Living with Eternity in View | Are You Ready for His Return? WK 37 Ep 37

Are you truly living like Jesus could return at any moment?

In this episode of Unfiltered Faith: Beyond the Church Walls, Evelyn Ello shares a powerful recap from our Tuesday night Bible study as we begin a new series:

“Are You Ready for His Return? — Living with Eternity in View.”

This message is inspired by our previous study through Revelation and themes from the book The King is Coming by John Bevere.

This episode is not affiliated with or endorsed by the author or publisher. It is a personal reflection rooted in Scripture and discussion from our study group.

In this episode, we talk about:
 • What it means to truly live with eternity in mind
 • The difference between knowing Jesus is coming and being ready
 • How distractions and comfort can pull us away from urgency
 • Why our daily choices matter more than we think

This is a sobering but necessary reminder:
 If we believe Jesus is coming back, it should change how we live today.

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 📍 Beyond the Church Walls Ministry

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:01

Hi everybody and welcome back to Unfiltered Faith Beyond the Church Walls. I'm Evelyn and I'm so glad you're here with us today.

SPEAKER_01 0:07

And I'm Crystal, and thank you for joining us. Whether you're listening at home, in the car, on your lunch break, or while you're folding laundry and trying to keep life together, we are just glad you're here with us. Absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

So this is podcast is our Thursday recap of what we've been teaching and discussing together on Tuesday nights at uh the Beyond the Church Walls at the Bogger Center. And every Thursday we come here and recap the lesson for those who were there, those who missed it, and for those who just want to go back through it again.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

And today's episode is called Are You Ready for His Return? Living with Eternity in View.

SPEAKER_00 0:44

Yeah. And this is an important one, it really is, because it's not just some deep Bible topic that sounds good in church. This is real. This is talking about Jesus coming back, his second coming. And the question is not just whether we say we believe that. The real question is whether we actually are living like we believe it.

SPEAKER_01 1:04

And before we go any further, we do want to say something clearly up front. So this lesson was inspired in part by themes we have already been walking through in our past, which was our revelation study. And this study is from John Bevere's new released book, The King is Coming.

SPEAKER_00 1:21

Yes, and we want to strongly encourage you to go buy the book or the audio book for yourself. I have both. I always do the audiobook and I always follow along in the book. He also has study guides, which he encourages people to do as a group, which is exactly what we're doing. We just started this lesson Tuesday night, so this is new for us. So we really want you to support the author. We are not here to read this book to you or reteach his book word for word or replace it in any way, not at all. We're just here to kind of recap what we've got what we've gained from it.

SPEAKER_01 1:51

Right. So today we are sharing a scripture-based recap of what stood out to us as we've been studying these themes together and letting the word of God speak.

SPEAKER_00 1:59

Yeah, and also I just want to keep it plain and honest. We are not biblical scholars, we are not pastors, and we are not coming here acting like we know everything because we certainly do not. We are just women who love the Lord, love his word, and want to walk through it and talk through it. So we hope that you're learning and growing with us as we study and share in this place. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

So this episode is what it is. It's a real conversation, which is grounded in scripture from two women who just love Jesus and want to live ready for his return because it's not if he's coming, it's when he's coming.

SPEAKER_00 2:32

Amen. And with that being said, first of all, let's open in prayer. Father, we come before you in the name of Jesus. We thank you for this day. We thank you for your goodness, your mercy, your truth. Lord, we thank you that your word is alive, it is faithful, and it speaks to where we are right now. Lord, as we have this conversation today, I pray that you would help us speak clearly, simply, and honestly, and in a way that honors you. Let this not be just information, but let it be something that stirs our hearts and others. Let it wake us up where we've grown sleepy and correct us where we've grown casual. Let it encourage us where we've grown tired. Holy Spirit, teach us, guide us, convict us, and comfort us. Help us live with eternity in view. Help us be a people who are watchful, faithful, humble, and ready. And let everything said today point everyone back to Jesus. In Jesus' precious name we pray. Amen. Amen. All right, so we started off uh Tuesday night, and we're gonna start off the same here is right back in the beginning with everything with a very simple question like, why does this all matter? You know, why do we look at the second coming of Jesus, right? Why should believers like us be talking about the return of Jesus? Why should we care? Why should we be studying it? And why should we make room for this in our lives at all? So honestly, I think um people have, and I know we have talked about this when we were in our revelation series, a lot of people avoid this topic. And I did for many, many for well, for my whole life up until you know recently, uh, when we really dove deep into revelation, and that really kind of opened the door for us to really be hungering for the end times and talking about it and why we study, you know, this time, Crystal. What do you have to say?

SPEAKER_01 4:24

Yeah, and I know for myself, a lot of people maybe have a revelations as a fear-based version. Because I know, you know, when you hear people talking about like beasts coming out of the waters and the ground, like you really don't understand. So I was always really fearful of like Armageddon, End of Times. Um, but it's like once you get into the Bible, you realize there's a lot more to it than that. Um, the version where every single news headline means somebody's ready to announce the end of the world by next Tuesday. I mean, we're seeing it.

