HopeLives365

Female Voice: Think of what it's going to be like to look up and see the sky illuminated with his glory, to see the first sign of Christ's return, the unusual cloud in the distance that keeps getting brighter and every eye fixed on it. Everyone waiting breathlessly as it comes closer and closer to you and me.

This is Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. Today's message, longing for our home, part two. Enjoy and remember you can always catch up with past messages and stay up to date with Hope Lives 365 and Pastor Mark by going to hopelives365.com. And now, Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: The entire world sees the glory of his coming. He comes. He returns. And returns the entire world sees the glory of his coming. He comes, according to Revelation 19 verse 16, as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. The Bible also teaches that the second coming of Christ is a visible event. Both the saved and the lost see him come.

You say, "Pastor Mark, is that in the Bible?" Revelation 1 verse 7 says, "Behold, He comes with clouds, and every eye will see Him." Now, what about the eyes of the wicked? Do they see him come too? Look at Matthew 24 verse 30. It says, "Then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

So, our Lord came silently once, unnoticed by the world's leaders, unrecognized by the masses of people. Born as a babe in Bethlehem in a stable. But this time he's coming as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to be seen by all. The Bible says, "Behold, He comes with clouds and how many will see him? Every eye will see him."

And what about the tribes of the Earth, the unsaved? They'll see the Son of Man coming in the clouds, according to the Bible, with power and great glory. Yes, the return of Jesus will be visible to everyone. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24 verse 27, "For as the lightning comes from the east, flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

Is there anything secret or invisible or silent about lightning? We hear that booming thunder roll majestically in the heavens. We see that illuminating flash of lightning brighten the night sky all across the horizon from east to west. It's glorious. It's spectacular. It is amazing.

But yet, we notice something else. What did we read in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 17, "Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Where do we meet the Lord? In the air.

Does He come all the way down to Earth at this time? Does He walk on Earth as a being of dazzling brightness? What do you know about any being who walks on the Earth and claims to be Christ? What do you know about any being, even one of dazzling brightness, who apparently works miracles of healing? If we have to meet Him on this Earth and not in the air, what do you know?

That it's the false Christ who is Satan. The Bible tells us in advance so we won't be fooled. We'll meet the Lord in the air. We'll be caught up to be with Christ. Jesus plainly stated, "If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and do what? Receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also."

Jesus is not coming to make his home here when he comes the second time. He's not, He's coming to take us where He is, not to live where we are. You know, one of the most critical things to understand about all of this is that this is a matter of decision. This is a matter of being ready for the coming of Christ and knowing that when Jesus comes, there's just the saved and the lost.

You remember that amazing parable that Jesus gave in Matthew chapter 13 verse 24 to 30 about the wheat and the tares. There's something unique about that that helps us understand this whole concept of the second coming of Christ. Matthew 13 verse 24 to 30. Another parable he put forth to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field."

"While men slept, the enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat and went his way. But when the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared." So, the servants of the owner came and said to him, "Sir, didn't you sow good seed in the field? How then does it have tares?" In other words, the field represents this world. And the field represents God sowing only good seeds in the field. He sows only good seeds in his church as well.

Sometimes tares grow right up in the church, right? So, the field can represent the world of the church. But notice, tares can represent sickness, suffering, heartache, and death in the world. They can also represent false doctrine in the church. Sometimes there are tares. But who does this? An enemy does this. The servant said to him, "Do you want us to go and gather them up?" But he said, "No, lest the while you gather the tares, you also uproot the wheat."

But note, verse 30, "Let both grow together until the harvest." So, both, what is the harvest? The harvest the end of the world, verse 39. But let both grow together until the harvest. And then he says this: "At the time of the harvest, I'll say the reapers first gather together the tares and bind them in bundles."

"So, the tares are destroyed first." It says that, "First gather together the tares," that's the wicked, the unsaved, "bind them together in bundles, but gather the wheat into my barn." The wheat represents the saved. So here, at one simultaneous event, the lost are lost and the saved are saved.

Sometimes it says that the wheat is gathered into the barn first, and then the tares are burned. Other times the tares are burned and the wheat is gathered into the barn. Why? Because it's a simultaneous event. So, when Christ comes, there's no playing around. When Christ comes, there's no second chance. When Christ comes, we are either saved or lost.

Soon, very soon, Jesus will return to this Earth to take his people home. He'll raise to life all who have died believing in him. He'll gather them and those of us who are alive and love him up into a glorious cloud filled with trumpets and angels. He'll take us home to live with him forever. Are you ready for heaven? The only way you can be taken to heaven is if heaven is in your heart now.

