His Return - Hark the Herald Angels Sing

00:00 - Speaker 1
Real Life presents the Jack Hibbs Podcast with intention and boldness to proclaim truth, equip the saints and impact our culture.

00:09 - Speaker 2
There's going to be a generation when Christ returns, not in a manger, not born of a virgin, that's already happened that when he comes back in power, he's going to speak forth and resurrect His dead and he's going to call up His living and meet them in the air. What an amazing thing.

00:29 - Speaker 1
You can get the outlines of this podcast by going to jackhibbscom slash podcast Today. If this podcast lifts you up and encourages you to live a more fulfilled life in Christ, then make sure you leave us one of those five-star ratings. To us that's like saying amen or yes. Then that rating will encourage others to listen Now open your hearts to what God's word has to say to you. Here is Jack Hibbs.

00:57 - Speaker 2
His return is without warning. Now I need to unpack this for a second. Everybody, you have to watch my hands because I'm not smart enough to articulate it with my mouth, so you have to look at it this way. Jesus came at the first coming, born as a baby skin flesh, humble, took upon himself the form of a human Bible says so, lived 33 1⁄2 years, crucified, died, resurrected from the dead you read it a moment ago ascended back to heaven from where he came. He died in our place. He was our atonement. That's the first coming. He presented himself to Israel, by the way, at his first coming. The second coming, he comes in his glorified state. Yes, it's flesh, but it's glorified. He comes, he returns to Israel, he returns to Jerusalem and he establishes his kingdom. And, mind you, revelation, chapter 19, tells you that when heaven's door is opened up and he comes out of heaven, he's returning in the second coming to earth. And it says to punish all the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity. Isn't that interesting? If you're astute, you're saying wait a minute. I thought he died for all of our sins at the cross. Oh, he did, but he's coming back to punish those who refused to receive the gift. They shunned the gift, they threwunned the gift, they threw it back in his face and he's not doing it because he's angry, not like the way you and I would think. He has to judge sin and when he returns in the second coming, the Bible calls it the great and terrible day of our Lord and Christ. That's the second coming and he physically returns to Jerusalem, but when I'm talking about the awakening, that is without warning. In the middle of those two events that deal with Israel and Jerusalem, is an event in the middle that deals with the church, is an event in the middle that deals with the church. It's called the rapture in Latin, or harpazo in Greek, or caught up in English In John, chapter 14, verse 3,.

03:14
I love this. John 14, verse 3, jesus said If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to myself. Oh, that's good news that where I am there, you may be also. Do you see that? Okay, you guys, hey everybody, I'm leaving. You See you, I'm all done, resurrected from the dead. Time to go back home. But don't worry about it. If I go, I promise to go I'm going to prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to myself the word that implies I'm going to hold you to my chest. Okay, that where I am you can look at it this way that where I have been preparing a place for you, that place, that where I am. Well, that's where I'm going to take you.

04:12
According to the Bible, that could happen any day. It could have happened any day since he left, amen. We are so now near the end of time, as we know it, as we've studied it over the years, and as scripture tells, where there'll be a time when he focuses on the nation of Israel for the last and final time before his great second advent. Yet something's gonna happen before that, and it's gonna be the fulfillment of John 14. You say what's it gonna be like? We don't have to guess In 1 John 14. You say what's it going to be like? We don't have to guess. In 1 Thessalonians 4, verse 13,. Without a warning, he says. Paul said to the Thessalonians by the way, you can go, take a cruise. It's one of the oldest cities in the world you can still visit today.

05:03
Isn't it amazing that he says I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have died or fallen asleep. Don't be uninformed, don't be without knowledge. It's amazing to me that if you were to meet a graduate student from some seminary today and you were to ask them can you tell me about the first coming of Christ? Can you tell me about the second coming of Christ? Can you tell me about the second coming of Christ and can you tell me about what happens in between that, according to scripture? Did you know that most seminary students cannot answer this question that I just put before you right now? They've never been taught it, they don't know it, and the Bible says I don't want you to be ignorant about this stuff. That's the first warning my goodness right there about. There won't be a warning Be ready, man Concerning those who have fallen to sleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, watch this even so, god will bring with him those who sleep or those who died in Jesus. So I don't want you to be confused about this.

06:12
When a believer dies, the Bible says when the flesh dies, to be absent from the bodies, to be present with the Lord. Okay, so if you drop dead right now, if I drop dead right now my body falls down, but my spirit immediately goes to be in the presence of the Lord. Okay, instantly. It's awesome. That's for the believer. 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 by no means precede those who are asleep or those who die. You say wait a minute, what? So imagine this. Somebody dies. They're a believer.

