Other people say, "The Second Coming is symbolic of a religious, spiritual, experience when you have this great awakening in your heart.

Transcription

1 TV Program CURRENT EPISODE The Appearing SERIES: The Appearing #3 of PRODUCTION #: 1063 SPEAKER: Shawn Boonstra Recent world events have led many to believe that something big is about to happen. The signs are all around us. The appearing is imminent. But how will it happen? What do the ancient prophecies say? What will the appearing be like? You know, I can't think of any subject that Christians seem to fight over more than the Second Coming of Christ. And if you think about it, that really doesn't make a lot of sense, because according to the Bible, the return of Jesus is supposed to be the "blessed hope", the thing that keeps Christians united in purpose and focused on the future. But over the centuries, we have all developed different ideas about how the Second Coming is supposed to happen. And sometimes we are prepared to defend our ideas tooth and nail. One guy says it's supposed to happen this way, and another guy says it's supposed to happen that way, and sometimes the discussion can get a little heated. A couple of years ago, I was talking to a security guard in a government office who found out I was a minister. "You're a minister" he said, "That's great! My son and I have been talking about the Second Coming, and he says it's going to happen one way, and I say it's going to happen another way. Maybe you can help us figure it out!" Well, he's not the only guy having that discussion right now, because as the world situation becomes more tense, and the weather seems to be getting stranger, a lot of people are beginning to sense that it's no longer business as usual. So of course I was delighted to show this man what the Bible actually says. And in the final analysis, that's really the only thing that counts, anyway. What does God's Word say? You know, there are a lot of theories out there about the Second Coming, but there are five things we know for sure, beyond the shadow of a doubt. Well, actually, there are more than five. But for today, let me show you five things you can know for sure about Christ's return, from the pages of the Bible. The first thing we know, beyond the shadow of a doubt, is that Jesus will literally come back. Now I hear many people saying, "Oh, that Second Coming business is all just symbolic. It's allegorical. It is a picture of a golden age that will come when the human race solves all its problems and we finally live in utopia." Well, that sounds really nice, but it is not what the Bible teaches. Other people say, "The Second Coming is symbolic of a religious, spiritual, experience when you have this great awakening in your heart." And again, that sounds pretty nice, but it's not what the Bible teaches. Still other people say, "The Second Coming happens when you die." And I suppose, in a small way, that is kind of true. Because when you die, you are out of time, and the next thing you know it WILL be the Second Coming! But, that is not what Jesus was talking about when He promised to come back. When Jesus said He would come back, He literally meant it. How do I know? Well, the Bible says so. There is a story in the Book of Acts, right at the very beginning, where Jesus is about to go back to heaven, and He had some parting words for His disciples. He said, "Go tell the world what I've done, and then I'll come back for you." And, at that point, Jesus goes up into heaven.

2 And as He goes, the Bible says the disciples watched Him go up. Now pay careful attention to what the Bible says in Acts chapter one (Acts 1:10-11): "While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel. Who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven."' The angels said, "Listen, that very same Jesus you saw go up into heaven is going to come back the same way you saw Him go." So the question is obvious. How exactly did Jesus go to heaven? Because if we can figure that out, we can pretty much figure out how He is going to come back. The story in the New Testament is in the Book of Luke, after Jesus has risen from the dead, where He appears to the disciples, and in spite of the fact that Jesus had told the disciples He was going to come back from the dead, they were still scared by Him. The Bible says this in Luke chapter 24 (Luke 24:38-39): "And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."' I have met religious groups that say Jesus, when He came out of the grave, didn't come out as a human being. He was some sort of a ghost. But the Bible says when Jesus came out of the grave He had a real, physical, human body. A glorified body, but it was physical. And He said to the disciples, "Look, why don't you come and touch me? I'm real." And on top of that, He asked for something to eat, and my Bible says He ate it, just like a real person would eat it. The food didn't fall through His body to the floor. Now think about what this means for the Second Coming. That same Jesus, who ate the broiled fish and honeycomb, is the Jesus who is coming back. And if you think about it carefully, that tells us something really amazing. It means that Jesus has taken on human form for good! He went back to heaven as a human being, and the Bible says that same Jesus is coming back, a literal, physical Jesus. Well, the next thing we know with absolute certainty about the Second Coming is that when He comes, it will be a visible event and everybody's going to see it. So, how do I know that? Well, again, the Bible says so. This time in Revelation one, verse seven (Revelation 1:7): "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him." Now, some people have looked at this passage, and they say, "Look, I know it says that every eye is going to see Jesus, but it's really only the Christians who see Jesus when He comes." But this verse doesn't add any qualifiers. It simply says that every eye will see Him. And when you compare that to what Jesus says in Matthew 24 and verse 30, it is very clear that it doesn't just mean Christians (Matthew 24:30): "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." The Bible says that all the tribes of the earth will see Him. And in verse 27, it says (Matthew 24:27): "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be."

