The Second Coming Of Jesus (No. 2)

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THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS (No. 2)

By George W. Sinquefield

Matthew 24:23 through Matthew 24:31 (KJV)

²³Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. ²⁴For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. ²⁵Behold, I have told you before. ²⁶Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. ²⁷For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. ²⁸For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. ²⁹Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: ³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

Dr. R. G. Lee said, "Of all the seven to eight thousand verses in the New Testament, one out of every twenty five points forward with eager gestures to the appearing again of the Lord Jesus. Frequently it is set forth as the great hope of the church, as the promise of promises, as the consummation of all evangelical and evangelistic hopes, as the sum of all prophecy and prayer."

D. L. Moody said, "There is hardly any church that does not make a great deal of baptism, but in all of Paul's epistles I believe baptism is spoken of only thirteen times while he spoke about the return of our Lord fifty times. And yet the church has very little to say about it."

The world waited for the first coming of the Lord and then He came. He was here for only thirty-three years and then He went away. He left a promise that He would come again and as the world watched and waited for his first coming and did not watch in vain, so now, to them who wait for his appearing shall He appear the second time unto salvation.

Modern man may be too sophisticated to believe that Jesus Christ is actually coming back to this earth some day. He may not see any point in looking up to the clouds anymore. His sophistication only makes him more miserable. It is very evident that he has lost his vision and sense of direction. His preoccupation with the things in this world is not getting him anywhere. He has no hope and nothing to look forward to. He has no goal which gives meaning and purpose to his existence. Jesus is coming whether we believe it or not.

The return of Jesus is referred to as the "blessed hope" of the church.

Titus 2:11 through Titus 2:13 (KJV)

¹¹For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, ¹²Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; ¹³Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Go back to the Old Testament before Christ came the first time. Whenever that blessed hope of the coming of the Messiah was abandoned, the spiritual condition of God's people and their influence in the world were at a low ebb. But whenever that hope was fresh in their hearts, they rose to new heights of service to God and victory over the world.

Angel Martinez said, "The second coming of Jesus is the hope that keeps the church alive. Without this glorious prospect life would be unbearable. The forward look keeps the assembly of the saved on the move. This blessed future gave the early Christians their forward thrust. They were looking for a returning Christ, and with this beautiful truth embedded in their hearts, they transformed the Roman Empire and routed the forces of darkness. Repudiate this wonderful doctrine of the second coming and you wilt every flower on the grave of our loved ones, for their resurrection is linked to the return of Christ. Reject the coming of our Lord and you crush the hopes of those who will be alive and transfigured when He returns. Renounce the second advent of our Redeemer and the whole creation will continue to groan and travail with no hope of its redemption from the bondage of corruption."

In this message, I want to discuss two things. He is coming in all his glory and his coming will be a sudden, unexpected return.

I. He Is Coming In All His Glory.

Webster defines glory as "heavenly bliss, the divine presence, the divine perfection.

Matthew 24:30 says He is coming with power and great glory. When the Bible says great it means great. Is glory is referred to lightening.

Matthew 24:27 (KJV)

²⁷For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Luke 17:24 (KJV)

²⁴For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

Hebrews 1:1 through Hebrews 1:3 (KJV)

¹God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, ²Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; ³Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

The King James Version says, "Who being in the brightness of his glory."

Notice this portion of the prayer Jesus uttered in John 17:24.

John 17:24 (KJV)

²⁴Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

That prayer will certainly be answered when He comes again. We shall behold his glory.

Luke 2:9 (KJV)

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

Revelation 21:23 (KJV)

²³And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.

