The Gospel Returns

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Amen.

Man, that's the best good morning back ever.

Y'all must have stopped by the coffee bar.

Amen.

Well, turn your Bibles to Mark chapter 13 as you're turning there, and we are looking at the gospel returns this morning.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

Um, I want to share just a few things.

Number one, next week, I don't want you to miss, put it on the counter.

It's a very special day.

And God knew, because I kind of planned the sermon series a lot in advance, um, or tried to.

And next week is the gospel commission, um, as we kind of finishing up Mark.

But as it's the gospel commission, God would have things be that Barry Key, one of our council members, has felt uh the call of the Lord on his life, and we are gonna be commissioning him to the gospel ministry next Sunday morning.

So, most of you that know Barry and Tracy know, man, you'd know him, and to know him is to love him.

So please be here if you can, and we're gonna celebrate that.

And man, that's some of the stuff that you dream to do as a pastor one day, that you get to commission people to the gospel ministry.

So don't miss that.

And I want to share with you a very special birthday.

Miss Rosemarie, if you can raise your hand up, had a birthday.

She's hidden there in the back.

Not only a birthday to celebrate, but 17 years in cancer remission now.

Praise be to God.

Those people are so impactful to CCW and encourage me, her and her husband, so well.

So turn your Bibles there, Mark chapter 13.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

The disciples asked this great big question.

And the question is, teacher, when?

Teacher, when will all these things be?

When?

This is a big question.

What things the second coming of Jesus Christ?

And I want to tell you that many people have tried and failed at predicting when this coming was.

You got William Miller, who was predicting that 1847, 1848, or 1843, and 1844, that he was coming, and to a distraught group of people, that was not the truth.

And then C.T.

Russell, further in 1848, predicted that Jesus' coming was going to happen in 1848, and that did not happen.

Then Joseph Smith of the Mormons said about 1890 that Jesus was going to return, and that did not happen.

Then Sun Young Moon believed that he was a part of the unfinished work of Jesus Christ, and he himself was the second coming.

David Koresh, you remember the branch Davidians, the Waco and Waco?

He said that he was Jesus Christ and his return, and he wasn't.

And then we continue on.

Remember, y'all remember Y2K?

This is the end of the world.

Jesus is coming.

The computers are gonna crash, and so are we.

Get ready.

That wasn't it.

At the end of 2012, going into 2013, remember the Mayan calendar?

They even made a movie about it.

That was the end of the world.

The blood moon in 2018 from the lunar eclipse was going to be the end of the world.

Hadn't happened.

So, this question remains that the disciples thought they were going to get an answer to during their lifetime.

When they posed this question, when will these things be?

They were asking from a perspective of that they thought they would see this come to fruition in their lifetime.

So, why is this so important, church?

We need to be gospel on the ground because Jesus is coming again.

And I want to share to you this morning what Scripture says about and what to look for in his coming.

Would you pray with me?

Father, we love you.

And we are so thankful for the opportunity to worship you this morning.

We're thankful for this church body.

God, what great praise we experienced this morning.

What a beautiful thing to see a life change and see the baptismal waters stirred.

And thank you for this body of people being willing to be here.

Lord, we praise you lift you up.

And God, I pray that as we dive into this topic that has many trails to take, Lord, that you would encourage our hearts and help us to focus on the main thing with the time that we have.

Amen.

In Mark chapter 13, I want you to look at verse 3 and 4, and we're gonna look at verse 24.

Mark 13 · chapter mention

We're gonna see the first point, the course of events.

Mark 13, verse 3 and 4 there.

Mark 13:3

It says this.

Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, tell us when will these things be?

And what will be the sign when all these things will be fulfilled?

And I want you to look at verse 24 for some context.

It says, But in those days after the tribulation, the sun will be dark and the moon will not give its light.

But I want you really to, if you were highlighting, circling the phrase, but in those days.

In those days, are not speaking of ordinary days.

Those days that are spoken of in Mark 13 that Jesus was talking about are the end of an age type of days.

Remember when Noah was preaching to everyone, get in the boat because judgment was coming.

Noah was trying desperately to get people to see that this rain that they had never heard of was coming because the judgment of God was coming and it was the end of an age.

