In his autobiography, Just As I Am, Billy Graham, writes about
an encounter he had with the late President of the United States, John F.
Kennedy. The story goes that JFK had just been elected as president and he
invited Rev. Graham down to Palm Beach, Florida to play a round of golf. As
they were riding in the car on the way back from the golf course, President
Kennedy asked that the car be pulled over to the side of the road. The engine
was turned off and then the president turned to Billy and this exchange
occurred:
“Do you believe in the
Second Coming of Jesus Christ?” the president asked unexpectedly. “I most
certainly do.” “Well, does my church believe it?” “They have it in their
creeds.” “They don’t preach it,” he said. “They don’t tell us much about it. I’d
like to know what you think.” I explained what the Bible said about Christ
coming the first time, dying on the cross, rising from the dead and then
promising that He would come back again. “Only then” I said, “are we going to
have permanent world peace.” “Very interesting,” he said, looking away. “We’ll
have to talk more about that some day.” And he drove on.”[1]
Tragically, we all know
that a few years into his term at the White House JFK was assassinated on
November 22, 1963. According to Graham he never got to finish that conversation
with the president. Billy said that on the day of Kennedy’s funeral he was
haunted by their roadside conversation as Cardinal Cushing read from 1
Thessalonians 4:16, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God: and the dead
in Christ shall rise first.”[2]
As I thought about that
story it occurred to me that it’s not enough to simply know about the Lord’s
coming, but to be ready for His coming. As the old preachers would say,
“Whether by clod or by cloud we shall all meet the Lord.” In 1 John 3:2-3 we
read these words, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has
not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because
we shall see him as he is. And everyone
who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.”
Did you catch John’s short
admonition at the end? In connection with the imminent return of Christ, John
argues that His unexpected arrival should act as an incentive for believers to
live pure and holy lives. Living in light of the Rapture should have a cleansing
effect on God’s people.
If Jesus were to come back
this afternoon what would He find you doing? It’s a powerful thought isn’t it?
I have often thought it would awesome to be raptured out of this world while
preaching. Talk about an unforgettable sermon illustration! However, the
flipside is a sobering thought as well. No doubt Christ will return and catch
some believers entangled in lewd and shameful actions—like the school teacher
who returns to her classroom only to see the students shooting spit wads at
each other and flying paper airplanes.
If the rapture were to
happen today would you be embarrassed to stand before Jesus? John’s message is
simple—when we have heard and understood the promised return of Christ then we
cannot keep living our lives the same old way. Like the news of an incoming
hurricane or an ultrasound that shows a baby in the womb, future events have
present implications that we cannot ignore. As the Church, we are the Bride of
Christ (Eph. 5:25), and how we look on the day the Groom appears to take us
away matters immensely. The purity of our lives tells Him how much we longed
for Him and how much we loved Him. -DM
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