LAST THINGS
THE SECOND COMING
DR. JIM DIXON
1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18
JULY 30, 2006
On December 10, 1941, the Japanese attacked the Philippine Islands. The Philippines were defended by Filipino forces combined with American forces, all under the leadership of General Douglas MacArthur. For 3-1/2 months MacArthur’s forces courageously defended the Islands, including the Bataan Peninsula, but then in March of 1942, President Franklin Roosevelt commanded that General MacArthur leave the Philippines and that he go down to Australia where he would become Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific. MacArthur did not want to leave the Philippines. He knew that the Filipino were outnumbered and that they would be overwhelmed. He greatly felt for them. Before he was airlifted from the Island of Corregidor, he said to the Philippine people, “I shall return.”
When he arrived in Australia, he repeated his pledge to the Philippine people, “I shall return.” Time passed and the people of the Philippines were captured. Many of them were incarcerated, some of them tortured, some fled for the mountains. They all waited and finally in the autumn of 1944, General Douglas MacArthur returned. He came with vast armies. He came with great military power. It’s a matter of historical record that he set the Philippine people free.
Almost 2,000 years ago our Lord Jesus Christ left this earth. He left our world and when He left He knew that His people were outnumbered. When He left this world, He knew that His followers, His people would always be in this world outnumbered but He made a promise. He said, “I shall return.” The Church waits and as we’re gathered here this morning we wait for what the Bible calls The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
In the Bible there are three Greek words used to describe The Second Coming. The first is the word, “parousia.” The word parousia means, “coming.” It is derived from a root word meaning “presence.” In the ancient world, sometimes this word was used to describe a kingly visitation when a king would come and present himself before his people. A second Greek word is used in the Bible for The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is the word, “epiphania.” The word “epiphania” literally means, “a shining forth.” In the ancient world, in the Hellenized Roman world, this word epiphania was oftentimes used in the mythologies to describe the visitation of a God to man—The Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the epiphania. The third Greek word in the Bible for The Second Coming of Christ is the word “akatakaluptos.” The word akatakaluptos is derived from a root which means, “unveil.” It means, “to reveal.” It means, “to uncover.” Of course, when Jesus Christ comes again, He will be unveiled. When Jesus Christ visits this earth again, He will be revealed. He will be uncovered.
There’s a sense in which Jesus, at His first coming, was veiled. He emptied Himself, taking on the form of a man and He emptied Himself, surely of many of His divine prerogatives in order that He might fully share in our humanity. But when He comes again, He will be unveiled in all of His deity and all of His power and all of His glory.
So, this morning we look at The Second Corning and I have two teachings. These two teachings concern the two-fold purpose of Christ’s Second Coming. First of all, Jesus will come to judge the nations. He will come for judgement. So we read in Revelation, chapter 1, verse 7, “Behold, He is coming with the clouds. Every eye shall see Him, everyone who pierced Him, and all the nations of the earth will cry out on account of Him. So shall it be. Amen.” Judgement.
The Olivet Discourse is in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Jesus in Matthew 25 tells of His Second Coming. Jesus said, “When the Son of Man comes in glory and all of His angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne and before Him shall be gathered all the nations and He will separate them one from the other as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep at His right hand, the goats at His left, and to the sheep He shall say, ‘Come, O blessed of My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world.’ To those at His left hand, He shall say, ‘Depart from Me, you workers of iniquity, into the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” Judgement.
You come to Revelation, chapter 22, verse 12, the words of Jesus Himself. “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing My recompense to repay everyone for what he has done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” It’s pretty clear that Jesus is going to come to judge the nations.
On December 28, 1908, on the Italian Island of Sicily, there was a massive earthquake and it virtually destroyed the city of Messina and in less than one hour 84,000 people were dead. It was one of the most devastating earthquakes in the history of the world, December 28, 1908. Of course, they called it a natural disaster. They always call earthquakes natural disasters. The word disaster comes from the word “aster” or the word “astrum,” which in both Latin and Greek means, “star.” You see, in the ancient world, people actually believed that stars caused calamity. In the ancient world, people actually believed that stars could smite people and that the destruction of individuals and cities were caused by stars. And so it was that when people were sick, when people were ill, they were said to have influenza, from a Latin word which means, “the influence,” the idea being that the stars were influencing the health of this individual. Influenza.