And disciples ask in verse 4 this follow-up question when?

When is an important question for your life?

When will you make an important decision, church?

When will you take the next step?

When will you go?

When will you tell them the thing that you've got to tell them?

When is the right time?

When will you forgive?

When will you be at peace?

When will you love?

Simple question, right?

When?

Well, I want to show to you, and I'm gonna preempt this, okay?

I'm gonna show you a timeline slide, and like I said, this is not exhaustive.

There are Sunday school classes that can go a year into this stuff.

And I got going, I'm telling you, the trails of end times.

If you want to have some fun, you can go down these trails.

I'm gonna show you where I lean, and I want you to look at this timeline slide.

We're gonna look at it further in just a few moments as well.

But I believe that the Bible aligns itself.

Maybe we don't have that slide.

We got it, it's coming.

There we go.

I believe the Bible aligns itself with this picture of things when it comes to end times.

And as you look at it, some of the things that I'm gonna share to you about when the when is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

When will this happen?

Well, some of the signs and things that I'm gonna talk to you about, I need you to understand.

I don't believe that we're going to see them.

I believe in the rapture of the church and then the tribulation, and then Jesus will come for his millennial kingdom, rule, and reign, and then we have eternity.

So I want you to understand where I lean with that so that the things that I talk to you about will follow.

There are some signs, some things that Scripture gives us that we can see preceding those events.

But I want you to understand where I stand with that, and we could go, people can go and debate this for a long time, but I believe Revelation 4 to the end of the book, Revelation 22, 16, there's no reference to church or churches on this earth, only in heaven.

1 Thessalonians 4, 16 to 17 says, we will be caught up in that word rapture, and the word in the Greek, for in the air is air, which is atmosphere, caught up not on land, in the atmosphere.

And Luke 17, further, I think the disciples forgot this, but Luke 17, Jesus told the disciples, you will not see it.

Okay, I want to put this out there.

I believe there'll be pre-mid post-trib people all in heaven together.

Okay.

Um, but where I lean is that previous to the tribulation, uh, there's going to be a rapture of the church.

But again, verse 28, I want you to see.

So, what can we be looking for?

The disciples ask this question.

So, what are some signs in chapter 13, verse 28?

Kind of gives this parabolic language.

Now, learn this parable from the fig tree.

When its branch has already become tender and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near.

It says, as soon as the branch becomes tender and puts out leaves, you know something is drawing near.

It tells us of some things that are coming.

I want you to look at verse 7 through 10.

Alright.

We're gonna get somewhere, I promise.

But when you hear, these are some things to look for.

When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be troubled, for such things must happen, but the end is not yet.

So these are signs of things coming.

For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in various places, and there will be famines and troubles.

These are the beginnings of sorrows.

But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten synagogues, you will be brought before rulers and kings for my sake for testimony to them.

And the gospel, this key, must first be preached to all nations.

So there's some things as the leaves on the tree are budding that we can look at and kind of see as some signs.

And Revelation talks about it.

We can't, for time's sake, you need to go to a class.

Um, but for time's sake, every scripture, it would take us a long time.

But it talks about a one-world government.

It's one of these things that is the leaf on the tree budding.

And are we getting close to a one world government?

We're getting very close in a lot of ways.

It says in Revelation, an authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.

And within that one world government, there's going to be a one world currency.

We've seen that in my lifetime now, faster than ever, moving rapidly.

Okay.

Uh Revelation 13, 16 talks in reference to that and the mark of the beast, and what do we have today?

The crypto market, all these things.

And it made me think about it, it's kind of funny because growing up, you used to get rewarded for using cash, right?

Remember?

Like you were told, I remember being told by people, if you want to get a better price on furniture, go to the furniture place and take cash.

And you can, if you show them money, you can probably barter yourself a better deal.

Right?

Cash was king.

And you know, you see, what is it?

One of the TV shows, hundred dollar bills, hundred dollar bills right now.

You want to take it?

And it was like this thing.

Well, as of late, because we we go to tons and tons of sports games for our kids, and now you get penalized for cash.

