Jesus’ Second Coming

Jesus’ Second Coming
By Scott Meehan
Dailybibleverse23.blogspot.com
Daily Bible Verse

Topics
• Jesus’ return will be unmistakable.
• We will not know the exact date.
• We know what will happen.
• We know the difference between 1st and 2nd.
• It will be terrible for unbelievers.
• We know how to prepare.

Unmistakable, Luke 17:23-24
• Luke 17:23-24, “And they will say to you,
‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after
them or follow them. For as the lightning that
flashes out of one part under heaven shines
to the other part under heaven, so also the
Son of Man will be in His day.”

• Jesus was being questioned by the Pharisees
about when the kingdom of God would come.
Jesus used this as an opportunity to teach His
disciples about the dangers of following false
prophets and people falsely claiming to be the
Messiah. In the same way, Jesus warns us about
the dangers of following these false witnesses.
Many will claim that Jesus has returned, and He
warns us not to take them seriously, no matter
how convincing they sound.

• When Jesus does finally return His power and presence will
be so evident to everyone that no one will need to tell of
His return, as is written in 1 Timothy 6:15, “Which He will
manifest in His own time, He who is the blessed and only
Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” All believers
and nonbelievers, all people, will bear witness and see for
themselves His glorious return. However, only believers will
be translated from this earth into His presence, as is
written in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord Himself
will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an
archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in
Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall
be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the
Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

• When Jesus does return, life will be going on as usual.
There will be no warning and everyone will be going
about their everyday lives, indifferent to the demands
of God. This surprise to Christ’s return is similar to both
the surprise of people to the flood in Noah’s day (see
Genesis 6-8) and to the surprise of people by the
destruction of Sodom in Lot’s day (see Genesis 19). We
do not know when He will return, but we do know that
there is a day in the future set for His return. We must
be morally and spiritually ready for His return and live
each day as if Christ was returning that day.

Exact Date, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3, “But concerning the
times and the seasons, brethren, you have no
need that I should write to you. For you
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For
when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then
sudden destruction comes upon them, as
labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And
they shall not escape.”

• Thief in the night. The phrase “times and the
seasons” also occurs in Acts 1:7, “And He said to
them, ‘It is not for you to know times or seasons
which the Father has put in His own authority,”
and refers to the chronology of future periods as
well as the characteristics of those periods.
Therefore, to try and predict the time and season
of Christ’s return would be a foolish task. In these
verses we are told that no one, not even
believers, can predict Christ’s return, and that
everyone in the world will be surprised when
Christ descends from heaven to the earth.

• He will come like a “thief in the night,” which is also
referenced in several other places in the New Testament:
– Matthew 24:43-44, “But know this, that if the master of the
house had known what hour the thief would come, he would
have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into.
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an
hour you do not expect.”
– 2 Peter 3:10, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the
night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth
and the works that are in it will be burned up.”
– Revelation 16:15, “Behold, I am coming as a thief. Blessed is he
who watches, and keeps his garments, lest he walk naked and
they see his shame.”

• Therefore, believe no one who says that Jesus has returned
or is about to come. Instead, prepare each day to welcome
Christ as if He were coming back that day. The Apostle Paul
was watching throughout his life, as is written in 2 Timothy
4:8, “Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will
give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all
who have loved His appearing,” and in 1 Thessalonians 5:6
he urges us to do the same, “Therefore let us not sleep, as
others do, but let us watch and be sober.” Also note that
nowhere in the Scriptures does “thief in the night” refer to
the Rapture, but is only used in reference to the “day of the
Lord.”

• Day of the Lord. The “day of the Lord” referenced in these
verses will include both punishment and blessing. It is the day
when all sin is to be judged as well as when Jesus sets up His
eternal kingdom. It includes everything that happens from the
Tribulation through the Millennium. There is actually a thousand
year difference between the Tribulation and the Millennium, and
Peter refers to the end of the thousand year period in
connection with the final day of the Lord. Paul, however, writes
here about the aspect of the “day of the Lord,” the conclusion of
the Tribulation period. This Tribulation period will set off seven
years of unparalleled distress, warfare, and plague that will all
lead to the dreadful battle of Armageddon, as written in
Revelation 16:16, “And they gathered them together to the place
called in Hebrew, Armageddon.”

