Have you ever had something burden you so deeply that you almost didn’t know what to do with it? As I sit in my office this afternoon many people here in Virginia are awaiting the snow to begin falling. In fact snow crews are being dispatched, schools are closing early, and the grocery store is a mad house. If we are to believe the meteorologist it is not a question of if it will snow, but rather a question of when will it start. And so there is a sense of anxiousness for some people who are at work and are concerned about whether they will be able to get home after dark when the heaviest of snow is to fall. And there is a great sense of urgency in many people (especially school children). What if we had the same feeling of excitement and expectation for Christ’s return as the children have for the snow that is coming? The Bible tells us in Matthew 24:36, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” In its historical context Jesus was speaking His Second Coming after the seven year Tribulation Period. However, it is still applicable to us today because many Christians (I am one of them) believe the Bible speaks of an event that precedes the beginning of the Tribulation Period. That event is known as the rapture in which Christ comes for His church and takes us to heaven (John 14:3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51-54) before the world falls into utter chaos and a man known as the Antichrist arrives on the scene. And so logically it follows that if we don’t know when the Second Coming of Christ (the time when it literally comes to earth and rules from Jerusalem), then we also do not know when the rapture will take place. Many people have spoken of and preachers have preached on the “last days.” Let’s be clear on this point, we have been in the “last days” for nearly 2,000 years, because since Jesus ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9), at any moment after that the rapture could take place. If we understand the “last days” in that context then we should all have a sense of urgency because the rapture literally could happen at any moment. In fact the longer we go without it happening means the closer it is getting (in other words there is more time behind us than in front of us). We must understand that everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, is but one breath (death) or one event (the rapture) away from having their life forever changed. If this doesn’t create a sense of urgency, I’m not sure what will.
This urgency and anxiousness can be replaced by the peace that comes from knowing you have given your heart and life to Christ and are eternally secure in Him. The Jews who heard Peter preach on the day of Pentecost understood the urgency (that was nearly 2,000 years ago, so how much more urgent should we be). In Acts 2:37 we see some Jews ask Peter a question, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Peter gave a response that is still applicable today in Acts 2:38, “Repent (turn away from trusting yourself to be good enough to get into heaven), and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (removal) of sins. . .” Peter was teaching that to have peace with God, you must stop trusting yourself and start trusting Jesus with your heart and your life.
By His grace and through His strength may we live for Him