Ask Nic Q&A Part One

As stated in the Ask Nic post, I have compiled the questions that were either posted or emailed to me. I have edited some of the text around the questions for length, but the questions themselves did not change.

The questions asked were so good that most of them prompted lengthy answers in order to get everything in that I wanted to say so I am dividing these 10 questions up in order of arrival in the comments section or in my email. We'll get to three questions today, then I will post another set on the weekend and possibly my last set either on Sunday or Monday.

Thank you guys so much for joining in the Ask Nic post. I've had and am still having a lot of fun coming up with the answers to your questions. You guys ROCK! :)
+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#
The first question comes from Crouching Mommy Hidden Laundry:

my question--- if Jesus's return will be "like a thief in the night," do you really think we will be able to predict the end of time?

Nic's Answer: CMHL, great question! There is no way to predict the end of time. Only God knows when He will call His followers home. However, that being said, Jesus DID give us signs to look for to let us know when that time will be close. If you read Matthew 24 and Luke 21, you will read the signs of the times that He spoke would precede His return for His church.

Throughout history there have been signs that some other people have pointed to saying "well if these are the signs, they already happened last century...a few centuries ago...in AD70, etc", however, this is the first time in history that all of the signs are coming together in conjunction with each other that gives meaning to the term "the Times of the Signs" which is really more accurate today than the term "the Signs of the Times".

One thing that you CAN be sure of, when the 7 year treaty between Israel and the Middle East is signed (it will be authored and conducted by the man who will come to be known as the antichrist), that from the very moment that it is signed, there will be only 7 more years until God returns to throw Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet into the Pit for 1,000 years (the Millennial Reign) AND to send all of those who followed the antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire. During those 7 years the treaty will be broken 3½ years into it and every person who did not accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior and as the Son of God prior to the rapture, but trusted Jesus after the rapture will be in for a very tough time. Anyone who does not take the mark of the beast in their hand or forehead (many people are thinking RFID technology) will be put to death.

You can read a lot more about this very subject on my new blog, which is As My World Turns Prophecy Style. Also some great books to read about it are Late Great Planet Earth (all of the books in their variations) by Hal Lindsey and some great websites to go to for more in-depth, Biblically sound information are www.raptureready.com and www.harpazo.net. Some of the more prophetic books of the Bible (not a complete list, or even in order, but those that contain prophecies that are really relevant to today) are Daniel, Joel, Zephaniah, Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Zechariah, Malachi, parts of Matthew and Luke (as noted above), 1 and 2 Thessalonians - which talks about the second coming of Christ, 2 Peter, Jude and Revelation.

Whenever God speaks, it's important for us to pay attention. And whenever God repeats Himself again and again, we should really sit up and take notice. That's because He's trying to tell us something He doesn't want us to miss.

With that in mind, did you know the second coming of Jesus Christ is mentioned 318 times in the New Testament? And that 28 percent of the Bible is dedicated to prophecy? That's more than any other subject. Do you think that God was trying to tell us something by putting that much of it in the entire Bible?

For more perspective, consider this: There are over 100 prophecies in the Bible about Jesus' first coming. If God has given us triple that number of prophecies about the second coming in the New Testament alone, wouldn't you say He wants us to take notice?

The second coming is the second most-dominant theme in the New Testament (the first is the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith). It's mentioned in almost all the New Testament books, sometimes extensively. One verse out of every 30 points to the second coming, or Jesus' glorious appearing. If the second coming of Jesus is that important to God, then it should be important to us, too.

Ok, sorry for the long response, but this happens to be something that I have studied for the past (almost) 4 years. It is a passion of mine and as the time draws nearer, I have more of a need to tell people about it, hence my second blog.

Again, CMHL, that was a GREAT question and thanks for asking it! :)
+*+*+*+*+*+*+
The next question comes from Jean-Luc Picard who is very gracious to take the time to stop by from his extremely busy duties with Starfleet.

What event, or reason made you decide to take up blogging?

