The Day of the LORD

Chuckle: After a session with his parents, a little boy taped to his parents' door a note that read: "Dear parents, Be nice to your children and they will be nice to you. Love, God."

Good Quote: "He who provides for this life, but takes no care for eternity, is wise for the moment but a fool forever." --Unknown

"Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 NIV).

A major theme in New Testament Scriptures is the second coming of Jesus Christ. One of the clearest statements on the subject comes from the lips of Jesus Himself. "And if I go to prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you may be where I am" (John 14:3 NIV). The promise of Jesus' return is a precious tenet of the Christian faith. Numerous passages attest to the fact that He will come again to "rapture" His church (all those whose sins have been covered by the atoning blood sacrifice of Jesus Himself) and take us to be with Him forever. You can read about how this will happen in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

The promise, and our blessed hope, that Jesus will return has spawned numerous questions about when and how this will happen. People, down through the ages, have made all sorts of predictions and some have even set specific dates when Jesus would return -- all have been proven wrong. Speculating about the date of Christ's return is wasted effort and foolish. Listen to Jesus own words: "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. . . . Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. . . . So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him" (Matthew 24:36, 42, 44 NIV).

Even though we do not know when Jesus will return, we are to live with the expectation that He could come at any moment. If you knew that Jesus' return was immanent, how would it change the way you live? Would it make a difference in your faithfulness to Him and in the way you serve other people? Would it cause you to fall on your knees and repent of your sins? Would it cause you to get your spiritual house in order in preparation for meeting your Lord? Look at Jesus' words again: "So you also must be ready" as if He were coming today.

Since the Lord will return suddenly and unexpectedly, my plea to you who do not know Him as Savior and Lord is that you give your heart and life to Him today -- that you repent of your sins, ask His forgiveness, and commit your life to Him in faith. If you are already a Christian, I encourage you to bring your life into line with God's standards for His followers and be ready to meet Him with confidence and joy and without fear. Praying in accordance with 1 John 1:9 is a great place to start. Let's be faithful in telling others how they can be ready to meet Christ as well. We do have many prophetic indications that His coming could be soon.

Love, Jerry & Dotse