The Second Coming in Depth

One of the biggest questions in witnessing to the lost is to answer one of the three life questions all men want answered. What are they why are we here where did we come from and where are we going when we die, por what happens when we die. Most Christian can answer these questions with basic answers but when confronted with in depth questions and other world view we freeze up. Why, because we don’t really have a Biblical grasp on the answer ourselves.

In fact tonight I will not tackles these questions in depth but will only scratch a bit deeper in regard to the Advent, or second coming of Christ and how it relates to one question, what happens when we die.

1 Thes. 4:13-18 Read

Fallen asleep: This is a metaphor for dying. Though Paul had taught the Thessalonians about Christ’s return when he was there, Timothy had encountered further questions on the subject, possibly arising from the death of some of the new converts. In answer to these questions, Paul stated that he wanted them to be informed, and also to be comforted by the hope of seeing their loved ones again. This was a hope their pagan, and our non believing friends and neighbors did not have.

This hope (from v. 13) for the dead Christians was and is as certain as the fact of the death and resurrection of Christ. Paul says that God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. Some have inferred from this statement that departed Christians are unconscious until the Second Coming. But the Bible indicates that to be absent from our present body is to be present with the Lord Jesus (5:10; 2 Cor. 5:8; Phil. 1:23). So, when a Christian dies there is not real sleep, they go to heaven and receive everything our Lord receive when He died a physical human death. What is that, what Jesus receive? An immediate physical, spiritual presence, “Glorified” might I add with God the Father. That’s what you and I get upon death. This return of Christ is also a physical and bodily return, though Christ is everywhere present in His deity (Matt. 28:20 Read) and resides in the believer (John 14:23 Read). The second Coming is the crowning event as Christ comes physically from heaven to earth to receive the believers.(Time vs. Eternity)

We as humans are limited in our understanding because of our inability to sense and understand the difference in Time, which we occupy and eternity, which we also occupy but cannot fathom! So did the Thessalonicans, Paul addresses them in verse 15. Paul believed that Christ could come in his lifetime, and so did the Thessalonians (1:10). precede those who are asleep: the Thessalonians were concerned that believers who had died would miss the glory associated with the return of Christ for the church. Paul answers their question by affirming that actually those who were dead would go before those living on earth. Verse 16 Accompanying the descent of Christ from heaven will be the voice of an archangel, perhaps Michael, who is portrayed as the leader of the army of God (Dan. 10:13, 21; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7–9). The only other angel named in Scripture is Gabriel, who is given a prominent role as a messenger of God (Dan. 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26). The archangel’s voice will be one of triumph because of the great victory at the coming of Christ, culminating thousands of years of spiritual conflict with Satan. The final signal will be the trumpet of God. The three elements consisting of the shout of the Lord Himself, the voice of an archangel, and the trumpet of God will perhaps be separate events occurring in rapid succession. The doctrine of the Resurrection is a central doctrine of the Christian faith, including as it does the resurrection of Christ and, ultimately, the resurrection of all people. The answer to the question of how the dead can be raised when the remains of their bodies are in some cases totally scattered is not a problem for a supernatural God who created the world. See we are not asking the right question its not how but when. When we die we receive our Advent, our second coming, we step out of time and into our eternity, Clearly the Resurrection will be a physical resurrection in which bodily existence will be restored, as confirmed in 1 Cor. 15:51–53, Read. The resurrected bodies of Christians will be like that of Christ (1 John 3:2 Read), incorruptible and immortal, and yet they will be bodies of flesh and bone (Luke 24:39, 40; John 20:20, 25, 27 Read). They all will be recognizable, as was the resurrected body of Christ. This all happens at our own personal second coming.

See, Jesus came at specific moment in time to a manger in Bethlehem, invaded Humanity; Jesus came at Pentecost a specific moment in time to indwell humanity. Those alive at that time received their manger, their Pentecost, and subsequently hundreds of generations have received their manger their Pentecost at different moments in time since. Not being alive in the first century in no way hampered future Christian from receiving the Advent of Christ.

This is still true today; there are countless lives yet to receive their manger and their Pentecost. Just like some day Jesus will visibly return and the events described in prophecy and by Jesus Himself will take place and everyone alive at that time that is a believer will receive their second coming, but the Bible clearly indicate, especially Paul that we those who die before the physical second coming will experience their second coming upon death. Just like Bethlehem, Calvary, and Pentecost, we all receive them at different moments in time.

Now as for those that are living in that time, the second coming, Living Christians will be caught up together with the other believers in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. (The English word rapture comes from the Latin verb meaning “caught up.”) In the clouds probably refers to atmospheric clouds that also will attend the Second Coming (Rev. 1:7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.), In the Bible the Lord is often accompanied by clouds, signifying His glory (97:2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.) The important result is that we shall always be with the Lord

Why do I bring all this up, because the wonderful truth described (vv. 13–17) is to be a comfort to the Thessalonians and to all Christians until the second coming. They had mistakenly thought that only those who were alive at the time of the coming of Christ would witness and share in the glory of it. The fact is that Christians who have died will be raised first and so go before the living to the gathering in the sky. Observe that Paul expects a practical, immediate response to this great doctrinal teaching of the Second Coming. The Thessalonians, and the church today, should remind one another of this truth as a source of comfort in the face of death. I know this because the sentence is in the present tense, indicating that it should be a constant comfort to us to think each day that the Lord may come.

Do we celebrate the second coming, the advent of Christ like we do the first coming, our Christmas, If we did, if this world got ready for the second coming like we did for Christmas I truly believe we might just be ready for it.