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The return of Jesus Christ and the following events |
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After
Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to witnesses chosen before by
God. He was seen by them during forty days and He spoke of the things
pertaining to the |
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However,
one day Jesus will come back from heaven. He Himself promised His disciples
that He will come back, as He said to them: “In 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and
receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go
you know, and the way you know” (John 14:2-4 – NKJV). |
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How will He come back?
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● He will come back in the same way He went
into heaven, that is to say, in a visible way |
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For in the
book of the Acts of the apostles it is written: “And when he had spoken these
things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their
sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold,
two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of |
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● He will come back on the clouds of heaven,
with great glory and power |
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For in the
Gospel according to Matthew it is written: “Then the sign of the Son of Man
will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and
great glory” (Matthew 24:30 – NKJV). In the book of the prophet Daniel (which
was written several centuries before the Gospel according to Matthew) there
is the following prediction concerning the coming of the Son of Man on the
clouds of heaven: “I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son
of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and
they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory,
and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his
dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his
kingdom that which shall not be destroyed” (Daniel |
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What will happen at His return?
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● The dead in Christ will be raised from the
dead and those who are alive will be changed |
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Paul said
to the saints of |
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As for the
change of those who are alive, Paul says to the Thessalonians: “Then 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” (1 Thessalonians
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Therefore,
as Paul says, “We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Corinthians
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● Those who do not know God and do not obey
the Gospel will be destroyed |
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For Paul
says to the saints of Thessalonica: “Seeing it is a righteous thing with God
to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are
troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with
his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not
God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be
punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from
the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and
to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was
believed) in that day” (2 Thessalonians 1:6-10). |
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Among
those who will be punished there will be also those believers who will not be
found ready at the coming of Christ. For Jesus made it clear that those who
will not be found ready at His coming will be punished by Him. For instance
He said in a parable: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord
hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed
is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I
say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that
evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall
begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The
lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in
an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him
his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of
teeth” (Matthew 24:45-51). Notice the destiny which awaits that servant who
has been made ruler by his master over his household to give them food in due
season, but begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the
drunkards; he will be cut in two and assigned a place with the hypocrites. In
other words he will be cast into the fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. Jesus spoke also this parable, which shows that the Lord will
punish at His coming all those who will be found unfaithful: “For the kingdom
of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who
called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods. And unto one he
gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his
journey. Then he that had received the five talents went and traded with the
same, and made them other five talents. And likewise he that had received
two, he also gained other two. But he that had received one went and digged
in the earth, and hid his lord's money. After a long time the lord of those
servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five
talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst
unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.
His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been
faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter
thou into the joy of thy lord. He also that had received two talents came and
said, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me two talents: behold, I have gained two
other talents beside them. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and
faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee
ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. Then he which
had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an
hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not
strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo,
there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou
wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and
gather where I have not strawed: Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money
to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with
usury [interest]. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him
which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he
shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even
that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness:
there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:14-30). Notice even
in this parable the terrible punishment the Lord will inflict upon the
unprofitable servant, he will be cast into the outer darkness where there
will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. |
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● The man of sin will be destroyed |
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For Paul
says to the Thessalonians that that day (that is, the day on which the Lord
will come and gather us together to Him) will not come unless the falling
away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, whose
coming “is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs and lying
wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because
they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved” (2 Thessalonians
2:9-10 – NKJV), whom (that is, the man of sin) the Lord Jesus will consume
“with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming”
(2 Thessalonians 2:8 – NKJV). |
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In the
book of Revelation the apostle John confirms that when the Lord Jesus comes
back from heaven he will destroy the man of sin. Here is what he says: “And I
saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was
called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he
had a name written, that no man knew, but he
himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in
heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and
clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the
winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his
vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice,
saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather
yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the
flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and
the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men,
both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast [the man of
sin], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make
war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast
was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him,
with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them
that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire
burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain
with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of
his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh” (Revelation |
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● The millennial reign will be established
on the earth |
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For John
says about those who will have part in the first resurrection (that is, the
resurrection of the just): “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the
first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be
priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation
20:6). Therefore Christ and His saints will reign on the earth for a thousand
years. The thousand-year reign will be characterized by peace and
righteousness because the devil will be bound and cast into the bottomless
pit, where he will remain till the thousand years are finished, as it is
written: “And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the
bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon,
that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand
years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal
upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years
should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season” (Revelation
20:1-3) |
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When will He return?
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Jesus will
come back at God’s appointed time, for Paul says that God will manifest
Christ’s appearing “in His own time” (1 Timothy |
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The
apostle Paul wrote to the saints of Thessalonica about the times and the
seasons: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I
write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so
cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:1-3). Obviously the day of the
Lord will come like a thief in the night for those who are in darkness and
not for those who are in the light, that is, the sons of God who walk in the
light, because the sons of light are waiting for the Lord while those who are
of the night are not waiting for Him. Paul explains this to the Thessalonians
in this way: “But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children
of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not
sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober” (1 Thessalonians 5:4-6).
