Jesus’ Second Coming

Jesus’ Second Coming

By Scott Meehan

Dailybibleverse23.blogspot.com

Daily Bible Verse

Topics

• Jesus’ return will be unmistakable.

• We will not know the exact date.

• We know what will happen.

• We know the difference between 1st and 2nd.

• It will be terrible for unbelievers.

• We know how to prepare.

Unmistakable, Luke 17:23-24

• Luke 17:23-24, “And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.”


• Jesus was being questioned by the Pharisees about when the kingdom of God would come. Jesus used this as an opportunity to teach His disciples about the dangers of following false prophets and people falsely claiming to be the Messiah. In the same way, Jesus warns us about the dangers of following these false witnesses. Many will claim that Jesus has returned, and He warns us not to take them seriously, no matter how convincing they sound.


• When Jesus does finally return His power and presence will be so evident to everyone that no one will need to tell of His return, as is written in 1 Timothy 6:15, “Which He will manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” All believers and nonbelievers, all people, will bear witness and see for themselves His glorious return. However, only believers will be translated from this earth into His presence, as is written 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.”


• When Jesus does return, life will be going on as usual. There will be no warning and everyone will be going about their everyday lives, indifferent to the demands of God. This surprise to Christ’s return is similar to both the surprise of people to the flood in Noah’s day (see Genesis 6-8) and to the surprise of people by the destruction of Sodom in Lot’s day (see Genesis 19). We do not know when He will return, but we do know that there is a day in the future set for His return. We must be morally and spiritually ready for His return and live each day as if Christ was returning that day.

Exact Date, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3

• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, “But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.”


• Thief in the night. The phrase “times and the seasons” also occurs in Acts 1:7, “And He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority,” and refers to the chronology of future periods as well as the characteristics of those periods. Therefore, to try and predict the time and season of Christ’s return would be a foolish task. In these verses we are told that no one, not even believers, can predict Christ’s return, and that everyone in the world will be surprised when Christ descends from heaven to the earth.


• He will come like a “thief in the night,” which is also referenced in several other places in the New Testament:– Matthew 24:43-44, “But know this, that if the master of the

house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

– 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.”

– Revelation 16:15, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and they see his shame.”


• Therefore, believe no one who says that Jesus has returned or is about to come. Instead, prepare each day to welcome Christ as if He were coming back that day. The Apostle Paul was watching throughout his life, as is written in 2 Timothy 4:8, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing,” and in 1 Thessalonians 5:6 he urges us to do the same, “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” Also note that nowhere in the Scriptures does “thief in the night” refer to the Rapture, but is only used in reference to the “day of the Lord.”


• Day of the Lord. The “day of the Lord” referenced in these verses will include both punishment and blessing. It is the day when all sin is to be judged as well as when Jesus sets up His eternal kingdom. It includes everything that happens from the Tribulation through the Millennium. There is actually a thousand year difference between the Tribulation and the Millennium, and Peter refers to the end of the thousand year period in connection with the final day of the Lord. Paul, however, writes here about the aspect of the “day of the Lord,” the conclusion of the Tribulation period. This Tribulation period will set off seven years of unparalleled distress, warfare, and plague that will all lead to the dreadful battle of Armageddon, as written in Revelation 16:16, “And they gathered them together to the place called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”


• This day is referenced a lot throughout the Old Testament:– Joel 2:28-32, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all

flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit on those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the remnant who the Lord calls.”

– Zephaniah 1:14-18, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all those who dwell in the land.”

– See also Isaiah 13:6-12.


• Peace and safety. This could be referencing Jeremiah 6:14, where it is written, “They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace.” The meaning behind this is that some people had a false sense of security and believed that they would escape divine judgment. It also means that the “day of the Lord” will come when there is a great worldwide concern for peace and safety. The comparison made to a woman going through labor pains further illustrates the point that Jesus’ return is an inevitable yet unpredictable event that will happen suddenly and carry with it intense pain for those who do not believe and follow Him.

What Will Happen, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13

• 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, “Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.”


• Direct our way to you. Even though Timothy had visited and returned with a good report, the Apostle Paul wanted very much to return to Thessalonica and knew that Satan had hindered his return, as written in 1 Thessalonians 2:18, “Therefore we wanted to come to you – even I, Paul, time and again – but Satan hindered us.” There are no records to indicate that Paul indeed did return to Thessalonica. Paul was concerned that in his premature departure from Thessalonica that the people may not have received all the teaching they needed. He therefore prayed for their growth (v. 10), love (v. 12), outreach (v. 12), and holiness (v. 13). However, while he was traveling through Asia on his third journey, he was joined by Aristarchus and Secundus who were both from Thessalonica, which is written in Acts 20:4-5, “And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to Asia – also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia. These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.”


• Abound in love. Because we are filled with God’s love, we should be pouring it out onto others. It is not enough to just be courteous to those we may not know, as well as those we do know, but we must actively and persistently show that we love them, as written in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” If for some reason you feel that your love for others has remained unchanged in recent days, weeks, or even years, pray to God that He would pour onto you more of His never-ending supply of love. Then you can start to look for opportunities to spread that love onto others.


