A Glorious Day

Welcome to Worship in the Word with Pastor Robert Morris. Today we're concluding our series, The End, What Happens Next?, where Pastor Robert has been answering common questions about death and eternity. In today's message, Pastor Robert shares 21 irrefutable facts about Jesus' second coming.

Well, let's listen in with him now. This is the end of our series and we've talked about a tough day, a tough message, some easy questions, a tough question. Today is a glorious day and I'm going to share with you about the second coming of Christ. This is actually the first time that I've preached on the second coming here at Gateway Church.

It's the first time, not because I don't believe in it, obviously, but because I just haven't felt led until this series. But there are some things about modern day teachings on the second coming that bother me. Our responses to those teachings and even some of the teachings really bother me. I think if we're not careful, you can get consumed with second coming teachings, the systematizing of prophetic charts. And I've seen many, many people get so consumed with this that they stop witnessing, stop serving, stop giving.

And that's to me exactly what the enemy would want. Or people hear a very popular, but actually a very new teaching, I'll share with you in a moment why I say that, about the second coming. And they become very lethargic or complacent and begin sitting around just waiting for the bus.

We're just waiting for the bus to come and get us out of here. I think both of those responses are inspired by the enemy who wants us to not do what Jesus told us to do until the second coming. So here's point one before we read Luke 19 here. Number one, do business till I come.

Do business till I come. Luke chapter 19 verse 11. It says, now as they heard these things, he spoke another parable because he was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.

Let me just make a comment. The reason he spoke what he's about to speak was because he was near Jerusalem. In other words, he's about to go to the cross. They're not going to understand it even though he's already explained it to them.

They didn't understand that at the time and because they thought the kingdom would appear immediately. What he's going to tell them is, listen, something's about to happen. You're not going to understand and then I'm going to go away and I will receive the kingdom my father has for me and then I'll come back.

Do you have a job to do before I come back? And look at the parable. The other thing I want you to notice about this parable is last week we talked about a believer's judgment and an unbeliever's judgment.

You will see a believer's judgment and an unbeliever's judgment in this parable, all right? Verse 12, therefore he said a certain noble man went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return. So he called 10 of his servants, servants would represent believers, delivered to them 10 minas. In other words, each got a mina.

A mina is about two and a half year's salary, all right? And said to them, do business till I come. But his citizens, now these would represent the unbelievers, the citizens. His citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him saying, we will not have this man to reign over us.

Notice again, it was their choice. And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first saying, Master, your mina has earned 10 minas. And he said to him, well done, good servant, because you are faithful and very little, have authority over 10 cities.

Notice responsibility even in heaven. The second came and said, Master, your mina has earned five minas. Likewise, he said to him, you also be over five cities. Then another came saying, Master, here is your mina, which I've kept put away in a handkerchief.

Or you could say, hid my light under a bushel basket, you could say. For I feared you because you are an austere man. You collect what you did not deposit, you reap what you did not sow. And he said to him, out of your own mouth, I will judge you, you wicked servant. Notice even servants are judged. You knew I was an austere man, collecting what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow. Why then did you not put my money in the bank that it might coming I might have collected it with interest? And he said to those who stood by, take the mina from him and give it to him who has 10 minas.

This goes along exactly what we said last week with losing rewards and gaining rewards. But they said to him, Master, he has 10 minas. For I say to you that to everyone who has will be given, and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. Now, that's the servants, now we're going to go back to the unbelievers. But bring here those enemies of mine who did not want me to reign over them or be lord in their lives and slay them before me.

Now, here he's talking and it's so, if you didn't hear last week, please, please get last week's message. Because that right there explained last week's message, that servants and unbelievers would be judged. But that it also tells us this, we have a job to do. We have a job to do while he's gone, do business till I come. This is what bothers me about much of the modern teaching on the second coming.

It tends to pull us away from the business at hand. We have a job to do and we've got to get back to witnessing, giving, serving, loving. And by the way, when I say giving, you have to understand that every time we give, we are sharing the gospel. Every time we give, we are sharing the gospel here with the local outreaches we do and overseas. Every time we give, every time we love, every time we serve, every time we witness or share the gospel, we're doing business until he comes. All right, so that's number one.

Here's number two. Don't get sidetracked. Don't get sidetracked. Now, go to Matthew 24. And I looked at several passages to use in Revelation, Thessalonians, several passages. And I thought about, you know, Matthew 24, Jesus probably talks more about the second coming, Jesus does, than any other one chapter that we have in red where Jesus is talking. And so I went over and read it and I saw two words that kind of excited me.

You remember the title of the series is The End. Well, I just want you to notice those two words in this passage and how many times they're in this passage, all right? Matthew 24, verse 3. It says, Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives, now remember where this teaching is from, you'll see that scripture about that later.

