The Rapture: Return of the King

The Rapture

Coming up on renewed mindsets, the end is near as Christians eagerly anticipate the coming rapture. It begs the questions what will happen when Jesus returns? What will it look like? And more importantly, are you a sheep or a goat? Because one of them is bad. 

Let's goat boys. 


hey. Welcome to renewed mindsets, where I'm focused on the Word of God and the 1980s. I'm Rick. Welcome to the show where I help you. Gen-Xers and Millennials navigate spiritually through a world that looks nothing like we expected. Back when cars were square and bullets were totally awesome. I am so glad you're here. 

Do you remember the Lord of the Rings movies? My favorite of the three was The Return of the King. A big portion of that movie took place in the land of Gondor. That's where the humans lived. And it was a land without hope and without strength. Because for years and years, Gondor had been waiting and watching for their king to rise to the throne. And as the movie begins, Gondor was in the middle of the middle of a war that they can't hope to win. Their only hope is for their king to return and defeat the enemies that are trying to destroy them. And as the movie goes on of its 8 hours, it seems like the rightful king, whose name is Aragorn. He rises to assume the leadership of Gondor, but they may come when the courage of men fails, when we forsake our friends and break all bonds of fellowship. But it is not this day and soon He defeats all the enemies and wins that long awaited peace. Near the end of the movie, Aragorn is given the crown of the King and he completes the hope of his people. The King really did return 

the church is like that. It's a lot like the land of Gondor. 

Just like Gondor. We're longing. We're watching. And we're waiting for the return of our king. 

In Matthew chapter 25. Jesus gives a glimpse, just a small glimpse of what it will be like when the King of the world returns to claim his kingdom. The rapture.

So this is Matthew 25, verses 31 through 33. 

But when the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people. As a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, he will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left. 

So the return of that King Jesus is going to bring a reckoning in what we call, the rapture.

Now, first off, there's no easy way, no easier way to say it than Jesus will return. It's a very simple fact that Jesus is going to return to this world just as we've been promised. And when he does, he's going to come in glory in what we call the rapture.

When he was born. When Jesus was born through the womb of Mary, he came in a humble way through a miraculous means to live a humble existence. But when Jesus comes again, it's going to be anything but humble. 

Jesus is not going to return in just a mere human body, but He's going to be coming in his glorious resurrection body, the body he was given following his death was filled with the glory of God. He's going to be coming in the manner of glory. 

Jesus came the first time as the Savior of the world. And the second time He's come in as the king of the universe. 

He's also going to come with angels during the rapture. We see that in this verse or these verses. 

The angels made an appearance to a small, little select group of shepherds when Jesus was born. But for his second coming, they're going to be numberless. The sheer number of angels will prove the reality of his glory and power, 

and the service of the angels will be because of his matchless glory. They're going to come together, the wicked, and they're going to come together as God's people. And when Jesus comes, He's coming to rule. Just like a king would. He's going to be enthroned in all his glory right here on Earth. 

And it's going to be at this point during the rapture, that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. 

The purpose for Jesus being enthroned will be to pass judgment on the world, at the rapture. 

And when he comes, during the rapture, he's going to gather all the nations. Now, we've heard that. Gather all the nations. What exactly is it? It's just what it says. At the rapture, All the people from all the nations are going to be gathered by the angels to stand before Jesus as the judge of the entire world. The dead shall be raised, and all of them are going to have their moment to stand before the master of all things. The angels will bring the people of every country, every place, every nationality. 

At the rapture, There will be people of every creed, race, language and religion. 

Every person who has ever been born will stand before the Lord of all things. 

And Jesus as King will redistribute. 

You know, history 

marks the mixture of this world. 

The Earth has always been a mixture of those people who are followers of God and those who reject God. 

And from the time that sin entered the world, there have been those who have lived for God and those who have lived for themselves. 

Now, the New Testament has many ways of expressing that difference, that mixture. You've seen it as believers and non-believers. Sheep and goats. From the verses we just read good and evil wheat from the tares 

found in lost saints and sinners. 

