PEARLS OF PAUL
END OF DAYS
DR. JIM DIXON
2 THESSALONIANS 2:1-10
DECEMBER 12, 1999
In the year 1787, Edward Gibbon, the British historian, completed his 6-volume masterpiece entitled “The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire.” Gibbon argued that Rome fell for five reasons. First, the rise of divorce and the breakdown of the family; second, ever increasing taxation and the use of public funds for free bread; third, the increasing focus of the Roman population on entertainment—sports were becoming more exciting and more violent with every passing year; fourth, the focus of the Roman government upon the buildup of artillery, thinking that their enemy was external when their true enemy was the moral rot that was within; fifth, the breakdown of Roman religious structures.
Today, some historians agree with Gibbon’s assessment. Some do not. But, of course, there is no denying that the Roman Empire fell. The Western Roman Empire, centered in Rome, fell in 476 AD when Germanic tribes conquered Romulus Augustulus, the last Emperor of the Western Empire. Of course, the Eastern Empire, centered in Constantinople, ultimately became the Byzantine Empire, and the Byzantine Empire continued in some form until 1453 when it was conquered by the Ottoman Turks.
But history tells us that all kingdoms eventually fail. History tells us that all empires eventually come to an end. History tells us that all nations eventually cease. Indeed, the Bible tells us that one day history itself will come to an end. History itself will experience a consummation. History itself will experience the end of days, what the Bible calls “the last times,” the Greek word “eschaton.” Eschatology is that branch of theology which studies the end of history, the consummation, the last days.
As we approach Christmas and the New Millennium, I want us to focus this Sunday and next Sunday on this subject. I do not believe that January 1 will begin the end of days, but I acknowledge that this subject is very much on the minds of many Christians. We are going to focus on 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, one of the most fascinating eschatological passages in the whole of the Bible. In this passage, there are six subjects, and I want to deal with three of them this morning and then three next Sunday.’
The first is the second coming of Jesus Christ. In 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse one, Paul writes, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ…” Now, Paul is not here referring to the first coming, the first advent. He’s not referring to Bethlehem. He’s not referring to Christmas. He’s referring to the second coming of Christ, the second advent. The Greek word for coming is the word “parousia.” This word normally refers to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as it does in this passage. Jesus Christ will come again.
He will come for judgement. The second coming of Christ is all about judgement. He will judge the world. In Revelation, chapter 22, Jesus Christ is quoted, “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense to repay each one for what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” In Matthew 25, in the Olivet Discourse, Jesus Christ describes His second coming. He tells us He will descend from heaven with all of His angels and He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him shall be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from the other as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. You see, it’s all about judgement. In Revelation, chapter 1, the Bible says, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds. Every eye will see Him.” The Bible says, “All the nations of the earth will cry out on account of Him.”
Many of you have heard of a pareidolia, visual coincidences perceived in rock formations or clouds or other natural phenomena. The visual coincidence may be a face or a figure. Christ is often the subject of pareidolia. People see the face of Christ in rock formations. People see the face of Christ in clouds. Those are pareidolia. But in the second coming, Christ will literally be in the clouds. It will not be a pareidolia. He will literally descend from heaven, and He will be seen by everyone in the world. Whether everyone is given a common vision or whether it’s on CNN, we do not know, but everyone will see Him when He comes again. He will come for judgement.
The city of Messina is in on the Italian island of Sicily. Archeologists and historians tell us that the city of Messina is 2,700 years old. Early in this century, early in the 20th century, the city of Messina was known for its decadence. It was known for the debauched lifestyles of its people. Prior to Christmas, in the year 1908, the citizens of Messina passed resolutions defying the church, defying Christ, defying Christian morality. On Christmas Day, December 25, 1908, the magazine of Messina called “El Telephono” came out with a parody of Christmas, mocking Christ, mocking Christianity and challenging God, if there is a God, to destroy the city of Messina by an earthquake. This is all part of the historical record. It is fact. It is also a fact that three days later, on December 28, 1908, a massive earthquake struck the city of Messina, Italy, leveling the city. Eighty-four thousand people died.
You see, sometimes the cup of iniquity is full, and the wrath of God is poured out. Now, that is rare in this age of the world. Today is the day of salvation. It is rare for God to vent judgement upon the earth today. It’s rare, but one day judgement is coming. Jesus Christ will come again, and He will judge the nations. Indeed, He will judge the living and the dead. Jesus said, “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgement to the Son, that all might honor the Son in the same way as they honor the Father.” You can be ready for the second coming of Jesus Christ by accepting Christ as your Lord and your Savior.
