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The Purpose Of His Coming (No. 3)

THE PURPOSE OF HIS COMING (No. 3)

By George W. Sinquefield

1 Thessalonians 4:13 through 1 Thessalonians 4:18 (KJV)

13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 18Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

        Someone has given us the following and I'm in perfect agreement:

        "The second coming of Jesus is not being emphasized in many churches today. People are so pleasure oriented and materialistic that thoughts of heaven are often neglected. We have built our 'nests' so strong here that we are no longer watching eagerly for the return of the Lord as the early Christians did. We are prone to think of the 'meeting in the air' as a far off event. We don't like the thought of having our plans suddenly interrupted by the Savior's return. When we do think of it, we hope He will come just in time to rescue us from a painful death. Or that his appearance will be a glorious climax to our somewhat unspectacular lives."

        Jesus is coming again and we can be sure of that.

John 14:2 (KJV)

2In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

I.   The Angels Will Come With Him.

        The Bible tells us that there are many angels.

Psalm 68:17 (KJV)

17The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.

Matthew 26:53 (KJV)

53Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?

        A legion is 3000 to above 6000.

Hebrews 12:22 (KJV)

22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

        Angels are great and powerful.

2 Thessalonians 1:7 (KJV)

7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

2 Peter 2:11 (KJV)

11Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.

        These angels will come with Jesus.

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:

Mark 8:38 (KJV)

38Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

II.   Jesus Is Coming To Resurrect The Dead.

        All will be raised from the dead. This of course has reference to the raising of the bodies of the dead.

John 5:28 through John 5:29 (KJV)

28Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

Acts 24:15 (KJV)

15And have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust.

        Notice that in John's gospel Jesus speaks of raising the dead as the "last days."

John 6:39 through John 6:40 (KJV)

39And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:44 (KJV)

44No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

John 6:54 (KJV)

54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

III.   Jesus Will Bring With Him The Spirits Of The Righteous Whose Spirits Have Already Returned To God.

1 Thessalonians 4:13 through 1 Thessalonians 4:14 (KJV)

13But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

        Jude, "The Lord is coming with millions of his holy ones." (The Living Bible)

        "Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints." (King James)

        All the saved who have gone on to be with the Lord will come with him. A Christian mother or father, a Christian husband, wife or child, a Christian brother or sister. The little children and babies who died before they reached the age of accountability. These will receive their resurrection bodies which will consummate their salvation.

Romans 8:23 (KJV)

23And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

        The Bible teaches that salvation is in three stages. We have been saved, we are being saved and we will be finally and completely saved when Jesus comes to give us our resurrection bodies.

        1. We have been saved from the penalty of sin.

Luke 7:50 (KJV)

50And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

2 Timothy 1:9 (KJV)

9Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began,

        One is saved when he or she repents of sin and accepts Jesus as Lord and Savior. The keeper of the prison fell down before Paul and Silas and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They told him, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house" (Acts 16:30-31)

        2. We are being saved from the power of sin.

1 Corinthians 1:18 (KJV)

18For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.

        Perishing and being saved are in the progressive sense, meaning that one who was saved in the past will continue to be saved. And one who is perishing will continue to perish.

Romans 6:23 (KJV)

23For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:15 (KJV)

15For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

John 6:47 (KJV)

47Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

        When Jesus comes, the bodies of Christians who have died, will be resurrected and the bodies of living Christians shall be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51 through 1 Corinthians 15:52 (KJV)

51Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

        The saved dead will experience resurrection, not just being raised from the dead. Jesus raised several from the dead but they were not resurrected. They lived out their lives and died again.

IV.   Hear What The Word Of God Says About The Resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:42 through 1 Corinthians 15:44 (KJV)

42So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: 43It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: 44It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body.

        Now notice verses 53 and 54.

1 Corinthians 15:53 through 1 Corinthians 15:54 (KJV)

53For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

        What kind of a body is the resurrected glorified body? It will be like the body of our Lord Jesus Christ after his resurrection. It was a spiritual body. But notice some things about this spiritual body.

