Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
Are You Ready for His Return? Matthew 24: 32 -51; Mark 13: 28 -37; Luke 21: 28 -36 • Jesus is on the Mount of Olives teaching His disciples about the signs of His coming and the end of the age • His “coming” refers to His appearing as King which ends the present age and begins the next
Are You Ready for His Return? Matthew 24: 32 -51; Mark 13: 28 -37; Luke 21: 28 -36 • The beginning signs include the “birth pangs, ” persecution, apostasy and the preaching of the gospel • The signs in the middle period are the Abomination of Desolation, the Great Tribulation and false prophets
Are You Ready for His Return? Matthew 24: 32 -51; Mark 13: 28 -37; Luke 21: 28 -36 • Signs in the heavens will appear prior to the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds - every eye will see • The angels will gather the elect and the wicked for the Sheep & Goat judgment (Matthew 25)
The Signs of the Season Matthew 24: 32; Mark 13: 28; Luke 21: 29 -30 • A parable is a true to life story given to make a point - when a fig tree puts forth its leaves, Summer is near • You can tell the nearness of a Season by the signs of it in nature around you
The Signs of His Coming Matthew 24: 33; Mark 13: 29; Luke 21: 31 • When you see the signs Jesus has detailed, then His coming as conquering King is near, at the door • Revelation 19: 11 -21 - Jesus destroys the anti-Christ and his armies, ending the Tribulation period
The Certainty of His Coming Matthew 24: 34 -35; Mark 13: 30 -31; Luke 21: 32 -33 • The events of this time period will occur within the generation alive at its beginning • These things are more sure than the continuation of heaven and earth which will pass away - 2 Peter 3: 10
The Certainty of His Coming Matthew 24: 34 -35; Mark 13: 30 -31; Luke 21: 32 -33 • Allegorical interpretation has resulted in false ideas about “this generation” and the events of eschatology
An Unknown Day Matthew 24: 36; Mark 13: 32 • There is a big difference between knowing the season an event will happen and the day it will happen • The arrogant predict dates for Jesus return though Jesus states only the Father knows the day and hour
An Unknown Day Matthew 24: 36; Mark 13: 32 • William Miller started the Adventist movement with his date predicting in the 1830's and 1844 • Ellen G. White followed the teachings of Miller and started the Seventh Day Adventist
An Unknown Day Matthew 24: 36; Mark 13: 32 • Charles Taze Russell, founder of Jehovah’s Witnesses, was affected adventism, and set many dates • Evangelicals have been affected by date settings - the late Harold Camping is an example
An Unknown Day Matthew 24: 36; Mark 13: 32 • The signs of the season of Jesus’ return will be easily recognized, but only the Father knows the day of it
As the Days of Noah Matthew 24: 37 -39 • People did not heed the preaching of Noah or the warning of the ark - they were too busy living normal life • People will think everything is just fine - Peace and Safety! – too busy living normal life to notice the signs
A Sudden Judgement Matthew 24: 40 -41 • The near context of verse 39 indicates it is the wicked who are suddenly taken away for judgment • The ones left are the righteous who survived the Tribulation and will populate the Millennium
A Sudden Judgement Matthew 24: 40 -41 • The illustrations emphasize the suddenness of His return and lack of preparation by the people
His Admonition Matthew 24: 42 -44; Mark 13: 33 • You would be prepared if you knew when a thief would try to break in • If you know a thief would try to break in, but did not know when, you would always be on the alert
The Faithful Slave Matthew 24: 45 -47 • Christians are motivated by their love for the Lord and desire to please Him - they look forward to His return
The Evil Slave Matthew 24: 48 -51 • Even fear will not motivate the evil because they assume the day of reckoning is a long way off • Faithfulness in serving the Lord is a mark denoting the difference between true and false professions of faith
The Evil Slave Matthew 24: 48 -51 • Those with false professions of faith will be judged along with the wicked as Christ’s return • Mark 13: 33 -17 - Be on the Alert! You do not know when the Lord will come
Conclusion • You can only be ready for the Lord’s return if He is your Lord and Savior • Don’t be caught unprepared by a false profession of faith • If you are ready, then rejoice! If you are not, then get ready!
Grace Bible Church Glorifying God by Making Disciples of Jesus Christ
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