When Jesus Comes Again

Just last week I heard someone speaking about the return of Jesus. Even before the war in Israel began, many were talking about the possibility of the Lord’s return. This person was trying to be honest, they said, “We don’t know when he’s coming”. I agree with that, we don’t. They then went on to try and justify that believers through the ages thought he was coming back, they said, “Even the apostles believed he was coming back in their day.” I disagree with this statement. I don’t think the apostles “thought” Jesus was coming back, they “knew” He was coming, just like we know He is coming!

Here’s what I know, every single prophecy that predicted His first coming has been fulfilled, accurately and completely. Here is what that tells me, every single prophecy concerning His second coming will be fulfilled as well!

Church, say it with me: Jesus is coming again! Do you believe that?

The first time He came He came as a baby, a man. The first time He came He was overlooked, ignored, hated, betrayed, and killed. This time will be different.

How will it be different? Because this time, when Jesus comes, He is coming, first of all...

In Glory v. 14a

Revelation 14:14 “14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man...”

What a wonderful sight that must have been! I want to remind you that this is not some artist’s interpretation of Jesus. This is not an image conjured from someone’s imagination, this is a first-person eyewitness account of the apostle John telling us what he saw, and what he saw is what he wrote, Jesus on a cloud!

Here is what we know from Jesus Himself:

Matthew 24:30 (KJV 1900)

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.

J Vernon McGee states that the reference to cloud here is to be understood as the Shekinah glory of God. I agree with Dr. McGee. When Jesus came the first time He had an humble beginning, but when He left He left in glory and when He returns, He is coming in glory!

That Jesus is coming in glory is not all we see here, we see also that when Jesus comes again he is coming...

In Victory v. 14b

Revelation 14:14 “14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown...”

I want to remind you that when He came the first time He was betrayed, mocked, beaten, and given a crown of thorns, but when when He comes again He will be wearing a crown of gold! This golden crown is not a diadem that would be worn by a king, that crown comes later. This is a victor’s crown. The gold speaks of His victory over every enemy - sin, death, and the devil.

When at His first coming He was crucified and buried, Satan thought he had won a great victory, but my friends, Jesus was the winner of that contest! When He comes again at the end of the Tribulation He will defeat the antichrist and the armies of the world.

This verses is just a foretaste of what is yet to come, but church I want you to know I don’t lose sleep over whether or not my Jesus is going to come out on top! He is coming in glory, and He is coming in victory, and that’s not all, when Jesus comes again, He is coming...

In Judgment v. 14c-20

Read that last part of verse 14...

He is on a cloud, the shekinah glory cloud, He is wearing a victor’s crown, and He is holding a sickle! The work sickle is a “pruning hook”. This hook is used for the harvest of grapes from a vine. There are some interesting truths I want to point out concerning this judgment. Notice first it is

Decreed by God the Father v. 15

An angel is seen coming out of the temple and it appears he issues an order to Jesus to act…

I struggled with this church - how can an angel order the Savior to do anything, and then I did some more digging! Here is what I learned, the angle is seen...

“…crying with a loud voice”

The idea is not that he issued an order

Rather the the angel urged, pleaded with Jesus to thrust in his sickle

He comes out of the temple

This must mean he was in the presence of God the Father

This indicates to us that the urging came not at the angel’s desire, but of God the Father’s!

Angels, in their most basic function are messengers

This angel was evidently delivering a message from God the Father to God the Son

Not only is the judgment of Jesus decreed by God the Father, but it is...

Past due v. 15c

He declares, “the earth is ripe”

Ripe in this case does not mean that the fruit is ready to be eaten and enjoyed.

The word in this case means that the fruit is dried up, disgusting, and long past the time it should have been harvested

Church, listen to me, God is longsuffering. He is patient, but this crowd that has confused His long suffering and patience as acceptance of their sin…they are wrong!

You’ve heard them: “God doesn’t judge people today like He used to!! We don’t read of the earth opening up and swallowing people today like in the OT. that must mean God doesn’t care, or that God isn’t interested in judging us anymore”

No my friends, the reason that God doesn’t deal with us today like He did in the OT is because we are living in a time AFTER the cross

God is not ignoring your sin

God is not condoning your sin

God is not overlooking your sin

God is simply withholding his judgment for your sin, giving you a chance to repent but when the time comes for Him to reap the harvest, if you haven’t repented then God will righteously pour out His judgment on you!

When I say this judgment is past due, I want you to understand that what I mean is it has been a long-time coming.

I don’t have the words to describe the evil in the world we live in.

I don’t understand how someone can hurt a child, or take a life, or commit heinous crimes

I don’t understand how someone can be so confused on who they are and not accept the way God made them

I cannot understand the acceptance of evil, the occult, false religions, and the rejection of the Bible and God’s truth.

All I understand is that when Jesus comes as judge, there will be no excuse, no explanation, and no escape for those who have rejected Him and His grace.

The Judgment, when it comes will be...

Bloody v. 16-20

While we’ll look at the details of this final battle in Revelation 19, there is enough in these verses to unsettle the bravest among us.

Here is what we know:

The battle depicted here is the battle of Armageddon

This is the final battle in a long war against God’s people

What is happening today in Israel is, like it or not, believer it or not, part of this ages-long conflict

The events described by Jesus and the angels, the references to the sickles and the harvest, are all pictures of the bloodshed that will take place when Jesus returns to the earth physically.

The symbolism is humbling:

The grapes are those who have rejected Jesus and followed the Antichrist in his war

The winepress of the wrath of God speaks of God’s consuming anger

In ancient times, and even in some modern times, when the harvest was at hand, grapes would be gathered and placed in presses

The grapes would then be stomped under someone’s feet to release the juices from whence they would be collected along the next step to be turned into wine.

The symbolism couldn’t be more clear.

The grapes are the Christ-recjetors

The winepress is the anger of God

Those who reject his Son will be killed in a bloody battle

How bloody? The blood will flow nearly 200 miles and will in places be nearly 4 feet deep.

Here is the worst part: none of these people who will lose their lives in this future event, have to. Do you want to know a sad truth? No one who is in hell today had to go there.

That is how amazing God is! That is how loving God is! He sent Jesus to pay for the sins of every single person on the planet, even those who are in hell today. You say, “Then why did He let them go to hell?” For the same reason he will let these people in Revelation go to hell, and for the same reason he let’s people today go to hell: Because they have rejected the payment of Jesus for their sin.

Conclusion:

Friends when Jesus comes again, He will not be coming quietly in a manger, He will be coming in glory! When He comes again, He will not be going to the cross, He will be coming in victory! When He comes again He will be coming, not as a lowly carpenter, but as the righteous judge of the earth! When He comes, will you be ready to meet Him?

How many of you today can say I am ready. I know that when Jesus comes, first to rapture the church, I’m going with Him. You’re saved and you know it, will you raise your hand?

Is there one who couldn’t raise their hand today? YOu’re not sure, you are confuse, you have questions about heaven and hell? Maybe you’d like to talke privately after the service, maybe you just want prayer, will you raise your hand today?