When somebody was emotionally ill, when someone was tragically mentally ill, in the ancient world they said this person was suffering from lunacy and they called this person a lunatic, from the word “lunar,” which means “moon” because, again, they believed that the heavenly bodies, the stars, the planets were shaping events on earth. Of course, they read their horoscopes and they charted their futures astrologically. Of course, today, hopefully the world is more enlightened and we know that the stars do not cause calamity and the stars do not smite people. And yet, incredibly, millions of people even in our nation read their horoscopes every day.
But have you ever wondered, “Does God smite people?” Have you ever asked that question, “Does God smite people?” So, you look at Ezekiel, chapter 7, verse 9, and God is given a new name, Jehovah-Makkeh, “The Lord Who Smites.” As God referred to Himself in this way, Jehovah-Makkeh, this had to be a stunner to a lot of people amongst the Jews because they had known many names for God and they called God Jehovah-Jireh, “The Lord Who Provides;” Jehovah-Nissi, “The Lord Our Victory;” Jehovah-M’Kaddesh; Jehovah-Tsidkenu; Jehovah-Shalom, “The Lord Our Peace.” But this was kind of a new idea, Jehovah-Makkeh, “The Lord Who Smites,” and yet there’s no question that from time-to-time even in this age of the world, God does smite.
You look back at that Italian earthquake on the Island of Sicily on December 28, 1908, and maybe it wasn’t a natural disaster. Just two years ago Barb and I were on the Island of Sicily, and we were in the city of Messina. It’s a great city today. We were there with Greg and Barb, my brother and his wife, and Gary and Anne, my oldest brother and his wife. We were there together, and Messina is a great city today. But understand that just a hundred years ago Messina and the Island of Sicily itself was considered one of the most evil places on the earth, a place of crime and corruption and debauchery. Also understand that just three days prior to that massive earthquake, on Christmas Day, December 25, 1908, the El Telephone, the primary magazine of the Island of Sicily, ran a cover story blasting Christianity, blasting the Christian faith, blasting Jesus Christ and Christmas, declaring, “There is no God!” In that article published Christmas Day, three days before the earthquake, the author challenged God, if there is a God, to destroy the city by an earthquake. Maybe it was a natural disaster, but maybe God chose to smite. Maybe.
Of course, you can look in the Old Testament and from time-to-time God does smite. From Korah’s rebellion to Sodom and Gomorrah to Ahab and Jezebel, God did smite. You can look in the New Testament and from Ananias and Sapphira to the pronouncement of judgement upon Jerusalem by our Lord Jesus Christ, God smites. But I think it is true that in this age of the world, God rarely smites. He rarely comes in judgement today because this is the time of salvation. This is the time for the gospel, and we take the gospel to the nations. Now is the opportunity to be saved. And God waits, but judgement is coming.
Of course, now there is no justice in the world. Surely you know that there is little justice. I mean, 40 million babies have been aborted since the passing of Roe v. Wade. Of course, that’s not just. Even if you think it is just to have an abortion if there has been rape or incest or gross fetal deformity or danger to the life of the mother, surely 40 million abortions are not just. Most of them are belated efforts at birth control in an increasingly promiscuous society. Regardless of your political affiliation, surely you feel this is a national tragedy. It’s not just.
Of course, poverty is pandemic on the earth. That’s not just. In the Two-Thirds World there are hundreds of millions of people who go to bed hungry every night. It’s not just. Drug lords live in lavish estates in South America and in Asia and it’s not just. Porn peddlers operate in the arena of a multibillion dollar industry, making billions of dollars off the tragic addiction of men and women. It’s not just. Christians are being persecuted in many parts of the world according to Freedom House and Amnesty International. Christians are being persecuted in many of the remaining Communist nations. Christians are being persecuted in many Islamic states. It’s not just, but understand, justice is coming. Judgement is coming. Jesus Christ will come again and He will judge the living and the dead.
