The message of this morning is are you ready? Are you ready? And when you think about that, it's like ready for what? Well, that's that's the question. Are you ready? We talked a bit this morning and very much will continue to do so. about the importance of putting our faith and trust in Christ. Now, the majority of people in this room, at some point in your life, you did what Russ did, you did what Stephanie did, you placed your faith and trust in Jesus. Well, what do you need to be ready for? So, again, in a church like this, probably 90 plus percent of the folks sitting here right now, you know who Jesus is. Russ made mention when he turned on VCY, And we have a couple of different programs there. On Saturday at 1.30, we have a radio show called Prophecy Unfolding. Three times a week on VCY 30, we have a show called Prophecy Focus, and a lot of prophecy, right? And then you'll hear a lot of different programs that I'll do with Jim Schneider, Cross Talk, In Focus, and we touch on current events in Bible prophecy. And of course, that touches into, as you mentioned, a little bit of the political realm and so forth. But I want us, as we start September, it's a new day, it's a new month, it's a new year. You've just gotten off June, July, and August, the three months that all of us as Wisconsinites just can't wait till it's here, and now it's gone. September to me is a time of renewal, it's a time of All right, we're getting back in the saddle. We're getting home from vacations. No longer are we out enjoying the sun as much, at least as we did for the last three months. And it's time to get refocused as God's people. You see, spiritual battles are running every single day. God wants to, as we've been talking about all summer, we spent it on the family. And by the way, Alan, as soon as the message is done, we'll give the certificates. Don't let me forget, please. We've talked about the family for three solid months. Why? Because in Genesis chapter one and two, God made it very clear that the family is something that God instituted and is exactly what Satan has been trying to destroy. Russ gave some very good examples of things that can happen in one's life. that will draw you away from Christ. Now let's make it very clear. Pastor Rich is not up here because it's a job. I don't need a job. Pastor Rich isn't up here because, well, it's a cool thing to be a pastor. I don't know that that's a good assessment of what it is to be a pastor. It's not necessarily a cool thing. It's wonderful to be able to share. What we do at Union Grove Baptist Church, what our deacons do, what our ministry leaders do, Trust I'm doing is we're here because we love people and we love Jesus. And we want people to understand who Christ is and the importance of having him in your life. I made mention a little bit earlier that I spent 32 years in government work. You say, well, why didn't you just retire and enjoy? Because there's work to be done. Because there's people that aren't ready for when Christ comes back. And until the day that God says, Rich, it's time to go sit in an easy chair because you can't get up anymore, which is getting closer every day, it seems, but we're going to keep pushing. We're going to keep fighting. We're going to keep pressing the gospel because we need to be the church that God's love is building. Well, we're going to take about 15 minutes, 20 minutes max, and we're going to go into the scriptures. You see, Again, and we have so many visitors here this morning, church is not about a hymnal. Church is not about reading liturgy. Churches is not about a pastor giving his opinion on whatever. God's church, a church that truly is one centered around the Lord Jesus Christ should be centered around God's word and his word alone. So yes, we sing songs. Yes, we use a hymnal on occasion, but we don't go to the back to read something, some man made thing. Every single Sunday we open up God's word. You say, you know, we heard a lot of Bible already this morning. Well, that's all you need to hear. Nothing else changes the heart. Bible says in Hebrews, the word of God is quick. It's powerful, sharper than any two edged sword pierces into the heart, into the mind, into the soul. It's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Are you ready? Well, very quickly, are you looking, and to some of you, of course, if you're visiting, a couple of these things may be totally foreign to you based on what type of church you go to, but we're going to be into the Bible. Do you know that Jesus Christ is coming back? The imminent, looking for the imminent return of Jesus, imminent meaning can happen today. Are you ready? We're gonna be looking at the preparations quickly for the glorious return of Jesus Christ. Now, when Jesus returns very quickly, he's not coming to set up his kingdom this return time. Jesus Christ, it tells us in 1 Thessalonians 4, which we'll