The Second Coming Of Christ
The Word Of God - Lesson VI C
The Second Coming of Christ
Introduction
It is absolutely clear from the Bible that Jesus will come a second time according to:
Matthew 24:3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately. “Tell us,” they said, when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
And Matthew 24:30
At that time 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.
And John 14:1-3
Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust 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 to prepare a place for you, I will come back to take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am.
And Acts 1:11
“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.”
And I Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord Himself will cone down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of he 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 for ever.
And Revelation 1:7
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.
And Revelation 19:11-16
I (John) saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no-one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron sceptre. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
The manner of Christ’s second Coming will be entirely different from the manner of His first Coming.
His First Coming
Christ was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and born as a Son according to:
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a Son, and will call Him Immanuel.
And Isaiah 9:6
For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given, and the government will be on His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
And Matthew 1:18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with Child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with Child and will give birth to a Son and they will call Him Immanuel – which means, “God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.
And Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. You will be with child and give birth to son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of his father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; His kingdom will never end.” “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin.?” The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God.
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be to me as you have said.” Then the angel left her.
Christ’s glory was veiled as we can read in:
Isaiah 53:2-3
He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty of majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces. He was despised, and we esteemed Him not.
And Matthew 13:55
Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas?
Christ’s power was demonstrated with sign and wonders as we can read in:
Matthew8:16-17
When evening came, many who were daemon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. This was to fulfil what was spoken through the Prophet Isaiah: “He took out infirmities and carried our diseases.”
The above is a reference to:
Isaiah 53:4
Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him and afflicted.
Christ was rejected by the Jewish authorities and crucified by the Romans as we can read in:
Isaiah 53
Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?..........
For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
And Daniel 9:26a
After the sixty-two “sevens” the Anointed one will be cut off and have nothing….
The sixty-two “sevens” refer to a period in history of 444 years. Daniel predicts that after that period Jesus would be crucified. That prediction has come true.
Christ voluntarily submitted Himself to the unjust rule of men. He did this in order to be the sacrifice for the sins of the world by dying on the Cross as we can read in:
John 10:17-18
The reason My Father loves Me is that I lay down My life –only to take it up again. No-one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father.
And Acts 4:25-28
You spoke by the Holy Spirit, through the mouth of your servant, our father David:
“Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.” Indeed Herod and Pontius Pilate met together with the Gentiles and the people of Israel in this city to conspire against Your Holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed. They did what Your power and will had decided beforehand should happen.
Having accomplished our redemption He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven where He will remain until the second Coming according to:
Acts 3:21
He must remain in heaven until the time comes for God to restore everything, as He promised long ago through His holy prophets.
All this is in fulfilment of the Old Testament prophecies of the Suffering Servant Messiah.
The Second Coming
Bible prophecies give a number of signs of the Second Coming of Christ.
a.There will be an increase of war, famines, plagues and earthquakes according to:
Luke 21:10-11
Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.
b. The earth will be full of violence as “in the days of Noah” and many people will be afraid of what is going to happen according to:
Luke 17:26-27
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
This passages refers to:
Genesis 6:11-13
Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth.”
c. There will be great sexual immorality and other kinds of evil behaviour as “in the days of Lot” according to:
Luke 17:28-29
It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulphur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
This passage refers to:
Genesis 18:20-22
Then the Lord said, “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great and their sin so grievous that I will go down and see if what they have done is as bad as the outcry that has reached Me. If not, I will know” The men turned away and went toward Sodom, but Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
And Genesis 19:1-24
The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gateway of the city. When he saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground…….
Then the Lord God rained down burning sulphur on Sodom and Gomorrah – from the Lord out of the heavens.
And II Timothy 3:1-5
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.
d. There will be widespread pollution of the earth and destruction of the environment according to:
Isaiah 24:5
The earth is defiled by its people; they have disobeyed the laws, violated the statutes and broken the everlasting covenant.
And Revelation 8:7-11
The first angel sounded his trumpet, and there came hail and fire mixed with blood, and it was hurled down upon the earth. A third of the earth was burned up, a third of the trees were burned up, and all the green grass was burned up.