Two of the most incredible passages in the Bible are found in Revelation, chapter 19, and Isaiah, chapter 11. I think many of you know that when Jesus Christ came into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the week before Easter, He came in peace. He came humble and lowly, riding on a donkey. We know from many sources in the ancient literature that when kings visited villages and towns in peace, oftentimes they did come riding on a donkey. We also know that when kings came for war, when kings came in power, when they came for judgement, they many times came on a white steed, on a white horse. And so, in Revelation 19, with the apocalyptic language of the Book of Revelation, we have a description of The Second Coming of Jesus Christ. John writes, “I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. He who sat upon it was called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire and on His head are many diadems, many crowns. He has a name inscribed which no one knows but He Himself. He is clad in a robe dipped in blood and the name by which He is called is ‘The Word of God.’ The armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed Him on white horses. From His mouth issued a sharp sword with which to smite the nations, and He shall rule them with a rod of iron. He shall tread the wine press with the fury of the wrath of the Lord God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh a name is inscribed: ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords.”‘ If you want a description of The Second Coming of Jesus Christ, there you have it. And it’s all about judgement.
Of course, there’s that beautiful passage in Isaiah, chapter 11. To understand it, you need to understand that in the Hebrew world, in the ancient Jewish world, the promise of the Messiah was often associated with the line of Jesse or the line of David and so the Messiah was called “The Root of Jesse” or “The Root of David.” And so, in this passage, Isaiah 11, we are told, “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse and a Branch shall grow out of his roots and the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the ear of the Lord. His delight shall be in the fear of the Lord. He shall not judge by what His eyes see nor decide by what His ears hear, but with righteousness He shall judge the poor. And He shall decide with equity for the meek of the earth. He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth and with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be the girdle of His waist, faithfulness the girdle of His loins.
“And in that day the wolf shall dwell with the lamb and the leopard shall lie down with the kid and the calf and the lion and the fatling together and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall feed, and their young shall lie down together. The lion shall eat straw like the ox and the suckling child shall play over the hole of an asp and the weaned child shall place his hand in the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all My holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the oceans cover the sea. In that day, the Root of Jesse will stand as an end sign to the nations. Him shall the people seek, and His dwellings shall be glorious.” It’s a beautiful passage.
Premillennialists view that passage as referring to The Second Coming of Christ, judgement in the dawning of the millennium. Amillennialists view that passage as referring to The Second Coming of Christ, judgement and the dawning of the New Heavens and the New Earth. We’re going to get into the whole subject of the New Heavens and the New Earth and the millennium and the various views later this summer, but all agree on this: It describes The Second Coming and the judgement and subsequent justice. Jesus will come. Are you ready for that? As you sit here this morning, are you ready for judgement?
If you want to be safe, you need to join the people of Jesus Christ, which really leads us to our second teaching this morning: He will come to receive His people to Himself. He will come for judgement, but He will also come to receive His people unto Himself.
This refers, first of all, to the rapture, which is oftentimes called the rapture from the Latin “rapio,” or “raptura.” This word means “caught up.” When Jesus comes again, His people will be caught up to meet Him and the Greek word is “harpazo” which also means, “caught up.” We see this described in the Book of 1 Thessalonians, the 4th chapter, our passage of scripture for today where Paul writes, “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. The dead in Christ shall rise. Then we who are left, shall be caught up, ‘rapio,’ together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And we shall always be with the Lord.” The Rapture.
Of course, it is mentioned in other places in the Bible. So, in 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, verse 1, the Bible speaks of “the coming of the Lord and our assembling to meet Him.” In 1 Corinthians, chapter 15, verses 51 and 52, Paul writes, “Lo, I unfold a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye. At the last trumpet, the trump shall sound and the dead in Christ shall rise immortal and we shall all be changed.” He’s talking about the rapture of the followers of Jesus Christ, the rapture of the Church, caught up into the heavens.
Of course, there is a great debate today as to the timing of the Rapture. Will it take place before the final tribulation? This is the view of pre-tribulationism. Or will it take place in the middle of the tribulation? Mid-tribulationism. Or will the rapture take place at the end of the tribulation? Post-tribulationism. Of course, premillennial pre-tribulationists believe that the Church will be raptured prior to the seven years of tribulation. They point out that during the tribulation God brings forth His divine wrath and it’s not directed at the Church and so they argue the Church will be raptured prior to the administration of divine wrath on the earth and we’ll all get out of Dodge before the shooting starts. Pre-tribulationism.