The only way you can be taken to heaven is if you're worshipping here, the Christ who you'll worship there. Are you ready? Soon all the news stories being reported around the world will be interrupted with Earth's last bulletin. Soon Jesus will appear in the sky in glory and power surrounded by his angels. His coming will be the very opposite of a secret coming. It'll be dramatic. It'll be visible. It'll be everywhere.

It'll with voices and trumpet blasts ringing through the whole Earth as the righteous dead are resurrected. This is about to happen. It's certain. The only question is, "Where will you be on that day? Whose side will you be on? The side of Jesus who died for you, or the side of the great imposter, the great liar, the great deceiver?" Some people have misinterpreted a few scripture texts and built an entire doctrine that he was coming secretly, where individuals are whisked away to leave in a flash while others go about their business.

Let's notice how Jesus described his return. Matthew 24 verse 36, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my father only. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken up. Therefore, you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him."

Matthew 24 verse 43 to 44. All the images in the Bible which discuss Jesus coming as a thief do not emphasize a secret coming, but an unexpected coming. Jesus is coming as a thief. Not secretly but unexpectedly. Thieves don't say, "Get ready, here I come." No. Jesus is coming rapidly, quickly, unexpectedly as a thief. But he's coming so that every eye can see him, every ear can hear it.

He's coming in power. He's coming in glory. Jesus is not coming secretly to a chosen few. He's coming suddenly when millions do not expect him. The secret rapture theory relies primarily on texts that speak of Jesus coming like a thief in the night. We are told to watch and be ready for the unexpected event. On the surface, this seems to imply a secret, perhaps invisible event.

But the problem for that theory is that the texts about Jesus coming as a thief, watch this now, stand side by side with texts about Jesus coming in a blaze of glory. Peter mentions the two in the same breath. Look, 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10, New International Version. "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar, and the elements destroyed by fire."

Obviously, the Lord comes like a thief in the sense that the second advent will be a great surprise to those who aren't ready. He catches them off guard. But it is not a mystical or invisible event. There's nothing quiet or intangible about the heavens disappearing with a roar. The launch of a space shuttle gives just a little taste of what that great event will be like.

The long countdown, the final 10 seconds, the blast of those enormous engines, the explosion of smoke, the rocket balanced and motionless for an instant, then steady rise into the heavens. Every eye is fixed on that craft as it begins its journey into space. The dreams and hopes of countless Americans rise with the shuttle into the clouds. Our creator God has planned an event no less dramatic, no less eye-riveting.

It will capture the attention of every living being on this planet. It may come as an incredible surprise to you, but it won't be quiet. It won't be secret. It won't be something vague, and it won't be something mystical. The second coming of Christ is the definite, irreversible period that God places on history. It's the end of one kind of age and the beginning of an entirely new one where Christ's followers are clothed with immortality.

It's the time when death, the final enemy is vanquished. But we won't be able to make up for the lost time when Christ bursts through the clouds. No second chances. Not a subjective event that we can put off until the right time. It happens at the same time for everyone when Christ descends from the sky. Our destinies will be sealed, our eternal future determined. So, it's vitally important that each of us should be in sync with God's plan.

We can't just follow our hunches or our imaginations. We have to look carefully at what God's going to do. In history books, we learn that World War II officially began on September 1, 1939. But the first shots were actually fired days earlier. Hitler originally had planned to launch an attack on Poland on August 26.

The evening before, several combat units were poised to strike, but last minute political developments forced Hitler to postpone the invasion. Each of the combat units had to be contacted by radio and called home. But one unit could not be reached. So at 12:01 a.m. on the appointed day, August 26, a unit led by Lieutenant Herzner moved out and captured a railway station at the town of Mosty.

He also took a few Polish prisoners. When Herzner telephoned in his report, he was told that he had jumped the gun. On orders, he released his prisoners and returned to Germany. Now, this snafu should have made Hitler's intentions plain. But incredibly enough, the Polish government missed the signs.

Female Voice: You're listening to Hope Lives 365. We'll be right back. And if you like what you're hearing, we invite you to check out our website, hopelives365.com. There you can find many ministry resources, encouraging messages, and even a link to our Hope Lives 365 YouTube ministry. And of course, an opportunity to sow into this valuable ministry. Find out more by going to hopelives365.com. That's hopelives365.com. And now, back to Pastor Mark Finley.

Mark Finley: But incredibly enough, the Polish government missed the signs. They let the incident pass without notice. When the Nazis swept into the country on November 1, the Poles were taken by surprise. We don't want to miss the signs of Christ's final invasion of human history. We don't want to be surprised by Christ's second coming as by a thief in the night when he comes rapidly, quickly, unexpectedly.

