Through Christ we are receiving a Kingdom which is unshakable. But what is this Kingdom? In the Gospels Jesus begins to describe something that is mysterious, unknown – but yet it is a Kingdom that we are to be part of. He said, His Kingdom is ‘not of this world’ – it’s true. The Kingdom will not come with observable signs, nor can we say, ‘Here it is!’ or ‘It’s over there!’ Paul says, 1 Thessalonians 5.1ff, “Of the times and the seasons you have no need that I write to you, for you know that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night. For when they say ‘Peace and safety’, sudden destruction shall come on them, as travail on a woman with child, and they shall not escape.” So the final moment of the return of Christ is sudden and unexpected. As Jesus said, there’ll be two in a bed, two in a field – two in a factory – one taken, the other left. That’s how sudden it will be, even for the believer.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in 1 Thessalonians 5v5, “You are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night, not of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep (in ignorance) as others do but let us watch (in faith)! Those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those that are drunk are drunk in the night. But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us that, whether we wake (whether we are alive), or sleep (in the sleep of death), we will be TOGETHER with Him”!
This is a strong exhortation, to those of us who are still alive, to be ready! That’s why Jesus uses the illustration of the five wise and five foolish virgins… All ten are waiting at the midnight hour for the coming of the bridegroom. How is it that only five are ready and go in? They had oil in their lamps. The other five had run out, they had to go to the supermarket to get some more, and by the time they got back, the door was shut! Jesus makes it clear, not everybody goes into the Kingdom. I’m not going to go into the theology of who the five wise and five foolish are – but it seems to me there will be a clear division between those who are theoretically waiting and believing, and those who are ready. We need to examine ourselves!
Paul continues, in v14ff, to exhort us to be ready, to live according to God’s standards: Warn, comfort be patient toward all, do good to all, rejoice, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks for this is the Will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you; quench not the Spirit…
I want to take you now into 2 Thessalonians 2:1 where Paul talks more about the Second Coming of Christ, “I beseech you, by the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and by our gathering TOGETHER unto Him” – he’s referring back to those who are asleep in Christ, and those who are alive at His Coming, emphasising the unity of the Body of Christ, because the believing Church is His Body, there’s no difference between the dead and the living – we’re all going to meet, bodily, TOGETHER with Him!
Paul continues in v2, “Be not troubled by word or letter as if from us, that the Day of the Lord is at hand.” Paul, writing 2000 years ago, now begins to list some of the things that have to happen before Christ returns. He says, “Let no man deceive you, that Day shall not come unless there comes a falling away first…” This contradicts much of what so many believe. Yes, I believe in a spiritual awakening. In my life I’ve seen it. In everything God has called me to, in Israel, in the former Communist lands, I’ve seen revival. But according to Paul, there has to come a falling away. Even Jesus Himself said, “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?” Luke 18:8. So immediately before the return of Christ, there will come a falling away, and as Paul continues, then “the man of sin will be revealed, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God and all that is worshipped, so that he, as ‘God’ sits in the Temple of God, showing himself that he is ‘God’.”
When you look today, there is no question that the power of the devil is increasing and multiplying, this demonic iniquity of the man of sin is at work – “only, He who now hinders, will hinder until He be taken out of the way.” It seems to me that it is the Holy Spirit who is holding up that floodtide of evil, and that one day, He, the Holy Spirit, will be removed – and then the man of sin will be revealed, v8. I’m seeing that there is actually coming a time when the Holy Spirit is removed, and, in Paul’s words, “the Wicked will be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth destroy with the brightness of His Coming, even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in those who perish – because they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them a strong delusion, that they shall believe a lie, that they all might be damned who did not believe the Truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2:8-13.
This is the sequence of events that Paul is revealing will take place in the closing days before the return of Christ. Yes, I’m still believing for revival and I’m still preaching and seeing revival – but the time is limited. Jesus Himself says in Matthew 24:14, this Gospel of the Kingdom in all the world as a witness to all the nations and then the end will come.” So not just in the words of Paul, but in the words of Jesus, the time for evangelism, the time for revival is limited. Before Christ returns, it comes to an end. And when we come to the ending of the time of the Gentiles, then Israel will be saved, Romans 11:25-26. That’s why Lord told me many years ago, “David, you began in Israel, and you will end in Israel!” I’m doing everything that I can in the field to which God has called me – that’s Europe and Israel and the former Soviet Union countries, including now certain countries in Central Asia. But this has to be done with a sense of urgency, because a time is coming when it’s time to redeem Israel!