Jesus shares more with Disciples about what the days leading up to the Rapture will look like, and then transitions to teaching on how we should live in light of these truths.
Transcription (automatically-generated):
We're studying the gospel of Matthew and we're in Chapter 24, and Jesus is sharing multiple prophecy, some that have already been fulfilled and others that are yet to be fulfilled. We're going to wrap up Chapter 24 today. And then Pastor BJ is going to take the baton for the next three weeks and teach us through Chapter 25. And Chapter 25 is just wonderful because after sharing all these prophecies, Jesus moves on to teach us how we should actually live in light of the information that he shared in Chapter 24.
So you're not going to want to miss that. Pastor BJ is going to take us through the practical application of what we do with all this fascinating information Jesus is sharing with us in Chapter 24.
We're going to pick things right up where we left off last time, which will put us in Matthew 24 Verse 8 36, if you'd like to begin turning their in your Bibles, physical or electronic.
And if you're a new hope person and you've heard me teach through this passage of scripture before, you may notice only the hardcore devotees that a couple of my positions have slightly changed.
And that's because I've read more. I have studied more, I've thought more. And as I've often shared, I hope that in the future my understanding of scripture changes more because I hope to keep growing in my knowledge and understanding of God's word.
And as we all do that, we should hopefully all find that our understanding evolves over time and it grows. I hope none of us are thinking, nope, I think I know everything right now. So I'm just going to coast through the next ten years and everything's going to be the same. I hope we all want to grow.
If you have any questions about why I've changed these positions, I'm just limited by time. Today you can always chat with me after the service or even better, shoot me an email and we can go back and forth about that.
Well, have you ever had a moment in your life where you were absolutely indefensibly irrevocably caught in a situation or circumstance that you should not have been? I will not ask you to share publicly the memory that's running through your head right now, even though it would surely take the entertainment value of this message to a whole nother level, let's just say that most of us, upon reflection, should probably be really grateful for the mercy and grace of Jesus and forgiveness of sins.
Again, thank you, Lord.
Now, if there were ever a situation where you had the potential to be caught in a position you shouldn't be in and you had a good friend who knew you were about to be caught, you would expect that friend to give you a heads up, right.
You'd expect them to say, hey, your mom just pulled up in the driveway or they probably wouldn't be a real friend.
The Bible says that Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a what?
A brother, closer than a brother. And today Jesus is going to warn us about a future situation that could cause us to be caught in a situation we have no business being in.
And if we're caught in that position, will be embarrassed and most importantly, immediately filled with overwhelming regret. So let's give our attention to Jesus and his word, because I believe that none of us can afford to miss the heads up that Jesus is going to give us.
In today's study. We're going to find that Jesus is going to be talking about the rapture in today's text.
The Rapture is the name given to the future event where Jesus will come for his church, all believers on the Earth, and remove them from the earth to be safely with him in heaven before he begins pouring out his judgment on the earth.
And I know I said that really cool and low key. And I know that if you've never heard that, you're like, wait, the what?
The what? I understand that I literally just can't do an entire study on the rapture right now. We've got a whole bunch of them on our website. So if you want more on that, come talk to me after the service. But for now, we got to keep going while you try and recover your thoughts and know you're not part of a cult. Everything's going to be fine.
And In verses, 36, Jesus says, speaking of the rapture, but of that day and hour, would you underline day, an hour?
No one knows. Not even the angels of heaven, but my father.
Only now we know that Jesus is speaking about his coming at the Rapture as opposed to his coming at the second, coming for at least two reasons. Firstly, when he is sharing this, he is speaking to only four of his disciples.
They're all going to be saved. Jesus knows that all disciples of Jesus are and will be saved, including you and I and disciples of Jesus will not be on the Earth waiting for God to come at the second coming, they will be returning with him.
Secondly, Jesus tells us that the timing of the coming he's speaking of here is not known by anyone.
The second coming will be known and expected by many on the Earth who read the Scriptures. Because if you've been with us for this study, they will know that it's going to be exactly to the day three and a half years after Antichrist turns against Israel and desecrates the temple in the middle of the tribulation.
Now, notice that Jesus doesn't say season. He doesn't say no man knows the season. He doesn't say no man knows the year. He doesn't even say month. He doesn't even say a week. He says day and the hour. And so the clear goal of Jesus here is to stop people from date setting and saying things like the rapture is going to happen on Rosh Hashanah.