If you are familiar at all with pioneer history, you know that in middle America, nothing was more feared that a prairie fire. Prairie fires moved rapidly across the plains, burning the grass. It was impossible for pioneers to outrun a prairie fire even on horseback. You just couldn’t do it. So, what did the pioneers do when prairie fires began to sweep across the fields? What they did was they burned a section of land right around them in a controlled fire. They burned a designated area. Having burned it, they then stepped into it. Then when the prairie fire came sweeping by, they knew they were safe. They knew they were safe because they were standing on ground that had already been burned. It could not be twice burned, and the prairie fire would just go on by.
When the second coming comes, when Jesus comes again, you need to be certain you’re standing on the ground of the cross. You need to be certain you’re standing on Golgotha, standing on Calvary, because the judgement of God has already occurred there. When Jesus died on the cross and He became sin for us and all of our sin was poured out upon Him, the wrath of God came. He was our propitiation. If you stand on that ground, you’ll be safe at the second coming. Stand at the cross. So, the second coming of Christ has to do with judgement.
There’s a second subject that Paul deals with in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, and that is the rapture. Paul says in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 1, “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet Him…” our assembling to meet Him is the rapture, from the Latin word “rapturo,” which is found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 4, where Paul writes, “We would not have you ignorant, brothers and sisters, concerning those who have fallen asleep, that you do not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God, through Jesus, will take with Him those who have fallen asleep. For we declare to you, by the word of God, that we who are alive, who are left until His coming, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the Archangel’s call, with the sound of the trumpet of God. Even the dead in Christ will rise. Then we who are alive, who are left until His coming, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and we shall always be with the Lord.”
The words in the Greek that are translated “caught up” are the equivalent of the Latin “rapturo” for rapture. So the rapture has to do with the catching up of the church in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. The church will one day be raptured. The church will be raptured.
There’s a great debate today as to when. When will the church be raptured? There are those who believe the church will be raptured prior to the final time of tribulation and that Christians will escape the final time of tribulation on the earth through rapture. Those who believe this are called premillennial pretribulationists. Now, others believe the rapture will take place after the tribulation, and they believe the rapture is simultaneous with the second coming of Christ. When He comes for judgement, He will also come to receive His people, and those who believe that the rapture is simultaneous with the second coming and follows the tribulation, those who believe this are called either amillennialists or premillennial posttribulationists.
Of course, in America, most evangelical Christians tend to be premillennial pretribulationists. That’s why that book series “Left Behind,” which you can get at the Inklings Bookstore, is so popular today. Most Christians tend to be premillennial pretribulationists, and they think we’re going to escape the final time of tribulation. We can all hope they’re right. That would be wonderful, but you also need to understand that amongst Bible scholars, even amongst evangelical Bible scholars, far more prevalent is the amillennial view or the premillennial posttribulationist view. Most Bible scholars believe the rapture of the church will take place simultaneously with the second coming of Christ. He will come to judge the world and receive His people in one event.
But the point is we’re going to be raptured. The church of Jesus Christ is going to be raptured. When that takes place, we’re all going to receive our resurrection bodies. That’s what the Bible says. You see, Christians who have died in generations past, their bodies have returned to the earth, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. The Bible tells us that their soul and their spirit has left that body and gone into the presence of the Lord. Christians who have died in generations past are with the Lord, but they have not yet received their resurrection bodies. Their soul and spirit have gone to be with the Lord, and they’ve left their physical bodies behind.
2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, tells us that all Christians will receive their resurrection body at the same time. You’ll get your resurrection body at the same time as the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Peter. All Christians get their resurrection body at the rapture. The dead in Christ will rise. Then we who are alive, who are left until His coming, will be gathered together or caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. We all receive our resurrection bodies at that time. That’s why in 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, the Apostle Paul writes, “Behold, I unfold a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye. We will all be changed.” Of course, that verse, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” is oftentimes posted in nurseries in churches. “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.”
But the reality is we’re going to be transformed and given new resurrection bodies. They will be heavenly, “epuranoi,” which means “fit for the heavens.” They will be indestructible, “aptharzia,” which means “no longer subject to decay.” They will be powerful, the Greek word “dunamis,” from which we get the word “dynamite.” They will be spiritual bodies, “pneumatikos,” which means “governed by the spirit,” not by the flesh. They will be “doxa,” glorious, worthy of praise.
I’m reminded of the old joke of the farmer who, years ago, was visiting the big city. He came with his wife and his son. This was when elevators were very new. This farmer had never seen an elevator. He went into this big department store, and he saw the elevator. He saw it open up and an elderly overweight woman get into the elevator. He watched the doors close and the lights kind of move on top. He kept looking at it. Finally, the doors reopened, and a beautiful young woman walked out. He said, “Son, go get your mom. We’re going to run her through that thing.” Now, that’s what’s going to happen at the rapture. You’re going to look different. We’re all going to be young again, “like the freshness of the morning dew” the Bible says, “your youth will return to you.” That’s going to be wonderful at the rapture.
