Running To Win

Guest (Male): Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith. The return of Jesus to this earth will be the event of all time. When He comes, He will take control, and those who have loved and served Him will be raised from the dead to greet Him. Today, the climactic conclusion to our series on what we believe. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line.

Dave: Pastor Lutzer, some mock the claim of Jesus that He will return, saying, "Look how long it's been already." What do you say to people like this?

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well Dave, all that you have to do is to go back to the scriptures to Second Peter chapter three. It addresses that specifically. It says that there are many mockers who say, "Well, things haven't changed. Where is the promise of His coming?" But someday it will happen. And of course, that's always the nature of prophecy. People get impatient and say, "Why hasn't it happened?" But then it does happen.

We here at Running to Win are so deeply grateful for the many of you who support this ministry. I would like to challenge you and remind you that we are able to get the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world because of people just like you, in various countries of the world and in different languages. Would you consider becoming what we call an endurance partner? That's somebody who stands with us regularly with their prayers and their gifts.

Also, by the way, since this is the last message in this series entitled What We Believe, we're also making that available for you. So here's what you do: you go to rtwoffer.com and you can click on the endurance partner button. But also for a gift of any amount, we're making this series of messages available in permanent form. Or you can call us at 1-888-218-9337. Remember, my friend, eternity is coming. Let's invest in that future.

When Jesus speaks, the dead are raised. So He comes with the shout of command and with the voice of the archangel. Who's the archangel? Gabriel is the only one referred to in the New Testament and in the Old Testament as the archangel. So Gabriel comes along and he is shouting as well. I have no doubt that the whole host of angels are there because everything that Jesus did was accompanied by angels. That's why we have so many angel stories at the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.

The angels are coming, too. The angels who told the shepherds that they should go to Bethlehem and gave glory to God. All of those angels, no question in my mind, are coming with Jesus, who gives the shout of command and the trumpet. Trumpets were used to cause Israel to march. It's time for us to move on. The trumpet sounds, and when the trumpet sounds, what happens? The dead now know it is time to move on. You've been dead long enough. Your body has disintegrated. It's time for God to recreate it and to put it together. Come! And the dead are raised. That's step number one.

Step number one, the Lord descends with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God. Secondly, the dead in Christ rise first. The dead in Christ rise. That phrase "in Christ" is a technical term that refers to the church. Nowhere in the Old Testament do you find that those who died, died in Christ. It was the church that was formed at Pentecost. So this is Jesus Christ coming for His church. The dead in Christ, and they arise.

The Old Testament saints will arise, but that will be at the second part of the return of Jesus when He comes in glory and the dead of the Old Testament will rise so that they can go into the kingdom and they too to be along with the rest of us. So the scripture says the dead in Christ rise, and it's only the resurrection of the body. Their souls, as I mentioned, are already in heaven. There is a joining of the soul and the permanent body.

What a wonderful body it is going to be. No more cancer, no more expressways, no more hassle, no more weakness, no more sleep. You want to know what it's like? It's like the resurrection body of Jesus. We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Isn't that wonderful? I think that this miracle is going to be more wonderful than creation itself. The dead in Christ then rise first.

Step number three, we who are living, if it happens during our lifetime, we who are living are then translated. I'm now also again in verse 17. "Then we who are alive, who are left, we will be caught up together," and that's the word rapture, "together with them in the clouds." So the living will be translated. The Apostle Paul taught that there was going to be a whole generation of Christians who would not experience death.

First Corinthians chapter 15: "Behold, I show you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. For the trumpet shall sound, and the dead in Christ shall be raised incorruptible." But there's a whole generation that is going to be translated in the twinkling of an eye. How long does it take for your eye to twinkle? How long does it take when you blink your eye? They tell us one-fiftieth of a second. Boom! It's just suddenly happened. It's all a done deal. Twinkling of an eye, the last trump.

Notice that the Bible says that Jesus will come with the clouds. That's true both of His first coming, the first stage of His coming, as well as the second. Clouds always accompany Him. It may well be that in this instance, the clouds so engulf the world that when Jesus comes to take out all of those who are in Christ, that there is a disappearance and the world experiences the disappearance, but they have a naturalistic explanation of some phenomenon. They may link it with the clouds that may hide from the rest of the world what God is doing.

Jesus comes. So that's step number three. The living are translated and then they get their heavenly bodies. Number four, we meet the Lord in the air. The word meeting is kind of a technical term too. It's used, for example, in the Book of Acts where there was a delegation that came out from Rome to meet Paul. I don't want to stretch the point too much, but think about this.

All of the dead who died in Christ, who are now raised, they have their glorified bodies. The living who are alive when this happens, they are translated and given their glorified bodies. So together, both groups now, fully in their eternal bodies, are in effect a delegation to meet Jesus. We're saying, "Oh King Jesus, thank you so much for returning. Glory to God, and here we are to greet You." Mind you, He raised us and saved us so that we'd have the ability to do that, but isn't that going to be an exciting prospect to meet the Lord in the air?

