Until He Returns . . . What?, Part 1

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ ignites our imagination. It's a spectacle that includes shock and awe.

The mere thought of it boggles the mind. Well, today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll continues his teaching series called Growing Deep in the Christian Life. In this study, Chuck reminds us that the imminent return of Christ should provoke far more than curiosity. The reality of our Lord's coming again should influence the manner in which we conduct ourselves each and every day. In that spirit, Chuck titled his message with a question.

Until he returns, what? Isn't it amazing how certain songs will bring back a memory of where you were and when you were involved in it? I remember as a little child standing up on a soda fountain counter at a little pharmacy in our hometown singing for an ice cream cone. And the fellow who ran the store said if we would sing, my brother and sister and I would sing loud enough, he'd put a double decker on it. I remember just screaming the song as I was singing it.

Back in the Second World War, we sang these patriotic songs. And then I don't know if you know the last part of that song, Channels Only, where Maxwell writes about how he can use us every day and every hour, which is a great thought. In fact, it provides a perfect introduction to what we want to think about for the next few minutes that relates to how do we live in light of Jesus' imminent return. To borrow a title from Francis Schaeffer, how should we then live? If in fact he is coming again, and he is, and if in fact he may come at any moment, but it may not be on the other hand for several generations, how should we conduct ourselves? What should we do? How should we spend our time in the meanwhile?

What should we be doing? There once lived a farmer named William Miller back in the 19th century. Miller began a religion and his followers came to be known as the Millerites. They met for camp meetings and there was a great deal of boosting of morale and motivation kind of talk as these camp meetings were held in that vicinity of William Miller's life and lifestyle. In fact, one of the things that characterized the teaching of the Millerites was the setting of dates regarding the future and the date was set at one of the camp meetings. He would come between March 21, 1842 and March 21, 1843. During that year, they were sure he would arrive.

He did not come back and disappointment swept the camp. Other meetings were held so that there would be some sense of credibility sustained and if you can believe it, yet another date was set. It was set on August 12, 1844. The announcement was made that he would come between October 20 and October 22, 1844.

It would be the end of the world. As time drew very near that date in October, this sign was displayed on a Philadelphia store window. This shop will be closed in honor of the King of Kings who will appear about the 20th of October.

Get ready, friends, to crown him Lord of all. A group of about 200 Millerites sold or gave away. I've often wondered why they sell their things, if they're going to go on, but many of them gave away or sold their possessions and with nothing claimed as their own, they gathered and waited for his coming.

October the 20th came and went and the 21st and the 22nd and, of course, the 23rd. Five years later, William Miller died and I think the wisest statement that was ever made by the Millerites was put on his tombstone. It reads, at the appointed time the end shall be.

Now that's good theology. Not on October the 20th, 1844, not on August the 7th, 1955, not on November the 25th, 1985, nor even the year 2000, but at the appointed time the end shall be. It may not be when you think it's going to be. It may not even be as soon as you think it will be.

Chances are good it will be sooner than many of us anticipate, but of a couple of things we can be sure. The first is historically Christ's return is well documented. Look at Matthew chapter 24 for example. We can be sure that he will return.

That's history. He's predicted it and it's as good as his word. Matthew 24 verse 35 through verse 42. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and hour, meaning the hour of his return, no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For in those days which were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage. Now the picture is a normal lifestyle. People were working, people were sleeping, people were marrying, people were dying, people were being born, people were giving others in marriage.

It was a normal everyday lifestyle until the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not understand until the flood came and took them all away, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. Then there shall be two men in the field. One will be taken and one will be left.

Two women will be grinding at the mill. One will be taken and one will be left. Therefore be on the alert for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. Now the point here is we may not know the time, but we know the fact. He is coming again. Now before I go to the next thing we know for sure, let me add a clarifying word here and I have Dwight Pentecost to thank for these comments from his book Prophecy for Today. And I quote, a short time ago I took occasion to go through the New Testament to mark each reference to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and to observe the use made of that teaching about his coming. I was struck anew, says this prophetic scholar, I was struck anew with the fact that almost without exception when the coming of Christ is mentioned in the New Testament it is followed by an exhortation to godliness and holy living.

It causes the man to conclude we have missed the whole purpose of the study of prophecy if it does not conform us to the Lord Jesus Christ in our daily living. You see, God has not revealed the truth of his son's return to sort of tantalize us or to stir up our curiosity or to give us a feeling of fantasy interest. God has given us the truth concerning his son, to put it bluntly, so we can keep our act cleaned up.