Of course, there is an old story of a woman who way dying. She had been diagnosed with terminal cancer. She was told that she had three months to live. She had time to get everything in order before she passed. So, she called the pastor at her church and she arranged for her funeral. She told the pastor the songs that she wanted to have sung. She explained to the pastor the scriptures that she wanted to have read. She told the pastor about the outfit that she wanted to be buried in. She said she wanted to be buried with her favorite Bible. The pastor listened to all this. He said that that would be great. As the pastor was leaving, she said one more thing. She said, “I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand.” The pastor said, “You wanted to be buried with a fork in your right hand? Why is that?” She said, “Well, you know how it is when you’re at a dinner party or some special dinner and you’ve had your main dish. They come out and say, ‘Keep your fork.’ You know that the best is yet to come. It might be deep dish apple pie, something wonderful. The best is yet to come. I want to be buried with a fork in my right hand because I believe the best is yet to come.”
Well, isn’t that true? The best is yet to come. “Our commonwealth is in heaven. From it, we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly bodies to be like His glorious body by the power which enables Him to subject all things unto Himself.”
So, the second coming of Christ and the rapture. The third concept in this passage is the day of the Lord. 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 2: “Let no one deceive you in any way, thinking the day of the Lord is already nigh.” This phrase, “the day of the Lord,” in the Bible generally refers to all of the things related to the last days. It refers to the second coming of Christ. It refers to the rapture. It refers to the seven years of tribulation and the final judgement. It’s all part of the day of the Lord. The message of the Bible with regard to the day of the Lord is “be prepared.” That’s the message to Christians with regard to the day of the Lord. Be prepared.
The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, “As for the times and seasons, you have no need to have anything written to you for you yourselves know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. When people say there is peace and security, then sudden destruction will come upon them as travail comes upon a woman with child. There shall be no escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers and sisters, for that day will surprise you like a thief, for you are all sons of the day and sons of the light. You are not of the night or of the darkness. Since, therefore, we belong to the day, let us be awake and keep sober.”
Now, the two phrases, “be awake” and “keep sober,” are two Greek words: “Gregorio and nepho.” These words, gregorio and nepho, communicate the concept of preparedness, readiness. That’s really what the Bible tells us with regard to the day of the Lord. Be prepared. Be ready. Christians should be prepared. Christians should be ready.
We get ready every day, don’t we? I mean, we get ready physically to face each day. Each morning I get up and I get ready to face the day. I have to say, as I get older, particularly, sometimes it just seems like a hassle—getting ready, I mean. The alarm goes off. I never get up naturally because I’m not a morning person. It’s the alarm that wakes me up each morning. I usually am just groggy. I roll over and maybe hit the snooze button and get a little extra time. Finally, I get out of bed and I kind of creak my way into where the shower is. I usually look in the mirror. I can’t believe what a mess I see. My hair, when I wake up, literally looks like I’ve been sleeping all night with my finger in an electrical outlet.
I get in the shower. We have one of those energy efficient showers, which means you don’t get enough water and you’re not very warm. I use shampoo and then I use conditioner because my hair is a mess. It needs all the help it can get. I use the soap and all. Then when I’m finished, I have to squeegee the shower. You know, it’s one of those glass showers. You know how you have to squeegee the rubber deal. Of course, you’re freezing while you do that. Then when I’m finished with that, I head over to the sink, I shave. I never like to use an electric because I can’t get a close shave, so I’ve always used a blade. First you wet your face again and then you put on the shaving cream, you start to shave. Usually, I’d say, every other day I nick myself and put a little Kleenex there.
Then I brush my teeth, I floss, and then I get out the hair dryer and I dry my hair. Then after I comb my hair, I spray it so I can get that helmet deal going. Then, of course, you’ve got to go get dressed and that’s not easy because you don’t know what to wear, and it’s all a hassle. I mean, haven’t you had times where you just kind of, at least for a little while, wanted to be a bum? You can kind of understand how a person would just kind of like to roll out of bed and put on, maybe, some older clothes and maybe let the hair grow and just put a hat on or something. You could look like at least a semi-bum. I think most of you can understand, but why do we get ready in the morning? Why do I go through that? Because I want to be ready physically for the day. I want to be ready physically to face the day.
What are you doing spiritually? What are you doing spiritually to prepare for each day? What do you do? Are you getting alone with Christ? Are you seeking intimacy with Him and closeness and fellowship every day? I tell you, if you prepare for each individual day spiritually, you’ll be ready for THE day. It’s as simple as that. If you get ready for each individual day, you’ll be ready for THE day when it comes.
