The Creed
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Series Recap
Good Morning.
Over the past month and a half we have been in a series called “The Creed,” talking about important beliefs in the church that false teachers or others have taught against and tried to get Christians to stop believing.
We have talked about
The Trinity
The assurance of our Eternal Life,
The reality of the Resurrection of Jesus
The Reliability of the Bible
And last week we spoke about the Evidence for the Biblical Creation account.
These are all very important beliefs that Satan wants people to not believe. He wants you not to believe these things because they are true and when you stop believing and stop living in the knowledge of truth about God and who He is and what He has done, you miss out on many of the blessings of living in the truth of the Lord like more of His peace and His Joy.
Sermon Intro
Today we are going to wrap up this series with a final message on
The Second Coming of Jesus Christ
This message is not a message about the truth of who God is or what He has done, but it is a message about the truth of a promise He has made that is vital that we know about and believe so that we can better live as we wait on His promise to come to fulfillment.
The belief about Jesus coming again is included in the major creeds of the church saying “he will come to judge the living and the dead” In the Apostles Creed and “He shall come again, with glory, to judge the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end” In the Nicene Creed.
In fact, Jesus himself, encouraged the apostles with the fact of his return in
John 14:1-3
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"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 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. 3 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.
Jesus is coming back.
But when?
This is a question that has been asked since the apostle’s time
Peter writes in
2 Peter 3:3-4, 9-10a
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3 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. 4 They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation."
9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.
He has not returned yet because He is accomplishing His purpose to see men saved.
He has not forgotten, He has not delayed in coming, but as He has designed us in His own image with a will, He is working to draw men unto Himself to bring people from every tongue and tribe into his kingdom.
But be assured that He will return, and while we do not know the day or the hour, because Jesus tells us that "No one knows about that day or hour” (Matthew 24:36), He does tell us about some of the events that surround His return.
Some people get confused by these things because they look at the second coming as a single event rather than a series of events that surround His actual return and His ultimate rule in a millennial Kingdom and beyond in a new heaven and new earth.
Transition
So today, we are going to get the 30,000 foot view of the events surrounding the second coming of Christ so you can better understand it and, if you are a believer, be encouraged that the Lord is coming again for you.
So what can we expect next regarding Christ’s second coming?
The next event is when
Christ Raptures those of His Church
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The Rapture is when Christ comes and calls all of those who are believers, those who are part of the universal church, to be with Him.
Now the word Rapture is not found in the Bible – It comes from the Latin word that is translated from a Greek word found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17 meaning to be “caught up.”
The 1 Thessalonians 4 passage along with 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 are the 2 primary texts that describe this event.
Let’s read them and then talk about why this happens.
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1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
13 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. 14 We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 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. 17 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. 18 Therefore encourage each other with these words.
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1 Corinthians 15:50-54
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 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. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 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."
Ok, Now 2 things are going on at the rapture of the church
First,
Believers who have died return with Christ and receive glorified bodies
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1 Thessalonians 4:14 - “We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him”
Since the time of Christ’s resurrection, believers who have died have gone immediately to be with the Lord. Paul confirms this for us in
2 Corinthians 5:8
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We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.
So those who die in Christ are with the Lord consciously and spiritually, but they do not yet have their glorified bodies.
When Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:52
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that “the dead will be raised imperishable,” that is what he is talking about, the bodies of those who have died being changed, glorified, and reunited with their conscious, spiritual selves.
So that is one thing that is going on when Jesus returns for the church.
Transition
But another thing that happens at the rapture is
Believers who are alive rise to Christ and are instantly glorified bodily
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Paul says that after those who have died receive their glorified bodies, 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 4:17)
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And 1 Corinthians 15:52b-54 says - …we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 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."
So, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ and you are here when Jesus comes back for the church, you will not die, but be transformed in an instant, in the twinkling of an eye and your body will be changed from the aging decaying tent that you are now living in, to a glorious new body, that does not decay, that does not suffer, that will not get cancer, that will be free from blemishes, that will not break bones, that will last for eternity!
That is the next event on the prophetic timeline and it could happen at any moment.
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And it truly is, as Paul tells Titus, the “blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13)
Transition
Ok, so that is pretty exciting. But what happens after the rapture?
Well after the rapture, you have a time of judgment.
Christ Judges Believers and the Earth
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At this point, since all the believers have been raptured this is when
Believers in Heaven face the Judgment Seat of Christ
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Not for Salvation – For Rewards
This judgment does not determine if you get into heaven since believers are already there because they have trusted in Christ. Instead, this judgment determines your rewards in heaven if you built your life on the foundation of Christ using “gold, silver and costly stones” also known as works done in the power of and for the glory of the Lord.
