The book of Romans chapter 13. Romans chapter 13. Beginning verse 11. We'll read for our text verses 11 through 14 here. Romans 13 beginning verse 11, it says, and that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep. For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk honestly as in the day, not in writing and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ and make not provision for the flesh to fulfill the lusts thereof. This morning I want to preach a message on the subject of the imminent return of Christ, the imminent return of Christ. We've been doing a study on eschatology or the study of the last days, the things to come. We were doing it at the 10 o'clock time spot, but praise the Lord, the church has changed things up a little bit. And we're doing a rotation now. I guess that kind of started today, but officially starts next month. And so the men of the church will rotate around the 10 o'clock hour. It'd be kind of hard for me to hit on this once a month, but I do think it's important enough that we continue on with it. So we may switch gears a little bit and do it at the 11 o'clock hour. At least first season. Obviously, we won't exhaust, I think I said this at the beginning, we won't exhaust the subject. We do wanna kinda get in and look at the subject of Bible prophecy, things to come. Paul, as he writes to the folks there at Rome, he says these words and how exciting it must have been to them and how encouraging it was to them, but how much more so to us some 2,000 years later when we consider that the fact that the Lord's return is very near. Now I've preached on the second coming, I've preached on the rapture before, but it's a subject that I enjoy to consider, I enjoy thinking about it. Brother Craig was talking about some personal stories, I'll give you one right away. About 11 years ago, I guess it was, somewhere around, The last part of 2011, I was walking in downtown Pittsburgh. I'd gone there for an NRA convention, actually. It was my first and only time to go to such an event. Pittsburgh's a pretty big place. The convention center was packed. There were some folks outside and they were yelling some things. And at first I thought they were protesters because there's protesters outside of any NRA event. They don't like the rifles, they don't like the guns, they don't like the freedom that we have, the Second Amendment. But as I got closer, I realized that they were hollering about Judgment Day, that judgment is coming. So this piqued my interest. One of the men handed me a tract. And that tract said, May 21st is Judgment Day. Be ready. I said, wait a minute. Hold on a second. Who told you May 21st is Judgment Day? Where did you find this out? He said, it's in your Bible. Go and study it. I said, I have a Bible. I have studied it. The Bible doesn't say anything like that. Of course, May 21st came and went. And throughout history, you'll find just about every generation someone tries to make a date. Don't make a date. And inevitably, that date comes and goes. Now they hope that you and I will forget about it. They hope that their followers will forget about it. But even if their followers remember and quit following, they'll be able to find some other people who will get duped into it. There's other religions that are just like that. This climate change religion is exactly the same way because every few years they have a different date of when supposedly St. Simon's Island will be underwater. New York City's gonna be underwater. The ice caps will be gone. The world's going to be destroyed. And yet, they have to keep moving that time further and further out because those dates that they set come and they go. The Bible's true, folks. The Lord is coming back. The Bible is also true. One of these days, the world is gonna be destroyed by fervent heat, but it's not gonna be because your vehicle is putting out a bunch of emissions. It's not gonna be because we didn't switch to electric vehicles quick enough. It's gonna be because God and his word is true. And there's nothing that the governments of this world can do to stop any of it. They can't stop the weather. They can't stop the Lord from coming back. They can't stop the things that are going to happen from happening. What do we mean when we say that the return of our Lord is imminent? Well, imminent is defined in Webster's dictionary as impending, threatening, near, appearing as if about to fall on. J. Dwight Pentecost, that's his name, not his religion, by the way, J. Dwight Pentecost in his book, Things to Come, He said, on page 203 of that book, that imminence is at any moment coming. Jesus could come at any moment. He could come right now. He could have come yesterday. He could come tomorrow, you see. Or he might not come for a while longer. But we don't know the day nor the hour. We look at our text, Paul said, in that knowing the time. Do you know what time it is? Biblically speaking, do you know what time it is? Well, we know, we know, verse 12, the night is far spent, the day is at hand. In our studies of the last days, I believe those are on sermon audio now. I'm trying to catch up. But those sermons are on sermon audio. Meaning the last days right before the rapture is what I'm talking about there. I believe that we're in the last of the last days before the rapture. But I don't know how much time is left. All I know is that we're closer to the Lord's return than what we were yesterday. We're closer to the Lord's return than what we were 50 years ago. We're closer to the Lord's return than what we were when Paul was alive. You see how this works? We don't know the day nor the hour, but we do know how hands on a clock work. They go forward, they don't go backwards. And so we don't know when the Lord is coming, but we do know this, the night is far spent, the day is at hand. Or as he put it there in verse 11, Now it is time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. You see, we've been saved from the power of sin, the penalty of sin already, but one of these days we're gonna be saved from the presence of sin, every one of us, and that will either come at the very moment of death or at the moment of rapture, whichever comes first, okay? And so while we're here, we know that as time creeps on, we're getting closer to that time. