One Return of Christ

The Necessity of Expository Preaching and Confronting Difficult Truths

0:02 Let us turn again this morning to 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, as we continue our studies working through this first letter of Paul to the infant church of the Thessalonians. I'm increasingly convinced that though this method of learning the content of scripture is perhaps the most unglamorous, it is the most effectual, effective way of confronting the balance of divine truth as found in Holy Scripture. There are times when the passages lend themselves much more to interesting study and to what I might call exciting preaching.

0:46 Other times when they are less, the words less exciting, perhaps less interesting. But since God has given us the entirety of his revelation for the full development of life, we must not consider ourselves wiser than God and bypass anything that he has revealed. I was greatly encouraged this past week. I was greatly encouraged this past week to continue this kind of ministry for as long as the Lord shall give me the privilege of being a teaching ruling elder at any assembly.

1:14 When we received a letter from Cheat, many of you remember Cheat, Carmen Cheetah Antonio, and I had asked her at some time at her convenience to write a letter evaluating what basic concepts she feels were most profitable to her in her two years with us. She wrote back a letter that goes into what I call my Blue Monday file. And I wonder sometimes if anything's worth it. As Elijah came to that place, we'll be looking at him under his juniper tree tonight.

1:45 And I was greatly encouraged that she mentioned the different areas of truth that came into focus. And then she said this, but she said, Pastor, if I had not been Sunday morning, Sunday night, prayer meeting, week in and week out, for the full exposure to all the regular teaching, she said, I don't know if I would have grasped these things. And she said, how I thank God. That it was the systematic, consistent, week by week, line upon line teaching that without even knowing it, imperceptibly, these great concepts of truth were taking hold of me.

2:18 And now that I look back, there's no question in my mind as to what God was teaching. And that was an added confirmation. As I mentioned, there are a lot of other ways to build congregations and have a spectacular ministry. But I am confident that this is the kind of ministry which the Spirit of God has given us.

2:37 The Spirit of God will use to the building up of stable saints. Now I say all of that because, as you may suspect, we are coming this morning to a section in chapter 5 which is going to force us to grapple with an issue that I would much rather bypass. In fact, I've bypassed it for seven years of ministry with you simply because it's never been in any of the passages that I've been working through. We didn't confront it in 1 John.

3:04 We didn't confront it in the Sermon on the Mount. We didn't confront it. Psalm 1, Psalm 51. We didn't confront it in Revelation 1 or any of these passages.

3:13 But here we are hitting it head on. And there's only one of two things to do. Grapple with it or bypass it. But you see, the bypassing of it would be so obvious that you'd be suspicious of me if we bypassed it.

The Context of Christ's Return in 1 Thessalonians and the Inescapable Conclusion

3:25 And I would have some twinges of conscience. So we're going to confront it head on. Those of you who have been with us in these past weeks will know that the theme set before us in chapter 4, verses 13 through 24, chapter 5, verse 11, is the general theme of the return of Christ, his second advent. In chapter 4, verses 13 to 18, that event is mentioned in connection with a particular problem, namely, the ignorance of the Thessalonians concerning the death of their loved ones who died in Christ.

4:01 And they're not sure about their state. And so he tells them in verse 13, I would not have you to go on. I would not have you to go on in your ignorance concerning them that fell asleep. So he supplements their ignorance by telling them their particular state at the return of Christ.

4:18 When he comes, dead loved ones will be caught up first, living believers caught up secondly, and together we shall meet the Lord in the air. Now, it's as though someone asked the question, Yes, Paul, but what about the times and seasons as they relate to that great event? And so he tells them in chapter 5, still in the same general theme of the return of Christ, but of the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

4:52 He says, in essence, if you people at Thessalonica are convinced that whatever events transpire, the day of the Lord will come suddenly, and that's the basic thought of the thief in the night simile, it will come with suddenness, then that's all you need to know. If you know that, then you know the basic thing you need to know concerning the times and the seasons. For that day and hour knoweth no man, Jesus said, not even the angels, not even the sun. So if you're convinced it's going to come with suddenness, then you know what you ought to know now, live in the light of it.

