The Believer's Imperative Reaction To Christ's Imminant Return Series

Dr. Bradford Reaves

Crossway Christian Fellowship

Hagerstown, MD

www.mycrossway.org

A couple of Wednesdays ago during our Bible study, we came to the concluding verses in our study of the Book of Revelation. Over the last two years, a group of us have committed to a continual examination of this portion of Scripture. Revelation is the only book in the Bible with a promise of blessing for those who read and study its words (Revelation 1:3, 22:7). And so we sat down and endeavored to study this Book the way that God wrote it. Revelation is not a series of allegories, it is not fantastical mysteries, it is not fiction; it is prophecy. It was written literally and it can be understood with plain simple literal interpretation. “The plain sense makes sense, and therefore any other sense is nonsense.”

The Book of Revelation is a book wrought with Old Testament references. So to understand Revelation you must understand the Old Testament because the Bible is a harmonious book from beginning to end. Therefore, we covered this book in great detail and referenced an endless number of Old Testament passages that were pointing forward to what John saw in Revelation. And what John saw in Revelation is not unique to the 66 books of the Bible. On the contrary, it is a culmination of everything that the Bible has already said. The Bible is nearly one-third prophetic in nature and everything the Bible has said would come to pass, did come to pass. And everything the Bible says will come to pass - will come to pass.

Whenever God said something was going to happen, It happened. He spoke the world into existence and it was so. He warned that there was going to be a flood and it was so. He told the Jews that they would go into exile if they did not follow his word and they did. He said that his Messiah was going to come and he did. He said Jesus would accomplish certain things and pay for man’s sins, and he did. He said that Israel will be reborn as a nation and it was so.

So it stands to reason if God had said things were going to happen and they did in fact happen, then we can be assured that when he says things are going to happen, they will. What you are witnessing in our world today, the world's geo-political climate, wars, natural disasters, the apostate church, the influx of pervasive evil, and the tearing down of the family, is all pointing us to a time that is imminently upon us. And so as I am concluding our study in revelation this upcoming Wednesday I thought it was imperative that I bring this message to the church on Sunday.

A couple of weeks ago I spoke from this very passage and caught on the doctrine of the imminent return of Christ. That study was the theological context of Christ’s return. This morning we are going to take a break from our study on the sermon on the mount and I want to speak to you today, on the believer's imperative reaction to price imminent return. Let me read that passage to you:

And he said to me, “These words are faithful and true”; and the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent His angel to show to His slaves the things which must soon take place. 7 “And behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.” 8 I, John, am the one who was hearing and seeing these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he said to me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers the prophets and with those who keep the words of this book. Worship God!” 10 And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near. 11 “Let the one who does unrighteousness, still do unrighteousness; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still do righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy.” 12 “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to his work. (Revelation 22:6–12 LSB)

The Bible uses many words to describe the last days immediately before the return of Christ. It describes these days as perilous, unbridled evil, divisive, political upheaval, aggressive opposition to Israel, a loss of morality, people following after the doctrine of demons, natural disasters, and environmental shifts, and so on. But perhaps the most perpetual description of these days that we are living in today is deceptive.