Matthew 24:30 (KJV)

³⁰And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Matthew 25:31 (KJV)

³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

Jesus gave three of his followers a miniature portrait of his glory when He led them to the top of the mount and was transfigured before them. "Transfiguration -- the supernatural change in the appearance of Christ on the mount" (Webster)

Luke 9:28 through Luke 9:36 (KJV)

²⁸And it came to pass about an eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. ²⁹And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. ³⁰And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: ³¹Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. ³²But Peter and they that were with him were heavy with sleep: and when they were awake, they saw his glory, and the two men that stood with him. ³³And it came to pass, as they departed from him, Peter said unto Jesus, Master, it is good for us to be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias: not knowing what he said. ³⁴While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud. ³⁵And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. ³⁶And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And they kept it close, and told no man in those days any of those things which they had seen.

They saw his glory.

John 1:14 (KJV)

¹⁴And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

2 Peter 1:16 through 2 Peter 1:18 (KJV)

¹⁶For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ¹⁸And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount.

They saw his glory and heard the Father say, "This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased."

II. The Unexpected Nature Of His Coming

Matthew 24:42 through Matthew 24:44 (KJV)

⁴²Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. ⁴³But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. ⁴⁴Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.

God only knows the future. J. Sidlow Baxter said, "However clever twentieth century man may be in many ways there is one thing which he is still absolutely incapable of doing, and will always remain incapable of doing, and that is, to know or tell or determine the future. That is something which neither men nor angels can do, neither cry stargazers nor spiritualists mediums, neither demons nor the devil himself. Only God can know the future, for the simple, final reason that He alone sovereignly predetermines the future.

We do not know the hour nor the day. It is a good thing that we do not. If we knew for absolute certainty that Christ was coming next week let us say on Friday at 12 o'clock, I am sure that many, many people would die in a frenzy of great fear. But if God had set the date, let us say Christ is to come in the year 2500 on such and such a day, I am sure many people would grow careless and even more indifferent. The coming of our Lord is set forth in the Bible as always imminent. He may come on any day and at any moment.

A preacher asked a man, "Do you think Jesus will come today?" He said, "No, I don't think He will." The preacher said, "He is coming when we least expect him."

Early one chilly morning, in a Los Angeles suburb, a group of people gathered on a roof top. The wind whipped the white bed sheet in which they were robed and a newspaper photographer turned his camera toward the sky. They were there to greet the Lord when He came down from heaven according to their schedule. Needless to say, after they waited until some almost caught pneumonia, they began to slip away to their homes.

A self styled prophet had multiplied his own age by the number of his children, had thrown in the number 666 from Revelation, divided by the number of puppies in a litter their dog had . . . And came up with a date -- a date, he said, on which the Lord would certainly come. The amazing thing is, that instead of locking him up, some people believed him. However sincere these people may have been, they were flying in the face of Scripture. Jesus himself said that He did not know the day or the hour of His coming.

Matthew 24:23 through Matthew 24:27 (KJV)

2 Peter 3:10 (KJV)

¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

Quite suddenly --
     It may be at the turning of a lane,
Where I stand to watch a skylark soar
     From out the swelling grain,
That the trump of God shall thrill me,
     With its call so loud and clear,
And I'm called away to meet him,
     Whom of all I hold most dear.

Quite suddenly --
     It may be as I tread the busy street,
Strong to endure life's stress and strain,
     Its every call to meet,
That through the roar of traffic
     A trumpet, silvery clear,
Shall stir my startled senses,
     And proclaim his coming near.

Quite suddenly --
     It may be as I lie in dreamless sleep --
God's gift to many a sorrowing heart,
     With no more tears to weep --
That a call shall break my slumber,
     And a voice sound in my ear,
"Rise up, my love, and come away,
     Behold the bridegroom's here.

God's people should not be in darkness, that day should not overtake us as a thief. We should not be surprised when He does come. There is so much in the Bible that will help us to be prepared for that day.

1 Thessalonians 5:4 through 1 Thessalonians 5:6 (KJV)

⁴But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. ⁵Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. ⁶Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

The Living Bible put it this way -- "But, dear brother, you are not in the dark about these things and you won't be surprised as by a thief when that day of the Lord comes. For you are all children of the light and of the day, and do not belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Watch for his return and stay sober."