So that we will be ready at any moment and will not be embarrassed to meet him face to face. We know historically for sure that the coming of Christ is fixed. It is a firm prediction he is coming. Prophetically we know this also, nothing stands in the way of Christ's return. Nothing causes it to be anything less than eminent. In prophetic circles this is called eminency, the belief that it will occur at any moment. In other words, there is no future prophetic event in God's timetable that must take place before Christ comes in the clouds for his own.

Nothing. I think that's rather exciting. There is nothing that has to fall into place before the Savior comes back.

H.L. Turner was right over a hundred years ago when he wrote, it may be at morn when the day is awaking, when sunlight through darkness and shadow is breaking, that Jesus will come in the fullness of glory to receive from the world his own. Oh joy, oh delight, should we go without dying. No sickness, no sadness, no dread, and no crying. Caught up through the clouds with our Lord into glory when Jesus receives his own. My grandfather, whom I love dearly on my mother's side, my grandfather used to say that he looked forward to dying because he wanted to go through the whole process as a Christian. He wanted to go through death, he wanted to know consciously the joy of life beyond the grave.

He wanted to experience, I suppose, coming up, bursting out of the ground and glorified, brought into the Lord's presence. As I recall, he used to say that those who are going to be taken up while they're alive are only going to get part of the blessing. But those who go through the whole death process, they're going to see it all.

In fact, they get preferential treatment. We will not precede those who have fallen asleep. They will be raised first and then we will be brought up with them, glorified to meet the Lord in the air. But what if he doesn't come in this generation? What if that little family you're beginning to raise grows up and still you haven't seen the Lord's return?

What if you become a grandparent or a great grandparent in the distant years of the future and he still hasn't come back? How are we to conduct ourselves? What are we supposed to do in the meanwhile?

What does the Bible teach about life during the interlude? Well, I want to give you four words. They are words I want you to remember and I'd like you to commit them to memory. Log them in the creases of your brain.

They have a ring to them so they'll be easy to remember. Here are the four words and these four words provide us with the marching orders in the meantime. Occupy, purify, watch, and worship.

If someone asks you, what are you supposed to do before Christ comes? What is your involvement? What is your commitment? My job is to occupy.

My job is to purify. My job is to watch and my job is to worship. That's what I'm supposed to be doing as a Christian. All four are taught in the Scriptures. Turn from Matthew 24 to Luke chapter 19, if you will, and let me just say a few brief words about each of these four commands that our Lord has left with us. Luke 19, I want to read rather slowly verses 11 to 27. Luke 19, 11 to 27. Jesus is the object of attention in this passage and while they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable because he was near Jerusalem and they supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately. He said, therefore, a certain nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself and then return. And he called 10 of his slaves and gave them 10 minas. You'll notice in the marginal reference that a mina is equal to about 100 days wages, nearly $20.

in those days. So he gave the first slave 10 of those coins and said to them, do business with this until I come back. You may wish to circle the words do business and put in the margin occupy.

As I recall, the old King James Bible does render it in that manner. Take occupancy. Do business is a good rendering. Do business until I come back.

But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we do not want this man to reign over us. It came about that when he returned after receiving the kingdom, he ordered that these slaves to whom he had given the money be called to him in order that he might know what business they had done. Let's see how well you have occupied.

Let's see how you've conducted your business while I've been away. The first appeared saying, master, your mina has made 10 minas more. He said to him, well done, good slave, because you have been faithful in a very little thing, be an authority over 10 cities. And the second came saying, master, your mina has made five. And he said to him also, and you are to be over five cities. And the other came, master, behold your manna, which I kept put away in a handkerchief for I was afraid of you because you are an exacting man. You take up what you did not lay down and reap what you did not sow. He said, by your own words, I will judge you, you worthless slave. Did you know that I am an exacting man taking up what I did not lay down and reaping what I did not sow?

Then why did you not put the money in the bank? And having come, I would have collected it with interest. And he said to the bystanders, take the mina away from him and give it to the one who has 10. And they said to him, master, he has 10 already. I tell you that to everyone who has shall more be given, and from the one who does not have even what he does have shall be taken away.

But these enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them in my presence. The lessons from this story are numerous, but it is noteworthy that Jesus smiles upon the wise use of money. In the meantime, he smiles upon the investments of those who have goods of this earth.

In fact, he gives the command, do business. I think I could put it all in three two word words. Live responsibly, work diligently, think realistically. You want to know how to occupy until Christ comes?

Live responsibly, work diligently, think realistically. In no place in the Old or New Testament is laziness smiled upon. Even laziness that is rationalized because one believes in the soon coming of Christ. Our Lord frowns on a lack of discipline and diligence. He smiles on a well ordered private life.