Twenty, twenty two.
It's all in my book, which I would love to give to you for free with a simple love offering of ninety nine dollars and ninety five cents to my ministry plus nine ninety five shipping.
When you examine everything Jesus says in the Olivet discourse, it becomes clear that he wants his servants, which is you and I, to recognize the season of history when the end times are rapidly approaching. Yet he wants us to stay away from setting specific dates.
Now, there are some differing views with regard to the meaning of this verse. And let me get into this a little bit. Some hold that within the Trinity.
Only God, the father knows the date of the rapture.
And at this point in my life, in studies, this is one of the things I've changed my view on, I think it's much more likely that Jesus simply didn't know the day or hour of the Rapture when he was on the earth as a man, because I believe the scriptures teach that everything Jesus knew on the Earth as a man was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit.
And apparently it simply wasn't part of God's plan for Jesus to have this information while he was on the Earth.
When I look at everything else, the Bible and Jesus himself teaches about the unity that he shares with the father, I find it increasingly difficult to believe that right now Jesus doesn't know the timing of the Rapture.
And the reason I find that so hard is because I can't find a single, even remotely coherent reason why that would be the case.
Father, when is the rapture going to happen? When am I going to go get my church? I'm not going to tell you. Why, I already put it in the Bible, I can't take it back now, it's awkward, it's just a lot of editing and, you know, it just it doesn't make sense when you when you slow down and really think about it.
So write this down one way or another. The point is this. Only God knows the exact date of the Rapture. Only God knows the exact date of the rapture. And you would think, well, obviously. And yet it happens every few years.
Someone says God's given them a revelation of the exact date that the rapture is going to happen. Buy my book, come to my conference, and people don't read the Bible, which always blows me away.
I'm like, you believe the Bible enough to listen to the sky and follow him, but you don't believe the Bible enough to just read the Bible. It's really it's really, really weird. Now, quick thought for you thinkers out there.
Again, I'm going to stir up some more trouble here. There are some theological camps that teach while Jesus was on the earth, he was still fully God in every way. And what they mean by that is that they believe that Jesus didn't give up any of his God powers, any of his God knowledge, none of his omniscience, omnipotence, any of that. And they will actually teach that suggesting otherwise is heresy.
And I think that's very problematic in light of this verse, because here we find Jesus, the man telling us in his own words that at least for sure at that moment in time, he didn't know the timing of the rapture, but the father did, which means that that at this moment, however you want to define it, Jesus did not possess all of his full God knowledge. I believe that's because he gave it up when he became a man.
And as I said, he had to rely on the Holy Spirit just as we do.
The difference is that Jesus actually lived his entire human life, being completely surrendered to the will of his father and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Because if Jesus didn't let me be honest, his example really doesn't mean that much. How could Jesus possibly be tempted if he's still entirely in every way, fully God? Because one of the characteristics of God is that he's fully satisfied within himself. So if that's the case, how could it actually be tempting for him to be tempted with anything? And yet Scripture says he was tempted in what every way as we are yet without sin, yet without sin.
That's something to talk about, something to think through. And as I always say, this applies to all of my messages. Don't believe anything because I say it, think about it, study the scriptures for yourself, come to your own conclusion.
And just in case any of us aren't connecting the dots, this verse is why you don't read or share articles or videos of people who've claimed to figure out the exact day of the Rapture. Jesus, help me. Those people are committing heresy by claiming to know what Jesus said they could not know yet. Jesus, but I figured out of supersmart.
If I ever see any of you sharing anything like that on Facebook in the name of Jesus, I will spam your comments section with this verse over and over and over and over again, because only God knows.
Only God knows if you see your aunt who loves to share, you know, those like Thomas Kincaid pictures. But somehow Jesus is in them, too. If you see her sharing something like this, tell her what the word says.
OK, now, now, Wren concluded, refocussing Jesus shares some more details about what the world is going to be like just before the rapture takes place.
And he says this beginning in verse 37. But as the days of Noah would you underlined days of Noah as the days of Noah were.
So also, will the coming of the son of man be four, as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage until the day that Noah entered the ark and did not know until the flood came and took them all away.
So also, will the coming of the son of man be so Jesus compares the time of the Rapture, the weeks and months and years right before the Rapture happens to the time of Noah, specifically the weeks and months and years before Noah climbed into the ark to escape the Great Flood.
