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#92 Coming Suddenly

#79 Ticket to Ride

Return of the King

And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.  - Revelation 22:10

Text: Revelation 19:11-16

Prop: a poster of "Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" or picture of a king

Summary: In the struggle between good and evil,  the Lord Jesus will return as King of Kings to remove evil from the world. We cannot defeat sin on our own. We need God's help.

Have you ever heard of the book "The Lord of the Rings" by J. R. R. Tolkien? This epic tale is made up of three books, the last of which is "The Return of the King." This trilogy is a great work of Christian literature. It teaches us that God is at work in the world and how much we need a savior. It gives us a picture of a struggle between good and evil (bad). In the mythical Middle-earth, the evil Lord Saurun is trying to rule Middle-earth by reclaiming "the one ring" that brings absolute power to whomever wears it. But the ring, like sin, corrupts and ruins the person who dares to wear it. The ring must be destroyed by throwing it into the fires of Mount Doom where it was made. The humble hobbit Frodo is given the task of taking the ring back, but is unable to withstand its lure. Yet, despite his failing, the ring is ultimately destroyed.

Today we still have a struggle between the forces of good and evil. This struggle is not only between persons, but within our own hearts. We are tempted by sin, and we fail when we give in and let it rule us. But God is ready to help us. The Lord Jesus has already defeated sin and death for us. He did that by dying on the cross and rising again three days later.

The Bible tells of a time when Satan and the forces of evil in the world will be defeated. It will happen in the valley of Megiddo in the land of Israel. We call it the battle of Armageddon. (see Rev 16:16) In this battle the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Jesus, will return to earth with the armies of heaven to destroy the evil ones. Listen as the apostle John describes the return of the king:

[Read Revelation 19:11-16.]

Wow! The Lord Jesus is coming back! He is coming to rule the earth as our King. He will remove everything evil from the world. As much as we may try to be good, we are unable to defeat the sin in our lives on our own. We need God's help! Choose God and what is good. Ask the Lord Jesus to be your savior and give God the victory.

Let us pray. Dear Lord Jesus, prepare our hearts for your return as our King. Amen.

©2003 by Jim Kerlin. All rights reserved.

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