SPEAKER_00 4:57

That's a fear-based version. Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. And while people like get tired of hearing that, and so that's unfortunately, I think that eventually just like people are just like, ah, they keep saying that, so they're not preparing. That was my mindset for sure. Yeah. And you know, people are getting turned off by it. And so they just start thinking, yeah, I don't even know what to deal with, so like why bother? Um, but the problem with that is just because some people have handled truth badly does not mean we throw it away. You know, it's kind of like the baby throw the baby out with bath water kind of mentality. Just because people have told us over and over, oh, well, you know, Jesus is coming on, like he mentioned in the book, September, whatever date on whatever year, and he talked about the 80s. And I I do remember that and I talked about that. I remember my uncle Emmett and my mom and dad watching those behind, you know, they used to have those series where they, you know, where Jesus was coming back and left behind type series even back then. And uh, I remember sitting in his living room, my parents, and I had, you know, it scared me as a young person because I had no idea what they were talking about. But you see these videos of you know people being left behind, and it just was crazy to look at. But we do need to be watchful, you know, mindful, and that's we don't want to turn people away. So this book, um, so far, as we're just diving into it, has really um shed some light as well.

SPEAKER_01 6:15

Yeah. Okay, so when I lived in Georgia, I was there from roughly like 2007 to I think 2014, 15. I came back home. And I remember there was end-of-time talk, like someone had predicted the day, of course. And it's based off like more volcanoes erupting, and there was this person who did not who did not believe in the Lord, he was not a believer, and he was he set up like a non-refundable deposit for believers to have their animals taken care of. Okay, and so P he made a lot of money because people were like, Well, I'm going up, I'm being raptured, I'm not, I'm gonna leave my pets behind. So this guy made a ton of money off of both.

SPEAKER_00 6:57

Uneducated believers.

SPEAKER_01 6:58

Who are like, okay, I'm getting raptured, and there's no one to take care of my pets. And this guy's like, I will take care of them for you. Yeah, like it was just insane. I remember that.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

That's sad. Yeah. Well, and you think about what like John Vere talked about, like he said there was many date settings back. I think he said like 86, 88, right around there, somewhere, like September 20th, 80. I can't remember the exact date. And he said that they did that true, three times, and people actually like and he he knew a couple who actually sterilized themselves because they didn't want they they were they knew they were gonna have kids, they wanted to be sterilized, and I don't even understand that thought process. But I I don't know. It was it's it's bizarre to think of some of the crazy stuff people have done in the name of the rapture, and you know, here we are.

SPEAKER_01 7:38

So yeah, it it just goes to so like we saw that so we've seen like a lot of abuse, confusion, and weirdness around something such as the end of times, and instead of going back to the Bible and handling it rightly, they just go, they just back away from the topic altogether instead of learning, they let that fear take an object guilty. I'm speaking from what I've experienced, so they let that fear just take it take over instead of learning and educating, like that's more it's to prepare your heart, to prepare you for the signs, instead of doing that, you're like, Oh, I'm just going to that's a voodoo topic.

SPEAKER_00 8:15

I don't even want to learn about it. Right, but we talked about that as well because it even that's not even biblical because God says you need we need to be basically living and being like working when he's come back, he's expecting everybody to be productive, living life, living life, being productive, living for him, right? Not just sitting idly waiting because that's he doesn't want that either. Right. If God talks about something, then we don't get to just ignore it just because people made messed up, made some mistakes.

SPEAKER_02 8:41

Right.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

We, like you said, have to get into the word, we have to humble ourselves, and obviously ask the Lord for understanding and let the scripture steady us because if it's not in the word, and like he said, what we do know is in the word is no one knows the day or the time. That's it. Right? And the return of Jesus is not something, some little tiny side note in the Bible is the major truth. And like he said, and you know, it is the second most talked-about thing in the Bible.

SPEAKER_01 9:07

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 9:08

You know, next to salvation. Right?

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Yep. Yeah, and I think that's where people get mixed up. You know, they treat it like it's optional, like it's for people who are into prophecy and charts and all that stuff, but they they don't understand that the return of Jesus should affect how every believer lives. So it's for everyone who believes in Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 9:30

That's right, because when you truly believe Jesus is coming back, it should change something inside of us. Right. Right? It would like it should affect how we live our lives, how we forgive others, how we handle sin, um, how you spend your time. Again, like not living idly, like be productive individuals. Um, what you chase after, you know, keeping your eyes on the Lord, what you tolerate. I mean, it should affect what you tolerate in life. And what you say yes to, and uh not only what you say yes to, but like who you say yes to, um, it really should do something else. It should change us.

SPEAKER_01 10:04

Yeah, and that's the thing. The goal of talking about the Lord's return is not to make people scared and weird and dramatic. That's not it at all. The goal is to make us ready to wake us up and to help us live with the right perspective.

SPEAKER_00 10:19

Yes, because if we really believe he's coming, which of course I do, then we should be living like people who know that we'll be standing before him and explaining ourselves basically, right? You know, like, you know, he's all is gonna be revealed. Um, not in terror, because he's not, fear is not from the Lord, but in reverence and love and sincerity. And honestly, a lot of believers have gotten too comfortable in this world, I think. I just look around, you know. We talked about this last night, and I'm not gonna use a specific um shirt that I've seen, but there are people who just like treat Jesus and the Lord as their bro. And no, he's our father. We should be treating him with the reverence and the lordship that he is due, not as, you know, hey buddy, let's have a sit and talk, you know. Of course, he wants us to come to him childlike, but not like that. To me, that's very disrespectful. And we did talk about that a little bit last night. So that to me, that just shows the comfort of people just being way too comfortable with the Lord, the person who literally sent his son to tie on the cross for us, you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:21

Yeah, I would say, yeah, I would agree that believers have gotten a little too comfortable.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

And that's not to say, that's not to be mean about it, not at all. It's just it's just the honest to God truth. A lot of people are more worked up about everything else in life than they are about their spiritual condition.

