QUESTIONS & CONCERNS ABOUT THE FUTURE
The Day After Tomorrow
June 13, 2004
Introduction:
A new movie has recently been released titled The Day After Tomorrow. In the movie global warming results in cataclysmic changes in weather patterns which result in global devastation. This message is in no way, shape or form an endorsement of this movie or of their conclusions. However, the movie is timely in that we have been experiencing strange weather patterns of late. According to the movies website (www.thedayaftertomorrow.com) 1.25 million species of plants and animals (including insects I believe) will be extinct by the year 2050. The ice cap on Mt. Kilamanjaro will completely disappear within 2 decades. Orioles will become extinct in our lifetime and diseases such as malaria and dengue fever will become widespread. And all of this because of global warming.
According to Fortune magazine the Pentagon is concerned about the potential for dramatic climate change. Some are coming to believe that global warming could result in the world’s climate lurching from one state to another is less than a decade. This idea for a potential sudden shift is very different from the old idea that any changes would take place gradually over hundreds or even thousands of years. Some in the Pentagon are concerned about what a sudden shift like this would do to the balance of power in the world.
According to www.CNN.com the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) is very concerned about the dramatic weather patterns we have been experiencing. For example, this May there were 562 tornados in the USA which shattered the previous record of 399 set in 1992. There was a heat wave in India with temperatures ranging from 113 to 120 F which resulted in 1,400 deaths. Last summer the heat wave that hit Europe killed more than 20,000. Last year Australia experienced its longest drought in history while China and East Asia suffered from flooding.
According to ABCNewsOnline the Pentagon is concerned that drastic climate change could result in a nuclear threat as endangered countries try to defend their food, water, and energy supplies. Apparently some within the Pentagon believe that drastic weather changes pose more of a threat to the USA than terrorism.
Will any of this come to pass? I don’t know. I do remember hearing it said that the great wars of the 21st century will be fought over water supplies. However, I don’t remember who said that. The point is this: we worry a lot about the future. And this is only the weather I’ve been talking about. We also worry about nuclear war. We are concerned about so-called “super bugs” that are resistant to our best antibiotics. We are on edge about where and when the text big terrorist attack will occur. We worry about the stock market, the economy, our job security, and whether or not Social Security will be around when it is time for us to retire.
I don’t know if any of these things will come to pass today or tomorrow or even the day after tomorrow, but I do know that we spend too much time worrying about the future. We certainly are worrying about the wrong things in many cases. As concerning as the things I have mentioned are – there are more important issues about the future that should be weighing on our minds. I want us to look at three of these this morning.
1. When is Jesus coming?
2. What will happen when he comes?
3. How do I get ready?
When Is Jesus Coming?
Ø No one knows!
“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” Mt. 24:16.
When is Jesus coming? The Bible is very clear that no one knows when that event will occur. It is kind of like trying to anticipate the next terrorist attack. People have their best guesses and the terror index goes up and down and so far nothing has happened here in the States. I actually found a website the other day that has a rapture index (kind of like the terror index) that is supposed to indicate based on world events how close the coming of Christ is.
I don’t know about you, but back in the Fall of 2001 I figured that we would see another attack here much sooner than this. I’m not complaining of course – I’m glad I was wrong. Everyone has had their ideas though. Most guesses have been associated with a major holiday either American or Muslim. Some have thought it would be on the anniversary of 911. But so far everyone has been wrong.
Trying to anticipate the coming of Christ is much the same. Many have tried – all have failed. In A.D. 135 Montanus, a second century Christian, proclaimed himself to be a prophet and prophesied that the New Jerusalem would descend from heaven to earth and take root in what is now Turkey. He was wrong.
In A.D. 204 a Roman Christian named Hippolytus records that a bishop was convinced that the Lord was going to return immediately. He urged his followers to sell all of their land and possessions and following him into the wilderness to await the Lord’s coming. He was wrong and his followers were left homeless and became beggars.
At the end of the first millennium in the year A.D. 999 anticipation of the 2nd Coming ran just as high as it did when the year 2000 approached. On the last day of 999 the basilica of St. Peter’s at Rome was filled with people who were weeping and trembling as they expected the world to end. They were wrong.
Rev. Colin Deal published a book titled Christ Returns By 1988 – 101 Reasons Why. The book was made available for a contribution of $5.00. He was wrong. Apparently Hal Lindsey agreed as he taught that since Israel became a nation in 1948 Christ would come within a generation of 40 years. That forty years was up in 1988. He was wrong. (Approaching The New Millenium by Paul T. Butler, pages 26-30)
I heard Jack Van Impe say recently that he believed Christ would come back sometime between 2008 and 2013. I’m not sure those were the exact dates he gave but they are in the ball park of what he said. I have a hunch that he will be wrong too.
