Christ's Return

Best-selling author, speaker, and advocate for Christian apologetics, Dr. Alex McFarland. Best-selling author and apologist, Dylan Burrows. Together bringing you truth for a new generation, this is TNG Radio.

Alex McFarland here, Truth for a New Generation Radio with Dylan Burrows. Do you know, there was a pop song a few years ago that asked the question, why do things always go wrong? Maybe you're having one of those days where the car keys are lost, the car won't start, there's a traffic jam making you late for work. We often ask ourselves, Murphy's Law, if something can go wrong, it will.

Why is it like that? Well, on today's program we're going to talk about that world that we all really deep down long for, a world where things go right. And the good news is the Bible talks about a coming reign, a coming reign of Jesus Christ that will be a world of pervasive righteousness when things go right.

Sometimes painters have painted a picture of the restored Garden of Eden, the millennium, peace on earth, they often call it the peaceable kingdom. And Dylan, haven't you had those days when you just kind of throw up your hands and say, Lord, come quickly because we need you to be back and restore righteousness and make things go right in this world that so frequently goes wrong? Haven't you thought that sometimes?

Dylan Burrows Oh, of course. And then it happens in our own personal lives when things go wrong. You mentioned it happens when we read the headlines and we see all of the negative things that occur in our society. And we say, God, why do you let these things happen? And we long for this time when things are made right. Now as believers, we realize there is a time and there is a place where there will be a new heaven and a new earth. And those who know the Lord will reign with him forever and ever.

But we don't, I guess, necessarily sense that when we're going through the trials and difficulties of our day to day living. So we want to encourage people today as we talk about some of these future things that we get to look forward to as followers of Jesus that should also encourage us as we share our faith with those who do not yet believe, Alex. So get us started. Alex King The reign of Christ. One of the key things of Christianity that we talk about is the fact that Christ is going to return. I had the privilege a few years ago of writing a book called Stand, Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakable Faith. And in the book Stand, we talk about some of the core foundational beliefs of Christianity, the inspiration of Scripture, the virgin birth that Christ had no sin, the deity of Christ that he is God incarnate, the atonement that he paid for our sins, the resurrection, and the return. Now, the first five of those six core beliefs have already transpired and are present realities.

The inspiration of Scripture, Jesus being the Son of God, he rose from the dead. The sixth reality is the return. So in this show we're going to give several facts about the coming reign of God's Son Jesus.

For one, it will be a just reign. Justice. Now, Dylan, in recent years we've heard the phrase over and over, social justice. And some people really cry out for justice. It's interesting to me that oftentimes in riots and protests and even the breaking of the law, a lot of people who see themselves as the warriors for social justice do things that are in fact unjust.

In trying to implement law, they do things that are unlawful. But there will be, my dear friend, one day a reign on earth, a culture, a worldwide global state of actual just justice. It's never right to do wrong, to attempt to do right, as Noel Cliché says.

But the reign of Jesus will actually be just. And Dylan, do you ever think about this, and I have to say this with trepidation and humility, because we're all sinners. I'm a sinner.

I'm a forgiven, safe sinner. But in no way do I presume to put myself up on some moral high horse. I say what I say with humility and fear. But a lot of the people nowadays that cry out against what they perceive as injustice, and they stand against the narrow ways of conservatives and Christians, what they're going to find out when true justice comes, and when the Son of Righteousness returns, I think a lot of people are going to be in for a rude awakening.

Would you agree? Well, certainly, because in our world, when we look at social justice, we define it from our point of view. Sometimes that's right, but other times it is simply, as a matter of fact, wrong. It's contrary to what God's will is in His revealed Scriptures. So we need to be careful when someone says that they're advocating for a view of social justice, to define what they mean by that and make sure it's in line with what Scripture teaches. Because as believers in Jesus Christ, we want to make a difference in our world.

When we see something that's wrong, whether it's poverty or human trafficking or a natural disaster that needs a response, we want to do something to help, but we also want to do it in a way that is honoring to God. So we want to be cautious about that and look forward to the future time when there will be a just rain, like you just mentioned. But a second fact that we want to discuss today is this idea of the future coming of God's Son, Jesus Christ, being a welcome rain. And by welcome, it's something we anticipate. I love the end of 1 Thessalonians 4, when we're told about the return of Jesus, and at the end of that, the Apostle Paul tells the readers to encourage one another with these things. So for those of us who know Christ, the future is not something that should be scary. It should be something that's encouraging and that we long for and anticipate. So this is just an exciting thing for us who know Christ, but again, it should also encourage us to share faith with others.