SPEAKER_00 11:39

Exactly. So people can tell you everything that's going on in politics, everything that's going on with celebrity mess, gossip, church drama, and what everybody else is doing wrong, but they cannot tell you whether their own heart is ready to meet Jesus. And that is a serious problem, especially in today.

SPEAKER_01 11:56

And that's why this subject matters so much. So this isn't about knowing something, it's about letting that truth search us and reveal.

SPEAKER_00 12:05

Absolutely. And so, right out of the gate, if you're listening here, the first question for you is this Do I really live like Jesus is coming back? Not do I say I believe it, not do I agree with it doctrinally, but do I live like it? Because that's a whole different question.

SPEAKER_01 12:25

And with that, this brings us to another hard truth. And that is people missed Jesus the first time he came.

SPEAKER_00 12:35

Yes, they did, and that should sober every one of us listening and having discussions about the end times and about like where we're at in life. Because if people could miss him then, while scripture was being fulfilled right in front of their eyes, then we need to be humble enough to realize we need the Lord to help us here and now because uh and we talked about that. It's like we ask ourselves, how can somebody miss it? Like he was right there with them and they weren't listening, but clearly they did.

SPEAKER_01 13:02

And ironically enough, the majority of the people who missed him were the religious leaders, the people who knew scripture, the people who taught it.

SPEAKER_00 13:11

Yep, exactly. And we talked about that part, and I think why that should be like we should look and say, Wow, that's that's kind of that's rough. They had the scripture, they had all the tradition, they had all the knowledge, they had all the history, they had expectations, but still missed him. And why? Because knowing religious things does not mean the same thing as being spiritually ready, and we talked about that. They had a lot of pride, like there was a lot of fear in them that they were in a loose position, right? Right.

SPEAKER_01 13:39

Yeah, and that's I mean that's a strong word right there. Because people can know church language, they can know Bible stories, they can know how to talk the talk, but if the heart is proud, hard, or set on its own way, they can still miss what God is doing.

SPEAKER_00 13:59

Absolutely, and that's why I love looking at people like Simeon. He wasn't flashy, he wasn't center stage, he was righteous, devout, and waiting. And that was what the scripture says. He had the kind of heart that recognized Jesus, and that is what's important.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

Yeah, and that's such a key point. He wasn't just informed, he was prepared.

SPEAKER_00 14:22

Yeah, he was he was he was righteous and ready, right? And there is a difference. Some people want information, but what God wants in his people are their hearts soft, yielded, watchful, and obedient to him. Yeah, so because pride blinds, wrong expectation blinds, religion without humility blinds, hence the Pharisees, right? All the righteous leaders in the Old Testament. And if we're not careful, we can build a Jesus in our own mind that doesn't look like the real one at all.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Yeah, and people want a Jesus who blesses what they want, agrees with what they want, never corrects them and never tells them to deny themselves, which is why we have parts of the Christian community who do not follow the Bible at all. As a matter of fact, they are shepherding their people straight to hell by the doctrine they're teaching.

SPEAKER_00 15:15

That's true. The real Jesus calls us higher, right? He wants He calls us to surrender, He calls us to holiness, and He certainly calls us to repentance. And of course, repentance is just that. You know, you got to turn away. You completely turn away from it, you don't live in it, you don't stay in it. He calls us to obedience. And if people in his first coming missed him because he didn't fit their expectations, then we better check our own hearts right now because you know, you know, again, same things can happen. Because the issue isn't just do I know Bible facts? And that's what's important. You know, you can know all the Bible facts. We history shows that. The issue is is my heart in a place that recognizes and receives and is obedient to the Lord.

SPEAKER_01 15:59

Yeah, and basically what I think about is the people who um they have an expectation of Jesus, they're trying to fit Jesus in his box.

SPEAKER_00 16:08

Yeah, they're putting all right, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 16:10

I mean in their own box instead of like trying to fit into Jesus' life.

SPEAKER_00 16:14

Right, they want Jesus to conform to their life instead of us conforming to the way Jesus wants us to live. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 16:18

And I think there's something all of us really need to ask ourselves am I teachable? Am I humble? Am I listening? Am I actually walking with the Lord, or am I just familiar with Christian things?

SPEAKER_00 16:34

Yeah, like living, you know, is religion in me and just not, you know, am I out of this world and just religion's in me? Um, familiarity is actually dangerous. You know, you can get so used to hearing about God that you stop trembling at his word. You know, you can get so used to hearing truth that it no longer breaks you, corrects you, or changes you. You know, when that happens, you can literally be sitting in church, you're carrying the Bible, you're hearing the word, which is truth, but you're still missing the move of God.

SPEAKER_01 17:03

Yeah, and I mean, so really this part is a is a heart check.

unknown 17:08

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 17:09

So if you can hear the truth of God and it doesn't move you, you seriously need to check your heart and make sure that you are aligned with the Lord.

SPEAKER_00 17:16

It is, yeah, it is. So a serious heart check is Lord, am I soft towards you? Am I watchful? Am I surrendered? Or am I just going through the motions, you know, checking off? We've talked this so many times over all the Bible studies we've done. Are you just checking a box?

