Then came the test. Dad pressed the record button and his son said sweetly, “Mommy and Daddy can’t come to the phone right now. If you’ll leave your name, phone number, and a brief message, they’ll get back to you as soon as Jesus comes.”

John G. McFayden, Woodbridge, Virginia. Christian Reader, “Kids of the Kingdom.”

How the news media would announce the end of the world:

Sports Illustrated: “Game’s Over!”

Ladies’ Home Journal: “Lose 10 Pounds by Judgment Day with Our New Armageddon Diet!”

Inc. Magazine: “Ten Ways You Can Profit from the Apocalypse.”

CNN: “World Ends; Women and Children Most Affected.”

J. C. Penney’s Catalog: “Our Final Sale.”

America Online: “System Temporarily Down. Try Calling Back in 15 Minutes.”

Advent is a time when we talk about the fact that Jesus is coming to the world.

He came to Mary.

He came to Zechariah.

Christmas eve we’ll remember that He came to us as a baby king 2000 years ago in a manger in Bethlehem

Today we remind ourselves that He will come again at any moment. Perhaps this moment. He will come to take His followers away and to judge the world once and for all. To set up a new heavens and a new earth. Where the lion will lie down with the lamb. Where peace and love and joy will reign.

A few weeks ago On the first sunday of advent I read this quote from Dietrich Bonhoeffer who was a prisoner of Germany following a failed attempt to assasinate Adolph Hitler.

He wrote to his wife: “A prison cell, in which one waits, hopes, does various unessential things, and is completely dependent on the fact that the door of freedom has to be opened from the outside is not a bad picture of Advent.”

This is true of us this season of advent as we wait to celebrate the evening when the baby Jesus came into the world.

We are utterly and completely dependent that the door to freedom for our soul be opened by someone other then ourselves. We wait. Because there is nothing we can do to make the event happen any sooner.

The same is true as we wait for Him to come again. We wait. Because there is nothing we can do to make His coming happen any sooner.

So, the question we are answering today is “How should we wait?”

Do we just go along business as usual? Do we drop everything and sit on a mountaintop as some have? Is there a special way that we should be found waiting?

This was a question that the Conneticut legislature had to answer one day in 1789. They were in session when the sky of Hartford darkened ominously. and some of the representatives, glancing out the windows, feared the end was at hand. They wanted to cancel their sessions.

They were not the first to fear that the end had come. And they won’t be the last.

Something like this happened to me when Mt. St. Helens erupted. I remember as our church service was coming to an end that the sky out the one window we had looked very odd… the darkest storm cloud i’d ever seen. When the service was over, we went out to the strangest site we’d ever seen. And I can tell you I was not the only person wondering if it was the end of the world.

In 1998 A gallup poll was taken that asked that question :

“What is the likelihood that the world will come to an end because of Judgment Day or another religious event in the next century, the percentage who believe it is:

Very likely 23% Somewhat likely 16% Somewhat unlikely 16% Very unlikely 41% No opinion 4

USA Today /Gallup Poll, September 29-October 1, 1998

39% of americans believe that the world will come to an end in the next century.

57% believe that it won’t.

So what does the Word of God have to say about how we should live regarding his second coming?

Turn to Matthew chapter 24 we’ll read verse 36-45

36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,[e] but My Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour[f] your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing.

There are two important lessons for us from this passage.

The first is that no one, not even the angels or Jesus Himself knows the day or hour that Jesus will return. Only the Father.

The story goes that on New Year’s Eve 999 a crowd pushed its way into St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome to pray at a midnight mass led by Pope Sylvester II. Some trembled, some wept—all were on their knees or prostrate in prayer. The beginning of the end, the great day of wrath, God’s judgment, was moments away.

For months reports of meteors and earthquakes seemed to signal the end. All across Europe, people donated lands, homes, and goods to the poor to better their souls for the coming judgment. Sins were confessed, businesses neglected, fields left uncultivated as people waited in dread. On New Year’s Eve at St. Peter’s, the tension was so thick that, as the clock ticked toward the end of the millennium, one account says, “not a few [died] from fright.”

Then the clock struck twelve: “The crowd remained transfixed, barely daring to breathe.” And life went on.

For centuries there have been innumerable theories as to when and how the world might end. Here are some highlights gleaned from alleged prophecies:

In 960 Bernard of Thuringia, a German theologian, calculated 992 as the most likely year for the world’s end. As the time approached, panic was widespread.