3 the Son of Man be." You know, I grew up in British Columbia, and when I lived in the Okanagan, sometimes we had pretty spectacular lightning storms in the summer. And sometimes there was no point trying to sleep at night because the windows would shake, and the lightning would light up the entire house. So, we would run outside on the sun deck at two in the morning to watch the lightning dance from cloud to cloud, and from hilltop to hilltop. We would get very excited. It was a great show. Everybody would come outside to see it. Now what if I told you that as we stood out there in that lightning storm, that only Dutch people could see it? Would you believe that? Well, of course not. Because everybody can see the lightning, and the Bible says that the Second Coming is going to be like lightning. When Jesus comes, every eye is going to see it. The next thing we know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that when Christ comes, it will be audible. What does that mean? It means everybody is going to hear it. And how do I know that? Well again, the Bible tells me so in Matthew, chapter 24 and verse 31 (Matthew 24:31): "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." According to the Bible, when Jesus comes, there will be a GREAT sound of a trumpet, not some little kazoo or bugle. And if you look at First Thessalonians chapter four, you will see that this noise is actually loud enough to wake the dead. Here is what it says (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." Now some people have suggested that when Jesus comes, only the Christians are going to hear it. But then why in the world would God make so much noise when He comes? Why the trumpet blast and the shout if it's supposed to be quiet? The truth is that everybody is going to hear this happen. There is a shout, there's a trumpet blast, and it is so loud that it wakes the dead. Christ's coming will be audible and everybody is going to hear it! Well, the next thing we know beyond the shadow of a doubt is that when Christ returns, it will be stunningly glorious. How do I know that? Again, I get it from the Bible. Psalm 50, verse three says (Psalm 50:3): "Our God shall come and shall not keep silent. A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." This is a big, big event. Here is what Revelation 6:14 says (Revelation 6:14): "And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Now, I have seen some pretty magnificent stuff in my lifetime. A while ago, I actually saw a lightning storm that circled the entire sky just along the horizon. But there was a hole in the middle where I could see the Northern Lights, all at the same time! Now that was pretty glorious, but it's nothing compared to the Second Coming. The Bible says that the sky actually rolls up like a scroll and the islands and mountains are actually pushed out of their places. So I think it would be pretty safe to say that nobody's going to miss the Second Coming when it happens. Just listen to what the Bible says in Matthew, chapter 16, verse 27 (Matthew 16:27):

4 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father, with His angels." The Bible says that the Son of Man will come with the glory of His Father. That's something so brilliant, so glorious, that human eyes will scarcely be able to take it in. Then on top of that, it says that the angels will be coming with Him. In fact, in Matthew, chapter 25 and verse 31, here is what the Bible says (Matthew 25:31): "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him." When Jesus comes, He comes with ALL the holy angels, and that's a lot of angels. In Revelation, chapter five, John is shown a picture of heaven. Here is what he says (Revelation 5:11): "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." Now think about this, the Bible says that the glory of one angel knocked an entire Roman legion flat on its back. That is what just one angel can accomplish. What do you suppose it's going to be like when billions of angels come with Jesus? This event, unquestionably, is going to be the most glorious event in the history of our planet. OK, so let's review what we already know. We know that Christ will literally come. We know that His coming will be visible. We know that people are going to hear it when it happens, and we know that it will be stunningly glorious. And that leaves just one more thing for our study today: The fifth thing we know beyond a shadow of a doubt is that when Jesus comes it will mark the end of earth's history. How do I know? Well, Jesus says so in the 22nd chapter of the Book of Revelation (Revelation 22:11-12): "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." Now this is really important. At the close of time, when Jesus comes, He brings His reward with Him. Those who are wicked are going to stay that way forever, and those who are righteous at that point are going to be righteous forever. According to the Bible, when Jesus comes, that's it. There are no more chances to change your mind. Your destiny has been sealed. If you have rejected God's love, and for the life of me, I still can't figure out why anybody would do that, but, if you have rejected God's love, it will be too late at that point to accept it. If you have ignored that little voice that is telling you to get things right with God, you won't have another chance. Those who are unjust, says Jesus, will then stay that way forever. But those who have accepted Christ are secure forever, and that will never change. They will never again face pain and suffering, or have to deal with the consequences of living in a sinful world. Here is what it boils down to. When Jesus comes, there will only be two kinds of people living on this planet. Right now, we divide humanity into all kinds of different groups. We divide people by nationality, by ethnicity, by language, by political beliefs, etc. But in the end there will only be two groups, and those will be the only two groups that matter when Jesus comes. One group sees Jesus coming, and they don't like it. The Bible says in Revelation six, verse 14 (Revelation 6:14): "Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved out of it's place, and the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'"

