The Return of the King

 Wonderful things are happening. Prepare to be surprised.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)

If we belong to Jesus, we believe in a God who delights to do new things.

“You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. Isaiah 48:6 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

God is bound to be true to His wonderful and perfect character but He has never restricted Himself to merely repeat what He has done before.

Some people get upset when Christians report miraculous experiences which are different from the miracles recorded in the Bible.

Two preachers were having a meal in a café in Berlin. A pile of gold dust appeared under the table. A preacher in America was upset about such stories because there is no record of gold dust appearing in the Bible. He preached a sermon against gold dust but the babies in the church creche were covered in gold dust.

Some people are afraid of “lying signs and wonders.” The bible warns of lying signs and wonders but the only reference is in the story of the Anti-Christ in the book of Revelation.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV)

The only protection against being deceived in spiritual matters is to stay close to Jesus, to be led by the Spirit of God, to live in faith, hope and love, to obey God and to live by His Word.

Does that mean we should only believe in miracles if they are exact copies of miracles recorded in the Bible?

Why?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (ESV)

How many of the people who criticise contemporary miracle stories are working the signs and wonders that Jesus did on earth? None that I know of.

If God is only allowed to repeat what He did in the Bible, how can it be possible for us to do GREATER works than Jesus did?

If God is only allowed to repeat what He has already done, how then can Bible prophecy be fulfilled?

But weren’t the miracles of Jesus all practical acts of mercy, like healing the sick and raising from death the son of a widow?

I wonder what was the practical benefit of Peter walking on water?

If the prophecy of Jesus is to be fulfilled, then people in these last days will see manifestations more amazing than Peter walking on water. If that does not happen, then the prophecy of Jesus will not be fulfilled and that would make the Son of God a false prophet.

But why should God be doing these things?

At the birth of Jesus, the wise men from the pagan east brought Jesus wonderful gifts, GOLD, frankincense and myrrh. If mankind gives God a gift of gold, should we surprised if a gracious God gives gold to mankind?

And what about the jewels?

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:11-12 (ESV)

But doesn’t this refer to the jewels in Heaven itself? Of course it does. But did not Jesus announce the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven? Did not Jesus teach us to pray: “Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN?”

If the first visit of the Son of God was heralded by human gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, why should the approach of the return of Jesus not be heralded by supernatural gifts from the Heavenly Bridegroom to His Bride to be, the Church. 

What could be a more appropriate gift to a bride from her husband to be? Does not a man announce his intention to marry a woman with a gift of a diamond ring?

Ready for His Coming

 In the Bible you see how God loves you.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV

If you believe in Jesus, this promise applies to you personally.

We read here that God loves all people.

There are idealists who want to save humanity, but they don't really love people.

But God is not like these idealists. God is love.
And you are not a mere specimen of humanity. You are you, and God loves you.

In the New Testament we see that Jesus will come back to take his church from this world, just as a Jewish bridegroom came to take his bride.

Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” Revelation 19:7 NKJV

Jesus is the Lamb of God who sacrificed his life on the cross to suffer the penalty for our sins, to remove all guilt from us, to set us free from sin.

Jesus said to his disciples that after his death and resurrection he would return to heaven to prepare our eternal home for each of us.

“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.
In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1–3 NKJV

Jesus will come again as the bridegroom to his loving and beautiful bride. We see in Acts a wonderful church where all were filled with the Holy Spirit, where Christians helped one another practically, where supernatural gifts of the Spirit manifested daily.

Jesus will come back for such a church. Is the church ready? Obviously not.
We need an unprecedented worldwide revival to bring this about.

We must expect it and pray for it. But the crucial question is whether you and I are ready.

Who can help us? Who can prepare you? Your church may be able to help. Some churches help and some don't. But only the Holy Spirit can transform you so that you are ready for Jesus.

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37–39 NKJV

THE NEW WORLD IS COMING. ARE YOU READY?

Mark 1:14-15 (NIV)  After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.

• "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!"

The time had come. The Kingdom of God was really near. 

• The King of the Universe had arrived on earth. 

• He had started to proclaim His mission, to win back the earth from the power of darkness and to restore the rule of heavenly goodness.

This was Good News and it still is today.

• When Jesus died on the cross, He defeated the power of evil and opened the door of Heaven for all to come in, all who would receive Him as the Son of God and the King and Master of their whole life.

• All who are willing to be adopted as Sons and Daughters of the Heavenly Father can come into the Royal Family of Heaven with amazing eternal privileges.

When Jesus died on the cross, He suffered the full penalty due to you and me for our faulty and selfish lives. 

• When He rose from the dead, He did not return immediately to heaven but spent 40 days with His disciples, teaching them to lead as pioneers of the New Heavenly Order.

