Jesus Said, “I Will Come Again”
Are You Ready?
John 14:1-3
Acts 1:6-11
Historic Christianity teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin, he suffered and died on the cross, he rose again, and Jesus will return as King of kings and Lord of lords.
I’m not going to give you a time-line of the end times prior to the second coming of Christ. I’m not going to argue for any certain rapture view or millennial view. But I am going to challenge you to be ready for the second coming of Christ. Jesus is coming again.
There is a great contrast between the first and second Advent of Christ.
In His first coming Jesus was in a manger wrapped in swaddling clothes. In His second coming He will be clothed royally in a robe of glory.
In His first coming He was surrounded with cattle and common shepherds. In His second coming He will be accompanied by the massive armies of angels.
In His first coming the door of the inn was closed to Him. In His second coming the door of the heavens will be opened to Him.
In His first coming His voice was the tiny cry of a baby. In His second coming His voice will thunder as the sound of many waterfalls.
In His first coming, He was the Lamb of God who came bringing salvation. In His second coming, He will be the Lion of the tribe of Judah who comes bringing righteous judgment.
When Jesus ascended into heaven his ascension was witness only by his disciples. When Jesus returns His second coming will be witnessed around the world. “Every eye shall see Him.” Revelation 1:7
The Angels announced to the disciples the second coming of Jesus: They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken form you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Jesus announced His second coming in Matthew 24:27,29-30:
“For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be…Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”
We find in the scriptures the signs and purpose of Christ’s return to earth.
I. Signs of His Coming
The scriptures give several signs that will take place before Jesus returns:
Age of tribulation
Rise of False Teachings
World Evangelization
Cataclysmic Events
1. Age of Tribulation
As Jesus was teaching his disciples on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him and asked: “Tell us, …what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
Jesus answered: Matthew 24:4-13
False prophets will come claiming to be Christ
Nation will rise against nation
Believers will be persecuted and put to death
Most of us living in America don’t comprehend the meaning of tribulation and persecution for having faith in Jesus.
The Jewish people with their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Joseph understand what it means to be a persecuted people. Jewish people make up less than 1% of the world population. 13 million Jews are currently living in a world with a population of 6 billion. Currently it’s estimated that 5.4 million Jews live in Israel and 5 million in the United States.
Moses predicted that because of Israel’s unfaithfulness and turning to idol worship, “The Lord will scatter you among the peoples, and you will be left few in number among the nations where the Lord will drive you.” (Deuteronomy 4:27.)
Jews have been scattered across the world. God promised that He would gather the Jews and bring them back to their homeland. “I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.” (Ezekiel 36:24)
1948 was a historic year for the Jewish nation. On May 14, 1948 the United Nations recognized the new state of Israel. Never had a decimated ancient people managed to retain their individual identity through almost twenty centuries and reestablish their nation in their original homeland.
Last year when we had the Jews for Jesus music team at our church they told me that more and more Jews in Israel are turning to Jesus as their Messiah. According to Jeremiah 32:37-38 a day is coming when there will be a national revival in Israel. Behold, I will gather them out of all countries where I have driven them…I will bring them back to the place, I will cause them to dwell safely. They shall be My people, and I will be their God.”
Many Christian believers in Communist and Muslim Countries face persecution and possible death. In Muslim countries there is no such thing as separation of church and state. With current trends we can now see the possibility of what the Bible predicts: a world leader and a leader who is anti Christ. There are 1.5 billion Muslims in the world with 1.4 million Muslims in the United States. Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in the world. Could it be that
2. World Evangelization
Jesus taught that before he returned the gospel would be preached to all nations. Last Sunday our missionary speaker Keith Winslow told us that in 1976 there were 70,000 Ethnic groups without churches and 33 years, (2009) later there are only 8,000 Ethnic groups without churches. Could it be in the next 30 years all Ethnic groups will be reached with the Good News of the Gospel.
Matthew 24:14, “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.”
With the Internet it is possible to reach around the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Easter Sunday morning we showed a video clip taken off You Tube. The clip was a power point presentation by Rev. Lockridge, “That’s My King, Do you Know Him.” The presentation was a powerful message that anyone in the world with access to the Internet could watch on You Tube. It is possible that within the next 30 years every tribe and nation will have access to the truth of Jesus Christ.
3. False Teachings
Jesus said that another sign of his coming was the rise of false teachings. “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, “I am the Christ, and will deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5)
From the beginning of creation there has been false teachings. Satan disguised as a serpent gave Adam and Eve advice contrary to their creator. Satan is the master deceiver and twists truth and blinds the eyes and minds of people so they cannot see the truth.
On one occasion Jesus went to a blind man and spit on the ground and made some mud with the saliva. Jesus put the mud on the man’s eyes and told him to go wash in the Pool of Siloam. The man went and washed in the pool and received his sight. (John 9:6-7)
The story went around during that day that some people argued about how Jesus healed the blind man. Some said he didn’t put mud on the man’s eyes and others said he did. Two groups formed with different religious convictions, “The Mudites and the Anti-Mudities.”
Last Sunday Keith Winslow told us how one man started a following teaching that the only what to have God answer prayer was to pray on your head. He fell in a deep well headfirst. While stuck hanging upside down he prayed and called out to God. Someone came by and threw him a rope and pulled him out.
A couple weeks ago a couple ladies stopped by our house on a Saturday to talk to me about the teachings of Jehovah Witnesses. After listening to their views I shared by personal testimony and explained to them that when we stand before God the important question will be what we have don with Jesus. He alone can forgive sin and provide salvation by faith and not by works. I told them about a support Group that meets at our church for former Jehovah Witnesses. I also encouraged them to read the New Testament with an open mind and let the Lord speak to their heart. I offered to have prayer with them and the trainer started walking off but the one in training stayed for my prayer.