Exactly, exactly. It is called the Blessed Hope. Do you remember, as you said in 1 Thessalonians 4, the Rapture, comfort one another with these words. The return of Christ is a great hope. In the book of Revelation, many of the people that were martyred for the Christian faith are in heaven and crying out, How long, O Lord? How long will you wait before you avenge our death? Now, I will say this as a Christian, I'm not crying out, Oh God, make people get their just desserts. We want the lost to get what's coming to them.

Not at all. That is not our posture or our mindset. We're broken hearted for those that don't know God. I think about this, Dylan, in Psalm 119. There's a verse that says, Horror has overtaken me for those who forsake your law.

I mean, let me ask you this, folks. When we talk about the return of Christ and the coming reign of righteousness, and yes, the saved will be with Christ, but the lost will be separated from God. When is the last time you really felt broken, horrified even according to Psalm 119, over the lost that are rejecting God, really flaunting their unbelief? Because we live in a time when there are atheists. There are people that are anti-theists.

They're against the idea of God. It's going to be a time of justice once and for all. But when we come back, we're going to talk about the facts related to the coming reign of Christ, who is returning to planet earth one day.

And we want you to be ready. Over centuries, the Bible has inspired humanity and shaped the very world we live in. But how do we know this book is the Word of God and not merely the words of men? What we believe about the Bible is based on what we believe about its source. The God Who Speaks explores the evidence of the Bible's inspiration and authority through some of the world's most respected biblical scholars. We have essentially a dual authorship. So it's true to say that Paul wrote Romans. It's equally true to say that God wrote Romans.

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Available now at TheGodWhoSpeaks.org. Our country is falling apart. Political unrest, social upheaval, the breakdown of the family, the rise of atheism, the rise of Islam. Our religious freedoms are under attack. There's gender fluidity.

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Alex McFarland and Dylan Burrows here. We're going to return to our conversation about the reign of Christ and His return. I do want to remind people that a lot is going on in this ministry. We are so excited.

We've just hired full-time Carla McGlynn, who's worked with us for many, many years, and now full-time. Carla and her husband are working with us in the Truth For A New Generation conferences that are being organized across the country, and so we encourage you to keep us in prayer. Go to the website truthforanewgeneration.com, and two things I want to ask you to do. Number one is to go to the website and look at all that God is doing.

Keep us in your prayers. But the other thing is, get the app. If you go to the app store, regardless of the type of phone or mobile device you have, you can get the TNG app, and we're adding things to it all the time.

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We're going to be in Tennessee this fall, going to be in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and so you can find out that and more at the app or on the website truthforanewgeneration.com. Well, Dylan, let me share a thought. I was doing some visitation with the church, and we were out following up on people, and a visitor to our church had asked us to go visit a lady, and we did. We knocked on her door, and we're there to share about Christ, and she looked me in the eye. She asked, she said, do you really believe Jesus is coming back?

I said, I do. I believe Christ is coming back. The Bible talks about it. And as we begin to share the good news of the Gospel, but the true reality that Christ is coming back, physically, literally, Jesus is coming back. Remember in Acts chapter 1, as the disciples were watching Christ ascend back to heaven, the angels asked a rhetorical question.

Now a rhetorical question is one where the answer is pretty obvious. You men of Galilee, why are you standing here gazing in the heavens? Because remember, Jesus told his followers, go into all the world and make disciples, preach the Gospel to every creature. That's Matthew 28 and Mark 16. They said, this same Jesus, as you are seeing him go, will return in like manner.

So don't just stand around looking at the sky, be about your Father's business and you'll be ready when Christ does return. Anyway, we're telling this to this lady on her front doorstep, and she got this real look of fear in her eyes. She said, you really think Jesus is coming back? And nervously she said, well, I hope it's no time soon.

And she shut the door and the conversation was over. But Dylan, am I right? Christ's return and seeing the Lord face to face one day, it's not something we have to be morbidly fearful about or nervously, you know, hoping it's no time soon. No, it's something that for the believer, for the born again believer, it's an excitement and it's a joy. And it's a great assurance and comfort knowing that one day the struggles of this life, the injustices, the disappointments, the heartbreak, it's all going to be over one day. And in a state of joy and eternal happiness, we will be with our Savior one day, won't we?