SPEAKER_02 17:30

You know?

SPEAKER_00 17:31

Because I don't want to be around truth and still miss you. Like I can hear the truth, but I, you know, I have to absorb it and be pliable and I don't want to miss the Lord. So that's so true.

SPEAKER_01 17:42

So this takes us to the next part of our lesson that really stood out is the whole idea of understanding times and seasons.

SPEAKER_00 17:51

Yes, because God is a God of timing. Um, he's not right, nothing is done randomly, nothing's scattered, he's never caught off guard. He's not up there in heaven adjusting because history surprised him, you know, because what we're doing down here has surprised him. He is God. He knows the beginning from the end. He's the Alpha, the Omega, so nothing takes him off guard. Nothing surprises him.

SPEAKER_01 18:14

And, you know, we understand natural seasons pretty well. Yep. We know there's a time to plant, a time to harvest, a time to prepare, a time to move, and a time to slow down. Um, but spiritually, a lot of people do not pay attention to the season they are in. And I feel like I can be guilty of that sometimes. Oh, yeah. Just not knowing what I'm supposed to be doing, what season am I in.

SPEAKER_00 18:37

Right. And when you don't know the season, you can respond in the wrong way. Yeah. You know, you can be asleep when you should be alert. You can be casual when you should be serious. You can be distracted when you should be praying, and you could be clinging to things God's trying to loosen your grip on and take you out of, and you're, you know, like clinging to it. So it is important to discern the time that you're in, your season you're in, you know.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Yeah, and I think that's because some people keep trying to live like nothing is shifting. Yeah. Like nothing is serious, nothing is happening, or nothing matters, but spiritually, that is very dangerous.

SPEAKER_00 19:14

It is, and because Jesus himself rebuked people because they could read, you know, the natural signs. They they could look up at the sky and say, oh, a storm was coming, but they didn't understand the spiritual moment that they were in. And honestly, that still is true today, and probably will be true till well, it will be not probably there's no problem, it will be true till the day he comes back. People can read the room in every other situation or every other part in their life, but they cannot, like the economy, they can read the media, they can read social media, they can do all the trends and all the things, but they are spiritually dull.

SPEAKER_01 19:48

Yeah, and spiritual discernment doesn't happen by accident, it comes through being in the word, being in prayer, it comes through humility, and the Holy Spirit opening our understanding.

SPEAKER_00 20:00

Yes, and not just reading the Bible to check a box, really reading it, sitting with it, letting it search you, letting the Holy Spirit deal with you, really spending time intentional. Because we're not gonna understand spiritual seasons in our life if we are, you know, if our brains are full of noise while we're, you know, we're gonna sit down and read the scripture today, and if you know my mind's somewhere else and it's really not in the word, I I'm not gonna discern spiritually at that point. Right.

SPEAKER_01 20:26

No, no, like I'm guilty of that. Like I do like to read the word, but I I I actually watched a reel the other day. It's like, are you reading it? Are you trying to understand it? Like I read it to read it, just to like figure, get the words in. Not actually to like really sit and study the word. There's a difference between reading the word and actually studying his word. And I need to get into more studying of his word. Yeah. And if and if I'm honest, I mean that's a word for this generation. There is so so much noise, there's so much distraction, so much constant input, and people wonder why they feel, myself included, spiritually dull.

SPEAKER_00 21:04

Yeah, it's true. If you're feeding your flesh all day, every day, and barely making room for God, we shouldn't be shocked when we don't discern anything spiritually. Yeah, you know. So, you know, garbage in, garbage out kind of mentality, right? So if we're taking in the word and we're being intentional about it, it's feeding us. It's it's that daily bread. So we don't drift into discernment. We actually are seeking the Lord for it.

SPEAKER_01 21:29

That's right. And one of the simplest ways to say it is this if you do not understand the season, you can mishandle the moment.

SPEAKER_00 21:37

Yeah, yeah, we've said that. And I think some people are wasting seasons because they refuse to pay attention, you know, like look around and read the room kind of thing. They keep putting off obedience, they keep putting off repentance, um, even prayer. I I know I've been guilty. Like, I you know, sometimes it's time to go to bed and you're like, oh, I really need to be deep in a prayer, and it's like, I think sleep's more important, but it's not. Right. Um, putting off surrender. They act like, you know, they're yeah, I'll just deal with it later. But you know what? Tomorrow's never promised. So later's not promised. The next hour's not promised. So we need to ask the Lord these questions. What time is it spiritually in my life? What are you doing in me right now? What are you trying to say to me? What do I need to let go of? What do I need to obey? Where have I been spiritually asleep? So we need to ask the Lord those questions because if we're going to live ready for his return, then we cannot live numb. We need to know, you know, we gotta we've gotta know the direction, and we gotta know the direction he is setting for us.

SPEAKER_01 22:47

So that's true. So now we move into where things get practical. Because if we're talking about being ready for his return, that means we have to talk about how eternity affects everyday life.

SPEAKER_00 23:04

Yes, because if your view is only earthly, you are going to live shallow. You know, if you are not eternally minded, that's what's gonna happen. If all you think about is today, this week, what makes me comfortable, what are my plans, what are my feelings, what my wants and desires are, then you will make decisions that do not line up with eternity.

