ETERNITY - Week 2

•Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart (NLT)
•"This life is a dressing room for eternity” — Leonard Ravenhill
•Revelation 19:6-9 Then I heard something like the voice of a vast multitude, like the sound of cascading waters, and like the rumbling of loud thunder, saying, Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, reigns! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give him glory, because the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his bride has prepared herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: Blessed are those invited to the marriage feast of the Lamb!” (CSB)
•1Thessalonians 4:13-18 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, concerning those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, in the same way, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For we say this to you by a word from the Lord: We who are still alive at the Lord’s coming will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the archangel’s voice, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (CSB)
•“Caught Up”: The meaning is derived from the Latin word “rapturo” which is where we get the word rapture from.
•1 Thessalonians 5:1-2 About the times and the seasons: Brothers and sisters, you do not need anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know very well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. (CSB)
•Matthew 24:36 “Now concerning that day and hour no one knows—neither the angels of heaven nor the Son—except the Father alone. (CSB)
1.Prepare with Perspective
•Philippians 3:20 Our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly wait for a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. (CSB)
•Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great God and our Savior, Jesus Christ (ASV)
2.Prepare with Passion
•Jude 1:20-21 But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting expectantly for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life. (CSB)
•1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be alert and sober-minded for prayer (CSB)
•Ephesians 6:24 Grace be with all who have undying love for our Lord Jesus Christ. (CSB)
•Revelation 2:3-5 I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then how far you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. Otherwise, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. (CSB)
3. Prepare with Purity
•1 John 3:1-3 See what great love the Father has given us that we should be called God’s children—and we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it didn’t know him. Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that when he appears, we will be like him because we will see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself just as he is pure. (CSB)
•Purifies: To cleanse, purify, either ceremonially, actually, or morally
•Titus 2:11-14 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age, while we wait for the blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for himself a people for his own possession, eager to do good works.
4. Prepare with Participation
•Hebrews 10:23-25 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, since he who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. (CSB)
5. Prepare with Perseverance
•James 1:12 Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. (CSB)
•Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved. (CSB)
•Hebrews 12:1-2 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. (NIV)
•1 Corinthians 1:8-9 He will also strengthen you to the end, so that you will be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful; you were called by him into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (CSB)
•Jude 1:24-25 Now to him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of his glory, without blemish and with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now and forever. Amen. (CSB)
•“Holding firmly, I am held” - Charles Spurgeon
2 Peter 3:3-9
“Above all, be aware of this: Scoffers will come in the last days scoffing and following their own evil desires, saying, “Where is his ‘coming’ that he promised? Ever since our ancestors fell asleep, all things continue as they have been since the beginning of creation.” They deliberately overlook this: By the word of God the heavens came into being long ago and the earth was brought about from water and through water. Through these the world of that time perished when it was flooded. By the same word, the present heavens and earth are stored up for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. Dear friends, don’t overlook this one fact: With the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord does not delay his promise, as some understand delay, but is patient with you, not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.” (CSB)