5:30 And that then is the general theme that pervades the remaining part of this paragraph down to verse 2. However, as we saw last week, he does digress in verse 3 to indicate how that day of the Lord, that is, the second coming, will find the unconverted. For when they shall say, peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape. We dealt with that very sobering fact, that the day of the Lord, the day of his coming, that day that he'd been speaking about, beginning with verse 15 of the previous chapter,

6:15 that day he continues to talk about, down to the end of verse 11, it will come with sudden destructiveness upon those who are strangers to the grace of God. But, he says in verse 4, and this is the focus of our study this morning, but ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day, what day? The day of the Lord, which is already mentioned in verse 2. That day that will come with destruction upon the ungodly.

6:47 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Now, in the light of verse 4, we come to an inescapable conclusion, and it is this, that Christians, the church of Jesus Christ, will be here on earth until, that day. Notice, he doesn't say, that day shall not overtake you, period. He says, that day shall not overtake you as a thief.

7:19 But there is the real possibility that some of you may be here. And in any case, there will be the people of God here upon the earth until that day. What day? The day that will destroy the ungodly.

7:34 The very day that he'd been speaking of in chapter 4, that will be the translation of, the resurrection of the living saints and the resurrection of dead saints. Therefore, the inescapable conclusion is, that Christians will be here until the day of the Lord. Now, this brings us to a very practical problem. For years or so, there's been a very popular teaching abroad in evangelical circles, which says, no, you'll not be around in that day.

Critique of the Secret Rapture Teaching and its Practical Implications

8:06 When the Lord comes to destroy the ungodly, we'll not find the church here. The church will have been taken. The church will have been taken out of the way three and a half years, most say seven years prior to that day. I could give you the page numbers in the Schofield Bible, which has been the main proponent of this view of eschatology or last things, the doctrine of the second coming and related events.

8:35 So this is a very practical problem, because many of you have been exposed to that teaching. How I can remember as a child having been exposed to this teaching, and I wasn't converted. I had, by nature, a very sensitive temperament, and then, by God's grace, working through the influence of my parents and by His Spirit, His prevenient grace, great fears of death and of judgment, great fears that the Lord might come and I wouldn't be ready. And I'll never forget one night coming home, and at our house, being a house full of kids, I was one of ten, and at the time, there were probably six or seven of us around, I can't remember.

9:12 But I came home one night, and at seven o'clock, the house was pitch black. Well, that was just a pitch of activity. Usually, at our house, and I shall never forget the first thought that struck me is, The Lord's come! The Lord's come, and I laughed!

9:28 I didn't hear any shout, any voice, but I've been told He was going to come secretly. And He was going to then leave all the wicked behind, for a time of great tribulation and judgment. And a terrible fear struck me, and I shall never forget going into the house, with almost a trembling hand, reaching out to the bed, where one of my little brothers or sisters were sleeping, because I thought, I knew if the Lord had come, my theology at that time was airtight as far as the state of children or infants, and I was confident they'd be gone, and the relief that came when I reached out and felt a little foot. The Lord had come.

10:06 Now, that teaching, many of you have been exposed to. Well, this is a problem, you see, because we're working through 1 Thessalonians, and the theme is the day of the Lord. The day that will be the day of glory for the saints. Living saints, dead saints, caught up to be with Him.

10:22 Say peace and safety, sudden destruction shall come upon them. Obviously. Since that day will not overtake believers as a thief, it is going to overtake them. The problem is, there's been a teaching that says it won't overtake them.

10:41 So there's an urgent question. Here's the clear implication. Here's the problem. Now, the question is this.

