In the Apocalypse , Christ revealed that he would return quickly. This is stated in the second to the last verse in the Bible (Revelation 22:20). There are many who might complain that his return has not been quick at all. However the Lord is able to expand time from one day to a thousand years and buffer time from a thousand years to one day (2 Peter 3:8). So, from Christ’s perspective, Revelation was written day before yesterday.
Being a Christian is, at times, a trial. We should never be ashamed of being a Christian.
“Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he comes into the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).
In the last three and a half years before the end there will be a world dictator who will think to change times and laws (Daniel 7:25). For many this will be a non-issue. Many will just say, “So what?”
Even though Romans are pagans we generally make use of the Roman calendar to make appointments because the Roman calendar is universally used over the entire world. Early Roman calendars had 304 days made up of 10 months. They ignored the 60 days that fell in the dead of winter. Those days occurred, just like they do now, but they were not on the Roman calendar. The Romans just considered them as the passing of time. The first two months were Maritus and Aprilis, equivalent to March and April.
Romulus, in the late 690’s BC added January and February to the end of the calendar. January was named after the pagan god, Janus, the two-faced god. Janus was supposed to be the god that opens doors. The worship of this god was in direct opposition to the true Messiah, Christ, who is the one who really opens doors that no one can shut (Revelation 3:7). When the twelve-month Roman calendar went into effect, the month of February was manipulated to try to adjust to the solar year. Between 22 and 23 days would be added to February every other year in order to make the adjustment. In 46 BC the Roman Emperor Julius Caesar moved the new year from March first to January first. A few Romans still kept March first as the new year. Of course, the people of God kept God’s new year (Exodus 12:1-2) on God’s calendar, which would begin in the Spring, much of the time in April on the Roman calendar. The majority of Romans in the world of that day referred to them as the April fools.
“…God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Corinthians 1:27).
Eventually, the Roman calendar floated the months out of season. So Julius Caesar decreed that the year we now know as 46 BC would be 445 days long to make up the difference. Then to insure that difference would not creep back in, Julius Caesar added one day to February every 4 years, inventing the simple leap year. This became the Julian calendar.
Eventually the Julian fix also proved not to be enough. It was based on the premise that the solar year was 365 and one-quarter days long. They were off the mark. The Julian calendar compared to the solar year is a difference of 11 minutes and 14 seconds. This short time interval each year caused a gradual shifting of the Roman calendar months. In 1580 AD, the Roman calendar showed the Spring equinox as falling on March 11 instead of March 21. Once again a fix was needed. So Pope Gregory XIII ordered that 10 days be dropped from the calendar. Thursday October 4 was followed by Friday October 15 (The Weekly Cycle, Page 10, Bible Advocate Press). Notice days of the month were dropped but there was no interruption of the weekly cycle. Pope Gregory also added an extra day to February in century years that could be divided by 400. Year 2000 is an example. This is the Gregorian calendar which most people use for conducting their civil (non-religious) activities. Now, using the Gregorian calendar, the difference between the Roman calendar and the length of a solar year is 26 seconds. The willful King at the end of time may use the 26-second difference as an excuse to invent a new calendar. But it will still be a Roman calendar.
We all have a chemical existence. If we are to transcend the chemical existence (be resurrected from the dead some time in the future), it will be only through one individual, Jesus (Yoshua) Christ of Nazareth (Acts 4:10-12). Buddha can’t do it. Mohammed can’t do it. Krishna can’t do it. Satan can’t do it. Ram can’t do it. Mary can’t do it. The saints can’t do it. Only Christ can do it. And only the Father can draw you to Christ.
“No man can come unto me except the Father which has sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:44).
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32). At the time Christ was lifted up to be crucified, he became the only individual through whom eternal life would be possible. There is no other avenue.
Someone may ask you, “You’re not one of those Christians, are you?”
Correct answer is, “yes.”, presuming, of course, that you are indeed, a Christian.
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