And Jesus says, Guys, here's the similarity. Right before the disaster of the flood came upon the earth, right up to the moment the rain began to fall, probably for the first time in history story for another day, people were going about their daily lives as normal as normal.
That's what people are going to be doing on the day when the rapture takes place.
They're going to be busy with their normal lives.
And while Noah was getting ready for the flood, what was he doing?
Well, a brother, Peter, tells us in the New Testament that he was preaching for decades. Noah was preaching and warning people, but all they did was write him off as a kook, a religious nut job oblivious to their pending doom.
Today, I think the reality of our situation is even more glaring. And I'll tell you why. I'll tell you why. Because when the flood happened, it wasn't wasn't disasters progressively getting worse and worse and then the flood happened.
It was life as normal. Then the flood happens today.
How many people can perceive, at least on some level, that something is wrong? How many people right now can perceive something is off in the world in a significant way and it is not getting better?
And yet, other than ranting on social media, those same people simply continue with life as normal, refusing to consider whether God might have something to do with this.
The ones who are most concerned about what's going on in the world and in culture almost never turn to Jesus.
They write about their concerns on the Internet.
They make videos in their basement for YouTube. They start Facebook groups to find other concerned individuals so they can all be terrified together and talk about how nobody understands what's really going on except them. But turn to Jesus. Now the signs are everywhere, but nobody really cares. Oh, they pounded on the door of the ark once they realized what was happening. But the Bible says the Lord was the one who had sealed the door and they couldn't get in.
It was too late. Jesus says the rapture. It's going to be like that. Most of the world is going to be busy with their daily lives, ignoring the gospel, refusing to repent, oblivious to the fact that Jesus is about to judge the Earth. And what's interesting to me is that Jesus doesn't describe the world as some sort of post apocalyptic wasteland when the rapture happens.
Instead, he describes life just going on as normal, the usual daily stuff happening, which is weird when you pair that description with the description of labor pains that Jesus gave us earlier in Matthew, 24, things like wars and earthquakes, diseases.
And so a picture emerges when you put these two things together. And the best way I can describe it is to say it like this.
This is the first fill in on your outline just before the rapture takes place.
Life on Earth will be business as usual in a very unusual time.
It will be business as usual in a very unusual time. And could you think of a better description than that for our world right now?
It was years ago that I taught this for the first time by the by the way, and I made that same point back then. And it's happened pretty quickly. All the same daily stuff pretty much keeps happening. But the world is falling apart when you step back and you take a look at it. I also noticed that when Jesus talks about Noah, this is a big Bible, bit of knowledge to understand when Jesus talks about Noah. He talks about him literally.
Jesus doesn't talk about Noah as those as though he's a fable or a myth or a parable or someone who didn't really live. He talks about Noah as being literally true.
Just as Jesus talked about Noah, I'm sorry, just as Jesus talked about Jonah and the fish who swallowed him as being literally true, you see, whenever Jesus talks about Old Testament stories in persons, he always speaks of them literally.
And that's why when someone says, well, I heard that Noah's Ark was just a fable passed down through oral tradition, I really don't care.
I trust what Jesus said about them, because all those theories end up being proven wrong by archaeology sooner or later.
And so I'm going to stick with the one who said he himself was the way the what? The truth and the life.
Good job. And so should you.
You say you don't need to argue with people about things in the Old Testament that Jesus said were real.
The issue is always is Jesus, because if Jesus rose from the dead, then he is who he said he is. Right, he's God. And if God says, oh, yeah, the flood, Jonah, Sodom and Gomorrah. Yeah, that's all true. Then guess what? It's true. It's true. If the resurrection is true, the New Testament is true and you get the Old Testament thrown in for free. So don't waste your time on foolish discussions about Old Testament mythologies.
Believe what Jesus said.
So write this down. Jesus always talks about Old Testament characters and accounts as being literally true.
He speaks of them as being literally true. Now, last week, we talked about what the rabbis call a Remez, a mystical and often prophetic level of understanding that's hidden just under the surface of certain scriptures, and it requires a little bit of digging. And so last week, we looked at the possible Remez of political Israel in the parable of the fig tree. Some of you will know that I personally believe there is a Remez in Jesus's reference to the days of Noah.
There are many other biblical examples of sudden catastrophe befalling a group of people or a city. But the Lord specifically chose the days of Noah.