10:47 Is that teaching scriptural? Now, there's no more vital thing to ask of anything that comes as the truth of God. Will it stand the test? Will it stand the test of comparing scripture with truth?

11:02 And that brings me to my frank answer. I do not believe it is a scriptural teaching. And therefore, we shall take in hand to deal with that very teaching. Now, why am I going to deal with it?

11:14 May I say very clearly at the outset, not to stir up controversy. No. But rather to establish truth. Through the remainder of this chapter, in which we have these words before us, that day shall not overtake you as a thief, if I'm going to be honest to those words, if I'm going to say that there's no believers around affected by that day.

11:37 Therefore, to establish the truth of this chapter, and the relative truths related to the second coming of Christ, I feel it necessary to examine this teaching to which many of us have been exposed, and perhaps some of you sitting there this morning say, well, I never knew there was any other view than that the Lord would snatch His own away prior to His coming in judgment. upon the wicked. Now, in this vital area, as in all other areas, a departure from the teaching of Scripture will have great practical implications. And I'm going to deal with this subject in some length, the Lord willing this morning, and next Sunday, and perhaps a couple of more Lord's Days,

12:22 because I'm convinced that these practical implications are vital to the life of the Church of God. It's happened by this teaching that no believers will be around at the Day of the Lord. They'll be taken out seven years or three and a half years before this day. What has happened?

12:42 I would suggest to you in the first place that it has created a climate of false hopes. Hopes for the unconverted and false expectations for Christians. Scripture says salvation. What we studied last week says the Day of the Lord is the day of sudden destruction from which men shall not escape.

13:07 But this theory, that gets the Church out, and then the wrath of God is poured out in great tribulation, it leaves the day of salvation open for at least seven more years. Converted people, though they say to themselves, well, I don't like the thought of being around when things get hot, the possibility that my saved loved ones are gone, then I'll know that the Lord has come, and though things will get kind of bad, there's still space to repent. No, no. That's a false expectation.

13:43 For the teaching of Scripture is that, when the second advent dawns upon men, it shall come with sudden destruction, and there will be no escape, no opportunity to repent. Now is the day of salvation. When the shout is heard, and the voice is heard, and the trump of God thunders, the door of salvation is shut. I would have none of you possessed of a false hope, you who are strangers to God's grace, thinking that, well, there's still time to repent after the church is caught away.

14:22 In fact, that'd be pretty convenient, because you'd know the day they were caught away, then you could just check on your calendar, in seven more years, He's going to come again in glory. The Bible says, you know neither the day nor the hour that He will come. If the other were true, you could plot it right to the day. You'd know when all your Christian loved ones were gone, when mom and dad took off.

14:41 You'd check on your calendar, and say, all right, from seven years to now, boom, then the Lord's going to come back in glory, and so one day before the seven years are up, I'll take care of things. No, no. That's a false expectation. And may I say in the second place, there is a climate of false expectation amongst Christians.

14:58 As I've been privileged to move in different parts of the country, and we ever get discussing this, this is the climate that pervades wherever this teaching has taken root. Well, really, we need not be too concerned about becoming hard and disciplined soldiers of Jesus Christ, preparing ourselves for the day when we may be called upon to see Him, to heal with blood our testimony. But before that time of great trial and tribulation comes, the Lord's just going to come and snatch us all out of it. And there's a pervasive element, or element and attitude, softness, that I believe in great measure has come about because of this teaching

15:42 that before things get too awfully hot, the Lord will come and snatch us all away out of the whole thing. And so because I do not like an unscriptural false hope and expectation in the lives of God's people in my own life or in the unconverted, I say we must deal with this subject. Second reason, this teaching has robbed Christ of much of His glory. Called in Titus 2.13,

16:11 the King James says, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, it should be translated as it is in the American standard, it is the appearing of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. People out of the mess before things get too hot, one who's been despised, rejected, ignored, and bandied about, and he's born with long suffering this treatment, but in that hour he shall burst forth in glory and every eye shall see Him.