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness and let us put on the armor of light to walk honestly as in the day. In other words, don't grab the lawn chair and go out looking towards the sky and think that there's nothing left to be done. Don't be like the man who said, I have trouble planning for anything because I believe that the Lord's coming back now. Wait a second. Wait a second. You don't know. You don't know. Can you go back with me for just a moment? Go back with me to the times, the middle ages. when Baptists were being persecuted, horribly persecuted. They could have looked at the world around them and saw how bad it was, and they could have said, well, there's nothing for us left to do. The Lord must be coming back soon, so let's just hide out until he comes back. Where would we be? Where would we be? What about 1775, 76? Those guys were, many of them were Christians. Man, this is tough. There's 13 colonies, we can't do much of anything, but the Lord must be coming back soon. We'd still be a colony of Britain. And look at what our government now has been able to do since 1776. Imagine what King George would have been able to do if he would have kept on to that power. But they stood and they fought. I wrote the Articles of Confederation and later the Constitution, the Bill of Rights. Thank God for that. They saw what needed to be done. Living a Christian life while they did it, you see. We know the time. We're at a late hour. But the trumpet hasn't sounded yet. We're still here. There's still stuff to be done. The Lord could come at any moment. We've got to keep that in our mind, but we also have to keep in mind, Jesus said, occupy till I come. Work till he comes. What do we mean, what do we mean when we talk about the second coming and the rapture? Well, When we think about these terms and these things, of course, we defined rapture and pointed out that rapture means to catch away or to be caught up. It's not a word that's found in the Bible. But when we think about the second coming of Christ, sometimes we mean the rapture, but sometimes we don't. And the confusing part about that is the second coming of Christ is in two phases. Two phases. The rapture is really the first phase of the second coming. Just to show a little bit of difference here from the scriptures, the rapture is when Christ comes in the air in 1 Thessalonians chapter four. 1 Thessalonians chapter four and verse 16. 1 Thessalonians chapter four and verse 16, he says, for the Lord himself, the Lord himself, the Lord himself, he's not gonna send a representative, the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Verse 17 says, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore, comfort one another with these words. So at the rapture, Christ comes in the air and for his people, and that's where we're gonna meet him. in the air for his people. But eventually, he'll come to the earth with his people. Go with me to 1 Thessalonians chapter three and verse 13. To the end, he may establish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with, see that word with, all his saints. So he's coming back with all his saints. In Zechariah chapter 14, the Bible paints this glorious picture of how it's gonna be in Zechariah. Chapter 14, verses three through five. Then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, There shall be a very great valley. Half of the mountain shall remove toward the north and half of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains. for the valley of the mountain shall reach unto Azel, yea, ye shall flee like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah, king of Judah, and the Lord my God shall come and all the saints with thee. So he's coming, someday he's gonna stand up on the earth. That's the second phase of the second coming. when he comes and stands on the earth with his people. Now here on this earth, there's gonna be something that happens in between. The seven year tribulation period. There'll be some things going on in heaven too. And while we realize that there's going to be a tribulation period, an Antichrist, a millennial reign that's gonna happen eventually, and all of those things. And we know that those things are coming. What we're looking for right now is for the imminent return of Christ, for him to come in the air for us. That's the next thing that's going to happen. We don't know when, but we do know he's coming. We do know he's coming. Over in the book of Acts chapter one, Acts chapter one, verses 10 and 11, when he left, from this earth, look what happened there in verses 10 and 11. He said, and while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which said, you men of Galilee, why stand you gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. So these guys, as they watched Jesus, he left this world and they watched. And