There are specific events we can look forward to at Christ's second coming in close sequence. First, seismic upheavals. Revelation chapter 6, Revelation chapter 4, Revelation chapter 16:18 to 20 mentions them. They'll be stupendous seismic upheavals. Mountains and islands will be moved. The greatest earthquake in the history of the world will shake this planet.

Secondly, the righteous dead will be resurrected. We've read that in 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 16 and 17, and John chapter 5 verse 28 and 29. Remember what it says in John chapter 5 there in the gospels in verse 28 and 29. It says, "All that are in the grave shall hear his voice, and they that have done good to the resurrection of righteous, and if they've done evil to the resurrection of damnation."

Paul tells us, "The dead in Christ shall rise when? First." All who sleep in their graves will hear the trumpet-like voice and rise to eternal life. The righteous living will be translated, changed into immortality. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 4 verse 17, the righteous who are alive will be caught up together with the resurrected dead and ascend toward Christ who is flashing across the heavens in glory.

Immortality will be bestowed. Remember what it says in 1 Corinthians 15 verse 53, "This mortal will put on immortality." Yes, both the righteous dead and the translated living will receive the gift of immortality. The wicked will be destroyed by the brightness of his coming. We read this in two passages.

When Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians chapter 4, the Thessalonians thought that Jesus was coming in their day. They thought Christ was going to come very, very quickly. So Paul had to write back to them to describe events that would yet take place before his coming, before Jesus' coming.

And he writes to them and ties together because in 1 Thessalonians 4 verse 16 to 17, Jesus doesn't say anything about the wicked that are alive or in their graves. When he comes back to 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, he says this, "And to give you who are troubled," this is verse 7 of 2 Thessalonians chapter 1, "to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."

"These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord from the glory of his power, when he comes in that day." Now notice, "to be glorified in his saints and to be admired in all who believed because our testimony among you was believed." So, when Jesus comes the second time, to be admired in all who believed.

When he comes, what'll happen to the wicked? They'll be punished with everlasting destruction, and they will be destroyed by Christ's brightness of his coming. You remember too that Jesus talks about the response of the righteous when he comes. In the book of Isaiah, chapter 25 verse 9, it says, "It shall be said in that day, 'Behold, this is our God. We've waited for him.'"

Why does it say we've waited for him? Because the false Christ has appeared, working false miracles. But we've waited for the true Christ. Our true Christ has not come and walked the streets of major cities and had large rallies in large convention centers. Our the true Christ hasn't come. The Bible says there are many false Christs and false prophets. The Bible says, "The devil has come down unto you having great wrath, knowing he's but a short time."

The Bible says that the devil transforms himself into an angel of light. It says he works miracles to deceive. But we do not accept that because our Christ is coming in the sky to catch us up and he's coming to raise the dead. The devil can never do that. He's coming to destroy the wicked. What what do we cry out? "Behold, this is our God. We've waited for him. He'll save us. This is the Lord. We've waited for him. He'll be glad and rejoice in his salvation."

The wicked will be destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. But we'll be crying out for the joy and the glory of Jesus coming to be caught up in the sky. 2 Thessalonians chapter 1 speaks about the wicked being destroyed with the brightness of Christ's coming. And Revelation chapter 19 verse 11 to 21 also talks about the coming of Christ and the destruction of the wicked.

Those who have deliberately, persistently rejected God's call and mercy will be destroyed. The glory of Christ, which is a thrilling sight for his friends, the saved, seems like a consuming fire to his enemies. The righteous welcome the returning Christ. They are caught up in their journey to heaven. Finally, the righteous begin a wonderful journey with Christ toward their heavenly home. They remember his words of promise. "I go to to prepare a place for you and I'll come again to receive you unto myself, that where I am, there you may be also."

This is the hope of each one of us. We can cling to faith in Christ, and we are secure. It's not something vague or speculative. It's specific. It's clear. It's a plan as comprehensive as the plan to put men in space. God has told us exactly how he'll return and exactly what will happen at his return. You can imagine what it'll be like somewhere.

In a small family cemetery, on a wind-swept prairie, the Earth breaks open. The flowers that a grieving mother has placed by the tombstone are laid aside. A tiny coffin opens up, and a baby's voice begins to cry out. Instantly, an angel darts from the sky, gathers the infant in his arms. In another instant, he's beside the mother who's been gazing in stunned silence at the heavens. She stares at her son for a second.