The disciples came to him privately saying, Tell us, when will these things be? Now watch this. And what will be the sign of your coming? The second coming. Now watch this.

And of, would you mind saying those two words, all the campuses? The end. I just want you to know Jesus confirmed the title of my series, I just want you to know that, all right? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age? And Jesus answered and said to them, Take heed that no one deceives you. Can I say that in other words? Don't get sidetracked.

Don't get sidetracked. For many will come in my name saying, I am the Christ. In one passage he says, I have found the Christ. Many will say that. And will deceive many. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled for all these things must come to pass.

But, say it, the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in various places.

All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you. And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake. And then many will be offended and will betray one another and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many.

And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures too shall be saved. And this gospel, watch this verse carefully, verse 14.

This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations. And then the end will come. He goes through all of these things.

And I don't know if you've ever really thought about everything he said there. Just about every generation has had those signs. Wars and rumors of wars and pestilences and famines and earthquakes. And he goes through all these. And many false prophets and many, many. And he says, but that's not the end. That's not the end. Let me tell you when the end is going to come. When this gospel is preached in the whole world. Then the end is going to come. So we have a job.

Most people don't realize is what our generation has done, generations of course have done. And what we do is we just sit around and we have this titillating conversation. And we talk about these exciting things. And it's just so much fun to dabble in the speculative word of prophecy rather than read the sure word of prophecy. And then we start arguing about it. Then we become divisive. It's amazing to me. Please hear what I'm trying to say. We don't base our theology on the perception of fulfilled prophecy about the second coming.

We base doctrine and theology on the Bible. And so much has been said. I'm just trying to show you. Well, this happened and this happened and that means.

That's what we say. And then you have to understand this has happened in every generation the last 150 years. And then that generation passes away.

For instance, in the 80s, a friend of mine told me the story of how one of his friends who was a theologian. Someone said to him, Pastor, you know that Greece has joined the common market now. And that makes 10 nations. And so that means that ancient Rome has been restored. And you know what that means. The 10 toes in Daniel are referring to ancient Rome, to the 10 nations being restored.

This is a very popular teaching. And so now they've been restored and the stone rose down the hill, crushes the stones. And that means that the toes and that means Jesus coming back. And you do know that since now Greece has joined the common market, prophecy has been fulfilled, Jesus can return now. And this theologian said, and not meaning to be offensive or hurt the person's feelings, but he said, well, you do know that Ireland is one of the 10 nations of the common market, but it was not one of the 10 nations of ancient Rome. You do know that, don't you? And the person, his face just fell because his neatly packaged theory was blown away. Just like that.

By the way, there are now 27 nations in the common market. All I'm saying is it continues to happen and here's what gets me. People get so excited about that instead of do business till I come. I'm just telling you that the enemy will do everything he can to keep us from doing the one thing that will bring the coming of the Lord and that's preach the gospel to the whole world.

That's what we should be focused on. So do business till I come, don't get sidetracked and number three is going to be a little different for us. But number three are the 21 irrefutable facts of the second coming.

So I'm actually going to now tell you 21 things and I can easily cover it in the short hour that we have left. Everyone ready? Here, take your hands like this. Go ahead, take your hands like this.

Buckle your seatbelt. All right. Number one, Jesus himself will come again. You know what? I know that we don't do this a lot. We're a little more dignified here, but say amen. Amen.

Jesus himself will come again. Amen. 1 Thessalonians 4 16, for the Lord himself, and I just love the word himself, will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God.

Here's number two. Jesus himself will receive us. Amen. John 14 3, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself that where I am, there you may be also. Number three, irrefutable fact of the second coming. We will meet him in the air.

Amen. 1 Thessalonians 4 17, then we who are alive and remain. Do you notice the word remain, by the way? That word remain is in this passage twice. The first time it says, then we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord. Personally, if I were going to write a footnote saying that we leave seven years before the coming of the Lord, I would not have written it on the footnote of the scripture that says we remain until the coming of the Lord.

Just my personal opinion, all right. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Number four, he will minister to those who are found watchful. Amen. I knew that amen would be a little less because you don't. What does that mean?

All right, let me tell you what it means. Luke 12 37, blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you, he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat and will come and serve them. Now, I want you to remember when Jesus comes back, then we have the marriage supper of the lamb, right? Remember the last supper, he said to them, I'm not going to eat of the bread or drink of the vine, the fruit of the vine, until we do it in the kingdom again, okay? He's referring to that, I believe. But do you remember what he did at the last supper?

This is amazing because it uses the same wording. It says at the last supper, it says, then Jesus girded himself, which means he pulled his robe up like this in the middle so that he could bend down and wash their feet. Now, I don't know if he's going to do this in heaven, but I don't understand why it said he had to gird himself, and it used the exact same wording it did in John 13. So we have something to look forward to, and here's what I mean by that, a personal encounter, every one of us, with the Lord Jesus Christ. All right, so now you can say amen, see? Number five, he will return to the earth. Say amen.

