Six Reasons Why All Christians Should Desire the Soon Return of Jesus

 by Dr. David R. Reagan


As every new year dawns, I find myself earnestly yearning that it will be the year that will initiate the end time events that will lead to the Lord’s return to this earth.

The first of those events will be the Rapture of the Church. That will be followed by the Great Tribulation of seven years, a period of unparalleled horror that will culminate in the return of Jesus to reign over all the world.

The writings of the early Church Fathers (100 to 300 A.D.) reveal that one of the earliest prayers of the Church was “Maranatha!” (1 Corinthians 16:22). That word is actually an Aramaic phrase that means “Our Lord come!”

This prayer expresses a fact that is confirmed by many other scriptures; namely, that the First Century Church had an ardent desire for the soon return of Jesus.

A Waning of the Zeal
The Twentieth Century Church seems to have lost that desire. Most professing Christians today do not pray “Maranatha!” They do not yearn for the return of the Lord. Instead of yearning, they are yawning.

Christendom at large is caught up in apathy regarding the return of Jesus. And that is sad, for the Word says that the return of the Lord is our “Blessed Hope” (Titus 2:13).

Also, we are constantly admonished in Scripture to watch for the Lord’s coming and to be ready. Jesus Himself said, “Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight . . . for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect” (Luke 12:35,40). Paul exhorted Titus to live “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and savior, Christ Jesus” (Titus 2:13). And as Paul faced death in prison, he wrote:

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing. — 2 Timothy 4:7-8

Think of it, Paul says that a special reward — “a crown of righteousness,” will be given to any person who lives his or her life loving the appearing of the Lord.

Are you a candidate for this reward? Do you have a zealous yearning in your heart for the Lord’s soon return? Do you pray daily, “Maranatha!”?

Looking for Jesus
There are at least six reasons why every Christian should earnestly desire the soon return of Jesus:

1) Jesus — When Jesus returns He will get what He deserves — honor, glory and power.

When He came the first time, He was repudiated by the Jews, rejected by His home town, and spurned by his family. He was persecuted by the religious leaders, betrayed by a friend, denied by another friend, deserted by His disciples, and mocked by the masses. He had no place to lay His head. His only possession was a robe.

He was born in a stable, raised in poverty, nailed to a tree, and buried in a borrowed tomb. Today, people scoff at Him and ridicule Him. His name is used as a curse word.

That is not what He deserves!

It is going to be different when He returns. The first time He came as a gentle and helpless baby. He is going to return as a mighty warrior. He came the first time as a suffering lamb to die for the sins of the world, but He will return as a conquering lion who will pour out the wrath of God on those who have rejected the love, mercy and grace of God. His first coming was marked by compassion, humility, and a willingness to be judged and to die. He will return in triumph and in wrath to judge and make war against the enemies of God. He came the first time as a Servant; He is returning as a Monarch.

Jesus was humiliated in history. I want to see Him vindicated and glorified in history. And He will be because His Father has promised Him that He will reign over all the earth (Psalm 2:7-9). He has also been promised that He will manifest His glory before His saints (Isaiah 24:21-23) and before the nations of the earth (Isaiah 66:18 & Psalm 22:27-31). Paul says He is returning “to be glorified in His saints . . . and to be marveled at among all who have believed” (2 Thessalonians 1:10).

2) Satan — When Jesus returns, Satan will receive what he deserves — defeat, dishonor and humiliation.

I’m sick of Satan. I’m tired of his plots and schemes and lies and deceptions. I’m fed up with his sicknesses and temptations. I’m weary of his physical, emotional and spiritual pollution. I’m disgusted with his wrecking of marriages and homes. I loath his wars and terrorism. I despise His ceaseless attacks on the Church.

I often feel like the martyrs portrayed in Revelation who cry out day and night before the throne of God, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood?” (Revelation 6:10) Like Isaiah, I want to cry out to God, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens and come down!” (Isaiah 64:1).

The fate of Satan was sealed by the Cross, but his nefarious activities will not cease until the Lord returns. At that time, the Word says that God will deal with Satan decisively. Luke 18:7 says that God will vindicate His elect who cry out to Him day and night by providing them justice. Romans 16:20 says that Satan will be “crushed.” The book of Revelation says he will then be thrown into the lake of fire where he “will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10 — see also, Isaiah 14:12-17).

But Satan doesn’t want to go to Hell alone. He’s working overtime to take as many people with him as he can. And I want that work stopped! I want Satan to get what he deserves.

3) The Creation — When Jesus returns, the creation will receive what it has been promised — restoration.

The material universe was originally created in beauty and perfection. There were no poisonous plants or animals, nor were there any meat eating animals. There were no natural cataclysms like earthquakes and tornados. Mankind lived in perfect harmony with nature.

But when Man rebelled against God, one of the consequences of his sin was that God placed a curse on the creation. Poisonous plants and animals suddenly appeared. The animal kingdom turned against itself and Man as some of the animals became meat eaters. And the natural cataclysms began to take their toll. Man now had to strive against nature to survive.

But the moment God placed the curse on the creation, He promised that one day it would be lifted through “the seed of woman” (Genesis 3:15). That promise is repeated throughout the Scriptures. For example, in Isaiah 11, the prophet says that when the Messiah comes to reign, “the wolf will dwell with the lamb” and “the lion will eat straw like the ox.” He further states that “the nursing child will play by the hole of the cobra” because the snake will no longer be poisonous.

Paul reaffirms this promise in the New Testament in the eighth chapter of Romans. He pictures the whole creation as being like a pregnant woman gripped by birth pains, crying out for the moment of delivery. He says that moment will come when “the sons of God are revealed.” In other words, it will occur at the resurrection when the Lord returns (Romans 8:18-23).