        1. It was a recognizable body. It bore the print of the nails and the wounds in his side. Mary recognized Jesus by his voice when He said, "Mary." We are told that the reason the disciples did not recognize him was because their eyes were "holden" and not because the Lord was not easily recognized.

        2. Jesus' body could move from one place to another in a moment of time, and disappear at will. He could ascend straight upward. He could enter a room where the doors were locked.

        3. We shall not need food, but will be able to partake of it at will. The Bible says, "They shall hunger no more neither shall they thirst any more." Yet we shall be able to eat for Jesus proved that it was indeed he how had risen from the grave by eating before the eyes of his disciples.

        Our bodies will be like his glorified body.

1 Corinthians 15:49 (KJV)

49And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.

Romans 8:28 through Romans 8:29 (KJV)

28And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. 29For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

Philippians 3:20 through Philippians 3:21 (KJV)

20For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.

1 John 3:2 (KJV)

2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

        Our bodies were not converted or changed when we were saved.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)

17Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

        If our bodies had been regenerated we would not have all the trouble we have. We would never need to wear glasses, have heart attacks, headaches, backaches, ulcers, kidney failure, arthritis, or hearing aids.

        But, praise the Lord, one day we'll have a new body, a body that knows no pain, sickness or suffering. It'll never grow old and wear out. It'll be a body like our Savior had after his resurrection. The bodies of the living Christians will be changed, transfigured. Their bodies will be the same as the resurrected bodies of the dead.

        All will be changed, the dead bodies will experience resurrection and the bodies of the living shall be transfigured and together we'll be caught up to meet the Lord in the air.

1 Thessalonians 4:15 through 1 Thessalonians 4:17 (KJV)

15For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 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: 17Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

        When the spirits of the Christians who come back with Jesus receive their resurrected bodies and the living Christians have been transfigured so their bodies will be the same as those resurrected, then we shall be "caught up together to meet the Lord in the air and thus we shall always be with the Lord."

        We hear a lot about the rapture of the saints. The word "rapture" does not appear in the Bible but it means a lifting up of the redeemed to meet the Lord in the air. "Meet" is used to welcome a newly arrived dignitary. What a great reunion it will be when we meet the Lord and all our loved ones who died in Christ. What a glorious meeting that will be, when Christian shall meet Christian, and when all of the saints shall meet the Savior.

        The gathering will be a great one. All children of God who have ever lived, from Abel the first saint down to the last one born in the day that our Lord comes - all of every age, and nation, and church, and people, and tongue -- all shall be assembled together. No one shall be overlooked or forgotten. The weakest and feeblest shall not be left behind. When scattered, true Christians seem to be a little flock; when gathered, they shall be found to be a multitude which no man can number.

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.

        We interpret this verse to mean the suddenness of Christ's return. This is correct but meteorologists tell us that when lightening shines from the east to the west, it has a definite significance. When a storm is approaching the lightening shines from the west or the northwest. When lightening shines from the east to the west, that means the storm is over. This verse seems to teach that when Jesus comes the storms of life have passed. The storms of sin, suffering and death, war, sorrow, hatred and all other storms that we endure in this life are all over.

        When Billy Graham was in Africa, he visited a small band of Christians. All of them had been severely persecuted. Their homes had been burned, their possessions had been taken away, some of their loved ones had been killed by the Moslem authorities. They worshipped in a little hut about ten by twelve feet in size. Some of them had walked a dozen miles to hear the great evangelist. When Billy arrived he was treated with the greatest respect. As he looked about him he said he could see the marks of suffering on the faces of many of them. And the first song they sung was "There'll be no dark valley when Jesus comes."

        Are you ready for his coming? If you are not, please turn from your sins and ask Jesus to come into your heart and save you. He will do just that and He'll continue to help you be prepared.