SPEAKER_01 23:28

Yeah, and that's where so many people I think they get off. They say, they say they believe in eternity, but they live like this life is all there is.

SPEAKER_00 23:39

Yeah, so you know, not eternally minded. Um, and living with eternity in view doesn't mean you become spooky or do crazy things. It doesn't mean you stop being practical. And I think that's what people did when they back in the 80s, we talked about they just stopped being practical. It doesn't mean you stop living your life, it just means you live your life with a perspective and a purpose that God has intended for you. So you remember that this world is not your home, heaven is our home. Being present in the presence of the Lord is our home. You remember that your choices matter. You remember that sin is serious, and so therefore, if you have fallen into sin, repent immediately. You need to remember that holiness matters. You need to remember that obedience matters, and remember that Jesus is worthy of it all.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Yeah, and when eternity becomes more real to you, then certain things start losing their grip.

SPEAKER_00 24:34

Exactly. Things that once seem so big don't look so big anymore. Some offenses don't look worth caring anymore, some temptations don't look worth the cost anymore, and some distractions don't look worth wasting your time on anymore. So when you really start living with eternity in view, it changes what you chase and what you walk away from.

SPEAKER_01 24:56

Yeah, and I would say that's probably one of the strongest points in all of this. So the truth about Jesus' return should not just excite us, but it should actually purify us.

SPEAKER_00 25:06

Yes, it should clean us up. Not because we're trying to earn salvation, not because we're trying to impress God, because of course we can do neither. Because when you really know he is holy and you really know he is coming and you really love him, you don't want to live haphazardly before him. Yeah, and that's actually such a great way to put that haphazardly. Yeah, well, it's just being honest. A lot of Christians have gotten haphazard in their life with their prayer life, with their compromise, you know, what they watch, what they put in, what they put out, you know, what they are listening to, how they treat people, terrible attitudes, and sin. Um I just think still acting like everything is fine because, oh well, I love Jesus, so all is okay. And when we love Jesus, we should show up for him and look like him everywhere we go.

SPEAKER_01 25:52

Yeah, it should. And one of the places it shows up is how we live when nobody is watching. Because even while nobody is watching, someone else above us is watching us, and that matters.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

Amen to that. So living with eternity in view means I stop acting like I can just play around forever. It means I understand that there's a day coming when I will stand before the Lord, and again, not in panic, but in truth, and that truth should bring order to our lives.

SPEAKER_01 26:21

Yeah, it really should. And I think for people listening, this is a good place to pause and ask what would change in my life if I truly lived every day remembering that Jesus is coming and eternity is real?

SPEAKER_00 26:36

Well, that is the question. Would I keep watching that? Whatever that is, would I keep saying those words? Uh would I keep holding on to the bitterness? Would I keep dragging my feet in obedience? Would I keep playing games spiritually? So living with eternity in view should strip all the excuses from our life.

SPEAKER_01 26:57

Yeah. So the next part of the lesson that uh stood out um is that the return of Jesus is not just one event. It's not out there floating by itself, but it actually fits into a much bigger plan that God has created.

SPEAKER_00 27:13

Yes, and I love that because when you start seeing the bigger picture, it strengthens our faith. So God isn't reacting or scrambling or making up history, you know, as it's unfolding. He always has a plan.

SPEAKER_01 27:25

And that matters because some people live like everything is chaos, and God is just trying to basically keep up with the chaos, but that's not true.

SPEAKER_00 27:34

No, it's not. Well, if you look around, the world is chaos, but he again he's not, you know, he's not surprised by it. What we need to remember is God declares the end from the beginning. He has always known what he is doing. And when we understand that, it should steady us and and comfort us. Because when you realize redemption was not an afterthought, Jesus was not plan B. God did not look at the fall of man and say, Well, now what do we do?

SPEAKER_01 27:59

No, and part of the bigger picture is understanding that salvation is bigger than many people even talk about.

SPEAKER_00 28:06

That's right. A lot of people talk about salvation only as being forgiven and thank God for forgiveness, right? We all need it. We all needed the blood of Jesus. But salvation is bigger than just escaping hell. We were brought into the family of God, we are adapted, we are made heirs with Christ, we are being conformed to his image, and we are being prepared for glory, and that is huge.

SPEAKER_01 28:30

Yeah. What that means is God's plan is not just rescuing us from something, it is bringing us into something, it's bringing us into Him.

SPEAKER_00 28:40

That's right, into relationship, into sonship or daughtership, into inheritance and transformation. And when we understand that the return of Jesus makes even more sense because this whole thing is going somewhere. God is not saving random disconnected individuals to just drift through life until they die. There's more. You know, he's forming a people for himself.

SPEAKER_01 29:02

Yeah, people who belong to him, all his believers.

SPEAKER_00 29:05

That's right. And I think that should give people hope. Certainly does me. Even when you know life feels messy, when the world feels dark, even when things around us feel unstable, we know God's plan is still moving forward. Nothing about the times we live in has thrown God off the throne. Right, and that's uh that's a comforting notion to know. It is, but it should also wake us up because if God's plan is moving forward, then we need to stop living like we have endless time to get serious. We don't. You know, we need to cooperate with God's plan and what he's doing now, and we need to let him shape us, you know, correct us now, help us to grow, stir things in us because his plan is not on pause just because we're slow at getting to where he, you know, slow getting to be obedient to him.

