The Return of the King from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

Have you ever run out of time to finish something? Like when a teacher sets a deadline for a report, but you get too busy with everything else, and the time slips away. You knew the day was coming. You knew it had to be done, but you still found yourself focusing on something else. It is called procrastination, but there is a deadline approaching that none of us wants to miss. The Apostle Peter wrote this:

(2 Peter 3:3-6 NASB) Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, and saying, "Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation." For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

(2 Peter 3:7-9 NASB) But by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day. The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

Most of our beliefs are based on past events, like the birth of Jesus Christ or His crucifixion and resurrection. These events are sacred and incredibly important, but they are now behind us in the timeline. What is coming up next is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to Earth.

Make no mistake: the Lord is patient and doesn't want anyone to be lost. But we are the ones who make our decision, and time is passing. Saying you'll do something someday just means you haven't done it yet. So don't let time slip away from you. We can become so much like Martha -- so busy and distracted that we can't hear Him, even while the Lord is speaking.

(Luke 10:38-42 NASB) "Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Martha was worried and bothered by many things, but the most important task that evening was to spend time listening to the Lord. Jesus was on His way to Jerusalem, which would ultimately lead to His crucifixion. He wanted Martha's fellowship more than her service. To spend time with those He loved. After all, those who put Jesus at the center of their lives are always cared for. They never go hungry. When you seek to know Him better, you don't need to worry if He will take care of you. He absolutely will.

(Luke 12:29-31 NASB) "And do not seek what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; but your Father knows that you need these things. But seek His kingdom, and these things will be added to you."

So enjoy your life, but keep Him at the center of it. Remember that He is with you in the workplace every day, just as much as He is in church. He gives each of us time to prepare ourselves and get our priorities straight. But know that He is occasionally checking out the fruit you have produced in your life so far.

(Luke 13:6-9 NKJV) He also spoke this parable: "A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. Then he said to the keeper of his vineyard, 'Look, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree and find none. Cut it down; why does it use up the ground?' But he answered and said to him, 'Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and fertilize it. And if it bears fruit, well. But if not, after that you can cut it down.'"

As Christians, we exist on a dual plane of existence. On one side, we are seated in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:6). On the other side, we physically live on Earth, a tiny speck of space rock in the vast universe, orbiting a relatively modest star known as the Sun, within a solar system called Sol.

I love science and space simulators, so bear with me for a moment. Our precious Earth, with its 8 billion people, is part of a star system within the Milky Way Galaxy. Alpha Centauri is the closest star system, which contains three stars, and is located about 4.37 light-years away. Estimates suggest that there are roughly 100 billion to 400 billion other stars in our galaxy alone, many of which have their own planetary systems or "solar systems."

This means there are far more star systems than there are people on Earth. In fact, if we assigned one person to each planet in our galaxy, we wouldn't even cover 1% of the total star systems in the Milky Way.

Now that's a lot, yet the Milky Way galaxy is only one of an estimated two trillion galaxies scattered throughout the universe. And each galaxy contains billions of stars and possibly countless planets, and the universe continues to expand even now. God's creation is vastly beyond our understanding, truly mind-boggling.

We are like ants gazing at the moon in our understanding, yet we think we are the center of the universe, and oh so smart! We bicker and whine and kill each other, not realizing that what is bad for one of us, is bad for all of us. We are all sharing this tiny rock together like fish in a pond. When a bomb explodes, we will all eventually breathe the air contaminated by it, and the heat it gives off raises the temperature around us a little more.

The Earth has experienced extinction-level events in the past; one led to the demise of the dinosaurs. For those who don't believe in dinosaurs, we are still digging up their bones now; just go to a museum. This was most likely because of an asteroid impact, as there is a crater (Chicxulub crater) located below Mexico, approximately 120 miles wide and 19 miles deep, that would have darkened the sun like a billion atomic bombs exploding. Also, this is not the first time our planet has been rebooted. We should remember the days of Noah:

(Genesis 6:5–7 NASB)  Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. The LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them."

Solomon wrote: (Ecclesiastes 1:9–10 NKJV)  That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which it may be said, "See, this is new"? It has already been in ancient times before us.

Recently, I took an HVAC class and earned my EPA certification in order to service our air conditioners. It was truly eye-opening to see how fragile humanity's existence is. There is a thin layer of ozone in the Earth's atmosphere that protects us from the sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. Without this protective layer, life on Earth would be at serious risk.

Manufactured chemicals called chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which were commonly used in refrigeration, were depleting the ozone layer. The loss of ozone increases our risk of health problems, such as skin cancer, cataracts, and immune system issues, due to increased exposure to UV radiation. Fortunately, CFCs have been banned, and as a result, the ozone layer has begun to recover. Yet, humans were the cause. This near disaster and the resulting illnesses were our fault.