On the day the Lord returns, the earth will be renovated by earthquakes and supernatural phenomena in the heavens (Revelation 6:12-17). The result will be a refreshed and beautified earth. The destructive forces of nature will be curtailed. Deserts will bloom. The plant and animal kingdoms will be redeemed. Poisonous plants and animals will cease to be poisonous. The carnivorous animals will become herbivorous. All of nature will cease to strive against itself. Instead, it will work together harmoniously to the benefit of Man. (Isaiah 11:6-9; Isaiah 35:1-10; Isaiah 65:17-25; Acts 3:19-21; and Romans 8:18-23)

4) The Nations — When Jesus returns, the nations will receive what they have been promised — peace, righteousness and justice.

Mankind has dreamed of world peace throughout history. Disarmament treaties have been negotiated, peace treaties have been signed, international organizations have been created, but true peace has remained elusive.

The Bible says that permanent world peace will never be achieved until the Prince of Peace, the Messiah, returns. Both Isaiah and Micah prophesied that when the Lord returns, the nations “will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” and that “nation will not lift up sword against nation, and never again will they train for war” (Isaiah 2:4 and Micah 4:3).

The hope of the world for peace will never be realized in summit conferences between heads of state. The only hope is the return of Jesus who will rule the world with “a rod of iron” (Psalm 2:9 and Revelation 2:26-27).

5) The Jews — When Jesus returns, the Jews will receive what they have been promised — salvation and primacy.

God has made many wonderful promises to His chosen people, the nation of Israel. Most of these are unfulfilled and will not be fulfilled until a remnant of the Jews turn to Jesus and accept Him as their Messiah. The prophetic scriptures tell us this will happen at the end of the Tribulation when the Jews who are left alive have come to the end of themselves and decide to turn to God.

Zechariah says this remnant will “look upon Him whom they have pierced and will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son” (Zechariah 12:10). The prophet also says that on that day of repentance, “a fountain of salvation will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for impurity” (Zechariah 13:1).

This believing remnant will then be regathered to the land of Israel to receive the blessings that God has promised the nation. Those incredible blessings are described in great detail in chapters 60 through 62 of Isaiah. God’s Shekinah glory will return (60:2) to a rebuilt Temple (60:7). The nations will send all kinds of assistance (60:10), including their wealth (60:5). The land of Israel will be reclaimed (60:13), the nation will receive respect (60:15), the people will enjoy peace (60: 18), and the Messiah will live in their presence (60:13,19). All the ruins will be rebuilt (61:4) and the land will be filled with joy (61:7-8) and praise (61:10-11). The nation will be a beacon of righteousness, and its glory will be witnessed all over the world (62:1-3). To sum it up, Isaiah says the nation of Israel will be “a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of God” (62:3).

In effect, the world will be turned upside down regarding its relationship to the Jews. Today the Jewish people are despised and persecuted. They are the butt of jokes and ridicule. But a day is coming when all that will cease. Zechariah says that during the Lord’s millennial reign the Jewish people will be so honored that when a Jew walks by, ten Gentiles will grab his clothing and say, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you” (Zechariah 8:23).

6) The Saints — Some of the promises to the Saints — to those who are member’s of the Lord’s Church — will be fulfilled at the time of the Rapture. The Rapture is an event that could occur any moment. It will precede the Second Coming.

At the Rapture, the dead in Christ will be resurrected and the living will be translated to meet Him in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). It is at this time that both the living and dead in Christ will receive their glorified bodies. These will be immortal, perfected bodies — like the body that Jesus had after His resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:42-53 and Philippians 3:21).

When Jesus returns to this earth, the Saints will come with Him and will witness His glorious victory over the Antichrist and his forces (Revelation 19:11-21). The Saints will then receive what they have been promised — a redeemed earth and ruling power over the nations (Matthew 5:5 and Revelation 2:26-27).

Jesus will reign from Mount Zion in Jerusalem as King of kings and Lord of lords (Isaiah 24:21-23). David in his glorified body will reign as king of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9 and Ezekiel 34:23-24). The Saints in their glorified bodies will be scattered all over the world to assist with the Lord’s reign (2 Timothy 2:12 and Revelation 2:26-27). Some will serve as administrators (mayors, governors, presidents, and kings), others will serve as judges, but most will serve as teachers, for the entire educational system of the world will be in the hands of glorified Saints. It will be their responsibility to teach those who are in the flesh about the Lord. There will be no legislators (thank God!), for Jesus Himself will give the law. (See Isaiah 2:1-4; Isaiah 66:19-21; Jeremiah 3:12-18; and Luke 19:11-27.)

These six reasons make it clear that every Christian should be earnestly desiring the return of the Lord. Yet apathy prevails. Why?

Yawning about Jesus
I have found four reasons for the apathy and indifference that characterize the Christian community concerning the return of Jesus: unbelief, ignorance, fear, and carnality.

Unbelief — Regarding unbelief, many professing Christians simply do not believe that Jesus will ever return. Most of these are people with a liberal view of Scripture. They have spiritualized away the meaning of the Second Coming, just as they have spiritualized the virgin birth and the miracles. To them, the Second Coming is nothing more than a fairy tale. In 2 Peter 3:3-4 we are told that the end times will be characterized by scoffers who will mock the Lord’s promise to return. The tragedy is that many of these are people who profess to be Christians.

Ignorance — I think most of the Christians who are apathetic about the Lord’s return are just ignorant about what will happen when He comes back. As a result, they cannot get excited about an event they know nothing about. I was in this category for thirty years. Although I attended church faithfully, my church ignored the teaching and preaching of God’s Prophetic Word. I didn’t have the foggiest idea about what would happen when the Lord came back, and the result was apathy about His return. But when I began studying Bible prophecy and learned what is in store for believers when the Lord returns, I started jumping pews and shouting “Maranatha!” I have never been apathetic since that time.

Fear — The apathy of some Christians is due to the fact that they fear the Lord’s return. Because of that fear, they try to repress the thought that He might break from the Heavens at any moment. They fear He might return on one of their “bad” days or when they have an “unconfessed sin” on their conscience. These people are caught up in works salvation. They do not understand that they are saved by grace and that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).

