Chambersburg Bible Church

Text: Revelation 22:12Revelation 22:12
12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.  

Topic: Christ’s return for his Saints is imminent!

We must be living our lives with the expectation of the Lord’s imminent  return upon our minds. His return  could happen at any time, nothing  is preventing it from happening. We often say that, eschatologically speaking , “it is the next thing on God’s calendar” (although we know that God is not bound by time).

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We hold to a dispensational view of eschatology, which allows us to understand that there are no prophesies that need to be fulfilled before the rapture of the Church. The following is a  brief review of the eschatological events following the return of Christ for his Saints:

• Following the rapture of the Church, Israel will sign a covenant with antichrist, initiating the period referred to as the “Tribulation.”
• 3 ½ years into the Tribulation, antichrist will break the covenant with Israel, marking the beginning of the last half of the Tribulation, which is referred to in Scripture as the “Great Tribulation” and the “Time of Jacobs trouble.” In this time, God will pour out His wrath upon the earth.
• The Battle of Armageddon will conclude the Tribulation period, which will end in the destruction of the Armies of the earth and the casting of the Beast and false prophet into the Lake of Fire. Satan will be bound for 1,000r 1,000
  Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!
  years in the pit of the abyss
• The end of the Tribulation will issue in the Millennial reign of Christ upon this earth, in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and covenants. This reign will be a righteous reign where Christ will “rule with a Rod of Iron.”
  • At the conclusion of these 1,000e 1,000
    Štetje svetopisemskih vrstic se za?ne z ¹! Vrstica ⁰ ne obstaja!
    years, God will loose Satan for a time, leading to the final struggle between the unrighteous man and God at the battle of Gog and Magog
  • Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity
  • The Lord will then judge all unbelievers, small and great, from all of time at The Great White Throne Judgment and they will be cast into the Lake of Fire.

Investigate the scriptural teachings of the imminent return of Jesus

• The “Watching” Passages
  • Romans 13:11-12Romans 13:11-12
    11 And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. ¹² 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 armour of light.  
    
    • Our salvation is nearer than when we first believed
      • Time of accounting for the saved
      • Time of judgment for the lost
    • A time to awake from slumber
      • Because our salvation is nearer than ever before
      • Because we have no right to sleep when there is work to be done
      • Because the days are evil and the enemy is at work even as we sleep
• 1 Thessalonians 5:6-81 Thessalonians 5:6-8
  6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. ⁷ For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. ⁸ But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.  
  
• 1 Peter 4:71 Peter 4:7
  7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.  
  

• The “Hoping” passages
  • Titus 2:13Titus 2:13
    13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; glorious...: Gr. the appearance of the glory of the great God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ  
    
  • James 5:7-8James 5:7-8
    7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be...: or, Be long patient, or, Suffer with long patience ⁸ Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.  
    

Text: Revelation 2:1-7Revelation 2:1-7
2 ¹ Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks; ² I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: ³ And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted. ⁴ Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. ⁵ Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. ⁶ But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. ⁷ He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.  

Topic: Believers must constantly look for the Lord’s appearing

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Revelation 2:4Revelation 2:4
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.  
records the scathing rebuke of the Lord for the church at Ephesus, but they were not all words of rebuke.

• The church at Ephesus was standing up to the task – Verse 1
  • “I know thy works, thy labor, and thy patience”
  • They were busy and active for the Lord
• The church at Ephesus was standing up for the truth –  Verse 2
  • “I know how that canst not bear them which are evil”
  • They tested those who claimed to be apostles, but were not
    • They claimed to be teachers of importance
    • They claimed to have authority
    • They were liars
    • I John 4:1John 4:1
      4 ¹ When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,  
      – “…believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God
• The church at Ephesus was standing in the test – Verse 3
  • “Thou hast not fainted”
    • It was not easy going in Ephesus
    • Believers were criticized by the world
    • There was opposition
    • In spite of it all, they remained faithful

Were it not for what is recorded in verses 4 and 5, one would think that the Church at Ephesus was the model church!

• Thou hast left thy first love – Verse 4
• Thou art fallen – Verse 5
• All that the Lord had commended them for in the first three verses meant nothing

The church at Ephesus was doing all the right things

• It is possible to serve the Lord for a variety of motives
  • To gain the praise of men
  • For prestige
  • For position
  • For the sake of reputation
  • Out of a sense of duty
• All service which is not born out of love and devotion to the Lord is worthless

This passage can easily be applied to the return of the Lord, and will kick off our theme for this year, Coming again in 2010?