Why? Why that specifically? I believe there's a specific reason that is fascinating and I don't have time to talk about it in this message. That's how you rope people. And if you're looking to learn how to do that, if you want to learn more about that, I put a link on the outlines for you that you can check out in your own studies this week. Let's keep reading in verse 40. Jesus says then two men will be in the field.
Speaking of the time of the rapture, one will be taken and the other left. So he's speaking of the rapture.
But you'll find many good scholars who love Jesus who will say, well, no, no, no, because it's being likened to Noah's day. Jesus is clearly talking about one being taken away in judgment while the other is left.
For those of you who are interested in such discussions, I disagree with that view because Jesus uses a completely different Greek word for taken in verse 40. Then he uses for took in verse 39. They're completely different root words in the Greek.
And if you want to get into that, go on the blue letter Bible dot com, look up the verse is, use the interlinear feature, get into the original Greek and you'll be able to see what I mean, even if you don't understand Greek.
Now, whenever I read the next verse in church. It always reveals who the perverts are among us, because the Bible uses the word grinding and I am going to be watching all of you as I read this next verse.
More importantly, Jesus will be watching all of you.
So don't be that person. Now, in this verse 8, the term refers to grinding wheat on a millstone. Everybody with me. OK, this is the context. Zero snickering. I'm just building the tension, OK, Verse 8 41, Verse 8 41, two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken and the other left.
So are you understanding the picture that Jesus is painting in these examples here? He's describing an instantaneous event that will result in one person being removed while the other person right next to them is left. And when it happens, they're doing everyday tasks. It's going to be just another day, he says in verse 40 to watch, therefore watch.
Because, you know, this is coming because I've told you this, pay attention. And by the way, that word watch is a command. It's not a suggestion from the Lord Jesus to his disciples. Why do we care about this End-Time stuff? Because Jesus commands us to he says, watch.
Therefore, for you do not know what our your lord is coming, but know this, that if the master of the house had known what our the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore, you also be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour. You do not expect. Now this is interesting because when you think about it, you start running into some problems with this metaphor and the different characters in it.
Because the view I hold is not the commonly taught view. It certainly wasn't when I was growing up in the church. As always, I'll share my view.
You discern and consider it it verse 8 43. This is what I believe the house is idiomatically the earth.
The house represents the Earth. Now, understanding that who then idiomatically would be the master of the house, who's the master of the earth at that time?
And I'm asking you to go out on a limb here because.
Because you're thinking you're like, if I'm wrong, Jeff, I'm going to be saying literally the opposite of what it actually is. So I won't make you do that.
But I believe the master of the house here is Satan. Would you write that down and hang with me? I'm going to walk us through this.
Which means, as strange as it may sound in this specific metaphor, who is the thief?
It's Jesus, it's Jesus, Jesus is going to come and steal away his church at a time that will take Satan by surprise, which lends some credence to the reason that God, the father, may not have revealed the day, an hour of the rapture to Jesus while he was on the earth because he didn't want Satan to know to Satan the nonbelievers.
You need to know this. Jesus will seem like a thief when he rapture's his church, and if this thief illustration is unsettling, you and I can read a room.
Let me point out that we find our brother Paul using the same illustration with the same characters in a way, in First Thessalonians, five Verse is one to 11, you can turn their aura or I'll read it to you First Thessalonians five beginning in verse one, it says it's actually it's on your outlines.
But concerning the times in 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 worth as a thief in the night. Paul saying, guys, you already know this.
This is what I taught you when I was with you. And then as I shared earlier, when I went through the same passage in an earlier message, notice how Paul switches pronouns.
Now he switches from talking about you, the believers and Thessalonica to talking about they who are the nonbelievers.
And he says 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.
So to believers, Jesus won't seem like a thief when he comes for his church.
He'll be the most welcome sight we've ever seen.
But to nonbelievers, Jesus and that whole day of the Lord will seem like a thief when the Rapture takes place.
Are you tracking with me the same event?
The rapture of the church is going to be perceived completely differently by believers and nonbelievers, Paul says.
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 get 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, therefore comfort each other and edify. That means encourage one another, just as you are also doing.
What will be a most glorious event for believers will be a most terrible event for nonbelievers, for it will mark shortly the beginning of the most tumultuous season of history the world will ever know.
And so Paul tells us, hey, don't tune out and waste your time on meaningless things in life.
Don't fall asleep in terms of your focus and priorities. Don't get caught up in sin. Stay righteous and encourage each other in these things because Jesus is coming for us soon.
