Bible Guys Classics: Revelation - Timing of Christ's Return

Show Notes

In this episode of The Bible Guys, Jeff and Chris unpack what Scripture says—and doesn’t say—about the timing of Christ’s return. Revelation reminds us that while the exact moment is unknown, the promise is certain.

Jeff and Chris talk through how believers should approach this truth, focusing on readiness, urgency, and faithful living rather than speculation. They highlight the importance of being prepared at all times.

If you’ve been trying to make sense of when Jesus will return, this episode will ground you in what really matters.

🎧 Listen now and live with expectation and purpose. #TheDailyBibleGuys #Revelation #JesusIsComing #EndTimes #BibleStudyPodcast #ChristianLiving #FaithInAction

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Hey, everybody, we're the Bibble guys. And if you're just tuning in recently, just know that we are showing a little bit of reruns for a few months, and then we'll be back bigger and better than ever on August thirty first, because behind the scenes, we're taking a hiatus to do some very important things. Yeah, we're building building out a new studio and we've got some new structure. Super excited about it. So August thirty first, brand new content. But in the meantime, enjoy some of our greatest hits. Hey, Jeff, what time is it? Uh, it's about two minutes after ten. Wow. Well, you know what, knowing the time is a good thing. And today we're talking about the timing of Christ's return. Oh wow, that's cool. So he's Chris and I'm Jeff and we're the Bible guys. Now what I didn't say, is is it two minutes after ten in the morning or two minutes after ten? We could be recording at night. Oh yes, it's probably not. Because because we are we are you know, out there man, we. Live on the edge, that's right, we're hard workers. Yeah. So, so hey, today Desiree has given us a couple of comments, just as shout outs of people who comment frequently. So we love our listeners and it's been fun and you know, always fun to interact with them. So here's a couple of shot out. These comments probably are from YouTube. Or that's a great question, I would assume, so. From one of the social media platforms. I would assume. So somebody said there's no name given. Actually that said, these two pastors chemistry is so unique and great. I hope they stay blessed with great friendship forever and ever. Exclamation mark. Oh that's so nice, too, nice, Yeah, me too, me too. We're blessed with friendship for having every You're my friend. That's really cool. You know what I do? I do like uh. I love the chemistry that we do have. And a lot of people actually say, Jeff really makes fun of you a lot, and I always respond and say, that's because he loves me. That's right. I make fun of everybody that I love. Yeah, that's right. My family at Thanksgiving, when we get together Thanksgiving or Christmas something, it's just full on brutality the whole time, and then we leave going that was so much fun. So yeah, yeah, if I'm making funn of you. You're part of the family for sure. Yeah, that's great, all right. The second ones is from Diane f and she said, so thankful for all I hear and learned here, all of the and all of the laughs and giggles, crack me up. Yeah, that's very nice. Nice. Yeah. And by the way, that is exactly the order in which we hope people respond. Right, Yes, I learned something. And by the way, I like the laughs and the giggles. That's good. And then this last comment is by Dan. We don't know Dan's last initial, but Dan said, not sure how I came across this channel, but I like this content. I'm here for it. Good conversation, good personalities, good spiritual word. Keep doing what y'all are doing. So I guess it's from the south. From the south, well, good south of the Mason Dixon. Or he's from the south and he moved up to the north, that's right. Either one. He used y'all, y'all, that's right. So I lived in Atlanta for ten years and I miss saying y'all. I do too. Yeah, yeah, so I lived in Texas for quite a while, and yeah, yeah, it's such a good word. It's so useful, Yes, because you can say y'all. Meaning all y'all, Yeah, right, there's all y'all people, or y'all just means you know, it's talking about you specifically, or talking about your little group y'all. Is just it's a great both of you, all of you. Yeah, it's great. And by the way, thank you. Dan, And I actually love the fact that you said, not sure I came across this channel, which means you know, you stumbled upon us somehow and you're continuing to listen and watch and comment and interact. So Dan, we appreciate you, buddy. So hey, if you're on YouTube, or if you're tracking along on Spotify or Apple, you know, the iTunes podcast or whatever, subscribe. Trust me, it would help us so much if you describe. We almost have a thousand subscribers on YouTube. Once we get to a thousand subscribers, it gives us a lot more control over the