If you pay, what do they call it, non-touch or whatever, or cash free, and you pay online before you get there, you pay a lesser fee.

If you come with cash, you have to pay more.

And I'm like, listen, I'm gonna tell you already, it's like the system, it's$50,$60 to watch your kids play a sport.

I'm like, good heaven, this is already the end of the world.

What are we looking toward?

I don't need any more signs than the$300 a week it costs me to watch my kids play.

Like, that was my job growing up.

I made$300 a week.

It's crazy.

And then the kids want to look at me like they want some food.

I'm sorry, you're not eating at this game.

Go home and eat.

We're not eating here.

It is that way.

Well, the last prophecy to be fulfilled in Scripture happened when the Israelite came back as a nation.

And what it says here is something I want us to take to heart.

As the tree is budding, it says the gospel must first be preached.

Being gospel on the ground is vital because this is a part of what God has called us to do to the end of time, to his coming.

And so we see this.

Well, I want you to look down at verse 14.

It says, So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel, the prophets, standing where it ought not, let the reader understand, then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountain.

Letter A is this, after the abomination.

When is the second coming?

The disciples ask Jesus, when will he come again?

And he tells us here in Mark, after the abomination.

What's an abomination, Pastor?

Well, let's cover that for a moment.

Proverbs 6, 16 through 19 says, These six things doth the Lord hate.

Yea, seven are an abomination.

This word is used throughout Scripture, and it says, a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked, feet that run to evil, a false witness, and a brother who sows discord.

The potster.

These things are an abomination.

The Bible says further in other verses, idolatry, homosexuality, adultery, oppression of the poor.

They are an abomination.

That word is that's a hard word.

Delugma.

And you know what it means?

A detestable and foul stench.

Abomination means a detestable or foul stench.

The Bible oft indicates a sense of smell and attempt for us to conceptualize the way that God perceives things.

And I think odor is simple enough because, right?

We can grasp odor.

Have you ever been with junior high boys at camp?

I got a real good grasp on odor.

Okay?

And by biblical terms, after experiencing those weeks, I come to the fact to say that I believe we can say junior high boys at camp is an abomination.

I believe the Bible proves it.

A detestable foul stench.

Conversely, I want you to look in your Bibles at 2 Corinthians.

The Bible talks about a stench, an odor, a fragrance, even.

2 Corinthians chapter 2.

2 Corinthians 2 · chapter mention

Look at verse 14 through 16.

Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ.

And through us, hear this.

Lady's got a diffuser at home.

And through us diffuses the fragrance of his knowledge in every place.

You are a diffuser of the fragrance of Christ, for we are to God, the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved.

Remember what we're called to do until the end of time?

We are the fragrance of Christ to those who are being saved, and among those who are perishing.

To the one, we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other, the aroma of life leading to life.

The knowledge of God and the witness of God is a sweet aroma before God.

God sees you being gospel on the ground, and I believe he goes, Oh.

Look at my child.

Look at him being a witness.

Oh.

Oh.

Look at him humbly serving.

Look at them go.

Look at them taking the opportunity.

A fragrance before God.

When Weston was little, we'd go through Walmart or a store, and uh you find out little quirks about your children.

And Weston would break down in real tears if we were going by the candle aisle and would not let him sniff a handful of candles.

He loves smells.

And so we'd go by and I'm like, no, we don't have time.

And he's like, what?

Can I just smell?

And he would have real tears because he just loves to smell.

And so when I think about the fragrance that we are before our God, and he goes, serving, praying, witnessing.

Oh, my children.

But Revelation 17, 4 talks about the same thing, this abomination.

What is that?

The abomination of desolation.

At the midway point of the tribulation period, because seven-year period is a reference to the Antichrist, who is the future demon-possessed world ruler.

And he's going to make a seven-year peace treaty with Israel.

And then after halfway through that, he's going to break his treaty.

They're going to rebuild the temple, and the Antichrist, when he breaks that treaty, he's going to go into the Holy of Holies in the temple, and he'll declare that he is God, and that everyone should be worshiping at his feet, thus abominating.

You understand that?

Do you see that?

Abominating.

Well, it says there in Mark to the disciples' question, after these things.

One part is that abomination, desolation.