Back to Matthew, 24, and I just want to highlight Verse 8 for one more time, Jesus says, therefore, you also be ready for the son of man is coming at an hour. You do not expect.
And I think the best way to interpret this is to say be ready for Jesus to come sooner than you expect and be ready for Jesus to come later than you expect. Be ready for either scenario.
And that's a healthy balance because I believe Jesus could come back. Right. Now, I'm going to keep trying it right now, but I still have life insurance. Jesus could come back in a month. It doesn't mean you should hear these messages from me and Pastor BJ and say, I know what I need to do, I need to go and buy that huge TV that I've been putting off because Jesus is coming back soon. And guess what? You can't come collect a debt if I'm not even on the earth.
Baby, that's not what you're supposed to do with this information. I need to be ready for Jesus to come back today and I need to be ready for him to come back in 30 years.
So write this down. The believer is called to live ready to be taken by Jesus at any moment.
At any moments.
And now Jesus shifts gears and he really begins to talk about how we should process this information, and as I shared, that's going to continue into chapter 25 in verse 45, he says, who then is a faithful and wise servant whom his master made ruler over his household to give them food in due season?
Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly I say to you that he will make a ruler over all his goods.
So if you're watching for the master's coming and living your life ready for his return, the Master Jesus is going to bless you in incredible ways when he counts.
The picture is the master of a house returning to find that his servant has the table set.
The Mulready the bed made the fireplace going. Everything ready for the master's return. And Jesus says live like that. Live ready for me to come to you? Jesus says, I don't want to come to rapture my church and I call your name and your response is like I'm an unwelcome relative showing up at the door spontaneously for dinner. And you're like, Jesus. Oh, wow. What a what a surprise. What what you what are you doing here?
Just just give me a few minutes to clean a few things up. Delete my browser history.
Come on in. Jesus.
Jesus says I want you to be living in such a way that when I show up, your response is yes. I've been expecting you. I'm so glad you're finally here, I'm ready, I'm ready up and ready for a while. Make a note of this. The servants of God are busy serving God and preparing for his return.
The servants of God are busy serving God and preparing for his return.
Now the contrast is shared by Jesus in verse 48, he says.
But if that evil servant says in his heart, my master's delaying his coming and begins to beat his fellow servants and eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of and will cut him into an appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
This is the second thing I've changed my position on.
By the way, if you look up the phrase weeping and gnashing of teeth, which was a Hebrew idiom at the time, if you look up that phrase in the Bible, you'll find it's only ever used by Jesus.
He uses it to describe those who do not belong to God. But are under the mistaken impression that they do belong to God, in other words, I personally believe that this evil servant is someone who thinks they're a believer, but they're really not someone like many of the religious leaders of Jesus Day.
And what Jesus is highlighting here is the fact that true believers endeavor to live their lives in light of eternity.
If you're a genuine Jesus follower, then the way you live your life, the things you prioritize, will be radically affected by the reality that eternity is real. Everything. God's word says is real. And Jesus could come for you at any moment. In contrast, those who are not true believers claim to believe in the reality of eternity, claim to believe in the Bible, claim to believe Jesus is coming back.
But there's nothing in their life. That shows any evidence that they actually believe that. In the example Jesus gives this, this fake believer doesn't have any love for his fellow servants and he doesn't have any conviction about his sin. Jesus is saying, if you don't love your brothers and sisters in Christ.
If you don't have any conviction about living in a way that honors God, if you don't even want to live righteously, if you love sin, if you're living like Jesus isn't coming back and heaven isn't real and this life is all there is, Jesus says watch out, because one way or another, you're in for a rude awakening.
And what we're meant to do with these words of Jesus is turn the spotlight on ourselves and evaluate our own lives.
We're not meant to read this and say, oh, you know, who needs to hear this? Me, I need to hear this. That's the idea. And I'm meant to ask myself. Which servant am I? If you look at my life. How I live, which servant am I? Write this down, unchecked sin and a lack of love for others are potential symptoms of a fake faith. Unchecked sin and a lack of love for others are potential symptoms of a fake faith, say, Jeff, that's heavy.
I know it's meant to be. Jeff, that's judgmental. That's because Jesus is the judge and he's the one saying it. There are only two servants in this illustration. It's not a spectrum, it's just two servants'. Which one are you? The servant who's watching and living ready for the master's return or the servant who says he's not coming back anytime soon? People have been saying that for centuries. I'm going to indulge my lusts.
