BIBLE DOCTRINE 18: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST<\/p>\n\n\n\n
God\u2019s Word teaches:
That the Second Coming of Christ will be just as literal and visible as His going away, and He is coming to execute judgment upon the ungodly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He will also, then, set up His Kingdom and reign on this present earth for a thousand years \u2013<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Zechariah 14:3,4; Matthew 25:31- 46; 26:64; Mark 13:24-37; 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10; 2:8; Jude 14,15.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1:9 Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 1:10 When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, 1:15 To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Scriptures abound with evidence that speaks of the certainty of Christ\u2019s Second Coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Our Lord Jesus spoke of His return several times once leading the disciples to enquire about the signs that would herald that certain event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A study of the Scriptures indicates that certain prophecies concerning Christ and some future programme of God are not yet fulfilled and would only be after the Second Advent of Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, all the signs preceding the Second Advent are being fulfilled daily. Going through the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24 and 25, the following signs of His coming are clear.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jesus Himself said there would be deceptions (Matthew 24:4,5,11,24), false Christ<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:25 Behold, I have told you before. 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wars and rumours of wars (Matthew 24:6,7),<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
famines (Matthew 24:7),<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
pestilences and earthquakes, Anti- Semitism (Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:9,13),<\/p>\n\n\n\n
offended (Matthew 24:10), betrayals, hatred, false prophets (Matthew 24:11),<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
lawlessness and martyrdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the impact of the Second Coming would be as universal as when \u201cthe lightening cometh out of the east and shineth unto the west\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It would make all \u201cthe tribes of the earth to mourn\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They will be deep in spiritual lethargy and indifference as was the case in the time of Noah\u2019s flood (Matthew 24:27,30,37).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Holy Spirit through the apostle confirmed that Christ shall appear \u201cthe second time\u201d (Hebrews 9:28)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hebrews 9:28 So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and would then reward His faithful servants with crowns of glory, praise and honour and His adversaries with fiery indignation (1 Peter 5:4; 1:7; Hebrews 10:27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hebrews 10:27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
James the apostle also encouraged the believers: \u201cBe ye also patient, stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth near.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The angel of God confirmed that \u201cthis same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven\u201d (Acts 1:11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 1:11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The prophecy in Isaiah 9:6, that the government (of the whole world) would be on His (Christ\u2019s) shoulders is yet to be fulfilled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also some prophecies in Isaiah 61 concerning our Lord Jesus Christ were only partially fulfilled at His first coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christ Himself confirmed in Luke 4:21 that \u201cThis day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rest of the prophecies in that chapter will be fulfilled after His second advent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The exactitude with which the old time prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ were fulfilled points to the infallibility of the Scriptures and to the certainty of those prophecies concerning His second advent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Prophecies on His virgin birth, details of His earthly life, His death and resurrection were all literally fulfilled to the letter, and so would those relating to His Second Coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Apart from the fulfillment of the prophecies concerning Christ, other divine purposes which the second advent would fulfilled include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
1) the comfort of the Church (John 14:1-3; 16:20-22); 2)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the restoration of Israel to her sovereignty as prophesied in the scripture (Isaiah 32:18; 33:20-24);<\/p>\n\n\n\n
3) the judgment of the earth (Revelation 20:11-15; John 5:22);<\/p>\n\n\n\n
4) the renovation of the earth (Isaiah 66:22; Revelation 21:1);<\/p>\n\n\n\n
5) the restoration of all things as God wants it (Romans 8:20-23; Jeremiah 12:4,11).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The greatest event that will precede the Second Coming of Christ is the rapture \u2013 the catching away of the saints to meet the Lord in the air and to be with Him forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rapture lies in the valley between the mountains of Christ\u2019s first and second coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is a part of the mystery of the Church, which in the Old Testament age \u201cwas not made known unto the sons of men\u201d as it was revealed in the New Testament to \u201cHis holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rapture should, however, not be confused with the Second Coming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The two events are distinct and separated by seven years. Specifically,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the Second Coming refers to Christ\u2019s coming to the earth to live as He did in the first coming to be seen by every eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the rapture, Christ would come to the earth but stop in the air where the saints will meet Him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is not every eye that will see Christ at the rapture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Christ meets the saints in the air He will take them to heaven where they would remain for the period of the great tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is during this seven-year period that the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:18,19)<\/p>\n\n\n\n
and the judgment of saints for reward will take place in heaven (1 Corinthians 3:12-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In other words, the rapture is the time Christ comes for the saints to take them to heaven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Second Coming, however, He will come to the earth to live and fulfill a definite part of God\u2019s timetable for the earth and man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christ would come with the saints raptured seven years earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The rapture Whereas can take place any moment without warning,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
the second coming cannot happen until after both the rapture and the great tribulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At His second coming, Christ will reign on earth for one thousand years with the saints. Christened the Millennial Reign,<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Christ\u2019s rule would be characterized by unprecedented peace, prosperity and blessings on the earth (Isaiah 11:1-9).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satan, the author of heartache, strife, and contention would be bound for the duration of Christ\u2019s Millennial Reign (Revelation 20:2,3).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Revelation 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 20:3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Satan and his cohorts will mobilize forces Christ and to frustrate His coming again to establish the Millennial Reign, just in the same way he tried to use Herod to stop Christ\u2019s survival at His first coming (His birth).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He was defeated at that time and again he would be defeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The battle against Christ and His host is called the Battle of Armageddon (Revelation 19:11-21; 20:1-4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There will be a great and terrible slaughter of the army of the antichrist gathered from the nations of the earth through the efforts of the evil spirits sent out over the earth by Satan, the antichrist and the false prophet (Revelation 17:13,14).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This Satan\u2019s last attempt to wrongfully take the kingdom from Christ will fail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world and the Church are called to prepare for this great event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The world is admonished to repent and come to Christ before the day of the Lord (John 3:1-8).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Church as a bride is called to be ready, holy, spotless, watchful, prayerful and busy preaching His word until He comes (Hebrews 12:14; 1 John 3:1-3; 2 Timothy 4:1,2; Ephesians 5:25-27).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBehold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him\u201d (Revelation 1:7<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Let us pray.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BIBLE DOCTRINE 18: THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST God\u2019s Word teaches:That the Second Coming of Christ will be just as literal and visible as His going away, and He is…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18441","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-devotional"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18441","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18441"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18441\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18442,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18441\/revisions\/18442"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18441"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18441"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clcbconline.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18441"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}