A Crisis of Truth: The Second Coming

Ralph Martin speaks on a crisis of truth the attack on faith morality and mission in the church today Ralph Martin is an internationally recognized Catholic leader this is one in a series of five talks on a crisis of truth every time we say the Creed we say together he will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead every time we celebrate the Eucharist the Lord's Supper we say Christ has died Christ is risen Christ will come again every year when the season of Advent comes around we prepare ourselves not just to remember the first coming of the Lord but we prepare ourselves in light of his return in glory you know sometimes when I'm talking to Catholics about the Lord's return they say that's Protestant no it's not that's Christian that's part of the basic gospel message every time we celebrate the Eucharist we profess our faith in the Lord's glorious return every liturgical year we prepare ourselves for the Lord's return every time we say the Creed we place our faith and express our faith in the glorious return of Jesus Christ to judge the living in the dead it's part of the Gospel message it's part of the good news the first time Jesus came to us as a lamb for the slaughter as the Lamb of God to take away the sins of the world the second time he's coming not as a sacrificial lamb but as king as Lord as Judge coming to reclaim what belongs to him coming to reward those who have been faithful to him and have turned to him coming to banished from his kingdom all evil and wickedness coming to bring the phase of history to an end that's known as the church age and ushering in the fullness of God's kingdom hebrews chapter 9 verses 27 to 28 just as it is appointed that men die once and after death be judged so Christ was offered up once to take away sins he will appear a second time not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eat early await him why am I talking about the Lord's return why am i preaching his return in glory why is important that we know that the Lord is returning because whether we're ready for him and waiting for him determines a lot whom he's returning to bring salvation to to those who are eagerly awaiting him to those who are looking for his return who are desiring his return who are living their life in such a way as to be found worthy when he returns the return of the Lord and glory is a central teaching of the New Testament Jesus himself made many references to his return mark chapter 13 verses 26 and 27 then men will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory he will dispatch his angels and assemble has chosen from the father's bounds of earth and sky from the four winds at the moment of his ascension as he returns to the Father and takes his place in heaven at the right hand of God his disciples are looking up seeing him go and the angels come and say men of Galilee why do you stand here looking up at the skies this Jesus who has been taken from you will return just as you saw him go up into the heavens just as surely as the Lord returned to his father as surely as that will he return in glory to judge the living in the dead a firm clear belief in the pacific visible Laureus return of jesus was taught throughout the New Testament Paul tells Timothy I command I charge you to keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear disappearance God will bring to pass at his chosen time it's many other passages expectantly looking for and desiring the return of the Lord is presented as a basic part of Christian faith in life 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 8 from now on a merited crown awaits me on that day the Lord just judged that he is will award it to me and not only to me but to all who have looked for his appearing with eager longing Jesus Christ is returning in glory to reward those who are looking for his return those who are desiring his return first Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 16 and 17 the Lord Himself will come down from heaven at the word of command at the sound of the Archangels voice and God's trumpet then forth we shall be with the Lord unceasingly console one another with this message or is one of the sources of consolation for Christians one of the sources of strength and encouragement is us reminding one another how it all ends it ends in Jesus's Christ's glorious return it ends in a victory for the forces of the Lord it ends in defeat for Satan and all evil doers encouraging one another with the truth that Jesus Christ is returning in glory is a basic part of the life of Christians you know you see images like this you hear about the word of command the Archangels voice and God's trumpet and me immediately say you know how should we take that you know is it really gonna be an Archangels voice is there really gonna be a trumpet tell you the truth nobody knows different scholars can have different opinions different Christians kind of different opinions but no he knows these may just be images saying you're not gonna miss it the other hand it's quite possible God can choose to announce the whole thing by an Archangels voice and he can blow a trumpet if he wants you do anything he wants we'll just have to see the point of passages like this as I say something important is happening you're not going to miss when the Lord returns what the scriptures say his return will be like one of the main things it says is that the return of the Lord will be sudden and unexpected very much like a thief in the night for the world at large 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 2 & 3 you know very well that the day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night just when people are saying peace and security you know four more years of peace and security vote for me room will fall on them with the suddenness of pains overtaking a woman in labor it'll be no escape well it's just when