Table of Contents
Jesus shall come again. He shall return to this earth so that where He is they can be also. He went to prepare dwelling places for those who love Him and He will come again to take those who have been waiting for Him to the mansions that he has prepared for them. Here is His wonderful promise:
“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14:1-3.
The First Coming of Jesus
When Jesus came the first time, He came as a Teacher and sacrifice for sin. He came to give His precious blood for the salvation of the human family. He died so that we could live. He bore our sins on the cross so that we could become partakers of His righteousness. He shall come a second time to finish the good work that he began and gather the fruits of the wonderful plan of salvation. The apostle explains:
“So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Heb. 9:28.
The gospel is now gathering out of all nations a peculiar people for Him. This is being accomplished through the grace of God. And when the kingdom of glory shall be restored at the Coming of Christ, then the true people of God will be gathered from all nations and countries, to be with the Lord forever more.
The aim of Christ’s Second Coming
For what purpose will Christ come a second time? He will come to reward every man according to his deeds. Rev. 22:12. Then he will give eternal life to those who have been righteous. Matt. 16:27. Then the resurrection of the righteous will take place because the Son of God shall call the sleeping saints from all ages to go with Him to heaven and behold His glory. 1 Thess. 4:15-16; 1 Cor. 15:51-55.
The manner of Christ’s Coming
Christ shall come to this earth just as He left it. His ascension was visible. Men saw how a cloud took Him before their eyes. In the same way, He shall come again. Acts 1:9-11; Rev. 1:7. This same Jesus that left, is going to come again. What a comfort this is! What a joy must have filled the hearts of those who were connected with Jesus here, on earth, hearing this promise! For three years and a half, the disciples were in the closest relationship with Him and they had loved Him. To them, He was their dear Friend, their hope, their pattern. And He was to come again – this same Jesus!
How comforting must this thought be to all who have loved Him, because even today for His disciples He is the same kind, compassionate Savior, as He was when He was here, on earth. To how many He has come as their Comforter in times of sorrow, as a beacon of hope in times of darkness, and as a sure shelter in times of danger!
Because they have learned to love Him while they have been here, on this earth, marred by sin, they will certainly treasure the opportunity to have personal communion with him when he returns. His mild look and the beauty of his face would give them inexpressible joy and would elevate their hearts to him.
The time of Christ’s Coming
The Scriptures do not reveal the exact time when Christ will return. Jesus said: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Matt. 24:36. How meaningless, after these words, is it for man to try and calculate the date of Christ’s Coming? On the other hand, we are told that from the fulfillment of certain predictions and signs, we can know when the Coming of Christ is near. Just like we can know the summer is near when the trees begin to bud and produce leaves. Matt. 24:32, 33.
We truly believe that most of these predictions and signs have been fulfilled, and some are in the process of their fulfillment. There are twelve great prophecies in the Word of God which talk about the rise and fall of many nations and describe many great and significant events in the history of the world.
These prophecies are concentrated mostly in the book of Daniel and the Revelation. We can trace, step by step, the inspired predictions, and we will find that each link in the chain of prophecy has been fulfilled in a remarkable way. The last link of this chain relates to Christ’s Coming in glory.
The signs of Christ’s Coming
Apart from those prophetic periods, we have been shown many other circumstances which must serve as signs of the Coming of the Lord. We shall now give a short list of them:
1. Signs in the heaven, like the darkening of the sun on May 19, 1780, and the Starfall on November 13, 1833. Matthew 24:29-30.
2. Signs in nature. The earth shall wax old as a garment; there shall be earthquakes, floods, and other unusual events. Hebrews 1:10-11; Luke 21:25. These things have become more frequent in the last few years.
3. The conditions in social life. The time when the Son of Man shall come is compared to the days of Lot and Noah. Men will forget God. Their greatest aim in life will be to gratify their self-love. In Luke 17:26-30 we read an exact description of the current situation in the world. How much the time we live in resembles the days of Noah!
4. The preparations of the nations for war. In Joel 3:9-14 we are told that the instruments of peaceful labor will be turned into weapons of warfare. What an exact fulfillment does this prophecy find in today’s world affairs!
5. Lawlessness and wickedness will prevail. While all the nations are preparing themselves with all their strength for war, great efforts are exerted for the preservation of peace, though with no success. Because while they shall be crying “Peace, peace!”, and the nations shall believe in their sure success, a sudden destruction shall come upon them, which they shall not be able to escape. We read this prediction in 1 Thess. 5:1-4.
6. Indulgence of worldly lusts. The issue is that today’s efforts in favor of peace are not based on the right foundation. The Word of God explains that this endeavor will not accomplish its great aim, because war is in harmony with the carnal mind of mankind, and until the heart is changed, the passions of the carnal man will continue to be manifested. And the change of the heart can never come as a result of human orders or human laws. Only Christ, through his transforming grace, can change the hearts of men and plant in them his spirit of love and peace.
7. The spiritual condition of popular Christianity. In his second epistle to Timothy, the apostle Paul explains that the last days will be marked by an unfortunate departure from God. People will love their own selves more than God. They will have a form of godliness, but in their lives, they will deny its power. We can read the long list of sins which have been listed in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Then we can look around, and what do we see? Do we not see in all Christianity these same things?
Though everything is so, thanks to the grace of God, Jesus has not been left without witnesses, because in all nations there are some godly men and women who lament the darkness that has come in, and long for a revival of true godliness. And God will give this revival in his own time.
This time, as we believe, shall come through the message of Christ’s Coming which shall be proclaimed to the uttermost parts of the world. This message, found in Revelation 14:6-12, is now preparing a people to meet the Lord. May we also be among those who shall say when Jesus comes: “This is the Lord; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isaiah 25:9.