The second angel sounded his trumpet, and something like a huge mountain, all ablaze, was thrown into the sea. A third of the sea turned into blood, a third of the living creatures in the sea died and a third of the ships were destroyed.
The third angel sounded his trumpet, and a great star blazing like a torch, fell from the sky on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water – the name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters turned bitter, and many people died from the waters that had become bitter.
And Revelation 16:3-4
The second angel poured out his bowl on the sea, and it turned into blood like that of a dead man, and every living thing in the sea died. The third angel poured out his bowl on the rivers and springs of water, and they became blood.
e. There will be a restoration of Israel as a Jewish nation according to:
Ezekiel 36:24
For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land.
f. There will be a conflict over Jerusalem which will involve all nations of the world according to:
Zechariah 12:2-3
I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling, Judah will be besieged as will Jerusalem. On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All who try to move it will injure themselves.
g. There will be a globalisation process which will bring nations together. An anti-Christian government will arise out of this according to:
Revelation 13
And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority………
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on is right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
The prophet Daniel helps us understand the prophecy of John about the beast in:
Daniel 7:23
He gave me this explanation: The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.
h. There will be an increase in technology and travel according to:
Daniel 12:4b
“ …..Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”
i. There will be false prophets who will cause confusion about God and salvation according to:
Matthew 24:5
Jesus answered: “Watch out that no-one deceives you. For many will come in My name, claiming, “I am the Christ,” and will deceive many.”
And Matthew 24:23-26
At that time if anyone says to you, “Here is the Christ!” or, “There He is!” do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect –if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, “There He is, out in the desert,” do not go out; or, “Here He is, in the inner rooms, do not believe it.”
j. There will be an attack on the basic truths of the Bible and opposition to those who teach the Gospel according to:
Matthew 24:10-11
At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people.
And II Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to say. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.
And II Peter 2
“But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them – bringing swift destruction on themselves…….
Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit, and “A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing in the mud.”
k. The message of the gospel will reach all nations despite opposition and persecution according to:
Matthew 24:9, 14
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of Me…..
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
And Matthew 28:18-20
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
A literal interpretation of end time prophecy requires there to be two stages to the second Coming.
1. The first stage of the Lord’s Second Coming
The Rapture
The Lord will come for believers who will be caught up to meet Him in the air according to:
I Thessalonians 4:16-17
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 for ever.
And I Corinthians 15:50-54
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
This event is called the Rapture and believers are encouraged to look for the Coming of the Lord according to:
Luke 21:36
Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
And I Thessalonians 5:1-10
Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, get drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be self-controlled, putting of faith and love as a breastplate and the hope of salvation as a helmet. For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. He died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep we may live together with Him.
Believers are to be people of “the light” and of “the day” because they do not live in spiritual darkness. They are to be alert and self-controlled. Christ died for believers so that one day all believers, those who have already died or, as Paul puts it “are asleep,” and those who are still alive at the time of His coming will be with the Lord for ever.
And Titus 2:11-13
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the Blessed Hope –the glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.
Paul informs the believers as well that certain things need to take place before the Rapture according to:
II Thessalonians 2:1-3
Concerning the Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our being gathered together to Him, we ask you brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the Day of the Lord has already come. Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the Rebellion occurs and the Man of Lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction.
From the above passage we learn that before believers will meet the Lord in the air two things must take place. They are as follows:
1. A great Apostasy will happen, a falling away from Biblical truth.
2. The Man of Lawlessness, the Antichrist will come on the scene.
The Wedding Supper
The Apostle John describes what takes place once believers are in heaven as we can read in:
Revelation 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!
For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and His Bride has made herself ready,
Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.”
(Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints).
Then the angel said to me, “Write: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb.” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
Believers will return with the Lord to earth at His Second Coming according to:
Revelation 19:14
The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
The Tribulation
Another event will take place on earth before the return of the Lord, called the Tribulation, which includes a period called the Great Tribulation. Paul does not mention this event in relation to the Rapture. It is therefore very likely that this event will happen some time after the believers have been raptured.
