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The second coming of Christ

Saturday, October 06, 2007 Posted by naomi

The second coming of Christ Published by the Bible Advocate Press (http://home.cog7.org/publications) The awe-inspiring phenomena of streams and arches of brilliant colored lights shooting up into the night sky are characteristic of the auroras borealis and australis. Observed in the northern and southern polar regions of the earth, they can easily light up the night sky, making artificial lights unnecessary. But as bright and breathtaking as the auroras are, they will be paled by the display of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. See what the scriptures say about the glorious appearing of Jesus. For as lighting that comes from the east is visible even in the west, So will be the coming of the son of man (Matthew 24:27). They will see the son of man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory (v.30b). Flanked by angles, a trumpet announces his appearance: And he will send his angles with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heaven to the other (v.31). 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 (Acts 1:11b). Look he is coming with the clouds and every eye will see him (Revelation 1:7a). For the saints, Jesus’ return will be a time of great joy, but for sinners a time of great sorrow and judgment. How do you feel about Jesus’ return? Are you uncomfortable thinking about it? Do you have sense of peace about it, or does it stir your emotions to anxiety or even panic? Some people are not eager for Jesus to come. A couple may be planning their wedding; they want to experience married life before He comes. An expectant mother and her husband may wish to hold their first child. Students may want to graduate and begin their careers before this age ends. Then there are those who are apprehensive about the unknown factors of His coming. References are frequently made to battle of Armageddon; the Antichrist; the mark of the beast; final judgment; and need to avoid the number 666 in your zip code, telephone number, or car tags. Taken by themselves, these cast the Second Advent in a foreboding light. But they do not tell the whole story! Jesus does not want believers worry over the thought of His coming. He said: “do not let your heart be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me…. I will come back and take you to be with me….� (John 14:1, 3b). If we trust God, we realize we can also trust Jesus. We are not to fret over the details. We can do nothing to hasten or delay the event. Our assignment is, “Be ready!� our beloved Savior and Redeemer will come in person to receive all the saints into His glorious, never-ending kingdom. What a comforting thought! Chaotic world Generally, when we hear something about the second coming of Jesus, it is shrouded in terms of war, death, destruction, persecution, and chaos in the natural, political, social and religious worlds. Prophetic texts refer to these things, and many of them seem to be tied to Jesus’ coming. For the most part, the events represent Satan’s ongoing assault on God and His people or God’s judgment upon a godless, wicked world. However, as closely related to the second coming of Jesus as they may seem to be, they are events beyond the control of the saints of God. They are strictly in God’s hands and represent a “cause and effect� that will result in the judgment God brings upon the world prior to Jesus’ return. This is the reason Jesus gives the injunction “Trust in God; trust also in me.� Christians need not become alarmed by Jesus’ description of an ongoing series of natural and man-made disasters that signal His return: You will hear of wars and rumors of wars but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matthew 24:6-8). We who have placed our faith in God and await Jesus’ return need not worry or fear the chaotic conditions around us. They are leading us ever closer to the Second Advent, but they are not, in themselves, signs of the nearness of Jesus’ coming. We can be sure that God is in control and will keep watch over us. Jesus spoke of the attention God gives to his saints: Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your father. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows (Matthew 10:29, 31) We can also be reassured by the words of the psalmist: Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and the deadly pestilence …. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you (Psalm 91:3-7). We have to realize that the multiple disasters overtaking the world and its people are necessary. God uses them to move this world onward and closer to Jesus’ return. They need not be a threat to our Second Advent hope. Three Descriptions of Christ’s Return The New Testament uses three words to describe the return of Christ. Each paints a glorious word picture, capturing the manner, purpose, beauty, and awe of His coming. The word most commonly used is Parousia. It has been adopted into the English language, unchanged from the Greek. It means “presence,� inferring arrival, advent, or coming. Parousia, in common use, indicates the visit of a prince to one of his provinces. In the context of the Second Advent, it encompasses the coming of Jesus as the Lord of lords and Kings of kings (Revelation 17:14); the gathering of his subjects to Himself (Matthew 24:31); coming unexpectedly (vv. 36, 37); raising the dead (1 Thessalonians 4:16); marking righteous judgments (2 Corinthians 5:10); putting all His enemies under His authority (1 Corinthians 15:25); and subduing the kingdoms of the earth and setting up eternal kingdom of God (Revelation 11:15). The use of Parousia in reference to the Second Coming is appropriate because it includes all that is accomplished by His coming. Believers can look forward joyfully to Jesus’ arrival to welcome us into His kingdom. Our focus should be a prince who will receive His subject: “well done, good and faithful servant!... Come and share your master’s happiness!