The Return of Christ!

Intro:

We live in between two key points in history.

Christmas - The coming of the Messiah

The Return of Christ - The second coming of the Messiah

Forgotten doctrine.

Used to encourage one another.

Persecution

Hardship

Physical sickness, bodily pain.

It’s been a long time: Maybe we’ve forgotten, that He is coming back.

God sees time differently.

One day is as a thousand years.

It’s only been two days.

We know that Jesus is going to return

John 14:3 NIV

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

We don’t know when he is going to return. (Matt. 24:44)

Matthew 24:44 NIV

So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Jesus did give us some signs of what would happen before his return.

1. False Christs and false prophets. (Matt. 24:4-5)

Matthew 24:4–5 NIV

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many.

Mother-God group

The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beginning of the Troubles, 24:3–14

The fact that God’s true Messiah has come will not prevent false teachers from arguing persuasively that they are the Messiah, and convincing many. This will be confusing for ordinary followers of Jesus, and it is important that his apostles be clear on the truth: there is but one Messiah, and Jesus is he.

A few verses on this:

1 Thessalonians 4:16–18 NIV

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel 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 so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Philippians 3:20–21 NIV

But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

2. Wars, Rumors of Wars (Matt. 24:6)

Matthew 24:6 NIV

You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.

storygirl at the house church.

Do not be alarmed. Don’t panic or worry.

The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beginning of the Troubles, 24:3–14

In those troubled times Jesus’ followers are to see to it that they are not troubled.

3. Famines and earthquakes (Matt. 24:7)

Matthew 24:7 NIV

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

4. Universal hatred of Christians (Matt. 24:9-10)

Matthew 24:9–10 NIV

“Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beginning of the Troubles, 24:3–14

This signifies that people in authority will take the initiative against Jesus’ followers; they must expect special trouble in the last days and not simply the suffering they will share with all people, such as the famines and earthquakes of which Jesus has just spoken. They will suffer because of who they are—Christians, and their suffering will be no insignificant discomfort but the trouble that crushes.

1st Century - Persecution under Nero.

Christians in China.

Christians in North Korea and many other countries.

Professing Church in Germany during the Nazi Regime.

Western Culture Christians: Condemned for values:

Closed minded.

Old-fashioned.

Intolerant.

5. Many will renounce the faith (Matt. 24:10)

Matthew 24:10 NIV

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,

The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beginning of the Troubles, 24:3–14

These people will encounter disaster: they had professed to be Christians because of the peace and joy they sought in a difficult world, and instead they find persecution. In such a situation nominal Christians readily find the faith a trap and seek to get out of it promptly. GNB paraphrases with “will give up their faith,” and NRSV with “will fall away.” That certainly is the outcome, and they will go so far as to hand one another over (the verb is that used in v. 9);

Christianity in our culture is often framed as:

Toxic

Sexually narrow.

Major Television Station produced a moving documentary: Man who popularized the term “ex-vangelical”

Episcopalian

Pluralist

No longer believes in hell

Utilizes certain buddhist practices

Application: Don’t quit Matt 24:13

Matthew 24:13 NIV

but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

The Gospel according to Matthew 2. The Beginning of the Troubles, 24:3–14

Saving faith is known not by some firm declaration or a well-intentioned beginning, but by endurance.

6. The gospel will be proclaimed throughout the whole world. (Matt. 24:14)

Matthew 24:14 NIV

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

Eventually, Satan will be bound for a thousand years (Rev. 20:4-5)

Revelation 20:1–3 NIV

And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

Revelation 20:4–5 NIV

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.

Theologians have termed this, the Millennium.

View 1: Amillennial - The view that the millennium is now, and when it ends, then Jesus will return.

Difficulty - Rev 20:4

Revelation 20:4 (NIV)

... They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

View 2: Postmillennial - The view that the millennium will come gradually, and Jesus will return after the millenium.

Same problem.

How to reconcile this: Christ may reign through his people, and later come in bodily form.

View 3: Premillennial - The view that the millennium will come suddenly, and Jesus will return before the millenium.

Oldest viewpoint.

Video: An evening of eschatology

What we can be sure of:

Satan will be released from prison to gather those he has deceived for battle Rev. 20:7-8

Revelation 20:7–8 ESV

And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea.

At the end of that battle, Jesus will defeat Satan and he will be thrown into the lake of fire forever. Rev. 20:10

Revelation 20:10 NIV

And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Jesus will execute final judgment and reign as King forever.

Application: This should give us a confident hope that is a foundation of constant underlying joy in our lives.

“You don’t want to end up on the wrong side of history.”

The only way to do that is to join the side of the Author of history.

We know the end of the story. In the end, Jesus wins.