The mixture is very evident in Scripture and it's very evident that this world is torn between two kingdoms. 

The mixture is the people of God and the people of Satan. 

And we see that mixture in people that live in the same nation, the same city, the same home. Every place that people go to work and unfortunately, even at times in the same churches, 

the world is a mixture of those who believe and those who just refuse to believe. And this is what we're all accustomed to see and how we're accustomed to living. But Jesus is going to bring separation to the world. 

He's going to change all that we know about the world. 

He's going to bring a total separation into this world that's going to be with the sheep on the right and the goats on the left. 

The sheep and goats. Sheep and goats. What does that mean? Well, the sheep. 

And it says in that verse that the sheep will be on his right. Will the right to be on the right hand of someone for a Jew is a place of blessing. 

Those who believe in Jesus, 

meaning those who are born again, 

those who are good and faithful servants, 

the ones who are persistent in doing good. 

The goats are going to be on the left. That's the Jewish place of rejection 

that's there for those people that don't believe in Jesus and those that are not born again, 

those who are going to be called wicked and lazy servants and those who are self-serving and self-seeking, the ones who follow evil, the ones who don't obey the truth. Hmm. Which side are you on? The return of the king. Jesus brings a reward in verses 34 through 40. Then the King will say to those on his right come you who are blessed by my father. Inherit the kingdom, prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry. And you fed me. I was thirsty. And you gave me drink. I was a stranger. And you invited me into your home. I was naked and you gave me clothing. I was sick. And you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me. Then these righteous ones will reply. Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink or a stranger and show you hospitality or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will say, I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me. And the king will turn to those on the left and say a way with you. You cursed ones into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. And talk about leaving on a high note. You need to be accepted by the King. And when Jesus returns, there will be an acceptance. It starts with an imitation. 

That call or the imitation of Christ is issued to the sheep. Those who believe in Jesus as their personal Savior. 

It's a call to come. The call to come is pictured as entering into the presence of God and being given the privilege of staying in His presence for all of eternity. 

The call from Christ on that day will be one that will never end. But it comes from listening and obeying here right now. 

It's kind of an inheritance. If you're a believer, you are a child of God. 

And just like as a child of your parents, there's an inheritance for you. There's an inheritance for believers as children of God. 

But you have to identify with the king, the sheep, or those who ministered to Christ, because what they did for others was done for Christ. The sheep served others out of a deep centered love for Jesus. The ministry that's mentioned here by Jesus is not preaching. It's not teaching. So winning, 

podcasting, 

anything that people would associate with great ministry activities, 

the things that Jesus mentions are the things that are simple enough for anyone to do. And clearly, clearly people there's an expectations from from Jesus that ministry will be done by all who believe. The point is clear. If you don't have something great and grand to do for Jesus, that's okay. You have something to do. Now, the sheep, they're going to be amazed during the rapture. 

Even though we know it's coming, the rapture, there's still going to be an amazement. 

The question at the rapture, that's asked is so clear. 

Those who follow Jesus ask, When. When did we feed you? When did we give you a drink? When did we invite you in? When did we visit you? When did we love you? 

The confusion here seems to be a misunderstanding that these people offered personal service to Jesus himself. The humility of the question reveals the attitude that we should have as Christians. 

We serve others because of what Jesus has done for us, not for any other reason. 

It's the reality of the one who is served. The truth is that is that one we serve others out of love that we have for Jesus. We're really serving him. 

The greatest part of serving others is not gaining recognition for what we do, but it's when we serve others that we're bringing glory to the name of Jesus. 

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to those little ones, because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward. That's Matthew 1042. Now, the return of Jesus. 

It also brings a rejection at the rapture.

versus 41 through 46. 

Then the king will turn to those on the left and say a way with you, you cursed ones into the eternal fire. Prepared for the devil and his demons. Four I was hungry and you did not feed me. I was thirsty. And you didn't give me a drink. I was a stranger. And you didn't invite me into your home. I was naked and you didn't give me clothing. I was sick and in prison. And you didn't come to visit me. Then they were reply. When did. When did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick in prison did not help you. 