page. We're almost there, would you please If you're a listener, we know there's about three hundred of you that listen almost every day that have not yet subscribed, So please click that little subscribe bell in the corner. Subscribe. It'll help us so much. Let's just get that done. But then leave comments and share these things. What happens is the algorithms that's paying attention to this thing push us out to other people and maybe we'll find another Dan this week because you shared or liked or made a comment. So that really would help a lot if you'd script you that for us. Thank you. It is important, So please do that for us. That's amazing. Well, thank you, guys, you're so nice. I just I'm still always amazed people listen. Yeah, me too, Yeah, yeah, it's amazing. Well, today we're talking about the timing of christ return, and we did actually mention this on Day one, which was two days ago. We talked about, you know how nobody can really know, but there are so many more specifics about his coming, you know how it talks about just in different parts of the scripture, not just in Revelation, but also you know, Jesus talking about it, Luke writing about it, Paul mentioning it. Right, So we're gonna look at those. So I had a conversation with a guy one time a couple of years ago, and he was like, I know, I'm within months of when Jesus is going to come back, and I says, so, you know, the Bible says you can't know. He said, I know, that's what the Bible says, but I really do think you can know. And I'm like, you're a Bible student, and he goes, yes, the Bible says you can't know. I know, but I think you can know. And I'm like, how how are you using the Bible to prove something when the Bible is so emphatic. So we decided to take essentially two chunks of two days saying you can't know, and we're just using more and more and more. How many times does Jesus have to tell you you can't know before you finally agree? I guess it's. So ironical, isn't it. He's like, I love the Bible so much. I don't care what the Bible says, but I love it so much. I don't think I know. I know. And so hey, this next thing. So we're talking about the timing, yes of the return of Jesus. And you know, there's maybe more TNT packed into this topic than just about any other, particularly with regard to the idea of a rapture in general, which we're going to be talking about but so again we already mentioned this. Old Christians a argue about the details pre post mid Ah Rite whatever, but the new Christians man alive. They just look up, and that's we need to get back to the wonder and enthusiasm and confidence in Jesus that we had when we were brand new Christians and maybe not. Be so dogmatic, you know, on it. So hey, here's a few ideas. One is, Jesus is coming back suddenly, Matthew twenty four to forty four. Jesus said, you also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected. Yeah. So, so not only do we not know, but it's when we don't know. That's what that's unexpected, the unexpected. So nobody's gonna expect it exactly. So there's nobody gonna go and nobody's gonna be right. So uh so, obviously the thrust, the main point of this sentiment is that. We should be ready all the time. Yeah. Right. Remember that old d C Talk song what was it called? Just was it called be ready? Be Ready? Yeah? Yeah, and it's it's a new song, had people get ready? Right, there's that there's that old Motown song people get ready. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, I like to d C talk one better, but we must all be ready. But the idea is is that I believe, uh you know somebody I heard this. You know it's been said a thousand times in all generations. But you should live every day as if Jesus is coming today, because if you know, it's that whole Tim McGrath song, Live like you were dying it. Say what would you do? I go, you know, Scott diving right well, on the spiritual side of things, what if Jesus were coming. Today, who would you tell? How did you live your life? How would you spend your minutes? Right? And would you say the things that should be said. If you were convinced he was coming back and knowing it's unexpected, that question that you asked, who would you tell? I think is incredibly important. Yeah. And by the way, that's enough for our listeners to walk away with just that thought, yeah, and say like, if I live with that thought just today, this will have been worth my time. Yeah. Yeah, So Luke seventeen, he says, yes, it'll be business as usual right up to the day when the Son of Man is revealed. Right. So this idea of being unexpected, it doesn't have to be scary. We keep highlighting this idea. Jesus isn't coming to scare us. He's coming to save us. So just because it's unexpected doesn't mean it's scary. The other one would be soon. Jesus is coming soon a matter of fact and revelation twenty twenty or twenty two, verse seven. This is how we know he's coming soon, because he says, look, I'm coming