He smiles on the wise use of our time and of our possessions. Just another word on this from Luke 19 turned to 2 Thessalonians chapter 3. And I do hope you are listening, especially if you are the type who tends to be irresponsible and you forgive yourself of that because you're quote walking by faith. Please don't tempt the Lord with such thinking. 2 Thessalonians is written to a body of people who bought into that mentality. They thought since we know Christ is coming and since our teacher the apostle Paul himself has assured us of his coming, then why work?

Why worry ourselves with the mundane details of everyday life? Let's just live for his coming and until then we'll just live off of others. Let them do the work and we'll be the ones who live by faith. 2 Thessalonians 3 verse 6. Now we command you brethren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you keep aloof from every brother who leads an unruly life and not according to the tradition which you received from us.

Now he explains that. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example because we did not act in an undisciplined manner among you nor did we eat anyone's bread without paying for it. But with labor and hardship we kept working night and day so that we might not be a burden to any of you.

Not because we do not have the right, after all he was an apostle, but in order to offer ourselves as a model for you that you might follow our example. For even when we were with you we used to give you this order. If I heard my dad say this once it must have come to my ears a hundred times. If anyone will not work neither let him eat. Does that sound like your dad's counsel? That's our father's counsel. That's the word from our Lord.

That's not some human counsel. Those who eat are those who work. And if anyone does not work neither let him eat. For we hear that some among you are leading an undisciplined life doing no work at all but acting like busybodies. Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to work in quiet fashion and eat their own bread. But as for you brethren do not grow weary of doing good. Then he adds a very strong word. If anyone does not obey our instruction in this letter take special note of that man and do not associate with him so that he may be put to shame. I call that straight talk. Hard talk. Now every once in a while you come across a dear brother that wants to sit on a hill and strum a guitar and eat bird seed and sing do Lord and spend most of his life just gathering dew and watching the weeds grow up around him. Let him sing.

Let him get his own bird seed. I'm weary of people who hide behind faith and leave it to you to pay their bills. And they say the reason they're doing that is because they really love the Lord Jesus. Now the reason they do that is because they are lazy and theology is a wonderful cop out.

And a wonderful verse to share with them some cold dark night is verse 11 or verse 10 if you do not work then you do not eat. Now that's occupy. Work hard. Think realistically. Plan ahead. Reorder your private world. Get your act together. And in the process of preparing for his coming purify yourself.

That's second. We're in 2 Thessalonians. We're not far from Titus. So go beyond the books of Timothy to Titus chapter 2. Last five verses in Titus 2.

2 11. For the grace of God has appeared bringing salvation to all men. Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts or worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in this present age.

Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Christ Jesus who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed and here's our word purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Now that's a command given to those who teach this. Speak it with authority. Speak it with assurance. Drive the point home.

What point? That we who are looking for the blessed hope verse 13 and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior even Jesus Christ are the ones who are to deny ungodliness and worldly desires. Let me share with you a telltale sign of heresy and that is a ministry that emphasizes the Lord's return but does not with equal gusto emphasize godly living.

Mark it down. Whoever teaches often on the coming of Christ is responsible according to the balanced message of the New Testament to teach also of the importance of a pure life. Why not?

I mean they fit. If indeed he is coming again, surely he is. There is one way you prepare for that and that is with a pure life. You're listening to insight for living and a message from Chuck Swindoll on the second coming of Christ. There's much much more he wants to describe about the implications of this event so stay with us.

But first if you'd like to learn more about this ministry visit us online at insight world dot org. A long time ago Chuck made a statement in a message that's been quoted over and over again. In fact it's possible you've seen these words in a frame. He said I'm convinced that life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react. This brief statement is actually connected to a much longer message and I'm happy to tell you it's included in a brand new book.

Chuck's statement of course is not his personal opinion. Every piece of wisdom in the book is derived from the Bible and we'd love to send you a copy today. The full title of the book is Life is 10% What Happens to You and 90% How You React. To purchase a copy right now call us.

If you're listening in the United States call 800-772-8888 or you can go online to insight dot org slash store. Chuck's personal mission on these programs is to help you align your attitude with the truth of scripture and these daily visits remain possible of course because people just like you give voluntary donations. We're especially grateful for our regular monthly givers. We call them monthly companions of grace. Through your gifts you're providing a constant source of reliable Bible teaching for people who have come to rely on Chuck's daily presence. To provide for someone else what was once provided to you we invite you to become a monthly companion right now. If you're listening in the United States call 800-772-8888 or sign up online at insight dot org slash monthly companion. I'm Bill Meyer. Chuck Swindoll's classic series growing deep in the Christian life continues next time right here on Insight for Living.