The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-W, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 25."  A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.  ©1983. All Rights Reserved.

Questioner

I was just wondering, in regards to your series, “The Anatomy of the Church.” Just from your own personal gut feeling, just how much time do you really think that we have before we are called home?

John MacArthur's Answer

Well, I don’t have a clue. I just know we’re nearer than we’ve ever been. That’s safe, isn’t it? And getting nearer all the time. I mean, I don’t have my pajamas on, and you won’t find me on the roof. But, I think what the scriptures tells us is that no man knows the day nor the hour, and it’s in an hour that you think not, and the Lord comes as a thief in the night. And, all of those kinds of things. And I look around me in the world and I see signs that indicate to me that the Coming of Christ could happen at any time.

I’ve often said that there’s only one thing that needs to occur before the Lord comes, and that’s the trumpet. And, when it happens, we’re gone. So, there’s no prophetic scene that has yet to unfold. Israel is in the land. They’ve been regathered to their place. The things that mark the world of the end times described in 2 Timothy 3, we see all around us. So all of the parts of the puzzle are there. The putting together of the European Common Market, you know. The economic community of ten nations as Daniel sees it in the end times. The great armies in the East; the conflict in the Middle East. All of that stuff is in the prophetic perspective. And I don’t think it’s going to be long, but I’m not going to predict. And, I just know this, we’ll just keep working and working until the Lord comes. We’re not going to sit down and watch it happen.

I remember a guy who decided it was going to happen on New Year’s Day one year, and liquidated $500,000 worth of assets and bought praying hands made out of plastic that glow in the dark, and started shipping them all over the place. And it didn’t happen, of course. And he sent Bibles and tracts and mirrors with Jesus painted on them to people all over the world. Just liquidated every dime he had, he was so sure of that. And, of course, he looked rather stupid when it didn’t happen. So, we don’t live like that. We just continue to do what we do until the Lord returns.

Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and Answers" by:

Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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