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Why Hasn’t Jesus Returned?

Why Hasn’t Jesus Returned?

Did you grow up in church singing, “Lift up the trumpets and loud let them ring, Jesus is coming again”?

Did you grow up with the expectation that Jesus was actually returning soon?

As you look around the world and see the conflict, disasters, crime, exploitation, population growth, climate threats, diseases, do you wonder, “What is God waiting for? Why hasn’t Christ returned?”

All the way back in the first century, Christians were wondering why Christ had not come back. The apostle Peter told them:

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:8, 9 NIV84).

God has waited because He wants everyone who can be saved to be saved – and that requires that people know about Him and come to a repentance. This means the gospel must go to the world; as Jesus said,

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matthew 24:14NIV84)

But it’s been two thousand years! Surely the whole world has heard the gospel by now – right? Or has it?

Has the gospel of the kingdom of love gone to the world? Or has Christianity been tricked into taking to the world a lie, a fraud, a false gospel, one that traps the world into a system that promotes a distorted view of God? And if this is so, then is God waiting for the truth about Him to go to the world?

The apostle Paul warned us this would happen:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. (2 Timothy 3:1–5 NIV84).

As sad as it is, the Bible is true again: Christianity, as practiced today, is no different than the world – child abuse rates, spouse abuse rates, pornography use, and addictions are no different in Christian homes than non-Christian homes. Why? Because a false gospel that has no power to transform lives has taken over Christianity and prevents people from experiencing the healing that God has for them!

Thus, Jesus waits. He waits for the true gospel to go to the world and prepare people to meet Him – only then will He come.

God told His friend Daniel thousands of years ago that this would happen. God revealed to His prophet exactly how this false gospel would take root in Christianity – a corrupting power would seek to change God’s law (Daniel 7:25). Paul expanded on Daniel’s prophecy, giving more insight into this evil infection:

Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:1–4 NIV84).

Paul tells us here that before Christ returns, the evil one will counterattack the gospel of Jesus. He does this by setting himself up as God in God’s temple. But what temple? Did Satan ride into heaven and knock Jesus off His throne? Of course not. Paul is speaking of the Spirit temple, the hearts and minds of believers. In other words, the Bible is telling us that Satan will get people to believe that a being with his attributes is God! Satan doesn’t get the church to reject the idea of God or the belief in God; instead, he tricks the church into believing that God is like Satan in character and methods.

How could Satan make this happen? How could he get people to reject the truth about Jesus and enthrone the evil one into their hearts and minds as the one to be worshiped – all the while singing songs of praise to Jesus?

Daniel tells us it is by seeking to change God’s law, and Paul reveals how he does it by the name he gives this power: “The man of lawlessness.”

Satan displaces Jesus in our hearts and sets himself up as the one being worshiped when we accept the lie that God’s law functions like human law. It is when we conceive of God’s law to be like the laws humans make that Satan enthrones himself in our hearts and minds. Thus, we reject the law of God and promote a lawless view, even while claiming to believe in the Ten Commandments.

God is the Creator of all reality – space, time, energy, matter, and life. God’s laws are the protocols He established, built into reality, that govern the operation of all things: the law of gravity, laws of physics, laws of health, and the moral laws – the law of love, law of liberty, law of worship, etc. Life is built to exist only in harmony with God’s laws, for they are the protocols for life and health. Deviation from God’s laws brings pain, suffering, destruction, and death (see my blog for more on God’s Design Laws).

As the Bible teaches:

  • The wages of sin is death. (Roman 6:23)
  • Sin when full-grown brings forth death. (James 1:15)
  • Those who sow to the carnal nature from that nature reap destruction. (Galatians 6:8)

God’s laws are design laws. Life only operates in harmony with them.

Human beings cannot create reality. We cannot build space, time, energy, matter, or life. Our laws are not the laws upon which reality exists. Instead, we make up rules and then enforce those rules by threats of punishment.

Christianity has embraced the system of the world in that it teaches that God’s law is imposed, imperial, a system of rules that functions like human law and requires the ruling magistrate to use its power to punish rule-breakers. This idea is “lawless” – it is a denial of reality. It dethrones God from His seat as Creator and enthrones a deity that is a rule-maker – functionally no different than any other created being – thus, it enthrones Satan in the minds and hearts of all who accept the lie that God’s law is like human law.

The lie of imposed laws results in a cascade of other lies – all of which distort God’s character and obstruct His plan to heal and save His people. Some of these subsequent lies are:

  • We are in legal trouble with God.
  • We are under God’s death penalty.
  • God must use His power to kill the disobedient.
  • Jesus came to be killed by God to pay our legal penalty.
  • Jesus pleads to God in heaven, offering the Father the blood of a human sacrifice to get God not to kill us.
  • We need to be protected from the anger and wrath of God.
  • Jesus hides us or our record from God because if God saw it, He would kill us.
  • Jesus hides us or our record by covering us in a robe of His righteousness – or by using His blood to erase the records of our sins from the legal accounting books in heaven.
  • We must do certain rituals (baptism, Eucharist, communion, confession) in order to get the legal application of Jesus’ blood payment made to the court of heaven.
  • It is right and just for God to use power to torture and/or kill people who disobey.