Last month when the JW support group met at our church I talked to a former JW Missionary to Peru. He said that after reading through the NT 26 times he left JW and became a true disciple of Jesus.
George Barna and his polling group surveyed a cross section of Americans and found some interesting beliefs:
59% do not believe in Satan.
51% believe in praying to dead Christian leaders of the past to have their prayers answered.
35% believe you can communicate with the dead.
44% believed that the Bible, the Koran and the Book of Mormon are all different expressions of the same truth.
The sign of Jesus return is the unprecedented rise of false teachings. Many will be deceived and follow the lies of the Devil.
“For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform great miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen one.” Matthew 24:24
There is great value in knowing what you believe and why you believe what you believe. God’s Word is your guidebook for life. God’s Word is Truth. You come to church to worship and hear God’s Word taught. You attend Sunday school and small group Bible studies so you will live and walk in the Truth of God’s Word.
4. Cataclysmic Events in Nature
Jesus said that a fourth sign of his coming would be unusual cataclysmic events in nature.
“The nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be famines and earthquakes in many parts of the world. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come.” Matthew 24:7-8
Year after year around the world there are famines, earthquakes and hurricanes that devastates the earth and thousands of lives are lost. But before Jesus returns there will cataclysmic events in nature: “The sun will be darkened, the moon will not give light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.” Matthew 24:29
This climactic event is spoken of several places in scripture.
Joel 2:30,31 "And I will give portents in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes."
Isaiah also describes the same event, using very similar language in 13:9, 10:
"Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of the heavens and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising and the moon will not shed its light."
And in Revelation 6:12-14, the apostle John describes it in very vivid terms.
"When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale; the sky vanished like a scroll that is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place."
"Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." Matthew 24:30
We are living in the age of tribulation and false teachings. Deception abounds around the world. We are witnessing the spread of the Gospel around the world and in not that many years the Gospel will reach out to every tribe and nation. Cataclysmic events will happen sometime in the future.
II. The Purpose of Christ’s Coming
When Jesus ministered on earth he gave his followers the command to go into the entire world and make disciples of all ethnic groups. All nations and people of different languages need to hear the good news about Jesus.
The purpose of Christ’s second coming is two fold. First he will gather all His followers and take them home with Him in heaven. Second, Jesus will judge all who have rejected Him.
“And he will send forth his angels with the sound of a mighty blast, and they will gather together his chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.”
Matthew 24:31
One of the best descriptions of the Second coming of Christ is in the Revelation Jesus gave the Apostle John in Revelation 19:1 “After this, I heard the sound of a vast crowd in heaven shouting, “Hallelujah! Salvation is from our God. Glory and power belong to him alone.”
(Rev. 19:11-16) Jesus in His Second Coming comes as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
Jesus said, “Just as lightening lights up the entire sky, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.” Matthew 24:27 “No one knows the day or the hour when Jesus will return.” Matthew 24:36 “You must be ready all the time. For the Son of Man will come when least expected.” Matthew 24:44
Two keywords Jesus gives us are “Watch!” and “Be ready!”
Are you ready for His coming? If not. Why not? Now is the day of salvation.
A young lady was getting ready for a blind date. Her date had asked her to go downtown to an exclusive restaurant with live music and dancing. She wanted to make a good impression so she took the day off work. She cleaned her apartment, went out to have her hair done and get a manicure. She put on her finest dress and was ready on time for her date to come.
Finally after waiting for an hour and he didn’t show up she let down her hair and put on her pajamas and gathered up junk food to watch television. Later a knock came at the door and there was her date. He looked at her surprised and said, “What I gave you an extra two hours and you’re still not ready to go!”
Jesus emphasized the importance of watching and being ready for His coming in Matthew 25. Jesus told the parable of the Ten Bridesmaids. Five bridesmaids kept their lamps lit and purchased extra oil so they would be ready to meet the bridegroom and five bridesmaids purchased no extra oil. Their lamps burned out and they lay down to sleep. At mid-night a shout went out, “The Bridegroom is coming” the five bridesmaids got up to welcome him but their lamps went out so they went shopping to purchase oil for their lamps. While they gone the bridegroom came and the five bridesmaids with lighted lamps went into the wedding feast and the doors were locked and the other five bridesmaids were left out in the cold.
Jesus said, “Stay awake and be prepared, because you do not know the day or hour of my return.” Mathew 25:13
Jesus told a second parable in Matthew 25. The second parable was about three servants. Before their master want away on a trip he gave them bags of gold to invest. To one servant he gave five bags of gold, to a second servant he gave two bags of gold and to a third servant he gave one bag.
The servant with five bags of gold doubled the value while the master was gone. The second servant doubled the value of his investment, but the third buried his bag of gold for safekeeping.
When the master returned he praise the two servants that invested and doubled their investment, but the servant that buried his talent the Master said, “Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Matthew 25:30
This parable teaches that while Jesus is away and you are waiting for His Second Coming you are to invest your life in serving Him. Your decision should be made in the light of eternity. Don’t let your life rust away; stay busy in serving the Lord.
When Jesus returns He will separate believers from non-believers. Believers will join the Lord in His eternal Kingdom, but the rebellious and unbelievers will be cast along with the Devil and his demons into hell forever separated from God.
Are you ready for the Second Coming of Jesus? Are you watching? Are you staying active in serving Jesus while you are waiting and watching? If not, why aren’t you? Why not start today by making the commitment to follow Jesus?
