Get Ready to Go - 1 Thessalonians 4:17

1 Thessalonians 4:17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. (NIV)

            It’s called ‘The Rapture,’ and is one of the greatest mysteries in the Bible. The apostle Paul describes it as an amazing moment at the end of time when Christ suddenly returns to our planet. After initially raising the faithful dead, Jesus will then transport all of His living followers to be with Him above the Earth, just before all sorts of calamities and judgments take place. We don’t know how or exactly when it will happen, but everything – absolutely everything – will be changed in a microsecond. One moment, the Earth and its inhabitants will be what they always appear to be and then, in the blink of an eye, the world and everyone in it will be changed forever. There will be no point in praying or appealing to God for mercy after that dread moment; we will either be with Jesus above the Earth or we will be stranded on our planet awaiting the Final Judgment.

            Frequently, the Rapture is something that unnerves, scares, and confuses a lot of church people. Mainline pastors don’t preach on it very often because it creates a lot of discomfort and unease in the hearts and minds of congregants. We all just want to get on with our lives, be happy, and, at the end of our time on Earth, be accepted and welcomed into God’s eternal bliss. However, as each day passes, we get one day nearer to Christ’s sudden return. He could come back today, so the question we need – absolutely need – to ask ourselves is this: at that astounding moment, will I be taken up into the clouds to be with Christ or left on Earth to await His judgment?

Point to ponder

Am I ready for Christ’s sudden return? What needs to change in my life in order for me to be prepared?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we carelessly live our lives as if they go on forever. We take Your mercy and grace for granted, believing we can live how we want and do what we want. You know that there are things in our lives which need to be changed. You know there are promises we have made to You which we have broken or failed to keep. Help us, Lord, to mend those failures and enable us to become ready for Your Return. In Your Holy Name, we humbly pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. Come and along and join us for worship on Sundays at 11:00 AM. You’ll be made most welcome 😊

Today’s image is one of John’s Communion drawings called “Time Stood Still.” If you would like to view a larger version, please click this link: Time.

Bible Devotions: Expecting the Unexpected - Revelation 8:5

Revelation 8:5             Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

This week’s earthquake in Virginia took a lot of people by surprise. People felt high buildings shake and thought it was another terrorist attack. The Washington Monument cracked and was shut down. The National Cathedral in DC suffered millions of dollars of damage. It was completely unexpected and lots of people were left frightened and stunned.

Records, however, show that earthquakes have taken in this region before. In fact, if you look at a map and check out the North Eastern seaboard terrain, you soon realize that earthquakes have been happening in this region for millions of years. Everyone was caught by surprise this week because of a false notion that large earthquakes take place on the West Coast and not the Eastern Seaboard. We have fooled ourselves into believing that the whole region was off limits to substantial seismological activity.

We are good at deluding ourselves biblically too. Take some of the passages in Revelation. We hardly ever think about them and cast them aside as ancient mythology. We reckon that it’s been almost 2000 years since the apocalyptic prophecies were written, so why do we need to bother about them now?

However, we also casually forget that we are almost 2000 years nearer to the day when these events will occur. Just like the “unexpected” earthquake in Virginia, the Lord will return one day and angels will hurl hail and fire which will burn up a third of the Earth. Will we look at one another in deep shock and surprise if it happens in our lifetime? Will we sadly remember that this “unexpected” return was not so unexpected after all? Will we continually live our lives as if these cataclysmic events will happen only after we’re dead and gone?

If we honestly think about it, everyday has the potential of being our last day on Earth. The serious question that we need to ask ourselves is this: will it also be our first day in Christ’s Everlasting Kingdom? The gift of free will still applies, so the choice of where we end up eternally is still ours to make on this side of Life.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, prevent us from fooling ourselves about Your Second Coming. Keep us aware and alert to the signs of the times and the Biblical warnings that You have given to us. Help us to stay focused on our faith in You and enable to attract our loved ones to You before it is too late. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message or ask questions, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s image John’s simple stained glass design of Christ’s Return. It’s called “A New Earth.” If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click on the following link: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3084/2432537217_e82364bff8_b.jpg

Devotions - A Time to Mourn - Revelation 1:7

Revelation 1:7            Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be! Amen. 

One day, perhaps even today, Jesus will return. That’s what we proclaim each week in church when we repeat the Apostles’ Creed and say, “He will come to judge the quick and the dead.” It’s also what we declare when we celebrate Communion and talk about the Heavenly Feast to come. The sad thing is that most Christians say they believe this, but live like it’s never going to happen. In fact, most people think that there’s more of a chance of an almighty meteor hitting the Earth, as opposed to believing that Jesus will actually return in their lifetime.

