Christ is Coming Back

If you have a Bible, go ahead and grab it. We are going to finish up 1 Thessalonians 4 tonight and we will be starting in verse 13. If you were here last week, I mentioned how tonight and really over the next 2 months, we will be talking about the subject that I think sparked your interest to begin with in this book and that is the second coming of Christ. Why is it that we are so interested in the second coming of Christ? Why are there so many different emotions attached with it? For many this is a day that they love and long for and then for others it is a day that terrifies them. I’ve told you this story before about how I was pretty young at my great grandfather’s church and how as he was wrapping up his sermon one morning, he turned to the door behind him and said, “Next week, Jesus is going to come walking through that door.” I got in the car and I was terrified at the thought of this. I remember asking my Mom, “Is Jesus really going to walk in? Did Pop Pop really mean that?” It scared me because I didn’t understand it. Why do we have so many different emotions to the second coming of Christ? I think mainly because we don’t understand it. We don’t like not knowing things right? We enjoy knowing exactly how things are going to line up from start to finish and the fact that there is such mystery behind the when and how of the second coming, we tend to get a little uneasy. Over the next few weeks though, we are going to see how for every Christian, the second coming of Christ is the greatest day in the world. It is a day that we are to look ahead to with such joy that nothing could possibly steal that joy. The second coming of Christ is in a sense, our coronation day. It is the day that all of history is barreling towards. In short, it will be the event that kick starts perfection in our lives. For Christians, the second coming of Christ will be a day of great rejoicing but for the unbelievers, it will be a day of wrath and destruction. We read in Revelation 1:7 “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” It will be a day of mourning for those that have rejected Christ and judgement. There are really only 2 responses when Christ returns: In the words of John MacArthur, it will either be the greatest calamity in all of human history or in the words of Titus 2:13, the fulfillment of the blessed hope of all believers. So, when it comes to the subject of the Second Coming, where are we going to go with it over these next few weeks and months? I’ll go ahead and tell you what we aren’t going to talk about. We aren’t going to speculate on days and times because Christ tells us that it is not for us to know the day or the hour of His coming. The book of Revelation, and really all eschatological or end times verses, is not for us to speculate and fear but to remind us to endure to the end. It is to remind us that the world is never so out of control that God is not sovereignly orchestrating all things to His set purpose. We also aren’t going to look at this subject with fear but with great love and we are going to make our heart cry, “Lord, come soon.” I want to be careful as I say this but I don’t want us to look at the events in our world and say, “Jesus must be coming back soon.” We see war, we see rumors of war, we see storms and disease, we see all these things that Christ said in Matthew 24 would be the sign of His coming but here’s the thing, we have had these signs for the past 2,000 years. Christ very well could come within the hour, within the next minute, but I don’t want you guys to fearfully look at the signs of the times as if something new was happening because we have been in the last days since the day of Christ’s resurrection. The Apostle John says in 1 John 2:18

1 John 2:18 (ESV)

Children, it is the last hour, and as you have heard that antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have come. Therefore we know that it is the last hour.

Yes, a time where come where things will ramp up and I think that we as believers will start putting 2 and 2 together but I do not think we are going to see something like what is seen in the Left Behind movies and books. Before we even get to our passage for tonight, I want to give you 3 terms that you may be aware of if you’ve grown up in the church and it centers around the word rapture. Now believe it or not, that word is not actually in the Bible but it’s idea is clearly seen in Scripture and the root of it actually comes from what we will read tonight. The 3 terms that I want to point out to you are these 3 words: Pre-tribulation, Mid-tribulation, and Post-tribulation. These 3 words all relate to the rapture or second coming of Christ and the reason I want us to look at these 3 for just a second is because my understanding of theology comes from my belief in a post-tribulation rapture and we will see and explain that tonight when we get to verses 16-18. So, what are these terms?

Pre-tribulation rapture

A pre-tribulation rapture is what we see in the Left Behind series. It is the belief that before the 7 years of tribulation comes, which we can read about in the book of Daniel, the Lord will rapture all Christians to Himself and that the wicked will be left behind. The thought behind this is that God is far too loving of the Church to send them through the tribulation but is that actually Biblical? We could spend so much time looking at support for this position but we don’t have time unfortunately. Maybe one day, but not today. I personally don’t think that the church will be removed from the world before the tribulation begins, predominantly because there are far too many verses in the Bible that says that we are to endure during the tribulation. Let me throw this out there, I’ve already started thinking about what we are going to do in the fall or next spring and I am sort of leaning towards something Old Testament like Esther or Daniel but if we did the book of Daniel, we would spend more time talking about this, so I’m just throwing that out there.