Letter B is after the tribulation.

What can we see about that?

Look down at verse 15 through 19.

That timeline graph has some pictures of some of the trials of the tribulation.

Trumpets and the bowls, the seals.

It says this, let him who is on the housetop not go down into the house, nor enter to take anything out of his house, and let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes.

But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing in those days, and pray that your flight may not be in the winter, for in those days there will be tribulation.

Hear this, such as has not been seen since the beginning of creation, which God created until this time, nor ever shall be.

It is a time of complete and utter destruction.

Jesus gives a warning, and part of his warning is for the nation of Israel, the worst time that the world will ever know.

Daniel 12, 1 says, about it, and there shall be a time of trouble such as there never was.

Zephaniah 1, 15 and 16 says this about that day.

That day is a day of wrath, trouble, distress, waste, desolation, a day of darkness, gloominess, and a day of clouds.

These writers are trying to paint a portrait of the depths of the darkness of this tribulation.

And just some of the things that fall under the seven seals is famine, earthquake, the martyrdom of believers, and the seven trumpets, talk about demonic locusts.

Again, go take a class.

Sit under a period of time.

There's so much to dig into, but um, a third of humanity is going to be wiped clean under the seven bowls.

There's sores, there's death of sea animals and creatures, the rivers will be turned to blood, hail.

It is devastation.

Are you getting the painting of the portrait?

Like that's never been felt.

And the wrath of God is coming to be revealed to all people, Gentiles, everyone alike, but it's coming also to purge the Israelite nation, his nation, his people who are guilty of rejecting him as Messiah and having a part in his death.

And God will use the terrors of the tribulation to prepare Israel for what the disciples were asking, his second coming, his return.

I want to say about those things because it feels heavy.

And I know not everybody looks forward to hearing about that.

And I'm gonna tell you, I told the serve teamer, I'm not a doomsday person.

Like I used to grow up, and there were people who were like, oh, the world's just hell in a handbasket, and you know, Jesus made.

Must be coming.

I'm like, you make it sound so terrible.

Like, I don't want to live looking towards the end of life in that way.

Yes, Jesus is coming again, but we have an opportunity in the midst of where we are to live to the fullest.

Live every day to the fullest.

Yes, he's coming, but I want to just say about this tribulation a little about who God is.

The scripture says God is quick to mercy, God is slow to wrath.

He's very patient.

Has he been patient with you?

Man, he's been patient with me.

And his grace is so sufficient.

But there is a day coming that the white, hot fire of his wrath is gonna fall because that is justice.

That is justice.

I've used this example many times, but I know in my life when I've done something wrong, I want God's mercy.

When somebody else has done something wrong to me, I want God's justice.

Are you with me?

God is just, and if somebody has done you wrong, you say they deserve justice.

And God is quick to mercy with you and me.

I know he's been quick to mercy with many of you.

He you have told me your stories, and he has been with me, but I want to tell you that his wrath will fall.

He is just.

He hates sin and he hates separation from his creation, which is caused by sin.

And I'll say this about sin.

You, church, you can't out sin God's grace.

The Bible says where sin abounds, grace does much more abound.

But there is a time coming, an appointed judgment.

Judgment is going to fall.

It's a reality.

That takes us to the second point this morning, the culture of events.

Look at verse 24 and 25.

Getting a little more specific about when will these things come?

When is he coming?

The disciples wanted to know, and Jesus says this.

But in those days, after, right, we have abomination, desolation, tribulation.

After the tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

The stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.

Letter A is this there's going to be a worldwide light failure.

It says that the powers in the heavens will be divinely disturbed.

It's undeniable to me that no power of man has ever been involved in the atmosphere.

I've heard a lot of weather predictions, and a lot of them go wrong.

And all of a sudden you'll be somewhere and you'll say, Well, man, I didn't even know it was going to be like this today.

And you start hearing things, tornadoes and hurricanes, and where do they come from?

And science will try to describe it to you, but up out of nowhere they seem to keep coming.

And an earthquake happened, and all of the cosmic forests, and I just I can't get past the fact that there is only one person in charge of the atmosphere.