the world thinks that we can pull it together we can manage fine thank you we've got human solutions that can handle things just at the moment when people are saying peace and security the Lord will return scripture makes clear that the return of the Lord will catch the human race as a whole by surprise that the second coming isn't the end product of a natural spiritual evolution of the human race but it's going to be just like it was in the days of Noah when God's judgment finally was expressed in cleansing the earth from wickedness in the flood Matthew 24 verses 37 to 39 keep in mind who's speaking who's speaking Jesus is speaking does he know what he's talking about yes the coming of the Son of Man will repeat what happened in Noah's time in the days before the flood people were eating and drinking marrying and being married right up into the day Noah into the ark they were totally unconcerned until the flood came and destroyed them so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man scripture doesn't tell us everything that we're curious about but it tells us a lot what will the term return of Jesus would be like it will be like it was in the day of Noah people at large were unconcerned about the things of God and the will of God until the very moment when Noah entered the Ark and the flood came and destroyed wickedness from the earth Jesus himself says so will it be at the coming of the Son of Man scripture makes clear that the return of Jesus will be personal clearly manifest unmistakable Matthew 24 verses 25 to 30 remember Jesus is speaking I've told you all about it beforehand if they tell you look he's in the desert don't go out there they say hey he's in the innermost rooms don't believe it you don't have to go to Salt Lake City to find the Lord you don't have to go to a mansion on the Hudson River to find the Lord be careful when people say what you've got to do to find the Lord be grounded and rooted in God's Word so you won't be the seeds or mislead I don't know if you've seen this but this ad is appearing in the major newspapers of the world right now saying that the Christ is among us and will soon reveal himself that the Messiah is here and will soon reveal himself they say how do you know what to look for look for a modern man who's concerned about human beings who's concerned about justice and peace who will save the human race from its current predicament literally hundreds of thousands of dollars or right now being put into full-page ads in the New York Times and other major newspapers around the world announcing in the next few months the appearance of the Messiah Jesus is saying if they tell you look he's in the desert don't go out there if they say he's in the innermost rooms don't believe it as the lightning from the east flashes to the west so will the coming of the Son of Man be it will be as unmistakable and as visible as lightning flashing from one side of the sky to the other at that point the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and all the clans of the earth will strike their breast as they see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory at the moment of Jesus's return all the nations of the earth will look upon him as it says in the Prophet Zechariah they'll look upon him whom they've pierced and mourn as for an only Son they'll recognize at last the true identity of Jesus and what the sins of the human race did to him they'll look upon him whom they pierced all the clans of the earth will beat their breasts as Jesus Christ returns in glory and great power coming to rule was already his coming to reclaim the kingdom that already belongs to him coming to regather to himself those who are his people when will it happen don't worry I'm not going to tell you the reason I'm not going to tell you is because scripture says nobody knows the day or the hour mark chapter 13 verse 32 as to the exact day or hour no one knows it knew the angels in heaven nor even the son but only the father there's many other passages that say the same thing it's important not only to know what scripture tells us but also what scripture tells us we can't know a lot of Christian groups over the years would still be with us today if they hadn't tried to set the day or the hour nobody knows the day or the hour how important it is to be grounded in the truth of God's Word prepared to resist the kind of deception and confusion and competing claims that are going to accompany the time of the Lord in his return yet as often as scripture says nobody knows the day or the hour it goes on to say don't draw the wrong conclusions from that nevertheless be ready nobody knows the day or the hour but nevertheless be ready mark chapter 13 verses 33 and 36 be constantly on the watch stay awake don't let him come suddenly and catch you asleep what I say to you I say to all be on guard even though the world as a whole is going to be caught by surprise just like the world as a whole in the time of Noah was caught by surprise Christians aren't supposed to be caught by surprise Christians aren't supposed to be asleep when the Lord returns Christians are supposed to be ready for the Lord's return expecting it looking for it and living a life that counts as being awake what does it mean to not be asleep what does it mean to be on guard what kind of life do we have to live not to be caught by surprise at the Lord's return first Thessalonians chapter 5 versus for 222 you are not in the dark brothers that the day should catch you off guard there's a difference between God's people and those who aren't God's people in terms of readiness for the Lord's return no all of you are children of the light and of the day we belong neither to darkness nor tonight nor tonight we don't belong to Twilight either right let's not be asleep like the rest but awake and sober we who live by day must be alert putting on faith and love as a breastplate the hope