• This day is referenced a lot throughout the Old Testament:
– Joel 2:28-32, “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all
flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams,
your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants
I will pour out My Spirit on those days. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in
the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and
the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. And
it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in
Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the
remnant who the Lord calls.”
– Zephaniah 1:14-18, “The great day of the Lord is near; it is near and hastens quickly. The
noise of the day of the Lord is bitter; there the mighty men shall cry out. That day is a
day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of devastation and desolation, a day of
darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and
alarm against the fortified cities and against the high towers. I will bring distress upon
men, and they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord;
their blood shall be poured out like dust, and their flesh like refuse. Neither their silver
nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole
land shall be devoured by the fire of His jealousy, for He will make speedy riddance of all
those who dwell in the land.”
– See also Isaiah 13:6-12.

• Peace and safety. This could be referencing Jeremiah
6:14, where it is written, “They have also healed the
hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.” The meaning behind this is
that some people had a false sense of security and
believed that they would escape divine judgment. It
also means that the “day of the Lord” will come when
there is a great worldwide concern for peace and
safety. The comparison made to a woman going
through labor pains further illustrates the point that
Jesus’ return is an inevitable yet unpredictable event
that will happen suddenly and carry with it intense
pain for those who do not believe and follow Him.

What Will Happen, 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
• 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13, “Now may our God
and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
direct our way to you. And may the Lord
make you increase and abound in love to one
another and to all, just as we do to you, so
that He may establish your hearts blameless
in holiness before our God and Father at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His
saints.”

• Direct our way to you. Even though Timothy had visited and
returned with a good report, the Apostle Paul wanted very much to
return to Thessalonica and knew that Satan had hindered his
return, as written in 1 Thessalonians 2:18, “Therefore we wanted to
come to you – even I, Paul, time and again – but Satan hindered us.”
There are no records to indicate that Paul indeed did return to
Thessalonica. Paul was concerned that in his premature departure
from Thessalonica that the people may not have received all the
teaching they needed. He therefore prayed for their growth (v. 10),
love (v. 12), outreach (v. 12), and holiness (v. 13). However, while he
was traveling through Asia on his third journey, he was joined by
Aristarchus and Secundus who were both from Thessalonica, which
is written in Acts 20:4-5, “And Sopater of Berea accompanied him to
Asia – also Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians, and
Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia.
These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas.”

• Abound in love. Because we are filled with God’s love,
we should be pouring it out onto others. It is not
enough to just be courteous to those we may not
know, as well as those we do know, but we must
actively and persistently show that we love them, as
written in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own
love towards us, in that while we were still sinners,
Christ died for us.” If for some reason you feel that your
love for others has remained unchanged in recent days,
weeks, or even years, pray to God that He would pour
onto you more of His never-ending supply of love.
Then you can start to look for opportunities to spread
that love onto others.

• Blameless in holiness. Paul writes to the Thessalonians, and to us, not to
withdraw and focus solely on ourselves or to sit back and wait for the “day
of the Lord.” In Philippians 1:9, Paul commands believers to show
compassion and be busy loving one another: “And this I pray, that your
love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.”
In the worlds time of suffering, believers should be seeking to care for
others who are also suffering, as written in 2 Corinthians 1:3-7, “Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and
God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be
able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which
we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound
in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. Now if we are
afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for
enduring the same suffering which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted,
it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope for you is steadfast,
because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you
will partake of the consolation.”

• Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints. This
refers to the second coming of Jesus Christ, when He will
establish His eternal kingdom. Christ will gather all
believers, first those who have died and then those who are
alive, into one united family under His authority. All
believers throughout the history of the world will be with
Christ in His kingdom. “Saints” simply means “holy ones”
and references both angels, as written in 2 Thessalonians
1:7, “And to give you who are troubled rest with us when
the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty
angels,” and redeemed men, as written in 1 Thessalonians
4:14, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.”

Difference Between 1st and 2nd, John 12:48
• John 12:48, “He who rejects Me, and does
not receive My words, has that which judges
him – the word that I have spoken will judge
him in the last day.”

• Has that which judges him. Jesus’ first mission to earth
was to show people how to find salvation and eternal
life. Jesus stresses the eternal importance of the
written Word of God, the Word that He has spoken to
all people, and our response to His Word will be the
basis on which we are judged, as is written in John
5:24, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My
word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting
life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed
from death into life.” All of Christ’s words that we
choose not to accept and obey will condemn us on the
“day of the Lord.”

• Judge him in the last day. Jesus’ second mission to earth will be
to judge all the people on how they chose to live their lives.
Those who accepted Jesus and lived their lives according to His
law will rise to His eternal kingdom and have eternal life, as is
written in 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18, “For this we say to you by
the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the
coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are
asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a
shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive
and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the
Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

• Those who rejected Jesus and chose to live their lives how they saw fit
and not by His laws will face eternal punishment, as written in
Revelation 20:11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and Him who
sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And
there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and
great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another
book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged
according to their works, by the things which were written in the
books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades
delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each
one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the
lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in
the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.” From these verses you
can tell that the decision you make on how you live your life can have
drastic consequences. Decide which side you will be on and how you
will live your life now, before it is to late.

