Praying for Jesus' Return

Some time ago I came across some verses that really made me think about Jesus’ return and when that is going to happen.  In this message I’m going to share those verses with you and the impact those verses have had on my life.  I don’t think I’ve ever talked about this publicly and I’ll just tell you I’m drawing some conclusions here that I’ve never heard anyone else say.   The real point of this message is to invite you to begin praying a certain way with me.  But, of course, if you disagree with my thoughts or conclusions here, you can just discard this message entirely.

           Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:36 that only God knows when the end will come, when Jesus will return to earth.  But as we read through the Gospels, Jesus tells us a lot about different signs that will signify the end of this age and when He is going to return.  As you probably know, Jesus’ words on that subject have provoked endless debate.  There are some people that think the vast majority of the signs of the end times already happened long ago, with the destruction of Jerusalem around the year 70.  There are many, many people that think they are happening now and that Jesus’ return is imminent.  And if you really studied the subject you would read all sorts of different beliefs about the end times.

             Not long ago I heard one prominent minister suggest that Jesus was going to come back last fall.  Now it’s possible I didn’t really hear or understand him correctly, but this is a very learned person and he definitely believes we are almost there.  And given the current events happening in Israel, it’s easy to believe that the end is near. 

             But today I’m going to take a different approach to this subject and look at a different set of verses.  I wouldn’t dream of trying to look at all the prophecies and tie them to current world events.  Lots of other people are doing that and they understand the subject a lot more than I do. 

             Now before we go on let me tell you briefly that when I discovered these verses or this way of thinking about the end times, I began to pray a certain way.  Today we are going to end our discussion by praying together and I will show you how I am praying now regarding this subject.  You don’t have to pray with me or agree with me, I’m just showing you what I have learned and how I am now praying about this. 

 Furthermore, I believe God spoke to me in response to these prayers.  I believe He told me specifically that I’m on the right track and that I’m supposed to share this with others.  I also believe He told me that these prayers can’t be prayed by one person alone, that I need other Christians to pray in agreement with me along these lines.  So that’s what I’m doing here, telling you what I’ve seen and asking you to pray in agreement with me.  I believe that’s what God wants me to do. 

             I know how a lot of that sounds, but as with everything I do, I’m not asking you to take my word for it.  I’m asking you to listen to the scriptures today and see if you draw the same conclusions that I do.  If you think that these scriptures point us in a certain direction, as I do, then I invite you to pray with me.  And I don’t mean we should pray a certain way one time, but that we should fundamentally begin praying a certain way regarding Jesus’ return and the end of this age.  And I believe what we are talking about today is extremely, extremely important. 

             Our first passage is Hebrews 1:3 which talks about Jesus as follows, “who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high[.]”

 Now let’s read Hebrews 10:12-13, which says something similar but then adds to it.  “But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool.”

             Jesus, as we all know, offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for every sin past, present and future.  He purged our sins.  He then sat down at the right hand of God.  And this next part is a major key for today, He is sitting and waiting until His enemies are made His footstool.

             Let’s read Jesus Himself mention this footstool principle, which He does in Mark 12:36. “For David himself said by the Holy Ghost, The LORD said to my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool.”  In that passage Jesus is both talking about Himself and quoting Psalms 110:1. It’s very interesting to note that Jesus Himself knew that He would go and sit at God’s right hand until His enemies are made His footstool. 

Now let’s read what Paul says about the end times in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

            We can very quickly get an understanding of the current situation.  Approximately 2,000 years ago Jesus offered Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins.  He then sat down at the right hand of God.  The day will come when He gets up and descends from Heaven.  But that day will not come until His enemies are made His footstool.  So what should we know about that and what can we do about that?

(Ephesians 1:18-22 NKJV)  “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church[.]”

            This is going to get a bit complicated, but I’m trying to show you a number of verses rather than jump straight to the conclusion.  This passage in Ephesians Chapter 1 tells us what we’ve already heard, that Chris is seated at God’s right hand.  But it also tells us that Christ is far above every principality and power and might and dominion.  Furthermore, it says that everything has been put under His feet. 

