Christ. That should be what fills our lives and our hearts, right?

Yeah. I mean, in a world where everybody is sort of fighting each other because of their stance on any number of things, on medical issues, on political issues, where there's hardly any charity. They're just sort of lobbing these rhetorical bombs at each other and there's not a lot of grace. There's not a lot of compassion.

There's not a lot of listening. The church really can be something different. We as followers of Christ, as those who have the comfort of the Lord and the hope of eternal life can model something different for the rest of the world and I think that's powerful.

Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Here's a question we received from Diane in Illinois. She says, I'm struggling with a bad situation with my brother. He's been abusive in the past and struggles with narcissism.

How can I pray to God to help him? Yeah, well, Bill, I definitely want to get your insights here. I've recommended a resource related to narcissism before on this broadcast.

It's called The Narcissism Comes to Church, Healing Your Community from Emotional and Spiritual Abuse. I think one way to just know how to help is understanding probably narcissism in particular as this illness and how to approach that. I think that's really, really important. I think for yourself, building proper barriers, wouldn't you say, Bill, in terms of, you know, these kinds of relationships can be really, really damaging and painful because this is someone that you love. This is someone that you care about and so you're struggling to think through, okay, how do I love them without destroying myself in the process? And that's going to take a lot of wisdom. Prayer, I would say, would be that the Lord would open this individual's heart.

Oftentimes with a narcissist, there's just a complete unwillingness to see, right, the situation that they're in, what they're doing, what they're causing. There's a lot of denial, a lot of deflection, and so part of it is, Lord, would you open this individual's eyes? Would you do what only you can do by the grace of your Holy Spirit to cause them to see how it is that they're living and thinking and what that's doing to their relationships and the people around them? And so I think that's one prayer. And then also prayer for yourself, for wisdom to know what does it look like to speak the truth and love in this situation, to be a loving sister, and to honor the Lord in this relationship.

Bill, what would you add? Well, I love that you said speak the truth and love because that is really the key when you're talking to somebody with a really intransigent personality issue like narcissism. And unfortunately, the research is not real hopeful on that. So without God's intervention and a person really willing to change, a narcissist typically doesn't have any empathy for others, and they are completely self-focused. And so for her, I think the key for Diane is letting your yes be yes and your no be no when you are dealing with your brother.

And as hard as that may be, yeah, you love him, but you also have to have those boundaries and protect yourself. God would want you to take care of yourself. Yeah, I agree, Bill. Thank you for that insight, Diane. Maybe we can just say a prayer for her right now and for her brother.

Lord, we know just how difficult this situation is. We pray for Diane. We ask for your healing in her life. Would you fill her with your Holy Spirit? Would you give her a sense of your presence? Would you give her wisdom, Lord, in how to relate to her brother, how to speak the truth in love?

What might be some healthy barriers for her to build in terms of being honest but not putting herself in a situation that is going to only further contribute to his abuse and to the blindness that he has? And so would you, one, would you be with her, Lord, and would you comfort her and would you give her wisdom? And for her brother, we do pray that you would cause the light of your word to shine upon him, that there would be an openness, Lord, to this situation, to the fact that maybe there's the need for some professional help and going to see a counselor. And ultimately, Lord, also just repentance, seeing where his actions are harming the people around him, the lack of empathy, Lord. Would you work by the power of your word and by the grace of your Holy Spirit in his life, we ask in Jesus' name, amen. Amen. This is Core Christianity with Pastor Adriel Sanchez. Here is a question we received from one of our listeners named Kimberly.

Okay. Me and my boyfriend, I call him my husband too, of 15 years have been together and have a 12-year-old. I love the Lord, but I can't marry him because if I get married, I had a head injury when I was 15.

And I was going to come by 31 days, and I have my disability off my dad's social security number, and I'm just trying to... I don't see any place in the Bible that says anything about that. I'm just, I don't know, maybe peace of mind that I'm not continuing to live a sinful life. And thank you a lot. Bye-bye.

God bless you. Wow, Kimberly, that's a very, it sounds like a very difficult situation, like you're with this man that you love, you guys have a child together, a teenager, going to be a teenager here soon, but you're not married. And you don't want to get married because of this other situation, this other factor in terms of resources and getting the care that you need.

So let me just first say, this is a hard one, this is a difficult situation. Let me also say that sometimes following the Lord does require us to do difficult things, does require us to lose things. You see this very clearly in Scripture. I mean, when Jesus says, take up your cross and follow me, assumed there in that call to discipleship is, obedience to me sometimes looks like loss. Following me sometimes looks like denying yourself.