However, it is obvious that if a son of light ceases to walk in the light and
begins to walk in darkness, the day of the Lord will overtake him also as a
thief and thus he will not escape the punishment of God. Did Jesus not say to
His disciples: “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down
with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life,
and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all
those who dwell on the face of the whole earth” (Luke |
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According
to what I have said, it is evident, therefore, that anyone who makes
calculations to set the times and the seasons of the return of Christ, does
something which is contrary to the will of God. God wants us to prepare to
meet Christ (at His coming), so that we may be confident and unashamed before
Him at His coming; but He does not want us to make calculations to set the
date of His return. We know that the coming of the Lord is near (James 5:8),
we know that “in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and
will not delay” (Hebrews 10:37 – NIV), we know that many of the things that
(according to the words of Jesus) are to happen before the coming of the Lord
have already happened and are happening in this generation, and we know also
that the day of the Lord will not come unless the falling away comes first,
and the man of sin is revealed. But it is not for us to know the day and the
hour in which the Lord will come, because Jesus said to His disciples: “It is
not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority” (Acts 1:7 – NKJV). However, there are some who, ignoring what the
Scripture says, take delight in setting times and seasons concerning the return
of Christ. I exhort you to beware of anyone who makes calculations to set the
date of the coming of the Lord; know this, that such a person troubles with
his words the heart of believers and this shows that his words are not of
God. I say it again, brothers, beware of all those who have come to the
conclusion (no matter what kind of calculations they have made) that the Lord
will come on a particular day (or in particular month or year); their words will
prove to be profane babblings in due time, and both they and those who follow
them will be put to shame. |
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What will happen after His return?
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● There will be a thousand-year reign on the
earth and when this period of time is over the devil will be released from
his prison |
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The second
coming of Christ will usher in the millennial reign, which will be a reign
full of peace and righteousness because at His return the devil will be bound
and cast into the bottomless pit to keep him from deceiving the nations any
more till the thousand years are ended. However, when the thousand years are
over, Satan will be released from his prison and will deceive the nations.
Here is what John says: “And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall
be loosed out of his prison, And shall go out to deceive the nations which
are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together
to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on
the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the
beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented
day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:7-10). |
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Therefore,
when the millennial reign is over, all those who will be deceived by the
devil will surround the saints to fight against them, but God will punish
them by raining fire on them (as you know God punished also Sodom and
Gomorrah by raining fire on them). The devil also will be punished, for he
will be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where he will be tormented
forever and ever; he deserves to be punished in this way. Therefore both the
deceiver and those who will be deceived will be punished. |
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● The present heavens and earth will be
destroyed |
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For John
says that after the devil was cast into the everlasting fire, he 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” (Revelation |
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● The wicked will be raised from the dead
and judged according to their works |
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This is
the second resurrection, that is, the resurrection of those who have done
evil (John |
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The lake
of fire, which is the final abode for all the ungodly and the devil and all
of his co-workers, is also called “the everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41), “the
gehenna” (Mark |
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● The New Jerusalem will come down out of
heaven |
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Here is
what John says about the coming down of the New Jerusalem and about the
heavenly city: “And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven
and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John
saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of
heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them,
and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and
there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there
be any more pain: for the former things are passed away…… And there came unto
me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last
plagues, and talked with me, saying, Come hither, I will shew thee the bride,
the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high
mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out
of heaven from God, Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a
stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; And had a
wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels,
and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the
children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the
south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had
twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And he that talked with me had a golden reed to measure the city, and the
gates thereof, and the wall thereof. And the city lieth foursquare, and the
length is as large as the breadth: and he measured the city with the reed,
twelve thousand furlongs. The length and the breadth and the height of it are
equal. And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four
cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the
building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like
unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished
with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the
second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; The fifth,
sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, chrysolite; the eighth, beryl; the
ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the
twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several
gate was of one pearl: and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass. And I saw no temple therein: for
the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of
it. And 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. And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the
light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into
it. And the gates of it shall not be shut at all by day: for there shall be
no night there. And they shall bring the glory and honour of the nations into
it. And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie:
but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And he shewed me a
pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God and of the Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side
of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and
the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. And there shall
be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him: And they shall see his
face; and his name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night
there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God
giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation
21:1-4, 9-27; 22:1-5). |
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Conclusion
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This is
the hope that the saints have in God, that they will be raised from the dead
or changed at the coming of Christ from heaven, they will reign with Christ
upon the earth for the following thousand years, and will live forever with
their immortal, incorruptible and glorious body in the New Jerusalem, which
will descend upon the new earth. Let those who have this hope rejoice and
glorify God, and let them purify themselves just as Jesus is pure; instead,
let those who don’t have this hope repent of their sins and believe in Jesus
Christ, that is, let them believe that Jesus died on the cross for our sins
and rose again the third day for our justification, that they also may have this
glorious hope. |
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To Christ
Jesus, the One who is and who was and who is to come, be the glory now and
forever. Amen. |