Are You Ready For The Trumpet To Sound?

ARE YOU READY FOR THE TRUMPET TO SOUND?

I Thess. 4:13-18

INTRODUCTION:

1.) Last week I looked with you at the question: “When will the Lord return?”

2.) I gave three answers to that question:

A.) N o one knows about the day or hour.

B.) The day of the Lord will come suddenly, and without immediate warning.

C.) We must be ready for the Day of the Lord.

3.) Today, I want to focus some more on the third answer I gave last week that we must be ready.

4.) Are you ready for the trumpet to sound?

I.THE SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPET PROCLAIMS THAT GOD IS IN CHARGE.

1.) There has never been a time when God did not have the control of this world.

A.) from the beginning of creation God has had supreme control and command of this world.

B.) It is amazing to look at the annals of history, and see how that God has worked through nations, and peoples totally

unaware of His existence, to accomplish his purposes.

C.) We can particularly see this through the coming of His son, Jesus the Christ.

2.) Since the fall of man, evil has prospered, and it seems that the world has only gotten worse.

A.) There have been many times in the history of the world that it has appeared that God was either absent, or not caring what happened on this planet. aa.) Yet God has revealed his control in the past when He destroyed the world of Noah’s day with a flood.

ab.) God showed that He was in control in the past when He brought fire and brimstone from heaven to destroy Sodom and Gomorroh.

B.) One of the great challenges must be for God to be completely in control, while allowing free-will, and the wickedness of man.

3.) There have been times it has appeared that Satan has been in charge of this world.

A.) Wickedness has always seemed to have an upper hand.

4.) The sounding of the trumpet proclaims the Supremacy of God Almighty.

A.) When the trumpet sounds all will bow before the presence of God, and all will forever know that God is in control

B.) Through the ages man has rejected God, scoffed at God, mocked, and ridiculed God.

C.) The sounding of the trumpet will put all in perspective, as to who is really in charge.

ca.) God Almighty, and his Christ will be shown to be the Supreme Rulers of all creation.

cb.) Phil. 2:9-11

D.) Though a terrifying sight that day all will bow before the presence of God and His Christ.

da.) The wicked will bow with the Righteous.

db.) The Faithful will bow with the faithless.

E.) The Christian, the Agnostic, the Atheist the young, the old, the rich, the poor, and every person who has ever lived will all bow before the presence of Jesus Christ, and God Almighty

F.) Before God's throne there will be no distinction, all will bow together to worship the One who is God Supreme.

II. THE SOUNDING OF THE TRUMPET DECLARES ETERNITY HAS BEGUN.

1.) There is a limited time for this world to endure.

A.) This world as we know it will not continue indefinitely.

aa.) God has already declared that this is the case.

aa-1.) 2 Pet. 3:10-12

B.) At the close of the Great Comission Jesus gave us His assurance that He would be with us always until the end of the age or time. (Matt. 28:20)

C.) In the parable of the Harvest, Jesus described the harvest as the “end of the age.” (Matt. 13:39)

D.) There are other passages we could look at, but these show that there will be a point when time will end, and eternity begin.

2.) God has scheduled a moment when time shall cease, and eternity begin.

– Acts 17:31

A.) The date when God's trumpet blast will begin eternity is known only to God.

aa.) Jesus said: “No man knows the day or the hour…”

B.) Many have speculated on it.

3.) When eternity begins, any unfinished plans for time will be forever done, and forever uncompleted.

A.) Every day we all make plans, and set dates on our calendars; we set goals for times and dates yet future.

B.) One day that trumpet will sound, or we will go to be with the Lord.

ba.) None of us know which will come first.

ba-1.) Will the trumpet sound and Christ return?,

ba-2.) Or will we go to the grave?

bb.) Either way, the plans we have made but have not completed will never be finished..

bb-1.) We might have scheduled car appointments, hair appointments, or plan to get groceries that day.

bb-2.) But when the trumpet sounds all plans of earth will be immediately finished and forgotten.