�(Matthew 25:21). The Greek word epiphaneia literally means “appearing�. In the context of the Second Advent it describes the appearing of Jesus as a king assuming His throne. In the first advent of Christ, when he appeared to bring salvation for humanity. It anticipates his return from heaven to appear both to those who believe and are looking for him and to unprepared sinners. His appearance will be like that of a king who will come to reward and to judge. The reward expected by Paul and by all his fellow believers is a crown of righteousness: There is in store foe me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous William Barclay, The Daily study Bible series, Westminster Press, “The Letters of James and Peter,� p.122. Ibid. Judge, will award to me on that day- and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (2 Timothy 4:8). Judgment is inseparable from the Second Advent: “…the lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and his kingdom� (v.1, KJV). This is evident in Paul’s reminder to the Thessalonians, who were zealous for, but misinformed about, the Lord’s return. He informed them that “the man of lawlessness� (2 Thessalonians 2:3, 7,8), who was already beginning to manifest himself (v.7), is to be given opportunity to assert himself against God and the saints before Jesus returns (vv. 3-12): And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor [brightness, KJV] of his coming [epiphaneia] (v.8). All the world’s system will be judge and brought under the control of kings Jesus: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever� (Revelation 11:15b). The saints of God have nothing to fear by the appearance of Jesus and the judgment he metes out at his coming. They will behold him as their king who establishes his throne to rule over a world where their personhood is respected and their righteous values prevail. We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty . . . . You have taken your great power and have begun to reign . . . The time has come for judging the dead and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name . . . . (vv.17, 18b). 3. The third word used in the New Testament to describe Jesus’ second coming is apokalupsis. It means a “revelation� an “unveiling�, a “laying bare�. The Greek name for the book of Revelation is Apokalupsis. When used to refer to the Second Advent, it describes the glory with which Christ is revealed in the clouds of heaven: “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed (apokalupsei) from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angles� (2 Thessalonians 1: 7b). Jesus’ birth was announced with a heavenly host in a display of glory: “An angel of the Lord appeared to them [shepherds], and the glory of the lord shone around them ….� (Luke 2:9). His second advent will be marked by an even greater display of glory: “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory� (Matthew 24:30b), accompanied by “. . . . a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet call of God . . . .� (1 Thessalonians 4:16), and with a brightness yet unseen by mankind: God will bring about [the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ] in his own time – God, the blessed and only Ruler, the king of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see . . . . (1 Timothy 6:15, 16a). New Testament writers paint three vivid 3. Ibid. pictures of second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. He is arriving King; He appears to and rewards His people and assumes His throne in the full, unveiled blaze of God’s glory. What a picture! How wonderful it will be to behold a victorious Christ coming in glory and reigning on His throne. It is something to look forward to! It will be the greatest and most glorious spectacle humanity ever beheld. The Resurrection of the Saints When we discuss the resurrection, we refer to God restoring a dead person to life again. This differs from creation or birth. Resurrection is not to be mistaken with the unbiblical idea of reincarnation, which suggests that upon death, animate beings are reborn in new bodies or in a different form of life. Job perfectly described what the resurrection means: I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skins has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes – I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! (Job 19:25-27). New Testament writers present a reassuring account of the resurrection of the saints. The resurrection is inseparable from the Second Coming, taking place simultaneously with his descent from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Thessalonians anticipated the return of Jesus but worried about the future of believers who had passed away. Paul assured them their loved ones would not be forgotten: “He [Jesus] died for us so that, whether we are awake or asleep, we may live together with him� (5:10). Earlier in this letter, Paul described the resurrection of the dead as occurring at the Second Advent: According to the lord’s own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 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. 