soon. There it is blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book. As we says, so it's coming soon, and it's basically we should be living with an expectancy. So we don't know when it's going to be a surprise, but. We should have an expectancy that it's going to be soon. And then there's plenty of scriptures. Actually we're going to burn through these, but we do think it's important to read the support of why it's supposed to be a secret. So Jesus says, and Paul says that his coming is a secret. I'm going to read Matthew twenty four. However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son capital s himself. Only the Father knows. So he's just really clear that God the Father, who by the way, has the will for our lives, he's the one that sets in motion. Even today he seems to have that role in our lives. God the Father is the one that sets the will and has the will for us. And it's the same with his revelation when it's coming. That's right. Any Acts, we've already read this verse. But Acts six and seven says, so when the apostles of Jesus, they kept asking him, Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel or story kingdom? And he replied, the Father alone has the authority to set those dates in times they're not for you to know. So, hey, it's a secret basically. So let me read first this salone. In Chapter five, verses one through three, Paul says, this, now, concerning how and when all these things will happen, dear brothers and sisters, we don't really need to write you, for you know quite well that the day of the Lord's return will come unexpectedly, like a thief in the night when people are saying everything is peaceful, and secure. Then disaster will fall on them, and suddenly as a pregnant woman's labor pain begins and there will be no escape. And again I've already mentioned this so many times. Paul is the master of Visila aid, chief in the night labor pains, chief in the night labor pains. And he's trying to compare it to something that happens unexpectedly. Nobody expects a thief, right, and nobody you know, and a woman not that I know this is coming soon. Yeah, yeah, but that labor main hits. Man, Oh my goodness, it's a surprise. It's a surprise. But here this is really I think one of the we keep coming back to the same thing. He doesn't tell as he sings, are scared us. He's telling us he things to say, I'm coming back to save you. And Titus chapter two kind of blends those two ideas verse eleven through thirteen. It says, for the grace of God has been revealed, bringing salvation to all people, and we're instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. And we should live in this evil world with wisdom and righteousness and devotion to God while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ will be revealed. So we're looking forward to that day. We want to live godly lives today. We want to walk away from sinful pleasures today. We want to live in righteousness and walk in wisdom today, while we're looking forward to this hope of when Jesus is going to be revealed. You know, I think we have some time I can share this. Yeah, I think honestly, have you ever met somebody who they believe in heaven so much that they are completely content with this life being over because they know that the next. Life is better? Yeah, And they believe in heaven so much that they have no doubt. And so, I mean, it's one thing to say, of course I look forward to heaven, but I. Want to live as long as I can, right right. You know, I believe in heaven, but I just have so much life to live and I want to see my grandkids and all these different things. And of course you know I have those sentiments too, But I just admire and look up to you so much. The people who think heaven is so real and so much better that they're just like Jesus. Just come back. Now, what's one of the blessings of aging? You know, most people don't think of aging as being a blessing, but so often the older you get, the pain of life becomes greater. Oftentimes, you know, you have more people in heaven than still here on earth. They've already gone ahead of you. Your body starting to run out of gas. Life becomes more and more difficult, and you remember what it was like to have all of your faculties and all of your abilities, and then you know, the Bible says God's going to make everything new in heaven, so everybody you love is there, or more of the people that you love are there, and you're running out of gas here and to begin looking forward to that, I think that that's one of the blessings of getting older. And by the way, so we have a member on our staff, Debbie, her mother in law. Past. We both went to the funeral and it was one of those funerals where you couldn't get much of a better funeral in that she was ninety one and then also she had lived a super godly life. And so one of the things that I said was Debbie said well, you know, the funeral is maybe kind of small because this