Amen. Acts 1-11, who also said, men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw him go into heaven. Number six, he will return to the Mount of Olives. Zechariah 14-4, and in that day, his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives.

Number seven, he will return in flaming fire. You don't have to say amen to all of them if you don't really feel it in your heart. 2 Thessalonians 1-7-8, and to give you who are troubled, rest.

Now you can say amen. With us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Number eight, he will come with power and great glory. Matthew 24-30, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Number nine, he will stand on the earth.

These are irrefutable facts of the second coming. Job 19-25, for I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last, he will stand upon the earth. Number 10, he will destroy the Antichrist.

Okay, we don't know who that is, but we all think we do, but let's just, okay, it's good. 2 Thessalonians 2-8, and then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the brightness of his coming. Number 11, he will sit on the throne of his glory. Matthew 25-31, when the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. Number 12, he will be given the throne of David. Luke 1-32, he will be great and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David. Number 13, he will be given the nations.

Psalm 2-8, ask of me and I will give you the nations for your inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. Number 14, he will gather all nations and judge them. Matthew 25-32, all the nations will be gathered before him and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Number 15, he will reign on the earth. Jeremiah 23-5, behold the days are coming, says the Lord, that I will raise to David a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. Number 16, he will be given the kingdoms of this world. Revelation 11-15, the kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall reign forever and ever. Number 17, he will be given dominion. Daniel 7-14, then to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom that all peoples, nations and languages should serve him.

His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away and his kingdom the one which shall not be destroyed. That's a good amen place right there. Number 18, all who are in the graves will hear his voice. John 5-20, that's good if you've lost loved ones. John 5-28, do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice. Number 19, every eye will see him. Revelation 1-7, behold his coming with the clouds and every eye will see him, even they who pierced him.

Number 20, every knee will bow. And I will get to the Philippians 2 passage in a moment. But let me read you, a lot of people don't realize this is, Philippians 2 is a quote from the Old Testament. Isaiah 45, 22 and 23, look to me and be saved, all you ends of the earth. For I am God and there is no other. I have sworn by myself the word has gone out of my mouth in righteousness and shall not return that to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall take an oath.

And then Philippians 2, 9-11, therefore God has highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name that hath the name of Jesus. Every knee should bow of things in heaven, things on earth and things under the earth and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Amen?

Amen. Now, that's 20 of them. I'm going to give you 21 and we'll make just a couple of comments about number 21 because this one might shock you, but it is an irrefutable fact of the second coming. Number 21, we can hasten the coming of the Lord. We can speed up the coming of the Lord.

2 Peter 3-12 says, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of our God. And you say, well, are you sure it means speed up? Well, let me just show you the Greek and I wanted to show it to you. The Greek definition of the word hastening, it's pronounced spudo.

I wanted you to know that there is no Greek word pronounced spido. And I want to state emphatically that the Bible does not support men wearing speedos. I don't care what you think you look like, you don't. It's not something that the rest of us want to see. Okay.

But let me tell you this. This Greek word is where we actually get our English word speed. This is where it comes from. Obviously, it goes from the Greek to the Latin to English. This is where we get, this is the word, this Greek word spudo is where we get the word speed from. And you can see because of the way it's spelled there, the S-P-E-U-D-O, but it's not pronounced speedo.

Okay. This is what the definition is, to cause something to happen soon, to hurry something up. And then when it has the quotation here, it is paraphrasing what we just read. It's putting the definition into the verse, making the day of God come soon or hurrying up the day of God. Hurrying up, speeding up the day of God.

Let me read it to you, this verse and a few other versions. The New Living Translation says, looking forward to the day of God and hurrying it along. The NIV says, look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. Today's English version says, do your best to make it come soon.

Isn't that good? Phillip says, working for the coming of that day and the New English Bible says, work to hasten it along. Now, let me just remind you, do business till I come. Do business till I come.

Well, Lord, when is your coming? Listen, don't get deceived. Don't get distracted.

Don't get sidetracked. All things are going to happen. You're going to hear about all sorts of stuff.

And basically, you're going to have people coming and telling you, well, this means this and this means this and this means this. But he said, I want to tell you the one sign of my coming you need to know. This gospel will be preached in the whole world and then the end will come. We want you to take a moment to think about what Pastor Robert shared today and listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. If you want to connect with us or check out some of Pastor Robert's other messages, visit pastorrobert.com. And if you haven't already, go follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter so we can be a part of your community. We hope you've enjoyed this incredible series. Next time, Pastor Robert will be sharing another powerful and inspirational message. Have a great week.