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 (4:15-17). From this text we can ascertain these facts: Some saints will be alive and well at the return of Jesus. The living will not be caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus before the resurrection of the dead. Both will meet Jesus together. Both the living and the dead will behold the return of Jesus. The dead saints will not be deprived of observing His glorious return. Both the living and the resurrected will dwell with Jesus from that time throughout eternity. Paul gave additional details of the resurrection in his letter to the Corinthians: Listen, I tell you a mystery: we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory� (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). Adding these details to those already revealed to us, we observe: The great and wonderful gift of eternal life will be bestowed upon the living and dead saints at the return of Jesus, at the moment of the resurrection. These events are simultaneous. The translation of saints from mortality to immortality will be instantaneous. Paul considered the translation of the saints as their ultimate victory in Christ: “Death has been swallowed up in victory�. The resurrection of the dead and their change or translation along with those still living are hope of every Christian. Paul wrote about this to Titus: For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us say “No� to ungodliness and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and savior, Jesus Christ (Titus 2:11-13). Peter wrote: Praise be to the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us . . . . an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:3-5,9). Paul wrote the Ephesians that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our translation to immortality: Having believed, you were marked in him with seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession – to the praise of his glory (Ephesians 1:13b, 14). The resurrection of the dead represents the means by which the dead are given life and consciousness. There is no consciousness in death: “For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing . . . .� (John 5:28, 29a). The Bible teaches that the dead wait in the grave for the resurrection. Job understood this truth: “ if a man dies, will he live again? All the days of my hand service [appointed time, KJV] I will wait for my renewal to come� (Job 14:14). One reason the second coming of Jesus is so precious to every believer is that Jesus himself is the resurrection and the life: “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die� (John 11:25). He will give all the saints eternal life at his appearance. Judgment of the saints Many different ideas circulate in religious circles about the judgment of the world when Jesus comes. Some suggest that everything a person has done, every word he has spoken, and every thought that has crossed his mind will become known to the universe. Judgment is thorough, no one escapes! Therefore, many are unable to anticipate the return of Jesus with joy. Who wants their thoughts, words, and actions to be announced to the world? We anticipate better things than that. Under Old Testament accounting for sins, God’s complete forgiveness reflected better things than bringing such shame upon His people: “All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath less would those made righteous through the blood of Christ be held up to shame! God’s judgment will be universal: “For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat� (Romans 14:10b); “we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ� (2 Corinthians 5:10b). The writer of Hebrews observed, “. . . . . man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment . . . .�(Hebrews 9:27). Though no one will escape the judgment of God, all people will not be judged in the same manner. Regarding the saints, the psalmist wrote, “As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions form us� (Psalm 103:12), indicating that God does not confront believers with sins. New Testament writers make a difference in how the saints and sinners are judged at the advent of Jesus. Paul spoke of the righteous dead being called from their graves and joining the living to meet Jesus in the air as he descends from heaven (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17). He described how the dead and living saints will be clothed in immortality instantaneously, at the resurrection of the dead (1 Corinthians 15:52, 53). All this will happen “in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye� (v.52). There doesn’t appear to be a pause in Jesus’ coming to permit Him to convene a lengthy judgment of individual saints. Why? Do the saints of God escape judgment? Jesus revealed the thorough nature of the judgment of the dead: Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done evil will rise to be condemned (John 5:28,29) .a Belief in and commitment to serve God through faith in Christ make us guiltless in the eyes of God. Romans 8:1 spells it out: “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.