The Imminent Return of Jesus Christ

The Imminent Return of Jesus Christ

            Do you desire for the Lord Jesus Christ to come back?  In John 14:3 Jesus said, “If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me…”  In Acts 1:11, while the disciples were still watching the sky where Jesus had just ascended to heaven, 2 angels appeared and said, “Men of Galilee why are you standing here looking into the sky?  This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”  The last words in the Bible belong to Jesus and He says this in Revelation 22:20, “Yes, I am coming soon.”

 

Do you have a desire for the Lord to return?  If you do there is a crown of righteousness waiting for you according to 2 Timothy 4:8.  But, we should ask ourselves:  “How do I express that desire I have for Christ to return?”  Did you know that the early church had a small way that they expressed this desire?  Whenever they said hello or goodbye to each other they would say, “Maranatha!”  Paul uses it in 1 Corinthians 16:22.  It’s an Aramaic word that means “Come, O Lord!”  Isn’t that interesting?  You may think, “Whoopdee doo”.  But think about it.  How often do people say things like “Go Blue!”, or, “Go Lions!” or, “Go State!”  We have no reservations about greeting and saying goodbye to each other.  It’s like that common bond between them is that love they both have for the same sports team. 

 

It’s the same thing with the early church.  When they greeted and saluted each other with “Maranatha” it was a way of reminding and rallying each other to their common hope of Jesus Christ’s Coming Back.  I think we need to start using it here at EFC.  ***Everyone say: “Maranatha!”***  It would be a good thing if this phrase were heard more often before and after church and during greeting time.  Your homework for this week is to say “Maranatha” to another believer.  If you’re married, rather than saying goodbye when you leave the house say “Maranatha”.  You can get it done today and say it to each other as you’re leaving after church.  Rally your fellow brothers and sisters around the coming of Jesus Christ.  Leave them with a word that will energize their anticipation for His return:  Maranatha!  Come, O Lord!

 

            Now, when we talk about our Lord coming back, I want to look at something very much related to His coming back.  It is an important doctrine.  It is called the doctrine of imminence.  So, our sermon title today is “The Imminent Return of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”

 

Definition:

What does imminence mean?  Imminence means that an event could happen at any moment.  The dictionary say imminent means something is “hanging over one’s head” or “close at hand” or “ready to befall or overtake someone”. 

 

It is important to point out that imminent does not mean that an event must happen soon.  Imminent means that it could happen soon.  However, it could also happen later.  We don’t know.  The idea of imminence is that there is nothing in the way of an event preventing it from happening, and therefore it can happen at any moment.  Nothing else needs to happen before this specific event can happen. 

 

What event is “imminent” in the Bible?  The Return of Jesus Christ for His Church, an event called the “Rapture”.  It is that glorious moment described where Jesus suddenly and quickly catches away His Bride, the Church, from the earth, to meet Him in the air, and then take Him back to His Father’s house in heaven.  Now, while the word “Imminent” is not a word in the Bible; rather it is a word used to describe a concept taught in the Bible.  The Bible teaches that Jesus Christ can return at any moment without warning.  Listen to some of these verses:

 

Turn to Matthew 24:42-44 [Read].  Jesus describes His coming like a thief who comes to steal.  This same imagery is used in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-4.  Turn there with me [Read]. Notice with these passages there is a sense that Jesus could come at any moment without warning – just like a thief.  But there is also a sense of nearness.  Philippians 4:5 says, “The Lord is near”.  James 5:9 says, “The Judge is standing at the door!” 

 

I think it is important for us to realize that what stirs our hearts as Christians is that we are really waiting for a Person, not an event.  Oh I can’t even begin to imagine what the experience of being transformed in the twinkling of an eye into a glorious body (1 Cor. 15:51-52) and swooped up into the air is going to feel like (1 Thess. 4:17).  It will be the ride of a lifetime.  But, the sight of the Savior as we approach Him up in the sky will thrill our hearts far more than anything else ever could.  I want the event only because it is the event that leads us into Jesus Christ’s immediate presence.     