Nic's Answer:Well, that's a little more personal there! I started the blog in October of 2004 with the thought of journaling as suggested by the marriage counselor that I was seeing. Notice I said that I was seeing. Matt went a couple of times and stopped going. I think part of it was b/c the counselor made Matt admit responsibility for his actions instead of letting Matt get by with the statement that he acted as he did b/c of my actions toward him, which was based on his partying and drinking and the constant communication and going out with the 19-year-old female coworker of his that he eventually ended up moving in with.

I tried keeping a journal at home but it didn't stick so then I thought about blogging and created the site but did nothing with it until March of last year. At that point I had been out of work for about 6 weeks. I had quit my job b/c it was affecting Emily in a detrimental way emotionally b/c I was literally NEVER home. My mom watched Emily for me until I could get there. No job is worth sacrificing family for especially when you're practically a single mother anyway. I was looking for jobs but they weren't coming in and there's only so much housework that can be done in a full day so I decided to fill the time with blogging and haven't looked back. I've made some spectacular blogfriends, such as yourself, over these past several months!

Also, I figured that maybe some of what I was going through/went through could help others and let them know that there is life after betrayal and heartbreak

Thanks for asking Captain Picard! Glad you could take the time to stop by. :)
+*+*+*+*+*+*+
It is the time and place for intergalactic camaraderie! The every entertaining and wonderfulMaster Yoda sent his intern Bill J., who is perfectly nice and not at all stupid as Master Yoda thinks, to ask a question. Bill asked two, of which I will only answer one b/c, sorry Bill J., but I didn't listen to the Spice Girls even when they were together so I have no basis on which one to identify myself with.

Of all the posts you've written, what would you say you're favorite post is? Why?

-Bill J.
"Master Yoda's Stupid Intern"

Nic's Answer: WOW! That really is a toughie. I've written over 160 posts in the past several months. Ok, so I'll list my favorites, is that ok? I don't have a single one that I can point out.

1. Death and Dear Friends
WHY? : This post was about a dear friend of mine who had been a constant source of encouragement for me from the very start of my problems with Matt. His warmth, his wit, his compassion was unmatched by any that I have known. Wylie Porterfield was a king among men and such a wonderful person. This is the first paragraph of that post:
I received word yesterday that a dear friend, Wylie Porterfield, had finally succumbed to terminal brain cancer. Last year, after going into seizures unexpectedly, an MRI revealed that he had a fist sized brain tumor. Then came the doubly bad news. It was an incredibly malignant tumor. They did surgery and got most of it and what they couldn't get they wrapped in protective foil so that it would inhibit the growth or something like that. The doctors didn't expect him to live much past a couple of months. Well, he lasted almost a year. He was diagnosed in September of last year. In February of this year, after a particularly bad episode, he was given 24-72 hours to live. Miraculously, he recovered. His prayer had been that he wanted to see his son graduate in May. God answered that prayer and gave his family through May and a few weeks past that even.

Wylie has been missed sorely by those who knew him and the bright spot in this is that we know that we will see him again when our turn comes to be called Home to heaven.

2. A Tribute to My Wonderful Mother
WHY? : B/C I love my mom and this post really lets you know how she has ALWAYS been there for me and the amazingly strong bond between us.

3. #3 is, appropriately, a three way tie between But I'm A Good Person..., Who Is Jesus and Why Did He Have To Die and Why Do So Many People Hate Even the Mention of Jesus?.
WHY? : I love these posts b/c they really give you an insight into my spiritual beliefs, which are fully ingrained in my very being.

4. As I Ponder This New Life I Celebrate Yours
WHY? : This post lets you know what a TRUE MIRACLE Emily is and why she is so very important to me! P.S. the picture at the end is NOT of Emily, it is of my dear friend Roshel's baby girl Isabeau.

Well, there are so many more that I liked but I can't post all of them, so my question to you Bill is, what is your favorite post of mine?
+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+#+
Tomorrow we will continue with Ask Nic Q&A Part 2 and get to some more answers. I'm really enjoying this and have decided to have this as a "regular" feature.