Patience! patience! you are always in a hurry, but God is not.
C.H. Spurgeon

Second Coming Of Christ

Second Coming Of Christ

SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

I. Introduction

  1. Christian Focuses

For the Christian we have two major focuses in life. In one we are always looking back to the time of Christ and the Cross of Calvary. The other direction we look is to the time of our redemption, when Jesus Christ will return to the earth to establish His Kingdom. Nothing more exciting will happen to the Christian than the return of Jesus Christ. As new believers, many of us were excited about the reality of this coming event. But like all things that we must wait for, we find that the excitement wanes and we begin to lose our vision. It is my intent to restore for you and for me the excitement of this most blessed future event.

B. Prophecies of the Second Coming One Bible Scholar has noted that the Second Coming of Christ is mentioned in the Old Testament 1,527 times! In fact, for everytime the First Coming of Christ is mentioned in the Bible, the Second Coming is mentioned eight times.

II. Events Prior to Second Coming

  1. Rapture
    1. The Promise (John 14:2-3)

“In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” Jesus promised that there would come a day in the future when He would come back for the church and take it off of the earth.

2) The Event (1Thess 4:16-17) “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. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” Jesus removes His Church for the time of His wrath has come, “God did not appoint us [the church] to suffer wrath…” (1 Thess 5:9). Note that in this part of the Bible is something very exciting. If you look deep into these verses describing the Rapture you will see yourself in the Bible! Yes, if you have confessed your sins and declared that Jesus Christ is your Lord and Savior, yielding complete control of your life to Him, then you are there in this wonderful event! These verses that describe the Rapture should be very precious to the Christian for in them is the hope of our Salvation.

B. Wrath On Earth

  1. Some of the Judgments
    1. AntiChrist Arrives
    2. War Breaks Out
    3. FamineInflation
    4. One Fourth of Earth Destroyed
    5. Hail, Fire and Blood – Third of Earth Burned up
    6. Third of Seas Destroyed
    7. Worldwide Darkness
    8. Locusts – Demonic Activity
    9. Sores on Beast Worshipers
    10. Seas, Rivers, Springs turn to Blood
    11. Scorching from the Sun
    12. Severe Earthquake and Hailstorm

The scene on earth is very grim, for each of the preceding judgments have been accumulative and the earth is in utter chaos. Read Isaiah 24:1-13. The only organization that seems to have survived is the military and they are engrossed in the final battle of Armageddon. Scripture declares that during the final hours of the battle, “Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky… and all the nations will mourn” (Mat 24:29,30). Then, all of a sudden something happens up in the sky.

III. Second Coming of Christ

  1. Heaven Opens Up (Rev 19:11a)

Heaven has opened up at other times in the past, once when Jesus was baptized (Mat 3:16), and also at the stoning of Stephen when heaven open and he saw Jesus standing there (Acts 7:56). 1) This is the Third Heaven The Bible declares that there are three heavens. The first is our atmosphere, the second is outer space, and the third being the very Throne Room of God where all the Saints and Holy Angels abide. I believe that the opening mentioned in Revelation is the supernatural opening that allows the third heaven to be seen clearly from the earth and the immediate travel from one to the other. When heaven opened at Jesus’ Baptism a dove-like form descended from it representing the Holy Spirit. This time the Glorious Son of God descends! B. Rider on White Horse (Rev 19:11-16) “They will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of the sky, with great power and great glory” (Mat 24:29-30). “For as lighting that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Mat 24:27) Suddenly, in an instant, the Lord Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire” (Isa 29:5-6). “See, the Lord is coming with fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind; He will bring down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with His sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord” (Isa 66:15-16).

