The Mystery of the Double-Coming Messiah | Jonathan Cahn Sermon
No matter what we face, we must stand firm for the Lord—even when persecution comes. You need to be ready to meet Him at any moment. Whether you believe in a pre-tribulation, mid-tribulation, or post-tribulation return, the truth is simple: the instant your heartbeat stops, you step into eternity. We are separated from God by just one heartbeat.
Think back to childhood. Remember a time when your parents were out and you were home alone—or with friends or siblings—and you did something you knew you shouldn’t. Many of us can relate. Then suddenly you heard the car in the driveway or footsteps at the door. Panic set in, and you rushed to hide the evidence before they came in.
Keep that image in mind, because it connects to one of the most ignored—but most important—signs of the end times: apostasy, also known as the great falling away. It feels like hardly a day passes without another shocking example of how far culture is sinking.
Just recently, several stories surfaced:
A Christian man in Malta shared on television how he left a homosexual lifestyle after coming to faith. He is now reportedly being put on trial and could face years in prison simply for telling his testimony. That is a level of criminalization that signals where society is heading.
Another headline: a new statue of Ruth Bader Ginsburg was installed outside a courthouse in New York. The design was controversial—some said it resembled pagan imagery. What makes this even more striking is that many courthouses have removed symbols like the Ten Commandments, yet other ideological symbols are now being elevated.
Meanwhile, global persecution of Christians is being described as worse than at any other time in history—even compared to the era of the Roman Empire.
One article summarized the cultural shift this way: America was once widely known as a Christian nation, but it is moving away from those roots at an astonishing pace. A 1972 Pew survey reported that 92% of Americans identified as Christian. A later survey found that number had dropped to 63%, with much of the decline accelerating in recent years.
And remember—this isn’t even measuring committed, born-again faith. It’s simply people saying, “Yes, I’m a Christian.” That means a growing portion of the population now openly identifies as something else: atheist, pagan, or religiously unaffiliated. Even among those who still claim the Christian label, many no longer hold to biblical values.
So what does all of this have to do with the moment your parents came home—and you tried to hide what you had done?
Here’s the connection: Jesus teaches that His followers must live with readiness—like someone who knows the Master could arrive at any time.
In Luke 12:35–36, He says:
Be dressed for service. Keep your lamps burning, like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding. Then, when he comes and knocks, they can immediately open the door for him.
Our faith is not only shaped by what God has done—it’s anchored in what He will do. We are meant to live with expectation, watching and waiting for the Master’s return.
What makes this teaching even more powerful is that Jesus speaks of Himself as the Master who will leave and come back again. In human terms, that is astonishing. Who talks like that about themselves? He knew He would ascend. The disciples didn’t understand it yet, but He did—and He spoke openly about returning.
This parable, He suggests, even holds the key to understanding why the Messianic prophecies confused so many rabbis: the Messiah would come, depart, and return.
