Jesus Is Coming Soon!

Luke 24 (NASB)

The Resurrection

¹ But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.

² And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb,

³ but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men suddenly stood near them in dazzling clothing;

⁵and as the women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, “Why do you seek the living One among the dead?

⁶ “He is not here, but He has risen Remember how He spoke to you while He was still in Galilee,

⁷ saying that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.”

⁸ And they remembered His words,

⁹ and returned from the tomb and reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.

¹⁰ Now they were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James; also the other women with them were telling these things to the apostles.

¹¹ But these words appeared to them as nonsense, and they would not believe them.

¹² But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen wrappings only; and he went away to his home, marveling at what had happened.

The Road to Emmaus

¹³ And behold, two of them were going that very day to a village named Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem.

¹⁴ And they were talking with each other about all these things which had taken place.

¹⁵ While they were talking and discussing, Jesus Himself approached and began traveling with them.

¹⁶ But their eyes were prevented from recognizing Him.

¹⁷ And He said to them, “What are these words that you are exchanging with one another as you are walking?” And they stood still, looking sad.

¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, answered and said to Him, “Are You the only one visiting Jerusalem and unaware of the things which have happened here in these days?”

¹⁹ And He said to them, “What things?” And they said to Him, “The things about Jesus the Nazarene, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word in the sight of God and all the people,

²⁰ and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to the sentence of death, and crucified Him.

²¹ “But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. Indeed, besides all this, it is the third day since these things happened.

²² “But also some women among us amazed us. When they were at the tomb early in the morning,

²³ and did not find His body, they came, saying that they had also seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive.

²⁴ “Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just exactly as the women also had said; but Him they did not see.”

²⁵ And He said to them, “O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!

²⁶ “Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?”

²⁷ Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

²⁸ And they approached the village where they were going, and He acted as though He were going farther.

²⁹ But they urged Him, saying, “Stay with us, for it is getting toward evening, and the day is now nearly over.” So He went in to stay with them.

³⁰ When He had reclined at the table with them, He took the bread and blessed it, and breaking it, He began giving it to them.

³¹ Then their eyes were opened and they recognized Him; and He vanished from their sight.

³² They said to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was speaking to us on the road, while He was explaining the Scriptures to us?”

³³ And they got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found gathered together the eleven and those who were with them,

³⁴ saying, “The Lord has really risen and has appeared to Simon.”

³⁵ They began to relate their experiences on the road and how He was recognized by them in the breaking of the bread.

Other Appearances

³⁶ While they were telling these things, He Himself stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be to you.”

³⁷ But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.

³⁸ And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?

³⁹ “See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

⁴⁰ And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet.

⁴¹ While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?”

⁴² They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish;

⁴³ and He took it and ate it before them.

⁴⁴ Now He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.”

⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures,

⁴⁶ and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day,

⁴⁷ and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

⁴⁸ “You are witnesses of these things.

⁴⁹ “And behold, I am sending forth the promise of My Father upon you; but you are to stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

The Ascension

⁵⁰ And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.

⁵¹ While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into heaven.

⁵² And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy,

⁵³ and were continually in the temple praising God.

A very respected pastor has made a dire prediction. That many of the nations, and the worlds, cities will soon be infernos. Pastor David Wilkerson is quoted in a World Net Daily exclusive:

David Wilkerson, author of “The Cross and the Switchblade,” a book about his ministry to troubled New York street kids that was later made into a movie starring Pat Boone, tells readers of his blog this weekend that he is “compelled by the Holy Spirit to send out an urgent message” about his prediction.

“An earth-shattering calamity is about to happen,” he writes. “It is going to be so frightening, we are all going to tremble – even the godliest among us.”

He is quoted later in the article saying that it will be God pouring out His wrath in judgment on sinful nations. This is where I feel compelled to interject. While I don’t disagree that some horrible disaster might be on the horizon, I do NOT believe it will be God’s wrath!

We live in a fallen world and we have an enemy. Satan and a third of the angels have been cast out of Heaven. Revelation 12:12 says:

¹²“For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.”

Yes, the devil is not happy. He hates you. You are made in God’s image. He wants to destroy God, but since he can’t, he’s after you and your testimony.