Why have they all been wrong when so many of their predictions were so thoroughly researched? Because they all forgot what Jesus said. Jesus said no one knows. The angels don’t know. Even Jesus himself didn’t know.
That might sound strange to you at first. Isn’t Jesus supposed to be God? And isn’t God supposed to be omniscient? If Jesus is God and if God is all knowing, then how come Jesus didn’t know the date of his own return?
You need to understand that Jesus was God, but when He became a man he voluntarily, temporarily limited the attributes of his divinity. Paul wrote: “Christ Jesus … made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant.” (Php. 2:5-7) The NIV says he “made himself nothing.” The literal Greek is “emptied himself.” He emptied himself of or limited his divine attributes although he remained divine.
For example, God is all powerful and can do anything and yet Jesus said that while he was on earth he could do only what his Father had given him to do. God is also ever present and yet while he was on earth Jesus was confined to a human body. So it is with his knowledge. He only knew what God chose to reveal to him.
Why did God not reveal this to him? I don’t know because Jesus didn’t say, but I have an idea. If Jesus had announced to his disciples that he knew the exact date of his return, but that he wasn’t going to tell them we would all be looking for clues in his words. If he knew, but wasn’t telling maybe he would slip and give us a hint. But if he didn’t know himself then it is pointless for us to study his words in search of a clue. He couldn’t give us a clue because he didn’t have a clue. He couldn’t drop us a hint because he didn’t have a hint. “No one knows about that day or hour.”
Ø Business as usual.
In Matthew chapter 24 Jesus compared the day of his return with the day of the flood in Noah’s time. He said, “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (v. 37) That is the interpretive key to understanding this passage of scripture. What was it like at the time of the flood? “…people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage…” Similarly about his return he says, “…men will be in the field … women will be grinding with a hand mill.”
This is a description of business as usual. Life is going on pretty much like normal. There is nothing drastically out of the ordinary. People are going about their daily lives and routines.
Ø A time of evil and righteousness.
Again we ask, What was it like in Noah’s day. “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time … Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence.” (Gen. 6:5,11) The Bible says that Noah’s day was a time of evil and corruption and violence. That sounds kind of like today. But it also sounds like the Middle Ages and it also sound like the 1st century. In fact if you were to study any time in history it is fair to say that you would find evil and violence and corruption.
But you would also find the remnant of the righteous just like in Noah’s day. “Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.” (Gen. 6:9) So Christ will return when the righteous are in the minority. But this is also true of all times. Jesus himself said that the road to hell was wide and many would follow it, but that the way to heaven was narrow and only a few would follow it. True believers in God have always been in the minority throughout history and they always will be right up to the coming of Christ. All of this is just further evidence that it will be a time of business as usual.
Ø No warning signs.
What warning did the people of Noah’s day have? “…they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” (Mt. 24:39) Here Jesus is talking about the wicked who were taken away by the flood in judgment. They had no idea that it was coming. We know that he is talking about the wicked because he said they knew nothing about what would happen. Now Noah and his family knew exactly what was going to happen, but they didn’t know when.
That perfectly parallels today. Today we Christians know what is going to happen we just don’t know when it is going to happen. Will it happen today? or tomorrow? or the day after tomorrow? No one knows. We can know what will happen, but we will never know when. And that leads to our next question.
What Will Happen When He Comes?
Ø The General Resurrection
Jesus said, “A time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned.” (Jn. 5:28-29) There are two important things to notice about this verse. First, Jesus says “a time.” This is singular and speaks of one time. Then he says “all who are in their graves” – the good and the bad – “will rise.” Jesus is very simply saying that the just and the unjust will be resurrected at the same time. There will be only one resurrection. Compared with the eschatology of those who claim their will be two or three or more resurrections Jesus eschatology is very simple and straightforward. When he comes all the dead will be raised to life.
Paul taught exactly the same thing. He said, “There will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked.” (Acts 24:15) Paul simply and clearly teaches that there will be one resurrection that will include both the righteous and the wicked. There will be no multiple resurrections and complex schemes. Jesus is coming back to raise the dead. Although they will be resurrected at the same time Jesus says that their destinies will be drastically different. The righteous will rise to live with God for ever, but the wicked will rise to be condemned to eternity in hell. This leads us to the second aspect of his return.