Carnality — Finally, there are many carnal Christians who cannot get excited about the coming of the Lord because they are in love with the world. They are walking with one foot in the church and one foot in the country club. They want the Lord to come, but they want Him to come when they are 80 years old and have experienced all that this world has to offer. In other words, they want Him to come, but they don’t want Him to mess up their lives.

A Seventh Reason
Let me conclude with a personal note. There is another reason I want Jesus to return. It has to do with the fact that when you love someone, you want to be with them. I love to fellowship with Jesus in worship, in prayer, and in His Word. But these forms of fellowship are no substitute for being with Him. I love Him, and therefore . . .

I want to be with Him.
I want to bask in the presence of His love and
holiness.
I want to see the glory of God in His face.
I want to kiss His nail-scarred hands and say,
“Thank you!”
Thank you for . . .
dying for me,
forgiving me,
changing me,
guiding me,
comforting me,
and for giving my life meaning and purpose.
And I want to join the Saints and the Heavenly
Host in singing, “Worthy is the Lamb!”
Maranatha!

WAKE UP, CHURCH: JESUS IS COMING!

David Wilkerson

When I was a boy the cry of the church was, “Jesus is coming!” All through my teenage years, every evangelist who came to preach in my father’s church had a stirring message about the soon return of Christ. Even today their sermons remain burned in my memory: “The Bible says Christ will come like a thief in the night, when you least expect him. It will happen in the twinkling of an eye, with the sound of a trumpet. You must be ready at all times.”

The powerful cry, “Jesus is coming!” is seldom heard in God’s house today. Very few Christians live with a sense of expectancy, looking and yearning for Jesus’ return. How has this happened?

The New Testament gives many warnings that mockers will appear in the last days, ridiculing the doctrine of Christ’s coming. Peter writes, “There shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4). This mocking can be heard today: “What does anyone have to fear? All things continue just as they always have. There is no reason to fear a Judgment Day, because it simply isn’t coming.”

After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, people flocked to churches and prayed with a fervor that hasn’t been seen in recent times. Yet, just six months later, fewer people were attending church than before the 9/11 attacks. Just as Peter prophesied, the mockers have arrived.

The devil has whispered a different lie into the ears of many believers. That lie is, “Christ has delayed his coming.” Jesus addresses this in Matthew 24 in his parable about being ready for his return: “Be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods.

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 24:45-51).

Jesus is speaking here about believers, identifying them as servants. One of these servants is faithful while the other is evil. What makes the second servant evil in the Lord’s eyes? According to Jesus, it is something “he shall say in his heart” — that “the Lord delays his coming.” In other words, he’s convinced Jesus won’t come suddenly or unexpectedly. He has been instructed to “watch,” to “be ready,” “for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40). But instead this servant eases his conscience by believing Satan’s lie.

Once he accepts the devil’s lie, here is the fruit: Because he sees no need to watch for Christ’s coming, he doesn’t see any need to make peace with his fellow servants. There is no need to preserve unity at home, at work, in the church, no need to make things right with others. Instead, he feels he could “smite his fellow servants,” accusing them, holding grudges and destroying others’ reputations. This servant seeks only to play, to have pleasure, to live with no conscience. In short, he wants both Jesus and the world.

Paul constantly cried, “Wake up! It is past midnight, and the Lord’s coming has drawn near. Stir yourself and don’t be slothful. Jesus is coming for those who are expecting him.” He wrote to the church in Rome: “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light” (Romans 13:11-12). He also wrote to the church in Philippi: “Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5).

This brings me to the heart of my message: the heart-cry of the one in Christ.

In Revelation 22:17, we read, “The Spirit and the bride say, Come.” The bride of Christ consists of a worldwide body of believers who are under the lordship of Jesus. These are born-again, blood-cleansed believers.

This verse shows us the very last cry, or prayer, of the Holy Spirit, when he knows his work on earth is about to be completed: “Come, Lord Jesus!” This cry of the Spirit is not directed to men but to Christ. It means, in essence, “Lord, hasten your coming.”

All who make up the body of Christ know this cry of the Spirit. They live and walk in the Spirit, with their souls seated in heavenly places, and their bodies are his temple. The Spirit himself prays within them, “Come, hasten, Lord Jesus,” and so this becomes their heart-cry also. In verse 7 of this chapter, Jesus announces, “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophesy of this book.” Verse 12 adds, “Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” If I believe the world is racing toward unrestrained chaos, and that Christ is coming, then this must be my cry to my family and friends who are unprepared. My prayer must be, “Come, Lord. But first, give my unprepared loved ones ears to hear. Save them, Jesus.”

Have you made this your cry for your loved ones? May they no longer believe mockers who say, “All things are continuing in good order. Enjoy yourself, indulge, do whatever makes you happy.” May all such blindness be removed! Terrorists have blown up New York’s twin towers. Rogue nations with nuclear bombs are preparing to hold the world hostage. New diseases never before known to humankind, such as SARS and ebola, can destroy bodies within a week. Some 700,000 innocent Rwandans died at the hands of their own countrymen. The list goes on and on.

All things continue as they have? What willful ignorance! The truth is that God is shaking all that can be shaken. And what is still to come is too dreadful to think about.

The Holy Spirit knows what is soon to take place, when there is no longer any restraint.

When that time comes, every man will give himself over to his lusts. Every militant religion will force its gods on others. And every holy thing will be despised, with every law broken. Meanwhile, the backslidden church will preach the most corrupt, damnable doctrines of hell.

In the midst of all this, I hear Jesus saying, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). I also hear the bride of Christ answering, as John did, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (same verse).

I urge you: For a moment try to set aside all thoughts of differing doctrines about Christ’s coming. Instead, listen to the heart-cry of the man and woman who love the thought of our Lord’s appearing. This cry is at the heart of the entire matter: “We shall see him face to face. We shall behold him” (see 1 Corinthians 13:12).