You can send a rocket ship up there and satellites, but it's not gonna make something happen.

You can define how these things happen, but you can't make them happen.

And so God uses his cosmic strength to show off his supremity.

And he's done it before.

In Genesis, we have a worldwide flood.

And if you go to the Grand Canyon, if you go to Niagara Falls, and if you go anywhere and you do a little bit of study, you'll see the hand of God's mighty flood on our earth today.

And Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis, God judged them and brought down fire and brimstone.

God has brought down hail to save his Israelite nation in Exodus.

Who is in charge?

Even Jeremiah asked this question.

I love this verse.

You have to look it up.

I'm paraphrasing some of it, but Jeremiah 14, 22, it says, Can any of the worthless foreign idols or gods even send us rain?

Does it fall from the sky by itself?

No, you are the one, O Lord our God.

Science is continually seeking to know more and more about it.

Do you know there are 25,000 satellites now occupying our galaxy?

Oh, they want to know all about the skies and the heavenlies.

There's two space stations that occupy now.

But I want to tell you, one day, God's heavenly bodies will have a message for the world.

And it's going to be a massive message.

It's going to be a message that Isaiah prophesied.

Isaiah 13 said, said, the stars of heaven, the sun and the moon, shall not give its light.

So it'll be a day that people will say, when the lights go down in the city.

Journey.

Anybody?

Okay.

It's going to go dark.

Six thousand years the sun has provided light without fail.

And it just decides another day to get up and provide light.

And we experience vision and we experience photosynthesis for plants and crops.

And we experience another day that the sun has given light and oxygen, but one day before his return, it will go dark.

The moon will go dark, is what it says.

The cosmos, the Lord's atmosphere.

You know that astronomers have said now through their amazing telescopes that there are over 100 billion stars in our galaxy.

And they've looked at those telescopes and they have said that now they believe there are more galaxies outside of our galaxies than the 100 billion stars in our galaxy.

My mind can't compute, right?

And there's 100 billion stars, and after the lights go out, the Bible says that we just read the stars of heaven will fall.

There's gonna be a cosmic shaking of our galaxy and the stars of heaven.

After the lights go out, there's gonna be a cosmic quake.

Isaiah 13, 13 prophesied.

It says, I will shake the heavens.

When I was in fourth or fifth grade, my old, my previous, my church growing up had a rock parking lot, and us, you know, children, heathen children that would get out of church early, went and played around, and I was throwing rocks.

Just shouldn't be just doing randomly, but no, I didn't have an adult around me because you know what the church folk do after church?

They congregate, and who, I mean, the kids must be safe.

We hadn't heard from them, so no news is good news.

So I'm out there just chunking rocks.

Well, I watch as one of the big rocks I throw hits Andy Dupree, an upperclassman, and Andy Dupree went right to the ground, and I took off running through the parking lot, got to my car, and I was waiting for the taxi ride home.

That was one little rock.

You remember the rock that took down Goliath?

One little rock.

I don't know how much you pay attention to this stuff in the news, but I've got some pictures.

In 2013, a meteorite crashed in Chelyabinks, Russia.

I don't know if you remember this.

This piece of a star was 7,700 tons, speeding at 40,000 miles an hour.

It damaged upon impacts, it damaged 3,000 buildings, 12,000 people were injured by shards of glass.

From one piece of one star, and the Bible says that at this time the stars of heaven are going to shake.

This is one piece.

This is the wreckage that came in Russia from one piece of one star.

There will be no denying the sign of Jesus' return.

When you look out at the atmosphere and see what God does, a rainbow is a picture of God's hand, the rain, a tornado.

Look to the heavens.

The psalmist said the heavens declare the glory of God.

No man controls one ounce of the atmosphere.

When God does something in the heavens, we have an affirmation of his word.

Well, letter B is this.

We're gonna see heart failure.

I want you to look over at Luke.

Luke chapter 21 as he's describing these same events, similar.

Luke 21 · chapter mention

Look at verse 25 and 26.

Here again.

And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars, and on earth, distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's heart failing them from fear, and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heaven will be shaken, and then they'll see the Son of Man.

This failure of men's heart.

Can you imagine?

