By Chuck Williams
Interim Pastor, First Baptist Church, Milan
Focal Passage: Matthew 24:23-31
Very few things in history have been on a national level known by the world — 9/11/01, the eruption of the Mount St. Helens volcano in 1980, the surprise election of President Trump in 2016.
There is only one event in human history where everyone was aware of it — the Noahic flood. Where the “fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened” (Genesis 7:11b). These forces produced tsunamis of epic proportions, and everyone was well aware of it. There is coming another epic event on God’s prophetic calendar that every person will be made well aware of — the return of Christ to the earth. What events will unfold?
Chuck Williams
False prophets and false messiahs (Matthew 24:23-25). For the past 2,000 years there have been plenty of pseudo Saviors who have led gullible people down Deception Drive. They have been crafty with their words (Joseph Smith of the Mormons), slick with their message (Mary Baker Eddy of Christian Science) and fake with their prophecies (Marshall Applewhite of Heaven’s Gate cult in 1980 who led 39 people to commit suicide saying he had received a message from the Hale-Bopp Comet).
Jesus warned by saying “I have told you up front. Ignore this to your own peril.” Even the elect is to be on guard. Where will Jesus be? He will not be in a storehouse, an ivory tower of academia, or in an episode of “Stranger Things” on Netflix.
Creation information. The skies, sun, moon, stars, clouds, thunder, lightning, will be involved in His return. Lightening comes across the sky and shocks everyone who sees and the rumble of thunder awakens everyone who hears.
His coming will be public, global and sudden. Everyone will see Him and there will be no need for satellites to broadcast the event. No one will miss knowing and seeing what is happening. Revelation 1:7 say, “every eye shall see Him!” The darkened skies, sun, moon, earth will bring about true “climate change.” This will reflect the darkening of men’s hearts towards our Savior.
The great announcement (Matthew 24:30-31). What will be the sign of the Son of Man? He will come in a light the world has never seen — a light from another world, place and time. It will be His “Shekinah Glory,” as was revealed in Matthew 17 where it states “His face shone like the sun.”
Not only will they see Him, but they will know who He is. His great power and glory will bear down upon their hearts, and they will weep and wail because they hardened their heart, seared their conscience and followed doctrines of demons.
This will cause fear, terror and panic on a global scale, but the good news is God always takes care of His people. An angel with a trumpet and a loud voice and the four winds will gather the elect (the saved Jews and Gentiles) and protect them.
Demons and the deceived will be grinding their teeth in horror, but the saints in Heaven, and those on the earth will be shouting “HALLELUJAH!”
Surely this cannot be very far away. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus. B&R