� There is more: “He was delivered over the death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification [acquittal]� (4:25). Because we are justified – acquitted – of all our sins through faith in Jesus Christ, we stand guiltless before God. Our relationship with Christ makes us righteous: “God made him [Jesus] who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God� (2 Corinthians 5:21). Because of our faith and trust in Jesus, God credits (imputes) the righteousness of Christ to us. As God looks at us through the blood of Christ, He sees the righteousness of Christ in us. Further, consider Colossians 1:21, 22: “Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight without blemish and free from accusation�. In Christ we are holy, without blemish or accusation in the sight of God! Because of the imputed righteousness of God, we will already have been judged righteous when Jesus comes. If we are presented holy and without accusation before God, we do not need to stand before him in judgment as sinners do. We can be secure in the knowledge that God knows us: The lord knows those who are his . . . . . (2 Timothy 2:19b). The righteous have passed from death to life . . . . Whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done (Revelation 22:12). The good news for the saints of God is there is no accusatorial judgment awaiting them when Jesus comes in the magnificent display of His glory. Let us rejoice and anticipate the return of our savior! Judgment of Sinners Any fear of the Second Advent should only be sinners facing judgment. Unbelievers have good reason to be fearful. Their judgment will be a sorrowful experience. Jesus described it: There will be weeping there, and gnashing teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out (Luke 13:28) God wanted it known who would be the judge: “He has commanded us….to testify that he [Jesus] is one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead� (Acts 10:42). Paul expressed the dual purpose of God’s judgment in Romans 2:5-9a: But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done’. To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil. Paul warned the sinner, “For the wages of sin is death� (6:23a).God’s righteous and vindicate them: God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled. . . . This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10a). There are three outstanding considerations here: 1) God will avenge his people from those who oppress them. 2) The unbelieving will be annihilated. 3) The vindication of the righteous is share in the glory of their coming Lord - to be embraced by his presence. Revelation 20; 11- 14 pictures the Great White Throne judgment. This judgment results in the “second death�- the eternal destruction of sinners: “The lake of fire is the second death� (v.14b). Earlier in the chapter the righteous are pictured as having already been given everlasting life; they are not subject to the “second death� (v.6). “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into lake of fire� (v.15). How dreadful it will be to perish for eternity! That’s why it is so important to prepare now, while you still have life! To escape this terrible fate, all you have to do is confess faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God; acknowledge His death, burial and resurrection as atonement for your sins (Romans 10:9); repent of your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins (Acts 2:38); and live a self – controlled, upright, and godly life (Titus 2:12) under the influence of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Time of Jesus’ Return No one knows the year or day of the return of Christ. Jesus’ own words about the time of his return appear in three texts: “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the son, but only the Father. . . . The son of man will come at an hour when you do not expect him� (Matthew 24:36, 44) and “it is not for you to know the times or dates the father has set by his own authority� (Acts 1:7). Despite his clear, definite statements, some people are foolish enough to think they can discern what only God knows but is not known even by angels or the Son of God! Isn’t it blasphemous to claim to know something God has reserved for himself? Those who predict the date of the Lord’s return discredit the Word of God, discourage those who are eagerly looking for Second Advent, and disgrace themselves. The generic signs Jesus gave the disciples Matthew 24 cannot be used to determine when he is coming: “You will hear or wars and rumors of wars . . . Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famine and earthquakes in various places� (vv.6a, 7). He advised, “See to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come� (v. 6b) and, “All these are the beginning of birth pangs� (v.8). These signs are not intended to signal the nearness of Christ’s coming. Rather, they serve to keep believers watchful for his return. Every generation of saints may observe upheavals in the political, social, economic, and religious worlds. Those events merely indicate that history is moving ever closer to Christ’s return. They help to keep our Second Advent hope alive, but they do not tell us when it will occur. Other more specific prophecies are thought by many believers to signal Christ’s second coming: the anticipated Great Tribulation, the possible revival of the beast powers of Revelation 13, and the enforcement of the mark of the beast – 666 (vv.16-18). Surely the last war, Armageddon, will herald Jesus’ coming! Sorry to disappoint you, but it is unlikely that all of these events will occur just prior to Christ’s return. In fact, a strong possibility exists that at least some of them are already history. But suppose that some of them are yet to come. The question is, How long or short a time will they occur before the Second Advent? Consider that in 1948, when Israel became an independent state, many advocates predicted that Jesus must come within a generation of that event. “This generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened� (Matthew 24:34). Many predicted that Jesus had to return by 1988. That would be 40 years or approximately one generation. Well, we are now in a new millennium, and Jesus has not returned yet! Jesus was adamant about the time of his return: “No one knows about that day or hour�. Prophecy is important, but care must be taken not to use it to predict tomorrow morning’s headlines, or to scare people into acknowledging Christ as Lord our fear. Prophetic events considered to have to occur before Christ’s return are not accurate barometers of when the Second Coming will occur. Jesus laid down a principle for interpreting Bible prophecy in his discourse to the disciples about his betrayal: “I am telling you now before it happens, so that I am he� (John 13:19). This text suggests that we are to match the prophecy with an event just past, rather than try to predict when that event will actually happen. It is a mistake to risk your hope of eternal life, waiting to prepare for God’s kingdom until you see prophecies associated with Christ’s return being fulfilled. Many prophecies may come to pass differently than we suppose they will, thus rendering them unrecognizable. Any idea that biblical prophecy reveals the year, month, week, day, or hour of his coming is not biblical! Accept Jesus’ plain statement that no one knows about the day or hour. Notice how Jesus answered the Pharisees’ inquiry about when the kingdom of God would come: “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation� (Luke 17:20b). This is precisely the reason that Jesus instructed his saints “Trust in God; trust also in me� (John 14:1). It is out of our hands. We do well to look to God in faith of the Second Coming without expecting that we can know when will occur. If the day and the hour of Christ’s coming is known only to the father, then every believer’s life must be devoted to constant preparedness. Jesus instructed believers to live every moment as if it were the last before his coming: Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. . . . So you must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him (Matthew 24:42, 44). Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come. . . . What I say to you, I say to everyone: “watch!� (Mark 13:33, 37). To emphasize the necessity of watchfulness, Jesus related five parables to encourage believers to watch and engage in activity of eternal worth. In Matthew 24:45-51 he told the parable of the wise and faithful servant. The parable of the ten virgins follow in 25:1-13; the parable of the talents is in verses 14-30, and the parable of the sheep and the goats close the chapter in verse 31-46. The parable of a man taking a journey is related in Mark 13:34-36. Three of these parables instruct believers to be on guard every moment because they never know when their time will come. It could come in death or when Jesus appears in the clouds of heaven to establish his kingdom. In either case, everyone needs to be prepared to meet the Lord. The parable of the talents instructs believers to occupy themselves until Jesus returns. They are not to abandon life’s pursuits just because they anticipate Jesus’ return. “Occupy till I come� (Luke 19:13, KJV). The parable of the sheep and the goats instructs us in the kind of activity we should be engaged in while we await his return. These latter parables direct us to engage in endeavors that fulfill Jesus’ instructions: “Store up for yourselves treasures in heaven . . .� (Matthew 6:20). Many instructions throughout the writings of the apostles tell how Christians are to live in anticipation of Christ’s return: James: Be patient, stand firm (in the faith), don’t grumble (James 5:7-9). Peter: Be clear minded, self-controlled; love each other deeply, and offer hospitality to one another. Use your gift to serve others (1 Peter 4:7-10). John: Continue in him [Jesus] (1 John 2:28); live a pure life (3:3). Jude: Build yourself up in your most holy faith; pray; keep yourselves in God’s love (vv.20, 21). Paul: Let God strengthen your hearts so you will be blameless and holy (1 Thessalonians 3:13); be alert and self- controlled; seek to be blameless (5:6, 23); put off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light (Romans 13:11-14). Say no to ungodliness, and worldly passions, and live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age (Titus 2:12). Let your gentleness be known to all men (Philippians 4:5). Hebrews: Hold fast to the hope you profess. Consider how you can inspire love in one another, and remain in fellowship with your fellow saints (10:23-25) Contrary to what many believe, Jesus taught that it was more important to live in a state of continual readiness than to seek to know when Christ will return. The fact is, it really doesn’t matter when he comes if we are ready to meet him when he arrives! Scoffers The apostle admonished believers