CHRIST’S SUDDEN RETURN
I Thessalonians 5:1-5
Since Jesus returned to heaven there have always been Christians who have tried to determine the specific date of his return.
1. Three Christian theologians predicted that Jesus would return
in the year 500. One of their predictions was based on the dimensions of Noah’s ark (300 cubits long, 50 wide and 30 high).
2. John Wesley believed that the Millenium would begin in 1836.
3. William Miller believed that the Lord would return on October 22, 1844 which was referred to as the Great Disappointment. Some of his followers founded the Seventh-dayAdventistChurch.
4. Charles Russell, the first president of the Jehovah’s Witnesses,
calculated that 1874 would be the year of the Lord’s return.
5. Edgar Whisenant wrote a book titled “88 Reasons Why
The Rapture Will Be in 1988.”
6.Harold Camping, founder of Christian Family Radio, claimed that the rapture would be on May 21, 2011 followed by the end
of the world on October 21st.
7.Jack Van Impe, a televangelist has predicted that the Lord would return on several specific dates, but has continued to move his prediction later. His latest date was 2012, but now claims he
no longer knows the exact date of the second coming.
8. Mark Biltz and John Hagee taught that Christ would return on the fourth lunar eclipse which coincided with Jewish holidays on September 28, 2015 known as the Blood Moon prophecy.
Matthew 24:36, 44Concerning the day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels in heaven only the Father . . . the Son
of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
1. Do not try to figure out the date of Christ’s return.
Everyone who has tried throughout history has been wrong.
2. Do not believe anyone who says they have figured it out.
I would not trust their teaching if they have set a date.
3. Instead, continually be watching for the return of Christ.
William Gurnall – “Christ has told us he will come, but not when, that we might never put off our clothes, or put out the candle.”
SERIOUS TRUTH :1-2
Reminder :1
Now (KJB but) – Gk. the conjunction is translated: but, and, then, now, also, moreover and nevertheless. Some believe that the conjunction introduces a new subject but the reality is that it
introduces a new emphasis about the same subject which was
the return of Christ.
In chapter four Paul gives believers assurance that all who have trusted in Christ for salvation of their sins will be united together.
Now in chapter 5 he continues describing the return of Christ with
his emphasis on the judgment of the wicked.
Times and seasons – are used together to refer to a specific time when something God has promised will take place in the future.
Acts 1:6-7 When the disciples came together with Jesus after his resurrection they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore
the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons the Father has fixed by his own authority.”
They wanted to know when the kingdom of Israel would be restored and they would have their own king to rule over them.
Paul tells them he does not have to explain anything about the return of the Lord like he had to do about the resurrection of
believers when Christ returns (4:13-18).
It is important that you know what the Bible teaches so you are:
1. Not deceived and mislead by false teaching.
2. Convinced of the truth yourself and the hope that brings.
Return :2
They knew the truth about the coming judgment of God on sinful man and they believed it so thetrusted Christ as their Savior.
Day of the Lord –the term was first used by Amos in 750 B.C.
to describe the time when God would intervene with judgment.
Amos 5:18-20 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord!
It is darkness and not light, as if a man fled from a lion, and a
bear met him, or went into the house and leaned his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him. Is not the day of the Lord darkness and not light and gloom with no brightness in it?
Baker’s Dictionary of Theology – “This was the day when Yahweh was expected to vindicate himself and his people against the ungodly. Since Yahweh is so utterly righteous, his intervention
to vindicate his own cause will involve his judgment on unrighteousness wherever it appears.”
It is called by different terms: the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30), day of God (II Peter 3:12), day of Christ (I Cor. 1:8), last day
(John 6:39), great day (Jude 6) or simply the day (II Thess. 1:10).
There will be some preliminary signs like the rise of the antichrist
(II Thess. 2:3-4), but the coming will be unexpected as a thief.
Thief in the night – it will be unexpected and unannounced.
They often come at night so they will not be seen and caught.
Matt. 24:43 If the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house to broken into.
Application
The return of Jesus Christ will not be announced ahead of time.
It will come when people do not expect him to return.
Therefore believers need to always be ready for when he comes.