SPEAKER_01 29:51

And it reminds us that our lives are part of a bigger story than just our own little problems and plans.

SPEAKER_00 29:56

Yeah, and that's a needed reminder a lot for a lot of us. I know for me, you know, I look back at that. People can get so wrapped up into themselves that they forget that they're a part of God's kingdom work. You know, they belong to something much bigger than their mood or their schedule or our preference. So part of living with eternity in view is lifting our eyes and remembering God is doing something greater than what we can see in the moment.

SPEAKER_01 30:19

That's good. And now, this next part right here is the center of everything because none of this matters apart from Jesus.

SPEAKER_00 30:29

That's right. The one who is coming back is the same one who first came in humility, in obedience, and in suffering, and in love. And I think sometimes people talk so much about the return of Jesus that they forget to sit in the weight of what he has already done for us.

SPEAKER_01 30:48

Yeah, and before we talk about the king returning, we need to remember the Savior who suffered, not even, not only did he suffer a horrific death, but he suffered prior to even being put on that cross.

SPEAKER_00 31:04

Absolutely. Jesus didn't like redeem us from a distance, like he came near, he he took on flesh, he suffered, he was rejected, mocked, betrayed, and beaten. You know, he was nailed to the cross and did that willingly, you know. He knew he knew what he was in for, and he did it willingly for our of all of our lives, right? Um, that really gets me every time, like that willingness to do that. We talked about that last uh Tuesday night, you know, about dying for someone and he died for all of us, you know.

SPEAKER_01 31:36

Yeah, he he wasn't trapped, but he chose obedience, he chose love.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

You know, when you really think about that, it really should humble us because he didn't go through all this because we were so wonderful, that's for sure. He did it because of his mercy, his love, and the joy set before him.

SPEAKER_01 31:57

And that joy including redeeming a people for himself, a people who were awful to him.

SPEAKER_00 32:03

Yes, you know, and bringing us back to God, like making a way where there was no way, breaking the power of sin and death, opening the door for us to be reconciled to the Father. Like I think sometimes believers just get way too, and we talked about this a lot already today and even Tuesday, get just way too casual around the cross. You know?

SPEAKER_01 32:21

Yeah, I agree. I agree with that percent.

SPEAKER_00 32:24

Yeah, I think believers tend to talk about it, sing about it, wear it, post it, but don't really stop and let the weight of it break them. You know, the love of Jesus, the love of Christ is not cheap, you know, it's not shallow, it's not a sentimental fluff. It literally cost him everything.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah, and when you really receive that, it honestly should change the way you respond to him.

SPEAKER_00 32:48

Absolutely. It should deepen your gratitude, your worship, your obedience, again, reverence, uh, our love for him. Because once you see the cost and understand it and really look at it, sin should not look cute anymore, you know, shouldn't be so casual about it. You know, compromise shouldn't look harmless anymore, and casual Christianity really should not look normal ever.

SPEAKER_01 33:12

Yeah, and that's a that's a really good point. Um, the cross should ruin our appetite for playing games with God.

SPEAKER_00 33:19

Yes, because how can I say I love him and still treat lightly what put him there on the cross? You know, how can I say I'm waiting for him while living an open compromise? And how can I say he's precious or awesome? We talked about the word awesome, um, while refusing to obey him. So when you really understand his love, it should bring you to a deeper place of surrender.

SPEAKER_01 33:44

Yeah, and it should also comfort people listening who maybe feel far off, ashamed, or broken, because this is not only about conviction, but it's also about mercy.

SPEAKER_00 33:54

Yeah, we're never too far gone, right? For him. Never, you know. Um, and that's important. If you are listening and you feel like you've blown it or you've drifted, like your heart has gotten cold, maybe you've messed up, you think you've messed up too much. Hear me clearly. The love of Jesus is still reaching. Come back, repent, return, and stop running from him. Stop hiding, stop putting it off. There is mercy at the feet of Jesus, always. Yeah, and that's so, so beautiful. Because we are not talking about a distant king who doesn't understand us, we are talking about a savior who loved us enough to suffer for us, who was willing to call people back to himself.

SPEAKER_01 34:36

Yeah. And so this next part is the one that people do not always want to hear, but this matters as well. And that is the connection between obedience, suffering, and deeper intimacy with Christ.

SPEAKER_00 34:51

Yes. And we need to say this clearly and carefully. Not all suffering is biblical suffering. Some suffering comes from our own bad choices, some comes from sin, some comes from foolishness, which can also be sin. Uh, some comes from, you know, refusing wisdom, and some comes from staying where you should have left. You know, you had all the signs, you know, you know, everybody says, Oh, that I had that gut feeling. Well, that's the Holy Spirit, really. Um, so we are not glorifying suffering for suffering's sake.

SPEAKER_01 35:24

Right. And we are not saying pain by itself is holy.

SPEAKER_00 35:28

That's right. But the Bible does teach us that there is suffering that comes from obedience in a fallen world. So when you choose to walk with God, there will be times it costs you something. Maybe everything. Um it may cost you comfort, it may cost you relationships, it may cost you your reputation, it may cost you convenience, tears, or even misunderstanding. But when you obey God through hardship and do not turn bitter, not turn cold-hearted, something deepens in your walk with him.

SPEAKER_01 36:00

Yeah, and I think that's possibly what so many people miss. They want the intimacy with Jesus, but they don't want anything to cost them.