16:56 And when you take what is to be the breaking forth of His glory and make it some hidden, behind the curtains, sneaky secret event, Christ is robbed of His glory. And the child of God is to look for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's what we're to look for. Sparing our own hide to get out of it, but we're to look for Titus, we read in the book of Titus, for that glorious appearing.

17:32 It's called the epiphany, the shining forth of the glory and brightness of His person. As the disciples stood there upon the mount in Galilee, they saw their Lord ascend before their eyes, the angel said, this same Jesus shall so come in like manner as you've seen Him go. How did He go? He went up enveloped in clouds, and the scripture says He will come with clouds and with the glory of His Father.

18:05 As He went, He shall come and it will be an appearing in glory. And so I submit that this has in great measure robbed Christ of the glory that will be rightfully His at His return. And then thirdly, and I think this is one of the most serious matters, this teaching has created an undesirable mentality in handling the Word of God. Now again, I am not referring to individuals.

The Undesirable Mentality in Handling Scripture Caused by False Teaching

18:33 I hope we're mature enough to know there are men who've held this view and taught it whose shoes I'm not worthy to unloose. But as I have seen the effect of this teaching in congregation after congregation, I submit that it has created an undesirable mentality in handling the Word of God. Now what do I mean by that? Just this.

18:53 Once a person is committed to that teaching that there are two phases of the return of Christ, a secret one and then a glorious one, what does a person do when he comes to a passage like 1 Thessalonians 5? You're not in darkness that that day of destruction to the ungodly should overtake you as a thief. You can't let that passage say what it obviously says, that believers are going to be here to the day of Christ. You've got to somehow shift it.

19:17 And when you come to those passages in Matthew 24 that say he's going to appear with clouds and great glory and the nations gathered before him, you've got to shift that off to the Jews or talk about a judgment of the nations. Of all the ridiculous things, how can nations be judged with eternal judgment? They can be judged with temporal judgments. I was sick and ye visited me.

19:45 I was in prison and ye came to me. These shall go away into everlasting life. These into everlasting judgment. You see, the whole teaching of Matthew 25 and 24 which focuses upon the second coming and judgment, all has to be shifted off as something that will transpire only upon the Jews, though it's universal in its scope.

20:08 It speaks of the elect of God being gathered from the four winds. It speaks of all the nations gathered before him. But this mentality, you see, will come to those passages and do things with them rather than give up its theory. And when one begins to handle the word of God that way, follow me, then you can do almost anything with it.

20:28 And during this same period that this teaching has become popularized, the gospel of no repentance has become popularized. The gospel of no submission to Christ as Lord has become popularized. Because, see, once you begin to handle the word of God in such a way that you can the passage that don't fit your theory, if you can do it with regard to his second coming, you can do it anywhere. Beloved, that mentality is devastating.

20:55 And if there's been anything that under God I've tried to inculcate in you people in the seven years of my ministry, it's been this. Let Scripture say what it says at any cost. It means you've got to disagree with me? Fine.

21:09 If it's chapter and verse, in the light of all that Scripture says about it, search the Scriptures. Search the Scriptures. Now, in the light of those three practical implications, the creation of false hopes and expectations, the robbing Christ of his glory, and the creation of an undesirable mentality in handling the word of God, I believe the subject warrants our careful investigation. Now, the proposition that I want to lay before you as set before us in 1 Thessalonians 5 is simply this.

Proposition: One Second Coming of Christ for Salvation and Judgment

21:41 There is one second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ which will bring final salvation to the people of God and final judgment to the wicked. Amen. Now, do you see my proposition? I hope it's simple.

21:59 One second coming. Not two or one in two or three phases. One second coming which will bring two things. Salvation to the people of God, final judgment to the wicked.