more than once to be patient as they anticipate the return of Christ, but waiting is not always easy. Trying circumstances arise that cause saints to long for that day. However, many perceive a delay in the Lord’s coming as an excuse to scoff at the idea that it will ever happen: You must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is there ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since the fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation� (2 Peter 3:3, 4). A lesson is to be learned from this text. By misinterpreting prophecies of the coming of the Lord, some become discouraged and lose faith in his return. Others may become cynical and begin doubting because they have been disappointed in a failed prediction of the Second Coming. Then some do not want their lives interrupted by Christ’s return because of their unbelief or their pursuit of earthly goals. Jesus warned, “ Be careful, or your hearts will be weighted down with dissipation [intemperate living], drunkenness and the anxieties of life. . .� (Luke 21:34). The apostles also encouraged their readers to be faithful and patient. Not accepting the Son of God as your personal Savior is equally disastrous as standing in the place of the scoffer. Knowing that he is coming and not preparing for his arrival is defiant rejection of God’s love and saving grace. Scoffers and defiant persons forget two things: 1) that God destroyed the ancient world by water because of its wickedness and rebellion and 2) that God will likewise judge and destroy the ungodly of this world when Jesus comes (2 Peter 3:5-7). Perhaps scoffers fail to recognize that his delay in coming shows God’s longsuffering, patience, and love Peter explains: But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: with the lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The lord is slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance (vv.8, 9). There is a message in this for everyone. Paul wrote: As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:1, 2). It is essential that everyone prepare for the Lord’s return. If you think you can wait until you observe that he is coming, you have waited too long. Read the words of Jesus about this matter: As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away, that is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man (Matthew 24:37-39). Jesus revealed this in the context of instructing every believer to live in constant preparedness for his return. It necessitates the surrender of your life to God through believing in Christ before his return. Today is the day of salvation. Believe it! Act on it! Characteristics of the kingdom As evidence that nothing can be known of God’s kingdom, 1 Corinthians 2:9 is frequently quoted: “As it is written: ‘No eye has seen no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.� Taken by itself, the saints apparently are left in the dark about the kingdom and could easily conclude that we are not informed about it. But if we read on, we realize that God has revealed several aspects about his kingdom to the saints “by his spirit� (v.10). Admittedly, we do not know everything about the kingdom, but without speculating we can report what the scriptures tell us about eternity: • The living and dead saints will receive eternal life at the Second Coming (1 Corinthians 15:51-53). • The saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet Jesus as he comes to the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:17). • Jesus and the saints will return to the earth (1 Thessalonians 3:13). • The saints will inherit the earth (Psalms 115:16). • God himself will dwell with the saints throughout eternity(21:3). • There will be no tears, death, mourning, crying, or pain because they have all passed away (v.4). • There will be no need for temple because God the father and Christ are the temple (v.22). • The glory of God gives light (v.23). • There is no night there (v.25). • The saints dwell securely because its gates will never be closed (v.25). • Nothing that is impure, shameful, or deceitful will ever enter it (v.27). Peter gave an apt summary of the kingdom: “We are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness� (2 Peter 3:13). The hymn, “Amazing Grace,� says it well: when we’ve been there a thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun. Truly, God’s kingdom is more than we can fully comprehend. However, he has revealed enough to make us long to be in it. Consider the wonders of God’s love and favor. His glorious kingdom belongs to those who have placed their faith and confidence in him by accepting the redemption made possible by Jesus Christ, his Son. All of this will come to pass when Jesus appears in his glory. It will be worth every effort to be among those he gathers into his kingdom. Paul summed it up well in Romans 8:18: I consider that our present sufferings are wroth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Jesus said, “Yes, I am coming soon� (Revelation 22:20). May our response be “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus�. 2003-3-10m-2003 Unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations are taken from The New King James Version, copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Note: Published by Bible Advocate Press http://cog7.org/ba Note: Note: Published by Bible Advocate Press http://cog7.org/ba Note: Note: Published by Bible Advocate Press http://cog7.org/ba