Jesus’ coming ought to thrill your heart. It ought never to disturb you. Can you imagine what it will be like when he calls you by name? If you truly love someone, you want that person to be near you.

Imagine a newlywed couple, with the husband quickly called away, perhaps into the military or on business. He tells his wife, “I’m coming back but I don’t know when.” For the first few years the wife writes him often with beautiful love letters. But she never says in them, “Come back soon.” Years pass and she writes him less and less, still never saying, “Come quickly, I beseech you. I pray for your soon return.”

Beloved, how can we tell Christ we love him and miss him yet never pray he comes back for us? How can we never express to him our cry that he must come back and take us with him so we can be in his constant company?

May this be our cry continually: “Come quickly, Lord Jesus!”

Who Do You Stand With?

When there is something I want to say and I discover someone else has already said it and has said it with clarity and conviction, why do I need to reiterate?  Here is a perfect example.................

Three Types of Churches Will Appear in the Last Days

Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth.
— Revelation 2:16

Today the Church is facing a crisis of morals. More and more, society has no stomach for spiritual or moral absolutes. Pastors and spiritual leaders who decide to “take a stand” and preach the Gospel in its pure, unadulterated form are derided as irrelevant and intolerant hate-mongers.

The public reaction to biblical truth is often so adverse that many pastors are hesitant to take strong positions on issues of morality, even though these truths are clearly stated in the Word of God. Rather than answer difficult moral questions, they are tempted to dodge the questions and skirt around the issues in an attempt to avoid conflict.

This same issue plagued the Early Church nearly 2,000 years ago. Toward the close of the First Century AD, there was a group of spiritual leaders who intentionally “watered down” the message of the Gospel to make it less demanding and more accommodating to other points of view. Because the culture couldn’t stomach the idea of a strict exclusionary faith that claimed to be above all others, this group of spiritual leaders attempted to entice Christians to make their faith more inclusive of everyone else’s beliefs.

The problem grew so rampant at the close of the First Century AD that Christ issued a strong rebuke to the people who were spreading this toxic doctrine when He supernaturally appeared to the apostle John. Addressing these erring spiritual leaders, Jesus sternly warned, “Repent, or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth” (Revelation 2:16).

The word “fight” is in this verse is the Greek word polemos, a well-known Greek word that describes a full-scale battle that is fought until victory is achieved. This emphatically means that Christ is not willing to surrender His Church to anyone, and He will fight for His Church until it is solidly back in His hands. He refused to stand idly by and let these individuals   His Church. If errant spiritual leaders did not repent of their active or passive tolerance of this false teaching, Christ would rise up against them with His mighty sword.

Christ’s warning to the Early Church applies to the Church in all ages, and it is clear to see why His words are especially relevant to believers today. Although there are many God-fearing pastors, preachers, and spiritual leaders in the modern Christian community, a host of spiritual leaders are replicating the grave errors made by errant leaders in the First Century. In pulpits and congregations around the world, truth is being watered down and altered to reflect the inclusive values of a changing culture. In many congregations, pure, sound doctrine has been completely replaced by soft, “feel-good” messages, and the majority of people in the pews are ignorant of even the most elementary tenets of the faith.

Despite their ability to communicate masterfully, many modern-day ministers lack a basic education in fundamental Bible principles or have simply chosen to avoid teaching sound doctrine in favor of more popular motivational messages. To be direct, it appears that some have been duped into taking a politically correct position on many biblical truths instead of declaring truth — because the truth would put them on a collision course with the society that surrounds them.

This drift away from the Bible has created a doctrinal vacuum in the Church — a void currently being filled with dynamic business ideas, financial advice, and motivational messages instead of the Word of God that the Holy Spirit is bound to honor with signs and wonders. It is certainly true that some of the motivational messages delivered from the pulpit are beneficial in people’s lives, but this help is temporary and can often be found in a book by some psychological guru. When everything is said and done, only the Bible has the power to permanently transform.

Unfortunately, what we currently see and feel is only the beginning of the rift that is developing within the Church world. Unless a major revival occurs, this rift will only grow deeper and wider. If repentance doesn’t melt the hearts of people throughout the Church world, it will eventually seem like there are three churches:

• *A Church that holds fast to the truth and faces the brunt of opposition because it refuses to bend.
• *A Church in the middle trying to “ride the fence” through accommodation in order to avoid persecution and societal rejection (see Revelation 2:12-17).
• *A lukewarm, “Laodicean-like” Church (see Revelation 3:14-22) that has allowed compromise to run its full course, stripping it completely of the power of God and leaving Jesus standing on the outside.

It is not too late for the Body of Christ to make a recovery. In fact, it is never too late as long as there are believers who are willing to hear and hearken to what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church. However, in order for the Church to receive the divine power it needs for correction, change, and restoration, it must undergo a transformation from the highest to its lowest levels.

The Bible makes it clear that if spiritual leaders refuse to take a stand for truth in these turbulent times, Christ will fight against them with His mighty sword. This is a battle that they cannot win. Absolutely no one may mitigate the truth of the Gospel — even for the purpose of purchasing peace with the world around them. The only true recourse is to surrender to the Holy Spirit and do what is right, even if it is wrong in the eyes of the world.

Early believers endured bullying, ridicule, imprisonment, and were even put to death because they refused to conform to the world that surrounded them on all sides. Although some believers collapsed under this pressure, many steadfastly resisted this coercion to conform and held fast to their faith. God has always had His remnant — those who will not bow to external pressures. In these last times God will have that remnant once again, and those who refuse to fear or to compromise their faith in Jesus Christ will experience previously unknown levels of the power of God as a result of their commitment to stand by truth.

I realize this is a very different type of Sparkling Gem, but I felt it necessary to write and memorialize what I believe are the greatest struggles facing the modern Church. I encourage you to stay faithful in praying for those believers and spiritual leaders who refuse to succumb to the pressures of the age and stand by absolute, biblical truth, regardless of what the world around them dictates. Why not make a fresh consecration to the Lord today that you will always be counted among that faithful number? Make a quality, immutable decision for your own walk with God: “From this moment forward, there’s no fence left to ride! Compromise in my commitment to Jesus is NOT an option!”

MY PRAYER FOR TODAY

Dear Father, I ask You to help me understand the relevance of this word I’ve read today. I pray that You will strengthen the present leadership of the Body of Christ to stand for the absolute truths of God’s Word even if that stance places them in direct opposition to the world. I ask You to raise up strong leaders in the Christian community who will lead the way and courageously stand for truth, regardless of the price that must be paid. I pray for my pastor and for other spiritual leaders. Father, I ask You to help them hear what the Spirit is saying and grant them boldness to call the Church to a time of holiness and separation, even if it is opposed to the voice of the world around them.

I pray this in Jesus’ name!

MY CONFESSION FOR TODAY

I boldly confess that I will stand by the truth of God’s Word, regardless of what the world around me tries to dictate as morally right or wrong. A day will soon come when we will all stand before Christ’s high court of reckoning and give account for how we upheld truth or how we forfeited it to accommodate the world around us. I have made my decision! Regardless of what the world says or what names it calls me, I am going to stand by the Christian values that have guided the Church for 2,000 years. Truth has not suddenly changed — it is society that has changed. I am determined to stand by biblical truth regardless of the price I must pay.

I declare this by faith in Jesus’ name!

QUESTIONS FOR YOU TO CONSIDER

1. Today’s television programs often depict homosexuality as the norm. Can you think of other examples in modern society where biblical truths are undermined and exchanged with a new code of ethics?
2. As a Christian do you believe you should merely go with the flow of what’s happening, or is it your responsibility to uphold the absolute truth of the Gospel?
3. If it personally costs you to take a strong moral stance that is in line with God’s Word, are you willing to pay that price? How far are you willing to go in your commitment to biblical truth?

OUR VISION… Is to take the Gospel both to our nearby world and to the ends of the earth, proclaiming Christ, and warning and teaching every man with all wisdom, in order that we may present every person fully mature in Christ Jesus. – Colossians 1:28

 
 
 

The Return of Jesus

2 Peter 3:12, ESV: "waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!"

Christians know what day of God means - called "the day of God," because God will then be manifested in his power and glory. Jesus will return to claim what is rightfully his and the end will come.

Yet how many Christians know what .... waiting for and hastening the coming  really means. I think I often skipped over those words as I was so taken aback by the heavens will be set on fire, etc. It's easy to gloss over some parts of scripture when other parts are so vivid.

The Greek word rendered "hasting," (σπεύδω speudō,) means to urge on, to hasten; and then to hasten after anything, to await with eager desire. We know we are to be excited and eager for our Lord to return. But are we? Really? How often do you actually think about it?  Or anticipate it?

Which brings me to the hastening part. I know we cannot hasten Christ's return - or can we? 

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
hasting unto—with the utmost eagerness desiring, praying for, and contemplating, the coming Saviour as at hand. The Greek may mean "hastening (that is, urging onward) the day of God"; not that God's eternal appointment of the time is changeable, but God appoints us as instruments of accomplishing those events which must be first before the day of God can come. By praying for His coming, furthering the preaching of the Gospel for a witness to all nations, and bringing in those whom "the long-suffering of God" waits to save, we hasten the coming of the day of God. The Greek verb is always in New Testament used as neuter (as English Version here), not active; but the Septuagint uses it actively. Christ says, "Surely I come quickly. Amen." Our part is to speed forward this consummation by praying, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Re 22:20).

There are differing mindsets concerning these words - among many great theologians - so I certainly don't have the answer. But I do know we are told many times in God's Word to pray for the return of Christ. Jesus taught us to pray "Thy Kingdom come" in what we call the Lord's prayer (Matthew 6:10). Psalm 122:6 says "pray for the peace of Jerusalem" to which we know will only happen when the Lord returns - so we are praying for his return when we pray for the peace of Jerusalem. And at the end of Revelation, John closes with "Even so, come Lord Jesus (Rev 22:20).

Peter in Acts 3:19-20 says........... Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Messiah, who has been appointed for you - even Jesus.

While I don't think it's clear whether or not we can actually affect when Christ returns, I do know we are commanded to do the following:

*To believe in Jesus as the Son of God and love one another (1 John 3:23)

*To go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20) and .........

*To pray for the return of Jesus

What I don't understand is why we are not praying for His return every week in our churches? We should be praying corporately and individually for His return. We should be EXCITED about His return. We should be using His return to encourage each other and give the body hope.

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thess 4:17-18

Jesus IS coming back for His bride - the Church. We live our lives as if it's never going to happen when the truth is it could happen at any moment. Early Christians used to greet one another with "Perhaps today!" They were anticipating His return, they were excited about it and they used that phrase to encourage one another. My prayer is that this generation of Christians would begin to feel the excitement and start praying daily for the return of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ!!

Perhaps today,
Lisa

What Does it Mean to Walk by Faith?

by Dena Johnson Martin 

"For we walk by faith, not by sight ."(2 Corinthians 5:7).

Those words seem simple enough.

However, I am learning that fleshing out those words, that simple concept, can be a much tougher assignment. It requires tremendous courage and strength. You must be willing to be misunderstood and even abandoned. You must be willing to give up any semblance of control of your life that you thought you might have. You must be willing to look like a complete fool.

But it is a journey of tremendous blessing and reward. It is a journey that is exciting, life-altering, and mind-boggling. It is a journey that will allow you to see and experience God as he was meant to be: in all his fullness and grace. 

What Does it Look Like to Walk By Faith and Not By Sight?

Walking by faith and not by sight requires you to go to a place you do not know, one that God will reveal as you walk in obedience. Just look to Abraham as an example (Genesis 12:1).

Walking by faith means that you continue to cling to the dreams God has planted in your heart, even when you’ve been thrown away, taken to prison for crimes you didn’t commit. Just look at all Joseph endured (Genesis 37-50).