SPEAKER_00 36:09

Yes, but love deepens in the place of costly obedience. Jesus himself walked in obedience. He never sinned. He was under pressure. He said yes to the Father when it hurt. He said yes all the way to the cross, and if we were following him, we should not think our walk will always be easy or comfortable at all. We are it's gonna be costly.

SPEAKER_01 36:29

And he told us, and his words are read in the Bible. I don't know, I don't know what they are exactly word for word, but he said they hated you. Or they hated me, they will hate you. Yeah, there will be troubles. Yes, there will be troubles. Yes. So there are times when obedience will stretch you, they will expose you, they will humble you, and could cost you for sure.

SPEAKER_00 36:48

Yeah, and in those places, uh, one of the two things usually one of two things usually happen. It either draws you closer to Jesus or hardens your heart. So you either lean into him or pull away. And you either let trials deepen your dependence or deepen your bitterness. So again, this is where choices matter. Because I think some people assume every hard season automatically makes them mature. It doesn't. Hardship doesn't automatically mature you, it reveals you, certainly does. You decide how you respond. You decide how you respond to those things, you know, those trials. Yeah, that's so true. Okay, you can also go through hard things and become softer, humbler, prayerful, and more yielded, or you can go through hard things and become offended, bitter, self-protective, and distant. But if you choose obedience through hardship, there is a bonding that happens with Christ that is deep and is real.

SPEAKER_01 37:48

Yeah, and that's where this lesson gets really, really beautiful because the return of Jesus is not just some future event on a timeline, it is also the return of the bridegroom for his bride.

SPEAKER_00 38:01

Yes, and that's what matters to me so much because this is personal. Jesus isn't just returning for a crowd, he's returning for a people who love him, who belong to him, and who have been refined, purified, and made ready. And the deeper your bond with him, the more you'll long for him.

SPEAKER_01 38:19

Yeah. And when love is real, I mean the longing is real too.

SPEAKER_00 38:24

Yeah. I mean, you think about it, like a bride who loves a groom is not annoyed by the thought of his coming. She actually is longing for him. Um, and if the thought of Jesus returning never stirs anything in us, then we need to ask ourselves a few questions. Why have I grown too attached to here, to this place that I'm per is my temporary home? Am I too distracted or too dull? Am I in love with the world and the comforts of the world? Because the more deeply we know him, the more deeply we should really long for his his coming.

SPEAKER_01 38:57

Yeah, and um I know we don't probably dive into it too much, but I don't want our readers to be confused. The reason we talk about the bride waiting for the groom is because you have to understand the weddings. Like way back in the day, it wasn't like weddings today. Sometimes those brides had to wait up to a year. Yeah, and they didn't know when their groom was coming. So they always had to be prepared. So they always had to be prepared, and that's why they were always so there's so much longing for their groom because they didn't know when they were gonna come and get them. So I think kind of understanding what a wedding was like back in the day will really understand, kind of like what we're talking about, I think.

SPEAKER_00 39:36

Right, well, right, and it it's it just goes to show that puts everything into context. Yeah, yeah, and we don't know the time nor the day when our when you know Jesus is gonna come back for the bride, which is us, his church.

SPEAKER_01 39:47

Okay, so now let's make this really practical for the people listening. If someone says, Okay, I hear all this, what do I actually do with it? Like, what would you say?

SPEAKER_00 39:56

Well, I would say start with honesty, you know, be honest with the Lord, you know, go to him in prayer. Don't um do churchy things, you know, don't do the polished thing, don't act more ready than you are. Just be honest, you know, Lord, my prayer life has been weak. Just simple. He can he's hearing us. Lord, I've been distracted. Lord, I've been lazy spiritually. Um, Lord, I've been carrying sin, bitterness, compromise, excuses, whatever it is. Um, Lord, I have not been living with eternity in view. You know, start there and ask the Holy Spirit and the Lord to help you.

SPEAKER_01 40:32

Yeah. So that is so important because nothing changes if we don't bring our shortcomings to the Lord. Nothing can be fixed. That's right. If we don't know them, right. If we need, you know, you pray like, Lord, I don't know where my shortcomings are. Like, help me. Right.

SPEAKER_00 40:44

Help me in that area. Yeah, give you some discernment. And I think then from there, get back to the word, you know, get back in it. Um, not just grabbing a verse to feel better, you know, moving through it. Just like sit in the word, read it slow, like you said earlier. Like, look at what you're reading, read it, you know. Like I listen to audiobook and I also looking at the Bible at the same time. So looking at it and hearing it sometimes is helpful. Pray through it, ask the Holy Spirit to deal with you. And if there's something the Lord is putting his finger on, obey it. Just be obedient, you know.

SPEAKER_01 41:17

Yeah, and and don't delay if he's telling you something. A lot of times God he wants you to move first, so sometimes you just gotta move. No, no delays.

SPEAKER_00 41:28

Exactly, because delayed obedience is still disobedience, right? We've heard that a million times in our lifetime. So if you need to repent, then repent. If you need the forgiveness, ask for forgiveness. You know, if you need to shut something off, shut it off. Stop the compromise, you know, pray more, pray more. That's the bottom line is to, you know, you know what you need to do. And if you're, like you said, unsure, ask the Holy Spirit to help you through that. You know, the key here, I think, is just it's important to come back to our first love. Yes. That means then come back. I mean, if you need to come back to first love, which is Jesus, then come back.