22:15 That's very beautifully stated in chapter 5 and verse 9. For God hath appointed us not unto wrath, that's the appointment of the wicked in that day, but to obtain salvation, that is, final and complete salvation, the glorification of our bodies by our Lord Jesus Christ. That day, then, will be the day of wrath to the ungodly, the day of full salvation to the saved. But I want to give you this morning and then next week at least three lines of evidence.

Evidence from 1 & 2 Thessalonians: One Coming, Two Outcomes

22:47 And it's been difficult to try to organize the material, but I think this will be helpful and then I'm going to prepare some mimeograph sheets for you as well so you can look up these passages and study them on your own. Line of evidence number one, passages that explicitly teach the second coming and its relationship to the saved and unsaved show that the same coming will be glory for the saved and judgment for the lost. We want to look at those passages which have as their very subject matter the second coming. In other words, we're not looking at parallel passages that may throw light on the main passages.

23:26 We're just going to look at those passages which talk about his second coming and see to those passages anywhere teach that there's going to be a coming secretly and seven years later or three and a half years a coming in glory and in power. Well, the first one is the one that is before us. And I want you to look carefully at the connection between the threads of thought. When Paul first wrote this letter, he didn't divide it up into chapters as you know.

23:55 He didn't even divide it up into verses. He didn't even have any periods or commas or paragraphs. He just wrote it. And that was the style of the writing then.

24:04 Now, you're sitting there in the church on a Sunday morning and one of the elders stands and says, we have a letter from our beloved Apostle Paul and his companions or companion Titus. I'm sorry, Timothy and Silas. I believe Silas is included there as well. Yes, Silvanus, Timotheus, and Silas.

24:20 So, we have a letter from our beloved apostle Paul and his companions or companion Titus. I'm sorry, Timothy and Silas. I believe Silas and Paul. And so, you're sitting there.

24:32 All of a sudden, he puts up this subject concerning them which fall asleep. Bingo, your ears perk up. You've lost a loved one three weeks before. You still feel the pang of grief and the sorrow.

24:44 And so, your all ears now is now concerning them that fall asleep. I don't want you to be ignorant. Don't want you to be ignorant. Now, what I'm going to tell you comes by direct authority from the Lord Himself.

24:56 The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel, with the trump of God. The dead in Christ shall rise first. We which are alive and remain shall be caught up. We shall meet them in the air.

25:10 So shall we ever be with the Lord. Comfort one another with these words. But concerning the times and seasons. Now, if you're sitting there and you ask yourself this question, the times and seasons related to what?

25:22 What would be the natural answer? The times and seasons related to what? To what event? Coming for His own, right?

25:33 And would you relate it to anything else where you suddenly be talking about the times and seasons of the next election? No, you say, no, it's the complete break of thought. No, the most natural break of the natural flow of thought is now concerning the times and seasons which relate to that great climactic event. He said, I don't need to write anything unto you for you know that the day of the Lord.

26:01 Now, He calls that event a certain title. What will it do when it comes as a thief in the night? Two things. Verse 3, it'll find the unconverted, unprepared and will destroy them, but it will find the children of God prepared and watching and will be a day of glory and blessing for them.

26:24 But it is the same day that is both judgment and glory. And I submit, brethren, if we can in any way, shape or form ease in seven years or any other period of time, unless we are definitely warranted to do so from other clear passages, we are mishandling the word of God. We are mishandling the word of God. Second key passage is 2 Thessalonians chapter 1.

26:52 2 Thessalonians chapter 1. Now remember the proposition we're trying to establish is there's one second coming, judgment to the wicked, final salvation to the saved. Chapter 1. These people are suffering.

27:10 The end of verse 4. In all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure. The latter part of verse 5. For which ye also suffer.