  1. The Horse (v. 11a)

It is a white horse which was the kind that conquering leaders would ride after winning a great battle signifying their great power and might. Notice also in verse 14 that there is a whole army of white horses following Jesus. If you look very close at that verse you can see yourself again. We were there at the Rapture of the Church and now we again appear on the pages of Scripture! The first time we were ascending to join our most Precious Savior Jesus Christ, but now we are coming back with Him to be a part of His Victorious Kingdom. Now some Bible commentators would say that these are not real horses. But oh, how foolish of them, for they need only look at Zechariah 9:9 which prophesied that Jesus would come into Jerusalem the first time riding on a donkey. And as recorded in the Gospel of Luke, hundreds of years later, we see that it occurred exactly as the prophet had declared, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. Jesus will ride out of the third Heaven into our world on a real Horse. And all of the saints will also be on white horses. We need to look around the Church today to see those who will mounted on horses next to us. Picture some of our most senior saints who are bed-ridden and struggling just to breath, the day is coming when they will be strong and sitting erect on a beautiful white horse. I picture my wife and little children mounted upon their horses with their eyes focused on the King. What a blessed hope we have in Jesus. 2) Faithful and True Jesus the most precious Savior who has been so Faithful to His Word about all that He would do. My heart is touched by The faithfulness of Jesus to continue to love me despite my weaknesses in this life. He is so faithful to us to help us and to encourage us. God’s Word declares that if we are faithless, then Jesus will remain faithful for He cannot disown Himself (2 Tim 2:13). 3) Armies of Heaven But again, Jesus is not alone, for behind Him is an entire army of redeemed sinners to include both the Old Testament and New Testament saints. There is Moses, Joseph, David, Bathsheba, Rahab, Peter, James, John, Mary, Martha, and Paul. But looking even closer we also see Moody, Spurgeon, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and many other great men and women of God. But that is not all, for there are the brothers and sisters from our church who have confessed Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. You can even see yourself sitting upon your white horse descending in perfect ranks from heaven to the earth. I am sure not many of us ever considered that someday we would be inducted into the army—-the Army of God. Some may be surprised about being there with Jesus on the pages of Scripture, yet this is what the Bible said would happen, “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col 3:4). Another impressive fact about this army is it’s size. The number of riders is very great indeed. We have all the Old Testament Saints and all those from the New Testament era too. It has been estimated that since the time of Adam and Eve, that there have been approximately 41 billion people on this earth. Now we know from Scripture that the overwhelming majority of these people will have rejected the salvation of God. In fact, it was Jesus who said that mankind travels only one of two roads. The majority travel the wide thoroughfare leading to Hell, while only a few will find the narrow path leading to Heaven. I once did a study of this and from the statistics about world religions concluded that less than 1 percent of all mankind would ever yield to the truth of the gospel. Even 1 percent of 41 billion would equal roughly 410 million believers if the end would be today. Now add to that figure all the children who died before the age of accountability to include those whose lives were taken in abortion, and we have one very large army. It will be a marvelous sight to “look around” as we mount our white horses in the third heaven. We will see former Apostles, and former homosexuals, and former murderers, and former fornicators, former liars and drunkards, all sitting on their horses dressed in pure white because of the cleansing power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. There will also be those who never walked on the earth but were murdered by an act of abortion, they too will sit pure from the original sin of Adam because of the Cross of Calvary. What an incredible sight to see! C. Judgment of Earthly Wicked 1) Response of Those on the Earth “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory” (Mat 24:30). “Men will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the dread of the Lord and the splendor of His majesty…” (Isa 2:19).

2) Armies Set to Attack Christ “…the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and His army” (Rev 19:19) It is incredible that those who are fighting on the earth when confronted with the supernatural return of Jesus Christ from Heaven would turn their weapons on Him as if they could destroy God with their weapons.

3) King of Kings and Lord of Lords Jesus has returned for judgment of the earth and His eyes are like the blazing fires of judgment. His clothes have been dipped in blood, His blood on the Cross of Calvary. The crowns on His head attest to His title as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 4) Beast, False Prophet, and Armies Judged The AntiChrist and the false prophet are immediately captured and thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. And the rest of the wicked army was killed by the very command of Jesus as He spoke their judgment.

D. Chaining of Satan After over 12,000 years of raining havoc and destruction on mankind and the people of God, we see Satan captured and bound with a chain and locked away for 1,000 years. The place of his torment is referred to as the “abyss” which means the “bottomless pit.” It appears to be the same place as the demons were sent too in 2 Peter 2:4, “to be held for judgment.” This is the same “bottomless pit” the demons feared being sent too in Matthew 8:29 to be tortured before their appointed time. Scripture also indicates that the demons are also bound with Satan for the 1,000 years, “In that day the lord will punish the powers in the heavens above and the kings on the earth below. They will be herded together like prisoners bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days” (Isa 24:21-22). E. Kingdom Setup 1) Time period of 75 Days There is recorded in the Book of Daniel, Chapter 12, a statement that at the end of the 7 year tribulation period there will an interlude of approximately 75 days before the 1,000 year Kingdom begins. I like to refer to this time as a time when Jesus “sets up” His Kingdom. There are a number of events that need to take place, according to Scripture, before the Millennium begins: a) The Judgment of the Living Matthew declared that, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left” (Mat 25:31-33). The prophet Jeremiah affirms that this place of judgment is in fact on the earth. Those who will be judged will be those who were not killed when Jesus first returned, meaning all those who were not part of the opposing armies. They include both believers and unbelievers as evidenced in Matthew. The unbelievers are being judged because they, “…do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of His power on the day He comes to be glorified in His holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed” (2 Thess 1:8-10). F. Thousand Years – Millennium

  1. The Lord will Rule and Reign

We will see Jesus in all of His splendor, as Isaiah said, “Your eyes will see the king in His beauty…” (Isa 33:17)

