Jesus Is Returning Soon - 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 4-8

"I know of nothing else that has to happen before he returns to take his children and his true followers home."

Family Discussion:

• How do you want to be living when Jesus returns to claim his followers?
• How does his impending return make you evaluate your lifestyle today?
• How does a child of the day behave differently than a child of the night?

Transcription:

00:06 Have you ever wondered why we spend so much time studying this little book and why this book is so incredibly important? Today we're going to underline that, and in fact, I think we're going to put it in neon lights that not only is this book the wisest book that was ever written, it is the most accurate book that was ever written. Check this out in first Thessalonians 5:2 and 4-8. It speaks although written 1900 years ago about something that's going on today. Paul says this: "For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. But you, brethren, are not in darkness that the day would overtake you like a thief for you are all sons of light and sons of the day. We're not of night nor of darkness. So then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep do they're sleeping at night and those who get drunk get drunk at night. But since we are of the day, let us be sober. Having put on the breastplate of faith and love and the helmet of hope and salvation."

01:29 Every conceivable circumstance points to the biblical prescription of the impending day when Jesus will return and gather his children and take them from this fallen earth and into his eternal safety. We call it the rapture - when the Christians will literally be taken from the earth in an instant. This little computer insert with these little computer chips on it; not check this out, with current computer chip technology, one man, which the Bible speaks of as the antichrist in scripture, could easily laser tattoo every human on earth and control every economic transaction and everyone in the world. And it says this in Revelation, it says: "and he the antichrist causes all. The small and the great, the rich and the poor, the free and the slave to be given a mark either on their right hand or on their forehead and he provides that no one should be able to buy or sell except the one who has the mark. This calls for wisdom, either the name of the beast or the number of the beast and the number is six six six." Interesting. A cashless checkless society where one man could control every transaction on earth with one little *boop* scan in the hand on a computer. There's another prophecy that is incredibly interesting to me from Revelation and it talks about, I believe, the military army that will be coming in from the East in the final battle of Revelation. Red China is heavily involved in the military affairs in Iran, for example. The giant communist nation is thirsty for the vast reserves of oil in the Middle East. Israel and the United States stand squarely in the way of a military takeover and an encyclopedia Britannica volume four page 94 says that Red China boasts an army of 200 million. It's amazing. And then you look in Revelation and it says this, "and the sixth angel poured out his bowl upon the Great River Euphrates that it's water was dried up, did he might prepare the way from the kings of the east." And then in revelation it also numbers of the armies, in 9:16 it says, "and the number of armies of the horsemen was 200 million. I heard the number of them." Amazing. Talking about one army from the east coming in for the final battle, 200 million. Is he talking about the Chinese army? You know, I'm not positive, but it's more than interesting that the number is the same. And folks, there are dozens, literally, of other fulfilled prophecies of the return of Christ and the rapture of the church that are being fulfilled before our very eyes today. I literally believe that Jesus could return tomorrow scripturally. I know of nothing else that has to happen before he returns to take his children and his true followers home.

04:33 And here's our questions for today. How do you want to be living when Jesus returns to claim his followers? How does his impending return make you evaluate your lifestyle today? And then the last question is: How does a child of the day behave differently than a child of the night? Here's the lifeline. Plan your life like he won't return for a hundred years, but live your life like he's coming back today.