Mid-tribulationists point out that when you really look at the time of tribulation the divine wrath is really only poured out in the second half, and so for 3-1/2 years you have divine wrath. And so they think that in the middle of the tribulation is when the Church will be raptured. There are some people who hold that view.
Then of course premillennial post-tribulationists and amillennialists believe in a rapture after the tribulation. They say that the wrath that we are saved from is not the wrath of the tribulation but the wrath of hell itself. So, when the Bible says in 1 Thessalonians, chapter 5, that, “We are not destined for wrath but to obtain salvation,” post-tribulationists say that’s not the tribulation, that’s hell. Of course, post-tribulationists point out that in the Olivet Discourse, in Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus seems to describe the rapture after the tribulation. Jesus says, “Immediately after the tribulation of those days, the sun shall not shine, the moon shall not give its light, the stars of the heavens will fall, the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then you will see the sign of the Son of Man coming in power and great glory. He will send forth His angels and gather His elect from the four winds, from the ends of the heavens to the ends of the earth.”
Of course, the pre-tribulationists argue that at least that part of the Olivet Discourse is not directed at the Church or at Christians, but they say it’s directed at the Jews. The argument continues, but have you ever noticed this: Everybody is confident. Have you ever noticed that? I mean, premillennial pre-tribulationists are confident that they’re right. Mid-tribulationists are confident that they’re right. Post-tribulationists, premillennial and amillennial, are confident that they’re right. But of course, somebody is going to be confidently wrong. Have you thought about that? Somebody is going to be confidently wrong.
Some of you write me e-mails, “Wow, Jim. What’s your position? Tell us.” Like it matters. The only one that matters is God. The only one that matters is our Lord Jesus Christ. I’ll tell you this. For 35 years I’ve studied these things, and I could give you an apologia, a defense for premillennialism and amillennialism. I could give you an apologia for pre-trib or post-trib perspectives. I could line out passages for you on either side. I don’t know the answer. I think we see in a mirror dimly. I think our knowledge is imperfect. I do know this. Jesus is coming. He is coming and He will judge the nations and He will receive His people unto Himself. I hope pre-trib is right but if it’s post-trib, I want to be ready.
When we’re raptured, we’re going to be resurrected. Jesus will resurrect those Christians who have died bodily. Their souls and spirits have already left this earth, already left the grave. Their soul and spirit is already with Christ and they are in heaven now, but when Jesus comes again, the dead in Christ will be clothed in their resurrection bodies and we at the same time will receive our resurrection bodies. That seems to be the message of 1 Thessalonians 4 and other passages too. These resurrection bodies are going to be beautiful. They’re going to be great.
Have you ever read 1 Corinthians, chapter 15? What a great passage. If you’ve not read that go home today and read 1 Corinthians, chapter 15. It describes the resurrection body that you will receive at the rapture. That passage of scripture says your body will heavenly. The Greek word is “epouranoi.” It means, “fit for the heavens.” These bodies are barely fit for earth. That body will be fit for the heavens, and it will be indestructible, the Greek word “aphtharsia,” “incorruptible,” “no longer subject to decay.”
Are any of you noticing any decay at all as you look in the mirror? That body will not be subject to decay, aphtharsia, and it will be powerful, “dunamis,” from which we get the word “dynamite.” These bodies are sown in weakness. I know many of you have times when you wake up in the morning, you feel kind of weak. You go to bed and you feel kind of weak. These new bodies, the Bible says, “are sown in power.” They will be spiritual, “pneumatikos,” which does not mean invisible. Paul told the Corinthians he wanted them to be spiritual. He didn’t mean invisible. It means, “governed by the Spirit.” How often are these bodies governed by the flesh? Do you ever struggle with that? But the new body is, ” pneumatikos,” “governed by the Spirit,” and glorious, “doxa,” “worthy of praise.” Pretty exciting stuff.