person's not going to show, and this person's old, and this person's old. And I wrote back and said, as a person who's done a lot of funerals and been part of one hundreds, just know that this is actually unusual and it's such a privilege. So the signs of a phenomenal funeral are these that when most of the people who show up don't know that person, they just know the kids, oh right. And the people who show up, they're sort of there. They don't even necessarily know the ceased, they're just there to support the kids. Right. That means that they've lived a. Long time, yes, right, ninety one, which means everybody she knows is gone just about. Yeah, her husband's in heaven. And then and then the other. One was the godly legacy part, which by far is the most important. Right. So when you have that much of a godly legacy and that much age, it's just a wonderful thought to think she's now in heaven with everybody, well, with most. Of the people that she lived life with that are gone before her. So along that theme, then you know, we tend to be afraid of death when you think of were afraid of dying. But that person who has the hope of heaven doesn't have to be afraid of dying. It's just it's a transition from this life to that is met fact is a promotion if we really believe in heaven, which we're going to unpack heaven next week in a way that I think you were going to lie. When you get convinced of how incredible heaven is, you don't look at death as a horrible thing or an ending of something. It's a promotion to the next, to the better, to the perfection that the God has for us. But you have to remember how often does he have to remind us don't be afraid. We already read it. But Revelation, chapter one, verse seventeen, John says, when I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, don't be afraid. I'm the first and the last. I'm the living one. I died, but look, I'm alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and the grave. The reason why we don't have to be afraid is because He's on our side and he has the keys to that prison of death and the grave. He's already got him, he's already solved it. And so he just says, don't be afraid. And this is one of God's recurring themes. The things we're going to talk about over the next couple days are scary, but he says, you don't have to be afraid because I have the keys. Yeah, and that's a good scary because if being scared propels you to believe God or to term to God, right, because there are times in our lives where we have to understand, like Jesus is both intimidating and powerful and just and judges as he is good and fair and loving and gives grace. So there's both sides of the coin, you know. That's why he says, don't be afraid. I love how he talks about himself. I am the first, in the last right, the majesty of that moment, and yet the right hand on the shoulder says, don't be afraid because. I know you right, I have died for you. You know. By the way, one of the songs by New Song have you ever heard? This? One's with Me? So the lyrics are like I was dreaming about heaven standing in those pearly gates. We were all there, and I was so scared in the presence of one so great. And then he says is something about I was so afraid, and I want, I want to go turn around. I felt I felt so very unworthy and and I was so afraid, and I turned to go. But then I heard someone say, Father, this. One's with me. He's part of the family. He's one of the reasons I died on Calvary. So Father welcome him in. I paid the price for him. Father of Father, this one's with me. Yeah, And I just I think about that, and I think that's agree. That's that's what this scripture is that you just read right as he puts the right hand on and says, don't be afraid. He's with me. Yeah, you don't have to be afraid because God's intimidating, but he's for you. Yep. My wife and I we have opportunity to travel a little bit together recently, and because I have to travel a lot do a lot of global work with the Timothy Initiative, I have pretty high status with Delta. So you know, I get on the plane first and you know, they give me all kinds. Of special privileges. Fancy pants. Yeah, they give me a lot of privileges. And you know you go to the sky Club and all that kind of stuff. Well it's fifty bucks for you to go to sky club if you can get in, right, if you got the right take it for me. I just get it for free. Whatever. Oh. My wife sometimes will stand back and go, oh I you know, I said no, come with me with me, And I'll just tell the person at the counter she's with me, Oh, okay, welcome missus foster, right, And they just because I have the. Privileges, she can come with me. And that's how that works. And that's what I think about when I think about standing in heaven. There's no chance I can get in that, not on my own. I don't even deserve to be standing in line to get there. But the only we're gonna get there is that he punched our ticket, right. Yeah, So. The only