How To Be Ready For Christ’s Return

Sermon Notes May 21, 2011 FBCam

How To Be Ready for Christ’s Return

2 Peter 3:14-18

Today, we learned something that we knew as soon as Harold Camping’s prediction was made. Jesus was not returning on May 21, 2011. You don’t have to be a great Bible scholar to understand the words of Matthew 24:36 "“No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. "

But just in case you were hoping for the rapture last night, here are ten things that you will have to start doing again....

1. Go back on your diet!

2. Cut your grass

3. Pay the mortgage

4. Finish Monday’s homework assignment

5. Update your Facebook status

6. Change the oil in your car

7. Clean out your refrigerator

8. Visit your mother-in-law

9. Floss your teeth

10. GO BACK to CHURCH!

I suppose that it’s OK to have good laugh over the foolish prediction of a false prophet. But the damage done to the name of Christ is not so funny.

Will those who were deceived ever return to church?

The scoffing of many will grow louder.

I remember the 1988 prediction of the rapture, and then the 1994 prediction of the rapture. Outside of the church community, there was little attention paid to it. But this time, in spite of Harold Camping’s two failed predictions, the news media all around the world were very interested. I believe that it is because we are living in perilous times and that the nearness of Christ’s return is evident in the turmoil of our world.

NBC news posted a fairly good article on the rapture prediction titled, “Why We’re Enraptured by the Rapture,” By Alan Boyle.

http://cosmiclog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/05/20/6683707-why-were-enraptured-by-the-rapture#c54368294

In the article, Boyle interviewed Jerry Jenkins, who properly rejected those who predict the rapture. Boyle went on to write about a Staten Island retiree Robert Fitzpatrick, who spent tens of thousands of dollars of their own money to promote the Rapture.

I found the replies to this article most interested. Here are a few.

“God is imaginary. Primitive humans have dreamed up thousands of religions to help explain things they didn’t understand and to deal with their fear of death. There is no more a Christian god than there were Aztec gods, Roman gods, or Egyptian gods. All of them, equally imaginary.”

“It’s already May 21 in about half the world and they are doing just fine. Does the rapture not take time zones into account?”

I’m only happy the media are heaping so much attention on this rapture nonsense, so when May 21 comes and goes and NOTHING happens and the world just keeps on spinnin’, it will be another illustration of the irrational and baseless and harmful nature of religion/”

“I hope the "earthquake" swallows religion and removes it from the world. It’s pointless and unnecessary.”

And the scoffers begin again. But this is not new. Peter wrote about this 1900 years ago.

2 Peter 3:3–4 "First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. " "They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.” "

Contained within Peter’s second epistle are some of the strongest prophetic themes in the New Testament.

2 Peter 1:10–11 "Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. " "For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. "

2 Peter 1:14 "since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. "

2 Peter 1:16 "For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.

2 Peter 2:6 "if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;”

2 Peter 2:9 "then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,”

2 Peter 3:10–11 "But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. " "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives "