OPEN: Several years ago there was a TV evangelist who was preaching about his view of the 2nd Coming of Christ. Toward the close of the program he apparently actually made this pitch of one of his videos:
"Jesus is coming soon -- perhaps tomorrow!
Send $10 for a video that will explain the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!
Please allow six weeks for delivery."
What’s wrong with this picture???
Did this guy REALLY believe Jesus could come at any moment?
Of Course Not!!!
But anyone who seriously reads Scripture comes away with the very real impression:
Jesus could come tomorrow.
Well, everyone except most of the prophetic teachers on TV/radio.
According to them, we’re gonna need way more than just 6 weeks for Jesus to return.
According to the theology of most of these teachers, there’s a bunch of things that need to take place first.
Here’s a graph that shows this thinking:
(https://disciplesforlife.files.wordpress.com/2014/11/disp-pre.gif)
Notice what being taught here:
• 1st there’s church age (1) – this may last for a few more years.
• THEN Jesus returns “secretly” to rapture the Gentiles (3)
• There’s the building of Temple (not listed on the chart)
• THEN there’s a 7 year period of tribulation (3)
• Followed by a millennial Kingdom – Christ reigning on earth for 1000 years (4)
• THEN Jesus will judge mankind (6)
Jesus can’t come tomorrow!!
There’s WAYYYY too much stuff needs done 1st.
I mean, just to get the permits to rebuild the Temple will take longer than 6 weeks.
Now, as complicated as all this may sound - this is one of the simpler graphs I could find.
Some of these charts are really convoluted and confusing.
And I used to believe this stuff, but there are several reasons why I don’t buy into it anymore:
First – this kind of teaching requires at least 2 or 3 Second Comings of Christ.
(All depending on how you count them)
You have the “SECRET” coming of Christ to rapture the Church.
Then you have the “PUBLIC” coming of Christ to set up millennial kingdom.
And then (maybe) you have Jesus slipping away and coming back for judgment (depending on who does the teaching on this part of the presentation).
But there can only be one 2nd Coming!!!
After that… there’s a 3rd coming and a 4th coming and maybe even a 5th coming.
It just doesn’t make any sense!!!
Secondly – this kind of teaching focuses on the fact that Jesus must come to earth to receive His kingdom. Until that time comes – Jesus is not King and He does not reign… at least yet.
For Jesus to become King, He has to wait for the Millennial Kingdom (several years yet in the future). And in order to receive His kingdom, Jesus has to come to earth.
But that’s bogus. It’s not true.
For example, the prophecy from Daniel 7:13-14 tells us
"… there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was LED INTO HIS PRESENCE. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an EVERLASTING DOMINION that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.”
Notice what this prophecy in Daniel is saying:
Where did Jesus have to go receive His Kingdom?
Not to earth… instead, He was led into the heavenly throne room.
AND how long would His kingdom last?
Forever! It would NEVER pass away (in other words, it’s not limited to 1000 years)
In addition, Colossians 1:13 tells us Jesus’ kingdom exists right now–and you and I are part of it
“(God) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the KINGDOM of his beloved Son”
And the 3rd problem with this Millennial teaching is this -
This 1000 year thing only shows up in Revelation 20.
It is NEVER mentioned anywhere else in the Bible.
If you were to listen to most of the prophetic teachers on TV and radio you’d believe that this Millennial Kingdom lay at the very heart of God’s plan for the End Times. And yet… it is only mentioned in Revelation 20 – NO WHERE ELSE!
In addition, this false teaching directly contradicts other Scriptures, such as II Peter 3:9-12 which declares:
“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
But THE DAY OF THE LORD will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”
What is this “Day of the Lord” thing?
That’s the 2nd Coming of Christ.
When Jesus comes back… everything is going to burn up.
You don’t have to wait for tribulation.
You don’t have to wait for some 1000 year kingdom.
You don’t have to wait for the permits for a new Temple.
You don’t have to pass “GO” and collect $200.
When Jesus returns… it’s all over!!!
When Jesus came the first time He came to bring salvation.
When He returns the 2nd time, He’ll come to bring judgment.
Despite what you may have heard from others: THAT’S the main focus of Revelation 20.
When Jesus returns, He comes to bring judgment.
(PAUSE)
But before we get to the part about Christ standing in judgment we need to answer the question:
What is this about someone reigning with Christ for 1000 years?
Revelation 20:6 says “Blessed and holy is the one who SHARES IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION! Over such THE SECOND DEATH HAS NO POWER, but they will be PRIESTS OF GOD and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”
You know who this is that reigns with Christ?
That’s us!
You see, Revelation is filled with symbolic language. A great majority of the book is figurative, not literal. There is no literal 1000 years meant here. Just like most of the other numbers used in Revelation it has a SYMBOLIC meaning.
As one group of highly respected scholars note:
“As seven mystically implies universality, so A THOUSAND implies perfection, whether in good or evil.” (Jamieson, Fausset, Brown)
You see we’re living in an ERA described in Revelation 20 – an era symbolized by the “1000 years”. Now how can we know that?
1. We can know that because we have shared in the first resurrection. Do you know when that happened? (Walking over to the baptistery) It happened when you were baptized into Christ. When I baptize someone I put them all the way under the water. And how long do I keep them there? Not very long. They go under the water to die for their sins and they come up out of the water to walk in newness of life. They share in Christ’s resurrection. It is their “First Resurrection” from the dead.
2. And, we can know that we are in the era symbolized by the 1000 years because once we rise from that watery grave, the 2nd death has no power over us. The blood of Jesus covers us.
3. AND we can know that we’re in the symbolic 1000 years because we are priests God right now and we reign with Jesus right now. Revelation 1:4 and 5:10 tells us that
“(Jesus has) made (us) a kingdom and priests to our God, and (we) shall reign on the earth.”
That’s us… that’s now!!!
Right now, we are reigning with Christ.
That’s why Ephesians 2:6 tells us that …
“God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus”
You may think you’re seated in an auditorium with over 100 people right now – but in reality you are seated in the heavenly realms with Jesus. Right now! And being seated with Christ. That means you are ruling with Christ right now! You have more power and influence in heaven than you may ever have realized because you reign with Christ.
Now… let’s get on to the real focus of Revelation 20: The Judgment Seat.
Revelation 20:11-12 “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”
We need to recall that John was told to write this book of Revelation specifically to share with 7 churches that existed in that day (and of course for us as well). These were churches that faced persecution, imprisonment and even martyrdom for their faith. And Revelation ultimately told them two things they needed hear:
1st – there will be a judgment of living and the dead. Folks will pay for the harm they’ve done to God’s people.
And 2nd – there will be an ultimate eternal reward of God’s people. It is worth it to hang in there and serve our God.
Chapter 20 deals with the first of those two promises: Judgement.
ILLUS: I read about a guide who took a group of tourists around the Empire State Building. On the elevator ride to the 102nd floor, a nervous woman asked,
“What if these cables should break? Would we go up or down?”
The guide replied, “That depends entirely on the kind of life you’ve been leading.”
Why would the guide think that?
Because that’s what it says in Revelation 20.
The dead will be judged by what is written in the books, according to what they have done.
Now the world reads that and they think…
“Hey, I’ve got a chance. I’ve done some pretty good things.”
ILLUS: Years ago Reader’s Digest had an article about a 67 year old man named Bill who - during his lifetime - had donated over 100 pints of blood. You can imagine that somewhere along the line he probably saved a few lives because of that donation.
Bill later jokingly told a reporter:
“When that final whistle blows, and St. Peter asks, ‘What did you do?’ I’ll just say, ‘Well, I gave 100 pints of blood. That ought to get me in.”
ILLUS: About 10 years ago Warren Buffett announced that he was giving his fortune to charity. Buffett is worth $44 billion just in stocks. He is giving away $37 billion dollars and most of that will go to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (that leaves him with a paltry 7 billion dollars to live on). When Buffett presented his gift to the Gates, he made the remark,
“There is more than one way to get to heaven, but this is a great way.”
Now why would Bill the blood donor, and Warren Buffett the old rich guy believe they could get into heaven? Because of what they’d given. Because of what they’d done.
I mean – that’s what it says in Revelation isn’t it?
“The dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.”
Well… kinda.
Notice it DOESN’T say the dead got into heaven by what they’d done.
It ONLY says they were JUDGED by what they had done.
You’ve got to look a little closer to see how people get into heaven.
You’ve heard of people keeping 2 sets of books?
Well God keeps two sets of books.
In verse 12 it says:
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened. AND ANOTHER BOOK WAS OPENED, which is the book of life.”
Then verse 15 says: “And whosoever was NOT FOUND written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” Revelation 20:15
In other words – you can do all the good deeds you want.
You can donate all the blood you’ve got.
You can give all your wealth to the poor.
But if your name is NOT WRITTEN in the book of life it won’t make any difference.
You’re not going to make it.
Revelation 21:27 tells us “But nothing unclean will ever enter (heaven), nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.”
Who’s book of life is it?
That’s right, it’s the LAMB’S BOOK.
And who’s the Lamb?
That would be Jesus.
It’s only be having your name written in His book that you have any chance of heaven.
Now, you might ask… how can a person get their name written in this book?
Well, I’m so glad you asked.
In Acts 16 a Philippian Jailer asked Paul and Silas “What must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” Acts 16:31
But this jailer didn’t know what to believe about Jesus… so for the next hour or so they taught he and his family what they should believe about Jesus. And “he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family.” Acts 16:33
Once this jailer and his family knew what to believe they baptized the jailer and his family into Christ that very hour. It would have been a little after midnight.
Earlier in Acts 2, the crowd at Pentecost interrupted Peter’s sermon to ask “What shall we do?”
And they were told: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2:38
The Bible is very clear on how we should respond to God’s free gift of salvation.
• Believe in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31)
• Repent of our sins (Acts 3:19)
• Confess Jesus as our Lord and Owner (Romans 10:9-10)
• Be buried in the waters of baptism for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38)
• Life for Christ (Mark 13:13)
It’s not that hard.
The only reasons people would refuse to do it would be
1. They just refuse.
2. They’ve heard advice from people who oppose doing that.
3. They refuse to believe Jesus is coming back soon… so they put off the decision.
But the key thing is this: Jesus is coming back.
And when He returns there will be NO 2nd chances.
We need to be ready when He comes.
CLOSE: I want to close with this true story. After church, where she had been taught about the Second Coming, a little girl was quizzing her mother.
"Mommy, do you believe Jesus will come back?"
“Yes, honey."
"Could he come this week?"
"Yes sweetheart."
"Today?"
"Oh yes."
"Could he come in the next hour?"
"Of course."
"In a few minutes?"
"Yes, dear."
"Mommy, would you comb my hair?"
(Don Hussong, East Wenatchee, Washington. Leadership, Vol. 4, no. 3.)
Even a child understands the impact of Jesus’ 2nd Coming.
Even a child realizes that – when Jesus comes back – you want to be ready.
INVITATION