person that should be nervous, Quite honestly, what we're trying to say is the only person that should be nervous about these things that we're reading about is the person who's not prepared. Right. So being prepared is the most important thing, and how do you do that right? That first that'salone is chapter five. He says, for God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ. Not the pour out is anger on us. Christ died for us so that whether we're dead or alive, when he returns, we can live with him forever. So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. So. He's saying, listen, this is why Jesus died. You know if you're saying, hey, okay, I want to be on the right side of this story. I want to make sure things are settled, you know from my mom. My mom was in her mid twenties and had only gone to church a couple of times, two three times her whole life, and didn't really know She believed in the God, but she really didn't know anything. And she went to a movie. Hell Lindsay had that movie, The Late Great Planet Earth back in the seventies, and it was kind of based on the book Revelation, and it really got her attention, like, if that's really in the Bible, and if that's true, I want to be on the right side of that story, right. But she just didn't know how, and it was a couple of years later that she finally ran into a Christian who could explain to her how can you be on the right side? And it just comes down to Romans chapter ten, nine, ten, and thirteen say that first of all, we have to believe in our heart that Jesus is who God says he is, and that God did raise him from the dead. And we have to invite him to be the Lord. That just means the king, the boss. He said, I'm not the king anymore. Jesus, you are. And then if we'll confess our sins to him, he'll forgive our sins. And then in Romans ten thirteen says everyone who calls them the name of the Lord to be saved. That's all you have to do. You say, Jesus, I believe you paid the price for me. Jesus, I want you to be the king. I'm not the king anymore. You be the king in my life? Would you save me? And the Bible says everyone who calls the name of the Lord will be saved. That's what it is. That's great. So these things aren't to scare you. These things are to get your attention and draw you to Jesus, so you're on the right side of this. Yeah, And I love how the verse that we just read in Revelation one were the last phrase he says, I hold the keys to death and the grave. Right, So what better phrase for Jesus to say in the future because when he was on earth, because he said, I died, but look, I'm alive forever and ever. So Jesus is the one who came down. He died on a cross for one reason, to pay for our sins. But then God rose him from the grave three days later, proving once and for all that he is more powerful than sin and death. And he holds the keys because he came down, proving that, you know, he's more powerful than that. So the sacrifice was paid by Jesus. That was required that' sin demands, and he paid it for you, and he paid it for me. So we don't have to be afraid of sin because God took the punishment upon himself, the Bible says. So all that to say, Jesus has been through every single nuance of your sin. So if you think to yourself, well, Chris, you don't know what I've done. You don't understand like how I've done my neighbor has done something bad, but I've done something that if you heard this these details, that's a whole new level of unforgiveness or punishment. Right. And what I'm saying to you is. That Jesus clearly has taken upon himself the punishment for all sin and has conquered it, and he is victorious over it. And so the invitation of believing in him, the invitation of trusting him for heaven, the invitation of calling him friend, there's no sin that you have done that has not been paid for or forgiven. God knows and is over and has conquered and done away with and paid for all the sins in our lives, no matter what they are. That's powerful, that first phrase in First Astonians five nine. God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us. Right. So a lot of people feel like I'm too far from God, I've sinned too much. And he says, I don't want to punish you. I paid the price, my son paid the price for you. So come to me. And so we are going to read now tomorrow, We're going to begin to really get into the specifics. Right, So we took a couple of days to lay the foundation. We're getting to some of the specifics of the events and the people. All things are going to happen. And God does pour out his wrath Unevil, but he says, listen, I don't want to pour out my wrath on you. I want to save you, right, But it's your choice. Yeah, because he says, so that you may live forever. That's right, but it's your choice. Call. Everyone who calls the name of the Lord will be saved. Well, that's a great place to end, and we will pick up tomorrow. Hopefully you'll join us on the Bibble guy us no