Ready or Not . . . Here I Come

November 19, 2019

Ready or Not . . . Here I Come

Matthew 24:15–31

Ann Holford

Central Truth

Jesus is coming back, just as He promised!

"Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory."

The Abomination of Desolation

15 So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let the one who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house, 18 and let the one who is in the field not turn back to take his cloak. 19 And alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! 20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. 22 And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you beforehand. 26 So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man

29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

All year I look forward to Christmas! Starting in October, the signs that Christmas is coming start to appear: wreaths, ornaments, ribbons. In November, Christmas trees and lights appear. As December unfolds, you hear Christmas music and experience the smells of Christmas. The weather gets cold, then school lets out, and you know Christmas is almost here!

In yesterday's passage, Jesus gave several signs that will precede His return. Like the signs that precede Christmas in the fall, today's three will mean it's very near:

1. The abomination of desolation will come to the temple—many describe this as an image the antichrist erects in the holy place of the temple because he'll demand that the world worship him instead of Christ (see Daniel 9:27 (NIV); 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4; Revelation 13:14-15).

Warning: When you see him do this, get out of there.

2. Tribulation: There will be a great tribulation—a time of evil like no other the world has ever seen. Pile up all the evil, persecutions, genocides, and holocausts, and it's worse than that.

Warning: If at any point before the end of that time someone tells you Jesus has returned, don't believe it. You haven't missed Him.

3. Cosmic upheaval will mark the end of this tribulation. Basically, it all goes black.

Then . . . Jesus will come on the clouds with power and great glory! We won't need the sun, moon, or stars in order to see Him! EVERYONE will see Him. No one will say, "Did I miss it?" You can't miss it. Jesus is coming again. Physically. As victorious King and Judge. The ultimate promise kept.

The same Jesus Who was born in Bethlehem is coming again.
The same Jesus Who turned water into wine and walked on water is coming again.
The same Jesus Who was ridiculed and unfairly accused is coming again.
The same Jesus Who died for your sins and rose from the dead is coming again.
The same Jesus Who ascended in the clouds into heaven is coming again.

He's coming. Are you ready?

If you don't know Christ, let today be the day. Don't put off considering Jesus' offer of grace one more day. If you do know Christ, His return is our hope! He's coming—who needs to know?

1. What is your reaction when you hear Jesus is returning: excitement or stress? Why?

2. Are you spending more time preparing to celebrate Jesus' first coming than you are preparing for His second coming? How did this passage change your perspective?

3. How can you keep from being deceived about Jesus' second coming?

4. If you don't know Christ, let today be the day you consider Jesus' offer of grace. For a clear explanation of the gospel, click HERE.

5. If you knew Christ's second coming were 36 days from today, who would you tell about Jesus' offer of grace? How does the fact that it will be too late to turn to Christ after His return give you a sense of urgency?