• Blameless in holiness. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, and to us, not to withdraw and focus solely on ourselves or to sit back and wait for the “day of the Lord.” In Philippians 1:9, Paul commands believers to show compassion and be busy loving one another: “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” In the worlds time of suffering, believers should be seeking to care for others who are also suffering, as written in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same suffering which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.”


• Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. This refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ, when He will establish His eternal kingdom. Christ will gather all believers, first those who have died and then those who are alive, into one united family under His authority. All believers throughout the history of the world will be with Christ in His kingdom. “Saints” simply means “holy ones” and references both angels, as written in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels,” and redeemed men, as written in 1 Thessalonians 4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

Difference Between 1st and 2nd, John 12:48

• John 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him – the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day.”


• Has that which judges him. Jesus’ first mission to earth was to show people how to find salvation and eternal life. Jesus stresses the eternal importance of the written Word of God, the Word that He has spoken to all people, and our response to His Word will be the basis on which we are judged, as is written in John 5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.” All of Christ’s words that we choose not to accept and obey will condemn us on the “day of the Lord.”


• Judge him in the last day. Jesus’ second mission to earth will be to judge all the people on how they chose to live their lives. Those who accepted Jesus and lived their lives according to His law will rise to His eternal kingdom and have eternal life, as is written in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, “For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 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. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”


• Those who rejected Jesus and chose to live their lives how they saw fit and not by His laws will face eternal punishment, as written in Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” From these verses you can tell that the decision you make on how you live your life can have drastic consequences. Decide which side you will be on and how you will live your life now, before it is to late.

Terrible For Unbelievers, 2 Peter 3:10-11

• 2 Peter 3:10-11, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness.”


• Day of the Lord. This is the day of the Lord’s judgment on earth. It also is used to reference Christ’s return to earth. On this day all believers, dead first then living, will be raptured up into heaven, and the seven year period of tribulation judgments on earth will commence. Following that Christ will reign on earth for a 1,000 year period, called millennial, as written in Revelations 20:6, “Bless and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” As such, it is apparent that God’s judgment will come both at the end of the tribulation period on earth as well as 1,000 years later at the end of the millennial kingdom. God will then create the new earth and the new heavens. After this day there will be no more time and no more chances to seek repentance.


• Burned up. Christ’s second coming will be a sudden and terrible thing for those who do not believe in Him. For those, however, who live their lives in “holy conduct and godliness,” this won’t come as a surprise. “Burned up” does not mean that the earth will be annihilated, but simply means that the earth will be purified and made new, as was the case during the Flood. Even the elements will be “burned up,” as they too have fallen under God’s curse (see Genesis 3:17-19). By using the word “dissolved” it is possible that that there will be a global atomic fission reaction, or simply put, a vast explosive disintegration involving transformation of the chemical energy of the elements into heat, light, and sound energy. God’s principle of conservation will still hold as other forms of energy will be present, though it will appear that the solid earth has “fled away” (see Revelation 20:11). In knowing that one day the earth will be “burned up” and everything “dissolved,” we should take care to not place our confidence and faith in worldly possessions or pursuits, but instead in what is lasting and eternal.


• Holy conduct and godliness. Ask yourself one question each morning as you get ready for the day: Are you going to spend that day piling up your treasures and pursuing the next big thing, or are you instead going to spend it striving to develop your Christlike character? The answer you come up with may be more important than you realize. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird up the lions of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

How To Prepare, Luke 12:40

• Luke 12:40, “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”


• Throughout the New Testament Jesus said that He would leave this world, but would return at a future time (see also Matthew 24-25 and John 14:1-3). He also made reference to a kingdom that was being prepared for His followers. There have been two different interpretations of what kind of a kingdom this would be: (1) as many Greeks thought, this would be a heavenly, idealized, and spiritual kingdom; (2) but as many Jews thought, such as Isaiah and John, this would be a restored earthly kingdom.


• Now don’t think that because Christ does not want us to know the time of His return that it means He wants to trick us or ensnare us in some sort of trap. Instead, know that Christ is actually delaying His return so that more people will have the opportunity to follow Him, as is written in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.” Before Christ returns, He wants to give us as much time as possible to lead as many people as we can to believing and following Him.


• There are five different characteristics that make up a person ready for Christ’s return: (1) They are sincere individuals and not hypocritical, as written in Luke 12:1, “In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy;’” (2) They are ready to witness His return and are not fearful (see Luke 12:4-9); (3) They are trusting and not worried, as written in Luke 12:25-26, “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest;” (4) They are generous and never greedy, as written in Luke 12:34, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be;” (5) Finally, they are diligent and not lazy, as written in Luke 12:37, “Blessed are those servants whom the master, when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” Let your life reflect these five characteristics of a person joyfully awaiting the return of Jesus Christ, and live every day preaching His Word to others in the hopes that they may be saved before it is to late.

Spiritual

Jesus’ Second Coming