The time of the Tribulation will last for three and a half years. Likewise the Great Tribulation which follows on from the Tribulation will last three and a half years.
God will use that period for two reasons:
He will complete His discipline of the nation Israel.
He will judge the unbelievers.
The Prophet Jeremiah describes God’s discipline of the nation of Israel, which culminates in the seven years Tribulation, or the time of “Jacob’s Trouble” in:
Jeremiah 30:7-11
How awful that day will be. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. “In that day,” declared the Lord, “I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their King whom I will raise up for them. So do not fear, O Jacob my servant; do not be dismayed, O Israel,” declares the Lord. “I will surely save you out of a distant place, your descendants from the land of their exile. Jacob will again have peace and security, and no-one will make him afraid. I am with you and will save you,” declares the Lord. “Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you entirely go unpunished.”
The Prophet Daniel writes about the time of God’s discipline for the nation of Israel in:
Daniel 9:24-27
Seventy “sevens” are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most Holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the Ruler comes, there will be seven “sevens” and sixty-two “sevens”. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two “sevens”, the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven.” In the middle of the “seven” he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.
God has decreed that a total of seventy “seven” or seventy times seven years is needed to discipline the nation of Israel for their sins according to:
Deuteronomy 28:58, 64-67
If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name – the Lord your God…..
Then the Lord will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods –gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known. Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your feet. There the Lord will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart. You will live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of your life. In the morning you will say, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!” – because of the terror that will fill your hearts and the sights that your eyes will see.
And Deuteronomy 31:16-18
“And the Lord said to Moses: “You are going to rest with your fathers, and these people will soon prostitute themselves to the foreign gods of the land they are entering. They will forsake Me and break the covenant I made with them. On that day I will become angry with them and forsake them; I will hide My face from them, and they will be destroyed. Many disasters and difficulties will come upon them, and on that day they will ask, “Have not these disasters come upon us because our God is not with us?” And I will certainly hide My face on that day because of all their wickedness in turning to other gods.”
Daniel’s words “to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” cover the first return of the Jews, an event we can read about in the Book of Nehemiah and the Book of Ezra.
Daniel’s words “the Anointed One will be cut off and have nothing” deal with the first coming of Jesus Christ and His death on the Cross.
Daniel’s words “the people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary” deal with the Roman Empire during which rule Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed in 70 AD.
Daniel’s words “war will continue until the end….” deal with the period we call the church age, which is the period we live in.
Daniel’s words “he will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven” speak of the covenant the antichrist will make with Israel, which will last for seven years. This period includes the three and a half years of the Tribulation and the three and a half years of the Great Tribulation. These events are still to take place.
Daniel writes as well about the time of the Tribulation in:
Daniel 12:1
At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people – everyone whose name is found written in the book – will be delivered.
The Apostle Matthew mentions the time of the Tribulation in:
Matthew 24:21-22
For then there will be great distress, unequalled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equalled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.
Luke writes about the Tribulation period in:
Luke 21:25-27
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. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the earth, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The Apostle John writes about the rule of the antichrist during the time of the Tribulation, and in particular during the Great Tribulation in:
Revelation 13:5-8
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander His name and His dwelling place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make was against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast – all whose name has not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
And in Revelation 13:16-18
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man’s number. His number is 666.
2. The second stage of the Lord’s Second Coming
Armageddon
The Lord will come to the earth with believers to deal with the nations of the earth and the antichrist when they have gathered around Jerusalem. This battle is called the battle of Armageddon. We can read of it in:
Zechariah 14:1-5
A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you. I (God) will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city. Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as He fights in the day of battle. On that day, His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with Him.
And Isaiah 2:10-21
Go into the rocks, hide in the ground from dread of the Lord and the splendour of His majesty…….
They will flee to caverns in the rocks and to the overhanging crags from the dread of the Lord and the splendour of His majesty when He rises to shake the earth.
And Acts 17:31
For He has set a day when He will judge the world with justice by the Man He has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising Him from the dead.