Mid-Tribulation Rapture

A mid-tribulation rapture says that in the span of the 7 years of tribulation, the Church will be removed out of the world at the midway point and not be involved during the final 3 and a half years of tribulation. I feel like this has so little support for it that we won’t spend any time looking at it. I just put it out there so you could recognize what that term means.

Post-tribulation Rapture

What then is a post-tribulation rapture? Well what’s left? It’s the belief that at the end of the 7 years of tribulation, Christ will return once for His people and then will be with the Lord forever. This is the view that I am in favor of based on my understand of Scripture and this is what we will be working with as we go through 1-2 Thessalonians. Really my intention for us tonight is to just recognize that Jesus really is coming back and we need to be ready. So, what can we do to prepare for that day and how should we respond to the reality of His coming? Let’s pray and then we will read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

What is Our Hope in Regards to the Second Coming? (Vs 13-14)

What I want to do is sort of just take the statements as they come in these 6 verses and while we certainly can’t cover everything that these verses have to offer, we will still hopefully have a better understanding of these verses and the second coming by the end of the night. Let’s first look at why Paul decided to add these verses into the letter. This is obviously not the first mention of the second coming for the Thessalonians. Paul will say in chapter 5 that in regards to the second coming, the Thessalonians are fully aware of what that day will be like and its reality. So, what is Paul addressing here? There was a fear that was growing within the church that those Christians that had already passed away would miss out on the Second coming. We’ll get to this more in verses 15-17 but Paul reminds the believers that he doesn’t want them to be uninformed about those who have fallen asleep and grieve as those that don’t have hope. I want to quickly tackle three things about death and I hope to not spend too much time on it but I don’t want you all to be uninformed just as Paul didn’t want the Thessalonians to be uninformed. The first thing is that for all Christians, death is equalled to sleep. Death does not have power over believers and the moment of our deaths, almost like waking up from sleep, we will wake up in the presence of our Lord and Savior. That first second of everlasting life will make up for every moment that we experienced on Earth. We will see the Lord Himself and because He lives, we shall live also. Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:53-55

1 Corinthians 15:53–55 (ESV)

For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:

“Death is swallowed up in victory.”

“O death, where is your victory?

O death, where is your sting?”

Christians look at death like no other people. We know that our Redeemer lives and because He lives, those that abide in Him shall live also. John Calvin wrote, “We have every right to taunt death as a conquered power because Christ’s victory is our victory.” You will never feel more alive than the second after your death. We are not a hopeless people, we are a people that serve a Risen King and we will rise with Him. The second thing I want to touch on is a sensitive subject, what about suicide? Can Christians that commit suicide go to Heaven? Let me put this out there, I truly believe that Christians can commit suicide. Just as our physical bodies still have plagues and struggles between now and eternity, our minds still have plagues and struggles. There is nothing in the Bible that says that true believers that commit suicide don’t go to Heaven. That’s a Catholic myth. Suicide is a horrible, disgusting, wicked sin but if there was a single sin that was more powerful than the saving grace of Jesus Christ, He would still be in the grave. I know that there may be someone in here who knows someone that claimed to be a Christian that did take their own life but I promise you on the authority of God’s Word, if they were truly a Christian, they are in the presence of Christ. The third thing that I will quickly mention is the reality of grieving. I’m assuming that every single person in here has lost someone at some point in their life. Death comes for everyone right? I think some people look at Christians and assume that we should just be stoic and emotionless when someone dies but notice what Paul says. He doesn’t say, “You’re a Christian so don’t grieve.” No, he says that he is writing to the believers so that they “may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” We grieve differently. We miss our loved ones but while we miss them, we think of where they are. All of our deceased Christian loved ones are in paradise. Every aliment is cured, every heartache is removed, and to be honest, they wouldn’t come back here even if they could because why would they want to? To be in the presence of God is to be in the presence of perfection. Yes, we can grieve. Yes, we can hate death but we are still to be a people of great hope. What hope do we have then? Our hope is centered on the resurrection of Christ and through our Mediator Jesus Christ, God will bring every Christian to glory.