2) Earth is Restored to Beauty “I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys. I will turn the desert into pools of water, and the parched ground into springs. I will put in the desert the cedar and the acacia, the myrtle and the olive. I will set pines in the wasteland, the fir and the cypress together…” (Isa 41:18-19). 3) A Kingdom of Light The Bible proclaims that the Millennium will be truly a kingdom of light, “The moon will shine like the sun, and the sunlight will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven full days…” (Isa 30:26). Note that there will still be night in the Millennium but it will be as bright as the noonday sun. 4) The Inhabitants of the Kingdom – Parents After the final judgment of the living on the earth, the only people left to populate the Millennium will be the believing Gentiles and Jews. Imagine an entire world of Christians with Jesus Christ reigning as the King of the entire earth. But they will have children who like all children since Cain and Able are born into the world as sinners. 5) The Inhabitants of the Kingdom – Children The children born to those living on the earth are in need of salvation. But they have a distinct advantage in that their parents are Christians, Jesus Christ is visibly on the earth as King, and there are a multitude of glorified saints (you and me) ruling and reigning with Our Master Jesus Christ. 6) Life in the Kingdom a) Long Life The mortals who will live on the earth during the Millennium “will live out their years” (Isa 65:20). These years will be like those in the days prior to the flood when for example Methuselah lived for 969 years! Those born at the beginning of the Millennium could live for 1,000 years. b) Death in the Kingdom As incredible as it seems there will be death in that glorious Kingdom of Light. The Bible tells us that during this period that, “…he who dies at a hundred will be thought a mere youth…and he who fails to reach a hundred will be considered accursed [condemned to Hell] (Isa 65:20). This appears to me to be a simple statement that children will be given to the age of 100 to make a decision for Christ and at that point if they remain in unbelief Jesus will take their life in judgment. c) Instant Answer to Prayer Jesus promises in His Word to answer the prayers of the Millennial saints instantly, “Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear” (Isa 65:24). “How gracious He will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, He will answer you” (Isa 30:19).

d) Peace on Earth “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea” (Isa 11:9) “The law will go out from Zion, the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore” (Isa 2:3-4). e) Peace in the Animal Kingdom Truly the “Lion will lie down with the Lamb,” for the Bible declares, “The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like an ox” (Isa 65:25). “The wolf will live with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the goat, the calf and the lion and the yearling together; and a little child will lead them. The cow will feed with the bear, their young will lie down together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox” (Isa 11:6-7). “The infant will play near the hole of the cobra, and the young child put his hand into the viper’s nest” (Isa 11:8)

G. Satan’s Doom At the end of the 1,000 year period Satan is released from prison and immediately goes out to deceive the nations to war against Jesus and His people. He actually gets an attacking force [youth army ?] to surround the city of Jerusalem, but God sends fire down from heaven and devoured them. The devil is then thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, his final resting place, to be tormented for ever and ever (Rev 20:7- 11). H. The Total Destruction of Heaven and Earth Immediately following the judgment of Satan, God then removes all living humans from the earth and causes the “rest of the Dead” to come to life (Rev 20:5). These are those who have been in torment waiting for the day of judgment. The earth and heavens are then destroyed by fire, “The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire…That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat (2 Pet 3:10-12). I. Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15). God then brings all the unsaved people from all generations to stand before the Great White Throne for judgment by Jesus Christ who is seated on the throne. Each person is judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. I see this as God having the Book of God’s Law, be it the Old Testament, or the Bible itself, but a document that declared God’s perfect truth for man. Then other books are opened which contain all the recorded sins of each unbeliever. The judgment will be complete and perfect. Each unbeliever will be cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented for ever an ever. At this point then there is only God, the Angels, and the redeemed remaining in Heaven. The old earth and heavens are destroyed and all those who rejected Christ are in the Lake of Fire. Then God makes a New Heaven and a New Earth and brings down from the third heaven the Glorious jewel-like city called the New Jerusalem. Eternity then begins and we will live in utter bliss and joy forever.

IV. Conclusion

What should be our response to these truths of Scripture?

  1. Renewed desire to serve Jesus

As we begin to see all that our Salvation entails we must see that it is overwhelming that God would include us in all that He does. We must respond to His call in this phase of our eternal life to serve Him with all our mind, soul, and strength. B. Renewed Compassion for the Lost We have seen what awaits the unbeliever when Jesus returns to the earth. And those judgments, as terrible as they are, are mild compared to the endless torment and agony of the eternal Fiery Lake of Burning Sulfur. We must attempt, by the power of the Holy Spirit within us, to live holy lives before our lost families, friends, coworkers, and neighbors. We are their only hope, for if they don’t see Jesus Christ in us, then they will not see Him at all. This will cost us, for we must be different than the world in order to “stand out as light.” 1) Our Conversation It must be gracious and yet seasoned with the salt of the truths of the Bible. In Ephesians 5:4 God reminds us of what must never be a part of our conversations, “Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.” 2) Our Life Styles In this age of sexual freedom God reminds the Christian that in our lives, “…there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity…” (Eph 5:3). In fact, God clearly tells us what we should have uppermost in our thinking, “…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things…” (Philippians 4:8). We must keep ourselves pure, for the evil one is constantly attempting to corrupt us. Nearly all that is on TV today is things that would not please God. A Christian cannot be entertained by the world and still please God. To watch TV’s murders, adulteries, violence, drunkenness, and crime is to literally be entertained by what God calls sin. We must be a holy people in order to be used of God. C. Final Thoughts Jesus is coming back soon for us with the Rapture and then we will return with Him to take total control of the earth. He has privileged us to be an integral part of His plan, may we do all that we can by the power of the Holy Spirit to help those lost around us to also share in this bliss.