of salvation as a helmet comfort it up build one another respect those amongst you whose task it is to exercise authority and the Lord and admonish you rejoice always never stop praying always give thanks such as God's will for you in Christ Jesus don't stifle the Holy Spirit don't despise prophecies test everything retain what is good avoid any semblance of evil in other words the way to be ready for the Lord's return is to be living a fervent dedicated Christian life with our fellow Christians living a life of love of God under proper authority building one another up in the Lord admonishing one another praying always giving thanks reverencing Christ in our hearts open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit open to the leading and direction that the Holy Spirit will give God's people in a time of trial and difficulty being aware of deception testing everything holding what sound and good and based on God's Word avoiding even the appearance of evil living a wholly dedicated Christian life puts us in a situation to meet the Lord when he returns another thing the scripture says that even though nobody knows that they are the hour we shouldn't be thrown off by apparent delays we shouldn't make the mistake of imposing on the Lord our narrow limited experience of time and space 2nd Peter chapter 3 verses 1 to 13 Peter says in the last days mocking sneering men who are ruled by their passions will arrive on the scene and they'll ask where is that promise coming of his our forefathers have been laid to rest everything stays just as it was when the world was created nothing new Under the Sun don't tell me about the Lord's return you know people like that I do that's the attitude of the world that's the skeptical attitude that says God's Word isn't gonna come to pass that's just a lot of baloney we've heard that before Peter says they're making two mistakes they're forgetting that God's patience has an end they are forgetting at one point by water by the flawed wickedness was destroyed from the earth an end Peter says the present heavens and earth are reserved by God's Word for fire they are kept for the day of judgment the day when godless men will be destroyed I first noticed that that little phrase their godless men being destroyed say Oh Lord that's that's that's not fair mm-hmm remember when there's a difference between us and the Lord who's right I felt like very soon the Lord told me the reason why you're horrified to hear that godless men are going to be destroyed is that you don't know how horrible it is to be a godless man you don't know how horrible it is to reject the shed blood of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins you don't know how horrible it is to reject the the chance after chance after chance that God gives people to repent you don't know what hardness of heart it takes to reject the mercy and love of God second thing Peter says is that in the Lord's eyes one days is a thousand years and a thousand years are like one day so on a divine way of reckoning time it's either been a million years or two days since the Lord told us he's going to return in other words don't make the mistake of imposing the human experience of time on an eternal God Jesus said heaven and earth will pass away but my word will not pass away until every part of it be fulfilled the Word of God is more reliable than the very ground we're standing on and the very transmission lines that bring electricity then the solid brick buildings in our towns and cities the Word of God is more reliable than anything on earth and it will come to pass and every part of it will be fulfilled Peter concludes since everything is to be destroyed in this way what sort of people must do not be how holy in your conduct and devotion looking for the coming day of God trying to hasten it because of it the heavens will be destroyed in flames the elements will melt away in a blaze what we await our new heavens and a new earth where according to his promise the Justice of God will reside what kind of life ought we not to be living in light of the Lord's return in light of the certainty of his word which will not pass away until every part of it is fulfilled nobody knows the day or the hour of the Lord's return nevertheless scripture tells us be ready live lives fervent Christian life with brothers and sisters in Christ open to the Holy Spirit under authority also be alert for the signs of the times know how to read the events of history in the light of the gospel even though nobody knows the day or the hour scripture says there are certain preliminary events that Jesus reveals to us must happen before his return and there are certain proximate signs that will accompany his return that can be clues or warnings for God's people that his arrival is imminent one of these preliminary events concerns the people of Israel Romans chapter 11 verse 15 and on if their rejection has meant reconciliation for the world if the Jews rejection of Jesus as a whole at the time of Jesus and their subsequent rejection from God's plan has meant reconciliation for the world for the Gentiles if the Jews rejection has meant that the Gentiles can now enter in what will their acceptance mean what if God's chosen people the Jews were to return to to Jesus that acknowledged him as the Messiah nothing less than life from the dead many scripture scholars think that that refers to the general resurrection that will accompany the Lord's return Paul goes on to say if the Jews do not remain in their unbelief they'll be grafted back on for God's able to do this brothers I don't want you to be ignorant of this mystery lest you be conceited saying I'm a proud Gentile I've accepted Jesus and the Jews happen surprises are in store the best is yet to come wonderful deeds of God are going to unfold as he returns blindness has come upon part of Israel until the full number of Gentiles enter in and then all