Just picture yourself if for three hours today the sun went dark and you began hearing the rumblings of rocks falling.

It would be immediate fear and panic.

We used to sing this song, and it made me laugh as I was reviewing this week, thinking, I grew up as strange.

I grew up in Northeast in Delaware, and there wasn't nothing southern about it, okay?

Just the way we grew up.

I grew up in a concrete jungle.

Like there, I didn't see a farm really till I moved to Indiana.

And we lived in a space, but in my church, I guess because the price was cheap, I don't know.

We always had Southern gospel quartets and trios, and that was the only real kind of music I knew other than hymns.

And so I kind of would get a little bit excited that something different was coming, and these trios would come and sing, and it was nothing like anything in that culture, I assure you.

Nobody was talking like that, singing like that.

But I remember as a child watching these people during this one particular song that I think it was a quartet singing, and they were smiling.

I mean, face and they would jam.

I mean, they'd be dancing across stage and doing whatever it was that they did, the Christian version of dancing, and they were smiling from ear to ear.

And listen to the words that I remember like, what is happening?

Troublesome times are here, filling men's hearts with fear.

Freedom we all hold dear now is at stake.

Humbling our hearts to God, free from the chastening rod.

I don't remember the rest of the song.

Jesus, listen, Jesus is coming soon.

Big smile, morning or night or noon.

Many will meet their doom.

I'm like, why are we smiling and clapping?

They're so happy about this.

They'll meet their doom.

Woo! Like, I don't know what's going on here.

Checking my parents, they seem to be enjoying all this doom.

Guess I should be too.

The word for that heart failure.

What's gonna happen to men is apo, and then the word psycho together, apo psycho, and it means separation of breath.

Men will fall out in fear during this time.

Hearts will fail.

Isaiah 13 again, 6 through 9 says, The day of the Lord is at hand, it shall come as destruction.

Therefore shall all be faint, and every man's heart shall melt, they will be afraid, pangs of sorrow shall take hold of them.

It is a frightful thing, this tribulation.

Well, I want to stay there.

Let's go to the third thing, the crescendo of all events.

Go back to Mark 13.

Verse 26 and 27.

When those things come, and we've had this darkening of the sun and this cosmic shaking of the stars.

Verse 26 to 27.

Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with great power and glory, and he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds from the farthest parts of the earth to the farthest parts of heaven.

The crescendo of all events is this the thing that the disciples and we today are waiting for is to know that Jesus is coming again.

Letter A, he is coming in great strength.

I want you to hear today that the second coming of Christ is not a reference to his resurrection.

The second coming is not a reference to the Holy Spirit coming on the day of Pentecost.

The second coming is not a reference to the destruction of the temple in 80 70.

The second coming is not a reference to his coming into the hearts of those who believe.

The second coming is not a reference to Christians going to be with him in death.

Jesus is literally coming, as Pastor Dave shared.

This Jesus Christ, who is taken up to heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go.

And it says, and then when he comes down on the cloud, you will see the Son of Man once again.

And it says, How?

The little phrasing, Jesus coming in power and he's coming in splendor.

Jesus is coming and he's coming in great power.

The word for power refers to his ability and access to means of accomplishing.

And I assure you, church, he is coming again to drive home the purposes of his father, divine plans of Almighty God.

I thought about that power.

2 Peter 1:3 says, according as his divine power hath given us all things that pertain unto life and godliness to the knowledge of him who hath called us.

2 Peter 1:3

It says, according to his divine power, we have access to all things for life and godliness.

Thought about that, according to his divine power.

If any of you called Michael Jordan Uncle Mike, you would have access to some things that a lot of people wouldn't have access to.

If you came to my house and you needed to make money playing basketball, you would have access to about$3 worth of information.

But if you went to Uncle Mike's, and it's not just basketball, you'd have access to some cool shoes.

You'd have access to a whole lot of other if you had Uncle Mike Church.

According to God's divine power, these things will be set forth in motion.

Are you tracking with that?

Jesus is coming according to divine power, which is absolute.

It is complete, it is fully accessed, it is all power, it is everything powerful, it is omnipotence powerful, it is all might.

He is the all in the all.

That is the power that's coming.

