Is Jesus Coming Back?
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
The end of the world is a facinating topic to delve into. The world ending is the subject of many a movie and book. The apocalyptic is irresistable for our consideration.
The Materialist throws out his projection of the end of the world to a billion years, when the sun expands sufficiently to burn the earth and destroy all life. If we have managed to migrate off the plannet before then, perhaps we will survive for trillions of years until the energy of the universe is completely used up.
Christians famously have some strong predictions about how the world will end. And some christians have unfortunately misunderstood those predictions, or made up their own ideas and have given us a bad reputation. Periodically there is someone who reckons they have finally figured out the date when the world will end, or read the times with sufficient exactitude to know the the great tribulation has begun or other such thing.
Because of the plethora of bad takes on this stuff, it behoves us to spend some time considering the End of the World and what God has said will happen. This area of study is called Eschatology, the study of the End.
For Christians there are 3 or 4 main streams of thought when it comes to views of the End times, and we as a church do not officially pick a lane. It’s an issue where we’re happy to live and let live as a matter of conscience.
That said,
that does not mean “anything goes”.
We still need to remain faithful to what God’s word has said, and we need to trust his Word over and above the vibes and the influencers with their click-bait.
So I’m going to spend a few weeks going through the guts of what the Bible teches about the End of the World. I’m not going to be doing a detailed breakdown of the 70 weeks of Daniel or the Mark of the Beast (although there are answers for those issues), no I’m sticking to the core elements that every Christian needs to have clearly set out in their mind.
So, this week we’re considering the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, then in future weeks we will look into the Resurrection & Judgement, and then the Recreation of the World.
Some thought the world was Ending in 70AD with the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.
Some thought it would end with the fall of Rome.
Some though it would end in around 1000AD
Some thought that the World Wars of last century were signs of the end, or that the world would end with the invention of Atomic weapons.
Yet we continue on.
But we have been assured that the world will end and God will sort everything out. And God always keeps his promises.
This world is broken and corrupt, and Jesus come to save it. He came the first time to bring redemption to mankind, and the second time he returns it will be to close the chapter on this world as we know it.
Its a bit like an airport gate. Before the plane departs the announcment comes out: “Gate 24 is open. Please begin boarding”. As time continues more anouncements follow: “The gate is closing. Remaining passengers, please board now!”. eventually the gate closes and the plane departs.
Jesus has come and opened the gates of redemption, and he is calling out to sinners like you and I: “the plane is departing, get on board!” as time continues on the message keeps ringing out, and one day the gate will close and we wil depart this world for a new and better one.
So the question for today is: “Is Jesus coming back?”
and the short answer is “Yes” - but as soon as you say that, whole bunch of ther questions come up. Like why? When? How?
So in order to flesh out our big question, lets answer several smaller questions, staring with:
Why is Jesus Coming back?
Why is Jesus Coming back?
The world was broken by sin and death and the devil.
The first coming was the lynch pin of history, throwing wide the gates of Salvation.
The second coming is the cosumation.
The first coming is the engament, the second is the Wedding Day
The first coming was the defeat of Goliath, the second coming is the crowning of the King.
The first is the announcment of the Good News, the second brings the reality of what was promised.
To use a LOTR refrence, At his first coming he Faced the Balrog and he returns with reinforcements to break the seige of Helms Deep.
When Jesus came in flesh the first time he
Announced the Gospel
Lived a perfect life
Died an atoning death to free people from the power of Sin
Rose to life triumphing over death,
established the New Covenant and sent people out into the world to spread the good news. Jesus is building his church as he draws more and more people to himself.
While salvation is won, it is garunteed, it is not fulfilled. We’re still in a broken world, there is still suffering, there is still sin in our lives and people sinning against one another. So we’re waiting for Jesus to come back and finish what he started.
so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
So God’s plan to fix the world unfolded over the pages of the OT, and climaxed in the NT, and now we’re anticipating the fulfilment of what was promised, what was garunteed by Jesus.
The first coming defeated Satan, Sin and Death, and the second will be the end of them.
But as long as Jesus waits, there is more opportunity for people to come to know Him. His patciense means redemption.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
When is Jesus Coming Back?
When is Jesus Coming Back?
We are given some things to look for that will signal the return of Jesus.
We’re given overlapping imagery, which makes it hard to straighten everything out in our western minds.
After tribulation
There will be great persecution and suffering, especially fo God’s people
For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation that God created until now, and never will be.
There have been great tribulations, there may be greater yet to come.
Either the Tribulation is everything between Jesus first & second coming, or it is a period of especially great tirals.
After the “man of Lawlessness” & Antichrists
Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
This uncertain figure we are told must appear before the End
Directed by Satan, has lost of power and influence, Deceives the masses.
Possibly the Roman Ceasar of Early Church, but representative of all those forces who would exalt themselves against Christ.
So at least two things we’re expecting before Christ, both of which may have already been fulfilled. So when is it?
Noone knows the day or the hour
“But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
No one knows!
its only been 2000 years. God may wish to wait another 100,000 years.
I know it feels apocalyptic in many ways with the bad things that are happening. But, there has also been “worse” times before - WW2, early Christian persecutions. It is also a time of unprecedented peace and porperity around the world.
How is Jesus Coming Back?
How is Jesus Coming Back?
Decending from Heaven
And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”
Met by His people
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
Not a secret rapture! - Sorry folks!
Rapture is about being caught up into the air to meet Jesus, it is not a secret thing.
The Greek work is Parousia, and it is connected with the arrival of honoured people.
Say the king is returning from battle - you would go out of the town and meet them as they returned. Then you would follow them into the city for the celebrations, and the announcement of victory. Sometimes with prisoners in tow.
The best interpretation of the Biblical data is that the dead will rise, and then along with the living Christians, we will acend into the air and meet our Lord Jesus as he returns from Heaven.
Then he will continue his decent to earth for Judgment day.
The ideas of secret rapture or multple returns is a modern invention.
What will he do when he comes back?
What will he do when he comes back?
Explore more in another sermon.
Judge the Living and the Dead
For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
Remake the World - New heaven and New Earth!
How then shall we Live?
How then shall we Live?
Be ready.
Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Use your time well.
Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God,