• 2 Timothy 4:1-82 Timothy 4:1-8
  4 ¹ I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; ² Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. ³ For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴ And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. ⁵ But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. make...; or, fulfil ⁶ For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. ⁷ I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: ⁸ Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.  
  
  • His appearing will be a time of judgment
    • All people will be judged
    • The living and the dead
  • Based upon the imminent return of Christ, Paul charges Timothy to Faithfulness
    • “I solemnly order you”
    • It is a mandate to us all
  • Judgment could be only moments away
• 2 Timothy 4:82 Timothy 4:8
  8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.  
  
  • His appearing is a time of reward
    • Crown of Righteousness
    • For those who habitually loved and desired the Lord’s Appearing
    • “Do we merely give assent to the doctrinal truth of His imminent return, or do we show by our daily life that we love, yearn for, and await His appearing?”

• Acts 1:8-11Acts 1:8-11
  8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. power...: or, the power of the Holy Ghost coming upon you ⁹ And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; ¹¹ Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.  
  
  • “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
  • Have you left your first love?
  • Do you love his appearing?

Movie-goers are anxiously awaiting the release of Roland Emmerich’s doomsday flick, 2012.  The theme of 2012 is that planet earth will come to a cataclysmic end through a series of catastrophic events taking place in December of that year. 2012 is just one of many recent productions that deal with the “end of the world” scenario that has captured the thinking of the masses.  The History Channel recently aired a series of programs suggesting that mankind is rapidly approaching the end of civilization as we know it.  What’s even more remarkable is the suggestion that the exact time of earth’s pending doom is prophesied.  These programs claim that evidence for the apocalyptic end of the world in 2012 is revealed in the writings of Nostradamus; the December 21, 2012r 21, 2012
Izbrano poglavje ne obstaja!
conclusion of the current Great Cycle of the Mayan calendar; the alignment of the earth, sun, and galactic equator which will occur in late 2012. These arguments seem to point so convincingly to the imminent destruction of our blue planet that many Christians have been caught up in the hype and are counting-down the days.  Will the world end in 2012? 

The simple answer is no!  It is biblically impossible for the world to end in 2012 because there is much yet that God plans to accomplish before He destroys the world (Revelation 21:1Revelation 21:1
21 ¹ And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.  
). A detailed eschatological (teaching concerning end time events) discussion of God’s future plans is beyond the scope of this article, but a brief survey of God’s immediate agenda for the future will show why the end cannot come until much later.

The next great event on God’s calendar is what Christians call the rapture.  The rapture will take place when Jesus Christ appears in the sky and takes believers from the Church age with Him to heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:13-181 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. ¹⁴ For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. ¹⁵ For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. prevent: or, come before, or, anticipate, or, precede ¹⁶ For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: ¹⁷ Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. ¹⁸ Wherefore comfort one another with these words. comfort: or, exhort  
).  The sudden and imminent appearing of Jesus from heaven is the event that every Christian has anticipated since the time of Christ’s own ascension (Titus 2:13Titus 2:13
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; glorious...: Gr. the appearance of the glory of the great God, and of our Saviour Jesus Christ  
).  The Bible does not reveal when that event will occur, but simply that it will and that it could happen at any moment (1 Corinthians 15:50-581 Corinthians 15:50-58
50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵² In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. ⁵⁵ O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? grave: or, hell ⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵⁸ Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.  
).

The rapture of the Church will set in motion a series of divine events that will eventually culminate in the destruction of the world.  The Great Tribulation will immediately follow the rapture and will last for seven (7) years.  The Battle of Armageddon will mark the end of the seven years (Revelation 16:16; 19:11-21Revelation 16:16; 19:11-21
16 And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. ¹¹ And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. ¹² His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. ¹³ And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. ¹⁵ And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. ¹⁷ And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; ¹⁸ That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. ¹⁹ And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. ²⁰ And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. ²¹ And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.  
).  The Book of Revelation indicates that following that battle, Jesus will rule as King on planet earth for one thousand (1,000) years (Revelation 20:1-6Revelation 20:1-6
20 ¹ And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. ² And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, ³ And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. ⁴ And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. ⁵ But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. ⁶ Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.  
).

Based upon these truths, it should be obvious that the end of the world is at least 1,007st 1,007
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.  
years away.  But don’t sit back and breathe a sigh of relief just yet because Jesus is coming again.  When Jesus comes, things will suddenly change and change for the worse.  So much so that people who are living on the earth after the rapture will long for the end to come.  They will be left behind to endure the difficulties of the Tribulation period.  Are you ready?  

If you would like more information concerning this article or the ministries of the Chambersburg Bible Church, please contact Pastor Yoder.