06:50
We go to Forest Lawn, we bury them, right, we're at their service. Uncle John's dead, but Uncle John believed in Jesus, so he's really with Jesus. But we're stuck with his body, so we have to bury him. So we go to Forest Lawn and we put him down on the ground and I'm saying verses in prayer and the family's gathered together and they're weeping and I make the announcement his body's going to be on the ground until the resurrection. Well, imagine we're on the slopes of forest lawn, mortuary, watch what happens, for the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God. The dead in Christ will rise first. We just put him in the ground, we just put him in, and there's a trumpet blast, there's a shout, there's a voice and up he goes. Just what blast. There's a shout, there's a voice, and up he goes. And then, nanoseconds behind him, we're following him. His body's resurrected. Watch this. His body's resurrected.

07:58
Then we who are alive look what it says. Then we who are alive verse 17, and remain, shall be caught up. The Latin word is rapture, the Greek word is harpazo. Together with them. Who's the them? The them are the dead. That's been resurrected. Isn't that awesome? Oh, I want to be doing a funeral that day. It'd be like. It'd be like a, it'd be like a Pop-Tart. You put them in. You put them in. Oh, my goodness, that'd be amazing. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up. To meet them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air Sounds like John 14, huh, and thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, comfort one another with these words the awakening of his return.

08:45
Christ is coming at a time where the Bible says for the church, there's no warning. There's no warning, it's imminent, always, what's going to happen to me? 1 Corinthians 15, 50. Now this I say, brethren that flesh and blood like this cannot inherit the kingdom of God. You and I need to be changed, nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible. And this is a shocking statement that scholars have enjoyed over the last two millennia. Notice everybody, watch the screen. I'm going to read it wrong, so that you remember this forever. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and they shall be changed. What did I miss? What did I mess up? We? Let me read it again now. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible. And we, not the dead.

10:00
Paul was believing in his lifetime and it's not until 2 Timothy 4 where he stops saying we, when he is told he's going to lose his head for Christ. That's when he stops using the word we. We shall be changed. There's going to be a generation when Christ returns, not in a manger, not born of a virgin, that's already happened that when he comes back in power, he's going to speak forth and resurrect his dead and he's going to call up his living and meet them in the air. What an amazing thing. What a glorious thing we can expect, that His return can be expected.

10:41
The Bible teaches us In Luke, chapter 12, verse 35,. The Bible says let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, the lamps symbol of the Holy Spirit, and you yourselves be like men who are waiting for their master. Verse 37,. Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find them watching. Be in an attitude of watching. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of man is coming in an hour. You do not expect. Is that awesome. I love it.

11:14
And then, finally, under this point here, it's this his return is our deliverance. You see, if you're a follower of Jesus, this world, this is as close to hell as you're going to get. Is this world right here? If you're a believer, this is bad as it gets. Think about it the cancer, the rot, the pain, the hurt, all that. For the believer, this is as bad as it gets. When we go home, we're going home to perfection, to absolute, absolute joy, light. All of the amazing, beautiful, holy things that God has made are gonna be perfected before our eyes in incredible wonder.

12:05
We sing these songs of Christmas, we sing about his deliverance of us Happily. We don't have a clue what we're about to experience. You say what do you mean? Do you know something? I don't know anything. I don't know when he's coming. Nobody knows the day they are, but I know this. If you're the youngest person in the house today, if you live to be an old man or woman, it ain't far away from now. That's not long, isn't time? A weird thing Kind of plays tricks on you, right? It's like wait, I thought it. Wait, it's what? What month is it what we just got here, man? The fact that he's going to deliver us.

12:52
The Bible tells us that in Luke 2.11, we read it earlier today. In the town of David, a savior has been born to you. He is the Messiah, the Lord Boy. There it is. He is the savior. Why? Because we're lost, we need saving. He's Messiah because we need atonement. And he's the Lord. Listen, he's our master. You will not be going to heaven if you're not following Jesus. Think of that. That's a very simple thing.

13:26
A lot of people think they've accepted Christ just for fire insurance. They accepted Christ. They think they're not going to hell, they think they'll go live up their life and they don't have any passion for God at all. No love for God, no conscience for God. They got their little Jesus card.

13:42
Your first, the membership card. What membership card? Think about it. Maybe you're new here today, You're visiting, it's Christmas. You're visiting and you're thinking well, you know what? Where do I sign up to be a member? We don't have membership. Well then, why would I go to your church Because we don't have membership? Well, don't you want to know? I want a card. We'll make you a card. Membership, no membership. There's no membership in the Bible. There's only one the membership.

