LESSON THIRTEEN THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 1. IMPORTANCE of the Second Coming of Christ A. Strong Biblical Emphasis 17 Old Testament Books give prominence to the Second Coming 23 of 27 New Testament Books refer to the Second Coming 318 verses of the New Testament refer to the Second Coming For every 1 prophecy concerning the First Coming there are 8 prophecies concerning the Second Coming 4 of the Lord's parables deal with the Second Coming Paul closes every chapter of 1 Thessalonians with a reference to the Second Coming B. Connected with the Major Doctrines of Christianity 1) The DEITY of Christ But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.""Yes, it is as you say," Jesus replied. "But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Matthew 26:63-64 2) ATONEMENT So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28 3) Our ADOPTION as God's Children How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:1-2 4) RESURRECTION 1
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 5) Final JUDGMENT In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: 2 Timothy 4:1 2. The CERTAINTY of His Coming A. The Testimony of the ANGELS "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1:11 B. The Testimony of the APOSTLES 1) Peter Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, and that he may send the Christ, who has been appointed for you--even Jesus. He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as he promised long ago through his holy prophets. Acts 3:19-21 2) Paul To keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Timothy 6:14 3) John Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7 C. Testimony of the LORD But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?" "I am," said Jesus. "And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven." Mark 14:61-62 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 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. John 14:1-3 2
3. MANNER of His Coming A. Jesus will come PERSONALLY For 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. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 B. Jesus will come LITERALLY and VISIBLY Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen. Revelation 1:7 C. Jesus will come in GLORY "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. Matthew 25:31 D. Jesus will come in POWER "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. Matthew 24:30 E. Jesus will come with the ANGELS (see Matthew 25:31 above) F. Jesus will come SUDDENLY For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Matthew 24:27 You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him." Luke 12:40 "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book." Revelation 22:7 4. EVENTS of His Coming A. The TIME of Jesus' Return is Not Known "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:32 B. Four Things that will Occur when the Lord Returns 3
1) Christ will RECEIVE His own And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Matthew 24:31 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. John 14:3 2) Judgment with Christ as Judge (see Matthew 25:31-46) 3) RESURRECTION But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 1 Corinthians 15:20-23 For 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 together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 4) New HEAVENS and New EARTH But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness. 2 Peter 3:10-13 5. REACTIONS to His Coming A. From the PHYSICAL World "But in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Mark 13:24-25 "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. Luke 21:25 4
I watched as he opened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackcloth made of goat hair, the whole moon turned blood red. Revelation 6:12 B. From Non-Christian People Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. Luke 21:26 Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. Revelation 6:15 C. From the CHRISTIAN 1) He/She will be living a RIGHTEOUS LIFE "Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap. Luke 21:34 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live selfcontrolled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:12-13 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. 2 Peter 3:11-12a 2) He/She Will be WATCHING while we wait for the blessed hope--the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 3) He/She Will be WORKING "His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' Matthew 25:21 5
THREE MILLENNIAL VIEWS Premillennialism takes its name from its assertion that Christ will return prior to this thousand-year period. There are two major forms of premillennialism: Historic and Dispensational. Both versions believe that Christ's return will be preceded by a seven-year tribulation that will mark the beginning of his one thousand year earthly reign, though not all historic premillennialists believe this is a literal seven years. They also believe that at Christ's return believers will be resurrected and Satan will be bound. The millennium will then consist of a golden age of Christ's reign. At the end of the millennium, Satan will be released to lead a last rebellion against Christ, and this rebellion will be crushed. Then will ensue the general resurrection of the rest of mankind, and the final judgment, followed by the New Heavens and the New Earth. The clearest difference between Historic and Dispensational premillennialism concerns their different views of Israel and its relationship to the church. Historic premillennialism sees the church as spiritual Israel, so that God's people in the Old Testament were Israel, while in the New Testament his people are the church. Historic premillennialists see the millennium as the great age of the church's triumph, in union with believing Israel (i.e. Old Testament saints). Dispensational premillennialism, however, sees Israel and the church as distinct entities, such that God has one plan for Israel and another plan for the church. In the Old Testament, God was dealing with Israel, but when they rejected Christ God began to deal with the church instead. However, they believe that in the millennium God will again deal with national Israel and fulfill his promises to them. Most Dispensational premillennialists also believe that the tribulation is designed primarily for God's dealings with Israel. Postmillennialism takes its name from the fact that it holds that Christ will return after the thousand-year period mentioned in Revelation 20. There are also two major kinds of postmillennialism. One kind teaches that the millennium is a literal one thousand years, more specifically, the last one thousand years before Christ returns. According to this system, we can never really know whether or not we are in the millennium. Only when Christ returns can we look back and see when the millennium was. The other kind of postmillennialism teaches that the millennium is not a literal one thousand years, and that it spans the entire period between the first and second advents of Christ. All versions of postmillennialism share the belief that there will be only one bodily resurrection, and that this will occur when Christ returns. At Christ's return, all Christ's enemies will be finally defeated, the final judgment will take place, and the New Heavens and New Earth will be created. The distinctive mark of postmillennialism is that prior to Christ's return the gospel will progress and triumph more and more, so that the world will be largely Christianized prior to Christ's return. Things will get better and better for the gospel and the church until Christ returns. "Amillennialism" is a somewhat misleading name in the term means no millennium. In actuality, amillennialism is "postmillennial" in that it teaches that Christ will return after the millennium. The "a-" in "amillennialism" designates the idea that there is no literal millennium, that is, the idea that the reign of Christ may be shorter or longer than a literal one thousand years. The millennium, in amillennialism, is the entire period between the first and second advents of Christ. As mentioned above, one type of postmillennialism is identical to amillennialism in this respect. What distinguishes amillennialism from this type of postmillennialism is the nature of the development of the kingdom of God during the millennium. There are varieties of views regarding the shape and progress of the church and of the gospel during this period. Some amillennialists believe that things will get markedly worse before Christ returns, some believe things will go on about the same as they always have, and some believe that Scripture doesn't tell us enough to know what will happen before Christ returns. 6