Ø The Judgment
Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory … All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another … He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.” (Mt. 25:31-33) Once again Jesus teaching is very simple. When he comes he will judge all people. The sheep will be put on his right. To be positioned at the right hand of a dignitary was a position of great honor. The sheep, of course, are his followers. Elsewhere Jesus referred to himself as a Shepard and his sheep knew his voice and followed him. Later in verse 46 he says these sheep will go to eternal life. However, the wicked, the goats, will be placed on his left and “they will go away to eternal punishment.” (v. 46)
Jesus also taught about his return and the separation of the peoples in The Parable of the Weeds in Matthew 13. A farmer planted his field with good wheat seed. But when he went to sleep that night one of his enemies came and scattered weed seed in his field. The farmer and his servants didn’t realize what had happened until the plants had sprouted and produced heads. When the servants realized what had happened they wanted to go and pull the weeds out right away. But the farmer was wise and told them not to because they might damage the wheat as they were pulling out the weeds. Then he said, “Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.” (Mt. 13:30)
Later Jesus gave this interpretation to his disciples. The field was the world and the good seed, the wheat, was the Christians while the bad seed was the unbelievers. The enemy who sowed the bad seed was the devil. The harvest was the end of the age and the harvesters were angels. Then Jesus said, “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be a the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom … all who do evil … Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father.” (Mt. 13:40-41,43) Once again Jesus teaching is very simple and straightforward. The righteous and the wicked will live side by side in this world until the day when Jesus comes back. When he comes he will first have his angels weed all of the wicked people out of his kingdom and then the righteous will be left behind to shine in the kingdom of their Father forever.
Will you be one of those who are weeded out and burned in the fire? Or will you be one of those who are left behind to shine like the stars in the kingdom? Or do you even know for sure? This brings us to our third and final question for today.
How Do I Get Ready?
Ø Become a Christian
The Bible says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 6:23) Wages are something that you work for – something you earn – something you deserve. So when it says that “the wages of sin is death” it means that because of your sins you deserve to die and be separated from God forever in hell. But a gift on the other hand is not something you earn or deserve. It is something that is given to you. When the Bible says that eternal life is a gift it means that it is something that you will never be able earn. You can never work hard enough to deserve it. It is a gift from God. How do we get this gift? First, we see that this gift is “in Christ Jesus.” Jesus died on the cross to pay the price for your sins. Because of your sins you deserve death, but Jesus died in your place. However, this does not mean that everyone is automatically saved. We have to make Jesus “our Lord.” Is he the Lord of your life? He can be and it is as simple as ABC.
A – Admit your sins to God and ask for his forgiveness.
B – Believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay for your sins.
C – Commit the rest of your life to serving him.
Ø Invest in God’s kingdom
Once you’ve become a Christian you’re not done, you’ve only begun. You need to invest yourself in God’s kingdom. Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth … But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven … For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Again, I don’t know if any of the things in the movie The Day After Tomorrow will ever come to pass, but if they do wouldn’t it be great to know that all of your real treasure was safe and sound in heaven waiting for you? One way or the other the treasures of this life will fade or corrode or deteriorate. Until one day they are gone or worthless. How sad and pathetic are those who only invest in this life for ultimately they will lose everything.
God has given each of us certain opportunities and abilities and he expects us to be using them for his kingdom. Jesus told this parable: “It will be like a man … who called his servants and entrusted his property to them … The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work … ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! Come and share your master’s happiness.’” (Mt. 25:14-21)
But one of his servants didn’t invest his talent. Rather he hid it and returned it to the master when he returned. “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! … Take the talent from him … And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” (Mt. 25:26-30)
Are you investing in God’s kingdom or only your own selfish desires and pleasures? He expects us to be using what we have been given for him. It doesn’t matter if you have been given much or little. It only matters that you use what you’ve got – that you do what you can. If you do, you will hear him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant” when he comes.
Ø Live each day as if it were your last.
Jesus concludes, “So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (Mt. 24:4) I mentioned earlier how people are trying to gauge when the next terrorist attack will occur. And in spite of our intelligence work and the terror index I am afraid that another attack will one day occur on American soil. And when it does it will probably occur when we least expect it. So it will be with the coming of the Son of Man.
In spite of the rapture indexes and the well researched guesses no one will see it coming until he comes. If you know that you are having a exam in two weeks, you can study the day before and be prepared. But if the teacher has a pop quiz you will be in trouble. They only way to be prepared for a pop quiz is to be prepared all the time – to be studied up in advance. It is the same with Jesus return. We don’t know when he is coming and so we can’t afford to wait until the last minute to get ready. The only way to be prepared for his coming is to be ready at all times – to live every day as if it were your last.
Are you ready? If Jesus should return today, are you prepared to stand before him in judgment? If not, you can be.
Please email me if you use this sermon or a revision of it. Thank you!
steveamanda8297@hotmail.com