of Israel will be saved then God will again deal with the Jewish people and there'll be a significant turning to him know there's a lot of talk in the air these days about kind of mapping out the events that will accompany the Lord's return a lot of talk today on Christian television about the the nation of Israel I'd like to just kind of give you my personal understanding of how I look on this whole area so I feel like there's different ways of looking at it from the scripture and I personally don't feel like there's one conclusive way of looking at it I think that it's not without spiritual significance that for the first time in almost 2,000 years since the Jews were expelled from Palestine and dispersed over the face of the earth in fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus that not a stone was going to be left standing of the temple because of their rejection of him I think it's not without significance that the first time since the destruction of Jerusalem in the temple in 70 72 AD that in 1947 for the first time the Jews were back in Palestine and proclaimed the nation the reason why I think it's not without spiritual significance is that in many ways it's just humanly speaking a very very remarkable thing to have happened secondly God has always dealt with the Jewish people by the pressure of the nations around them having them back together again as a nation places them in a situation where God can deal with them as a corporate entity the same time while recognizing a spiritual significance to maybe going on with a modern state of Israel I believe it's a mistake to go from there to endorsing the current political and economic policies of the State of Israel it's important to keep in mind that they're not converted yet as a matter of fact the modern Zionist movement that has led to the creation of State of Israel was not based on faith in God or return to the Lord it was based on man's own effort to save themselves and it was led by agnostic sand sometimes atheist and the modern state of israel is looked upon by many Orthodox religious Jews as as almost an abomination because of the potential for idolatry of the state and the exultation of human strength rather than reliance on God so how they treat the Palestinians and how they deal with different things may not at all be pleasing to God and so I think it's important to distinguish how God may be dealing with Israel from across the board support for the modern Jewish state which is not yet converted a second preliminary event the scripture talks about needing to take place before the Lord's return is spoken about in Matthew 24 verse 14 this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all the nations only after that will en come now a lot of students of Christian missions say that there's probably two million people who haven't heard the gospel today mainly in Muslim countries and Buddhist and Hindu countries and in mainland China so it looks in some ways like that word is far from fulfillment on the other hand for the first time in world history virtually the entire globe has been hooked into a world communication network almost simultaneously the entire population of the world can be addressed through modern means of communication I've been startled and various trips I've taken to in counter how pervasive this communication network is driving across the Sinai desert several years ago I was amazed to look out over the horizon seeing some Bedouin huts and seeing some TV antennas sticking up I don't know how they got there I don't know how they were powered but there they were I remember a year or two ago going through the slums of Bogota South America Colombia and having people tell me about how medical care was lacking and how education was lacking but lo and behold there were TV sets there TV antennas were sticking out of those huts I remember arriving in a little island nation off the coast of India called Sri Lanka and the people apologizing for not having TV yet but telling me that the Japanese government had just offered to give as a gift a wiring the island for TV living in Belgium for four years I saw that TV programs that were popular in the United States one year six months later were in London Brussels Paris a year later were in Thailand Philippines and the most popular TV program right now and Communist China is an American TV serial there's a struggle for the soul of the human race there's a struggle for access to the mind of human beings a lot of what's going on in TV right now is leading people away from the Lord alaya what's going on on TV right now is getting people used to and accustomed to accepting mockery of God and immorality in their life accepting it as options as lifestyle options God is trying to raise up an effort that we'll be able to use the communication media to announce his gospel and communicate his truth to the entire face of the human race it's worth praying for it's what we're involved in today whether Christ's coming is right before us in the coming years or whether we're simply entering into a crisis in society that's gonna bring an age to an end it's important to keep in mind that for every single one of us the end of the world is going to happen for us in our lifetime right the end of the world for us is certainly gonna happen for us in our lifetime everything that's involved in being ready for the Lord's return is relevant to being ready when the Lord calls us there's preliminary events that need to take place before the Lord returns there's some proximate signs scripture talks about a whole set of difficulties and disorders and tribulations that will accompany the Lord's return mark chapter 13 verse 19 those times will be more stressful than any between God's work of creation and now and for all time to come along with prophecies referring to the destruction of Jerusalem for rejecting Jesus are intermingled prophecies in the