The lie that God’s law functions like human law has displaced Christ in the minds of millions of people and enthroned a deity that functions like the evil one. And they are sharing this lie about God wherever they go.

God told His friend John that at this time in human history, a message was to be proclaimed that presents the eternal gospel:

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth – to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Revelation 14:6, 7 NIV84)

And what is the good news that has always been true – true in eternity past and true in eternity future? That God is not like Satan has portrayed Him to be! He is not a dictator who makes up laws that function like our laws. He is not the source of pain, suffering, and death. He is not the one from whom we need to be protected. And so, the end-time message calls us to make a judgment about God, just like Elijah called the people of his day to make a judgment about God:

How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him. (1 Kings 18:21 NIV84)

It is time to choose to worship “him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.” It is time to reject the dictator views of God, to reject the lie that God’s law functions like human law, and to embrace the eternal good news that God is our Creator, Savior, and Restorer! It is by embracing the truth about God that we are set free (John 8:32) – free from fear, free from guilt, free from shame. It is the truth about God that wins us to trust, and in trust we open the heart and experience the Spirit healing us, writing in our hearts God’s living law of love.

This is the healing plan I will renew with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord: I will recreate and cleanse them, and restore my law of love in their minds, and write my principles of benevolence on their hearts. I will be the God they love, admire and adore, and they will be a people who reveal my true character. (Hebrews 8:10 The Remedy)

I invite you to worship our Creator – to reject the lie that God’s law functions like human law – and to open your heart to the Spirit of the Lord, asking God to restore in you His perfect law of love so that you can bring glory to Him by revealing His character in your life!

Only when God’s people reject the lies of Satan – instead embrace His design law and proclaim the eternal gospel about God’s character and methods of love – will Jesus come again.


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Testimony 48

I just want to tell you how blessed I have been reading “The Remedy!” It has become a daily part of my devotional relationship with God. In it I have found a God of love and a God that loves me! The bible has come alive for me! It is the first time that I can say that I have felt hope fill my heart as I have read God’s word. This is good news I can share! Thank you, Dr Jennings! Thank you for your heart for others. I can’t put into words how this has set me free! It has strengthened my trust and love for God.

Jason H.

 

Testimony 7

Ok, so last night I listened to “The Law of Liberty” and “How to Achieve Victory: Freedom, Truth and Spirtual Warfare.” These are both MY ABSOLUTE FAVORITES so far! The logic is just soooooo beautiful. I had to re-listen to them a couple of times. I just want to EXPLODE! (<< we assume with joy and happiness)

N. B., Canada

 

Testimony 20

I just wanted to personally thank you for your teachings and insight into scripture. I came across your website via my cousin who suggested I look into “Healing the Mind” information. My youngest daughter has been struggling over the last couple of years and it all came to a head this spring. When I started listening to the “Healing the Mind” lectures my own life began to be transformed. I began sharing with all my daughters the concepts you laid out so clearly. I ordered your book and soaked it up. I just want to say “Thank You!” My walk with the Lord has been refreshed and renewed. Your obedience to the Lord is a blessing to so many.

R. K., Anderson, SC, USA

 

Testimony 58

I have been watching your videos in The Power of Love seminar and I must say these have liberated me and have improved my relationship with the Lord. I am no longer terrified of him as I was before following your teachings.

Thando N., South Africa

 

Testimony 3

My husband is a pastor and I listen to your lesson almost every week. Thank you for helping me in my study life and to help me love the “real” God more.

C. F., NC, USA

 

Testimony 14

We really appreciate your views on the judgment and they make good sense considering our free choice.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 46

Over the past couple of years God has been expanding my view of Himself and His character. Along my approximately 40-year journey, I have often had questions, but was hesitant to voice these and step outside the traditionally accepted thinking, for fear of admitting that I may in fact be eternally lost. In the recesses of my thinking has been the thought – if one blindly accepts (which is widely regarded as “real faith”) and does not question, is this really ‘truth?’ I often find it challenging to grapple with very theological ‘speak,’ but Dr. Jennings has a real gift of explaining spiritual concepts with clear practical examples. The weekly discussions are growing my Christian experience and slowly changing my view of how to live as a child of God in today’s complex world. Finally the whole Old Testament sanctuary teaching moved in my mind from fantasy to reality!

Beverly S., South Africa

 

Testimony 66

I am incredibly grateful for the transformative impact you’ve had on my life, and words cannot fully express my appreciation. Over the years, I have been an avid listener and follower of C&R and extend my heartfelt thanks for creating the C&R mobile app. It has allowed me to immerse myself in your lessons repeatedly, enabling me to grasp the profound significance about the Character of God, Design Law, the protocols for life, the reasons behind the current chaos, and Christ’s mission to restore everything. They have deeply touched me. Having studied with various churches, I came away with the perception that God is no different from the deities of ancient Greek or Roman mythology—demanding sacrifices and taking pleasure in bloodshed. Thanks to your transformative teachings, I have experienced a profound awakening to the true nature of God and the immense power of His love. It is truly a remarkable and liberating sensation to finally grasp the truth and embrace the empowering nature of God’s laws. My self-perception has become brighter and more infused with love. My journey of growth continues on a daily basis.

