Talk

Confident in Christ’s Return

Louie Giglio
October, 13, 2024

Louie Giglio walks us through Revelation 20, centering on the infamous topics of the Rapture and judgment in the end times. We are reminded that our salvation is the most important thing about us and that our lives and works should reflect this free gift, leaving us confident in Christ’s return.

Key Takeaway

Your name being written in the Book of Life is the most important thing about you.

Christ appeared and came in Revelation 19. He is coming back to the story and Earth and setting the boundaries. We don't know the day or the hour, but we are confident that Christ is coming back, and this is His timeline that only He knows.

Ultimately, in the end, the enemy is defeated.

In discussing end times, we must also address the rapture or "harpazo."

Although the word "rapture" isn't actually a term in Scripture, there is much speculation about this future event.

There are a few different theories on what happens in the rapture—either the Church is taken up, everyone else is left behind and experiencing tribulation, and we come back with Jesus when He returns, or the Church experiences tribulation with the rest of the world, is taken up right before Jesus returns, and then comes back in His return.

Scripture is ultimately unclear on which theory of the Rapture is correct, but we can rest in the fact that we will face the great Throne of thrones and give an account for our lives.

How do you feel knowing that you are to give an account to God for your life? Do you have confidence in your salvation?

We are judged on the books, keeping a record of our faithfulness. But we're saved because of the Book of Life.

We must not rest in our decision to put our faith in Christ as our means of salvation; we must rest in our hope in Jesus. To have your name written by the blood shed before the creation of the world is to have a heart that is bent in submission and surrender and in service to the great king who gave himself for you. You can't just have cheap grace and be confident of the outcome at the great white throne judgment of God.

Having your name written in the Book of Life transforms you into a new way of life, and it's the most important thing about you.

We must call on Jesus fully today and every day for salvation.

“
"Just because we are covered by the atoning sacrificial work of the lamb of God doesn't mean that we aren't going to give an account for the way we live our lives."
”
Louie Giglio

Discussion Questions

  1. What is your opinion on what happens during the Rapture? What evidence in Scripture supports your theory?

  2. Pastor Louie points out that Scripture is unclear on the exact unfolding of these events regarding timeliness. How can you wrestle with the unknown?

  3. Revelation 20 makes it clear that there are books keeping record of our faithfulness. If you were to see these books for yourself right now, would you be pleased with its contents? Why or why not?

  4. We are saved not because of the books of our faithfulness, but because our names are in the Book of Life. Are you confident that your name is in the Book of Life? Why or why not?

  5. When we profess that Jesus is Lord and our hope and trust is in Him, our lives will be reflections of that. Is your life a reflection of the hope you have in Jesus? If yes, how has your life transformed since putting your faith in Him?

  6. Pastor Louie mentions that your name being in the Book of Life is the most important thing about you. Have you been living as if that is true?

  7. Who are you praying for to put their faith in Jesus?

Scripture References

The Thousand Years

1And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

4I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5(The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The Judgment of Satan

7When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The Judgment of the Dead

11Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
13Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope.
14For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
15According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
18Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1Paul, Silas and Timothy,

To the church of the Thessalonians in God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

2Grace and peace to you from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3We ought always to thank God for you, brothers and sisters, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love all of you have for one another is increasing.
4Therefore, among God’s churches we boast about your perseverance and faith in all the persecutions and trials you are enduring.
5All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.
6God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you
7and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
9They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might
10on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
11With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.
12We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care.
11For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.
14If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward.
15If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.
7For we live by faith, not by sight.
8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it.
10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
8All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life, the Lamb who was slain from the creation of the world.
9If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
11As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.”
12For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,
13for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Louie Giglio
Louie Giglio
Louie Giglio is the Visionary Architect and Director of the Passion Movement, comprised of Passion Conferences, Passion City Church, Passion Publishing and sixstepsrecords, and the founder of Passion Institute.