Victory Life KY

Occupy Until I Return II

Episode Summary

Luke 19 discusses the parable of the minas, and when the master passes out the minas, he makes this statement, “OCCUPY TILL I RETURN”

Episode Notes

Luke 19 discusses the parable of the minas, and when the master passes out the minas, he makes this statement, “OCCUPY TILL I RETURN”

Occupy, do my business, exercise dominion, run things
Till I return, there is a day He’s coming back

Here’s two key statements Jesus made about His return, Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him, then He said, Blessed is the servant that’s busy about the master’s work when he returns.

Matthew 24:36, The day and hour no one knows, not even the angels, only the Father.

Just like Jesus expected the people of that time to be able to recognize His first time coming, He absolutely expects the people of this time to be able to recognize the time of His coming.

This being said, we should absolutely be watching for Him at the same time busy about His work.

You heard me say this so many times, “The new is in the old contained, the old is in the new explained.”

1 Corinthians 10:32,NKJV- “Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God,”

We introduced our talk last week with Paul’s revelation Jesus specifically gave him for the end time church.

Galatians 1, I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ.

This revelation from the Lord to Paul for every born again was pinned to the church of Thessalonica.

So as saints begin to pass away and the Lord still hasn’t returned, the church had questions, especially when different teachings began to circulate. Think about it, they’re just grasping this new revelation of the resurrection from the dead.

So Jesus calls Paul to Heaven and teaches him.

2 Corinthians 12:2-4,NLT- “I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows.
Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body.
But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.”

In 2 Peter he actually acknowledges Paul’s revelation contained things hard to understand.

They hadn’t heard Paul’s revelation yet since he had just received it from the Lord. So the Holy Spirit is going to use this churches concern about saints that have already passed on to the other side, as well as for the saints that will be on the planet at the time of this special event.

Now as we get into this remember what Jesus told us in Luke, blessed are the one that’s busy about the master’s work when He returns.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,NLT- “And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope.
14, For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.
15, We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died.
16, For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves.
17, Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.
18, So encourage each other with these words.”

And I know there are different views on this subject, and I can take some scripture and partially support some of those beliefs, but I can only support one with 100% confidence from the scripture, and it is this same revelation God gave the apostle Paul.

So when it comes to this event that we call the rapture, there are types throughout the Bible. But God’s children going through the great tribulation, we can’t find them.

As a matter of fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:21, There will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.

Remember, even though we’re talking about His return, Jesus was very clear, occupy till I return. Blessed is the servant the master finds watching for Him and busy about the master’s work when he returns.

He wouldn’t have told us to be watching and busy about His work at the time of His return if it wasn’t important. I believe He wants us to use this revelation God gave Paul as an evangelistic tool, not some religious scare tactic.

But if we cant have a confident, intelligent conversation about these truths, people will be just like they were in the days of Noah when God delivered his people from the wrath to come.

Jesus actually tells that it will be as it was in the days of Noah when this event takes place. They went about they’re business, ignoring, mocking, even coming against what Noah was doing, until the day the Lord shut up the ark.

Here’s what we’ve got to stay open to, this revelation stands along side all other Holy Spirit inspired words He gave to His creation.

One of the main reasons for this talk is to eliminate any confusion around this subject.

Think about it, if you’ve read the book of Revelation, how is there any way we can comfort and encourage each other to look forward to facing that kind of wrath and destruction, not to mention the antichrist.

v.17, Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever.

This word caught, (harpadzo) snatched away by divine energy.

So when we read Revelation and the terrible things to come, this revelation absolutely brings comfort and excitement!

Don’t let anyone talk you into believing that the God who loves us so much that He sacrificed His firstborn, won’t keep us from that wrath that’s coming.

So, be watching, be busy, live ready!

Now keep in mind, Paul is dealing with a number of false teachings as well as fear, unbelief, not to mention much opinion.

One of the biggest was dealing with those misguided souls that were assuming the rapture had already taken place and the antichrist was already at work.

What I want to do with this teaching is simply give a different perspective on what I believe the Holy Spirit is saying through Paul’s letter.

2 Thessalonians 2:1-4,NKJV- Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you,
not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,
who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Ive always with struggled with the “falling away” commentary on this passage, and after watching the documentary on the Galilean wedding, I was absolutely convinced.

Think about it, it just doesn’t make sense that Christ would be returning for a bride that has fallen out of love with Him, not prepared for Him or looking for His return.

I have a very old Oxford dictionary and this phrase falling away in the Greek is the word apostsia, is translated 2 ways, rebellion and departure.

Then Peggy and I were talking about the history of our nation and our founders and how the Geneva bible was one of the first they used.

v.3, Geneva bible, Let no man deceive you by any means, for that day shall not come, except there come a departing first, and that that man of sin be disclosed, even the son of perdition.

Before the Geneva bible, William Tyndale”s first translation also used the word departure in this passage.

The Wuest translation, “Unless the departure of the church came first...”

And I get it, this word, apostasia can be translated either way, departure or rebellion, but in the context of the chapter, it actually ties everything together.

I personally think it’s simply more of a common sense interpretation.

2 Thessalonians 2:5-8,NKJV- Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way.
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

He who restrains until He is taken away; think about it, He, the Holy Spirit is the person and life of God in the church.

In John 14, Jesus said that He would abide with us forever.

Not to mention, He is part of the Holy Trinity. He is omnipresent.

He’s also the only way a human can be born again, and millions will be born again during the tribulation.

My perspective is that He the Holy Spirit, in His earthen vessel, the body of Christ, not the bride of Christ, will be taken out of here. A departure.

We’ve got to remember, Jesus told His disciples on more than one occasion, “I’ve given you all authority over the powers of darkness.”

In Acts, the born again receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on them.

The apostle Paul reminds us the we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.

And I love this one, Jesus said, if anyone receives you they receive Me.

I’m more convinced than ever the restrainer preventing the antichrist from manifesting is the church, empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 2:4-7,NLT- God is so rich in mercy, and He loved us so much,
that even though we were dead because of our sins, He gave us life when He raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!)
For He raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus.
So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of His grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all He has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.