No One Will Miss Out (Vs 15-17)

In verses 15-17 Paul more directly addresses the fears of the Thessalonians through the reality of Christ’s second coming. When Christ returns, it is going to be a universal event. No one is missing out on this day. No one is going to be on one half of the world that knows what’s going on while the other half is missing out. The Second Coming of Christ is such a grand day that it is often referred to in Scripture as the Day of the Lord. This is God’s day and to Him be the glory. Mankind will not be on center stage the day that Christ returns. Paul may not know the when of the Second Coming but he does know the plan of the Second Coming. Paul says in verse 16 that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself will descend from Heaven with the voice of an archangel and the sound of the trumpet of God will cry out and the dead in Christ will rise from their graves and those that are left on the earth, those that are alive will be caught up, raptured to meet the Lord in the air. Notice, no one but Christ Himself is coming back for us. This is not an angel’s work. The second in command isn’t the one that calls God’s people home. This is God coming for God’s people! John Stott wrote, “The second coming will be a personal coming, a visit in person, of the Lord, that is, Jesus. Accompanying his return there will be a universal, authoritative, divine proclamation which presumably will both announce the end and summon the dead to rise.” We need to remember that it is Christ Himself that returns for His people and there is not a single sanctified soul that will miss out. I don’t think that the Thessalonians were afraid that their dead loved ones weren’t in heaven. It seems like they were more worried about their dead loved ones having less of an experience than those that were alive at the Second Coming of Christ. John Piper said, “Paul is at pains to explain that the dead will be at no disadvantage in experiencing the full glory of that great day. He denies that those who are alive at the coming of Christ will have any advantage over the dead. To make that plain, he focuses on the resurrection of the bodies of those who had died.” Paul is saying, “Don’t worry about your loved ones missing out. In fact, we’re going to follow them to meet our Lord in the air at the time of His Second coming.” This right here is one of the biggest reasons why I believe in a post-tribulation rapture. Let’s read verses 16-17 again. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” Here we see the rapture and second coming as a singular event. If we read these verses literally, it does not sound like we are going to have a Left Behind book event where Christians are taken out of the world and the world keeps spinning. To me, this sounds like Christ comes, the dead rise, and those that are still alive meet with Him in the air. There is only going to be one second coming. If Jesus came back to rapture the Church prior to the 7 years tribulation, wouldn’t He be coming back a 3rd time at the end of those 7 years? It seems to me that there is only one more time where Jesus will return. He is going to come back to gather His people and judge the world. There is so much more that we could cover in this but I don’t think we have the time to cover it. Even if we are left with questions in regards to how all of this will play out, I think that we need to remember that no matter how it plays out, God is behind it all and that it will be done exactly how He wants it to be done. God’s not up in Heaven looking at all of our theories and picking the best one. God knows exactly how and when this is all going to be made new and while the Bible may not tell us everything we want to know, it does tell us what we need to know. We know that Christ is coming back and we are to be ready.

Our Encouragement (V 18)

As Paul was writing to the Thessalonians, he knew that they had to be encouraged just as we need to be encouraged. The return of Christ is a day that we are to look ahead to with great joy. We are to long for His return and we should not look at the second coming of Christ as the sign that our fun is over. I remember being a kid and thinking, “Man I sure do hope I can do all this stuff before Jesus comes back.” I used to look at the second coming as a horrible day because to me, it felt like death almost. But we will never be more alive than the moment we take that first step into eternity. Leon Morris wrote, “Paul’s words are a source of continual strengthening for the believer, not a spur to fascination with the future. They convey the assurance that the power of God will never be defeated. God is supreme, and when he sees that the time has come, he will draw this age to its close and usher in the new age with the parousia. Whether we live or whether we die, we do not go beyond his power. Even in the face of death, that antagonist that no human can tame, we can remain calm and triumphant, for we know that those who sleep sleep in Jesus and that they have their place in the final scheme of things.” I hope that if you are a Christian, you are encouraged by Paul’s words and are encouraged by the joy that is to come for us as we see our Savior bring us to Him. We will all have front row seats to the greatest moment in history. We will see firsthand that which all of time and space is barreling towards. Are you looking ahead to this day? The older I get, the more I long for Christ to return. Is your heart’s cry, “Lord, come soon”? Finally, are you right with the Lord? Because Christ’s return will not be good news for everyone. For those that belong to Christ, this will be our wedding day. This will be our coronation day. But for unbelievers, it will be a day of judgement and torment. It will be hell for you and your life right now is the closest thing to Heaven that you will ever experience but for Christians, this world is the closest to hell we will ever have to be. For Christians, even death is just sleep for us but for non-Christians, death will be that which will catapult you into hell forever. The Second Coming of Christ could come at any moment. Are you ready? He may very well come between now and when we meet together again after Spring Break. If He is to come between now and then, have you made yourself right with Him? Let’s pray together.