Now don’t get me wrong. God hates sin and He has, is, and will, deal with it. Just not the way some people think. First, God dealt with sin on the cross. He poured out His wrath on Jesus so He wouldn’t have to pour it out on you! If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and savior than the Bible says that you are redeemed from the curse of the law. That’s good news! That’s THE good news!

Abraham knew God and He knew God’s character. The LORD and a couple of His angels were on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham made a plea on Sodom’s behalf. You can read the whole thing in Genesis 18, but here’s a revealing snippet:

²⁵“Far be it from You to do such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?”

²⁶So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare the whole place on their account.”

Abraham knew that God wouldn’t deal with the righteous unrighteously! God only found one righteous man in Sodom and he got Lot and his family out first before He destroyed the place. God’s character hasn’t changed.

After 911 many pastors said God was judging America for our sins. Same after Hurricane Katrina. Do you think there were 10 righteous believers in those planes that hit the twin towers? In the Pentagon? In New Orleans?

Prepare for hard times? Sure. It’s good to recognize the season and the times we are in. Blame God for it? No. I’m gonna blame our enemy and use uncertain times to tell people about a loving God who died for them so they don’t have to. A God who wants to make their future solid in Him.

Jesus said all of these things must come to pass. He is working out His plan. Jesus also said not to worry because He had overcome the world! We can overcome the world too, but only if we know Jesus; as Savior, as Lord and as a friend. I have no doubt that Pastor Wilkerson would agree. The bottom line to what I believe Pastor is saying is what Jesus is saying. Know God, make Him known and trust Him with your life no matter what.

Psalm 118:24 (NASB):

This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.

If you are a Christian then you’ve likely heard this verse many many times.   But in my humble opinion it is under applied.  Not in frequency of application, but in actual application.

I do not disagree that the Bible has a lot to say about having joy in life.  Having life and having it more abundantly.  That each day is a gift from God.  Yes, let us rejoice and be glad every day!  Great idea!  But if you stop there with this verse you are missing a wonderful blessing.

Let’s back up a few verses and reexamine what the Psalmist is getting at here.  Let’s start in verse 20:

²⁰This is the gate of the LORD;
The righteous will enter through it.
²¹I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,
And You have become my salvation.
²²The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief corner stone.
²³This is the LORD’S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.
²⁴This is the day which the LORD has made;
Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
²⁵O LORD, do save, we beseech You;
O LORD, we beseech You, do send prosperity!
²⁶Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the LORD;
We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.
²⁷The LORD is God, and He has given us light;
Bind the festival sacrifice with cords to the horns of the altar.
²⁸You are my God, and I give thanks to You;
You are my God, I extol You.
²⁹Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good;
For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

There is a lot there, so I’ll just get to the heart of it.   In verse 21 the Psalmist says, “you have become my salvation.”   In verse 22 “the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.”  Corner stone?  That sounds familiar.

Ephesians 2:19-21 explains it very well:

¹⁹So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,

²⁰having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone,

²¹in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord,

In the Gospels, Jesus also quotes from Psalm 118 when he tells the parable of the landowner.  Here in Ephesians Paul spells it out.   Jesus is the cornerstone!  We (if you believe in Christ) are the living stones that are being built up on the foundation of the prophets and the apostles, with Jesus as the very cornerstone!

So.  Back to Psalm 118:24.  What is the day we rejoice and be glad in?  The day that Jesus Christ became the sacrifice for our sins and became the cornerstone for us!  It is the gate of the Lord that the righteous will enter. (verse 20)  Not because of our righteousness, but the very righteousness of God that He gives us when we trust Jesus.

He has become our salvation! (verse 21)  It’s the Lord’s doing. (verse 23)  It is a gift we receive from Him.  It is not deserved, but the benefit is HUGE!  We become sons and daughters of God!  We become co-heirs with Christ!  We who come in the name of the Lord are blessed! (verse 26)  God has given us the light of the world which is Jesus (verse 27)  We give thanks to God because of His lovingkindness that will last forever! (verse 28 & 29)

So, yeah.  I say rejoice in every day.  It is a gift from God.  But next time you hear someone say, “This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it,” think about what that really means.  God’s only son who was God made flesh died for you so that you could enter into His presence and live there forever!  The day that He did that for the whole world is worthy of our praise EVERY DAY indeed!!!