“Suddenly”
“Without Warning”
Text; Mark 13: 3-10; & 28-37 (v. 36)
1 Corinthians 15:51-52a
Introduction:
The year was 1963, the place, Dallas Texas. It was a hot and sunny day and thousands of people were gathered hoping to just get a glimpse of the President of the United States as he passed by, when all of a sudden a shot rang out, than another, and than another, and President Kennedy slumped over in his beautiful wife’s lap and was pronounce dead within an hour. Suddenly! Without warning.
The year was 2001, September 11 matter of fact. When four airplanes with destinations unknown, was suddenly hijacked. At the same time people was flooding into the Twin Towers of the World Trades Centers, going to work, just another ordinary fall day, no one expecting that anything could go wrong, no one expecting that this day could be the last day of their lives. The same holds true for the Pentagon, no one expecting to die, when all of a sudden these jet liners plunge into the Trade Centers and the Pentagon, causing over three thousand deaths. Suddenly! Without warning!
The year was 2004, December 26. The place is the tropical Islands surrounding the Indian Ocean, the sun shinning bright, people on the beaches having fun, people shopping the souvenir shops, many people working, playing, or doing just whatever they were doing. Suddenly, tidal waves 50 feet high or higher engulfed them. Nearly every building in it’s path tumbled, every life, human and animal in it’s path suddenly died.
The water went inland for miles and miles. To date; the last toll that I have is approximately 120,000 people have lost their lives, and it’s predicted that this many more will die from deceases. Suddenly! Without warning!
To many, the coming of the Lord is a confusing subject, and we have had two thousand years to study it. Can you imagine the questions the early believes must have had concerning the coming of the Lord. The early believers had a keen anticipation concerning the return of the Lord, they believed that He could come any moment, suddenly, without warning. Jesus Himself told them He was going away to build them mansions and that one day He would return to catch them away to be with Him for all eternity. They believed that He was coming at any moment, however; Something unexpected began to happen, People began to die.
Listen; I was thinking the other day; “This body that the Lord has given us was created in such a way that it should live forever, but we brought death into the world.” Death happens. The thing is, we don’t know when it is going to happen to us. A question about the righteous dead and their place in the plan of God came up to Paul in 1 Thessalonians Paul was asked; “Would they be lift out of the rapture, or would they be caught up?” The apostle Paul takes advantage of this opportunity to clear up their question, and at the same time it gives us that are alive today, a brief, but clear picture of what can be expected.
1). A Rapture:
Listen now; 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says; “ For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, and with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God…..”
There is no mistake about it, He is returning, He is coming back! The last picture the disciples had of Jesus was His triumphant ascension in the sky. With their eyes staring upward, and the mouths gapping open, they watch until Jesus was taken out of their sight.
Five hundred were there watching on that day. Jesus had just finished telling them to go back down into Jerusalem and tarry there until they filled with power from on high, He had just finished telling them teach and preach to all nations about repentance and the Kingdom of God. And now, He was starting to raise from their sight when all of a sudden the Bible says; “there stood by them two men dressed in white apparel which said; Ye men of Galilee, Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven.”
The angels in white gave the promise that Jesus would come again. Jesus Himself gave the promise that He would come again.
Throughout the entire Bible both Old and New Testaments prophecy after prophecy has been given that Jesus is going to come back to catch His bride off the face of the earth, And Yet men still turn a deaf ear to that gentle call upon their hearts. There is no question about it church, Jesus Is Coming! We look at the world and can’t help but see all the sin that is going on, and not only in the world, but in the church also. People are turning a deal ear to the call of Jesus to return to the Old paths and Old ways. Satan, the great deceiver is still roaming around seeking whom he can devour, He is still deceiving all he can and telling them they have plenty of time, there is too much fun in the world to wholly give your life to Jesus.
But you hear me; Without notice, Without Warning, SUDDENLY! Jesus could come, either by way of the rapture, or by way of death, and if He does; Are You Ready?
The thing is, when He comes, there will be no time to get ready, there will be no time to change, Your will be left behind!
2). Hard To Believe:
Many people find it hard to believe that Jesus is going to come. But the Bible speaks of this day, 2 Peter 3 states; “ …..there shall come in the last days scoffers walking after their own lust. Saying; Where is the promise of His coming? For since the Fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.”
Than Timothy said in 1 Timothy 4:1-2 this; “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron.” Then he goes on in 2 Timothy 3 to say; “This know also that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but the denying the power thereof.”
The Bible is plain, we’re living in the last days the Lord was talking about. People make fun of us because we believe that Jesus is coming back, they ridicule us, they try to impose their own believes on us, and are asking where is the promise?
Listen, in our text, Mark 13, it talks about wars and rumor of wars, it talks about nation and kingdoms rising against each other, it talks about earthquakes in different places, and famines and troubles, and says that these are the beginnings of sorrows. The Bible says in 2 Peter 5:8; “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion walketh about seeking who he may devour.”
Satan is still walking around seeking anyone who will allow him to come in an sup with them, and you may think, it’s alright, I can handle it, but you can’t. Suddenly, Jesus could come, or suddenly you could be in a car wreck, or have a heart attack and die, or whatever, and you would go into eternity. Suddenly! Without warning!
3). Good News!
Here me now as I’m closing, I have good news. There is still time. You still have time to make things right between you and the Lord. You still have time to confess your sins before the Lord. The Bible says in 2 Chron. 7:14; “If my people which are called by My name shall humble themselves and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sins, and will heal their land.”
People don’t like it when you tell them to turn from their wicked ways, but the fact is; we all do things stupid, we all make mistakes, we all stumble and fall from time to time. But we have to be like David, we have to keep coming back and facing up to the things we do and ask forgiveness.
The Bible states this fact in 1 John 1:9; “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
How about that? God knows that we are not perfect and we do dumb things, but when we do the Lord is faithful to forgive us if we ask.
Prayer!