Walking by faith requires a strong determination to follow God’s plan regardless what life throws your way. Look to Daniel to discover how to have the resolve not to sin (Daniel 1:8).

Walking by faith means you have the courage to stand up for the hurting, broken, and down-trodden, to face death yourself for the good of others. Look at Esther and how she risked the death penalty to save the Jews (Esther).

You just may have to play the part of a fool. Think about Noah building an ark for a flood when it had never even rained on earth. Think about Abraham clinging to the promise that he would be the father of many nations even though he was childless at the age of 100. Think about Moses standing before the Israelites in the wilderness telling them they would eat meat until it disgusted them but having no idea where that meat would come from. Think about Joshua marching around the walls of Jericho as God had told him to and wondering what good it was going to do.

If you choose this path, you must be willing to get out of your comfort zone, to run from the Americanized brand of Christianity that so many of us have known our entire lives. You must be willing to let God take your world and turn it upside down, shake it up, and start all over again. You must be willing to let God out of the neat little box that you have put him in, to let him show up as he sees fit.

Maybe it will be a calling to do something you never dreamed before: foster or adopt children, leave your job and become a missionary, trade in the worldly comforts for heavenly treasures.

Maybe it won’t be that clean and neat and socially acceptable. Maybe, like me, your world will be turned upside down by the pain of adultery and divorce. Or maybe you will be faced with infertility or addiction. Maybe you will have a prodigal child that completely changes the direction of your life. Or, maybe you’ve experienced the loss of a child—a hurt like no other.

I don’t know what your shake up might look like, but I know that if you will give it to God—throw up your arms in surrender and ask him to use it to change your life—he will honor your request. He will take you on a journey, teach you to walk by faith, entrust you with some of life’s most treasured moments.

He will build a faith in you—faith that moves mountains and moves God’s hands. He will teach you to live this life with abandonment, giving you a freedom to walk in all his fullness and grace. He will prepare you to be used mightily in this life for his glory.

Perhaps you’ve already experienced your life being turned upside down, toppled without any control. Perhaps, like me, you’ve found yourself wandering in the wilderness, watching his fire direct your every step by night, a cloud lead you by day. Perhaps you sense you are on the edge of the Promised Land, just waiting for him to give the command to take possession.

And yet, you are tired and weary. You’ve lost friends who don’t understand how you can continue to cling to a promise that is so obviously dead and gone. You are so close and yet feel so far away. You are struggling with temptations to just settle, even though you know it is less than God’s best. You simply don’t know how much longer you can stand.

You are not alone. I see God raising up a remnant of believers, those he knows will be obedient. He is looking for those with clean hands and a pure heart, those who will choose obedience even if it costs them everything this world has to offer. He is looking for those who will throw caution to the wind, believe that he has an abundant life (John 10:10) waiting if we will follow his ways. He is looking for those whose hearts have been purified, whose faith has been strengthened by the trials of this life (James 1:2). He is looking for those who will cling to his promises even when it seems there is no hope.

Be strong and courageous, my friends!

God has specifically chosen you to be a part of this remnant, those who will allow him to take their lives and mold them into what he wants. He has chosen you to have your faith tested and tried, and he promises that the fire will only purify you—not burn you. He has promised that he will be with you every single step, walking with you, carrying you, supporting you. He promises that he is still in control even when life seems to be spiraling wildly out of control.

He is teaching you to trust him so he can do something bigger and better than you ever dreamed possible (Ephesians 3:20-21). He is teaching you to let go and trust him with your heart, your soul, your life (Proverbs 3:5-6). He is teaching you to walk every single day in the spirit so that he can do even greater works in you and through you (John 14:12). He is preparing you to be a beacon of light and hope to a world which desperately needs to see Jesus.

I don’t know where you are on this journey of walking by faith, but I encourage you—beg you, plead with you—to wave the white flag of surrender. Let God take your life, your pain, your loss and use it for his glory. Ask him to do an amazing work in you so he can do an amazing work through you.

Get out of that boat and step onto the water…and never take your eyes off him. It is a decision you will never regret!

Dena Johnson is a busy single mom of three kids who loves God passionately. She delights in taking the everyday events of life, finding God in them, and impressing them on her children as they sit at home or walk along the way (Deuteronomy 6:7). Her greatest desire is to be a channel of God’s comfort and encouragement. You can read more of Dena’s experiences with her Great I AM on her blog Dena's Devos.

5 SIGNS YOU MIGHT SEE CHRIST

by David Jeremiah

Sitting like giant golf balls on the bleak Yorkshire moors of northern England are dozens of strange globes protected by sophisticated security fences. Known as Project Echelon, this is one of the world’s most secret intelligence operations. It’s located at Menwith Hill, a Royal Air Force station eight miles from the English town of Harrogate, and it is the largest electronic monitoring station in the world. Within its 560 acres is an extensive network of spherical domes, satellite dishes, radio masts, computer centers, and processing stations. 

During the Cold War, Menwith Hill intercepted Communist messages, and it broke codes from the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc nations. Now it’s thought that this RAF base is capable of the world’s most advanced global electronic surveillance, including the interception and content inspection of telephone calls, faxes, e-mails, and broadcasting signals. Project Echelon is the key link in a worldwide eavesdropping network operated by America’s National Security Agency, and it is linked to the spy agencies of several other nations.

 Advocates claim that Echelon will help the West win the war against terrorism. Critics warn that it represents a dangerous invasion of privacy and a grave threat to personal liberties. Some alarmists claim that Echelon has the power to potentially monitor the conversations of everyone anywhere on earth at any time. That may be far fetched, but only a few super-secret souls know the true reach of Echelon, and even fewer know what new technologies are just within the reach of specialists. 

While Echelon may serve a vital role in our national security, think of this tool as one day being in the hands of the Antichrist. Think of Echelon in terms of Eschatology (the biblical study of the End Times). 

