1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 [NLTse]

¹³ And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. ¹⁴ For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with Him the believers who have died.

¹⁵ We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet Him ahead of those who have died. ¹⁶ For the Lord Himself will come down from Heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. ¹⁷ Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. ¹⁸ So encourage each other with these words.

^5:1 Now concerning how and when all this will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don’t really need to write you. ² For you know quite well that the day of the Lord’s return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night. ³ When people are saying, “Everything is peaceful and secure,” then disaster will fall on them as suddenly as a pregnant woman’s labor pains begin. And there will be no escape.

⁴ But you aren’t in the dark about these things, dear brothers and sisters, and you won’t be surprised when the day of the Lord comes like a thief. ⁵ For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. ⁶ So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. ⁷ Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. ⁸ But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.

⁹ For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out His anger on us. ¹⁰ Christ died for us so that, whether we are dead or alive when He returns, we can live with Him forever. ¹¹ So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

Sermon – “Ready or Not, Here I Come”

Who here wears a seatbelt when you drive or ride in a car? … (In all honesty, who would wear one even if it wasn’t the law?) … Who here has automobile insurance? Would you have auto insurance if it wasn’t the law? …

When Jesus Christ conquered death and rose from the dead that first Easter Sunday morning, He taught His followers many things before He eventually returned to Heaven forty days later. One of the things the Lord Jesus taught those first followers – and that has been passed on to us, as well – is that Jesus will return to earth someday. He will return for us; He will return to reward and to punish everyone who has ever lived for the deeds we’ve done and the reasons we did them; He will return to bring an end to this sinful, fallen, broken Creation; and, in its place, He will return to establish a new and perfect Heaven and a new and perfect earth where Christians will live again, and be able to live with Him forever.

Several passages across the Bible indicate that we do not, and cannot, know the time when the Lord will return. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “You must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.” (Matthew 24:44) Jesus said, “Keep watch! For you do not know the day or hour of My return.” (Matthew 25:13) He said, “No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in Heaven or the Son Himself. Only the Father knows. And since you don’t know when that time will come, be on guard! Stay alert!” (Mark 13:32-33) Of course, the practical result of all this is that anyone who claims to know when Jesus is coming back is automatically to be considered wrong.

That being acknowledged, the Bible speaks of several events that will happen leading up to the Lord’s return:

• The good news about Jesus will be proclaimed to every nation (see Mark 13:10 and Matthew 24:14);
• Christians will endure a time of horrible persecution and suffering (see Mark 13:7-8; Matthew 24:15-22; Luke 21:20-24);
• False prophets will try to lead Christians away from believing in the Lord Jesus by performing wonders and miracles (see Mark 13:22; Matthew 24:23-24);
• One of these false prophets will be a charismatic world leader who will proclaim him- or her-self to be Jesus-returned and seek to be worshiped as God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10);
• The sun and moon will behave strangely, accompanied by showers of meteors striking all over the face of the earth (see Mark 13:24-25; Matthew 24:29-30; Luke 21:25-27); and,
• Many, many, many Jews will become Christians and trust that Christ is God and their Savior and their Lord (see Romans 11:12, 25-26).

Now, the good news about Jesus has been proclaimed to every nation, and yet, there are still many people and language-groups-of-people who have never heard the gospel. [the “suffering” slide] The suffering and persecution of Christians for our faith has been constant in different regions of the world since the days of the apostles, and yet the degree of persecution and suffering that the Bible speaks of towards the End seems to be much more widespread than the world has so-far ever known. [the “false prophets” slide] There have been many false prophets and teachers and wonder-working deceivers around since Bible days, and yet the Bible seems to portray it all leading up to [the “antiChrist” slide] a popular, anti-Christian world leader the likes of which we have not encountered yet. [the “meteor shower” slide] We have experienced all manner of meteor-strikes, eclipses, and signs in the heavens, but what the Bible points to in these “last-days events” seems unprecedented. [the “mass baptism” slide”] And although many, many Jews have become Christians across the centuries, the Bible seems to be indicating a mass-conversion that will happen across a fairly short period of time towards the End, something unknown since the first century.

So, although it is possible that these signs have already been fulfilled, it seems unlikely. And yet, since the only event that seems certainly not to have occurred – the darkening of the sun and moon and the falling of the stars – since that event could occur within the space of a few minutes or an hour, it seems appropriate to say that, although unlikely, Jesus Christ could now return at any hour of the day or night. And, of course, in preparation for His return, the Bible tells us to “be alert”; to “be ready”!

But is it possible to be ready for something that we think unlikely to happen anytime soon? I think so. It seems to me that everyone who wears a seatbelt or who purchases automobile insurance is getting ready for an event that he or she thinks is unlikely… (Afterall, if we thought an accident were likely, we likely wouldn’t get into the car at all.)

So, although it may be unlikely for Jesus Christ to return today, are you confident that you are ready for Christ to return, if He does return today? …

If you knew the Lord Jesus was going to return within the next 24 hours, what habits or practices would you admit to being sinful, ask forgiveness for, and commit to banish from your life? What situations would you get working to straighten out by His appearing? If you knew the Lord was going to return within the next 24 hours, what relationships would you get working to straighten out by then? …

The Lord Jesus Christ has commanded us to “be alert”; to “be ready”. On account of His imminent return, what do you think you should do today about these habits and practices? What do you think you should do about those situations, those relationships, even though it may be unlikely that He will return today? …