look at in a moment, tells us that Jesus is going to come in the air, in the clouds, and he's going to be taking all of his church-age saints to heaven with him. Then what's going to happen, and we'll show you a chart in a few moments, you say, Pastor, we haven't done prophecy in quite a while on Sunday mornings. You're exactly right. We haven't. Today, we're starting it off again. If you look inside the bulletin, we're going to be going to 2 Corinthians and finishing up the last two chapters after our summer break. But during Sunday school time, I'm going to be teaching step by point by point in the auditorium class every single event that God has planned in his prophetic calendar. And there are a lot of events yet to come. Now I want you to go to the other Sunday school classes as well, but if you want to get back in and know what's going to happen in the end times, that's what we'll be doing in this particular ABF or Sunday school time. Let's ask a couple of questions. Do you believe that one generation of Christians dead and alive will be taken to heaven? If you don't, we're going to show you exactly why that's true. When will the removal of Christians from the earth take place? We'll show you that. What are the signs regarding the coming of Jesus Christ? I can answer that in one word. None. None. Now, if you wanna talk about the second coming of Christ, when he comes down to set up his earthly kingdom, there are hundreds of signs. But we're not gonna be talking about when he returns to set up his kingdom, but when Jesus comes to take his children home to be with him. Will Jesus actually return to the earth when he removes the Christians? I can answer that in one word as well. No, he does not. And we'll see that as we get started. So this morning what we're going to examine is how you should prepare. Are you ready for the soon coming return of Jesus Christ to take Christians to Heaven? Now, for the Christian, we're going to give you a little theology this morning, a little bit of excitement and motivation about what's coming. If you're here, as we discussed before we did the baptisms, and you don't know for sure if you died, you go to Heaven. implore you I beg you I beg you to come to Christ today and receive that free gift of eternal life because if you don't you're going to miss out on what we're going to talk about this morning father I pray now that as we open the Word of God that you'd speak to our hearts Lord our time is short so father I pray that you'd help us to If you will, buckle our seatbelts as we talk quick, as we give a great deal of information from the scriptures in a very short period of time. But Lord, knowing the power of your word, knowing the power of the Bible, you can change lives this morning. Would you do what you did in Stephanie's life this morning? Would you do what you did in Russ's life this morning. Would you do what you've done in my life and dozens and dozens and dozens of others in this room and watching on the Internet? Would you change our lives? Would you excite us and motivate us for that greatest event that is yet to come when you come in the clouds in the air to take your people home to be with you? Maranatha in Jesus name. Amen. You see, it was some 2000 years ago, as you'll recall, that Jesus was placed on the cross. His first advent, when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, spent some 33 years on this earth, He came for one purpose and one purpose only. He didn't come to set up His kingdom. He didn't come to rule as the King of kings and the Lord of lords that first time He came. He came to go to the cross to pay for your sins. That's exactly why He came. His whole purpose in his first advent was his death, his burial, and his resurrection, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 3 and 4. The Bible, now many of you, if you've not read the Bible, if you're not familiar with it, there's 1,000 prophecies, 1,000 prophecies in the Scriptures. 351 of those prophecies referred to what Jesus would do in his first advent. 351 separate prophecies that came to pass exactly as stated. If you received that white book this morning, in the back, all 351 are listed to document what I just stated. So they took Jesus, they crucified him, they put him in the tomb. much smaller than the one here, but that's the best picture I could come up with. Jesus was placed inside the tomb. The Roman soldiers were there to guard it because Jesus had made the outlandish statement that he would rise from the dead. By the way, the disciples didn't even understand that, but the Roman soldiers did. And they said, we gotta guard that tomb. We can't let Jesus escape. And of course, Jesus didn't escape. He broke loose, he came out. Why? Because he is risen exactly as he said he would do. Well, if you have your Bible, we're gonna go very quickly to Titus chapter two. Titus chapter two. The Bible says, for