1 - Thessalonians 4:16-18
====================
For the lord himself will come down from heaven. with a loud command and with the trumpet call of God ... and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. and thus we shall always be with the lord.
and again in 1st Corinthians 15:51-52 we are told a mystery...
Listen , I tell you a mystery , we will not all sleep ...but we will all be changed. In a flash in the twinkling of an eye ...at the last trumpet. for the trumpet will sound , the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.
(prayer)
many times in Gods word we are told that Jesus is coming back. ...and when he does the first order of business is ...he is going to gather to himself his church .. "and they shall be with him forever."
The Apostle Paul tells us ...in a flash, in the twinkling of and eye , we shall be changed. We shall be raised up in our new and improved resurrected bodies ... never again will we know sickness ...disease ...pain or suffering. We are to be given white robes without spot or stain. ...we are to receive crowns of glory ...of life ...of joy ...of righteousness. In revelation 4:21 Jesus said... to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne... you are a royal priesthood... you are heirs to the throne... you are heirs to an eternal kingdom where death is no more. The Apostle Paul, when given the vision of what God had in store for us said, I cannot put into words the glorious things that God has in store for us. How good does all that sound?
So , when is Jesus coming back? ...when is all this going to happen? and what are the signs that reveal to us that His return is near?
lets look at what Jesus says in the book of Mark ...
Mark 13:32-37
===========
But of the day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven , nor the son , but only the father. take heed , watch and pray , for you do not know when the time is...
"it is like a man going to a far country , who left his house and gave authority to his servants , and to each his work , and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. - watch therefore - for you do not know when the master of the house is coming - in the evening , at midnight , at the crowing of the rooster , or in the morning. - lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ...and what I say to you I say to all ,"watch"
The event of his return is certain ...and clearly we are not to know the exact day or hour of his return. ..but I have a question. what is the doorkeeper watching for? What has Jesus command us to watch for?
Should we have someone sitting on the church steps 24/7 watching the clouds to see if Jesus is coming or not? - nope he's not on that cloud ...nope, don't see him yet.
I believe He is telling us to watch. To watch and listen for signs of the time ...for the signs that reveal to us that Jesus is coming ...and he's coming soon!
We may not know the exact day or hour of His return ...but by understanding the signs of the times we can know that the time is near ...and we can know the closeness of his return.
let's dig a little deeper...
Matthew 25:36-37
===============
"but of the day and the hour no one knows , no not even the angels in heaven , but my Father only. but as the days of Noah were , so also will the coming of the son of man be."
now what does that mean "as it was in the days of Noah ." Well we know that God told Noah to build and ark. 450 feet long ...75 feet high ...45 feet wide.
it was to have 3 floors - a door in the side - and a small cabin on top with a window in it.
now for Noah and his family this was no weekend project. given all the cordless drills and power tools that Noah had this was going to take a year or two. but once Noah completed the ark - as he puts that last board into place , Noah has to be thinking , the time is growing short for all those people who are pointing their fingers at me and laughing. and as God brought the animals to Noah and Noah locked the last two animals in there pens...this has to be a sign to Noah that the time of the flood is even nearer. and when God said to Noah gather your family and supplies, get on board ...and God said I'm going to shut the door now. as Noah sits on the ark waiting for the rain to start he has to be thinking. those folks outside are in trouble . the time is near.
an behold our lord said...Genesis 6:17
=========
"Behold ,I myself am bringing the flood waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life , and everything that is upon the earth shall die."
"as it was in the time of Noah so also will the coming of the son of man be." Noah knew the flood was coming ...he knew when the ark was completed - and the animals were on board - when his family and supplies were on board - and when God closed the door of the ark ...Noah knew that these were all signs that the flood was coming... and coming soon ...unlike the people outside the ark ...Noah knew. He didn't know the exact day or hour when the flood would begin but he knew the closeness and the nearness of the time.
"command the doorkeeper to watch." like the coming of the flood we know that Jesus is coming ...but can you see the signs that reveal to us that the time is near ...almost upon us... and are you ready to meet Jesus? ...or are you outside of the ark.?
How close are we to His coming...And what are the signs? Let me quickly share just a few with you:
The prophet Daniel is given a vision of ..."the time of the end." and as he looks... and as he watches Daniel says "although I hear... I did not understand."
It's no wonder Daniel couldn't understand what he saw. Imagine living 3ooo years ago and looking at our time now. He would have no idea what a car, a plane or a helicopter is.
Daniel is then told "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. many shall be purified , made white and refined , but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand , but the wise shall understand."
In Daniel 12:4
=========
"But you , Daniel , shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end: many shall run to and fro , and knowledge shall be increased."