And think of this. Project Echelon can never—regardless of technological advances—eavesdrop on the secret counsels of the Trinity. It can never penetrate God’s mind. But the Lord has already revealed to us vital secrets about the future, and He has declassified and released important data about great events soon to engulf the world. We have a source of secret intelligence that no spy agency on earth can duplicate.

Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost wrote in his book, Things to Come: “God, the architect of the ages, has seen fit to take us into His confidence concerning His plan for the future, and has revealed His purpose and program in detail in the Word. A greater body of Scripture is given to prophecy than any other one subject, for approximately one-fourth of the Bible was prophetic at the time it was written.” 

When we study biblical prophecy, we’re investigating the case of current events with secret intelligence provided by the God of time and eternity. 

“24” 

Some of that data is contained in our Lord’s sermon in Matthew 24. In the final week of His life, prior to His crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus left the complex of buildings on Temple Mount, hiked down the Kidron Valley and onto the slopes of the Mount of Olives. As they paused to rest on Olivet, the disciples looked back and the view was stunning—the sun setting on the temple. Jesus used the occasion to preach His premier message relating to His return, and in Matthew 24, He gave several signposts to watch for. 

• False Prophets (verses 4-5): Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, “I am the Messiah,” and will deceive many (NIV). Perhaps you’ve heard terrible statistics regarding the number of sites on the internet devoted to pornography. But did you know that according to a report some time ago on CNN, there are more sites devoted to religion than to porn? With the click of a mouse, you can suddenly summon up any one of thousands of sects and cults and religions with millions upon millions of electronic pages devoted to an ever growing number of false Christs. Never in human history has there been such proliferation of religious information.

• Wars and rumors of War (verse 6). Just since the year 2000, large portions of the world have been devastated by conflict. America sustained more than 3,000 causalities in the attacks of September 11, 2001. The 2003 War in Darfur has caused nearly 5 a half-million deaths. The death toll in Iraq amounts to many thousands. Over 7,000 died in the 2006 war in Somalia. Over 22,000 have perished in the War in Afghanistan. There are ongoing conflicts and insurgencies right now in a host of other nations. As you read these words, someone’s home is being shattered by wars and rumors of war. 

• Famines and earthquakes (verse 7). If you’ve been listening to the news recently, you’ve heard reports of food shortages in various parts of the world. The price of food is rising, and severe famines are forecast, especially for parts of Africa and portions of Asia. Regarding earthquakes, I find it fascinating that there are internet sites devoted to monitoring and reporting on the occurrences of earthquakes on an hour-by-hour basis. For example, one website has a map detailing 208 earthquakes that rattled different parts of the globe over the course of seven days. 

• Persecution (verse 9). As false religions, wars, famines, and earthquakes increase, so does the violence of persecution. “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death,” said Jesus, “and you will be hated by all nations because of me.” It’s a marvel to me that the news media can spend days talking about the latest celebrity outrage while ignoring the plight of 600 million Christians now suffering persecution and various forms of harassment because of their faith. Advocacy groups estimate that the twentieth century saw more Christians die (about 45 million) just for being believers than in the first 19 centuries (25 billion) after the birth of Christ. And there’s every reason to believe the twenty-first century will be just as bad or worse. There is nonstop persecution against Christians in many countries in the world. One expert, Nina Shea, wrote, “Millions of American Christians pray in their churches each week, oblivious to the fact that Christians in many parts of the world suffer brutal torture, arrest, imprisonment, and even death—their homes and communities laid waste—for no other reason than they are Christians.” 

• The Spread of the Gospel (verse 14). Nevertheless, Jesus indicated that the spread of the Gospel would accelerate. According to missionary experts, 74.5 percent of the world was unevangelized in the year 1800. That percentage had reduced to 54.3 by the year 1900. There was an explosion of evangelism in the twentieth century, and by the year 2000, only 28.3 percent of the world remained unreached. 

As He continued His discourse on the Mount of Olives, Jesus went on to say that other great and perilous events would take place—the Abomination of Desolation described by Daniel the prophet (verse 15), the Great Tribulation (verse 21), and the coming of the Son of Man (verse 27). 

THE END TIMES 

Other passages—especially in Daniel, Zechariah, 1 Thessalonians, and the book of Revelation—add vivid and fascinating layers of information about the End Times, and taken together present a reasonably clear outline of the last days. The purpose of biblical prophecy, after all, isn’t to confuse us but to inform and motivate us. In the process, it does even more. It reminds us that God was present at the beginning of history, He is superintending the progress of human history, and He Himself will be the great consummation of history. 

The God of Scripture is eternal and omniscient. He encircles time and space, and He knows the future as fully as the past. He possesses absolute and ultimate power, and He has written the script of the ages. That script is called Scripture, and studying biblical prophecy is nothing less than an investigation into God’s plan for the future. 

It appears to me that we could well be living in the last days. Alarming as this is, it has always been part of God’s plan, and there’s great comfort in knowing that His program is right on schedule. I’m excited about the future because I’m excited about Christ. In Him, we’re safe and secure from all alarm. We’re hidden in the cleft of the Rock. We’re engraved on the palm of His hand. 

And His hand is at the helm of history

WAKE UP CHRISTIANS!!

We must get ready for the second coming, says RT Kendall

What would you say is the most apt description of the Church today? Would you say it is on fire? Thriving? Turning the world upside down?

People often ask me, “What is the Church doing today in the world?” I usually reply: “Not a lot, in my humble opinion.” There are exceptions, mostly in developing countries and remote places. I also think of the amazing work of Alpha. But generally speaking I think we are living “between the times”, to use Richard Bewes’ phrase.

The famed preacher Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones often railed against the “superficial”. He would have probably used that word to describe today’s Church. AW Tozer wrote that if the Holy Spirit were completely withdrawn from the Church, “95 percent of what we do would go on and no one would know the difference”. More recently, theologian JI Packer has commented that America’s Bible Belt is “a thousand miles wide and one inch deep”.

