What Do We Know About the Lord’s Second Coming?
Intro:
1. Both the Old and New Testaments are filled with promises of the 2nd Coming of Christ.
a. There are 1,845 references to it in the Old Testament, and a total of seventeen Old Testament books give it prominence.
b. Of the 260 chapters in the entire New Testament, there are 318 references to the 2nd Coming, or one out of 30 verses; 23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.
2. Billy Graham: Inscription in the dome of our Capitol - “One far-off divine event toward which the whole creation moves.”
3. Around the dial of a clock in a church in Strasburg, Germany: “One of these hours the Lord is coming.”
4. Dr. Horatius Bonar’s evening prayers: “Perhaps tonight, Lord?” & his morning prayers, “Perhaps today, Lord?”
5. Queen Victoria after her chaplain preached about the 2nd Coming, “Oh, how I wish that the Lord would come during my lifetime.” . . . “Because I should so love to lay my crown at His feet.”
I Thessalonians 4:13-18
I. How Do We Know the Lord is Coming Again?
A. The Lord said He would come.
1. At His trial in answer to Are You the Christ? was Yes, it is as you say, But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven. - Matt 26:64
2. In describing the end times, the Lord said, At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. - Lk 21:27
B. The Bible says He will come.
1. At His ascension, the angels said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven. - Act 1:11
2. Heb 9:28 - Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a se- cond time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
3. II Pet 3:10 - But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.
II. When Will He Come?
A. What we don’t know: No one knows when.
1. The Shakers calculated the date as 1792.
2. William Miller, the founder of the Advent movement, predicted between March 21, 1843 and March 21, 1844, then revised his prediction to October 22, 1844.
3. William Branham predicted in 1962 that it could take place by 1977.
4. Chuck Smith, the founder of Calvary Chapel movement, predicted 1981.
5. The Korean group "Mission for the Coming Days" predicted October 28, 1992.
6. Radio evangelist Harold Camping predicted September 27, 1994 then revised it to May 21, 2011.
7. Sir Isaac Newton proposed, based upon his calculations using figures from the book of Daniel, that it would happen no earlier than 2060.
B. What we do know:
1. It will be sudden.
a. It will be as quick as the lightning flashing across the sky (Matt 24:27).
b. But then the Lord said, No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. - Matt 24:36.
2. It will be soon.
a. Phil 4:4-5 tells us that the reason for our rejoicing is that the Lord is at hand.
b. The last verses in the Bible end with this thought, He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. - Rev 22:20
III. Why Will He Come?
A. To judge.
1. He will come in glory, with His angels & sit on His throne (Matt 25:31).
2. Matt 25:32-33, the Lord says, All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
3. Judgment will be based upon what you have done (Matt 16:27).
4. This is what the judgment is. I Cor 4:5 - Wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.
B. To reward.
1. To those who are waiting for Him, he will seat us at His table & serve us (Lk 12:37).
2. He is preparing a place for us to be with Him (Jn 14:2-3).
3. He’s going to make our bodies like His glorious body.
a. Phil 3:20-21 - But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.
b. I Jn 3:2 - Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.
4. When the Lord comes again, we will appear with Him (Col 3:4).
IV. What Should We Do While We’re Waiting?
A. Lord Jesus wants you to remain faithful to Him. I Jn 2:28 - And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.
B. Lord Jesus wants you to use what He has given you for His glory (Lk 19:13).
C. Lord Jesus wants you to maintain a devotion to Him & live your life blamelessly (I Thess 5:23).
D. Lord Jesus wants you to remain obedient His instructions (I Tim 6:14).
The Lord is coming again. Maybe in another week. Maybe tomorrow!
The important thing is to expect Him so you can rejoice whenever He comes!
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