Sermon Notes
The Early Church expected Jesus to return, even in their lifetimes. Now that we are almost 2,000 years closer to His Return, what lives should we be living with the expectation of His Return? When you don’t understand the second coming of Jesus, it produces ignorance, sorrow, and hopelessness. But understanding brings comfort.
Key Scriptures:
I Thessalonians 4:13-18; I Corinthians 15:52; Acts 8:39; John 6:15; I Corinthians 12:2; Acts 23:10; I Corinthians 15:51-52; Luke 17:34-37; Matthew 24:36-44; Numbers 10:9; II Thessalonians 2:7; Zechariah 12:2-3; Daniel 11:37; Luke 17:28; I John 3:2-3; Luke 21:34-35; Revelation 22:20-21
Key Points:
- Jesus is the center of the Rapture message. Wars, rumors of wars, the mark of the beast, and other signs are not the central theme of the Rapture message. The center of it all is Jesus. Jesus himself will descend with a shout!
- The Church will be taken away by force. When Christ returns, believers will be caught up into the air and carried away into Heaven. Like a magnet and metal, those with a nature like God’s will be raptured. Those who have not been born again will be left behind.
- Jesus’ resurrection is the assurance of your resurrection. If you believe in Jesus’ resurrection, you can believe anything. If God raised Jesus from the dead, He can raise you from the dead.
- No one knows when Jesus will return. There won’t be time to get right when the trumpet sounds. The Church will be caught away in the twinkling of an eye, and if you aren’t living a godly life, you will be left behind.
- Israel will become a cup of trembling and a burdensome stone. After the Rapture of the Church, Iran and Russia, along with the rest of the world, will turn against Israel. The Antichrist will take charge, and it will look like Israel is finished.
Final Thoughts:
Jesus’ final message in the entire Bible was that He would return quickly. That’s how important it is. When you believe in Christ’s Second Coming, you don’t want to live an immoral life. The message of Jesus’ Return should convict you to live a godly life.
