1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – It Seems It’s about Time – Bible study

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 It Seems Its about Time This text describes what is the most anticipated religious event in the worldthe coming of Jesus Christ for His people. Christians call that event the RAPTURE. The Bible tells us much about the rapture. 1Thessalonians 4 and 1Corinthians 15 actually break the return of Jesus down into individual steps for us, something like slow motion; so that we can see step by step what actually happens in the rapture. The book of Revelation, along with other passages in the Bible, tell us what will happen AFTER the rapture. In a short sentence, a period will occur on the earth called the tribulation in which God will judge the earth and all of its inhabitants. And various Bible passages give us some indicators of what will be happening before the rapture. Nothing exact. Nothing so specific that you could set a watch by, but general conditions that shall exist in the world when Jesus comes for His church. However, the question most often asked is, "When will Jesus come?" That is the question that most ask more than any otherand the Bible does not tell us. In fact, it tells us plainly that no man will ever know the exact time of Jesus return for the church. Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Let me repeat myself. No man will ever know the exact time of Jesus return. Unfortunately, that has not stopped a lot of people from picking a day. In 2011, Harold Camping and others spent millions of dollars picking not one but two dates, and being wrong on both. Several things made this event especially bad for those who preach the rapture of the church: 1. First, generally speaking, Harold Camping was one of us. While some of his doctrine was tainted, he was a Bible- believing, Bible preacher/teacher who believed in trusting Jesus by faith, andas far as I knowwas solid in many of his basic Bible doctrines. 2. Second, Harold Camping had both a network of radio stations and short-wave broadcasting towers so that he was able to broadcast across the entire globe. In fact, his network was and is likely the 2nd large radio ministry the world has ever known. All of this gave Bible-believing, Bible preaching believers, churches, and preachers a black eye that probably turned some away from the Bible and Bible preaching forever. For the third time, let me say that no man will ever know the exact time of Jesuss return. Even so, it seems its about time. Like Amos of the Old Testament, I am not a prophet nor the son of a prophet. God does not communicate with me through dreams, visions, or voices. I am not a seer. I have received nothing new from the Holy Ghost. Still, to me, it seems its about time for Jesus to return. I cannot say today or tomorrow or even this century. I am not a date setter. Yet, it seems its about time. This morning, and the Lord willing tonight, let me share with you some thoughts. Just two points. The first what the Bible says and the second what it seems like, at least to me. The first one is straight out of the Bible. I. The Bible teaches the imminent return of Jesus. A. The Bible says people will be carrying on with their lives and will not expect the return of Jesus. Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 38 For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 1. I studied over what Jesus said in Matthew about people eating and drinking and marry until the day of judgment for many years, not really understanding what He meant. 2. Like so many others, I looked at those three actions and wondered what could be so sinful about those that Jesus picked them. 3. Then, last year, I believe I have come to understand His statement. a. The understanding is not in the three actions but in the fact that people would keep doing what they had always done right up to the time Jesus returns. b. In other words, there is not going to be something so catastrophic to happen that the human race will have to stop the planet and get off. c. No doubt, some will wish they could; but none will. d. The world will keep on going, and so it has, even during its first world-wide lockdown. B. The Bible further says that some people wont see the event coming at all. They will be taken by total surprise. 1Thess 5:4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. C. Listen carefully: 1. The Bible does not teach us in anyway, that Jesus return will be soon. a. The Bible itself was completed some 1900 years ago. b. If the Bible writers said that Jesus return would be soon, then we would have to agree that the Bible was wrong, because no one can saywith an honest heart that 1900 years is SOON. c. We should never say that the Bible says Jesus is coming soon. (1) I know we sometimes say it that way, but that is not what the Bible says. (2) You can say what I am going to say this morning, I believe Jesus is coming soon; but if we say that the Bible says that Jesus is coming soon, we are asserting something that the Bible does not say. d. The Bible never said Jesus was coming soon. (1) Jesus said He would come quickly \#Rev 22:20\, as in suddenly, as in when He comes, everything will happen quickly. (2) But Jesus never said He was coming soon. 2. The Bible does teach that Jesus COULD come at any moment. a. That is what imminent means, that something could happen any moment. b There neither is nor has been anything to prevent Jesus from coming. (1) There is no prophecy that must be fulfilled. (2) There is no event that must happen. (3) He COULD come at any moment. D. However, the Bible also says that Christians should not be caught sleeping when Jesus returns. 