When He Comes

When Jesus Comes

1 John 2:26-29

It is my prayer that everyone of you would, as John urged his readers in 1 John 2:28, "Remain in Christ!"; that is to continually maintain such a close walk with the Lord, persevering in faithfulness and sound biblical doctrine, that His return will bring joy to your heart not tears to your eyes. Jesus Christ is coming again. It seems like most preachers seldom preach on His promised return. Someone asked H. A. Ironside, who loved to preach on the second coming, why he preached so much on the second coming. He said, “I preach so often on the second coming because my brethren neglect it so, and I feel that I have to give the right proportion for the preaching of the church, so I have to overdo it in order to make up for their omission of it. Friend, realize His return is real. His return will be a reunion. For some His return will bring reward. For others His return will be ruination. The question today is will you be ready when He comes?

I His Return is Real

A. 2 Peter 3:3-4 "...Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.”

B. Did you know that nearly one-fifth of the Bible is prophetic (futuristic) and nearly one-third of that which is prophetic concerns events related to the second coming of Christ?

C. throughout the history of the church from the time of the New Testament, it has always had…listen carefully…on its inside, skeptics who felt it was their role to deny the coming of Christ. The church has always had to endure the denial of the return of Christ. There are those who inevitably spiritualize it away and say, “The significance of the kingdom of Christ is nothing more than Christ ruling within you, and Jesus is never coming back to this earth.

D. Theologian C.H. Dodd who wrote a book entitled "Parables of the Kingdom" said, "since the Lord did not in literal truth return on the clouds of heaven during the ‘30s of the first century, to expect Him thus to return in the twentieth century is to go contrary to primitive Christianity which is true Christianity.”

E. The Promise of Christ - John 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled ye believe in God believe also in me. In my father’s house are many mansions, if it were not so I would have told you I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am there ye may be also.”

F. The Promises of the angelic messengers at Christ's ascension - Acts- Acts 2:10-11 "while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”

G. The Promises of the Word of God - Clarence McCartney said, “If the second coming passages are deleted from the Bible, the Bible becomes an unintelligible book.”

1. The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is mentioned three hundred-eighteen times in the New Testament. There are over 660 general prophecies, 333 about Christ - 109 fulfilled at His first Coming, 224 still to be fulfilled at His Second Coming. There are over 1,500 Old Testament passages that refer to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. 1 out of every 25 New Testament verses directly refers to the Second Coming of Christ. For every time the Bible mentions the first Coming of Christ, it mentions His Second Coming 8 times. Jesus refers to His Second Coming 21 times and over 50 times we are told to be ready for His return.

2. The Old Testament speaks loudly of the second coming -

a. Isaiah 9:6-7 "“Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called, wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.”

b. Malachi 4:1-3 "For behold, the day is coming, Burning like an oven, and all the proud, yes, all who do wickedly will be stubble. And the day which is coming shall burn them up,” says the Lord of hosts, “That will leave them neither root nor branch. But to you who fear My name the Sun of Righteousness shall arise with healing in His wings; and you shall go out and grow fat like stall-fed calves. You shall trample the wicked, for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day that I do this,” says the Lord of hosts."