The two qualifications for entry into the Kingdom of God were these:

• REPENT and BELIEVE.

• REPENT is a translation of the Greek word METANOEITE, which means to change your mind, let your whole way of thinking be transformed, so that your attitudes and your way of living cannot help but be changed.

• REPENT means to enter into a relationship of FAITH in God which transforms your heart, you mind and your life.

Once more we are at a strategic turning point in history. 

Many events around us indicate the time prophesied in the Bible is very near, the time when Jesus will come again. 

This time He will not come as a humble servant but as the Lord and King from Heaven.

• To be ready for His return, we need to be transformed in our thinking and believe with a deep, God given trust in His love. 

• We need to go deeper in our faith and be open to change our entire way of thinking because these are increasingly troubled times.

  • We are coming into times where old traditional ways of thinking will not work for us, where good Christian living will not be possible without living in very close communication with our heavenly King and His Spirit living in us.

• Jesus told a parable referring to exactly the time we are living in.

• Matthew 25:1-13 (NIV)  "At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish and five were wise.

• The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps.

• The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

• "At midnight the cry rang out: 'Here's the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' "Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.

• The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.' "'No,' they replied, 'there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.'

• "But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. "Later the others also came. 'Sir! Sir!' they said. 'Open the door for us!'

• "But he replied, 'I tell you the truth, I don't know you.' "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

For hundreds of years, many Christians have lived with second hand faith.

However, we are living in dangerous times. So many preachers have failed. Not only the world but the church is shaking.

Each one of us needs to have a personal love relationship with Jesus.

• What was wrong with the foolish virgins? They depended on blessing from other Christians, from ministry.

The wise virgins were personally and individually filled with the Holy Spirit.

Signs of the Return of the King

Wonderful things are happening. Prepare to be surprised.

Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:19 (ESV)

If we belong to Jesus, we believe in a God who delights to do new things.

“You have heard; now see all this; and will you not declare it? From this time forth I announce to you new things, hidden things that you have not known. Isaiah 48:6 (ESV)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (ESV)

God is bound to be true to His wonderful and perfect character but He has never restricted Himself to merely repeat what He has done before.

Some people get upset when Christians report miraculous experiences which are different from the miracles recorded in the Bible.

Two preachers were having a meal in a café in Berlin. A pile of gold dust appeared under the table. A preacher in America was upset about such stories because there is no record of gold dust appearing in the Bible. He preached a sermon against gold dust but the babies in the church creche were covered in gold dust.

Some people are afraid of “lying signs and wonders.” The bible warns of lying signs and wonders but the only reference is in the story of the Anti-Christ in the book of Revelation.

The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 (NKJV)

The only protection against being deceived in spiritual matters is to stay close to Jesus, to be led by the Spirit of God, to live in faith, hope and love, to obey God and to live by His Word.

Does that mean we should only believe in miracles if they are exact copies of miracles recorded in the Bible?

Why?

“Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. John 14:12 (ESV)

How many of the people who criticise contemporary miracle stories are working the signs and wonders that Jesus did on earth? None that I know of.

If God is only allowed to repeat what He did in the Bible, how can it be possible for us to do GREATER works than Jesus did?

If God is only allowed to repeat what He has already done, how then can Bible prophecy be fulfilled?

But weren’t the miracles of Jesus all practical acts of mercy, like healing the sick and raising from death the son of a widow?

I wonder what was the practical benefit of Peter walking on water?

If the prophecy of Jesus is to be fulfilled, then people in these last days will see manifestations more amazing than Peter walking on water. If that does not happen, then the prophecy of Jesus will not be fulfilled and that would make the Son of God a false prophet.

But why should God be doing these things?

At the birth of Jesus, the wise men from the pagan east brought Jesus wonderful gifts, GOLD, frankincense and myrrh. If mankind gives God a gift of gold, should we surprised if a gracious God gives gold to mankind?

And what about the jewels?

“O afflicted one, storm-tossed and not comforted, behold, I will set your stones in antimony, and lay your foundations with sapphires. I will make your pinnacles of agate, your gates of carbuncles, and all your wall of precious stones. Isaiah 54:11-12 (ESV)

But doesn’t this refer to the jewels in Heaven itself? Of course it does. But did not Jesus announce the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven? Did not Jesus teach us to pray: “Your will be done on earth AS IT IS IN HEAVEN?”

If the first visit of the Son of God was heralded by human gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, why should the approach of the return of Jesus not be heralded by supernatural gifts from the Heavenly Bridegroom to His Bride to be, the Church. What could be a more appropriate gift to a bride from her husband to be? Does not a man announce his intention to marry a woman with a gift of a diamond ring?