Eagerly Awaiting Jesus' Return
Jesus is coming soon, and we should live every day in joyful anticipation of his return, watching and praying for the day when we will be with him forever.
David Wilkerson emphasizes the imminent return of Jesus Christ, urging believers to live in eager anticipation of His coming. He highlights the powerful imagery of Christ's return, where the dead in Christ will rise and all believers will be gathered to meet Him in the air, accompanied by a loud shout and the sound of trumpets. Wilkerson warns against the folly of predicting the exact time of Jesus' return, encouraging the faithful to focus on the relationship with Christ rather than the timing of His return. He reminds the congregation that Jesus, who ascended into heaven, will return in the same glorious manner, and calls for a life of watchfulness and readiness as we await His arrival. Until that day, he stresses the importance of continuing the work of the Lord.
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Jesus is coming soon! "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18).
In Greek, the word "shout" means to incite by word, to awaken, spur to action. All overcomers will hear the voice of the archangel: "He is at the door! He whom you love has come to take you away!" This is no discreet coming, done quietly in a corner. No! Jesus is coming with trumpet blasting, with hosts of angels, with a shout, with a cosmic cry of the archangel. The dead in Christ will rise first to meet him in the air and what a thunderous rejoicing that will be. Then he will send his angels into all the world and gather his children to himself.
Throughout history, different ones have foolishly predicted the time of Christ's return. Multitudes have sold all they owned and gone to specific sites to await his return -- only to be disappointed. "Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is" (Mark 13:33). Beware of getting caught up in when and how Jesus is coming when you should be concentrating on who is coming. God has purposely withheld the time of Christ's return to keep his people in a state of watchfulness.
"This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). It was a glorified Man who left and it is a glorified Man who is returning! Do you desire to be with the Lord? Did you know that it is his desire to be with you? Live every day in joyful anticipation of his coming at any hour. And remember that until he comes, there is much work to be done!
Sermon Outline
- I. Jesus' Return is Imminent
- A. The Lord will descend from heaven with a shout and the trumpet of God
- B. The dead in Christ will rise first, and the living will be caught up together
- C. We will always be with the Lord
- II. The Nature of Jesus' Return
- A. It will be a public and glorious event, not a discreet coming
- B. Jesus will come with hosts of angels and a cosmic cry of the archangel
- III. The Importance of Watchfulness
- A. We must watch and pray, for we do not know when the time is
- B. God has withheld the time of Christ's return to keep us in a state of watchfulness
- IV. The Desire of Jesus to be with Us
- A. Jesus desires to be with us, and we should desire to be with him
- B. We should live every day in joyful anticipation of his coming
Key Quotes
“Jesus is coming soon!” — David Wilkerson
“This is no discreet coming, done quietly in a corner. No! Jesus is coming with trumpet blasting, with hosts of angels, with a shout, with a cosmic cry of the archangel.” — David Wilkerson
“This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” — David Wilkerson
Application Points
- We should live every day in joyful anticipation of Jesus' return, watching and praying for the day when we will be with him forever.
- There is much work to be done until Jesus comes, and we should be focused on serving him and others.
- We should concentrate on who is coming, not when and how, when thinking about Jesus' return.