Mark Galli, editor, Christian History. Source: Richard Erdoes, AD 1000: Living on the Brink of Apocalypse (Harper & Row, 1988)

German astrologer Johann Stoffler predicted an overwhelming flood on February 20, 1524. Believers started constructing arks. One man is said to have been trampled to death by a mob attempting to board his specially built vessel. When nothing happened, the calculations were revised and a new date given—1588. That year also passed without any unusual rainfall.

Solomon Eccles was jailed in London’s Bridewell Prison in 1665 for striding through Smithfield Market, carrying a pan of blazing sulfur on his head, and proclaiming doom and destruction. Although the end of the world did not follow, the Great Fire of London did, in 1666.

After studying both the Bible and the mystical messages of the Great Pyramid, in 1874 Charles Taze Russell, founder of the sect that became Jehovah’s Witnesses, concluded that the Second Coming had already taken place. He declared that people had 40 years, or until 1914, to enter his faith or be destroyed. Later he modified the date to “very soon after 1914.”

Herbert W. Armstrong, publisher of the magazine “The Plain Truth,” declared that January 7, 1972, was undoubtedly the date to watch. The utter failure of his prediction did not diminish his zeal.

verse 36 says “36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven,[e] but My Father only. ”

If ever there was a lesson to be learned from history it is that no one knows. And we’re not going to know.

One of the greatest errors of those who teach end times prophecies today is that they are looking for signs to tell them that Jesus’ return is imminent.

There are no signs that need to be fulfilled. He could come at this very moment. No one knows when. Because Jesus himself said that no one knows. Jesus didn’t even know. Only the father knows.

John Calvin said that Christ intended to hold the

minds of believers in suspense that we might not, by a false imagination,

fix any time for the [second coming].

We know how fickle our minds are, and how much we are tickled by a vain curiosity to know more than is proper. Jesus wishes that the day of his coming would be the object of such expectation and desire, that no one would dare to inquire when it will happen. In short, he wants us to so walk in the light of faith, that while we are uncertain as to the time, we would patiently wait for the revelation of him. We ought therefore to be on our guard, lest our anxiety about the time be carried farther than the Lord allows; for the chief part of our wisdom lies in confining ourselves soberly within the limits of God’s word

The second lesson we learn from this passage is that when He comes we will immediately be taken away to be with Him

verse 40 Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and one will be left; 41 two women grinding at the mill, one will be taken and one will be left.

1Thessalonians 4:16, 17

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with God’s trumpet. The dead in Christ will rise first, 17 then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. So we will be with the Lord forever. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.

Such a vivid picture, yet we don’t really know what this will be like. It has been used as a means to frighten people who are not yet following Jesus. It became the title of the bestselling novels on the end times, “Left Behind.” Imagine what will happen, the book wonders, when the Christian pilots of a jet are raptured leaving the plane without a pilot? What will happen to the husband whose wife and children are suddenly taken away. Or the pastor who thought he was doing the Lord’s work but finds himself left behind.

But these passages are for us a matter of hope, not of fear. We will be reunited in the air with the our dead loved ones. We will meet the Lord in the air. And we will be with the Lord forever.

Comfort one another with these words.

Comfort. In the midst of persecution. Hard times. We comfort each other with the knowledge that when Jesus returns we will be with him and our saved loved ones forever.

Conclude with two Commands that Jesus had for us as we look forward to His soon return.

The first is to Be ready

verse 44 says Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don’t expect, the Son of Man will come.

John Calvin wrote that Although Jesus desired to keep the minds of his followers in suspense regarding when He would return,He was simultaneously concerned that the indifference arising out of the enjoyments of the world would lull them to sleep. Jesus’ antidote was verse 44 where he exhorted them to readiness. He wished them to be uncertain as to his coming, but yet to be prepared to expect him every day, or rather every moment. So To shake off their sloth, and to excite them more powerfully to be on their guard, he warned that the end will come, while the world is sunk in brutal indifference; So be ready

It would be easy when you don’t know when it was going to happen to get complacent.

verse 38 says For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, 39 and they didn’t know until the flood came, and took them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

We can’t be just going about business as usual. Our lives must be lived as though He could come right now.

The second Command is to be found doing.

45 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his lord has set over his household, to give them their food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his lord finds doing so when he comes.

We need to be busy about the work that Jesus has left us to do. Taking care of our families. Loving people. Being faithful in our work and school. Telling people about Jesus.

In the begining we looked at some examples of times in the past when people had set a date for Christ’s return. A common theme to these stories is that people set aside their normal work, left everything and waited for His return. But Jesus here says that He has left us as servants to do work. We will be blessed if Jesus finds us busy doing His work when He comes.