I'm going to live how I want. I'm going to do what I want. Jesus isn't coming back anytime soon. Which one are you? Have you noticed how Jesus has been emphasizing things like faithfulness, watchfulness, stewardship, expectancy preparedness throughout what we've study today?
To me, it's clear and obvious that Jesus wants his disciples. That's you, me, to be watching and longing for his coming. He wants our expectation of his coming to motivate us to live for him in a radical way, on a daily basis.
And even though this conversation took place almost 2000 years ago, it's clear that Jesus wanted the expectation of his return to motivate his disciples after he returned to heaven.
The concept that Jesus is teaching of expectancy that leads to motivation and faithfulness. The idea that Jesus could return at any time is a concept. It is a doctrine known as the doctrine of imminence. It's the belief that Jesus is coming for his church is imminent, which means it could happen at any moment.
We know from the way Jesus is talking to his disciples that he wanted them to live under this doctrine of imminence. And as you read the rest of the New Testament, all the other letters, all the other epistles in there, it becomes clear that Jesus wanted the church all the way up to today to live under the doctrine of imminence, because when you really believe that Jesus could come back at any moment.
It dramatically changes the way you live. It changes your behavior, it changes your motivations.
So write this down and we'll talk about a little bit more Jesus desires. All believers live under the doctrine of imminence, the doctrine of imminence. And I know this is going to create some questions for you.
I'll try to answer some real quick and I'll try to spark some discussion.
Now, if you believe in the rapture of the church, but you believe it's going to happen halfway through the tribulation, if you're a middle creber, that's what it's called, or you believe the rapture is going to happen after the tribulation.
A post. Triva, you've got a real problem. Because you've denied the doctrine of imminence, because if you hold one of those views, there are things that absolutely have to take place before Jesus raptures his church. And so Jesus can't come back today.
If you believe in mid or poster rapture, it's impossible for Jesus to come back today because Antichrist has to rise to prominence on the world stage.
First, he has to broker a peace treaty with Israel. He has to rebuild and then desecrate the temple before the rapture can occur.
So problematically, if you hold to a mid troub or post view on the Rapture, it puts you on the side of the evil servant who says my master is delaying is coming because Jesus can't come back today.
If you hold to one of those positions, it's only if you believe in a pre trip rapture that Jesus is going to rapturous church before the tribulation happens, that you can actually still hold to the doctrine of imminence in the way that you view the end times.
We believe that Jesus will come for his church before the seven years of the Tribulation, before Antichrist rises to prominence, before all those things take place, which means Jesus could come for his church at any time.
The rapture is not conditional on anything, Donald Bornhorst, the great pastor, preacher and writer, used to tease some of his students in seminary who held to these views by coming into the classroom, shaking his head and saying, sad day, sad day.
Jesus can't come back today.
Now, am I saying am I saying that if you hold to Amidror or post your position than you are the evil servant?
No, but you might be. No, I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. All I'm saying, send me an email, OK? All I'm saying is that according to Jesus words in the Bible, you don't want to be on the same side as the evil servant and holding to Amidror or post Trib position. Puts you on that side so. So all I want to do is invite you to come over to the blessed side, the side that's watching and expecting for us coming at any moment.
That's all because I love you now. Now, let's be clear.
We know today that there were a few things that needed to take place before we could consider ourselves to be living in the end times before Antichrist can rise to prominence.
And all these things, as we've talked about, Israel has to become a country again and they have to control the city of Jerusalem.
So how can the doctrine of imminence work if there were things that needed to take place in order for the end times to really get underway?
How could Jesus tell his disciples about all these signs that would come before his coming and then tell them to live in the expectation that it could happen at any minute? I'll give you two things to consider. One is that the rapture is not conditional on any specific event. Israel didn't have to become a country before the rapture could happen.
Bible doesn't say that Jesus describes the time on the days of what it's going to be like during the Rapture.
But he describes it in such a way that almost any Christian could have, could have looked at the world around them and said, Oh, this is definitely it.
Stuff is weird.
Don't you think it's weird that there's a single empire, the Romans controlling essentially the entire world?
This is very much business as usual in an unusual time. It could have been very easy that way. But my personal belief is that the Holy Spirit cause the disciples and believers throughout the centuries to hear what they needed to hear from God's word in order to live, expecting Christ's return. Because when you study church history, you find that that even though the Bible makes it really clear that Israel is going to need to exist again and Antichrist and all these things need to happen.