And so we meet the Lord in the air together. Imagine that for a moment. Now, there's no evidence that Jesus Christ comes all the way to Earth this time. He certainly will come in the second stage of His return. We are then with Jesus Christ and that's actually the last phase. We are eternally with the Lord. "So shall we always be with the Lord." We'll be with the Lord during the great tribulation. We'll be with the Lord when He returns with His saints to establish the kingdom.

We'll be with the Lord and we will reign with Him during the coming kingdom. And then when the kingdom is swallowed up in eternity, what does the Bible say in the Book of Revelation? "Their names shall be on His forehead, and there shall be no night there. They need no light of the sun, neither of the moon to shine upon them, for the Lord God giveth them light and they shall reign with Him forever and ever." The Lord will be with Him forever.

No wonder the Apostle Paul in an understated way concludes in verse 18, "Therefore, encourage one another with these words." I hope you've been encouraged today. Let me simply conclude by saying first that the return of Jesus Christ is a message that should motivate us. In fact, that's the way it's always presented in the Bible. The return of Jesus is never presented in a way to show that we should satisfy our curiosity.

Sometimes I think that the people who are really into prophecy are into it in such details, perhaps details that are unclear in the scriptures, and they just want to find out exactly what's going to happen. They want to know how Antichrist is going to part his hair. Slight exaggeration. The return of Jesus is always presented in such a way to motivate us to holy living. Earlier, I quoted First John chapter three, where it says, "We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is, and whoever has this hope in himself purifies himself even as He is pure." Even as Christ is pure.

John does say, as quoted earlier, let us live in such a way that we will not be ashamed at His coming. Second Peter says that the elements eventually shall all melt with fervent heat. "What manner of people ought we to be then," he says, "in all conversation and godliness, knowing that all these things shall be destroyed." Wow. That new car that you have your eye on, that just you close the doors as often as you can because you just love the thud of this thing. And when you park it in a parking lot, you park it far enough from another car so that when its door opens, it won't hit yours.

This thing that you are actually willing to make payments on, God bless you. It's going to be destroyed. Poof. And that which is eternal will last. What is that which is eternal? Demons and Satan will last forever in hell. People will last forever. Angels will last forever, and God will last forever. At the end of the day, it's only that that really, really matters. And so the coming of Jesus should be a motivation to holy living.

The coming of Jesus should be a motivation to witness to people and to say that when the Lord comes, are you going to be taken up? Because when Jesus comes, I want you to imagine an electromagnet going over iron filings. But amid the iron filings are all kinds of pieces of plastic and wood. What happens is these iron filings just spring up in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, but the rest are left behind. Left behind, the phrase comes to my mind.

Sounds like you could write a book on that, couldn't you? But there are people who are going to be left behind, no matter which understanding of the tribulation you have. So the coming of Jesus should be a motivation. The coming of Jesus should be a great message of hope. It's a message of hope. We do not grieve as those who have no hope. I had a nephew killed at the age of about 15.

He was in the back seat of a car memorizing verses of scripture on his way to a Bible quiz. The driver hit some ice. My nephew was killed. I've not seen him in those past 20 years, obviously, but he is going to be there with us. We have relatives and friends, some of whom have not yet died, but either way, whether living when Jesus comes or dying, we are all going to be together.

I think of all of those funerals that I performed when I became the pastor of Edgewater Baptist Church so many years ago. When I became pastor, everybody seemed to die. I don't know if there was a cause-effect relationship, there may not be. But I had so many funerals. Then you think of the Moody Church. You think of all the people who have been here throughout the decades and they have died. I'm thinking right now of Evelyn Johnson, whom so many of us knew, who died perhaps a year and a half ago.

She is going to be there, and her husband, whom we know, is going to be there, and all the relatives are going to be there. So shall we ever be with the Lord. When you are with the Lord, you say goodbye to saying goodbye. You're there forever and ever. Comfort one another with these words. You widower, your wife is in heaven. Widow, your husband is in heaven. Comfort one another with these words. Jesus is going to return, and some of us believe it could be at any time.

I remember reading the story of a dog. You know dogs are very loyal to their masters. There are many stories of dogs like Lassie Come Home. I remember reading it as a boy and crying my eyes out over Lassie. Well, you did too, didn't you? You should. But I read of a story out on the prairie of a dog that was very loyal to his master, but his master died. So they took the man and they put him in a coffin, put his body in a coffin, and then they took the coffin to the train in the little town.