Terrible For Unbelievers, 2 Peter 3:10-11
• 2 Peter 3:10-11, “But the day of the Lord will
come as a thief in the night, in which the
heavens will pass away with a great noise,
and the elements will melt with fervent heat;
both the earth and the works that are in it
will be burned up. Therefore, since all these
things will be dissolved, what manner of
persons ought you to be in holy conduct and
godliness.”

• Day of the Lord. This is the day of the Lord’s judgment on earth.
It also is used to reference Christ’s return to earth. On this day all
believers, dead first then living, will be raptured up into heaven,
and the seven year period of tribulation judgments on earth will
commence. Following that Christ will reign on earth for a 1,000
year period, called millennial, as written in Revelations 20:6,
“Bless and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over
such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of
God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years.” As
such, it is apparent that God’s judgment will come both at the
end of the tribulation period on earth as well as 1,000 years later
at the end of the millennial kingdom. God will then create the
new earth and the new heavens. After this day there will be no
more time and no more chances to seek repentance.

• Burned up. Christ’s second coming will be a sudden and terrible thing
for those who do not believe in Him. For those, however, who live their
lives in “holy conduct and godliness,” this won’t come as a surprise.
“Burned up” does not mean that the earth will be annihilated, but
simply means that the earth will be purified and made new, as was the
case during the Flood. Even the elements will be “burned up,” as they
too have fallen under God’s curse (see Genesis 3:17-19). By using the
word “dissolved” it is possible that that there will be a global atomic
fission reaction, or simply put, a vast explosive disintegration involving
transformation of the chemical energy of the elements into heat, light,
and sound energy. God’s principle of conservation will still hold as
other forms of energy will be present, though it will appear that the
solid earth has “fled away” (see Revelation 20:11). In knowing that one
day the earth will be “burned up” and everything “dissolved,” we
should take care to not place our confidence and faith in worldly
possessions or pursuits, but instead in what is lasting and eternal.

• Holy conduct and godliness. Ask yourself one question
each morning as you get ready for the day: Are you going to
spend that day piling up your treasures and pursuing the
next big thing, or are you instead going to spend it striving
to develop your Christlike character? The answer you come
up with may be more important than you realize. As Peter
wrote in 1 Peter 1:13-16, “Therefore gird up the lions of
your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the
grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus
Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to
the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called
you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it
is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy.’”

How To Prepare, Luke 12:40
• Luke 12:40, “Therefore you also be ready, for
the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do
not expect.”

• Throughout the New Testament Jesus said that
He would leave this world, but would return at a
future time (see also Matthew 24-25 and John
14:1-3). He also made reference to a kingdom
that was being prepared for His followers. There
have been two different interpretations of what
kind of a kingdom this would be: (1) as many
Greeks thought, this would be a heavenly,
idealized, and spiritual kingdom; (2) but as many
Jews thought, such as Isaiah and John, this would
be a restored earthly kingdom.

• Now don’t think that because Christ does not want us
to know the time of His return that it means He wants
to trick us or ensnare us in some sort of trap. Instead,
know that Christ is actually delaying His return so that
more people will have the opportunity to follow Him,
as is written in 2 Peter 3:9, “The Lord is not slack
concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but
is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should
perish but all should come to repentance.” Before
Christ returns, He wants to give us as much time as
possible to lead as many people as we can to believing
and following Him.

• There are five different characteristics that make up a person ready for Christ’s
return: (1) They are sincere individuals and not hypocritical, as written in Luke
12:1, “In the meantime, when an innumerable multitude of people had
gathered together, so that they trampled one another, He began to say to His
disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is
hypocrisy;’” (2) They are ready to witness His return and are not fearful (see
Luke 12:4-9); (3) They are trusting and not worried, as written in Luke 12:25-
26, “And which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature? If you
then are not able to do the least, why are you anxious for the rest;” (4) They
are generous and never greedy, as written in Luke 12:34, “For where your
treasure is, there your heart will also be;” (5) Finally, they are diligent and not
lazy, as written in Luke 12:37, “Blessed are those servants whom the master,
when he comes, will find watching. Assuredly, I say to you that he will gird
himself and have them sit down to eat, and will come and serve them.” Let
your life reflect these five characteristics of a person joyfully awaiting the
return of Jesus Christ, and live every day preaching His Word to others in the
hopes that they may be saved before it is to late.

Jesus’ Second Coming

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