14:23
The Bible says that Jesus Christ, his body, is the church and the Holy Spirit is the one that baptizes you in the body of Christ. Did you know that? And it says we're members one of another. Well, where's your card? We don't have a card. The moment we have a card, then we start trusting that we'll frame it, we'll gold plate it. Look, I got my card.

14:39
God doesn't issue cards. God issues forgiveness and salvation to any man or woman, boy or girl who will turn to him and love on him. Deliverance. And then number nine is our closing argument the applause of his return. The applause, what do we mean by that? Well, number one we can applaud him for his goodness. Hasn't God been good? Listen, think about your own life right now. I don't. Whatever you're going through, you've got to stop. Say Jack, are you serious? No, I'm very serious.

15:17
The I heard this great program the other day. I was driving and somebody called this great thinker was being interviewed and somebody called in and they said if God is so good, then why is there so much bad in the world? And the guy said the great thinker I won't mention his name. The great thinker said how do you know there's any bad in the world? And the guy paused. He was like shocked. What he said how do you know that there's bad in the world? Well, this is wrong. That's wrong, yeah, but how do you know it's wrong? You can only know it's wrong when you put it up against that which is good To find out something bad, you've got to have a reference point, and the reference point will be good, the goodness of God.

16:13
God has been good to you. You may be an atheist today. He's still been good to you and he's so incredibly patient in his goodness. Right, he is patient. So we hate patience. God says so we hate patience. God says we're praying. God will give us a word from the Bible Wait, wait. We'd rather hear yes or no, but wait. And you tell your kids you know, look, we're such hypocrites, you and I don't handle it very well at all. And then we tell our kids that are four years old, you're going to have to wait. And then they freak out and we're going what's wrong with you? And then God says to you you're going to wait. And then you just melt, you just fall apart and cry no, wait. Yes, god says wait, and we can thank God for his goodness and his patience, because people are walking around the world cursing God.

17:11
There's a website you can go to now and you can officially log on and post forever your cursing of the Holy Spirit. If I were God, the first post I would have just went brrrr, still marshmallow. I would have just went still marshmallow. I'm not God, though people who don't believe in God should be glad that I'm not God. He's so patient, aren't you glad he's patient? I'm glad he's patient. He's so kind, his goodness. Glad he's patient. He's so kind, his goodness. We applaud his goodness. God is good.

17:56
The Bible tells us in Psalm 145, verse 9, the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercy is over all his works. God is good. You just need to look for his goodness. It's there, everywhere, remarkable. And then next we applaud him for his goodness. It's there, everywhere, remarkable. And then next we applaud him for his grace. The Bible says listen, ephesians, chapter 2, verse 8.

18:22
This comes as a ginormous insult to a lot of people, for by grace, that's God's grace, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. Yeah, listen, let that soak in for a minute. You say what does that mean? That means you ain't going to heaven on your own merit. It means people who have lived the worst, darkest, most sinister life. They're closer to heaven than you are because you see yourself okay and we're not okay.

19:02
We just know how to dress it up. I mean, for those of you who are visiting, don't come back next week and expect a tie. I'll tell you that right now. I don't do this. I was pressured into this. Jesus did not wear a tie. I'm just trying to be as biblical as possible here. But people, you know it's Christmas and you should wear a tie. I'm doing this, I'll do this, that maybe you know you'll listen to the message. How's that? But just know this None of us are getting to heaven on our works.

19:30
It's impossible. That's an insult to God. If you think you're good, there's only one good and that's God, and this is listen. This is his path. For by grace, by grace, grace, listen. Grace operates in the world of what we conclude with and that is the applaud of God for his gift.

19:56
Grace gives gifts. God says to us I love you so much that I have given you my gifted only son, the only one that will ever be glorified. There's not another one coming. He's the only one, he's the one and only, and I want to give him to you. And with this gift, when you unwrap this gift, you go into a whole new world. And that's just the start of it. And we reach out and we're thinking what's the hook? And God would say to you don't do that to me. I'm God, you're not hurting my feelings, you're just not understanding me. I'm telling you. I said it it earlier, for God so loved the world. I choose who I love and I've chosen to love you and I want to give you this gift of eternal life.

21:02
Do you understand now the magnitude of the expense of that gift. When somebody says I don't want it, you keep it. That was the very gift that would remove from you the curse that's upon your life Because of Adam and Eve and their blood that flows through our veins. That's why we're liars, that's why we are humans and we do what we do. We've got to get made new, and the Holy Spirit does that the moment you accept the gift. But if you push the gift away, you are moving away from you the very very thing. You need to be made new, forgiven, and you're denying the love of God upon your life. There's no one you can blame for this. It's your choice, and so we pray. I pray that you choose him.

22:01 - Speaker 1
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