27:20 Now how does he comfort suffering saints? Well he tells them in verse 7. And you who are troubled that is persecuted in the midst of tribulation and problems the opposition of your enemies to you who are troubled rest with us when now notice this is the point at which believers enter into their rest when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels and what will he do? In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God that is great segments

28:05 of humanity that have not been exposed to the gospel in Romans 1 and Romans 2 and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ people have heard the gospel but rejected its claims who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and the glory of his power when seven years after the saints are glorified no no when when he shall come to be glorified from the Lord now you see the word when used at the beginning and end of the passage you who are troubled rest with us

28:50 all child of God persecution and tribulation aren't going to go on forever a time is coming when it land when when God will come to take all the persecutors and destroy them and so the Lord precise time of that verse 10 when he shall come to be glorified in his saints and be admired in all them that believe i submit to you then in the light of this passage there is one second coming of christ a coming in glory and power final salvation rest from all labors and tribulation

Evidence from 2 Peter 3: The Fiery Judgment and New Creation

29:31 for the saint and judgment upon the unconverted now if you will please turn to second peter chapter 3 these are the key passages in the epistles and then we'll look at several in the gospels second peter chapter 3 now what is the subject matter of this chapter most of us are familiar with it verse 3 there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lust and particularly scoffing at what doctrine where is the promise of his coming few people keep saying the lord is coming the lord is coming he hasn't come you

30:16 everything's continuing as it was from the beginning of time now to correct that thinking he says verse 5 they are willingly or willfully ignorant of certain facts they're ignorant of the fact that the old world was judged by water and the world that now is verse 7 is reserved unto another day of judgment what god did at the flood was a picture and preview of what he'll do in the final day of judgment reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men all right if that's so if the world that now exists is being reserved

31:00 for judgment why doesn't the judgment come in connection with his coming remember it's in connection with his coming that he introduces the theme of judgment he said well brethren you ought to remember first of all that god doesn't reckon time like we do verse 8 but beloved be not ignorant of this one thing that one day is for the lord is a thousand years and a thousand years is one day seems like a long time for you but it isn't for god and then the second thing he says you must remember is that god's purposes of mercy have not yet found their fullest expression in the gathering together of all his elect to himself the lord is not slack

31:39 concerning his promise as some men count slackness but his long suffering to us were not willing that any should perish but that all should come to him and that all should come to him and that all should come to him come to repentance and though these two factors make it seem that the promise of judgment in connection with his coming is delayed verse 10 the day of the lord will come how as a thief in the night same thing paul said now what will happen at that time the heaven shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up seeing that all these things shall be dissolved

32:18 what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of god in which the lord will secretly sneak his own out of this scene no a day in which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat nevertheless we according to his promise look for a new heaven and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness therefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found with him in peace without spot and blameless and account that the longsuffering of our lord is salvage do you get the train of his thought

33:02 he said don't be disturbed by those mockers no god is longsuffering he doesn't reckon time as we do but as it seems that the promise is a long time coming god's door of mercy is still open child of god remember the day of the lord will come and when it comes it will be a day of a burning up of the world in the works thereof the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth the door of mercy forever shut the saints of god forever glorified inhabiting forever the new heavens the new earth now do you see the proposition set forth in this passage one second coming of christ a glorious day to which the saint of god looks forward

Evidence from the Gospels: Matthew 13, 24, and Luke 17

33:47 but an awful day in which the lord will come and when it comes it will be a day of a new heaven which the world will be judged by the returning lord now turning to the gospels matthew chapter thirteen matthew chapter thirteen this chapter is speaking in parables read in verses thirty six to forty three his interpretation of the parable of the tares

34:23 then jesus sent the multitudes away and went into the house and his disciples came unto him saying declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field and he answered and said unto them he that soweth the good seed is the son of man and the field is the world and the good seed of the children of the kingdom and the enemy that sowed them etcetera verse four therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire so shall it be in the end of this world the son of man will send forth his angels and shall gather out of his kingdom all things that asfend and cast them into the furnace of fire there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth teaching those three things indeed which the Sharoma began a husband of the king of the twelfth chapter for priestum there shall be many sheep Court to the fountain of the dead between the threshing of the church and origin of our souls