Gospels about the Lord's return in glory scripture scholars feel like there's a reason for this that the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 72 AD is a type and a foreshadowing of the destruction of the godless when Jesus Christ returns in glory as certainly as one event happened as certainly will a second happen scripture talks about a upheaval amongst the nations Matthew 24 verses 6 to 8 you'll hear of wars and rumors of wars don't be alarmed such things are bound to happen a Christian has a different perspective on times of difficulty in trouble a Christian knows that God's providential hand is over all world events turning them for his purposes God only allows the difficulty in disaster when it's good for the human race to allow difficulty in disaster when there needs to be chastisement and punishment to bring people back to himself God's hand is on the events of our time and the events of all time he's the lord of history he's able to turn events for his purposes for those who love God thing works for the good God's able to bring good out of evil to bring wisdom out of disaster to bring salvation to have destruction that's why when a Christian sees world events taking certain turns he needs to have the perspective of Christ and know that the hand of God is on the affairs of the world turning things for his victory nation will rise against nation one Kingdom against another there'll be famine and pestilence and earthquakes in many places these are the early stages of the birth pangs God speaks to us in nature you know a tower fell one day in Israel and crushed people and people came to Jesus saying why did this happen Jesus says it wasn't because they're so bad there they're no worse than you but let this be a warning to repent God is giving signals in nature and the events of nations and he's he's trying to say something to the human race and events disasters earthquakes floods whatever famine drought pestilence are supposed to be invitations to repent and in the glory of the springtime in Michigan God's communicating his love God's speaking to us in nature communicating his love asking us to draw near to him let his eyes to see see let him who has ears to hear hear the early stages of the birth pangs how important it is to have that perspective when these events start to unfold whether they're our rehearsal for the final events or whether they're just another run of a pattern how important it is to know for a Christian their birth pangs that something is dying but something is being born a new heavens and new earth is in the process of being born there's not the end of everything is the end of wickedness and the new heavens the manure are going to come Matthew 24 immediately after the stress of that period it talks about signs in the heavens and Jesus Christ appearing and all the nations of the earth striking their breasts as a sign of the Son of man appears in the sky many Fathers of the Church thought that the sign of the Son of Man is the sign of the Cross Scripture talks often about confusion and disorder in the church that will exist at the time of Jesus's return disorder and disunity amongst Christians Matthew 24 verses 9 and 10 they will hand you over to torture and kill you indeed you'll be hated by all nations in my account many will falter then betraying and hating one another you know people sometimes say that persecution is good for the church and history does show that persecution has oftentimes strengthened God's people has led them to have to live a more fervent committed Christian life persecution always though has also revealed the weakness that exists in the church and those who are not solidly rooted and grounded in God's Word have abandoned Christ under pressure and betrayed their brothers and sisters in Christ to gain favor with the secular Authority and to escape punishment themselves mark chapter 13 verse 12 brother will hand over brother for execution the father his child children will turn against their parents and have them put to death I don't know if this is what Jesus is talking about but I do know that in our society there are organized groups working to set children against parents there are actually groups organized to aid children in divorcing their parents in one European country there are people now who are threatening to take children away from their parents for quote imposing religious belief on them there are people reporting parents to the secular Authority because they spanked their children not beating them not mistreating them disciplining them in the in the Lord there are people working to break down all authority in our society to turn into a chaotic mass of individuals that become subject then to propaganda and indoctrination through groups organized to lead people away from the Lord oftentimes controlling media Matthew 24 verse 12 because of the increase of evil the love of most will grow cold in a time when evil has the ascendency faith and love that isn't solidly rooted and grounded in God's Word and the person Jesus Christ just dries up the parable of the sower in the seed what isn't rooted in divine power and divine love disappears human civility fades away under pressure the veneer of civilization is ripped off and what we see is mankind and it's fallen condition robbing and killing looting raping false teachers and prophets will arise to mislead those not firmly rooted in the faith Matthew 24 while he was seated on the Mount of Olives his disciples came up to him privately and said Lord you could tell us let us know when it's gonna happen as is so often the case the Lord doesn't always give us what we ask for it always gives us what we need doesn't always tell us what we want to know always tells us what we need to know the same here Jesus said be on guard many will come attempting to impersonate me I'm the Messiah they will claim and they'll deceive many false prophets will