If the parable of the ten virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) is eschatological – referring to the last days, as many Bible interpreters believe – we can easily see what our Lord would say about today’s Church. He’d say it’s asleep. Jesus said, “The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all [both the wise and foolish virgins] became drowsy and fell asleep” (v5).

The parable of the ten virgins is introduced by Jesus’ words in Matthew 25:1 “At that time” (NIV) or “Then” (ESV). That would refer to what Jesus has said in Matthew 24, surely a chapter that partly describes the last days. If that is true, the parable of the ten virgins is not only eschatological but prophetic: Jesus is telling us in advance what the Church would be like in the very last days. Most Bible interpreters would agree that the parable of the ten virgins in some sense refers to the Church. Five of them were wise, five of them were foolish. But all were asleep.

There are three characteristic of sleep:

1. You don’t know you were asleep until you wake up. We’ve all done this – to lie down for a moment to relax – only to find out we slept for a while!

2. You do things in your sleep you would not do if you were awake. Our dreams prove this. Whether such dreams are unexpressed fears or wishes, as Sigmund Freud might say, we do things when asleep we would not do if awake.

3. We hate the sound of an alarm. How would you like to be awakened at 2am? We resent being woken up. We want to sleep on.

But I believe the Lord intends to wake the Church up and that the next thing to happen on God’s calendar is the Midnight Cry: “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” (Matthew 25:6). This does not necessarily mean twelve midnight; the Greek literally means “in the middle of the night” – like 2am, when the Church would be in a deep sleep, metaphorically speaking.

A sleeping Church

Here are some signs we are asleep at the present time:

• The absence of conviction of sin
• A lack of the fear of God
• Little sense of outrage over the godlessness of society
• Watching pornography and feeling justified
• Avarice, greed and lack of financial integrity
• No sense of outrage over the Church’s lack of credibility in the world
• Little or no concern about people going to hell
• Little concern about the lack of knowledge of God’s word
• Indifference to the biblical view of marriage
• Indifference to holding grudges and unforgiveness
• Indifference to talking to people about Christ
• Tolerating heresies such as open theism and hyper-grace teaching
• Indifference to the teaching that the Bible is infallible
• Indifference to how much time is spent in prayer and quiet time

I believe that the parable of the ten virgins is very relevant at the present time. It depicts the Church today. We are asleep. We don’t realise it. We may sincerely believe we are wide awake when we are in fact asleep. I would even say: in a deep sleep – like at 2am. Furthermore, we don’t want to be disturbed.

The greatest evidence that we are asleep is our lack of outrage over what is tolerated in the Church and what is going on in the world. Not only are we indifferent to what is happening before our eyes, we have become so used to it that we are virtually impervious to it. The biblical view of marriage is on the way out. Terrorism is at our doors. Church attendance is declining more than ever. We are losing our young people. If someone calls things like this to our attention we say, “Oh yes. It’s pretty awful.” Then we roll over. Zzzzzzzz. “Let me sleep on.”

It's not too late

I believe the next thing to happen on God’s calendar is not the second coming of Jesus but the awakening of the Church before the second coming. It is when the word and Spirit ultimately come together as on the Day of Pentecost. The simultaneous combination of the word and Spirit resulted in spontaneous combustion. The next great move of God on the earth will be an awakening precipitated by a cry that will be so real and eventful that the event of 11th September 2001 will be insignificant by comparison. This awakening will begin in the Church. It will lead to millions of conversions, including many Muslims. The blindness of Israel will be lifted and many Jews will come to Christ. Then will come the second coming.

I would like to think that my book Prepare Your Heart for the Midnight Cry (SPCK) will be a mini wake-up call in advance of the big one. For when this Midnight Cry comes it will be too late for the foolish virgins to become wise. But it is not too late now.

There are three categories of people described or implied in the parable of the ten virgins: the wise virgins, the foolish virgins and Christians not asleep but who lead the way in waking up the Church that will result in the greatest revival in the world since the days of the early Church. These people will announce the soon coming of Christ and, incredible as it may seem to us now, the world will believe it!

Sixty years ago I had a vision of revival that went right around the world. It is what I have looked forward to all my life. The message, in short, was: Jesus is coming soon. And everybody believed it. People everywhere were shaken rigid. I am very aware that they don’t believe this now. They laugh at the thought. But no one will be laughing then. What is more – in my opinion – it is coming soon.

Awakening

What should sadden us at the present moment, however, is that the world does not respect the Church. There is virtually no fear of God in the land.

When Jonathan Edwards preached his sermon ‘Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God’ on 8th July 1741, the immediate fallout was that men held on to church pews and trees outside to keep from slipping into hell. God only did this once during the New England Great Awakening. But the power of it was so profound that word of that sermon and its immediate effect spread all over New England in days and all over England in weeks. For some reason God does this sort of thing rarely. But when he steps in like that the world is affected by it.

In 1802, in an area called Cane Ridge in Bourbon County, Kentucky a Methodist lay preacher stood on a fallen tree on a Sunday morning before 15,000 people, taking his text from 2 Corinthians 5:10 – “We must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ to give an account of things done in the body, whether good or bad”. As he spoke hundreds fell to the ground by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was the beginning of the camp meeting phenomena. The Great Awakening lasted for over 20 years. The Cane Ridge Revival lasted only four days.

Both of these phenomena brought about a fear of God that spread all over America for a good while. But who fears God today? Not many, I suspect. An awakened Church will help restore a fear of the Lord in the nations. No election will do it. No act of Parliament will do it. But God can do it. And I believe he will do it. Soon.

RT Kendall was the minister at Westminster Chapel, London from 1977-2002. His latest book Prepare Your Heart for the Midnight Cry (SPCK) is out now

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About the Author

RT Kendall

Robert Tillman (R.T.) Kendall pastored at Westminster Chapel, London for 25 years and has authored dozens of books. Find him at www.rtkendallministries.org