And he's going to answer. I tell you the truth. When you refuse to help the least of these, my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me. And they will go away into eternal punishment. But the righteous will go to eternal life. You see, the return of the king brings a rejection. I don't know if I could take that kind of a rejection. Well, you can't. But it may be your density. I mean your destiny. I can find a place for a back to the future quote. Anywhere. They're going to be removed from the king. They're not going to be allowed to stand in his presence. 

Jesus is going to command their departure. 

He calls the sheep, but he commands the goats. 

The difference in that language is clear and no mistake can be made about it. The goats. The goats are not welcome. 

Jesus uses the words depart from me. The most horrible word spoken during the rapture. 

And without a doubt. Oh my gosh, they are the most dreaded words that will ever be spoken in all of history. It hurts my heart to even read them because these are going to be the last words that the goats will ever hear from the mouth of Jesus. 

Now, what is it going to mean for those people that are told to depart? 

Do you want to know where they're going to be in a constant state of misery and darkness? They're going to be in a place of weeping and gnashing of teeth. 

They're going to be in a place without God and without hope. 

Nowhere is this place of departure. 

The goats, it says, will be placed into an eternal fire. 

Only three things are going to exist in that eternal fire. 

Anguish, 

torment and punishment. 

Anguish is the emotional turmoil. 

Torment is the physical turmoil. And the punishment is spiritual turmoil. 

That eternal fire was prepared by God for Satan and His angels. It's the place where God designed for them to spend eternity. It's the place where Satan wants to drag as many people with him before he goes. It's not the desire of God for any person to go to that eternal fire, but many are going to make the choice to go to those fires for all of eternity because they refuse to believe in Jesus. 

If you lived a Christ less life, 

you'll die a Christ, less death. 

And there's reasons for that. Jesus has reasons for this. 

One of the reasons is 

those people that were told to depart. They had a failure to minister. 

I could go on and on and on on this. But what else can I say about it? 

Knowing that you're supposed to and not doing it. 

It's the number one reason on the list. 

The second is living selfish lives. The goats lived for themselves and made themselves the center of their existence. People who live for themselves are in a mighty small business. 

Those who live selfishly ignore the suffering around them. And they're going to die in their selfishness. 

They're told to depart because of spiritual blindness. 

The goats are people who refuse to see the truth about Jesus, and they're unwilling to identify themselves with Jesus. These people missed the fact that Jesus identifies himself with those who suffer, those who are in pain, and those who are in need. You know, there's an old picture that I saw one time showing homeless people standing in a soup line. You seen those waiting for something to eat? 

Every person in that line is dressed up in old rags, covered with filth, and they pretty much all look the same. 

But if you look at it really closely, there's one man in the line that stands out because of a a barely visible halo circling his head. At first glance, it appeared to be a saint. But as you look closer at the painting, it became very clear that the person was not some saint, but it was Jesus. 

When the king returns, where will you stand? 

Will you be counted as one of the servants? And welcomed into eternity? 

Or will you be asked to leave? The simple fact is that serving Jesus means serving others and sharing the love that He has for them. Are you living like one of the sheep? 

When the King returns, where will you stand? Will you be told to leave with the rest of the goats? The other simple fact is that failing to serve others is just like failing to serve Jesus when others are in need. And you reach out when others are in need, do you reach out or do you turn away? How are you treating Jesus today? What kind of life are you living? 

Where people will you stand when the king returns? 

If you're not sure today, you need to make things right with the one who loves you more than life itself. Pray to him. Find the life that you've been missing. Come and find the hope. Only found in living for the king who's going to return 

now and now. Deep Thoughts by Rick Yuhas. 

When Pete let out that big belch at lunch after guzzling the coke. Larry smiled. But when he did it again at supper and shouted, I'm the burp king. Larry tried to smile, but he couldn't. He had always thought of himself as the burp king. 

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Well, that's all for this week's episode. I hope you enjoyed it. And you come away with a better understanding of the urgency behind this message. Jesus is coming soon and we all need to be better prepared. 

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Until next week. Go, 

Rick. 

I love you. 

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