Emmanuel, God With Us: He’s Coming

It’s a Heartbeat: We Love His Appearing

2 Timothy 4:8 (NKJV)

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

It’s A Mindset: Maybe Today!

2 Peter 3:1 (NKJV)

Beloved, I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder),

What is that mindset?

It’s a clear, pure, unmixed, uncontaminated, focused, and concentrating mind. It is the picture of thoughts being sifted just like wheat is sifted in order to be separated from the chaff. Thoughts are to be sifted in order to separate the true and pure from the untrue and impure. There is always so much false teaching about the end time that the mind must be pure in order to sift the true teaching from the false.

The first date setter for the second coming that comes to mind was William Miller (1782-1849) who determined that the Lord would return sometime between March 21, 1843, and March 21, 1844). The Lord did not return during that time, but he then recalculated and gave a new date of October 22, 1844. The Lord did not return then either. He had between fifty and a hundred thousand followers at the time of his predictions, but most turned away following the failure to be right. And, every date setter since has been proven to be wrong as well. I guess the Lord actually knew more about that than all the date setters put together (Matt. 24:36).

2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

It’s a Lifestyle: Focused hope of constant purification by continuing to live in union with Him. (v.5)

1 John 3:2–3 (NKJV)

Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.

And everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

One Coming, Two Promises

Malachi 4:1–3 (NKJV)

“For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, And all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” Says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch.

But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.

You shall trample the wicked, For they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet On the day that I do this,” Says the Lord of hosts.

1) Utter destruction, 2) Sheer joy

1 Thessalonians 5:1–10 (NKJV)

But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.

But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.

Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.

For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.

But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.

For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,

who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Juxtapose with Mal 4. Two promises, one coming.

Appointed to either: 1) Wrath, or, 2) To obtain salvation

Appearances: Past, Present, Future

Hebrews 9:24–28 (NKJV)

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us;

not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—

He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment,

so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

He Came: Has appeared.

He’s Here: Now to appear.

He’s Coming: He will appear.

He’s Coming for those who eagerly wait!

The New King James Version Hebrews 9:27–28

And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.