And Jude 14-15
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: “See the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
And Revelation 6:15-17
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. They called to the mountains and the 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 their wrath has come and who can stand?”
And Revelation 19:11-16
I (John) saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no-one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his Name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron sceptre. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On His robe and on His thigh He has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Israel’s recognition of her Messiah
At the time of the Second Coming of Christ Israel as a nation will recognise her Messiah according to:
Zechariah 12:10
And I will pour out on the House of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on Me, the One they have pierced, and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a firstborn son.
Satan will be bound for 1000 years
The Apostle John writes that at the return of Jesus Satan will be bound for a period of 1000 years before being released for a final time according to:
Revelation 20:1-3
And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the keys to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations any more until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
The Millennial Kingdom
At the second Coming of Christ He will rule the world from Jerusalem with a rod of iron for a period of 1000 years during which time there will be universal peace and justice on the earth according to:
Psalm 2:7-9
I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: He said to Me, “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father. Ask of Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession. You will rule them with an iron sceptre; You will dash them to pieces like pottery.
And Isaiah 2:1-4
“This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s Temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths.” 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 ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.
And Isaiah 11:3-9
“…He will not judge by what He sees with His eyes, or decides by what he sees with His ears…….
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.
And Zechariah 14:9
The Lord will be King over the whole earth. On that day, there will be one Lord, and His name the only name.
And Zechariah 14:16
Then the survivors of all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.
And Daniel 7:27
Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms of the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His Kingdom will be an everlasting Kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey Him.
The Final War
The Apostle John writes that Satan will be released for a final time in:
Revelation 20:7-8
When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth – Gog and Magog to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city He loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
The Final Judgement
At the end of the 1000 years there will be a final Judgement according to:
Revelation 20:11-15
Then I saw a great white throne and Him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from His presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The New Jerusalem
At that time the New Jerusalem, the City of God will come down from heaven according to:
Revelation 21:1-4
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the New Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”
Let us hold on to this truth in the midst of our present circumstances which may be challenging at times.
Conclusion
Believers are not to despair at the state of the world. Instead, we are to be always on the watch and to pray that we may escape all that must happen according to:
Luke 21:34-36
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. For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.
Believers are not to try and fix the date of the second Coming for we will get it wrong.
Matthew 24:36
No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
And I Thessalonians 5:1-6
Now brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well for you know that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labour pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you brothers, are not in darkness that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
Despite the evil in the world, believers are to continue living in the right way and be a light to the world according to:
I Thessalonians 4:9-12
Now about brotherly love, we do not need to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. And in fact, you do love all the brothers throughout Macedonia. Yet, we urge you, brothers, to do so more and more. Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependant on anybody.
And II Thessalonians 3:6-12
In the name of the lord Jesus Christ, we command you brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, not did we eat anyone’s food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, labouring and toiling, so that we would not be a burden to any of you. We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow. For even when we were with you, we gave you this rule: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” We hear that some among you are idle. They are not busy; they are busy bodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the bread they eat.
Believers are to be aware of interfaith unions promising to unite the world’s religions in the cause of peace according to:
Revelation 17 and Revelation 18
…………… The woman was dressed in purple and scarlet and was glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls. She held a golden cup in her hand, filled with abominable things and the filth of her adulteries. This title was written on her forehead:
Mystery Babylon the Great. The Mother of Prostitutes and the Abomination of the Earth. I saw that the Woman was drunk with the blood of the saints, the blood of those who bore testimony to Jesus…………. …..”
Believers are to live their lives to the glory of God, ready to meet Him at any time, and also ready to suffer for Him if called to do so according to:
Luke 21:12-19
But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought before kings and governors and all on account of My name. This will result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will hate you because of Me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.
I John 3:1-3
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. Everyone who has this hope in Him, purifies himself, just as He is pure.
And Revelation12:11
“They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.”
Believers are to be involved in evangelism according to:
Matthew 28:18-20
“Then Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Having studied the subject of the Second Coming of Christ which will enable us to be more prepared for that event, we will next study the role of the nation of Israel.