The second coming-What is it?
The second coming is when Jesus Christ will return to earth in
fulfillment of his promises and to fulfill the prophecies made about him. Jesus
himself promised,"At what time the sign of the son of man will appear in
the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the son of
man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory" (Mathew
24:30). Revelation 19:11-12 proclaims this about the second coming,"I saw
heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is
called faithful and true. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are
like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on
him that no one knows but himself".
Those who witnessed Christ's ascension in to heaven after his
death and resurrection heard the angles declare in Acts 1:11, Men of Galilee...
why do you stand here looking in to the sky? This same Jesus, who has been
taken from you in to heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him
go in to heaven. " The second coming is the literal return of Jesus Christ
to earth as king in power and glory to rule for a thousand years.(Revelation
20:1-6).
The old testament prophets did not seem to fully understand this
distinction between the two comings of Jesus (his birth and his second
coming) as seen in Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-7; and Zachariah 14:4. Those who argue that
Jesus was not the Messiah because he did not fulfill all the old testament
prophecies about the Messiahs, fail to take in to account the second coming of
Christ, in which he will fulfill all the prophecies about the Messiah. Christ's
first coming was to stand in our place and receive the penalty exacted for sin.
His second coming will defeat sin for all eternity.
The second coming should also not be confused with the event
referred to as the rapture. The rapture refers to a time when Jesus Christ will
come to remove all believers from the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18,
Corinthians 15:50-54). The church holds many positions on the rapture, but the
second coming is undisputed. The second coming is the event when Jesus Christ
returns to the earth to defeat evil and establish his region of justice and
peace.
The second coming-Why is it important?
Foremost of all, belief in the second coming is important
because it is clearly what the bible teaches. To doubt the reality of the
second coming is to doubt the reliability and validity of god's words. Second,
the second coming is important because Jesus himself promised it. If Jesus was
wrong about the second coming , how can we trust anything else he taught? The
second coming of christ is our hope and confidence that god is in control of
all things and is faithful to his word and his promises. Titus 2:13,
"..while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great
god and savior, Jesus Christ.
The second coming is also important because it will come at the
time when the world is most in need of a righteous king. Revelation chapters
6-8 describe the end times prior to the second coming of Christ. The world will
be devastated, millions of people will perish, and the most evil person in all
history will be ruler of the entire world. The second coming of Christ puts all
this to an end. Revelation 19:15-16 says, "out of his mouth comes a sharp
sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron
scepter. He treds the wine press of the fury of the wrath of god almighty. On
his robe and on his thigh he has this time name written:King of Kings and Lord
of Lords".
The second coming-When is it?
Perhaps no event in
the history of the world has been more anticipated than the second coming.
Every generation of believers, including believers in the new testament, has
strongly believed that Jesus would return in their lifetime. 2 Thessalonians
2:1-2 tells us, "Concerning the coming of our lord Jesus Christ and our
being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers , not to become easily unsettled or
alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us,
saying that the day of the lord has already come". Some are mistakenly
frightened that they have missed the second coming. Others doubt that it will
ever occur, "they will say, where is this "coming" he promised?
Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning
of creation" (2 Peter 3:4).So, we must avoid both extremes:
- 1) Believing that the second coming has already occurred.
- 2) Believing that the second coming will never occur.
Many bible teachers have made guesses as to when the rapture and
second coming will occur. They have all been incorrect. The bible declares,
"no one knows about that day or hour, not even the angles in heaven, nor
the son, but only the father" (Mathew 24:36). The bible describes several
events which must occur before the second coming (Mathew 25:4-29; 2
Thessalonians 2:1-12:Revelation chapters 6-18). So, we are to anticipate the
second coming, but have a biblical understanding of it. We are not to set dates
and times, but live our lives as if it could happen any day, any moment. Mathew
25:19-21, "after a long time the master of those servants returned and
settled accounts with them...His master replied, well done, good and faithful
servant! You have been faithful with a few things: i will put you in charge of
many things. Comes and share your master's happiness!"
Are you ready for the second coming of
Christ??
written by Jephin Alex