A real Christian is someone who from the moment he is saved, looks for, lives for, and longs for the second coming, and friends, that is all that matters.

Are we watching for him to come again?

Matthew 24:42 (KJV)

⁴²Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Again our Lord said:

Matthew 25:13 (KJV)

¹³Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

Then once again:

Mark 13:35 through Mark 13:37 (KJV)

³⁵Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: ³⁶Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. ³⁷And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.

One day off the coast of New Jersey in the Atlantic Ocean, a father and his daughter were swimming. Before they had realized it, they had drifted far from the shore. The waves were becoming higher and higher and the wind was getting stronger. They realized they were in danger. He knew she was a good swimmer and could float on her back for a long time so he told her to turn over and float on her back while he went for help. With great difficulty he got to the shore and got help. They started looking for her and found her very calmly floating on her back. She seemed so well and not the least bit afraid. They told her that she looked so unafraid and relaxed. She said, "Why shouldn't I be? My father who loves me said he would go for help and that he would come back to me." Jesus said, "I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also." (John 14:3)

Do you love his appearing? Marsillon said, "In the days of primitive Christianity, it would have been deemed a kind of apostasy not to sigh for the return of the Lord."

A. G. Gordon said "Strange it is that we have reached an age where it is counted an eccentricity (odd in behavior) to love Christ's appearance and a theological error to cry with the best loved apostle, "Even so come Lord Jesus."

The important question is "Are you and I prepared for his return?" One who is lost, who has never accepted Christ as Lord and Savior is certainly not prepared.

Matthew 7:21 through Matthew 7:23 (KJV)

²¹Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. ²²Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? ²³And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.

Matthew 25:31 through Matthew 25:46 (KJV)

³¹When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: ³²And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: ³³And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: ³⁶Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. ³⁷Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? ³⁸When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? ³⁹Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? ⁴⁰And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. ⁴¹Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: ⁴²For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: ⁴³I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. ⁴⁴Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? ⁴⁵Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. ⁴⁶And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

When Queen Mary of Orange was about to die, her chaplain wished to console her a few verses of Scripture. He was concerned whether she was prepared to go. She said, "I have not left the matter till this hour." She was prepared to go. An old Scotsman expressed a sense of preparedness as he faced eternity. He said, "I thatched my house when the weather was warm." He was prepared to go.

Dr. John Mitchell came to the bedside of a man that was near death. "Oh, John," He whispered, "I'm so rich." He dropped his head and they thought he was gone but after a brief period he opened his eyes. He asked, "John, is that you?" "Yes it is me," John replied. The dying man said, "My, my, I'm so disappointed. I was expecting to see the Lord and all I saw was you." He was prepared to go.

When we were just children we played hide and seek. One would count while the other found a hiding place. Then he would say, "Ready or not, I'm coming." One day our Lord is coming whether we are ready or not. "Be ye therefore ready."

The following is from a devotional booklet:

1 Thessalonians 4:16 (KJV)

¹⁶For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

It was just one man's opinion -- an educated guess. Given all the scientific data at his disposal, a scientist stated last year that an earthquake of disastrous proportions was imminent in Missouri. On the basis of his prediction, thousands of people stocked up on supplies, schools were closed, and residents practiced emergency procedures.

You can't blame these people for taking precautions. The science of earthquakes has become more sophisticated, and predicting them is now a possibility. Besides, no one wants to be unprepared for and event as frightening as an earthquake.

Another prediction -- one with more serious implications than a 7.0 Richter-scale quake, and with 100 percent certainty -- is recorded in today's Scripture. Yet it doesn't seem to move us to the same state of preparedness as the prediction of an earthquake.

The New Testament declares repeatedly that Jesus will come back to this world He left nearly 2,000 years ago. And given the accuracy of the biblical predictions about his first coming (see Mic. 5:2; Is. 9:6,7), we should realize that every day brings us one day closer to seeing him.