Among all of the things that ministers and pastors do, the most important task that they are given is to help people prepare for Christ’s Return, or for that serious eternal moment when they come face-to-face with Him after Death. There is no greater ministry than this, but sadly more pastors and their churches are getting so caught up with the world’s issues, that this eternal, consequential, and momentous task of ministry is being neglected and discarded. People in the pews are being left with no idea about how to live as true Christians awaiting the return of their Lord. Instead, they are being fed delusions and lies which will one dreadful day place them on the edge of the Abyss and prevent them from entering into God’s blissful kingdom.

I’ve been a pastor for over 25 years and throughout that time I’ve seen the Church diminish because it is more interested in being acceptable to the world, rather than remaining faithful to God. I’ve seen society dabble dangerously with a brazen immorality which will condemn billions of people to hell. The Church has forgotten its unquestionable loyalty to Christ, and has foolishly pandered to post-modern culture. Only revival will save the Church from itself. Only a contrite return to Christ and a culture of repentance will save our civilization.

What I’m writing used to be called basic Christianity, but in a culture that is so in love with itself, this kind of doomsday message is unpopular, unpalatable, and unhappy to many. However, that’s why John the Apostle wrote that all the people of earth would mourn at Christ’s Return. When Jesus re-appears, our worldly ways are terminated. When Christ comes back, it will truly be for Judgment Day first before everlasting joy is experienced.

So, the challenge for all of us today (and everyday) is this: are we ready to receive Christ on His Return and on God’s terms, or will we mourn with the rest of the world?

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, help us and all of our loved ones to get our hearts, minds, souls, and lives ready for Your Imminent Return. Keep us from being distracted by the world, or being so influenced by its wiles that we lose our salvation. Remind us every day that being accepted by You is not the same as being acceptable to the world. In Your Holy Name, we sincerely pray. Amen.

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you have any questions or would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Free Bible Devotions: Countdown - James 5:8

James 5:8       You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near. 

Sometimes I wonder what James might have written if he had known that after almost 2000 years, we’re still waiting for the Lord to return? Would he have changed the urgency of his message? Would he have not mentioned it? Or would he have not bothered to write anything at all?

It’s a dilemma that Christians in the 21^st century of our faith have to wrestle with. It’s a question that makes some church people uneasy, because of the apparent delay. Surely God would have allowed Christ to return before now, so what’s keeping Him from ending Time? Is there still something that needs to be done? Are there still people and places on this planet that need to be saved?

Maybe we’re thinking in temporal terms instead of eternal ones. Years, centuries, and millennia may have passed since Christ was born into the world, but that’s not even the blink of an eye in eternal terms. Millions and billions of years may pass before Christ returns; humanity may colonize the Solar System and travel to other galaxies before Jesus makes His long heralded appearance, but in the eternal scheme of things that would not even be a blip on the cosmic screen. After all, if Eternity is eternal, then millions of billions of zillions of years could pass by and there would still be an infinite amount of years to be with God. I think this is summed up best in the old hymn ‘Amazing Grace:’

When we’ve been there ten thousand years,

Bright shining as the sun

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise

Than when we’d first begun.

So, is the Lord’s Return near? Well, it’s certainly two thousand years nearer than when James wrote his letter. It will also take place for each one of us the second after we die, so I guess it’s only a lifetime away for all of us. In that sense then, James’ words are highly relevant to every individual on this planet who lives today. Within 120 years, we will all be dead, so for this current generation of people, including the babies who have just been born as we are actually reading this, the countdown to Christ’s Return has already begun.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, whether Your Return to Earth is five seconds away or five million years from now, the truth of the matter is this: we need to be ready. We will either fall at Your feet on Earth in our lifetime, or we will come face-to-face with You the split-second after we die. Help us to be patient and to carefully prepare our hearts and minds, bodies and souls for that sacred moment in Time or in Eternity. In Your Holy Name, we expectantly wait and patiently pray. Amen.

John Stuart is currently the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment or ask questions of today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Today’s drawing is one of John’s digital glass pictures of Christ’s Ascension into Heaven. It’s a simple drawing, essentially depicted to help children imagine the process. If you would like to view a larger version of the drawing, please click the following link:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3550/3551992426_68ddc730b0_b.jpg