1. That indicates that even though we will not know exactly when Jesus will come, we can know enough to keep our eyes open. 2. And it is those kind of hints or clues that I want to share with you today. II. But it seems its about time! A. Now we are leaving what the Bible clearly teaches and moving into what I am observing from the times we live in and the Word of God. 1. I cannot prove to you that its about time. 2. I can only say that it seems its about time. 3. I may be wrong. a. If I am alive in 100 years and Jesus has not returned, I will admit I was wrong in 2021. b. In fact, if I am alive in 50 years, I will admit I was wrong. 4. But I imagine that I will still be saying that it seems that its about time! B. Why I believe Its about time for Jesus return: 1. I believe its about time because Israel had a miraculous rebirth. a. \#Lu 21:29-32\. Luke 21:29 And he spake to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30 When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. b. It is my belief that the fig tree mentioned in this passage is the nation of Israel and that the budding of the fig tree, is the nation of Israel becoming a nation. (1) I cannot prove my belief that the fig tree is Israel or that its budding is Israel becoming a nation. (2) If I am wrong, it will not cause me any doctrinal heartache. I have been wrong before and I will be wrong again. (3) However, until I am proved wrong, I am going to believe these assumptions. c. And if you are willing to consider my assumption, consider this also. (1) One of the greatest modern-day miracles and proofs of the Bible occurred on May 14, 1948, when Israel became a nation. (2) Even before Israel declared itself a nation, both the United States and Great Britain had privately urged them not to do so. (3) The armies of the surrounding nations were already lined up to attack Israel the moment they made their declaration. (a) That would be the trained, experienced, and well-equipped armies of armies of Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/israel_and_the_1948_war.htm (b) No one gave Israel a chance! (4) But when the dust settled, Israel was not only still there, but they were victorious, having taken portions of their enemies lands! (5) This is referred to as Israels War of Independence. d. Alland I mean allwho know anything about that war call it a miracle. e. I say that that God put Israel back into their land because Jesus is coming back soon! (1) I cant prove it. (2) I might be wrong about it. (3) But I believe it. f. Notice what God says in \#32\. Luke 21:32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. (1) The Bible says that generation, the generation that was alive to see the fig tree bloom, will not pass away until all be fulfilled. (2) I believe that everything that God has promised about the future will be fulfilled before the generation that saw that event passes away. (3) If a child were born in 1948, the longest one might expect that child to live is 80 to 100 years. (4) So if Jesus has not returned by 2048, I will begin to doubt that this is a reference to Israel becoming a nation; but until then, I am going to believe that Jesus is coming back soon. 2. I believe its about time because of mans advancing technology. a. Because of mans technology for the whole world to view the same event in real time. Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified. 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations SHALL SEE their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. (1) Last night, the whole world could have watched life the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. (a) They would not even have to be sitting in front of a television to see it. (b) Most of the world could have watched it on their cell phone. (2) That technology was not around 100 years ago. (3) Some of it has not been around for 25 years! (4) You can think what you will, but I believe God is giving us the technology that we need to fulfill the Bibles prophecies because its about time! b. Because of mans technology to bring an image to life. Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. (1) A second beast had "the power to give life to the image of the beast." (2) With Artificial Intelligence, the human race now has the ability to make any imageof the coming beast or anything elsecome to life. (3) Already, automobiles are driving, robots are serving, drones are flying, rockets are launching, and missiles are striking without consulting their masters. (4) One of the aims of some in AI is to create an artificial human. The project is called artificialHuman. They call their creations Neons and if you time "artificial human" into your web browser you can see them, Most of them look like young adults, but they can be built to appear any age. They blink, smile, and even shift their weight around while standing still just like a human being would. I do not know what their abilities are intelligence is; but you can mark it down, technology is getting to building a being that will pass for a human! https://www.predictiveanalyticstoday.com/top-brain-inspired- artificial-intelligence-projects/ (5) However, with AI, a body is not necessary. (a) A video technology called Deepfake can produce a video image with an exact vocal reproduction of any real people. (b) Deepfakes began to pop-up on the internet a few years ago, showing prominent and powerful people saying whatever that the video creator wanted them to sayand it looked and sounded like the person they were created after. https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/10/18659432/deepfake-ai-fakes-tech- edit-video-by-typing-new-words (c) In 2019, long before I had heard of Deepfakes, a prominent CEO was duped into giving a scammer $243,000 by a Deepfake video. https://www.forbes.com/sites/jessedamiani/2019/09/03/a-voice- deepfake-was-used-to-scam-a-ceo-out-of-243000/?sh=6ebab82f2241 c. Because of mans technology for every individual to be tracked and forbidden access. Rev 13:16 And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: 17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. (1) With RFID technology or Radio Frequency IDentification, things and people can easily be tracked andif necessarygranted or denied access. (2) RFID has been used by vets to identify pets and by manufactures to protect their products for years. (3) Most of our credit cards can now be waved close to a scanner, and a person will be allowed or denied access to make a purchase. (4) A Wisconsin company, Three Square Market, became the first to implant their employees with RFID chips somewhere around 2017. (a) They did not require it, but they did offer it. (b) Those who accepted the companies invitation now only have to wave their hand in front of a scanner to be granted access to their assigned areas. d. Please understand that none of this technology is in itself bad. (1) Technology is just technology. (2) What will make it bad is that the devil and his anti-Christ will use it for their purposes; but it is quite likely that by the time they do, many companies and nations will have already started using it. (3) The fact that Three Square Markets installed the available technology doesnt mean they are a demonic company. (a) The Bible does not condemn everyone who has a RFID chip implanted into their hand to hell. i. It condemns those who take the Mark of the Beast to hell. ii. There is a difference; but maybe you are like me. iii. Personally, I am taking any mark or chip! (b) But the evil that is coming is not the fault of the technology. (b) Neither is the evil that is coming the fault of the companies that use the technology. (c) The evil that is coming is the fault of people being lost and wicked. 3. I believe its about time because of current events. a. I could be wrong. To be honest, I usually am. b. But in light of our advancing technology, consider recent events. Most of our nation and the world has now experienced a prolonged lockdown. This past week, I heard on the radio (secular not Christian) a personality say that it has already been agreed on by states with Democratic governors that they will lock down their states again, probably the 2nd week of August. Their reasoningor their excusewill be the increasing numbers for COVID. There is also increasing talk of every person having to have a travel pass. Other nations already have them. I have little doubt that will happen at some point and only slightly less doubt that this will eventually be done with a RFID card. Either way, this pass will allow or deny you access to stores to buy and sell and to work to earn money to provide for your family. (1) There are numerous locations that have required hospital workers to get the vaccine. https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/ 2021/06/21/hospitals-start-requiring-workers-to-get-covid-shots (2) It was reported this past week that both Disney and Walmart were requiring "some" workers to be vaccinated. https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/30/business/walmart-mask-policy-delta- covid/index.html (3) Might I point out that this kind of a mindset did not exist even 18 months ago! (4) Think what you will, but I believe it is coming to pass because it seems its about time! I am not finished, but I will stop. I have presented some of why it seems to me that its about time, but there is more. I will continue tonight; however, I hope I have said enough all ready to get you to consider the possibility. I cannot prove that Jesus return is soon, but I believe it is, and I want you to at least consider it. Consider it so that you will make a decision to do what Christ is telling you to do this morning. 1. Be saved. 2. Be baptized. 3. Join the church. 4. Tell others about Jesus. 5. Get involved in Gods ministry. Whatever it is, do it today because it seems its about time!