the grace of God that bringeth salvation has appeared to all men. The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. Listen, if you're here this morning, you understand a little bit about a Christian church or you wouldn't be here. Even if you were invited, you understand that the two individuals that were baptized this morning, they talked about, they expressed about the grace of God. What does the word grace mean? Grace is a free unmerited gift. Stephanie didn't deserve the grace of God. Russ doesn't deserve the grace of God. Rich Schmidt, me, does not deserve the grace of God. But God says, I love you so much. You know, Romans chapter five, verse eight, just comes to mind. But God demonstrates, or he commendeth his love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ, what? Died for us. We were yet sinners, we were against God. You say, I've never been against God. Where's Larry? He's in the back somewhere. Larry brings out one of the greatest little statements I've heard. If you've not received Jesus Christ as your personal savior, what have you done? You've rejected him. If you haven't received the free gift, you've rejected Christ. You say, well, I go to church. I was baptized when I was an infant. I took communion. I did this, I did that. And God says, uh-uh, it doesn't work. It doesn't work. The only thing is the grace of God, God's free unmerited gift, which he paid for on the cross that gives us salvation, teaching us what? Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. I wanna go right back, where's Russ at, by the way? There you are. I'm very, very happy in his testimony, he shared some things that maybe were a little tough to share. He trusts Christ as his Savior several years ago, but like old smutty-faced Satan often does, he messes with our lives. He tempts us, he tries us, he pushes us. And if you get a little off kilter, you get a little out of tweak, what happens? Next thing you know, maybe it's alcohol. Next thing you know, maybe it's fentanyl. Next thing you know, maybe it's an opiate. Next thing you know, maybe it's addicted to pornography. Next thing you know, sin just starts to pile in and come in. Next thing you know, your life is a mess. And God says, listen, here's what we should do as God's people. Now, this isn't for the unsaved here. This is for God's people. He's like, when you come to Christ, I'm gonna tell you right now, and Russell and I have talked about it, When you're a Christian and you're living in sin, it doesn't feel good, does it? It doesn't feel good. You can see him shaking his head, and many of you have been in the same spot. It doesn't feel good. Why? Because 1 Corinthians 3, verse 16, and 1 Corinthians 6, 19 tells us that when you put your faith and trust in Jesus, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in you. And Ephesians chapter four verse 30 says, do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God by whom you are. Sealed. What does it, whoa, wait a minute. Don't you, after you trust Christ, aren't you perfect? I mean, doesn't God automatically transform your life? He becomes Lord of your life. You just start clicking on all cylinders. Well, that would be the wonderful if it happened and on occasion it does. But Satan doesn't like when you come to Christ. That's why we are in a constant spiritual battle. You are in a constant spiritual battle at home, and I'm gonna tell you right now, you're in a constant spiritual battle at Union Grove Baptist Church. Why? Because Satan doesn't like when things are going in God's way. Looking for the what? The blessed hope. What's the blessed hope? We're talking about the imminent, immediate, soon approaching return of Jesus Christ. He's coming back. looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. What are we talking about? We're talking about from 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 to 18, when Jesus said he's going to be coming. Behold, the Lord will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, in the air, and so shall we. ever be with the Lord. You see, are you ready? Christian, I'm talking to Christians for a moment now. Are you ready? Are you prepared? If Jesus comes back today and you see his face and you go up to heaven with him, the good news is you'll be up there with Jesus. Amen? There might be a little bad news for some of you. You know all the spiritual rewards that God talks about He's gonna give to God's people? The rewards that will eventually cast at Jesus' feet? Have you been living for the Lord? Have you been serving Him? And we're looking forward to the glorious appearing of Jesus. He's coming. Now to some of you, and again, if you're visiting, it's like, wait a minute, I never heard this in my life before. I know my pastor, my priest, my prophet, whatever you have, never told me this stuff. Well, here you go, I'm telling you, it's right here, it's in the book. And