That's so true, Alex. And to get a bit personal, for me, it's very touching because it gives us also this opportunity for those who have passed before us who know Christ that we can look back and say, one day we'll be reunited with those people. Back in 2000, my father died from complications related to having cancer. And as sad as that was, as difficult as that was, as difficult as it still is at times, I can look forward with hope knowing that I will be reunited with Him in the future. That is something that as Christians, we grieve, but the Bible says we do not grieve like those who do not have hope. So there is a difference, a distinct difference between those who follow Christ and those who do not as we look forward to our future, as we look forward to the afterlife, as we look forward to this future reign that the Bible talks about. It's a reign that is welcome, as we've talked about, but it's also a reign that is righteous, where everything will be made right.

And we'll talk about this a little bit, Alex. This idea that when there's a new heaven and a new earth, Revelation 21 4 says, He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain for the old order of things has passed away. Isn't that such a great encouragement as we look forward to our eternal future with the Lord? Amen.

Amen. And friend, if you're listening to this, obviously our first and most primary message to you is to know that you know Christ. And if you've got one shred of question you're not sure, then you can turn to Christ right now.

Jesus is as close by as a prayer. By the way, if you need spiritual help, at the end of the program we'll give the address and everything. But we've got a little booklet that we've given out to tens of thousands of people over the last twenty-two years, and the book is titled, What Does God Say About My Relationship With Him? The first half of the book is a very simple explanation of the gospel, how you can call on Christ and be saved. But then the second half of this book, it's about a forty-page little booklet we wrote, it's basically how to understand Christianity. We take one of the ancient statements of belief, one of the creeds of the church called the Apostles' Creed. Maybe you recited that in church one time growing up or something, but it says, I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord. And it goes on, and we explain line by line the basics of Christianity, how to understand, how to defend the faith, how to even share the gospel.

And we'll send this booklet to you free of charge, no obligation, if you just contact us, you can email us at info at truthfornewgeneration.com. But one of the core truths of Christianity is this return of Christ. It's called the Blessed Hope. Christ is coming back, and there will be not only a righteous reign, but a universal reign. The Bible says in Habakkuk, the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea.

His reign will be a universal reign, dominion from sea to sea. And we want you to be a part of that. Christ wants you to be a part of that.

And we'll talk more about it when T&G Radio returns. First Peter 3.15 tells us to be ready always to give an answer for the hope we have. We're instructed to be prepared to defend our faith. This is Alex McFarland for the Life Answers Teams, students we train at North Greenville University, a leading Christian college in South Carolina. The Life Answers Teams are made up of students who will inspire and equip your congregation. These apologetics teams we train speak in churches to youth groups and train Christians of all ages to address key issues of our times from a biblical perspective. Like is there a God?

Is the Bible true? What about gender and moral issues? Call me at 864-977-2008 and we will arrange for the Life Answers Team to come to your church and give a presentation that will benefit your people for years to come. 864-977-2008 and always be ready. Truth for a New Generation is here to equip Christians with a biblical worldview through conferences and camps. And speaking about camps, registration is now underway for the T&G Summer Youth Apologetics Camp happening July 22nd through 26th at North Greenville University in South Carolina. Alex McFarland will be there along with Tony Beahm, he's the Vice President for Student Services and Christian Worldview at NGU. They'll engage your youth on topics like, if God is so good, why is the world so bad? Understanding and applying what God's Word says about gender and a whole lot more, 15 apologetic and worldview training sessions in all, along with a field trip to the Billy Graham Center, and of course outdoor fun and games and don't forget about the food, great food, enough to fill them up and keep them going.

Find out more about the 2018 T&G Summer Youth Apologetics Camp when you visit truthforanewgeneration.com. Come, thou long-expected Jesus, born to set thy people free. From our fears and sins, Jesus, let us find our rest in thee. This is Dillon Burrows and Alex McFarland back with you at Truth For A New Generation Radio and we've been talking about the nine facts regarding the coming reign of Jesus. We all look forward to this future day when we will reign with Him forever and ever as followers of Christ. We've talked about many aspects of this reign, another one we want to talk about, a fifth one is this idea of a restorative reign.

Now, what do we mean by restorative? There's a verse in Scripture that talks about a future time when there will be an abundance of grain upon the earth and it's a figurative way of talking about a time when everything that is wrong now on this earth, our fallen human world, will be made right. Now, I don't know about you, but I see a lot of the fallen side of our world today as I look at our headlines, as I look in our communities, and we get discouraged many times, but the truth is this will not be forever. Our forever home, our eternal home with the Lord, is a time where peace will be restored, where justice will be restored, and so we don't have to feel the need to fix everything in this life, but instead to store up treasures in heaven, as Scriptures talk about, to invest in the things of eternity. And so we want to emphasize as we're talking about this that we want to do all the good we can in this world to make the greatest impact we can for Christ in this life, but knowing that everything we do will be imperfect, but will one day be made perfect when we're in the presence of the Lord.