"and knowledge shall be increased." a literal translation of this verse from the Hebrew word reads... there shall be an "explosion of knowledge" . at the time of the end .we are living in such an age ...
Compare the last fifty years to the last five thousand years.
In the last fifty years, we have gone from the Model T Ford to the new computerized cars. From the by-plane to the steal fighter. From the telegraph to cell phones. To super conductors. To satellite TV. I can now sit at home and watch a war being raged in Iraq while chattering with my son on the net who is over a hundred kilometres away.
Compare that to the last five thousand years. Man travelled by walking. By riding a horse. He communicated by smoke signals. By beating on drums. By polishing a brash shield to reflect sunlight from distant mountains. No improvement for 5ooo years.
"and knowledge shall be increased." ...an "explosion of knowledge" at the time of the end. That is our time. We are that generation.
Other signs of the times... The destruction of the Twin Towers. A shift in our economic centre of the world... The war in Iraq and the rising anger of the Arab nations. Do you understand the importance of 1948... and of what happened in 1967... Do you understand what Jesus meant when he spoke about "the times of the gentile"? ...And the lesson of the Fig Tree...?
In revelation 22:12 Jesus said, "and behold , I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to each one according to his works."
Can you read the signs of the time? Are you ready to go with him? ...or are you standing outside of the ark?... what a bad feeling that would be ...to see Jesus come... to gather His church and leave...and leave you behind. I can see Him coming ...people are being gathered up to Him ...there goes etc, etc, etc, He's closer now ...there is a large crowd of people with Him ...He passing right over top of me now... and He's going ...going ...gone. and then it hits you ...hey you forget me ...hey!!! you could run after him ...jump a plane and try to catch him ...but I can tell you air Canada doesn't fly where they are going. ..., are you ready to go with Jesus ...because if your not ... I can tell you with all certainty that you will not like the person who is coming next
I believe that as Jesus looks down upon our world today, His heart is filled with sorrow... That he weeps... Just like He did as He rode into Jerusalem. Jesus sees so many people who are living their lives in ways God never intended. People who are living outside of His embrace. His love. His peace. His rest. And His council. So many people who one day Jesus will say to them, "I tell you the truth, I never knew you."
The time is near.
Jesus said "When you see all these things, you know that the time is near. Right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened"
Are you ready to go with Jesus?
Or are you still standing outside of the ark?
(prayer)
====================
For the lord himself will come down from heaven. with a loud command and with the trumpet call of God ... and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. and thus we shall always be with the lord.
and again in 1st Corinthians 15:51-52 we are told a mystery...
Listen , I tell you a mystery , we will not all sleep ...but we will all be changed. In a flash in the twinkling of an eye ...at the last trumpet. for the trumpet will sound , the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed.
(prayer)
many times in Gods word we are told that Jesus is coming back. ...and when he does the first order of business is ...he is going to gather to himself his church .. "and they shall be with him forever."
The Apostle Paul tells us ...in a flash, in the twinkling of and eye , we shall be changed. We shall be raised up in our new and improved resurrected bodies ... never again will we know sickness ...disease ...pain or suffering. We are to be given white robes without spot or stain. ...we are to receive crowns of glory ...of life ...of joy ...of righteousness. In revelation 4:21 Jesus said... to him who overcomes I will grant to sit with me on my throne... you are a royal priesthood... you are heirs to the throne... you are heirs to an eternal kingdom where death is no more. The Apostle Paul, when given the vision of what God had in store for us said, I cannot put into words the glorious things that God has in store for us. How good does all that sound?
So , when is Jesus coming back? ...when is all this going to happen? and what are the signs that reveal to us that His return is near?
lets look at what Jesus says in the book of Mark ...
Mark 13:32-37
===========
But of the day and hour no one knows, neither the angels in heaven , nor the son , but only the father. take heed , watch and pray , for you do not know when the time is...
"it is like a man going to a far country , who left his house and gave authority to his servants , and to each his work , and commanded the doorkeeper to watch. - watch therefore - for you do not know when the master of the house is coming - in the evening , at midnight , at the crowing of the rooster , or in the morning. - lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ...and what I say to you I say to all ,"watch"
The event of his return is certain ...and clearly we are not to know the exact day or hour of his return. ..but I have a question. what is the doorkeeper watching for? What has Jesus command us to watch for?
Should we have someone sitting on the church steps 24/7 watching the clouds to see if Jesus is coming or not? - nope he's not on that cloud ...nope, don't see him yet.
I believe He is telling us to watch. To watch and listen for signs of the time ...for the signs that reveal to us that Jesus is coming ...and he's coming soon!
We may not know the exact day or hour of His return ...but by understanding the signs of the times we can know that the time is near ...and we can know the closeness of his return.
let's dig a little deeper...
