Jesus Is Coming Back
1 Jesus Is Coming Back
1 Corinthians 15:35-58
An 8-year-old boy, who was learning in school about the way plants grow, was intrigued when told how a tiny seed that germinates in the ground could later burst through the soil as a plant.
During that same time, he and his family attended the funeral of a family member. At the service, the pastor talked about the final resurrection of our bodies.
Several days later as the family traveled past the cemetery, the boy remarked, “That’s where they plant people.” Seeds planted in the ground and bodies buried at death had connected in his young mind. (Our Daily Bread 9/6/07)
Have you ever waited for someone for any length of time? I don’t mean waiting for someone to show up when they are 15 minutes late. I mean really waited for someone.
March 11, 1942, was a dark, desperate day at Corregidor. The Pacific theater of war was threatening and bleak. One island after another had been buffeted into submission. The enemy was now marching into the Philippines as confident and methodical as the star band in the Rose Bowl parade. Surrender was inevitable. The brilliant and bold soldier, Douglas MacArthur, had only three words for his comrades as he stepped into the escape boat destined for Australia. I SHALL RETURN. Upon arriving nine days later in the port of Adelaide, the sixty-two-year-old military statesman closed his remarks with this sentence: I CAME THROUGH AND I SHALL RETURN. A little over 2 1/2 years later-- October, 1944, to be exact-- he stood once again on Philippine soil after landing safely at Leyte Island. This is what he said: This is the voice of freedom, General MacArthur speaking. People of the Philippines: I HAVE RETURNED! MacArthur kept his word. His word was as good as his bond. Regardless of the odds against him, including the pressures and power of enemy strategy, he was bound and determined to make his promise good. This rare breed of man is almost extinct.
+ What’s Next?
- Bring the content into 4 words
> Rapture
> Tribulation
> Millennium
> Heaven
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> Eschatology from the Greek ἔσχατος, Eschatos meaning "last" + -logy) is a part of theology
> Amillennialism (Latin: a- "not" + mille "thousand" + annum "year")
- Denial of a future, thousand-year, physical reign of Jesus Christ on the earth
> Postmillennialism is an interpretation of chapter 20 of the Book of Revelation
- Sees Christ's second coming as occurring after (Latin post-) the millennium, the Golden Age
> Premillennialism Christ will literally reign on the earth for 1,000
+ How Can We Be Sure?
> 1. Spoken by Jesus Himself.
> Matt 16: 27.
"For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of his Father, with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his work."
> Matt. 25: 31, 32.
"When the Son of Man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the 'Throne of His Glory;' and before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats."
> John 14:2, 3.
"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 21:22.
"If I will that he tarry till I come what is that to thee? Follow thou me."
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> 2. Spoken by Angels.
> Acts 1: 10, 11.
- "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This SAME JESUS, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come IN LIKE MANNER as ye have seen him go intc heaven."
- This passage declares that the SAME JESUS shall return IN LIKE MANNER as He went, that is, that His return will be visible and personal.
- The two "men" that "stood by" were probably Moses and Elijah. They appeared with Jesus on the Mt. of Transfiguration, they were doubtless the "two men" who testified to the women at the tomb that Jesus had risen (Luke 24:4, 5), and they will be the "Two Witnesses" that shall testify during the Tribulation. Rev. 11: 3-12.
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> 3. Written by the Apostles
> PAUL—
Phil. 3: 20, 21.
"For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."
> Titus 2: 13
"Looking for that 'Blessed Hope' and the 'Glorious Appearing' of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ.".
> Heb. 9: 28.
"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."
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> JAMES—
> James 5 : 7."Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord."
> PETER—
> II Pet. 1: 16."For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye-witnesses of his majesty."
- Peter here refers to the Transfiguration of Christ on the mount (Matt. 17: 1-5), which was a type of His Second Coming.
- Moses was a type of the "resurrection saints,"
- Elijah of those who shall be translated without dying.
- Peter, James and John were a type of Believer that shall see Him when He comes,
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> JUDE—Jude 14: 15."And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoke against him."
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> JOHN—
> I John 2:28.
"And 'now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming."
> "Rev. 1: 7.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him." Even so, Amen.
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> 4. Demonstrated in the Lord's Supper.
> I Cor. 11:26."For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come."
- The Lord's Supper is not a permanent ordinance.
- It will be discontinued when the Lord returns.
- It is a Memorial Feast. It looks back to the "Cross" and forward to the "Coming."
- An engagement ring is not intended to be permanent.
- It is simply a pledge of mutual love and loyalty, and gives place to the wedding ring.
- So the Lord's Table may be looked upon as a betrothal pledge left to the Church during the absence of her betrothed.
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1 Jn 3:2-3
When he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
—Revelation 22:20