The last time she looked at his precious face, it was pale and full of pain. His breath had come in little gasps as he fought a losing battle against a deadly disease. His flesh is now warm and pink. His eyes bright as he looks in Mama's face. Trembling, this woman takes her baby and hugs him close, too happy for words. She turns to thank the angel. He's already off on another mission. Somewhere.

In a city cemetery, a young couple find themselves standing beside their own open graves. At first, they're completely disoriented in the bright light around them. They have no idea how they got there. The last thing they remember is a big truck heading straight toward them. They they heard the sound of the crunching of the metal, the breaking of the windshield, the glass. They were on their honeymoon. Did they somehow survive the accident? No, no. Those are their names on the tombstones.

They look at each other, catch their breath. The man and woman reach for each other as they stare at the heavens. "This is it! This is Christ coming! This is the one they've dedicated themselves to at their wedding ceremony." Now the whole planet is lit up with his presence. Now they know that they'll never ever be parted again. They will live in eternity together in love.

In the last few moments of Earth's history, this planet will be shaken with countless resurrections. And everywhere you hear the cries of recognition with loved ones torn apart by tragedy, falling into each other's arms. Now it really does seem to believers that their joy knows no bounds. They can't possibly contain it all. They're clutching loved ones who once were torn aside from their from them by death. But something else happens, the most wonderful event of all.

Believers begin to notice that their feet are no longer on the ground. They feel weightless. They're rising to meet this spectacle in the heavens. Many of the joyful reunions, in fact, happen in mid-air. Families embracing on their way to meet Jesus. And now the face of the Savior is really close. The joyful voices of believers rise up to meet the trumpet sound and the call of angels echoing from the cloud.

Rising up to meet the Lord of Lords, the Prince of Peace, the wonderful counselor, the good shepherd, rising to meet the creator of all life, rising up to meet an eternal destiny with Jesus. What an expressible joy. These are the last moments. The last seconds of human history. Where will you be during the last minutes of human history? What will you be experiencing? Will it be unimaginable terror, or inexpressible joy?

You may feel rather indifferent about God now. You may not think faith is so important. But one day soon it'll make all the difference in the world. One day soon it'll divide humanity eternally into two groups. Revelation, the last book of the Bible, describes two classes at the Lord's return. One group will experience the second coming of Christ as a horrifying surprise.

They will be praying for the rocks to fall on them. The kings of the Earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, and every slave and every freeman. Revelation 6:15-17. I'm reading it just like it says, "Hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the lamb. And from the great day of his wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'"

The second group will experience it as a wonderful deliverance, as a fulfillment of all they've lived for. They'll be singing ecstatically. "This is our God, we've waited for him. He'll save us. Great and marvelous are your works, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, oh King of Kings." Revelation 15 verse 3 and Isaiah chapter 25 verse 9. Please don't put off an encounter with Jesus Christ until it's too late.

Make your commitment now. This is your invitation. Think of what it'll be like to look up into the face of Jesus. Yes, God our creator will someday soon descend from outer space to make a spectacular appearance. That's the great hope shining through the New Testament. That's the hope that can lift us above our dreary days and the darkness of night.

That's the hope that when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we can know that we're walking through the valley and not staying in it. This hope can take us over every mountain of difficulty or around every challenge that we face. In the prophecies of the Bible, we're given a remarkable space window. We do get a glimpse of eternity coming closer. We can find our place in the universe, and we will understand clearly how God will overcome death.

Female Voice: You've been listening to Hope Lives 365 with Pastor Mark Finley. We hope you've enjoyed today's message and remind you that you can find more in our many ministry resources at hopelives365.com. And you can support this ministry by going to hopelives365.com/donate. And now, a final thought from Pastor Mark.

Mark Finley: Perhaps you're in desperate need of hope right now. Whatever your dark shadow is, please remember that God's hope is brighter. Jesus is coming soon to put an end to all of our dark shadows. Don't you want to be part of that great victory? Don't you want to be one of those who rise to meet the Lord in the air united with our departed loved ones? Choose today. Choose this moment. Choose now to make Jesus, our coming Lord, your personal Savior.

He will empower you. He'll change your life and you can be made over again in Jesus Christ. We do that right now as we pray. Father in heaven, thank you with all of our hearts that you want to save us, that we can be ready for your coming. And we praise you that you're bigger than our greatest challenges. You're greater than our greatest problems. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, that you are coming again to take us home. And we give our hearts to you right now. Forgive us of our sins, give us the gift of eternal life, and prepare us for eternity with you in Christ's name. Amen.