Sermon Tone Analysis

Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the Second Coming.

There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament.

Of the 260 chapters in the New Testament, there are 318 references to the Second Coming – that’s one in every 30 verses.

Twenty-three of the 27 New Testament books refer to this event.

For every prophecy on the 1st Coming of Christ, there are eight on Christ’s 2nd Coming.

We can only conclude that it must be a significant event in God’s plan.

When is that event going to take place?

There is only one thing you and I can be absolutely sure about when it comes to our Lord’s return to this Earth in power and glory.

Every morning we wake up brings us one day closer to that blessed event.

The Christians of the 1st century had as many questions about the Second Coming of our Lord as Christians of the 20th century.

At the Church of Thessolanica, some of the Christians were worried about those believers who had already died.

Would they have a part in the Second Coming and the resurrection?

The Apostle Paul devotes most of the final paragraphs of his first letter to the Thessalonian Christians to the subject of the Second Coming.

His thoughts on the matter give us hope and teach us how we are to live in light of our Lord’s return.

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I. WE ARE NOT WITHOUT HOPE – THE LORD WILL COME

#. it is so easy to become preoccupied with the affairs of this world

* ILLUS.

I’ll confess ... I’ve been a little preoccupied with worldly events of late.

First, it was the Summer Olympics.

For two weeks I stayed up until midnight or later watching the days events.

I cheered for Michael Phelps, and booed the gymnastics judges when the failed to give our gymnasts the scores they really deserved.

It was also a time when the world watched the seeming re-emergence of the of the ‘Russian Bear’ as the Russian army swept into the nation of Georgia.

Then I spent last week watching the Democratic Convention.

Regardless of what you think about politics in general or the Democrats in particular, it was a historic convention.

In just under fifty years we have passed from the era of Jim Crow laws and “Whites Only” restrooms to a party nominating the first black American to the nation’s highest office.

This week many of us will be preoccupied with the Republican Convention, and hurricane Gustuv.

#. so yes, I’ve been preoccupied with the affairs of this world

#. the problem is that when we become preoccupied with world affairs, we can become anxious or mind and troubled of soul

#. but friends, this world is not our home – we’re just passing though

#. something better awaits the Child of God

* ILLUS.

A time is coming where we won’t have to worry about Alkida and terrorists, Iran, North Korea and nuclear proliferation; about high gas prices, high food prices, and lower stock market prices.

#. in the Gospels, our Lord tells His disciples that He is going away, but then promises them that He is going to return

* John 14:1-3 /"Do not let your hearts be troubled.

Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you.

I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”/

#. this promise is a comforting hope

#. this promise is a compelling hope

#. this promise is a certain hope

#. world events remind us that history is edging ever closer to its consummation

* ILLUS.

The popular 12-book Left Behind series of books by Hal Lindsey and Jerry Jenkins has created a renewed interest in “end-time events” among believers.

Over 62 million books have been sold.

#. the return of Christ is an event we are to pray for, watch for, and eagerly anticipate

#. what are some things that you and I need to know about the Second Coming of our Lord beside the fact that it will take place?

!! A. FIRST, WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT WILL TAKE PLACE

#. the Thessalonian believer’s first question was, /“Will the believers who have already died have a part in the Second Coming?”/

#.

Paul s answer is, /“Of course!”/

* 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 /"For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord."/

NASB95

#. the Apostle Paul clearly asserts that the dead in Christ will rise first

#. the Thessalonian believer’s do not have to worry about believers who have ‘died in the Lord’ – their resurrection is sure

#. the Thessalonian believers also had a second question, '“When will this glorious event take place?”/

#.

Paul’s answer is an unequivocal /“Ya got me brother!”/

* 1 Thessalonians 5:1 /“Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.”/

#. in this verse the Apostle Paul refers to the unexpectedness of the Lord’s return – it’s like a thief who takes the owner of the house by surprise

* ILLUS.

Thieves do not send warning letters announcing: /“To Whom it May Concern.

Tomorrow, at 3:00 am Eastern time, I’ll be paying you a visit.

Be sure to leave all your valuables in plain sight: This way I will not have to ransack your home.”/

#. the Thessalonians know very well this truth, because it’s found in the Gospels

* ILLUS.

Jesus paralleled His Second Coming to the Days of Noah.

He tells His disciples that /“For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the day of Noah.”/

In those days, people were living normal lives – they were eating and drinking, marrying and being given in marriage, until the very day that Noah entered the Ark.

They did not understand until the flood came and took them all away.

#.

Christians are still asking the question /“When will the Lord come?”/

#. the Bible tells us that this is one of most closely guarded secrets of the cosmos

#.

Jesus, on several occasions, spoke of His coming again, and each time warned His disciples not to speculate about when it would take place because even He did not know

* Matthew 24:35-36 /“Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone."/

NASB95

#. unfortunately, this verse has done nothing to dissuade men from endlessly speculating and establishing dates for our Lord’s Second Coming

#. many have calculated and formulated and boldly predicted that Jesus will return on such-and-such a day

* ILLUS.

One of the most famous examples occurred early in our nation’s history.

In the 1830s, William Miller, a farmer from upstate New York and a veteran of the War of 1812, created an “End-is-near” hysteria in our nation when he began preaching that the apocalyptic doom recorded in the Book of Revelation was about to take place.

Miller drew a large following and in 1840 announced a range of dates for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

He said it would occur sometime between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844.

When the March 1844 date came around and Jesus didn’t, it caused a real problem for Miller’s leadership and credibility.

Thousands of followers had sold or given away all their possessions in anticipation of the big day.

But then one of Miller’s disciples realized that his leader’s calculations were off by one year because he neglected to count the BC to AD rollover.

So Miller revised the date to October 22, 1844.

On October 21, an estimated 100,000 “Millerites” expected to see Jesus coming in the clouds of glory.

Many dressed in white robes and climbed up on roofs and hilltops.

Most of New England waited with baited breath.

Shops closed and communities came to a stand-still.

The chosen night came and went.

Obviously, Jesus did not return in October of 1844.

The milestone would come to be known as The Great Disappointment of 1844.

#. it seems that men never learn the folly of trying to predict our Lord’s Second Coming

#. between 1877 and 1975, the Jehovah's Witnesses have set twenty-five different dates and have missed every one

#. the Unification Church – better known as the Moonies – said that 1985 was the year the Lord would establish his Earthly kingdom

#. they too were wrong

#. in 1988 Edgar Whisenant, a NASA scientist, wrote a book entitled 88 Reasons why the Lord is Returning in 1988

#. like William Miller’s preaching, Whisenant’s book took the nation by storm

* ILLUS.

Almost 5 million copies of his book were sold.