arise and he just goes on remind some of the things that we've already talked about first Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 & 2 the spirit distinctly says that in the last times some will turn away from the faith and will heed deceitful spirits and things taught by demons through plausible liars have you ever heard this passage before listen to it the spirit distinctly says that in the last day some will turn away from the faith and will heed deceitful spirits and things taught by demons through plausible liars now what we're dealing with is demonic deception we saw that one of the ways the Satan works is through deception one of the main ways in infiltrating falsehood and lies into people's minds getting them to disbelieve God and His Word what we're really dealing with it's not just human mistake and human error but we're dealing with the doctrines of demons they have their own Creed's they have their own beliefs they have their own favorite things to feed into the human race now if a demon came up in front of a class or in front of a seminarian from a religious education class or in a pulpit and look like a demon you know all smelly and smelling of sulfur and you know looking ugly and kind of that the hatred coming out and the gleaming eyes and that type of thing nobody would listen right no you listen who would ever want to come to a class taught by a demon and those demons are smart they don't work that way they look for people who are plausible maybe people with credentials people who wear deodorant who won't turn people off by how they look and find people whom they're able to deceive and use as instruments for infiltrating false teaching into the church I believe that's one of the things we're facing in the Christian churches today maybe people with the best of intentions nevertheless instruments of demonic teaching leading people away from the Lord away from confidence in the Word of God away from living a committed holy Christian life away from being faithful in marriage a way of way from being chaste before marriage a way of being faithful away from being faithful and loyal when it's difficult to be faithful and loyal undermining the will of God's people to be faithful to endure until the end Jesus says time and time again he who endures until the end will be saved he who's rooted and grounded in trick Christian truth will stand in the day of tests praise God for His Word to us that equips us and enables us to stand in the day of tests and we talk about the second coming one of the things we have to talk about is the Antichrist as far as I know it's not Henry Kissinger nor is it the Pope what does God's Word tell us about the Antichrist first John chapter 2 verses 18 to 23 children it's the final hour just as you heard that the Antichrist was coming so now many such Antichrist have appeared who is the liar he who denies that Jesus is the Christ he is the Antichrist denying the father and the son anyone who denies the son has no claim on the father he who acknowledges the son can claim the father as well that's why the attack on Jesus is so critical the Antichrist spirit wants to do away with Jesus once to obscure him and block him from the view of the human race once to distort his identity so that people can't call upon him and be saved there's many Antichrist that have functioned throughout world history the spirit of lawlessness and Antichrist has been active from the beginning even within the ranks of the Christians as John says right here the scripture also says that just before the Lord's return the power and spirit of Antichrist the satanic power is going to be concentrated in a particular individual referred to as the lawless one revelations chapter 20 verses 7 to 8 when the thousand years are over Satan will be released from his prison and he'll go out to seduce the nation's and all four corners of the earth and muster for war the forces of Satan numerous is the sands of the sea God has placed the limit on the work of Satan for a certain time period at a certain point that limit will be removed and the Satanic forces will muster for battle second Thessalonians chapter 2 verses 3 to 10 let no one seduce you no matter how this is already contains a message here sometimes people have the impression today that you just get seduced it just happens - you can't help it the devil made me do it it's interesting back in the book of Genesis after the first human beings turn away from the Lord the Lord came to them and Adams Adam said my wife made me do it and then each said the devil made me to it that that's serpent that you put in the garden made me do it and I've said this woman that you gave to me made me do it God says I hold you both responsible I'm not accepting those excuses a lot of times God doesn't accept our excuses where we say we just drifted into evil somewhere along the way we say yes maybe in a split second maybe at a deeper level or being against conscience we say yes the being seduced scripture says let no one seduce you no matter how since the mass apostasy has not yet occurred nor the man of lawlessness been revealed and then it describes the man of lawlessness someone who declares himself to be God you know what restrains him until he shall be revealed in his own time Paul had already told the Thessalonians this so he didn't bother to repeat it so we're left a little ignorant here probably in God's providence certainly in God's providence some of the early fathers of the church thought what was restraining the work of Satan was st. Michael the Archangel you read in the book of Daniel how Saint Michael the Archangel was restraining a satanic Prince some thought it was the prayers of this some thought it was the public preaching the gospel some thought it was the different different reasons sometimes just a decision by God to place a limit on Satan's working until the end the secret force of lawlessness is