            If everything has been put under Jesus’ feet, isn’t that the same thing as all of His enemies being His footstool?  Shouldn’t Jesus have come back already?  No, I submit to you that those are not the same things, and that this distinction must be understood, and that we, as the church, have a part to play in this.   

(1 Corinthians 15:22-26 NKJV)  "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet.  The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

            So that’s another passage that discusses these very complicated issues.  That’s another passage that talks about the relationship between Jesus’ return and His enemies being put under His feet.  But what’s interesting to me here, at least one thing that’s interesting, is that it discusses the point that all things being made subject to Him is a future event, it’s something that hasn’t happened yet.

(Matthew 28:16-20 NKJV)  "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them. When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen."

            This passage from Matthew 28 comes after the death and resurrection of Jesus.  Jesus tells us very clearly that all authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Him.  So now let’s put these ideas together.  Matthew 28 tells us that all authority belongs to Jesus.  Ephesians 1, Hebrews 1 and Hebrews 10 all tell us that Jesus is now sitting at God’s right hand.  Ephesians 1 says that everything is put under Jesus’ feet.  But 1 Corinthians 15 says that Jesus will reign until all of Jesus’ enemies are placed under His feet, and that hasn’t happened yet.  Hebrews 10 and Mark 12 remind us that Jesus is going to stay seated until His enemies are made His footstool.

            Here is, I believe, the answer to understanding this situation, and then we will keep going.  When God raised Jesus from the dead, Jesus became the owner of all authority, exactly like Jesus says in Matthew 28.  Jesus became the supreme ruler of the universe, if you will, including both the natural and spiritual realms.  But, Jesus is not actually exercising that authority right now, at least not in a complete sense.  Jesus is not controlling everything that happens in the universe.  To be very specific, even though Jesus might actually have supreme authority over the devil and all his enemies, He is not using it.  Jesus Himself, despite having the authority and power to do so, is not actively making His enemies His footstool.   

(2 Corinthians 4:4 KJV)  "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

            Even though Jesus is the owner of all authority in Heaven and on Earth, the Bible still calls the devil the “god of this world.”  It’s very important to understand that the word “world” in that passage is “eon” which refers to a specific period of time.  In fact, we have been in one unbroken eon beginning at least with the fall of man and maybe the creation of the world, and this eon will last until Christ’ return.  When Jesus talks about the end of the age, the word for “age” is also “eon”.  It’s all about this eon.  Jesus will return at the end of this eon.  This eon will end when Jesus’ enemies are made His footstool.

            Furthermore, let’s also note that in Matthew 13:39 Jesus says the rapture will also occur at the end of this eon.  That lines up with the other verses about Jesus returning and taking the Christians with Him.  In fact, the entire discussion about the last days in Matthew 24 begins with the disciples asking Jesus about His return and the end of this eon. 

So, forgive me for being redundant but let me restate this point, what we are really talking about is the end of this eon, or the end of this period of time.  Again, during this current eon, Jesus owns all the authority, but the devil is still the ruler of this period of time.  And this period of time will not end until Jesus gets up and returns.  And Jesus will not get up and return until His enemies are made His footstool.  Lastly, despite His personal authority and power, Jesus is not personally working to make His enemies His footstool.

(Ephesians 2:1-2 NKJV)  "And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience[.]"

            In addition to being the ruler of this period of time, the devil is actively fighting against humans.  As we saw in 2 Corinthians 4:4, the devil is working to blind people against the Gospel.  And we now see in Ephesians 2 that the devil is influencing people and working in people to sin.  But what about us, what about those of us who do receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

(Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV)  "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus[.]"

(Colossians 1:13 NKJV)  "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love."

            As we have discussed at length, many wonderful things happen to a person the moment that person becomes a Christian.  But one of the most astounding and wonderful things that happens, and something not discussed nearly enough, is that we are removed from the power of darkness and brought into the Kingdom of God. 