35:03 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their father And here we find the two things joined together again The judgment of God upon the ungodly And the shining forth of the righteous in the kingdom of the father Elsewhere in scripture that shining forth of the saints of God Is continually connected with the second coming Doth not yet appear what we shall be But we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him We shall see him as he is When Christ who is our life shall appear We shall be manifested with him in glory Now over to Matthew chapter 24

35:43 Verses 29 and following Immediately after the tribulation of those days Shall the sun be darkened and the moon shall not give her light And the stars shall fall from heaven And the powers of the heavens shall be shaken And then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven And then shall all The tribes of the earth born For they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven With power and great glory Now what will he do when he comes in power and great glory He shall send his angels with the great sound of a trumpet

36:25 And they shall gather together his elect from the four winds First Thessalonians 4 The voice of the archangel, the trump of God And then they shall be gathered together When? When he comes with power and great glory This other teaching is the same He says the angel has gathered the elect of God The Lord has called them seven years before Not this passage Scripture says that when he comes in power and glory He shall send his angels And they shall gather together his elect From the one end of heaven unto the other Then he goes on to say in verse 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man Not the angels of heaven but my father But there will be a similarity

37:09 A pattern of the pervading movement Of that day and the days of Noah Now notice the parallel As the days of Noah were So shall the coming of the Son of Man be The days that were before the flood They were eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage Until the day that Noah entered the ark And knew not until the flood came And took them all away So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man Who shall be in the field One taken, another left Two women shall be grinding One taken, the other left Left for what?

37:46 What were they left for in Noah's day?

37:49 Judgment Destruction You say but it doesn't say destruction there Ah but in the parallel passage it says it explicitly In the 17th chapter of Luke In the parallel passage will you notice carefully the wording of Scripture Luke 17 verses 26 to 30 And as it was in the days of Noah So shall it be also in the days of the Son of Man I didn't mispronounce it That's the way it is here in Luke They did eat, they drank, they married wives They were given in marriage Until the day that Noah entered into the ark And the flood came and destroyed them all Likewise also it was in the days of Lot

38:34 They did eat, drank, bought, sold, planted, building But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom It rained fire and brimstone from heaven And destroyed them all Even thus shall it be in the days of Noah What will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed What will it be of taking away of his own And in the same day destruction reigned upon the undone Now dear ones in the light of these passages I submit to every thoughtful person To at least seriously consider Whether or not it is the teaching of Scripture That there is one second coming of Christ A coming in glory That will be The ark was to Noah

39:18 Born above the dead So that the ark may be a true judgment That shall occupy the earth What the angel taking Lot by the hand was Taking from the sphere of judgment As judgment fell And for the ungodly it will be What the flood was to the ungodly And what the fire and brimstone was To Sodom and Gomorrah Destruction and the wrath of Almighty God Therefore the Lord's coming is a day of the Lord We defined a day of the Lord As we looked at a number of passages Two weeks in advance and we saw the same date in a row We defined the day of the Lord as we looked at the number of passages Two weeks in advance and we saw the same day that the Lord had written the Lord ago, a climactic manifestation of God in judgment and in mercy. Then in that day, Malachi 4

40:01 verses 1 to 3 will be fulfilled, and I read now from those verses, Malachi 4 verses 1 to 3, Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven, of all the proud, yea, all that do wickedly shall be stubble. And the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Son of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings. Ye shall go forth and grow up as calves at the stall. Ye shall tread down the wicked, for they shall be ashes under

40:39 the soles of your feet in the day that I do this, saith God. For some of you who perhaps for years have imbibed the word of God, you have not heard the word of God. You have not heard the word of God. You have not heard the word of God. You have not heard the word

Concluding Exhortations: Scripture Alone and Present Salvation

40:54 of God. You have not heard the word of God. You have not heard the word of God. You have This other teaching, this past 40 minutes has been a traumatic experience. But my only

