What does the Bible say about the return of Jesus?
July 21, 2024
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,
the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God, begotten, not made,
of one Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary,
and was made man.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
There are three things we know for sure!
He will come again in glory
Matthew 25:31 NIV
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 NIV
“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. 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.
This is language used when a Greek ruler would come to a conquered city.
Matthew 24:36 NIV
"No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father”
Many believers spend too much time trying to figure out when Christ will return, when we should be focused on living well for the judgment that is also coming.
To judge the living and the dead.
Romans 14:10b-12 NIV
“For we will all stand before God's judgment seat. 11 It is written: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.'" 12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
If we believe we’re going to stand before God’s judgment seat:
1. God will know who we are.
2. God will know what we have done.
The great tragedy for unbelievers is not standing in judgment in front of an angry God.
The great tragedy for unbelievers is standing in judgment and realizing God is good and merciful.
The invitation is to bow our knees every day and to constantly evaluate ourselves with the help of the Holy Spirit.
His kingdom will have no end.
Revelation 21:1-4 NIV
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."
