The Second Coming of Jesus!
Revelation 22:7 – “And behold, I AM COMING QUICKLY. Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”
Revelation 22:12 – “Behold, I AM COMING QUICKLY, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.
Revelation 22:20 – …“Yes, I AM COMING QUICKLY.”
Revelation 3:11 – I AM COMING QUICKLY; hold firmly to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.
Life goes by quickly! TIME IS SHORT!
NOW IS THE TIME OF SALVATION
2 Corinthians 6:2 – Behold, NOW is “a favorable (acceptable) time,” behold, NOW is “a day of salvation”.
Revelation 22:10-11 – And he said to me, “Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the TIME IS NEAR. 11 Let the one who does wrong still do wrong, and the one who is filthy still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous still practice righteousness, and the one who is holy still keep himself holy.”
Special note: There is coming a time soon when our eternal destiny will be set. There will be no more time & opportunity to repent & accept the wonderful gift of salvation! It will be too late!
OUR BLESSED HOPE – HIS RETURN IS SURE!
Titus 2:13 …looking for the BLESSED HOPE and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.
John 14:2-3 – I go to prepare a place for you. 3 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.
I Peter 1:3-6 – Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the LAST TIME. 6 In this you GREATLY REJOICE, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials…
SIGNS OF HIS COMING AND THE END OF THE WORLD!
Matthew 24:3 – …And what shall be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:4-5 – And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.
Matthew 24:6 – And you shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that you be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
Matthew 24:7 – For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows.
Matthew 24:9-10 – Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and you shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. 10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
Matthew 24:11-12 – And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
Matthew 24:13-14 – But he that shall ENDURE TO THE END, the same shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto ALL nations; and then shall the END COME.
Matthew 24:21 – For then shall be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Matthew 24:24 – For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
Matthew 24:29 – Immediately 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:
Matthew 24:30 – And 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.
Special note: Review verses 13-14.. he that shall ENDURE TO THE END SHALL BE SAVED. This wonderful gospel of Jesus must be preached in ALL THE WORLD first! Let’s all do our part in helping spread the gospel these days!
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN JESUS COMES?
Psalm 96:14 – …Before the Lord: for he comes, for he comes to JUDGE THE EARTH: he shall JUDGE THE WORLD with righteousness, and the people with his truth.
THE DANGERS OF THE LAST DAYS – 2 TIMOTHY 3
2 Timothy 3:1-5 – …that in the last days there will be VERY DIFFICULT TIMES. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
REFLECTIONS & WARNINGS
There will be GREAT TRIBULATION!
Many will be DECEIVED!
The love of many for God will GROW COLD!
AS CHRISTIANS WE JOYFULLY ANTICIPATE HIS RETURN
I Peter 1:8-9 …whom having not seen you love. Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you REJOICE WITH JOY INEXPRESSIBLE and full of glory, 9 receiving the end of your faith—the salvation of your souls.
Special note: This is something to look forward to with “joy inexpressible”… Rejoicing with GREAT JOY…!
FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT CHRISTIANS his second coming WILL BE A TIME OF MOURNING
Matthew 24:30 – Then THE SIGN announcing the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth WILL MOURN over him. And they will see the Son of Man appearing in the clouds of heaven, revealed with mighty power, great splendor, and glory.
HIS COMING WILL BE A TIME OF GATHERING TOGETHER UNTO HIM
Matthew 24:31 – And he will send his messengers with the loud blast of the trumpet, and with a great voice they will gather his beloved chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other!”
Always LIVE IN ReadINESS for His Appearing!
Matthew 24:36-44 – “Concerning that day and exact hour, no one knows when it will arrive, not even the angels of heaven—only the Father knows. 37 For it will be like it was in the days of Noah when the Son of Man appears. Before the flood, people lived their lives eating, drinking, marrying, and having children. 39 They didn’t realize THE END WAS NEAR until Noah entered the ark, and then suddenly, the flood came and took them all away in judgment. It will happen the same way when the Son of Man appears. 40 At that time, two men will be working on the farm; one will be taken away in judgment, the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding grain; one will be taken away in judgment, the other left.42 This is why you must stay alert: because no one knows the day your Lord will come. “But realize this: If a homeowner had known what time of night the burglar would come to rob his house, he would have been alert and ready, and not let his house be robbed. 44 So ALWAYS BE READY, alert, and prepared, because at an hour when you’re not expecting him, the Son of Man will come.”
The Church needs to make herself ready for the marriage supper of the Lamb!
Ephesians 5:25-27 – For he died for us, sacrificing himself 26 to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God. 27 All that he does in us is designed to make us a MATURE CHURCH for his pleasure, until we become a source of PRAISE TO HIM—glorious and radiant, beautiful and holy, without fault or flaw.
Revelation 19:7 – Let us rejoice and exalt him and give him glory, because the wedding celebration of the Lamb has come,
and His bride has MADE HERSELF READY.
THE SAD FACT IS THAT SOME WILL NOT BE READY!
THE PARABLE OF THE WISE AND FOOLISH VIRGINS
Matthew 25:1-13 – “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the BRIDEGROOM. 2 Now five of them were wise, and five were FOOLISH. 3 Those who were FOOLSIH took their lamps and took no oil with them, 4 but the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5 But while the BRIDEGROOM was delayed, they all slumbered and slept.6 “And at midnight a cry was heard: ‘Behold, the BRIDEGROOM is coming; go out to meet him!’ 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps. 8 And the FOOLISH said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.’ 9 But the wise answered, saying, ‘No, lest there should not be enough for us and you; but go rather to those who sell, and buy for yourselves.’ 10 And while they went to buy, the BRIDEGROOM came, and THOSE WHO WERE READY went in with him to the wedding; and the door was shut. 11 “Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12 But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 13 “WATCH therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming.
OUR ETERNAL REWARDS
What we can expect— our eternal home!
John 14:1-3 – “Don’t worry or surrender to your fear. For you’ve believed in God, now trust and believe in me also. 2 My Father’s house has many dwelling places. If it were otherwise, I would tell you plainly, because I go to prepare A PLACE FOR YOU. 3 And when everything is ready, I will come back (I WILL COME AGAIN) and take you to myself so that YOU WILL BE WHERE I AM.
WHO IS COMING QUICKLY? — JESUS, The great “I AM”!!
Revelation 22:20 – …“Yes, I AM COMING QUICKLY.” (Jesus)
Special note: What does “quickly” mean? From an eternal perspective, quickly could mean anything God wants it to mean, because time here on earth is very short compared to the measureless years of eternity! God’s perspective is that “a thousand years are as one day”… (From that perspective, there’s only been around 2 days since the cross. What happens on the third day?)
2 Peter 3:8 – But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
WHAT ABOUT THE EXTENDED DELAY?
2 Peter 3:9 – This means that, contrary to man’s perspective, the Lord is not late with his promise to return, as some measure lateness. But rather, his “delay” simply reveals his loving patience toward you, because he does not want any to perish but all to come to repentance.
WHEN HE COMES, WHAT WILL HAPPEN?
When he comes he will judge the world in righteousness!
Psalm 96:13 – …Before the Lord: for He comes, for He comes to judge the earth: He shall JUDGE THE WORLD WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS, and the peoples with his truth.
LET’S BE READY!
—-
Special acknowledgement: Thanks to Evelyn Asuncion who assisted with the preparation of this message, and the sharing of it at our online service.