41:02 plea is, what saith the scripture? The thing that made me begin to doubt what I was told as a child was after I got saved and started studying my Bible. Long before I knew there were all kinds of theories about this, people asked me, what do you believe about the return of the Lord? I said, well, for the life of me, I can only find one second coming of Christ and I can't find two or three. I find one second coming of Christ. And as we've examined

41:26 these people, I've seen that there is no second coming of Christ. passages these are the ones that have over the years brought me to this conviction that this is the teaching of scripture but i do not ask you to accept it on the authority that i have come to that position but i plead with you to search the scriptures at this point and simply don't simply reject this perspective because it's something you haven't believed before one of the aspects of growth is that we're able to say thank god i believe things now that i didn't believe a year ago and there's some things i believed a year ago i don't believe anymore what practical word does this have for us as we close our study this morning child of god the first practical exhortation i

42:09 would bring is that of accepting no canon of interpretation but the scripture itself i had a call from one of my relatives last week and my sister wanted to buy a bible for my brother-in-law and when his parents heard that he was not interested in the scripture he said i don't believe in the scripture i don't believe in the scripture i don't believe in the scripture i don't believe in the scripture i don't believe in the scripture buying another schofield bible because he had re-examined much of the teaching in the notes and found they wouldn't hold water they were deeply deeply disturbed that their 27 year old son was no longer bound by the notes in a certain bible beloved that's as bad as romanism that is as bad as romanism it's usurping the place of the holy ghost now if you've got a schofield bible and get

42:53 help good i have one and i use it occasionally this don't anybody go out and say oh pastor blasted schofield i didn't blast schofield what i am pleading for is don't let any human notes upon scripture or any human comments upon scripture mine included bind your conscience let your conscience be bound by the teaching of the word it's much easier to just read schofield's notes we've developed a generation of lazy christians who know what schofield say but they don't know what the bible says and that's my first plea and i make it in dead earnest that as a child of god you be a diligent

43:36 searcher of the word and then the second earnest entreaty i make to you as god's people pray that the lord will give you a biblical perspective on history and when we get that perspective of second peter that everything in history is heading up to that day of god in which the lord jesus will be manifested in power and in glory what tremendous effect this has upon you he says in the light of this what manner of people ought we to be this is practical this is not just some kind of theory you've got the idea things will get worse and worse and just before they get too hot the lord will take us out of this that has practical effects upon the lives of god's people

44:20 it leads in most cases to a lassitude and to an indifference but if our conviction is that everything's heading up to that hour and what fools are to spend time and energy in things that won't matter a hill of beans in that day what manner of persons ought we to be an all holy manner of living in godliness looking for hastening unto the coming of the day of god it makes you have confidence and hope and stability in the midst of the 20th century with all of its perplexing problems and he's going to set things

44:59 right and then i say to you who are strangers to god's grace children adults teenagers whoever you be the day of salvation is now now is the accepted time and the door of god's mercy stands wide though the floods of his judgment stand behind those doors with great pressure your sins add pressure to those doors and would press upon them to shut forever but the lord is long suffering long suffering when that precise hour in the timing of god comes when the son of god shall break out of heaven your eyes will see him

45:39 but not in mercy but in judgment it says every eye shall see him and the tribes of the earth shall mourn they shall cry for the rocks and the hills fall upon them to hide them from the face of that coming lamb who will show himself to be a lion in that day i plead with you don't delay don't put off the offers of mercy close with christ while the door of mercy stands open close with him even this morning there's only one reason from

46:19 that standpoint he hasn't come this morning he's long suffering from the second peter three perspective he's long suffering will you spurn his long suffering and misinterpret it as those mockers do oh you say lord why you should suffer so long with a wretch like me i do not know but i can no longer withstand the overtures of your grace here lord i come the helpless needy sinner wash me in your blood make me your child that's my exhortation