The Day When Christ Returns

Romans 13:11–14
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One day in 1789, the sky of Hartford darkened ominously, and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. Quelling a clamor for immediate adjournment, Davenport rose and said, “The Day of Judgment is either approaching or it is not. If i … More

Rapture

Repeatedly in the New Testament we are told to watch for the coming of the Lord. In these verses Paul gives several admonitions concerning the coming of the Lord:

“Wake up” (v. 11) - Many things point to the imminent return of the Lord. Some of these things are: the return of Israel to the Promised Land, the spreading of atheistic ideologies, the status of Jerusalem, the drawing together of the European powers, the apostasy of the professing Protestant church, and the growing influence of Rome.
“Clean up” (verses 12-13) - Paul tells us the right way and the wrong way to walk. The right way is to “walk honestly” (v. 13a). The wrong way is in “rioting and drunkenness, in chambering and wantonness, and in strife and envying” (v. 13b).
“Grow Up” (v. 14) - While we wait for the Lord’s return, we are to wait victoriously. We grow on the basis of the food we eat. If we feed the flesh, we will fail; but if we feed the inner man we will grow spiritually.

Paul lists six sins as being typical of the Christless life (v. 13):

Revelry - things that lower a man’s self esteem and are a nuisance to others.
Drunkenness - a vice which, not only a Christian, but any heathen would have condemned.
Immorality - the desire for the hidden bed.
Shamelessness - the man who does publically things which are unbecoming to any man.
Contention - the place of power and prestige.
Envy - the spirit that can not be content with what it has.

Application

Am I really looking for the Lord’s return or is it just something that I talk about? If He came back today, would I be glad or sad?

Romans 13:11-14 (English Standard Version)

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