Chris P., Lake Mary, FL, USA

 

Testimony 19

I truly believe that to know who God really is the first step to understand ourselves in a balanced and kind way, so the healing can take place. Your approach really makes sense – Thank you for your ministry!

A.M., Pittsburg, PA, USA

Testimony 37

Hearing Dr. Jennings’ presentations in person came at a pivotal moment in my spiritual journey that began about nine months ago, when the fault lines inherent in my belief system began to crack under questions that most reasonable people end up asking about God and His nature. These were questions I couldn’t find answers to, and they shook my faith. I was unable let it go any longer and be satisfied. My Christian experience became distant. I was afraid; the fear in me rose like thorns, pushing me away from Jesus. And then someone heard my questions and introduced me to this ministry, and my life has totally changed.

I can tell you that this new, “present truth” message is far grander and life-changing than when I shifted from being an agnostic and then a nominal Christian. It has radically altered my worldview, because it reveals a God that makes sense. It is a revolution. I believe that Dr. Jennings’ message is the final message that must go to the world. If any message could be called “righteousness by faith,” as abused as that term is by the right and the left, this is that message, because Jennings’ biblical message identifies a God who is different, whose character isn’t an impossible contradiction.

I walk this path now without fear. I see people differently, and the Holy Spirit burns in my heart. Many call Dr. Jennings’ message false and compromising, but it isn’t false, because I’ve seen the fruits within my mind and body. It is not compromising, because in this message is the only road to holiness that makes any sense. No longer do I behold a pagan god who is always angry and suspicious. Instead, I behold a God who is freeing and loving, always working for our good, and giving me every reason to love my enemy even to my own death, just as Jesus pleads with us. God is good.

Anthony L., CA, USA

 

Testimony 55

I was born [into the church], then I left it for many years. 10 years ago, I came back, but I could not take the hypocrisy and the lack of answers to the missing pieces. I struggled, but I did not abandon my commitment to know the truth. God is leading me to the simple understanding of his relevance and I am relearning what the church taught me as a youth… that he loves me, that he has led me to a knowledge of him such as I have never known. He is using Dr. Jennings to connect the dots that are now so apparent and hiding in plain sight!

Dean P., Arlington, TX, USA

 

Testimony 71

When I was 9 years old, I remember setting at our devotional table with a hunger and thirst for God that wanted more, deeper, BETTER. I can remember literally crying and pounding on the table, “I know these teachers didn’t mean to give us error. They taught what THEY had been TAUGHT, but didn’t ANYBODY READ THE BOOK?!?!?” It mattered to me then. It mattered to me as a teenager. It matters now as I teach bible classes. It didn’t have to be so hard as I watched so many give up and lay God’s great plan and gift of salvation aside as being “impossible.” Then, a friend sent me a link to Come And Reason’s website. I grew excited. YES! FINALLY! Then another friend told me to stay away, saying her son had just broken up with a girl because she was involved with Come And Reason and that “Tim Jennings preaches a false gospel.” But, AFTER many years of developing an authentic and, dare I say FUN relationship with Jesus, through the Holy Spirit I see this message has been around a LONG time, since the apostle Paul, Ellen White, Graham Maxwell, Ray Foucher, and yourself (though I admit, you’ve made me back up, rewind and replay the clips, and get out my well-worn Bible on a few things.) I’m so thankful I have found LIGHT during these DARK days. I am not alone.

Vicki DiNitto

Testimony 18

The Healing the Mind DVD set tarted me on a journey that has changed my relationship with our loving God more significantly than any other study, and brought me to your book and Bible study podcasts, which I now listen to daily, thanks to the availability of archived content on your site and on iTunes.

Anonymous

 

Testimony 41

I have been blessed by your ministry. I have experienced personally, and deeply resonate with, the God of love and the beautiful picture of God’s character that you present. I have seen your seminar series on YouTube, read ‘The Journal of the Watcher’ book, used your mobile app, and also listen/study the bible study lesson with you each week. I concur with many of the thoughts and perspectives that you share. I understand your conclusions on natural laws vs imposed law and the legal/penal substitution (incorrect diagnosis). This makes perfect sense to me.

Bless you for all you do.

Melissa L.

 

Testimony 59

I’m a native Ghanan, but am currently in France for my master’s degree. Prior to this, during my final years at undergraduate studies in Ghana, I was introduced to your ministry and I’ve been immensely blessed by what you share, especially about the Design and Imposed Laws. God richly bless you for that.

One of the first things I did when I arrived in France was to buy all four of your books. They not only helped me, but those I shared them with. I shared the message with an atheist student and I marveled at how God worked mightily in his life. Today this person shares the Love of God with others and debunks theories of who God is not. I want to share what you present in your “Heavenly Sanctuary and Investigative Judgment” pamphlet, because the message brought rest to my soul and I live today as a healthy person.

God bless you so much and your ministry.

Michael A., Ghana