Or it determines your lack of rewards for those who are believers who built on the foundation or Christ – are actual believers in Jesus – who build using “wood, hay and straw” or works done in the power of and for the glory of yourself.
Paul tells us if you are a believer, having truly trusted in Jesus, you will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames if at the judgment seat of Christ, your works are burned up.
So believers face a judgment for their works in regards to their rewards or lack thereof after the rapture.
Transition
But, while that is going on in heaven, the
People on Earth face the Divine judgments of the Tribulation
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This time of Tribulation that is spoken of in both the Old and New Testaments, especially Revelation, is what many people think about when they think about the end times and the time before Christ’s return. Often they are afraid that they will go through this awful time.
If you are a Christian, understand that this is the time when the church age has ended – God has removed the church through the rapture – and when He turns his attention to Israel again and in judging this world.
It is this period of time that is
the prophesied 70th week in Daniel’s prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27) that focuses on Israel
and is also known as the Time of Jacob’s Trouble(Jeremiah 30:7-11)
Listen to what God says about this time in Jeremiah’s prophecy directed toward Israel
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Jeremiah 30:7-11
7 How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.
8 "' In that day,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'I will break the yoke off their necks and will tear off their bonds; no longer will foreigners enslave them. 9 Instead, they will serve the Lord their God and David their king, whom I will raise up for them.
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10 "'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. 11 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 go entirely unpunished.'
So in this passage it talks about trouble that Israel endures and then that the Lord will save them out of this trouble.
While this time of tribulation will be bad as God will be judging the earth and Israel with these divine judgments, it is also a time when God opens the eyes of Israel at large and they recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
Transition
It is then after this time of judgment in this tribulation that Israel turns to Jesus that
Christ Returns as a Conquering King
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At the very end of the tribulation period when God judges the earth, the battle of Armageddon occurs, when all who are against the Lord are killed and the beast and false prophet are thrown into the lake of fire and Satan is bound and thrown into the Abyss for 1000 years.
We read about this in
Revelation 19:11, 16, 19-21, 20:1-3
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11 I 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… 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
19 Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. …
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The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.
20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
After Christ returns as a conquering King and defeats Satan and his people, it is then that
Christ Reigns in His Millennial Kingdom on the Earth
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Revelation 20:4-6
4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
So Christ returns as a conquering King and defeats his enemies and sets up His millennial Kingdom. During this time that He rules on earth, Satan will be bound and no longer able to deceive the nations and it will be a time of unprecedented peace on this earth.
But here is a question that many people have. Why? Why does he rule on this earth for 1000 years? Why not just have everyone in heaven?
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So what in the world is the purpose of this millennial Reign of Christ on the earth? Why not just have everyone in heaven?
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Well, this Millennial Reign on earth is an important time that God fulfills a number of promises He has made in His word to Israel, to Jesus and to the world in general.
God throughout His word had made many promises, or covenants that we often call them. Many of them are one sided, meaning that God made a promise or agreement where He is the only one that has responsibility. Those are unconditional covenants.
And some of the promises God has made have yet to be fulfilled.
It is during this Millennial Kingdom that God is true to His word and fulfills promises He has made.
For instance
One promise that will be fulfilled is the Land Covenant to Israel
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In Genesis 15:18-20 and Numbers 34:1-12, God made specific promises to Israel regarding the boundaries of the nation they would have. They have never specifically ruled over and possessed all of that area.
In the millennial Kingdom, they finally will.
Another promise that is fulfilled is the Davidic Covenant
SLide
God’s covenant with David was that his line would never die out and that David’s heir would sit on the throne of Israel (2 Samuel 7:16). Jesus is of the house of David and is that heir and this promise will be fulfilled in the Millennial Kingdom as He rules over Israel and the nations. (2 Sam 7:16 - Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'" )
Another promise that finally reaches fulfillment is the New Covenant
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The work of the New Covenant—Jesus’ death and resurrection to reconcile hearts to God—has been accomplished.
But we have not yet seen the complete fulfillment.
Jeremiah 31:33 says, “But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the LORD: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”
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Ezekiel 36:28 gives more specifics: “You shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you shall be my people, and I will be your God.”
Israel as a nation will experience the New Covenant through Christ when they recognize Him as their Messiah and he leads them into His Millennial Kingdom and these prophecies in Jeremiah and Ezekiel will be fulfilled.