I love the old joke about this farmer around the turn of the century, around 1900. He came into the big city and he went into one of those fancy department stores that they were starting to build. For the very first time in his life, he saw an elevator. He had never seen one before. He came in with his wife and his son. His wife was kind of browsing in the department store. He stood there with his son looking at this strange thing called an elevator. He saw an elderly woman, and she was very heavy set. He saw the doors open and she stepped in. The doors closed. Then he saw these lights flashing, moving this way and that, and then coming back this way. He saw the doors open again and this beautiful young woman walk out. This farmer said to his son, “Go get your mom. We’re going to put her in that thing!” Of course, that’s what the rapture is going to be like. This is the ultimate elevator ride! That’s what the rapture is going to be like and we’re going to get our new bodies. Like the freshness of the morning dew, your youth will return to you. Psalms 110. That’s pretty exciting.
When Jesus receives His people unto Himself, it will also involve judgement. Did you know that? It’s not just the world that’s going to be judged. We who believe in Jesus Christ are going to be judged too. It will be a different sort of judgement—not a judgement of heaven or hell because we’ve already passed out of death into life, but nevertheless, as followers of Jesus we will be judged by Him. It’s a serious thought. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, we see the Apostle Paul warning the Body of Christ that they will all be judged. In 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, Paul tells the believers how they’ve built on the foundation of Jesus Christ and will be tested on Judgement Day. They built on the foundation of Christ in their lives and what they’ve done with Jesus Christ, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, will be tested. Paul says, “Some people will suffer loss of reward.” The Greek word is “misthos.” Paul says, “Some will be saved, but only as through fire,” barely. Singed, they will move into heaven, smoke coming out of a few orifices. That’s scary stuff.
I’ve had people say, “Well, I don’t think our rewards will vary in heaven. It’s an egalitarian heaven. It’s all going to be the same. I’ve heard many people say that, but most Bible scholars know better. There are so many passages that make it clear that our rewards will vary. Of course, we don’t deserve anything. You can only get into heaven by grace through faith, and if you can only get into heaven by grace, you surely can’t deserve anything once you get there. But God has chosen to reward His people on the basis of their faithfulness in this life. And so, our lives will be tested and things will be weighed. Part of what He’s looking for has to do with how you relate to His Church. Jesus said, “I’ll build My Church, and the powers of Hades, the gates of hell, will not prevail against it.”
So, you look at 1 Corinthians, chapter 3, verses 13-15 and you ignore the next two verses, but the next two verses, 16 and 17, in 1 Corinthians 3 are all about the Church. And so Paul says, “Do you not know that you are the Temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you? Whoever destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is Holy. And that temple you are.” Some people have mistakenly applied this to suicide, but the “you” is not singular. It’s in the plural. So, Paul is not speaking to us as individuals destroying our own temples. He’s speaking to us collectively as the Church destroying the Body of Christ. “Do you not know that you, the Church, are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in the Church? Whoever destroys the Church, God will destroy Him, for God’s Church is holy. And that Church you are.”
So, how’s it going with you and the Church? I know the Church has flaws, but what are you doing about it? Do you give your time to the Church? Do you pray for the Church? Do you offer your talent and your abilities to the service of the Church? Do you give your treasure to the Church?
I was talking to Sheila Robinson, the Director of Grace Place and our Children’s Ministries, and she says, “The fall is coming and we’re in desperate need of Sunday school teachers. We need hundreds of additional Sunday school teachers.” How can that be? If we love Christ, if we love His Church, if we love His kids, if we long to see children grow up to love Jesus and serve Him, if we want to raise up a generation of kids who are sold out to the kingdom of heaven, how can that be? And so today out in the atrium on the stage area I want you to go there if God is calling you and offer your services to our kids in Sunday school this fall because you’ll put a smile on the face of Jesus and I think it will last until Judgement Day. All of these things are going to be looked at.
So in 2 Corinthians, chapter 5, the Bible speaks of the Judgement Seat of Christ, which the people of Christ will all have to appear before to receive good or evil, depending on what we’ve done in the Body. The Bema Seat, the Judgement Seat. Of course, only Jesus can judge His people, so be careful. You might be judging a few people today. Don’t do that. Only Jesus can judge.