 

Application:

Our kids share a room and sleep in bunkbeds.  If your kids are like ours then you may find yourself going back into their room to remind them they need to be sleeping.  And as a parent you never know what you’re going to find when you bust the door open and let the light flood into the room.  You hope to find them snuggled under their covers and all sleepy eyed like their supposed to be.  Sometimes however when you bust the door open their like cockroaches scurrying back to their beds.  Sometimes they’re in mid-flight parachuting off the top bunk with a pillowcase or trying to find out if the toy butterfly costume wings really can make them fly.  You never know what you’re going to find when you return to their room to check on them.

 

When Jesus Christ returns back to the earth what will He find us doing?  Knowing that we can be raptured suddenly at any moment by Him, have you ever thought about what it is you would like to be doing in that moment?  Have you thought about what you would not like to be doing?  The Bible says that we are to be waiting for the Lord Jesus Christ’s return.  But it’s not a “passive” waiting, it’s an active waiting.  Let me urge 5 ways for us to be actively waiting for Christ’s imminent Return

 

First, we should have an attitude of anticipation.  In 2 Timothy 4:8 Paul says, “Now there is in store for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will award to me on that day – and not only me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing.”  There is a crown of righteousness that awaits all who have a longing for Christ’s appearing.  These people live with a strong anticipation for Christ’s return.  The opposite of anticipation is apathy.  Worse yet is scoffing like that in 2 Peter 3:3-4, “You must understand that in the last day scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised?  Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it as since the beginning of creation.”

 

Let us wait for Christ with an urgent anticipation for His return.

 

Second, we should live in holiness today.  So often when the Bible talks about the imminency of Christ’s return it is in the context of urging us towards holiness of life.  Two passages will help you see what I mean.  Join me again in Romans 13:11-14 and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-8.  These passages that remind us of the imminent return of Christ are telling us to live holy lives because of this realization. 

 

Question:  What if you knew Jesus was going to return today sometime before dinner to rapture the Church.  What would you do today? 

 

Third, we should want to evangelize today.  Coming with Jesus Christ is His judgment upon the world.  Therefore, if Christ’s coming is imminent, then not far behind is terrible judgment.  We should want to save all we can, “plucking them from the fire” as Jude says.  Furthermore, we should want lost people to be going up with us at the Rapture.  We should

 

Fourth, we should want to be in Fellowship.  Hebrews 10:25 says, “Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  Our gathering together as believers is to regularly remind us that Christ could return at any moment.  We should gather to keep this hope stirred up inside of us.  But, the opposite is true too:  if someone has that hope stirred up in them, they will want to be in fellowship with other believers.  Let us be waiting for Christ by gathering in fellowship.

 

Fifthly, we should be busy serving and doing good deeds.  Turn to Titus 2:11-14 with me [Read]  Notice that in light of the appearing of Christ, we should be eager to do what is good, to be busy serving with good deeds. 

 

Lastly, it compels us to Pray  First Peter 4:7 says, “The end of all things is near.  Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray.”  The stronger my awareness is that Christ could return at any moment the stronger my prayer life is going to become.  Let us wait for Christ in prayer. 

 

Conclusion:

While on an expedition to the South Pole, British explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton left a few of his men on Elephant Island, and promised them that he would return. Later, when he tried to go back, huge icebergs blocked the way. But suddenly, as if by a miracle, an avenue opened in the ice and Shackleton was able to get through. His men, ready and waiting, quickly scrambled aboard. No sooner had the ship cleared the island than the ice crashed together behind them. Contemplating their narrow escape, the explorer said to his men, "It was fortunate you were all packed and ready to go!" They replied, "We never gave up hope. Whenever the sea was clear of ice, we rolled up our sleeping bags and reminded each other, 'The boss may come today.'"

The hymn writer Horatius Bonar exhorted us "to be ready for the last moment by being ready at every moment...so attending to every duty that, let Him come when He may, He finds the house in perfect order, awaiting His return." The trump may sound anytime. How important for us as Christians to be "packed and ready to go!"

 

As you leave church today, don't say goodbye -- say "Maranatha!"