Another class topic was the "Donora Death Fog", which happened in 1948 when hydrogen fluoride and sulfur dioxide emissions from the American Steel and Wire plant settled over the town, creating a thick, poisonous fog that killed people and made around 6,000 people sick with respiratory problems. Ten years later, the death rate remained significantly higher in Donora, Pennsylvania, than in nearby communities. They had poisoned the air they breathed like fish trapped in a bowl.

The atmosphere acts like a blanket around the Earth, helping to regulate the temperature range. Without it, we would see temperature swings of 250°F between day and night. That means it also traps heat from escaping, so we can cook ourselves like an oven. You can look at the sky above you and pretend it doesn't exist, and that science is a hoax, but that would be a bit silly when you can see it with your eyes, wouldn't it?

My point is that we live in this world together, and we should strive to work together to make it a better place and prevent its destruction. The bombs we drop on our neighbors contaminate the very air our families will breathe once the wind blows our way.

A more alarming note is that both oxygen (O₂) and hydrogen (H₂) are present in the atmosphere and are highly flammable. Albert Einstein and other physicists were concerned that a nuclear explosion powerful enough could ignite the atmosphere, and even the hydrogen in the oceans could catch fire, bringing an end to human existence. As we continue to research, develop, and detonate more and more powerful weapons on our tiny rock, it is looking quite probable. The Apostle Peter said:

(2 Peter 3:10 NKJV) But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.

The phrase "thief in the night" is often understood as meaning silent and stealthy, but that doesn't fit the context here, given the loud noise and melting elements. Thieves from that era would ambush victims with loud shouts to startle them, like in the parable of the Good Samaritan when the man on the road to Jericho was beaten, robbed, and left for dead. He knew precisely when the thieves arrived because he was lying injured and bleeding on the roadside. It's all about the element of surprise and quickly catching someone off guard.

Consider that wording, "the heavens will pass away with a great noise," like a big BOOM. Then "the elements will melt with fervent heat." Elements like oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and even atoms. It is looking like we are going to bomb ourselves out of existence, and eventually, all our departments of war will disintegrate with fervent heat, and the inhabitants of Earth will go to their eternal resting place.

As I see it, quite probably one day, someone will press a button for the last time, probably a red one, there will be a brief flash, and the Earth will become a lifeless rock like the moon. The other planets, solar systems, and galaxies will not even notice because we are not the center of the universe, nor are we as important as we think we are -- just some ants on a rock, bickering, that blew themselves up. If anyone saw it, they would laugh. It will briefly be visible from space, as the atmosphere ignites around us, insignificant compared to the brightness of the nearby sun, which, by the way, is an example of an ocean of nuclear fusion.

If there was ever a time to pray for peace on Earth, it is now. We can live in peace or in pieces. Above, Peter said the Lord was "not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance." Perhaps the Lord will give us all the time left in the world. On the bright side, it seems this will speed up the day of the Lord's return, and none of us were ever going to escape this world physically anyway. There are no organic human bodies in heaven, only new spiritual bodies. Peter continues:

(2 Peter 3:11-13 NKJV) Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

One of the main themes of Jesus Christ's return is that it will catch the world by surprise. Although the deadline is near, most people will be too busy with worldly matters to be prepared. When that day arrives, there will be no time left to get ready. Just as the door of Noah's Ark was sealed, those who are outside will be lost.

(Matthew 24:37-39 NASB) "For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be."

Jesus told a parable about ten bridesmaids who were to serve at a wedding. Five of them were wise and prepared themselves for the long wait. While the others did not. When the bridegroom was delayed, the lamps of the unprepared ones began to go out because they did not have enough fuel. They ran to buy some more oil at the last minute, but it was too late. The door to the wedding was shut, and they found themselves on the wrong side of it.

(Matthew 25:10-13 NASB) And while they were going away to make the purchase, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast; and the door was shut. "Later the other virgins also came, saying, 'Lord, lord, open up for us.' "But he answered, 'Truly I say to you, I do not know you.' "Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour."

If you think you know when the Lord will return, you are wrong (Matthew 24:42), (Matthew 24:44), (Luke 12:40). But one thing we do know is that it will happen fast. It will be like a flash of lightning in the dark, and there you will be standing in the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving an account of your life, and He won't be a baby. For those who have prepared, it will be so wonderful. For others, it will be the most terrifying thing they have ever faced -- judgment day.

(Matthew 13:40-43 NASB) "So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH AS THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear."

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, I am Yours. Please come into my life and guide me through the times that are coming. Help me get in tune with what You are doing and speak to me in a way that I understand. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!