We continue our study of the “End Times” according to God. As we noted last week, let us never forget that there are 2 types of endings of life: there is the end of life for an individual person and there is the end of this world as we know it, for all life.
A person can physically die at any moment for various reasons.
Every second, 2 people die in the world! When a person dies, their body goes back to the dust where it came from, but their soul goes directly to God for judgement; the eternal soul of a dead person is either accepted to heaven or prisoned in hell, for future eternal judgment. If you don’t know where your soul will be when you die, I encourage you to read 2 Corinthians 5:1-10.
We also noted last week:
1. When God speaks about the End Times, they are about the end of the Church Age, and the end of Ages to follow till the Final Eternal Age! And so, when we talk about End Times, we can not lump it all together as one event; there will be several events in the End Times!
2. God gives us an idea of timing when the end of the world will happen; the end of the world will not happen till after the Temple in Jerusalem is rebuilt!
3. Only God the Father knows the actual schedule of the end times BUT Jesus tells us that it will be very, very soon, and it will likely happen during our lifetime today! If the early Christians anticipated the return of Christ, shouldn’t we even be more excited after 2000 years with all sorts of high technology? I just heard recently of how a DNA can be cut and be changed!
Open your Bibles again to the Gospel of Matthew 24…..
Look again at v3…. The disciples already knew that there will be an end to the present age and that Jesus would leave the earth and come back again (The Return of Christ to earth). Jesus then describes some of the events that will happen at the end of the age.
Take a look now at v36-42 with me….
And so we note that:
• Jesus Christ will return to earth only as scheduled by God the Father!
• When Jesus returns to earth, people will be living as usual as if nothing serious will happen!
• One day, some people will just disappear, leaving others behind!
• Jesus instructs His followers to keep watch, because Jesus can show up without warning.
Let us elaborate more on these truths.
a. Jesus Christ will return to earth only as scheduled by God the Father! There are so many in the past and today, and for sure in the future, who will come around and tell you when Jesus will return to earth and when the end of the world will be. Let me state again what Jesus said in Matthew 24:4, “let no one deceive you!” and again in v36: only God the Father knows when Jesus will return! Why is this important? It is related to v42 which we will discuss more in the end. The imminent return of Jesus Christ is to be a motivation for Christians.
Let me say it again here; God gives us a glimpse of the future to motivate us to live by faith in him and in Christ alone! Do you see your faith in Christ growing everyday?
What is the rest of the world be doing just before the Return of Jesus Christ?
b. When Jesus returns to earth, people will be living as usual as if nothing serious will happen!
How can this happen and is this happening today? Jesus cited that it will be like the time of Noah and the flood. What was happening just before the flood? If we look at Genesis 6:5-14, we will note that, just before the flood to judge the world, people were living as usual with only evil thoughts in their hearts; in other words, people before the flood did not consider God at all in their hearts and lives.
Are we seeing today in our world people not considering God and with evil hearts? Societies all over the world, including ours in America, are becoming more and more godless!
People are living today without a thought about God and it will get worse in the future; and so, many people today and even more in the future will not give even a thought about Jesus Christ returning to earth; people today and the future will be just consumed of how well they can live on earth and perhaps dream about living on another planet! The return of Jesus Christ will happen soon! We are to stand firm on the Word of God and continue to live by faith in Jesus Christ!
c. One day, some people will just disappear, leaving others behind!
Jesus described in Matthew 24 something very simple but yet an awesome event; one day people side by side each other, some will simply disappear, taken away somewhere! There are 2 other passages in Scriptures which describes a taking away of people. We read something similar in Luke 17:26-35….
And our main passage this morning is 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Read along with me….
What are the main truths from this passage?
V13: Christians are to be knowledgeable about death beyond the separation of the body with the soul. Remember that everyone who dies, their bodies return to dust but their souls face God for judgment; and those who believed in Jesus Christ are welcomed to the family of God in heaven!
And so, V14: Souls of Believers of the Risen Christ are with Christ! We see Jesus leading an army!
V15-17: The Lord Jesus Christ will come down from heaven, appear in the clouds, with a loud command (voice of an archangel and a trumpet sound), the dead bodies of Believers will rise first, then the alive Believers will catch up with them with the Lord forever!
This event is known as the “Rapture”! Why?
When the Bible was translated to Latin, the word “raptura” was used for being caught up or carried away; and so the “Rapture” is to be caught up, carried away, snatched away to Jesus Christ in the clouds! The Rapture to Christ will be an amazing event because God will complete a Believing Person (a resurrection like Christ’s) to be set for heaven forever! If you are a Believer of Jesus Christ, one of these days you will be beside a non-Believer, you will be taken to heaven, the unbeliever beside you will be left behind!
V18: Christians are to encourage each other with this truth!
Let us conclude this message for today what we noted from Jesus Christ from Matthew 24.
d. Jesus instructs His followers to keep watch; because Jesus can show up without warning.
What does it mean to keep watch?
1. Keep in mind that “Rapture” can happen at any moment now! Not like other future events told by God, except for the call of God the Father, there is nothing else to see happen before the Rapture is to happen! Jesus Christ has Risen from the dead! Jesus Christ Reigns as Lord of all! Jesus Christ promised to Return to earth! The Rapture to Christ will happen next; nothing else needs to happen here on earth! Only God the Father needs to give the signal for the ”Rapture” to happen!
How else are Christians to keep watch? Open your bibles again to Matthew 24… read along with me v42-44…
The owner of the house should have been ready not to have his house broken into! How does one ready their house not to be broken into? First, be aware that thieves come in the night; Secure what is precious to you; lock the doors; have some sort of alarm! And so, in the same way for us Christians are to keep watch for the Rapture….
2. Be “ready” for Jesus to show up for you! Here’s homework for you: Like an owner of the house gets ready for any thief, how would you get ready for the appearance of Jesus Christ? What would be the analogies for the Rapture to the house owner who is aware that thieves come in the night; secures what is precious to him; lock the doors; have some sort of alarm! Think of securing your house from thieves and use it as an analogy for being ready for the Rapture; again, a house owner can be ready because he is aware that thieves come in the night; secures what is precious to him; lock the doors; have some sort of alarm!
In closing, let us always keep in mind and encourage one another with these 4 Rs:
Christ has Risen! Christ Reigns! Christ will Return! Christ will Rapture us!
Take a moment to quietly pray about these things…….