Amen. You know, Dylan, I was traveling and I went to a cemetery at a church where I heard some relatives were buried. Some of my relatives that had been dead for well over a hundred years, but I went to this church cemetery, and I was looking for the graves of some of my ancestors, and I saw a tombstone of apparently a little child that was stillborn or died after only a day or two.

It was from the 1800s, and a little child that didn't live but a day or so. And obviously that's just indescribably painful. But the epitaph said this, and it's a famous statement, it says, Earth has no sorrows that heaven can't erase.

Now that's not a trite little cliche or just a little statement. Really, it is a restorative reign that Jesus is going to bring. We will be reunited with our loved ones who were believers.

I think about the millions of parents that miscarried, and I've done a few funerals for children that died, and that's so sad. But listen friend, rather than hold God at arm's length, and rather than reject God and be angry, look, the circumstances of life, many of which we don't understand, we can't begin to understand why things go the way they do sometimes. But I think about in John chapter six, Dylan, when some of the people walked away and Jesus said to the disciples, will you walk away?

Peter said, where would we go? Lord, you have the words of eternal life. If you've experienced a heartbreak in this life, and life has dealt you some pretty hard circumstances, the only hope you have for resolution and restoration is in Jesus. So return to Jesus, because He is bringing restoration, and He's bringing order.

I guess I'll say it this way, all the wrinkles will be ironed out, all the question marks will become exclamation points, and it will be a reign of order and holiness, and it will be victorious. And friend, Jesus Christ, He loves the world. People sometimes fault Christianity for being narrow and exclusivistic, and yes it is, just as specific roads get you to specific destinations. Listen, if you want to go to Washington, D.C., and you're in the mid-Atlantic region, you can't take 40 west. That road will not get you to D.C. You can't take 95 south. If you want to go to a specific city, a specific destination, you've got to be on the right road. In a similar way, if you want to go to the city called heaven, you've got to be on a very specific road, and that pathway is called the Lord Jesus Christ. It is narrow.

It is exclusivistic. And while there is a right way to achieve a desired result, there are 10,000 wrong ways to not get your desired result. And so Christianity is a specific message about a specific outcome, which is salvation and being with Jesus. But in conclusion, Dylan, aren't you glad that it's victorious and it's personal? The return of Christ, the reign of Jesus on earth again one day, it is going to be victory. And it can be and must be for everyone who desires to be with Christ. It must be personal.

Yes. And I think just recently my daughter had a dance instructor who had passed away, and we were talking about the loss of this person and how it affected everyone in the dance studio. And she said, I hope that that person knew Jesus and that they're in heaven now. And it was wonderful for me to think that one of her first reactions was, did that person know Jesus?

Because in the end, that's what matters the most. And if you're listening out there and you're uncertain about your eternity where you will spend your afterlife, let me encourage you. Jesus came to provide a way for you to have eternal life, but you must accept his free gift of salvation. Ephesians 2, 8, and 9 tells us it's a gift. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone.

You can do that today. And Alex, as we wrap up today, give us some closing thoughts and encouragements as we end our time together. You know, when I first became a believer at age 21, I began to hear a lot of songs that I didn't know before, the great hymns of the faith. And I love to take note of the words. And one of the songs that we sang in the church where I came to Christ was, Jesus saves, Jesus saves. We have heard the joyful sound, Jesus saves, and it talks about giving the winds a mighty voice and let the nations now rejoice, Jesus saves.

And so, it is a message. Friend, this is a reality worth being excited about, worth living for, and I will tell you, what we have in Jesus and telling the whole wide world and the fact that he's coming back, and we will see him one day. This is a passion that will wake you up in the morning, propel you through the day, put you peacefully to sleep at night, and get you up tomorrow to tell the world Jesus is coming, Jesus saves. It will be justice. It will be righteousness.

It will make all things new. And if you know Christ and those that you love know Him as well, it will be very personal and very victorious. So come to Christ who loves you so, and we will see Him, and we want you and in fact the whole wide world to be prepared. Truth for a New Generation, in association with Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, exists to equip Christians with a biblical world view through conferences and camps. For information about upcoming events, visit truthforanewgeneration.com or give us a call at 877-YES-GOD-1. That's 877-YES-GOD and the number 1. TNG radio is made possible by the friends of Alex McFarland Evangelistic Ministries, P.O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. That's P.O. Box 485, Pleasant Garden, North Carolina, 27313. Or give online at alexmcfarland.com or truthforanewgeneration.com. Thanks for listening and join us again next time as we bring you more truth for a new generation on TNG radio.