I’m reminded of that old joke about that college student that went to his university. He took a university course in ornithology, the study of birds. The final exam was coming up and he’d really booked it. He had spent nights staying up late. He knew everything about birds. He knew everything about their respiratory systems and circulatory systems. He knew about their mating patterns and their social structures. He knew everything about their various classifications. He was ready. He went into the classroom for the final exam and he saw ten birdcages up front. They were all covered with a big tarp. He thought, “What’s this?” He went and sat down in his chair. There was a paper there as there was at every desk. The paper was just one page, and it was numbered one through ten with a blank line after each number.
The professor stood up and the class began. He said, “Here’s your test. Here’s your final exam. I want you to identify each bird in these ten cages by just looking at their feet.” He pulled a string and the tarp began to rise just a little bit. The students could just see the feet of ten different birds, and he was ticked off. He thought, “All of this study for THIS?” He said, “How am I supposed to figure this out? How am I supposed to divine this?” He was so mad he decided he wasn’t going to do it and he got out of his seat and took his test paper and threw it on the professor’s desk and he began to stomp out. The teacher said, “Young man, you can’t leave.” He said, “What’s your name?” The student turned around, pulled up his pants and said, “You tell me!”
That’s about how much we know about anybody. We don’t know much about people. Have you ever thought about that? We don’t even see their feet. You don’t know much about me. I don’t know much about you. I know some of you, but I don’t really know you, not like God knows you, not like Jesus does. I don’t know your brain chemistry. I don’t know your biochemistry. I don’t know what you’re dealing with biologically. I don’t know how the synapses of your brain are firing. I don’t know your nurture. I don’t know the tragedies that have gone on in your life. I don’t know what you’ve dealt with. I don’t know your upbringing. I can’t judge you. I can call wrong, wrong but I can’t judge you and you can’t judge me. So it waits for Jesus. But know this: We are going to be judged.
In conclusion, on August 6 in 1890 at Auburn State Prison in New York State, a man named William Kemmler was executed. He was the first man to be executed in the electric chair. August 6, 1890, was the first time a person was electrocuted in an electric chair. This was relatively compassionate because it was a quick death. They did not yet have lethal injections. The word spread all over the world that there’s this new device for capital punishment. The king of Ethiopia, obviously an African nation, a king named Menelik II, perhaps the greatest king in the history of that nation, who built the capital city of Addis Ababa which today is still the capital… Menelik II heard what had just happened in New York State and he wanted to be cutting edge. He wanted his justice system to be state of the art, and so he wired America and said he wanted ten of those brand new electric chairs. They were brought to Ethiopia, which was sometimes called Abyssinia. Menelik II was all excited until he realized that Ethiopia at the time didn’t have electricity.
So, what did he do? He had the chairs. He thought they were kind of cool, so he took one of them and used it for his royal throne. For the next 26 years of his life as he reigned over that nation, he sat every day in the electric chair and he often told people, as the years and decades went by, “I love it.” He said, “It humbles me. It reminds me of two things: That life is short and death is near. Every time I sit in this thing, it’s a reminder that life is short and that death is near.” Isn’t that true?
You might be young or you might be old, but don’t you know things happen? Life is short. Death is near. Are you ready? You’ve got to be standing at the foot of the cross. That’s the only safe ground. So, have you come to Jesus? I know that He wants you and He longs to bring you into His family.
As we close, there’s a famous poem I think most of you have heard of. It was written by Emma Lazarus. Emma Lazarus was a great American poet, and she wrote about life and death and love. In the year 1883, she wrote this famous poem called “The New Colossus.” You can read that if you go to Liberty Island in New York Harbor and see the Statue of Liberty because this is the poem that is at the base of the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. What does it say? It says these words: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, the tempest-tossed, to me. I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”
For Emma Lazarus, the golden door was the entrance into the United States of America. The United States was the promised land. But she was wrong. This nation is blessed materially and we’re so fortunate to have democratic freedoms and civil liberties, but in many ways we are a culture in decline. Surely you know that. Our borders and our capacities are finite. You understand biblically, the Golden Door is Jesus Christ and the Promised Land is heaven. He’s the One who invites everyone. He invites you. It doesn’t matter whether you’re rich or poor or whether you’re black or white. It doesn’t matter even what you’ve done if you’ll repent and join His disciples. So, as we close this morning, I want to give you a chance to be ready. Let’s look to the Lord with a word of prayer.