5 You know, that has got to be one of the most tragic passages in the Bible. There are people in that group who have heard all their lives that Jesus would come, and they chose to put it off or they chose to ignore it. And then one day they hear a sound, and they look up, and they see Jesus coming, and they know at that moment that they have squandered it all. They had every opportunity. Christ pleaded with them. He begged them, "Please, why choose destruction when you can have life? Why?" It is one of the most tragic verses in all of Scripture. But the good news is, you don't have to be in that group, because there is another option. There is another group that doesn't cry out in fear, they cry out with excitement. Listen to how the prophet Isaiah describes it (Isaiah 25:9): "It will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."' My question for you is this, Jesus is coming. There WILL be an appearing. There is no question about it. Verse after verse, more than 2,500 of them make reference to it. Prophecy after prophecy has already been fulfilled. God says there will be an appearing. So, the question is, which group are you planning to be in? Have you every wondered what it would be like to hear Jesus sing? I don't know if you have ever noticed it, but there is this passage in the Old Testament Book of Zephaniah that tells us that Jesus is actually a singer. Here is what it says (Zephaniah 3:17): "The Lord your God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." Not only will the righteous be shouting with excitement when Jesus comes, but the Bible says that all of heaven shouts, too, because they can't wait for the problem of sin and suffering to be over. They can't wait for the family of God to be put back together. There is a lot of noise when Jesus comes back and that's because it's a party. It is a celebration of the fact that the blood of Jesus has bought us for all eternity. And then, as the biggest reunion in history unfolds, I wonder if we might get a chance to hear Jesus sing. One day, maybe ten thousand years from now, I'm going to walk up to Jesus and ask Him a question. "Jesus, do you think you could sing it for me? Sing me that song you sang the day I decided I wanted to be ready for the appearing. Please, just sing for me?" Let me ask you: When Jesus comes, which group will you be in? Will you shout for excitement, or will you shudder in fear? And right now, at this moment, has Jesus ever sung for you? That is a decision only you can make. One day you will see Jesus. You will see His face. It will really be Him in the flesh. You will hear His voice, you will hear Him sing, and you will be with Him for all eternity. If there is one thing I am sure of it's that Jesus is coming. So, let me ask you, are you ready for Him to come? Why don't we pray together? PRAYER: Heavenly Father, we understand that Jesus will shout when He returns to earth, that the angels will shout that there is a trumpet blast, because heaven is celebrating. Heaven is celebrating sinners who have been saved by the blood of Jesus. Today, in our hearts, we want to be in that group that is ready. We want to be excited when we see Jesus coming. We want to know that we will be with Him forever. So forgive our sins and cover us with the blood of Christ. Draw us closer to you, I ask in Jesus' name, amen. Scriptures Used in The Appearing "While they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold two men stood by them in white apparel. Who also said, 'Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus which was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you have seen Him go into heaven."' Acts 1:10, 11

6 Acts 1:10, 11 "And He said to them, 'Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold my hands and my feet that it is I myself. Handle me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.'" Luke 24:38-39 "Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him." Revelation 1:7 "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will SEE the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30 "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." Matthew 24:27 "And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31 "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." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 "Our God shall come and shall not keep silent. A fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him." Psalm 50:3 "And the heavens departed as a scroll when it is rolled together, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places." Revelation 6:14 "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father, with His angels." Matthew 16:27 "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, ad all the holy angels with Him." Matthew 25:31 "Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." Revelation 5:11 "He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still. And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work." Revelation 22:11-12 "Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up and every mountain and island was moved out of it's place, and the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?'" Revelation 6:14 "It will be said in that day: 'Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.'" Isaiah 25:9 "The Lord your God in the midst of thee is mighty. He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy, He will rest in His love, He will joy over thee with singing." Zephaniah 3:17 Keywords: appearing Christ's return heaven Jesus singing Revelation saved Second Coming second coming of Christ Shawn Boonstra the appearing unsaved wrath of the Lamb The Appearing

7 coming of Christ Shawn Boonstra the appearing unsaved wrath of the Lamb The Appearing It Is Written Box O Thousand Oaks, CA USA Tel: (805) Fax: (805) Copyright 2010, It Is Written International Television. All rights reserved. Webmaster