THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS
Part 1: The Benefits of His Second Coming
INTRODUCTION:
In light of God’s redemptive plan, the Second Coming of Jesus is an event with utmost importance. The apostle Paul calls it in his letter to Titus, chapter 2, verse 13, the “blessed day and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior”. It will be a day when all believers shall experience the full benefits of the redeeming work of Jesus at the cross of Calvary. Without it, our salvation experience will not be complete.
IT IS CERTAIN: HE WILL COME!
1. It has 8 times references than Jesus’ first coming, the Incarnation.
2. Jesus Himself made a promise to come again (Jn.14: 3).
3. The apostles preached it to be the greatest day of the Lord.
4. Paul said: “He who began a good work in you shall complete at the coming of Jesus” (Phil.1: 6).
5. John saw Jesus in his vision saying, “I will come quickly” (Rev.22: 12).
THE BENEFITS OF HIS SECOND COMING
1. We shall receive the glorified body.
1 Thes.4: 16-17 told us that Jesus will come and the dead believing in Him shall rise first, and we who remain alive shall be caught up. This is the wonderful mystery that Paul revealed in this passage and in 1 Cor.15. At the coming of Jesus, the dead shall receive the body of resurrection, while we who will remain alive in that day shall all be changed to immortality and incorruptibility.
It will be a glorified body, free from death and corruption.
From the day Adam and Eve succumbed themselves to temptation and sinned against God, human being and all creations were subjected to decay and corruption. All living organisms die and everything deteriorates. “ We groaned”, says Paul in Romans 8: 18-23, “waiting eagerly for the redemption of our body.”
We have many reasons to groan about with our bodies. We can name several physical problems, weaknesses, deformities, pains and predicaments. Physically, we are declining. The older we grow; the physical waning becomes more evident. Then, death comes. Remember, we won’t outgrow death. Then, our bodies disintegrate at the grave.
What a disappointing reality without the resurrection or the changing of our body into an incorruptible one. But Jesus will complete his work of redemption by giving us a glorified body at His glorious coming. Paul said: “In a twinkling of an eye, we shall all be changed.”
2. We shall receive His rewards.
In Rev.22: 12, John saw Jesus in a vision, saying that He will come quickly and with Him is His reward to render to everyone according to what he has done.
a. This rewarding will be at His presence. Paul says in 2 Cor.5: 10, “Each of us will appear before the judgment seat of Christ to receive what we deserve according to what we have done….”
b. This rewarding is made possible through Christ’s redeeming work at the cross. This is not salvation, but rewards as we work out our salvation.
c. This means that no work done for God’s glory is ever insignificant in God’s eyes.
d. This means that we should do more things that glorify God. No time, effort, and energy should be wasted; they should be given for God’s glory and honor.
3. We shall be with the Lord.
Paul says, “The Lord Himself will descend…and we shall be with the Lord” (1 Thes.4: 17). Jesus said: “I will come again and take you…that where I am, there you will be also” (Jn.14: 2-3).
a. It will be a personal fellowship with Jesus.
John said: “We will see Him as He is” (1 Jn.3: 2). We loved Him though we see Him not. We feel His love, His presence, His power and His glory. But we have not seen Him with our bare eyes. Today’s pictures or images of Jesus are not worthy to be compared of the glorious Jesus. They fade in comparison with the Coming Glorious Conquering Redeemer, the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
b. It will be an eternal fellowship with Jesus.
Paul says, “…we shall be with the Lord forever.” It will be an uncut, undisturbed, unending fellowship with God.
Unlike here, there are lots of things that can disturb our fellowship with Him: lots of noises that can distract our meditation, worship and prayer; lots of cares and problems that can easily get off our attention from Him; lots of imperfections that can make our minds to wander away.
In heaven, it will be a perfect communion with God. Don’t you want to experience it?