This is what it looks like. And so recognizing the complexity of this issue, I think you probably, I hope that you're in a church where there are people who know you. I would want to be closer to this situation before I gave some real clear advice, but I think what I can say is God calls you to be married with this person. Marriage is a gift that the Lord has given to us, a relationship where we're not willing to get married, but we're embracing all the perks of marriage, if you will. That's not something that's pleasing to the Lord, nor does that set a good example, I think, for the people around us. We want to show that marriage is a gift from the Lord and something that's to be honored.

I mean, this is what the author of the Hebrews says in Hebrews chapter 13 verse 4. Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled. That value that the Christian should place on marriage, it should be honored, it should be valued by all. That's something that we don't see in our culture, in our society today. There's a minimizing of marriage, of its significance, of the family. I think if we seek to follow the Lord in this area, that's going to be one of the places where a lot of people are going to say, you guys are crazy, why do you guys think the way that you do? There's loss associated with that, and maybe getting married means loss for you in this situation.

Maybe it means you've got to get on a different insurance. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that's what you need to pursue in this situation because God calls us to be married, not to live in fornication. Again, as I said, you're setting an example for your 12-year-old as well in terms of what it looks like to follow the Lord and sometimes even the cost of obedience.

Those are my initial thoughts, but as I said, this is a very complex issue. I hope that you are in a church or that you'll get into a church that is faithful to God's word and where there are people around you who might be able to rally around you and encourage you and help you in this situation. If you were in my church, we would want to walk with you to do the right thing and then support you in that. If there was a financial strain or something like that, that's what the body of Christ is there for. You need that.

You need that support. May the Lord give you wisdom and also just courage to do what the Lord calls you to do. I'm so glad you talked about the role of the church here, Adriel. I think you and I would agree we do hear from a lot of people who want to be Lone Ranger Christians. They say, I'm going to do this on my own or I'm not really plugged into a church.

There are a couple of things there. One is support, as you mentioned. The other is accountability. We need both of those things in our Christian walk.

Absolutely. It's everywhere in the New Testament and over and over again on this broadcast we often say, if you're not in a church, you need to be in a church. I'm sensitive to the fact, I know that people are listening right now and they're thinking, well, you don't know what I've experienced in the church. I've been hurt by the church. I talk to people almost every week, Bill, who share stories of some traumatic thing that they've experienced in the church.

I don't want to minimize the pain that many people feel. I'm not saying go to an abusive church, go to a church where there's no accountability, go to a church where they're not faithful to God's word. No, those kinds of churches, churches that are abusive, we need to flee from those churches. But churches that are seeking to honor the Lord and to be faithful to him and where there's accountability. No church is perfect, brothers and sisters. I often say Jesus knows the brokenness, the warts that the church has better than anyone else, and yet he still has not abandoned the church. He's still working in and through broken, warty pastors and people. Again, that's not a justification for abuse.

Those things need to be addressed and dealt with. But I am saying, yes, there's no perfect church, but we're still called to associate ourselves with gospel-preaching churches. Maybe that's really hard for you.

Maybe because of hurt in your past, you can't do that. Well, I would just say maybe begin by praying, Lord, help me, guide me. I believe that I need to be around others who can encourage me in my walk with you. I believe that I need to hear your word proclaimed every single week, but I just have a hard time walking through those doors. So would you please help me, Lord?

And would you please lead me to the right place where I'm going to be cared for spiritually, where your word is proclaimed faithfully? That's what we want. That's what we need. And I need that as a pastor. I need that community of faith as well. So I hope that this dear sister that called in with that question can find that, can get the support that she needs. Oftentimes that's one of the things that keeps us from doing the right thing.

And in a situation like this, well, I won't have money to pay the rent, that kind of a thing. Well, that's where the body of Christ can come alongside of us as we're faithfully following the Lord. And they can say, hey, we're here to support you, to care for you, to help you.

And I appreciate that question that our sister gave us. By the way, we want to help you find a good church. If you're one of our regular listeners and you're looking for that, we actually have a great core question on that. You can find out how, you know, what are the signs of a great church that God would want you plugged into? Look up that resource over at corechristianity.com. We have a lot of other articles there related to what it looks like to find a good church, what would the church should be about. So check that out. And as always, thanks for joining us for The Core. Join us next time as we explore the truth of God's word together.