I encourage you to read the book of the Bible and become biblically literacy. What? Looking for that blessed hope. Are you looking for Jesus, Christian? I mean, he is coming back. We don't know if it's gonna be in our generation. We do not know that. But could it be? Could he come back today? There are no signs for the next major event on God's prophetic calendar, which is what's known as the rapture of the church. All right, so very quickly, What's God's timeline? Well, we know that creation took place approximately 4,000 B.C. Now, if you're visiting or new to Union Grove Baptist, you're like, wait a minute, 4,000 B.C., you're crazy. This earth is millions and billions of years old as everybody tells you in the public, school, the media, and everywhere else. and even in some churches. No, the Bible makes it very clear, if you go to Genesis chapter five and Genesis chapter 11, two genealogies are given. The dates of the children that are born from Adam on are listed by the year. Folks, it's 4,000 years. It's actually 4,004 if you do the math precisely. Well, then what happened? Genesis chapter 12, Abraham comes on the scene. Mosaic law is given in 1445 BC. Then a major event took place that we talked about multiple times already. Jesus Christ, God's son, his first advent, his first coming to the earth takes place. After Jesus came, he did away with the law. 613 commandments that the Jewish people had to follow, which they couldn't, but they tried, but they failed. The law was abolished through Jesus. That's why we don't sacrifice anymore. That's why you're not forced to follow the dietary laws anymore. Why? Because Jesus came and paid it all. All to him I owe, sin has left the crimson stain, he washed it white as snow. We currently live in what's known as the church age, the age of grace, where God gives out salvation as a free gift. The next major event on God's prophetic calendar for God's people, Christians, is the removal or the rapture, the snatching away or the catching up of God's people. And by the way, during Sunday school, we're gonna go into depth on that at 10.45 after our break. Well, what happens after the rapture? The Bible talks about a seven year horrible tribulation time, Daniel 9.27. Seven years the antichrist will be ruling on this earth. Revelation chapter 4 verse 2 through Revelation 19 verse 21 talks about that horrific seven-year period which happens after the rapture of the church. Shortly thereafter that seven-year period Jesus Christ will return to this earth not in the clouds this time, but to the earth to set up his 1,000-year millennial kingdom. Six times in seven verses, Revelation 20, verses one to seven, six times in seven verses, God says, 1,000 years, Jesus will be ruling and reigning on this earth. That's what's coming. Are you ready? Shortly after that 1,000-year millennial kingdom, is when some in this room, unfortunately, if you don't come to Jesus Christ today, if you die without Jesus, you'll be at that next and last major event on God's prophetic calendar, which is the great white throne judgment spoken about in Revelation chapter 20, verses 11 to 15. The great white throne judgment is when all those who have rejected Jesus, oh, but I believe in Jesus. Have you ever received him as your personal savior? I know about Jesus, I went to church. Have you ever received him as your personal savior? Have you ever put your faith in Jesus? Well, I know about Jesus. I went to a parochial school. I went to different schools. They talked about it. I went to church. Have you ever put your faith in Jesus? It's not about what you know. It's not about where you've been. It's about have you put your faith. in Jesus Christ. All those who did not put their faith in Jesus, even if they were a church attendee and a baptized person and went through confirmation and six million other things, they will stand before the judgment seat of God at the white throne judgment. And every single one of them, Revelation 21, eight, will be cast in the lake of fire, which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. Second death. First death is when we die physically. The Bible says the second death, which none of us need, want, the second death is eternity in an awful place called the lake of fire. You say, now wait a minute, pastor, you're going a little too far. Don't you know it's politically incorrect to talk about hell? Oh yeah, I know it's politically incorrect, but I also know it's biblically spot on. I also know that it's biblically spot on. Okay, you're still with me. It's all right, we can talk here. What'll happen after, if you will, that 1,000 year period? This whole heaven and earth are gonna be destroyed. Talk about global warming. God's going to destroy this earth after a minimum of 1,007 years. It's another, come to Sunday school, talk about that. All right, very quickly, I'm out of time. Let's look at it from the Bible. I just recited this. Are you ready? Are you ready, Christian? Are you ready should Jesus come back today? The Bible says, I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren or Christian, concerning them which are asleep or have died, that you sorrow not even as others, which have no hope. Do you have hope this morning? Yes. Some of you couldn't say yes. You're not sure if you died, you go to heaven. Let's change that in a couple of minutes. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep, which are dead in Jesus, will God bring with him. What's he saying? Every single person since the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ, when they die, 2 Corinthians chapter five, verse eight says, absent from the body, present with the? Body. Our soul spirit immediately goes to heaven. When do they get their glorified body? Right here. So that body that we put in the casket or the urn that you bury or whatever it might be, the soul spirit immediately goes one of two places when someone dies. Not into a purgatory, not into a holding tank. You're either going, if you will, to the place called Hades, the grave, which basically for the unsaved is the holding tank, getting all those who have refused to trust Christ One day at that white throne judgment we'll be resurrected to stand before Jesus. But the hope is gone. If you don't receive Jesus today in your lifetime while you're here. you will face Jesus at the great white throne judgment, where every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, but it's too late. It's too late. Are you ready? For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep or have died in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain, if it happens in our generation, what? that which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not precede them which are asleep or died. In other words, the loved ones that you have that put their faith and trust in Christ, you put their bodies in the grave. God says, when Jesus comes back and the clouds in the air, boom, those dead old bones, God's gonna resurrect, give them a glorified body. 1 Corinthians 15 verses 50 to 54. A new changed body that will last for how long? Forever in the presence of Christ. Are you catching this? Are you understanding that this isn't just, yeah, I go to church, take communion, blah, blah, blah, maybe I go to heaven, maybe I go to hell, who knows, whatever. No, this is Bible, folks, this is the real deal, all right? Last one. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up, snatched up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. So shall we ever be with the Lord. Now you say, wait a minute. Very quickly, one quick little theological lesson here. He said, when you were talking about the end of the church age, you called it the rapture. The word rapture, where you see the word caught up, That's the Greek word harpazo in which the original Bible was written in. That Bible was translated into Latin and the Greek or the Latin word there for caught up or snatched up is rapturo, R-A-P-T-U-R-O. So don't say the word rapture is not in the Bible. If you read Latin, it is. Rapturo. And the theologians decided to adopt that word rapture. But you don't have to call it rapture. The snatching up, the catching away. What's gonna happen? Wherefore? God says, I want you to comfort yourselves. All right, we're out of time. Listen and we're done. Some of you are saying, please be done. Some of you are hanging on the edge of your seat right now, wondering if you can be a Russ or a Stephanie. How can I get what they got? Listen, please, and we're done. Here's how you can get what they got. Number one, you've got to understand you're a sinner. We've all sinned to come short of the glory of God. There's none righteous. No, not one. Romans 310. Not one. Every one of us has sinned. We've all done wrong. And I don't mean to be disrespectful. I've sinned too. We've all have. We're on the same boat. And God says, because me and you have sinned, if we got what we deserve, we'd spend an eternity in the lake of fire. Revelation 21.8. In a common vernacular, what's it talking about? Hell. That's what me, that's what you deserve. That's what I deserve. But here's the good news. Listen now. Jesus Christ, God's Son, looked down and he said, I love you. I love you. I love you. And I came down from heaven. God himself leaves heaven glory, takes on the form of a human being for some 33 years, goes to the cross, gives his life to pay for our sin, to pay for it. That's why you can't pay for your sin. You cannot pay for your sin. Only Jesus could do that. And he did it. But there's one thing you must do. Here it is, last point. You must do this. Can I give you the promise? You already heard John 3.16. How about a promise right out of God's word? Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. Here it is, are you ready? Listen. For by grace, God's free unmerited gift are you saved. Saved from sin, saved from the penalty of sin. For by grace, God's free unmerited gift are you saved. It is not of yourself. It is the gift of God, not of our works, lest any person should boast. You see, This morning, you saw multiple people receive a gift. What do you have to do to get a gift? Somebody, one of the ushers, one of the individuals said, here, this is for you. It's free. Would you take it? And you reached out your hand, and you took it. You didn't have to pay a penny for it. You didn't have to stay in the service. You could have walked out. But they took that gift, and they kept it. And God says that's what salvation is. It's a free gift that God wants to give you right this moment. Not tomorrow, now. You don't know if you have tomorrow. You don't know if you're gonna make it home. Would you receive that free gift by placing your faith in Jesus right now? Every head bowed, every eye closed. Please, Father, there's some work that needs to be done here this morning. I don't know who, but I know, I know, I know, I know that there's folks sitting here right now that need to put their faith in Jesus. They need to have their sins forgiven. They need to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when they die, just like Russ and Stephanie shared this morning, that they too can have eternal life and live with you forever based on your promise. Not on what they do, but on what you did. If that's you this morning, if that's you this morning, Where are you going to go? Are you ready? You say, I'm not ready. I get it. I get it. I understand I've sinned. I understand I don't deserve heaven. But I get it. You've given so many verses this morning that point to one thing, that I need to put my faith in Jesus and Jesus alone to get to heaven. Is that you? Is that you? He said, yeah, it's me. It's me. All right, right there we are. Every head's bowed, every eye closed. Would you by faith receive that free gift of eternal life? How do I do it? It's faith. You don't do anything. You put your faith in what Jesus did through his death, burial, and resurrection, and you receive his promises, two of which we gave this morning, that when you put your faith in Jesus, you'll go to heaven when you die. Are you ready to do that right there? Right there we are. Put your faith in Jesus this very moment. Are you doing it? Are you doing it? I'm going to say a prayer in just a moment. The prayer is not what saves you, but the prayer is going to be a prayer of thanksgiving if you're putting your faith in Jesus right now. Are you doing it? Would you pray with me silently? You can pray something like this. Dear God, I knew when I entered this church this morning that I'd sinned. I know I've done wrong. And I knew because I've sinned, if I got what I deserved, I now know that I burned forever in an awful place called the Lake of Fire Hell. So this morning, I heard the wonderful news that Jesus paid it all through his death, burial, and resurrection, and I believe that Jesus did that, and I believe that Jesus loves me this morning, and I'm receiving that free gift. Thank you for saving me and promising to take me heaven when I die. Every head's bowed, every eye closed. I promise you I'm not going to ask you to do anything. Nobody's going to be coming forward. Nobody's going to bother you. But I'd like to pray for you. The only thing I'd like you to do, if you're putting your faith in Jesus this morning, I'm going to ask you to do one simple little thing nobody's looking about. I want to pray for you. I'm not going to pray for you by name. I'm not going to point you out. But it's a testimony that you put your faith in Jesus this morning. Would you raise your hand up say Pastor Rich that's me. I put my faith in Jesus this morning. Raise them up nice and high. I'm putting my faith in Jesus. God bless you. God bless you. God bless you. Others you can put those hands down. God bless you. Others this morning I put my faith in Jesus. I'm putting my faith in Jesus. Don't put it off. You don't know if you have tomorrow. Anyone else. Anyone else? Raise it up nice and high. Father, thank you for your love for us. Thank you for these three that said yes to Jesus this morning. The angels rejoice in heaven because of what's taken place here today. My heart is thrilled. I could have said amen after the testimonies this morning and had a great day. Father, you've just made it so much better. Thank you for working in hearts this morning. Thank you for those that have put their faith in you. Now, Father, I pray that all the Christians that are in this room this morning, including these new ones that have just placed their faith in you, would you help us to go out and to serve you like never before, to love you like never before, telling others the greatest news ever given to mankind, that Christ Jesus came into the world