Have you ever experienced a tribulation that was so great and horrendous, that you thought you were just going to die? Well, you're not the only one. The whole world is going through some sort of tribulation in one way or another, and I am sure that you can attest to that. There is good news, this time period doesn't last forever, it does and will come to an end.
Charles Taze Russell was a youth searching for the truth for a better life. He literally was walking by a building and heard singing in the basement which attracted his attention. He soon found out in his teenage years that the teachings of his religion was very different what the Bible teaches. Through Bible Study, he continued his studies undaunted to search for the answers to his questions. He became a student of prophesy and shared his findings with those who would listen. His forte' was learning about how the End of the Gentile times would come about and looked forward to the rule of God's Kingdom.
Brother Russell wrote: "'The Earth Abideth Forever' Christ will not return to Earth as a Man - Present Year Believed to Mark Great Change of Dispensation, but World May not discern Immediate Difference." The Bible Students Monthly, January, 1914.
Since Christ will not return to Earth as a Man, Brother Russell wrote: "Our Lord, in describing His Second Presence, clearly indicated that it would be unnoticed by the world until the cataclysm of trouble should come. Thus He likened the earlier days of His presence to that period before the Flood, when the world, unconscious of the impending catastrophe, continued to build, eat and drink as usual, and knew not. So, says the Master, it will be in the end of this Age. Eating, drinking, building, planting and marrying will proceed as usual; and the world will not know that they are in the PRESENCE of the Son of Man."
According to Bible Prophecy, 1914 marked great change of dispensation. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary - Dispensation means a general state or ordering of things specifically : a system of revealed (see REVEAL entry 1 sense 1) commands and promises regulating human affairs.
to make known through divine inspiration
to make (something secret or hidden) publicly or generally known reveal a secret
to open up to view : DISPLAY the uncurtained window revealed a cluttered room
He continues, "The Bible nowhere tells that Jesus took the human nature to keep it forever, and to return with it to Heaven, where it would be completely out of order and out of place. The Bible teaches, on the contrary, that "flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God" (1 Cor 15:50); and that Jesus was made flesh merely 'that He, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man' (Heb 2:9) and that after doing this work He would "ascend up where He was before." (John 6:62) The great Day of Trouble, noted throughout the Scriptures as the Time of Trouble such as never was since there was a nation, will come upon them suddenly." (Matthew 24:21)
Brother Russell also mentions that this time of trouble could last a certain amount of time as in the time of Noah. Then he mentions, "Then, later on, will come the Epiphania; that is to say, the revelation, or manifestation, of the present One. This will not be a manifestation in the flesh, but in a great Time of Trouble, symbolically represented as fire, as when we read, "He shall be revealed in flaming fire, taking vengeance." -- 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10.
Look at the picture above and read the scripture at (Matthew 24:21) that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ warned us about. This time period began in 1914 but remember, these days we are experiencing now, do not last forever, "In fact, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved; but on account of the chosen ones those days will be cut short." (Matthew 24:22) Look with your mind's eye of reasoning what you are experiencing. You're not alone!
The Bible tells us, "Jehovah is close to the brokenhearted; He saves those who are crushed in spirit." (Pslams 34:18) Also, we have a helper in His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ whom states, "Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I will refresh you." (Mat 11:28)
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