Remember the story we began with. In 1789 The house of representatives for conneticut was meeting in Hartford when suddenly the sky outside darkened ominously. Fearing that the end was at hand many of them called for an immediate adjournment. .Colonel Davenport, the Speaker of the Connecticut House of Representatives rose and said, this to them:

“The Day of Judgement is either approaching or it is not. If it is not, there is no cause for adjournment. If it is, I choose to be found doing my duty. Therefore, “I wish that candles be brought”

A medical study in which 122 men who had suffered their first heart attack were evaluated on their degree of hopefulness and pessimism: “Of the 25 most pessimistic men, 21 had died eight years later. Of the 25 most optimistic, only 6 had died!… Loss of hope increased the odds of death more than 300 percent; it predicted death more accurately than any medical risk factor, including blood pressure, amount of damage to the heart, or cholesterol level.”

Chris Peterson, “Optimism and By-pass Surgery,” in Learned Helplessness: A Theory for the Age of Personal Control. (Oxford University Press, 1993

Another study of 1,000 people aged 65-85 points to the importance of a positive attitude in dealing with life. After almost 10 years of follow-up, researchers found that people who described themselves as optimistic had a 55 percent lower risk of death from all causes and a 23 percent lower risk of heart-related death.

Rubel Shelly, Nashville, Tennessee; source: E. Giltay, Archives of General Psychiatry (November 2004) vol. 61, pp. 1126-1135, re

Of all the virutes in the Bible, hope ranks among the top three:

1Corinthians 13:13 But now faith, hope, and love remain—these three.

What is hope?

Harvard Medical professor Jerome Groopman says that “hope is the ability to see a path to the future…. You are facing dire circumstances, and you need to know everything that’s blocking or threatening you. And then you see a path, or a potential path, to get to where you want to be.

At different times in our lives we find ourselves facing difficult situations that feel like could defeat us. Financial problems, marriage problems, watching our teenagers and adult children struggling with life. What will get us through?

Hope. We must see a path through whatever adversity we face. It doesn’t mean that the problem is solved. It means that we find a way to get through it.

This comes first through seeing our lives through a larger purpose then ourselves. What is God doing in and through us.

Turn to Romans 8:28 says that

28 all things work together for good for those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose.

There is hope in Jesus because regardless of the circumstance, regardless of the situation, God is tinkering away to make good come of what you are going through. When we see our lives through a larger purpose then ourselves, we can have hope that God is at work.

This also provides us with the vision to be able to see what He is doing. We learn to see miracles, even small ones because we are on the lookout for the good that God is working out through what we are going through.

Second, Jesus desires good in your life. John 10:10 says that Jesus came so that we could have an abundant life. The New Living Translation says His purpose is to give life in all its fullness.

When your life has gone south, you need to know that Jesus’ desire is that you not be there. He doesn’t want you to suffer. He wants a full rich life for you.

We get hung up on the fact that bad stuff happens to good people and so we get cynical about verses like this. We see too many examples when people aren’t living abundant lives and so we think there must be something wrong with this verse.

But the fault is not in Jesus. Jesus _wants_ us to have full rich lives. He grieves when our lives are broken.

This doesn’t mean that we won’t be faced with trials that don’t appear to be the good that Jesus desires.

What hope is not

Sheila Walsh, former host of the 700 Club tells the story of a letter she once got from a young woman in her mid-twenties who had cancer and MS. She said, “Sometimes I watch your program and I’m helped, and sometimes I want to take my shoe off and throw it through the screen.”

Sheila writes “I was so fascinated by her honesty, I called her. We became friends. One day she said, “One of the things I hate about what you do is you always present people whose marriages get better in 10 minutes, people who get healed, people who have the nice, packaged answers.” She said, “What about people like me who are dying and still love God? What about people who take very few steps, but every step leaves a big impression in the snow because it costs every ounce of strength they have left?”

She changed my perspective. Christianity is not this nice “everything’s going to work out okay” attitude. When you think of Christ at the tomb of Lazarus, he wept because it wasn’t supposed to be like this. He had spoken this beautiful world into existence and it was so broken, so messed up. I think one of the greatest gifts we can give is just a dose of reality that life down here is sometimes disappointing. God doesn’t always give us answers. But he does always give us himself.

Sheila Walsh, singer and author, a former co-host of the 700 Club, and now a speaker with Women of Faith, "Staying Alive,&q

Jesus promise of an abundant life does not free us from the trials that come with life on earth. But it does mean that God does not want that for us. He desires rich full lives for us. And He is working that for us.

Martin Luther King, Jr. said “We must accept finite disappointment, but never lose infinite hope.”

God is seeking to work for good all things in your life.

We need to hold on to hope.

Next week I’ll talk more about hope, including the basis for our hope and some areas that the Bible teaches us to have hope in.