Matthew 25:36-37
===============
"but of the day and the hour no one knows , no not even the angels in heaven , but my Father only. but as the days of Noah were , so also will the coming of the son of man be."
now what does that mean "as it was in the days of Noah ." Well we know that God told Noah to build and ark. 450 feet long ...75 feet high ...45 feet wide.
it was to have 3 floors - a door in the side - and a small cabin on top with a window in it.
now for Noah and his family this was no weekend project. given all the cordless drills and power tools that Noah had this was going to take a year or two. but once Noah completed the ark - as he puts that last board into place , Noah has to be thinking , the time is growing short for all those people who are pointing their fingers at me and laughing. and as God brought the animals to Noah and Noah locked the last two animals in there pens...this has to be a sign to Noah that the time of the flood is even nearer. and when God said to Noah gather your family and supplies, get on board ...and God said I'm going to shut the door now. as Noah sits on the ark waiting for the rain to start he has to be thinking. those folks outside are in trouble . the time is near.
an behold our lord said...Genesis 6:17
=========
"Behold ,I myself am bringing the flood waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life , and everything that is upon the earth shall die."
"as it was in the time of Noah so also will the coming of the son of man be." Noah knew the flood was coming ...he knew when the ark was completed - and the animals were on board - when his family and supplies were on board - and when God closed the door of the ark ...Noah knew that these were all signs that the flood was coming... and coming soon ...unlike the people outside the ark ...Noah knew. He didn't know the exact day or hour when the flood would begin but he knew the closeness and the nearness of the time.
"command the doorkeeper to watch." like the coming of the flood we know that Jesus is coming ...but can you see the signs that reveal to us that the time is near ...almost upon us... and are you ready to meet Jesus? ...or are you outside of the ark.?
How close are we to His coming...And what are the signs? Let me quickly share just a few with you:
The prophet Daniel is given a vision of ..."the time of the end." and as he looks... and as he watches Daniel says "although I hear... I did not understand."
It's no wonder Daniel couldn't understand what he saw. Imagine living 3ooo years ago and looking at our time now. He would have no idea what a car, a plane or a helicopter is.
Daniel is then told "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. many shall be purified , made white and refined , but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand , but the wise shall understand."
In Daniel 12:4
=========
"But you , Daniel , shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end: many shall run to and fro , and knowledge shall be increased."
"and knowledge shall be increased." a literal translation of this verse from the Hebrew word reads... there shall be an "explosion of knowledge" . at the time of the end .we are living in such an age ...
Compare the last fifty years to the last five thousand years.
In the last fifty years, we have gone from the Model T Ford to the new computerized cars. From the by-plane to the steal fighter. From the telegraph to cell phones. To super conductors. To satellite TV. I can now sit at home and watch a war being raged in Iraq while chattering with my son on the net who is over a hundred kilometres away.
Compare that to the last five thousand years. Man travelled by walking. By riding a horse. He communicated by smoke signals. By beating on drums. By polishing a brash shield to reflect sunlight from distant mountains. No improvement for 5ooo years.
"and knowledge shall be increased." ...an "explosion of knowledge" at the time of the end. That is our time. We are that generation.
Other signs of the times... The destruction of the Twin Towers. A shift in our economic centre of the world... The war in Iraq and the rising anger of the Arab nations. Do you understand the importance of 1948... and of what happened in 1967... Do you understand what Jesus meant when he spoke about "the times of the gentile"? ...And the lesson of the Fig Tree...?
In revelation 22:12 Jesus said, "and behold , I am coming quickly, and my reward is with me, to give to each one according to his works."
Can you read the signs of the time? Are you ready to go with him? ...or are you standing outside of the ark?... what a bad feeling that would be ...to see Jesus come... to gather His church and leave...and leave you behind. I can see Him coming ...people are being gathered up to Him ...there goes etc, etc, etc, He's closer now ...there is a large crowd of people with Him ...He passing right over top of me now... and He's going ...going ...gone. and then it hits you ...hey you forget me ...hey!!! you could run after him ...jump a plane and try to catch him ...but I can tell you air Canada doesn't fly where they are going. ..., are you ready to go with Jesus ...because if your not ... I can tell you with all certainty that you will not like the person who is coming next
I believe that as Jesus looks down upon our world today, His heart is filled with sorrow... That he weeps... Just like He did as He rode into Jerusalem. Jesus sees so many people who are living their lives in ways God never intended. People who are living outside of His embrace. His love. His peace. His rest. And His council. So many people who one day Jesus will say to them, "I tell you the truth, I never knew you."
The time is near.
Jesus said "When you see all these things, you know that the time is near. Right at the door. I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened"
Are you ready to go with Jesus?
Or are you still standing outside of the ark?
(prayer)