And when he comes to wage a war against evil, I can assure you that he's coming to battle a battle that's going to be won swiftly, and it's going to be won in his might.

He's coming for a battle called Armageddon.

This scripture says he will cast Satan and the Antichrist into a lake of fire, and by the mighty sword that comes from his mouth, he is going to destroy all those in the enemy's army.

And then he's going to set up his millennial kingdom.

He's coming with great power.

In great splendor.

Glorious splendor, let her be.

This world has had myself, you, and there's some scriptural references.

We've had micro glimpses of the glory of the power and splendor of God.

We've had revival glimpses.

We've had micro moments.

Moses said, He said to God with his request, Oh God, but I would be able to see and experience your glory.

And God was like, You don't know what you're asking, Moses.

He says, But go in the cleft of the rock, and I will come past you with the reverse side of my glory.

You I assume Moses couldn't live and see the glory of God face to face.

And so he came by like an eclipse, and Moses' face shined from the glory of God.

We used to sing this song in church called The Days of Elijah.

Y'all remember?

Ever singing the days of Elijah?

It says, Behold, he comes riding on the clouds, shining like the sun at the trumpet sound.

He's coming in his glory and splendor.

Psalms 104, 3 says, He makes the clouds like his chariot.

Now think about this glory of God falling.

And again, I'm not gonna talk doomsday.

I want more than anything, church.

More than anything to see a revival of God where we meet face to face with his glory.

For a time, for a generation, before he comes, before we're gone.

I so want this church.

And what that takes, that means people getting real with God.

It means 2 Chronicles 7.14, it says, if my people which are called by my name shall humble themselves and pray and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, forgive their sin and heal their land?

People have to look in the mirror of their heart.

Do I really want revival?

Do I really want to see God now?

Do I really want to, as Pastor Dave shared, am I waiting and watching and working?

Do I want that?

Or do I just want to be elevator music with whatever life gives me till he comes?

Well, as I began prayerfully considering what should our response to be to that Jesus is coming.

The disciples asked him when, here we are these years later, what should our response be?

It brought me to this song.

And I want to ask, Heather has been playing this song for almost three months every morning when we're getting ready.

Every morning this song.

And last week I heard it on public television.

I thought, what in the world?

I don't even like the name of the show.

American Idol.

I don't like that name.

But this song came on, and I said, okay, Lord, I'ma see if we can do it.

So this should be our response.

Sing this, and then we'll close in a moment.

Let today be the day.

Sometimes I feel her can't gonna break, but I'm holding on to a hope that won't fade.

Cause she just come We've been waiting so long for the day you return to heal every hurt and ride every wrong We need you right now Come and turn it's around Deep down I know this world is an hour Come Jesus Come There'll be no war Oh and there'll be no change when Jesus Let today be the day to come for the king in the south Just a day And all will be leaving with the power of getting to come we've been waiting so long For the day you return every hurt and run everything wrong if you run Come return Deep down I know this world isn't home Come Jesus Come Com Jesus come one day he'll come yes And we'll stand face to face Come and lay it all down Yes Cause it might be today The time is right now There's no need to wait Your path will be won't by the river Come Jesus Come Jesus come to Jesus Amen Amen church would you bow with me I'm gonna read to you a poem That was so good Jesus is coming shout over mountain and plain Jesus is coming again Jesus is coming the dead shall arise loved ones shall meet caught up in the sky Jesus is coming his saints to release coming to give a final war and then peace sinning and sighing and sorrow shall cease Jesus is coming the promise is true Jesus is coming what will ye do watching and working and waiting my friend will you be ready for Jesus is coming again church Mark closed by side saying now when these things begin to happen look up the stage is set each piece is almost in place the trumpeteer is close and the curtain will be drawn he said lift up your heads because our redemption draweth nigh you're here this morning why is it important and vital that you be gospel on the ground because he's coming again and how will his church receive him I want to live every day to the fullest I want to impact my family my kids my church there's a day coming that all of that opportunity is gonna meet its last how will you meet Jesus when he comes this morning with heads bowed and eyes closed we're excited you join us for today's message our heart is to connect with others in our community to grow with one another and build everything