In Luke, chapter 9 and 10, we read about Jesus traveling south. From Galilee, He comes into Samaria. It’s barren and it’s parched and it’s not very pretty through Samaria. He finds rejection there. One village won’t even let Him enter the city. Rejection. James and John, the Sons of Thunder, are with Him. Boanerges, Sons of Thunder. They say, “Lord, let’s just call down fire from heaven and destroy that city.” Great idea. Jesus has to rebuke them because they have not learned love. He continues south. The Bible tells us “He sets His face towards Jerusalem.” When He arrives in Judea and He’s drawing near to Jerusalem, it’s autumn. It’s beginning to get cold. Leaves are on the ground. The wind is probably blowing, and the leaves are swirling into little drifts. There’s a hint of winter in the air, and Jesus knows it’s going to be His last winter. In six months, He’ll die on a cross. He knows that. For this He was born. For this He had come into the world.
Before entering the city of Jerusalem, He stops at a little village on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives call Bethany to visit His friends, Mary and Martha, at their house. What a wonderful place that house must have been to Jesus. How wonderful it must have seemed to go into that house and be with Mary and Martha.
In Luke, chapter 9, Jesus said, “Foxes have holes, birds have nests. The Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.” Normally, He slept under a tree or in the hull of a boat, but here was a house. The Bible tells us, “The world received Him not,” but Mary and Martha received Him. They received Him and they loved Him. They probably embraced Him with a kiss of greeting and a hug and gave Him water to drink after His journey. I’m sure they sat down and they talked for a while. Perhaps He talked to them about everything He experienced in Galilee and Samaria, but there came a point in time where Martha went into the kitchen to prepare a meal. Mary stayed out with Jesus and sat at His feet and listened to Him teach.
Somehow in the kitchen, Martha began to get angry. Maybe she began to think, “I can’t believe Mary is leaving me to do this all by myself.” Maybe she thought, “If Mary would just help me, we could get this done in half the time.” Maybe she thought, “I’d like to sit out there and listen to Jesus talk, but somebody has got to prepare the meal.” Or maybe she thought, “Why can’t they come in here and talk in here and be with me?” Or maybe she thought, “I can’t believe Mary just sits there while I work my fingers to the bone.” But somehow she got angry. She came out of the kitchen, and she said to Jesus, “Master, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her to help me.”
Now, it’s amazing. She didn’t even talk to Mary. She talked to Jesus about Mary. And she didn’t call Mary, Mary. She said, “my sister.” She’s really angry. She was accusatory towards both Jesus and Mary, accusing Jesus of not caring and accusing Mary of laziness. And yet Jesus was gentle with her. He said, “Martha, Martha, you’re worried, you’re anxious, you’re busy with so many things. One thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the better part, and it will not be taken from her.”
What is that one thing? What is the better part? What’s that one most important thing? Is it not intimacy with Christ? Is it not communion with Christ? Is it not fellowship with Jesus? Is it not time with Him? Are we all not busy? We’re busy with so many things, and we’re worried and we’re anxious, but one thing is more important than anything else and that’s time with Jesus, intimacy with Christ. Every day. Every day.
I confess to you. I do not have my devotional time in the morning because I’m not a morning person. I generally barely make it out to my breakfast meetings. But I go home in the late afternoon, and I always have my devotions each day. I get a cup of coffee. If it’s wintertime, I put on the gas fireplace. I get my Bible and spend time with Jesus. If it’s summertime, I’ll go out on the deck, and I spend time with Jesus. That’s how I make it through each day. How about you? I promise you, if you’re ready for each day, you’re ready for THE day. Be prepared.
As we close, you probably saw in the Rocky Mountain News this headline, “Mars Spacecraft Fails to Call Home.” Of course, the reference is to the Mars Polar Lander which, to this day, has not called home. Scientists believe it never will. Of course, this is a great embarrassment for NASA, and it’s a great embarrassment for the scientists at JPL, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena. This is the second spacecraft they’ve lost in a matter of months. The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost just last September. Here we have the Mars Polar Lander failing to call home. They spent $165 million on this deal. The total project cost was really $225 million. All of that money and the thing won’t call home. It reminds Barb and I of our son Drew away at college. We spent all that money, you know, and it doesn’t seem like he calls home very much.
I wonder how God feels about His kids. I wonder how He feels about His children. All of us who have become sons and daughters of God through faith in Jesus Christ… and don’t call home. He’s spent so much on us. He gave His only begotten Son. The cost was great. We don’t call home. One day He’s coming for us. Are you ready? The call of scripture is to be prepared. Spend time with Jesus every day and serve Him while you are on this earth. If you do that, whenever He comes, you’ll be ready.
So, the second coming of Christ. He comes for judgement, the rapture. He comes for His church. The day of the Lord. Be prepared. Let’s close with a word of prayer.