Unbelievers need to confess their sins and accept Christ as Savior.
SURPRISE JUDGMENT :3
How is the day of God’s judgment upon the world a surprise?
Peace and security–they feel secure because life is going well.
This is the phrase which King Hezekiah used to describe the fact that he would not have trouble during his reign even though Isaiah predicted Babylon would take them over later (II Kings 20:19).
Matthew 24:38In the days before the flood they we eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage. The people were living in peace and security enjoying their everyday lives.
Life was good without any worries about the future.
Sudden – Gk. unexpectedlywithout any warning (only used 2x).
Luke 21:34 The Lord’s return come upon you suddenly like a trap.
The world is caught by surprise because people will not listen
to the listen to the warning of God given in His Word. God warned that the flood was coming for 120 years, but only 8 people in Noah’s family believed were saved. Lot warned his family that the city of Sodom would be destroyed, but they would not listen.
Destruction – Gk. death and punishment.
I Cor. 5:5 You are to turn the man who is living with his father’s wife over to Satan for the destruction of his flesh (death).
This is not annihilation, but exclusion from the Lord’s presence.
II Thess. 1:9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his might.
Labor pains – the reference is the suddenness and inevitability of the pain of giving birth as a woman does not control when the
labor pains come or how often they occur.
Not – Gk. double negative meaning certainly not or by no means.
Note: Paul used an emphatic double negative in the Greek,
a construction which he uses only a few times for emphasis.
1. Romans 4:8 Blessed is the man against whom the Lord,
will not count his sin. They are completely forgiven.
2. I Corinthians 8:13 If food makes my brother stumble,
I will never eat meat if it makes my brother stumble.
He would give up his right to eat meat for his brother’s conscience.
3. I Thessalonians 4:15 We who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
All believers will be united with Christ when he returns.
Here he wants people to clearly understand that when Christ returnsit will be sudden and they will not be able to escape.
Matthew 24:38-39 Before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.
Application
1. There is coming a day when God will judge our sins.
He must judge them because he is holy and his justice demands it.
2. Unbelievers are unaware or unmoved by God’s judgment.
3. People need to confess their sins and accept Christ as their Savior before he comes to judge them.
4. The judgment will come unexpectedly and no one will escape.
There will not be a second chance for people to accept Christ.
SONS OF LIGHT :4-5
Alert :4
Christians know Jesus will come back suddenly and unexpectedly
Darkness – believers know general details of the return of the Lord, but they do not know the exact time of his return.
Matthew 24:36 Concerning that day and hour no one knows,
not even the angels of heaven, but only the Father.
Warren Wiersbe – “Well-meaning people have tried to set dates
for our Lord’s return, only to be embarrassed by their failures. However, it is possible to expect His coming without setting
a specific time.”
Light :5
Childrenof(KJB sons of) – implies that you are like that person.
Light – is a symbol used of goodness, righteousness and truth.
Believers know the truth that Christ will return and judge sinners.
Matthew 25:46 The wicked will go away into eternal punishment.
Matthew 24:51 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
APPLICATION
Wiersbe – “Twenty centuries have come and gone since our Lord gave the promise of his return, and he has not returned yet. This does not mean that God does not keep his promises. It simply means that God does not follow our calendar. ‘One day is with
the Lord as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day’
(I Peter 3:8).”
1. Christians look for his coming without predicting dates.
2. Every generation has expected Christ to return for them.
CONCLUSION
On May 8, 1902, the volcano Mont Pelee erupted on the island
of Marinique in the Caribbean. A molten cloud of volcanic gas and ashes rushed down the side of the mountain; at an estimated temperature of 800 degrees C and at a speed of 125 miles per hour.
The small town of St. Pierre, a few miles south of the volcano,
was buried, the mass then destroyed the harbor, setting all the
ships on fire. About 30,000 people were killed – only a handful
escaped death.
One of the few who survived the catastrophe was a convicted murderer, named Auguste Ciparis. His cell was underground and had no windows with only a small grating that ventilated it. He was found 3 days later and was pardoned.
This terrible catastrophe reminds us of the future wrath of God which will come suddenly upon those who have not trusted
Jesus Christ as their person Savior.