Christ #22 The Suddenness of His Coming Matthew 24:36-44

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1 Christ #22 The Suddenness of His Coming Matthew 24:36-44 I remember when I was just a small child, occasionally I would awaken during the night just dead certain that something, or somebody, was in my bedroom. They were either in the closet, or under the bed, and I would call out for mamma to come see what was there. She would come in and turn on the lights, and we would look under the bed and in the closet, to make sure there were no boogers to be found. Then, when I was satisfied there was nothing there to be afraid to, the light would go off once more, and that same darkness would fill the room, but I wasn t afraid anymore. But, what was the difference? The lights had been turned on, and I was encouraged by what I had seen. And that is exactly what Jesus Christ did when He came to this earth; He turned on the lights that men may never fear the darkness of the future again. David put it this way in Psalm 27:1, The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? And then in John 1:4-5 we are told, In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Jesus said this in John 8:12, Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life. The Bible is simply telling us that Jesus has turned on the lights. And the person that knows Jesus, even though he may live in a dark and gloomy world, and even though that darkness and gloominess may deepen with every passing day, he has no reason to be afraid. For in Jesus we have the revelation of God for mankind, and that He is in control of the entire situation, and that everything that is happening is moving according to a divine plan for His children. In our last study we looked at the Sounds of His Coming, and today, we are going to move one step forward and look at The Suddenness of His Coming. And in 1 Thessalonians 5 Paul reminds us that Christ s Second Coming is going to be sudden and unexpected. Look at verses 1-10, But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are neither of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us 1

2 watch and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him. The Second Coming of Christ is a day in which God is going to break into human history, and the Bible describes that day as the day of the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says, For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. One of the more important lines of prophecy throughout the Old Testament, and in the New Testament, is that phrase the day of the Lord. There is also in the New Testament a phrase that refers to the day of Christ, as seen in 1 Corinthians 1:8, Who will also confirm you to the end, that you may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In 1 Corinthians 5:5 Paul is speaking about a person involved in immorality, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. Philippians 1:6 says, Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. And in verse 10 of that same chapter, That you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ. And Philippians 2:16 says, Holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain. Now, it is well to notice that the day of Christ and the day of the Lord are two different emphases. They, more than likely, occur at the same time, but the emphasis is different. The expression the day of Christ emphasizes that day in the future when Jesus Christ is going to come and bring His people to Himself, and reward them and bless them. Therefore, the day of Christ is the period of blessing for the Church beginning with the rapture of the church. On the other hand, the day of the Lord is never related to blessings, but is always related to judgment. For example, Joel 2:1-2 says, Blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: A day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, like the morning clouds spread over the mountains. A people come, great and strong, the like of whom has never been; nor will there ever be any such after them, even for many successive generations. And in verse 10 of that same chapter, The Lord gives voice before His army, for His camp is very great; for strong is the One who executes His word. For the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; who can 2

3 endure it? And Zephaniah 1:14-18 says, The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land. So, the day of the Lord is a day of terrible judgment and a day of darkness. We need to understand the word translated day does not mean a twenty-four hour period of time, but it refers to an extended period of time in which the Lord will make Himself conspicuous by His workings. My friend, the Bible is simply teaching us that God is going to have His day. We have been told in Galatians 6:7-8, Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. There is going to be an age ushered in by the coming of Christ for His saints, and that day of the Lord is going to begin with the rapture of the Church, and extend through the Tribulation Period, up until the time when the eternal age begins. You can rest assured; there is coming a time when God is going to have His day. Therefore, look with me as we study the characteristics of the day of the Lord. First, the day of the Lord is going to be a time of destruction. Look at verse 3, For when they say, Peace and safety! Then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. It is going to be a time of sudden destruction. The Greek word translated comes is in the present tense, which means, it is already coming, because God has already predetermined it! And to prove his point Paul says, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. When a woman is with child, there comes a time when that child must be born, it is inevitable. Therefore, the day of the Lord is coming. Second, the day of the Lord is going to be a time of deception. The Bible says, For when they say, Peace and Safety, then sudden destruction comes Look closely at the words they say. We are living in a world of mass 3

4 media we are constantly listening to what people are saying. And it doesn t take a very smart man to realize the world s media is constantly saying things that are anti-christian. In everything from kid s cartoons to big-screen movies, it has become politically correct to bash Christians and the sanctity of God. Third, the day of the Lord is going to be a time of great deliverance. Look at verses 4-5, But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. The Greek words translated overtake means to lay hold on someone, or to hold someone back. And the Bible is saying, That as sons of light, that day of wrath will not lay hold on you, as a thief steals something in the dark. Jesus put it this way in John 10:27-30, My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father s hand. I and My Father are one. My friend, the only way that I would be required to go through the Tribulation Period, was if Satan could steal me away from God, but praise God he does not have that power! Last of all, the day of the Lord is going to come very sudden. Look once more at verse 3, For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says, Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. This word moment is actually the combination of two words in the Greek tumos which means, to cut in two, and the negative prefix a added means not able to cut in two. Thus the Greek word atomos is the word that is translated into the English word atom. Now watch this Paul is saying that the rapture of the church is going to take place so fast, that the time could not even be divided into two moments. It is going to be faster that it takes an atom to explode. There will be no time to repent, no time to be saved, no time to get right with other people. You will notice in that moment the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. The question naturally arises, What kind of body will our resurrected body be? The Bible says it is going to be a body of glory, and it is going to be a body of power, and it is going to be a body like that of Jesus. 1 John 3:2 says this, Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been 4

5 revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Having said that, I need to remind you that at the resurrection, we will be ourselves I will be me and you will be you. 1 Corinthians 15:35-38 puts it this way, But someone will say, How are the dead raised up? And with what body do they come? Foolish one, what you sow is not made alive unless it dies. And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body. And 1 Corinthians 13:12 says, For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. And that brings me to this all-important question, Which day will be your day at the Second Coming of Christ? Will it be the day of Christ because of your relationship of salvation? Or, will it be the day of the Lord because of your refusal to come to Him for salvation? I ask you today, as the prophet of old, How long halt ye between two opinions? If the Lord be God then serve him. And if Baal, then serve him. If you have never been saved, why not today? Everyone please stand for prayer. Father, Your Word is true. Give me the wisdom to honestly examine my life in relationship to eternity that I might be sure of my standing. Give me the courage to share the need for salvation with others around me. In Jesus name. Amen. 5