Of course, the coffin went off with the train. This writer said that as long as the dog lived, every single day he met the train as it came to the station, hoping his master would return. Do you love the appearing of Jesus? When you read of wars in the Middle East, when you discover in the Bible that Europe is supposed to be unified, and out of Europe an Antichrist will come, and we can see the unification of Europe through the EU, is there something within your heart that says, "You know, maybe this is the sound of the train that brings back not a dead Jesus, but my Jesus?"

When you read about the fact that in the end Jerusalem is going to be surrounded by armies, and there are going to be all these nations who are going to want to exterminate Israel, and Jesus is going to return in the midst of that mess as you have a great battle in Israel. As you read about these things in the newspaper, is there something within you that says, "You know, maybe this is an indication that my Jesus is not far away?" He may be coming.

I love His appearing. The Bible says that if you love His appearing, you receive a crown of righteousness. God says, "I'll even give you something special if you look forward to seeing My Son." Face to face with Christ my Savior, face to face what will it be? When with rapture I behold Him, Jesus Christ who died for me. Only faintly now I see Him, with a darkening veil between. But another day is coming, when His glory shall be seen. This is, my friend, the blessed hope. Let's pray.

And so Father, we ask in the name of Jesus that You might make us ready. For those who've never trusted Christ as Savior, we pray that You might show them the need to believe in Him, that they also might die in Christ so that they can be with us forever. To those who've never done that, bring a great deal of doubt to their hearts so that they might wrestle with the question and make sure that they belong to You.

May they even at this moment say, "Jesus, I want to be Yours. I accept You as my Savior. I receive You. I receive the gift that You came to give me." For those of us who know You, we pray that every day we may wonder whether the train is coming, whether today will be the day when we see Jesus. Grant that to us, Father, we pray. Now before I close this prayer, what is it that you need to say to God? You talk to Him right now. Father, hear the prayers of many, and all who have called upon You, we ask in Jesus' name, Amen.

My friend, this is the last message in a series entitled What We Believe. It has to do with issues such as the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, angels, demons. It gives you a foundation of what the Christian life is all about and those pillars upon which it is built. Now for a gift of any amount, we're making this available for you so that you can play these messages again and again, share them with your friends.

I can't help but think that there are many of you who listen who perhaps have heard some of the messages or snatches of the messages, and what you want is to be able to listen to all of them from beginning to end. So once again, I want to encourage you and give you this contact info. You can go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com. Remember the title of this series, What We Believe.

Or you can pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. Even as you do that, always keep in mind that we are dependent upon your prayers, we're dependent upon your gifts because of people just like you, the gospel of Jesus Christ is going around the world with Running to Win. Once again, that contact info: rtwoffer.com or pick up the phone and call us at 1-888-218-9337. This series of messages will help you run all the way to the finish line.

Dave: It's time again for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question you may have about the Bible or the Christian life. Today's question deals with God's omniscience and His will regarding salvation. Let's listen to Rusty, who writes, "I was listening to the radio when you were talking about God being an all-knowing God. My question is: does God know when a person is born whether that person will go to heaven or hell? And if He does, why create a soul that won't believe and have to suffer going to hell? Why give us free will when He knew many would not choose Jesus and suffer for eternity? I just can't figure this out."

Dr. Erwin W. Lutzer: Well Rusty, I want to congratulate you for asking me the most difficult question that I could ever be asked. If I had a full answer to that, why then indeed I would be omniscient, I would be God. So let me simply say in answer to your question, the answer is yes, God does know the future. Yes, God does know that some people will be saved and some will be lost, and He knows who they are. Everything is present to Him.

Now if you ask the question as you do, why does God create people whom He knows in advance will be lost forever? It is very difficult for us to answer. I remember reading Martin Luther on this point and he says to believe that God is good, though He saves so few and damns so many, is the highest degree of faith.

I've discovered the older I get that there is much more mystery to God than I originally thought. All that we can do is to say that He works all things after the counsel of His own will. It is here Rusty, perhaps as nowhere else, we need to trust both in God's goodness and His justice and believe that His plan is right. If we understood all the facts, we'd also agree that indeed it was good.

Luther said that when we are confronted with these kinds of questions that we cannot answer, we need to run to Jesus Christ. Because there we see in Jesus Christ compassion, we see love, we see His desire to save people and it is there that we find our anchor, our security. So Rusty, go on believing no matter what.

Dave: Some deep waters today for Dr. Erwin Lutzer from a listener named Rusty. Thank you, Dr. Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337.

You can write to us at Running to Win, 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Israel's King David was on the run for many years, pursued by Saul, the man God wanted him to replace. David hid in the desert, and there God provided for him as a shepherd cares for his sheep. Here, he wrote many of the Psalms we find in the Bible, including the most beloved Psalm of all, Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want." Next time on Running to Win, Pastor Lutzer begins a series from this well-known Psalm. Join us then for teaching on the Good Shepherd. Thanks for listening. This is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.