SPEAKER_01 42:03

Yeah, and I and I think that's just another practical thing is to just stop living so distracted all the time. It's easy for us. We're our generation of go, go, go, go, go. You know, it's easy to go, oh, squirrel, like now I gotta do this. And it's just unfortunate.

SPEAKER_00 42:16

I think that's how we are. I I don't think that anybody in this world currently in this generation can't say that they don't get some distraction because there's just so much out there, right? You know, some people are spiritually starving and don't even realize it because they're constantly full of noise. And you cannot constantly feed on nonsense and then expect to have a deep spiritual connection or sensitivity, you know, to the Holy Spirit. So I would suggest like make room for quiet. You know, if you don't have a prayer closet, make a prayer closet, go someplace quiet, you know, make a room for prayer, make room for worship, and definitely make room for the word every single day. Yeah, and be practical about it, you know, like set a time.

SPEAKER_01 42:58

Yeah, and I would say also surround yourselves with believers who are serious about the Lord because the word says iron sharpens iron.

SPEAKER_00 43:06

Yeah, yeah. Well, that definitely matters too because if everybody around you is casual, compromised, and spiritually sleep, well, that will affect you.

SPEAKER_02 43:13

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 43:13

You know, there's we need each other, you know, we need real fellowship. The Bible's very clear about that. You know, we need truth. Like you said, we need sharpening, so you're gonna get that from another, you know, believer for sure. Um, and basically, this is the reason that we do Tuesday nights because people need to gather and hear the word and talk honestly and grow.

SPEAKER_01 43:36

Yeah, and I also think people need to stop assuming that we have all the time in the world to get it right because we we don't.

SPEAKER_00 43:44

No, because this could come tomorrow. That's right. None of us know how much time we have. That's not fear mongering, that is just truth, you know. So don't keep putting off the thing God is telling you to do. You know, if he's calling you deeper, go deeper and surrender, you know. If he's calling you to come back to him, come back to him. You know, let's not play around because the time is near for sure.

SPEAKER_01 44:05

And that really brings us back to the title of this episode. Are you ready for his return?

SPEAKER_00 44:11

Yes, that is the question. You know, not are you curious or interested, not do you know the language? Like, are you ready? Is your heart right? Is your life surrendered? Are you walking with him? Are you living with eternity in view? Uh, because this is not about sounding spiritual, it's about being ready.

SPEAKER_01 44:31

Yeah, I agree. And I think I think before we close, it's important to say this too. So, yes, this message is strong. It's meant to be strong, but it's not meant to be hopeless. There's hope in God.

SPEAKER_00 44:43

That's right, not at all. This message is not the gloom and doom. It's a message of invitation. So Jesus is coming, yes. But that is hope for those who know him, and that is joy for those who love him, and that is comfort for those who are faithful. That is a reason to wake up and not reason to panic.

SPEAKER_01 45:02

And even for the person who realizes while listening that they may have drifted, the answer is not to hide in shame. It's just come back. Yeah, that's right.

SPEAKER_00 45:12

That's right. Come back to prayer, come back to the word, repentance, come back to obedience, and come back to Jesus, our first love. So our Lord is merciful. That's what we need to just always understand. He's merciful, he is kind, but he is also holy. So don't play games with that mercy. You know, we need to respond to it. When he's calling us back, we need to respond to it. Absolutely. Because at the end of the day, what we want is not just listeners who say, that was a good episode. We want people whose hearts are stirred toward Jesus. We want people who wake up to get serious, to fall deeper in love with Christ, and to live cleaner, more humbly, and be ready. That is the whole point of this message. Let's just turn to Jesus now in prayer.

SPEAKER_01 45:57

So, Father, in the name of Jesus, thank you for your word, your mercy, and your truth. Thank you for loving us enough to correct us, warn us, and draw us closer to you. Lord, search our hearts, show us where we've grown casual, distracted, or even compromised. Wake us up and help us not just to say we believe in your return, but to live like it. Teach us to walk in holiness, humility, and obedience. Draw back those who have drifted, strengthen those who are weary, and remind every heart that your mercy is still reaching. Make us ready, make us faithful, and help us live with eternity in view. In Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_00 46:38

Amen.

SPEAKER_01 46:39

So thank you so much for being with us today on Unfiltered Faith Beyond the Church Walls.

SPEAKER_00 46:44

And again, if this episode blessed you, challenged you, or stirred you, share with somebody. Send it to a friend, share it with somebody who needs to hear it. And we also want to remind you again, this lesson was inspired in part by themes that have come up in our Bible study time, including our past revelation study and recently released book by John Bevere. We strongly encourage you to purchase the book or the audiobook for yourself and support the author. And again, that book is called The King is Coming: Preparing Yourself for the Return of Christ by John Bevere.

SPEAKER_01 47:17

And if you are in the Chesterton area, uh we would love to have you join us in person every Tuesday night at 6 p.m. at the Chesterton Bogger Center for Bible study with Beyond the Church Walls.

SPEAKER_00 47:27

And if you can't join us in person, then meet us right back here every Thursday for the recap of what we covered Tuesday nights. Until then, stay grounded, stay hungry, and stay unfiltered in your walk with Jesus. This is Unfiltered Faith Beyond the Church Walls. We love you. God bless.