I can just imagine them watching, gazing up into heaven. You can almost imagine them as they watched. Sometimes when I was younger, I used to watch the, you know, the rockets or whatever, and they go up and you get, And eventually they become a tiny speck and then you watch until you don't see anything anymore. And I almost imagine that that's what these guys did. They watched Jesus as he left bodily all the way up. They saw him and then they didn't see him and they just kept staring. And the angel said, You men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? The same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as you've seen him go into heaven. Jesus left physically, he left bodily, he's coming back. He went in the air, he's coming back in the air. You see, there's a debate among some of God's people, some theological circles about whether it's a literal or spiritual thing, but the Bible is clear. When he left, he left physically. He's coming back physically. James chapter five. James chapter 5 and verses 7 through 9. He says, be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth and hath long patience for it until he received the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient, establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned. Behold, the judge standeth before the door. Those guys that were passing out the tracts, they were right in one thing, judgment is coming. They were wrong about the date. And beloved, we can find great courage, if you're a child of God today, you can find great courage in knowing that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. How imminent is it? How imminent is the Lord's return? And what kind of urgency should this drive into our hearts and into our lives and into our work? What would you do for the Lord if you knew that today was the last day that you had? Think about it. We don't know the day nor the hour, we ought to realize the hour in which we live. Jesus used this illustration in Matthew chapter 24. Matthew 24 and verse 27. He said, for as the lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even into the west, so also the coming of the Son of Man be. No man can predict how lightning is going to strike or the exact time it will be. Yesterday, after I picked up those books at St. Augustine, The kids and I went to go see a fort. And, you know, there's a lot of historical places around here in Georgia and in Florida. And we went to Fort Matanzas National Monument. in St. Augustine. Not much of it left. This thing is a few hundred years old. You have to take a ferry to get there. One of the things about it was that the dock is made out of, what did they say it was made out of? Is it aluminum? Yeah, it was made out of metal. The boat was metal. And so they were monitoring the storms in the area. And they said that if the storm, if they detected lightning within 10 miles of that place, they would hurry up and get us back to shore and off of that metal because of how lightning can hurt a person, kill a person. And if you're in a lightning storm, you don't wanna be on the water and you don't wanna be around any metal. It's unpredictable where it's gonna strike and that sort of thing. Jesus said here, As lightning cometh out of the east and shineth even into the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. Eminent. We can't predict where it's gonna strike. Many men have been killed or injured from lightning strikes. They didn't know it was gonna strike where they were. Had they known, they wouldn't have stood where they stood. All we can do is prepare for lightning. If we see the storm coming, we get out of the way. What do we do for our homes? We try to ground them, so that way when the lightning strikes, it doesn't destroy everything inside the house. That sort of thing. We know that the Lord is coming, and so we prepare. Or we should be prepared. The only way to prepare, the best way to prepare, is to know the Lord. And as we think about the imminent return of Christ, let me ask you, do you know the Lord? Do you know the Lord? In Luke chapter 17, in Luke chapter 17, verses 26 and 27, Jesus is talking about the world conditions Second coming, and he says, and as it was in the days of Noah, so shall it also be in the days of the Son of Man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage until the day that Noah entered into the ark. And the flood came and destroyed them all. It was, it was sudden. as it was in the days of Noah. So wait a minute, wasn't there a lot of preparing going on and that sort of thing? Yes, there was, but that was only with Noah and his household. And all those animals that came to the ark, the Lord sent them there, but the preparations weren't happening with the rest of the world. They didn't care. They were busy doing their normal life. They were eating. They were drinking. They were marrying. They were giving in marriage. They were just living life. And then one day it started to rain. It rained a lot. And the floods came and destroyed them all. You see, it came suddenly. There was no time for preparation when it came. The preparation time was over. You see, when the ark was finished, and Noah and his family and the animals were safe inside, the Lord shut the door. The time of preparation was over. And destruction fell upon the rest of the world suddenly without any real warning. Why? Because they were not paying attention. And that's the way to be at the rapture. That's the way to be at the second coming. You see, where's all, where's that church? Where's, where's my grandma? Where's, where's that preacher? Where'd they go? You know what? Most of them will have some explanation. They'll blame it on the Russians. They'll blame it on Trump. They'll blame it on the aliens, but they won't go to the word of God to find the answer. And you say, how do you know that preacher? Because they don't go to the word of God for nothing now. They'd rather believe a lie or a fable. Same thing with Sodom and Gomorrah, verses 28 through 30, in Luke 17. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot, they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded. But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. destruction came upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Suddenly, Lot had tried to warn as best he could. But remember, some of his family thought he was just one that mocked. They didn't believe what he had to say. Don't miss it. Don't miss either of these. Until the day that Noah entered into the ark and flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. I'm still a pre-trib and This right here gives a pattern of that same kind of thought. Destruction didn't come upon those places until Lot was gone. The Lord took him out. Something big's gonna happen to this world, and listen, I'm not saying that God's people don't have tribulations. We do. We do. Trust me. I know. And you know. But we won't go through the Great Tribulation. Just like when we think about Noah. God saved him from the flood. But don't God's people go through floods? Yes, we do. But there's not been a worldwide flood. And lots, don't God's people go through fires? Yes, but not the kind of fire like what happened here, you see. There's coming judgment on this world, but the Lord is going to take, rapture his people out. And I know I'm getting ahead of myself, but there's some folks who argue and say, well, what about those tribulation saints? I believe God will take care of them as well. And we'll look at them, we'll look at them a little more closely later, because there will be people who'll be saved during the tribulation period. There will be. even as we'll look at the tribulation period as we kind of go along. But as we go on down in this Luke chapter 17, we think of the suddenness of it. Look at verse 34. I tell you in that night there shall be two men in one bed, the one shall be taken and the other shall be left. Two will go to bed, not thinking anything of it, expecting the next morning to wake up just like they always have. Now I'm gonna point out something here, and that is that if you look there at your Bibles, you'll notice that that word men is italicized. The translators put that there for clarification, but hear me now. Two people going to bed together in the norm is a husband and wife, a man and a woman. No doubt there will be some in the night that the Lord comes back, that there will be some who may be bedding together, two men like they ought not to. But there'll be some, there'll be some, who have done everything lawfully like they should, husband and wife, joined in one flesh, come together. It's amazing how things kind of tie together. reading a book this last couple of weeks. Whether you're married or not, I just wanted to quote to you from this book. The book is Building a Godly Home, a Holy Vision for a Happy Marriage. It was written in the 1600s by William Gouge. And he commented on this verse in that book, and this is what he said. What a sad thing it is that two which in this world are so nearly linked together as to make one flesh should in the world to come be as far separated as heaven is from hell. This indeed shall happen to many, for Christ has foretold it, that of two that were in one bed together who are more fitly set forth under this phrase than husband and wife, who are most usually called bedfellows. One shall be taken to mercy and glory, and the other shall be forsaken and left to endless and difficult torture and torment. But though it is foretold, and thus it shall happen with many a couple, yet our care must be with our utmost power to prevent it, as in ourselves, so in our bedfellow. I mention this for only one reason. When we study eschatology, when we consider the things to come, and we read about the rapture, we read about tribulation period, we study the great white throne judgment, we consider the things which are to happen. Let these things not just be bullet points in our eschatology, things that we can write down and say, I believe this, and I'll use this as an argument, and I want to point this out. And when we think about folks being left behind and going through this, These are people I don't know. Understand something, they will be people that you know. And some of them may be near and dear to you. And so when we think about our text, knowing the time and how we ought to be living while we look for the return of Christ, Let us consider what kind of an example are we to them. It is true that God is sovereign over everything and nobody is going to go to hell without, well, let's just put it this way, he's not gonna lose any of his elect. But let us, let it never be said of us that those relations, especially those near and dear to us, that they'll end up in hell if they are reprobate, that they never heard a word from us about the Lord. You know, in, And there's so many things that we could think about and to consider when it comes to this. In 1 Corinthians chapter 7, 1 Corinthians chapter 7, verse 12, understand you young people, if you're not married yet, the best thing that you can do is to make sure to marry a believer. But the Bible gives clear instruction about some things. And so, for instance, in 1 Corinthians 7, in verse... Verse 10, let's start there. And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord. Let not the wife depart from her husband, but, and if she depart, let her remain unmarried or be reconciled to her husband, and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord. If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath a husband that believeth not, And if he'd be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. Now watch this in verse 14. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband, else were your children unclean, but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God hath called us to peace. A husband or a wife who is in a relationship with his or her spouse, depending on how you're looking at this, which is an unbeliever, with her way of life or his way of life is to be a great help spiritually to the family. And that's what he's saying here when he says the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband. How many times have I heard a wife say, oh, I just can't get my husband to take us to church or to lead in Bible study. Look, if the husband won't do it, then the wife needs to step in. Come to church even if your husband won't. and do those sorts of things. God will bless that sort of thing. And the same thing with the husbands. So many times husbands say, I couldn't get my wife to come to church, I can't do this. God will bless that sort of thing. And if it does end up at the rapture, one gets left behind, listen, it's not about results all the time. It's about duty. And I believe sometimes we miss that when we read through these things, because we've got to be faithful. And when we read, two shall be left in one bed, the one will be taken and the other left. It ought to do something to us to think, you know, what a horrible thing. And I understand in heaven, we won't be like what we are here on earth. in marriage relationships, but still, shouldn't it ought to pain our hearts to think that the one that we're closest to in life won't be with us when we go? We are to be busy. We ought to care for our own souls and for those in our household, to understand that there will be those in one bed. One will be taking the other left. There'll be those in one house. Some will be taken and some will be left. It won't just be the random taxi driver that'll look back in the cab and see somebody gone. All that may happen, no doubt about it. But this is going to be something that will drive into families. We rest in the sovereignty of God, but we must be a witness to the world around us while we're here, beginning with those in our own households, knowing, knowing, beloved, that the return of our Lord is imminent. Imminent. In Luke chapter 12 there, verses 39 and 40, This know that if the goodman of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched, and I have suffered his house to be broken through. Be you therefore ready also for the son of man cometh at an hour when you think not. Nobody ever expects a thief. The very best you can do is prepare for him. And so what do you do? You lock your doors, make sure the garage door's shut, maybe set an alarm, that sort of thing. Preparation. Preparation knowing that the Lord could come at any moment, you see. All of these, all of these illustrations are used to help us know and understand that yes, he's coming at any moment, but as God's people, we know that everything can be in order. Preparations have been made and we can be busy until that time comes that he takes us away. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, I'm trying to bring this to a close, 2 Timothy chapter 4, verses 7 and 8. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day, and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." Paul loved his appearing, but Jesus didn't come in Paul's lifetime. But you know what? He was looking for him. He was looking for him. And one of the ways he was looking for him was by being busy doing the things that he had called him to do. Being busy doing those things which were right and biblical. He was longing for the Lord to return, I believe, and you know, so many You think about so many that have gone on and they were looking for the Lord to come back. I believe they'll get the reward just like Paul. One of these days, perhaps even in this generation, perhaps even some of us who are here will be alive when he comes back. What a great thing that is. But you know, those who are dead, they're not gonna get left out. Their bodies will be raised. We'll all be together right there in the air with the Lord. The Bible says, so shall we ever be with the Lord. What a great reunion that'll be. In Revelation 22 in verse 20, He which testifieth these things saith, surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come Lord Jesus. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. How fitting it is that the Bible ends with a promise and a prayer and it has to do with the Lord coming back. I'm excited for that. I look forward to that day and I hope and pray that the Lord will find us all faithful when he comes. What a joy it is to know that if he doesn't come in my lifetime, I ain't missing out. Whether I live or whether I die, I win. I'll be with the Lord. I don't know how much time we've got left, But I do know, I do know that Jesus is coming. And let's have a sense of urgency about it as we think about that and consider the things that we ought to be doing as we wait for him to come back. Let's stand to be dismissed.