            The devil is the god of this period of time, and the devil has the legal right and ability to negatively influence humans.  That’s why the world has so many problems.  But when you become a Christian, you are removed from the devil’s jurisdiction and he no longer has any legal authority over you.  Now that does not mean he will not attack you or attempt to influence.  Just like an enemy might attempt to attack or negatively influence a soldier, the devil still tries to attack and influence Christians.  Unfortunately, he has had great success in those efforts, but let’s not digress.  The important point for this moment is to understand that the devil no longer has legal authority over you if you are a Christian.

(Ephesians 6:12 NKJV)  "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."

            Christians must begin to understand and internalize that passage.  As a Christian, your enemies are not the democrats.  Your enemies are not the Muslims.  Your enemies are not the crazed liberal atheists that would destroy Christianity from the face of the earth.  No, people are not your enemies, even though some of them seem like the very physical embodiment of the devil.  Your enemies are the devil and the unclean spirits that are working in this world and negatively influencing all those people. 

            Why do so many Muslims want to kill Christians and Jews.  Why do so many people want to change their gender or practice homosexuality.  Why do so many people want to kill babies.  Why do so many people hate Jesus and Christianity and want to persecute us.  It’s all the devil.  It’s all the god of this period of time and his influence working in sinners against the Kingdom of God.  Those are the enemies.  Those are our enemies and those are the enemies that must be made into Jesus’ footstool. 

            And in case you haven’t noticed, we certainly haven’t seen them in the footstool position recently.  We’ve seen them exercising their influence like never before.  We’ve seen them proudly demonstrating their influence and exalting all manner of crazy ungodliness throughout the world.  My Christian brothers and sisters, it’s not these sinful people that we must fight against, it’s the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this age and the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the spiritual realm.  This is the fight we must take up now.

(Mark 13:26-34 KJV)  "And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Now learn a parable of the fig tree; When her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: So ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch."

            My brothers and sisters, Jesus is on His far journey now.  He is in Heaven seated at the right hand of God until His enemies are made His footstool.  And His enemies are our enemies, they are not the people, they are the unclean spirits.  But Jesus has given the authority over them to us.  I read again, “the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants.”  We are the ones with the authority in the earth now.  We are the ones who must make His enemies His footstool.

            Now don’t hear me incorrectly.  It’s all God working through us.  It’s all His authority.  It’s all His power.  We are nothing without Him.  God is doing all of this through us.  But He’s not going to do it without us.  He is not going to do it apart from us.  This is the way it’s supposed to work.  God works with us and through us to accomplish His will in the earth. 

(Hebrews 2:5-8 NKJV)  "For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: "What is man that you are mindful of him, or the son of man that you take care of Him?  You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of your hands.  You have put all things in subjection under His feet.”  For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him." 

            My friends, these verses can get complicated when we start thinking about the relationship between God and Jesus and man and the various realms of authority that exist.  But we don’t need to get too complicated today.  Jesus is in Heaven.  We have the authority in the earth.  We do not yet see all things put under Jesus.  We do not yet see all of Jesus’ enemies being made His footstool.  But that’s because we haven’t used the authority that Jesus has given us to make them be His footstool.

(Joshua 10:20-25 NKJV)  "Then it happened, while Joshua and the children of Israel made an end of slaying them with a very great slaughter, till they had finished, that those who escaped entered fortified cities. And all the people returned to the camp, to Joshua at Makkedah, in peace. No one moved his tongue against any of the children of Israel. Then Joshua said, "Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out those five kings to me from the cave." And they did so, and brought out those five kings to him from the cave: the king of Jerusalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachish, and the king of Eglon. So it was, when they brought out those kings to Joshua, that Joshua called for all the men of Israel, and said to the captains of the men of war who went with him, "Come near, put your feet on the necks of these kings." And they drew near and put their feet on their necks. Then Joshua said to them, "Do not be afraid, nor be dismayed; be strong and of good courage, for thus the LORD will do to all your enemies against whom you fight."