The Lord seems to have hidden some of those insights from the church for most of the past 2000 years, specifically so that the church would live under the doctrine of imminence.
However, in the Book of Daniel, we read something very interesting.
You see, Daniel received some incredible prophecies that we've studied recently, and he recorded them in places like Daniel, nine and 12.
But in Daniel, Chapter 12, the angel who's been sharing these things with Daniel gives them this instruction.
And it's on your outline.
After sharing all these things with them, the angel says to Daniel, But you, Daniel, shot up the words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro and no knowledge shall increase.
So many Bible scholars believe, and I do too, that the angel is telling Daniel essentially that the prophecies he's just received are not for his time, they're not for his time, and they're not for multiple generations that are yet to come. He's actually telling Daniel, listen, the prophecies you've received are for and the phrase he uses is the time of the end, therefore the time of the end.
And Daniel, when that future time comes, this is what the angel says will happen. Knowledge shall increase.
In other words, the Lord will release a new level of understanding and insight to his people in those last days so that they can understand the Bible prophecies that apply to their day and time.
It is as though God, God put some sort of time lock on some of these prophecies that there were faithful, studious, Bible focused men for centuries who just couldn't connect the dots.
And then as we got into this final generation, boom, boom, boom, these things became so clear all in this final generation, because Jesus wants all believers to live in expectation of his coming.
So he's chosen to reveal and unlock the meaning of certain end times, prophecies to only the generations that need to understand it. And I suggest to you those generations are represented in this room, and that's exactly what we've seen happen. So some might say, well, Jeff, you've been talking about the rapture for years and the people you listen to, the people you study, they've been talking about it for decades, Jeff.
Heck, you might die before Jesus comes back. And you know what?
You're right about all of that. You're right about all of that. So you admit you could be wrong. Jeff. No, look through history, look through history at all of the great saints who lived their lives expecting Jesus to come back in their time.
I'm glad to be counted. Along with the disciples in that view. The apostle Paul. St. Francis, Dale Moody, Charles Spurgeon, and on and on and on, I could go, even though Jesus didn't come back in their lifetime, because nobody looks at those guys and says, what idiots, man, did they ever waste their lives?
They lived completely for the Lord, even though the rapture didn't happen in their lifetime.
Oh, they're going to try so hard.
Here's what I can tell you. My belief in the imminent return of Jesus for his church makes me live every day.
Longing for the Lord, longing for the Lord. It stops me getting caught up in and freaked out by world events and turmoil. And it causes me to live for eternity rather than this rapidly fading temporal life.
There is no downside to living in the expectation of Christ's return. There is no downside.
All it causes you to do is live in a way that will profit you for all eternity. Then to wrap up with this, which seven are you? Which servant are you, maybe you started strong and you went four years, but you've settled into a malaise, a comfort level where your faith isn't growing, your passions died down, and time just seems to be passing.
I believe Jesus would say to you, as he said to the Church of Laticia in Revelation Chapter three, go back and do the things you did at first in your relationship with the Lord, go back and do the things you did when you first fell in love with Jesus worship like you did then.
Thank him like you did then, pray like you did, then open the word like you did, then talk to him like you did then. And you'll find your heart beginning to come back to life again.
And if there's something in your life that's weighing you down or slowing you down, I'm not talking about your spouse, so don't go there and holding you back from being really radical for Jesus.
You need to get that thing out of your life. And if you've never lived seriously for Jesus start today. I'll tell you what I do know, the king is coming, the king is coming, he's coming soon. And if you live that way and it takes decades before the Lord returns. If he doesn't come in your lifetime, then all you've done is live for things that actually matter, you've missed out on nothing and gained everything in heaven or it will last for eternity.
You know, I love the Lord so much for caring enough about you and I to sit us down in 2020 and through his word, have a heart to heart with us.
And he's being firm because he cares so much about us, he cares enough to say to you and I, Brother, sister, I'm begging you. Don't waste your life, don't waste your life, one day I'm going to come for you one way or another, and I want that moment to be the greatest moment of your life, the pinnacle of your life, not the moment you're filled with instant regret over a wasted life.
Jesus has been honest and up front and clear with each of us, may the Lord give us ears to hear what his spirit is saying to us today, that we may profit for eternity from a well lived life, a life lived for our master Jesus, who's coming back soon.