He’s Coming Again!

He’s Coming Again! It was an experience that the disciples would never forget. Their Master had led them out to Bethany where He lifted up His hands and blessed them. On previous occasions they had witnessed His acts of blessing, but this time it was different. While blessing them He was parted from them, and they watched as He was carried up into heaven, (Lk. 24:50-51). A cloud hid Him from their view – and He was gone. Luke tells us that they “looked steadfastly toward heaven” (Acts 1:9-10 KJV). Would this be another of those occasions when He “vanished out of their sight” (Lk.24:3) only to reappear shortly afterwards. Before they could discuss the matter among themselves the question was answered for them. Two men “in white apparel” appeared with a message of comfort and encouragement. They said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:10-11). No need to be perplexed or sad: He is coming again! We need to understand the words spoken by those two messengers from heaven. This very same Jesus who came to die for our sins upon the cross has gone into heaven where He now sits at the right hand of God (Mk. 16:19). He will come again to this earth in the same way that He departed. He will come from heaven, and He will come bodily and visibly. The prospect of His coming again has been the great hope of His people down through the centuries. Unfortunately, it has to be said that this blessed hope which should unite the people of God has often divided them, as believers have become identified with different “schools” of prophecy. Today we hear of pre-tribulationists, mid-tribulationists, post-tribulationists and amillennialists – to name a few. It is not the intention of this article to examine these different schools of interpretation in depth.1 However, there is one important distinction that needs to be made. Private And Public
When our Savior came the first time, there was both a private and a public aspect to His coming. His birth at Bethlehem was a very private occasion, largely unnoticed by the world. Micah had prophesied that He would be born in a town that was “little among the thousands of Judah” (Mic. 5:2). Another Old Testament prophet, however, wrote of Israel’s king coming to Jerusalem – an event which would cause people to “rejoice greatly” and about which they would “shout” (Zech. 9:9). While only a few shepherds, an aged couple in Jerusalem, and some wise men from the east saw the Child at His birth, His coming to Jerusalem thirty-three years later was a very different affair. Matthew plainly tells us that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the day known as Palm Sunday it was to fulfill the ancient prophecy of Zechariah (Mt. 21:4-9). Our Lord’s second coming will also be marked by both a private and a public aspect. Failing to see this will result in confusion, and Scripture will appear to contradict itself. In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 Paul writes of the Lord Himself descending from heaven with a shout, raising the bodies of the saints who have died, and catching up those who are alive at His coming. We “shall be caught up ... in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Th. 4:17). This will all take place “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye” (1 Cor. 15:52) and will happen so quickly that the unbelieving world will not be aware of what has taken place until it is all over! The “catching up” of the saints in this way is often called the Rapture – an expression derived from the Latin word meaning “to snatch away” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. However, there is another aspect to our Lord’s coming. “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment upon all” (Jude 14-15). This must not be confused with the Rapture which is when the Lord comes for His saints. The Lord’s coming with ten thousand of His saints is a moment of triumph when He returns to the earth (not simply to the air) in majesty. It will certainly not go unnoticed by the world, for “every eye shall see Him” when He comes to earth (Rev. 1:7). “His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem” (Zech. 14:4) – the very same place from which He left this world! It will be the moment of His public revelation. He comes to defeat His enemies and to set up His kingdom upon earth. Why He Must Come
The heavenly messengers brought to the disciples outside Jerusalem the promise of the return of the Lord Jesus (Acts 1:10-11). His coming again is very necessary for two good reasons – to complete the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies, and to fulfill His own word. Throughout the Old Testament the Deliverer had been promised. From Genesis 3:15 right through to Malachi we find promise after promise concerning the coming of the Messiah. Godly people were often puzzled by the prophecies that they read. The Holy Spirit had revealed to them “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow” (1 Pet. 1:11). Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53 spoke of the suffering Servant of Jehovah. Psalm 72 and Isaiah 32 spoke of a triumphant and all-powerful king who would bring in a reign of justice, righteousness and peace. How could these two concepts be reconciled? Could it be that two messiahs were written about? The answer is that the Messiah would come twice. The prophets of old were not aware of an interval of many years that would extend from the time of “the sufferings of Christ” until “the glory that should follow.” Suppose you are enjoying a magnificent view in mountain country. In the far distance you can see two peaks that from your viewpoint appear to be standing side by side. What you cannot see from where you are standing is that a large valley separates the two peaks. That valley can be likened to the period of time that has elapsed since Christ’s first coming in humility, and will continue until His coming again in glory. From our position we can look back to His coming to Bethlehem, Jerusalem and Calvary, and we can look ahead to His promised return from heaven. There are so many Old Testament Scriptures that remain to be fulfilled when the Lord Jesus comes again. Just as so many prophecies were literally fulfilled when He came the first time, we can rest assured that all the others relating to “the glory that should follow” will be fulfilled at His second advent. Before His birth, Mary was told how He would be “great ... the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Lk. 1 32-33). This Scripture awaits its literal fulfillment when the Lord Jesus returns to this earth. The other reason why the Savior must come again is that He has promised to do so. Before going to the cross, the Lord Jesus spoke those words that have brought such comfort to His people through the centuries: “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” (Jn. 14:1-3). He was leaving them to ascend to His Father’s house, but He would return one day to “receive” His blood-bought people. Just think of it – He wants us to be with Him where He is! There is no need to doubt these words. The Lord Jesus expressed His ardent desire in prayer when He said: “Father, I will that they also, whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am; that they may behold My glory” (Jn. 17:24). This is the believer’s prospect! When will it take place? At the moment of the Rapture, when Christ returns in the air to receive His own. Afterwards He will return to this earth and will then fulfill the many Old Testament prophecies that still await their literal fulfillment.2When Will It Be?
Shortly before He returned to heaven, the disciples asked the Lord Jesus if He was about to restore the kingdom to Israel. He replied to them, “It is not for you to know the times or the seasons” (Acts 1:6-7). We are not told when the Lord will come, but there are many indications that His coming is near.3 Peter looked ahead to a day when “scoffers” would arise, “walking after their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming?’” (2 Pet. 3:3-4). Guilty of a willful ignorance, they reject the truth of creation and refuse to believe that an almighty God intervened in cataclysmic judgment in the days of Noah because they do not want to entertain thoughts of a coming judgment by fire (2 Pet. 3:5-7). “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise” (2 Pet. 3:9). He is longsuffering and still waits patiently that men and women might turn to Him in repentance and be saved. “Where is the promise of His coming?” they ask. “In the Word of God!” we reply. “And we believe that infallible Word!” He is coming back – and we ought to be ready every day for Him to come. John tells us that the hope of His coming will act as a purifying influence in our lives (1 Jn. 3:2-3), making us concerned to live in such a way that we will not be ashamed when we meet Him (1 Jn.2 28). As believers, we look forward to that moment when we shall hear His voice and see His face. With the hymn writer, Thomas Kelly, we can surely say, “With such a hope let us rejoice, we soon shall hear the Savior’s voice.” END NOTES
1. For an excellent treatment of these different interpretations of prophecy, see Things To Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology, by J. Dwight Pentecost, Academic Books, Zondervan Publishing House, 1958.
2. The Rapture will be followed by a seven-year period of tribulation, the second half of which is known as the Great Tribulation. This is referred to in Daniel 7-11, Matthew 24, Revelation 6-19, and other Scriptures. The Great Tribulation ends with the personal return of the Lord Jesus in glory.
3. Much could be written about the nation of Israel, developments in Europe, social trends, homosexuality, religious trends, and technological advances. Consider, for example, I Timothy 4:1-3; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Daniel 12:4.By Martin Girard