            Look everyone, I do not claim to be an expert on all the metaphorical and prophetic symbolism of the Old Testament, the “types and shadows” as they are called sometimes.  But I know that Joshua leading the people with victory into the Promised Land is both historically accurate and a symbolic representation of Jesus bringing all of us into the New Covenant, into the Kingdom of God, with victory over the devil.  And in the same way Joshua showed the Israelites the authority and power they had, with God’s help, over those enemies, Jesus shows us that we have authority and power over the spiritual enemies today.

My friends, for years and years I had dreams about being in law enforcement and I never understood them.  Then one day a great man of God died, a friend of mine, Dr. Gordon Dacre.  He had taught a course at the Kingdom Life University and at the funeral they gave all the attendees free access to the course.  So I watched the videos and could hardly believe my ears when I heard my friend say, “the Church is the law enforcement agency of the New Covenant and every Christian is a law enforcement officer of the New Covenant.”  Now Brother Gordon was making some broad points there, but they are completely applicable to our discussion today. 

(Luke 10:1 NKJV)  "After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go."

(Luke 10:17-20 NKJV)  "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

            I believe, and this is my dominant point for today, that we are to use the authority that Jesus has given us over the true enemies of God, all of these unclean spirits.  Using this authority, in the Name of Jesus, as it’s truly His authority which He has delegated to us, we are to make God’s enemies assume the footstool position.  And as God’s enemies are forced into the footstool position, Jesus will rise from His throne, He will come to get us, and this eon will come to an end. 

            I might be wrong.  I also freely admit that my views here do not take into account every single verse about the end times or even every single verse about the footstool principle, which is obviously very important.  I also know there are other factors involved with the end of this age and the return of Jesus.  But despite all of that, I believe it’s our job, as the Church with Jesus’ authority over the unclean spirits in this world, to make Jesus’ enemies into His footstool.  I believe God wants to do this through us, and it may very well be that God will not do it without us. So right now, I pray, and I invite you to repeat after me. 

            “In the Name of Jesus, I speak to every single unclean spirit in existence.  I speak to every spirit in the kingdom of darkness, including every principality, every power, every ruler, and the devil Himself.  I take authority over you in the Name of Jesus.  I command you to cease every single action you are taking against this earth, or against anything in the natural realm, against anything in the spiritual realm, and against any human.  You are never permitted to resume those activities again.  I command you, in Jesus’ Name, to do nothing other than to sit and wait for the return of Jesus.  Furthermore, in Jesus’ Name I command you to gather together and to assume the position of a footstool, and to stay in that position until Jesus Himself moves you or allows you to move.  And in Jesus’ Name I declare that you are permitted to take no other action.”

            “Father God, in Jesus’ Name I pray, that, before Jesus rises from the throne to return and begin the rapture, you would, by your Holy Spirit, mightily draw every single human to yourself and to salvation through Jesus Christ, one more time.  I pray that you would cause the laborers to sweep through the earth and preach the Gospel to every human.  I pray that you would visit every non-Christian in dreams and visions and show them the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I pray that in your extreme grace and mercy you would allow the light of the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ to shine in every heart, so that everyone could be saved before Jesus’ return.  And I pray that this would be a very quick process Father, that you would do this speedily, and that Jesus would come quickly.  Amen.”

            My friends, this is how I’m praying now.  This is how I’m doing my best to use the authority Jesus has given us.  I want to do my part, whatever that may be, to make His enemies His footstool.  I want every human to be saved, and I want Jesus to return, and I want this eon of the devil’s rule to end.  And as I go day by day now, I remind the devil and the unclean spirits of our authority over them, and the commands we have given them in Jesus’ Name.  And I pray in the Spirit, I pray for the lost to be saved and for Jesus to return.

            In all sincerity, I believe God wants others to join in these prayers with me.  I believe He has told me to ask you to join in these prayers with me.  I might be wrong about some aspects of the footstool principle, and I might be wrong about some of my views on the end of this age.  But I’m not wrong about our authority over the unclean spirits.  And I’m not wrong that we Christians should be using this authority to stop their ungodly activity to the greatest extent that we can.  So if nothing else, please consider joining in those prayers with me.

            I love you, God bless you, and we will talk again soon.