Other Promises given throughout Scripture also find fulfillment
There is a promise that the curse would lifted
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Romans 8:19-21
19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
There is a sense that the current creation will enjoy a time when it is not subjected to frustration. This is a time described by Isaiah about the time of their Messiah when the Lord says in
Isaiah 11:6-9
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6 The wolf will live with the lamb,
the leopard will lie down with the goat,
the calf and the lion and the yearling together;
and a little child will lead them.
7 The cow will feed with the bear,
their young will lie down together,
and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
8 The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
9 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.
The Millennial Kingdom is a time when all of these promises find their fulfillment upon this earth. Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/thousand-year-reign-Christ.html
To not believe in a real millennial kingdom means, I believe, that you have to interpret Scripture not from a plain sense meaning of what we find recorded, but we must turn everything into an allegory and when we do that, it becomes possible to interpret Scripture in nearly any way we want.
God is true to His word and His promises and what He has said will be fulfilled and it is in His 1000 year reign upon this earth when he has defeated the beast and the false prophet and locked away Satan that these promises will be fulfilled.
Transition
And then after this 1000 year period, Satan is released and those who were born during the millennial kingdom will make choices to either follow the Lord or Satan and then Satan and those who do not follow the Lord will be finally and permanently defeated and then comes another time of Judgment when
Christ Judges on His Great White Throne
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Revelation 20:11-15
11 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. 12 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. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
This Great White Throne Judgment is for unbelievers, for those through all time who have never in faith, trusted the Lord and in His Messiah.
Now unbelievers go to Torment in Hades
Currently, those who die without trusting in Christ go to a place of Torment in Hades. It is a hell like place that you can see described in Luke 16:22-24. This place is only temporary. But at the Great White Throne Judgment all of those who have died outside of Christ will be judged by their works.
This judgment, like the Judgment seat of Christ, does not determine who is going to heaven. That Judgment took place at the cross and only those who receive Christ as their Lord and Savior will find their name in the book of life.
But similar to believers being judged regarding their works for rewards in heaven, unbelievers will be judged by their works for the level of punishment they receive in Hell for eternity.
Jesus, if you remember his teachings has said things like
Matt 11:23-24
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23 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths. If the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 But I tell you that it will be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
He is indicating that it will be more bearable for some than others based upon what you have done, how they have lived their life. For some, who lived lives less despicable than others, it will be more bearable, but still a place of torment without the presence of the Lord for eternity.
Have you trusted in Jesus?
If you are here today and have never trusted in Jesus for your salvation, the judgment you will face is the Great white throne judgment.
You can make sure you never face that judgment by, instead of being your own god, turning to Christ and receiving Him as your Savior and God so that you will find your name written in the book of life and you will live.
It is not too late for you. If you have the breath of life in you, it is not too late.
Turn from your sin, repent and receive Him.
I will lead in a prayer of confession in just a moment if you want to receive Him.
Transition
Because if you do, you will not only not face the Great White Throne judgment, but you will be there when
Christ Reigns in New Heaven & Earth in Eternity
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Revelation 21:1-4
21 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. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 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. 4 He will wipe 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."
There is a day coming when Christ will not just redeem the world, but will make it all new. There will be no more suffering and pain or death.
There will be no cancer.
Your body will no longer decay.
You won’t struggle to get out of bed.
You won’t dread a call from you doctor for bad news.
You won’t be stressed over losing your job, or having enough to eat.
No longer will you mourn the loss of someone you love.
The old order of things will be gone and you will truly live perfectly in eternity.
Conclusion
It is imperative that we recognize that God has been faithful to all His promises of the past and that He will be faithful to every promise He has made and one that we must continue to be focused on is that Jesus Christ will come again for a second time and beginning with the rapture, He will usher in the events of the end to finish all of His promises and judgments so we can experience His presence forever no longer subject to the curse that came with sin, but in the fullness of a perfect relationship with Christ.
Knowing that helps strengthen us
To endure through hardship,
To have peace through uncertainty and
To rejoice in struggles.
Believe the truth that Jesus will come again and trust in all of His promises!
Do not delay in receiving Him. He has not delayed, but is being patient wanting men to be saved. But understand, even though He is patient, time is still short.
He tells us in
Revelation 22:12-13
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12 "Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
If you want to be assured of your eternity, then receive Jesus as your Savior and Jesus comes a second time, you can be assured that you too will be with Him forever.
Let’s pray.
