Second Coming
Close your eyes and think of the brightest light you have ever seen. Imagine that it is filling your room, house, and as far as you can see outside. You see and hear millions of singing, trumpet blowing angels! And the most important part…Jesus is coming!
Will Jesus ever come back to this earth again? Yes! He promised His disciples He would return. Jesus told them, “Let not your heart be troubled. You are trusting God, now trust in me. There are many homes up there where my Father lives, and I am going to prepare them for your coming. When everything is ready, then I will come and get you, so that you can always be with me where I am. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly.” (John 14:1-3, TLB).
Why is Jesus coming back? The Bible says, “Christ died only once as an offering for the sins of many people; and he will come again, but not to deal again with our sins. This time he will come bringing salvation to all those who are eagerly and patiently waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28, TLB). Jesus is coming back to earth to bring us salvation and eternal life with Him forever!
How will Jesus come back? Jesus said, “Then the peoples of the earth shall see me, the Messiah, coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27, TLB). “As the lightning flashes across the sky from east to west, so shall my coming be, when I, the Messiah, return….And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven” (Matthew 24:27, 31, TLB). Jesus; return will not be a secret, silent affair. Everyone on earth will see Him returning in power and glory – just as we see the lightning flashing across the sky in a thunderstorm.
What did the angels tell the disciples as they watched Jesus go up into heaven? The Bible says, “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 1:11, NIV). The disciples saw Jesus physically, literally ascend to heaven. The Bible says, “He [Jesus] was taken up before their [the disciples’] very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight” (Acts 1:9, NIV). And He will return the same way – physically and literally.
Will I actually see Jesus when He comes back to earth? Yes. If you are alive when He returns, you will see Him! The Bible says, “Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7, NIV). “Every eye” means every person who is alive when Jesus returns will see Him coming in the clouds. No one will have to tell you Jesus has come; you will see Him for yourself!
What will I see and hear when Jesus comes? The Bible says, “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 with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17, NIV). The return of Jesus is going to be noisy! There will be a lot going on and there will be a lot of excitement!
Who will come with Jesus in the clouds when He returns from heaven? The Bible says, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory” (Matthew 25:31, NIV). All the angels of heaven are going to accompany Jesus when He comes back to our world.
What should I do if someone tells me Jesus has already come secretly? Jesus said, “If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or, “There he is!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. See, I have told you ahead of time. So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:23-27, NIV). Jesus’ return is not going to be a secret; it will be visible for everyone to see.
Is there any way to know exactly when Jesus will come? No. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36, NIV). We can’t know the exact day or hour that Jesus will return, but we can know that it is near from the signs He has given us in the Bible. “Learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it [Jesus’ return] is near—at the doors!” (Matthew 24:32, 33, NIV).
What will the world be like when Jesus returns? The Bible says, “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, NIV). People will be going about their daily lives right up until Jesus comes. If we aren’t watching for Him, His return will be unexpected.
Why is Jesus taking so long to come back? The Bible says, “A day or a thousand years from now is like tomorrow to the Lord. He isn’t really being slow about his promised return, even though it sometimes seems that way. But he is waiting, for the good reason that he is not willing that any should perish, and he is giving more time for sinners to repent” (2 Peter 3:8, 9, TLB). He is waiting for you. Are you ready?
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