The Sons of Light
Are you aware of the fact that we are living in the season of the Lord’s return? How do I know that? Because the Bible gives us signs to watch for, and we are being bombarded by those signs today as never before.
So far in this series concerning the soon return of Jesus Christ, I focused on proving from the Scriptures the fact that, although we cannot know the date of the Lord’s return, we can know the season. I attempted to prove to you with Scripture that we can indeed know the season of the Lord’s return.
We began with the letters that Paul wrote to the Thessalonian church, starting with 1 Thessalonians 5:1, where I believe that proof positive we can know the season of the Lord’s return. The passage reads as follows: “Now as to the times and seasons, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.” There’s that statement I talked about at the beginning. He’s coming “like a thief in the night!” Verse 3 says it will occur while people are saying, “Peace and safety!” At that time, Paul says, “Destruction will come upon them suddenly like birth pangs upon a woman with child, and they shall not escape.”
Now, the fundamental point I’m leading up to is found in verse 4. Underline it in your Bible. Don’t ever forget it. This is the crucial verse. The verse proves beyond a doubt that you and I can know the season of the Lord’s return. The verse, 1 Thessalonians 5:4, says “But you, brethren [believers], are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
Now, what is that saying? Paul is saying Jesus is coming like a thief in the night. But, not for the brethren, not for Christians. He’s coming like a thief in the night for the world. He’s coming like a thief in the night for pagans. He’s coming like a thief in the night for those professing Christians who do not have any personal relationship with Him, and who have never really been born again, and who refuse to believe the Word of God and study the Word of God.
But He’s saying, “Let me tell you, if you have been born again, if you’re truly a child of God, if you read the Word and believe the Word, there is no reason in the world why Jesus should come as a thief in the night.” Look again at verse 4 it says, “But you brethren, are not in darkness, that the day should overtake you like a thief; for you are sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness; so then let us not sleep as others do.”
What do you think he means when he says, “We are sons of light and not of darkness”? I think what He’s referring to is the fact that if you are truly a born again child of God, you have the Holy Spirit residing inside of you. The Holy Spirit is the one who wrote the Bible. And, if you will lean on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit will illuminate your mind and illuminate your heart and open your eyes to understand the mysteries of God’s Word, including the season of the Lord’s return. And, so, it is that the Bible says point blank, Jesus is not coming as a “thief in the night” for those who know Him and those who love Him.
The Signs of Nature
After using several additional scriptures to prove we can know the season of the Lord’s return, I began presenting the biblical signs of the times that we are told to watch for.
I explained that there are very many of these signs, many more than the signs of the First Coming of Jesus. I explained that’s because Jesus is returning to pour out the wrath of God on those who have rejected His love, grace, and mercy. And, since God does not wish that any should perish, He is providing us with an abundance of signs to indicate the season of His Son’s return.
What are the signs of the Lord’s soon return? Let me present them to you in six categories.
First are the signs of nature. Let me just tell you right up front that the signs of nature are the least respected signs in all the various categories of signs. When you mention signs of nature, people say, “What do you mean by that?” I respond by saying, “What I’m talking about is earthquakes, and volcanos, and famines, and pestilence, and mysterious things in the heavens,” and they start laughing. They start laughing! Usually for one or two reasons.
They either first of all say, “Well, those things have always been with us. There have always been famines and always earthquakes and always tornadoes, so what else is new? Dave, come on, get serious!” Or, they just laugh. They laugh at you because they think you’re a stupid idiot to believe that God would speak through a sign of nature. They put you on the level of some ignorant and superstitious native in some primitive land who thinks that because his volcano goes off his god is mad at him.
Well, folks, I’ve got news for you. The signs of nature are for real. They are for real! The Bible teaches from beginning to end that God has always spoken through nature and that He continues to do so today. God put a special light in the heavens when Jesus was born. On the day that He was crucified, there was a special three hours of darkness and an earthquake.
The Word says that when Jesus returns, there’s going to be the greatest earthquake in all of history, that every valley will be lifted up, and every mountain will be lowered, and the whole earth will be flattened like a plain, and every island will be moved, and the city of Jerusalem will be lifted up to be the highest point on the face of the earth.
The Bible clearly teaches that God speaks through signs of nature. I could give many examples of biblical prophets pointing to natural calamities and explaining that they were remedial judgments sent by God to call people to repentance.
In the fifth part of this series proving the fact that we are now living in the season of the Lord’s return, I will present as proof the end times the signs of society.
Excellent my friend and brother and fellow pilgrim! God bless you!