already at work mind you but there is one who holds him back until that restrainer shall be taken from the scene at a certain point the restraint on Satan's working will be removed at that point the lawless one will manifest himself as part of the workings of Satan accompanied by all the power and signs and wonders at the disposal of falsehood what are the Satanic weapons falsehood false teaching by every seduction the wicked can devise for those destined to room listen who's destined to room for those destined to room because they have not opened their hearts to the truth in order to be saved it's almost as if God removes the restraint on Satan so that it can be made manifest those who have already chosen to follow falsehood those who have already rejected the truth of God's Word it's almost as if Satan is sent out to reap those who belong to him those who will be reaped by Satan are those who have not opened their hearts to the truth of God's Word personified in the person of his son Jesus in order to be saved how important it is to be rooted and grounded in Christian truth how important it is to know him and whom we have believed who he is and what his teaching is and to hold firm and fast to it in the face of every seduction the wicked can devise to bring tarun those destined for destruction who have not opened their hearts to the truth in order to be saved just as God sent messages to prepare for his first coming he sends messengers throughout church history to prepare for the return of his son saying again hearing again the words of the Prophet John the Baptist may keyway make you straight the way of the lord prepare you either way of the Lord make his way straight repent and bear the fruits of repentance I believe there's a need today for the Word of God to go forth in the Christian churches and beyond the Christian churches asking people to prepare themselves for the Lord's return to live the kind of life of Christian holiness that scripture tells us we need to live to stand on the day of the Lord's return and stand before him on Judgment Day with no shame and no condemnation I believe the Lord is saying it's time for us in our generation to build an ark God is calling those who have ears to hear and eyes to see to gather round the banner of His Son Jesus to join themselves to the person of his son and construct an ark which is the body of Jesus Christ to be rooted and grounded in Christ Jesus in brothers and sisters who are in Christ Jesus to take as our mother and brothers and sisters those who are doing the will of God and together be brothers and sisters in the Lord in art a place of protection and safety a place where when the flood comes protection is found the flood of false teaching the flood of affliction the flood of persecution and there's a flood coming whether it's the last flood whether it's the judgment by fire whether it's just punishment or chastisement in our generation for our turning from God I don't know we'll see but there's a flood coming and now's the time to build the ark now is the time for God's people to make the commitments to root and ground themselves in God's Word in solid Christian relationships to gather together to pray the scripture and live the kind of Christian life that equips us for times of difficulty why am I talking about the Lord's return first of all because it's true because it's part of the gospel because it's in the Word of God and we need to hear every part of God's Word secondly because it's a tremendous source of confidence and hope and joy first Peter chapter 1 gird the loins of your understanding live soberly set all your hope and the gift to be conferred on you when Jesus Christ appears Jesus wants his disciples to know what's coming to them when he returns in glory a weight of glory beyond compare that hope of the Lord's return is supposed to function here and now in our life as a source of strength and confidence and joy to enable us to bear the burdens of daily Christian life sometimes people say we can't pay much attention to the Lord's return because it will distract us from the here-and-now all Christian truth works together all of God's Word is a whole knowing the Lord is returning and glory is supposed to function as a source of strength and inspiration to give ourselves here and now to the work of the Lord to being Christian mothers and fathers to being Christian single people to just living the kind of life that we need to live to follow the Lord loving and serving others coming to meetings when we don't feel like it another reason why it's important to know about the Lord's return is that it brings out the seriousness of the decisions and choices we make in our everyday life it brings home to us the fact that Christianity is not a game that it isn't just a charade where no matter what you do it turns out ok for everybody it makes a difference it makes a difference now it makes an eternal difference how we respond to the Word of God how we prepare ourselves for the Lord returning how we prepare ourselves to meet the Lord in death Jesus Christ has died Jesus Christ has risen Jesus Christ is returning in glory to judge the living in the dead the time between the first and second comings of Jesus is a time of mercy it's a time for repentance it's at a time when the human race has been given a chance it's last chance for a new start a new beginning for forgiveness for pardon it's a time for responding to the gospel it's a time for living the gospel it's a time for preaching the gospel that's perhaps why the Bible ends with the shout with the prayer of the early Christians come Lord Jesus come Lord Jesus

Channel: Renewal Ministries

Views: 21,870

Rating: 4.9453926 out of 5

Keywords: Christianity, Jesus, Christ, Evangelism, Mission, Spirituality, Evangelization, Religion, Catholic, Church, God, Trinity

Id: poDN7vSXyHo

Length: 55min 57sec (3357 seconds)

Published: Tue Nov 15 2016