Second Coming Part 2 Series

The Revelation of Jesus Christ

“The Second Coming of Jesus” Pt 2

Rev 19:11-21

REVIEW

Last week we highlighted the similarities and differences between the 1st and 2nd coming.

This week I want to paint a portrait of this most glorious culmination of Biblical prophecy.

This is His-story.

This is the grand theme of the Scriptures.

This is the day when Jesus returns to reclaim the earth and rule forever.

The run up to this glorious day, the Day of the Lord is a seven year period of tribulation on the inhabitants of earth.

It is a time when God pours out His stored up wrath on the governments and people who have spurned Him and His rule for thousands of years.

It is a time when God will bring about the long awaited judgment for the rampant wickedness and moral decay that has been escalating to a breakneck pace.

Satan and his highest ranking evil angels will have executed their final plans for world domination over the kingdoms and people of the earth.

He will empower his final human ruler called the antichrist supported by a demonized false prophet.

They will eventually dominate the whole civilized world and demand absolute loyalty and even exclusive worship under threat of death.

He will require a special mark of loyalty in order to buy and sell in the world marketplace.

At the halfway point of the seven year tribulation, Antichrist will break a protection treaty with Israel and actually seek to completely eliminate Jews not only from Israel but from the earth.

Faithful Jews along with all Gentiles who refused to swear allegiance to the Beast or Antichrist will come under sever persecution.

Many will suffer martyrdom especially during the last half of the tribulation.

Others will go into hiding.

Others will be supernaturally protected by God from the pursuit of the Antichrist.

The antichrist will be linked with another political power with worldwide influence.

This political power is called mystery Babylon; a city/state with extensive influence over all aspects of culture and society.

Scripture speaks of its corrupting influence over all the kings of the earth.

Amidst all this political maneuvering, God will initiate a reign of terror on the earth through a series of three 7 part-judgments.

Seal Judgments.

Trumpet Judgments.

Bowl Judgments.

Each cycle of judgments becomes more intense and more frequent like labor pains before birth.

Millions will die.

Worldwide ecological devastation will take place.

Toward the end, Antichrist will turn on Babylon and bring about swift devastation.

The kings of the earth will morn over the complete collapse of worldwide commerce.

As we enter chapter 19, John hears heaven’s hallelujah chorus at the final elimination of Babylon’s corrupting influence on the earth.

John hears a call for joy at the marriage of the lamb and then a vision of the opening of the heavens for the final return of Jesus.

Staring in verse 11, we read what is considered the climax of the Bible.

Personally, I think the eternal state is the climax of the Bible but this is pretty close.

A significant percentage of the Bible is devoted to this grand future event.

Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the second coming of Christ. Someone has reported that there are 1,845 references in the Old Testament alone and a total of 17 books that give it prominence.

Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to Christ's second coming. That averages one out of every 30 verses. Furthermore, 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event. That leaves only four books that do not refer directly to the Second Coming. Interestingly, three of these four books are single-chapter letters which were written to specific persons on a particular subject.

Bible Illustrations - Bible Illustrations – A Treasury of Bible Illustrations.

It almost feels like Christmas.

You anticipate Christmas all month and when it finally arrives, it isn’t what you hoped.

All this build up to the second coming of Jesus and “blamb”, it’s over in ten verses.

We will first unpack the truths in our current passage and then fill in some other details from some of the other passages to try to gain a fuller understanding of this grand climactic event.

There are two aspects to His future return.

One centers on the judgment and destruction of all His enemies.

The second centers on the establishment of His glorious kingdom in Jerusalem.

It will be traumatic for pagans but tremendous for the faithful.

The prophetic passages shift back and forth between these two themes.

First John saw heaven opened.

I believe this is a tangible look into the spiritual dimension.

He sees heaven “opened”, exposed, revealed, opened up.

He used a perfect tense verb indicating an action with continuing results.