Lesson 10: The Second Coming

Key Verse

" 'Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the peoples of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other. [...] Who then is a faithful and sensible slave, whom his master has put in charge of his household, to give them food at the proper time? That slave whose master finds him working when he comes will be rewarded.' " (Matthew 24:30-31, 45-46)

Lesson Objective

 “[Jesus] will come again to establish His kingdom, righteousness and peace […] There shall be a bodily resurrection of the just and of the unjust; for the former, a resurrection unto life; for the latter, a resurrection unto judgment.
The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is imminent and will be personal, visible, and premillennial. This is the believer’s blessed hope and is a vital truth which is an incentive to holy living and faithful service.”

Resources

Heaven & Earth (The Bible Project)
The Day of the Lord (The Bible Project)

Looking Forward – what will happen to us?

What are you looking forward to?



What will happen to believers after they die?  What will they be doing?

• 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: we will rise up, just as Jesus rose from the dead.  Jesus will return and bring us into His presence forever (Rapture)
• 1 Corinthians 15:35, 42-44: we will have a new imperishable body.  We will not be annihilated, reincarnated, or become amorphous spirits.
• Revelation 19:6: we will worship God.
• Isaiah 65:17-18, 21-22: we will rejoice, and work, but fruitfully and enjoying the work of our hands.

What about non-believers?  What does Jesus say will happen?

• Matthew 25:46: “And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
• Mark 9:47-48: “thrown into hell, where their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.”
• Luke 26:26: “a great chasm has been fixed” – that is, non-believers are permanently separated from God and in torment forever. 

Is the doctrine of Hell an essential part of Christian Theology? Why, why not?

• Yes, because God is just.  He is merciful in holding back judgment for a time to allow people to turn to him, but that judgment will arrive when Christ returns.

Does the doctrine of Heaven mean you can just ignore what happens on Earth? Why, why not?

• Matthew 9:35-37: We are called to serve the world, both physically and spiritually: “Then Jesus went to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness.  When He saw the crowds, He felt compassion for them, because they were weary and worn out, like sheep without a shepherd.  Then He said to His disciples, ‘The harvest is abundant, but the workers are few’ ”.
• Philippians 1:21, 25-26: We are called to serve the church: “For me, living is Christ and dying is gain. […] Since I am persuaded of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for your progress and joy in the faith, so that, because of me, your confidence may grow in Christ Jesus when I come to you again.”

End times – what will happen to the world?

Read Matthew 24:3-14.  What does Jesus tell us will happen before His return?  How should we view the suffering and troubles in the world around us?

• Disasters: war, famine, earthquakes; immorality: false prophets, lawlessness, coldness of heart.
• We should not be surprised, but have compassion as Jesus did (see Matthew 9:35-37 above). 

What is the Great Tribulation?

• A period of intense disaster, immorality and suffering before Jesus returns.

Draw out a timeline of these end-time events:

1. Revelation 20:1-2: Satan bound for 1,000 years.
2. Revelation 20:4-6: Christ reigns on earth for 1,000 years with believers.
3. Revelation 20:7-10: Satan released, rebels.
4. Revelation 20:11-15: God pronounces judgment on everyone.
5. Revelation 21:1-2: a new heavens and a new earth

What is premillennialism?

• The belief that the resurrection will take place before the 1,000 year period.
• This is the C&MA’s official view in their statement of faith, but it is not universally held among Christians.  There are many different interpretations of Revelation (beyond the scope of this course), including interpretations holding that it is symbolic and is not a specific prediction of end-time events at all.

What is special about the new heavens and the new earth?

• Revelation 21:3-4: God will live among the people, and wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death, mourning, crying or pain.
• Revelation 21:22-23: there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem, because God will be there.  The glory of God will illuminate the city.
• Revelation 21:26-27: there will be no sin or impurity.
• Revelation 22:1-3: the water of life, healing, no curse.
• Revelation 22:5-6: God and His servants will reign forever.

Effectively, God is bringing a new Creation that is untainted by sin, like the Garden of Eden was before the Fall.  Judgment is necessary to segregate sin and sinners from the new Creation. 

When Jesus returns, it is more accurate to say that He is bringing the new heavens and the new earth down to us, rather taking us up to heaven.  The current Creation is destined to pass away to make way for the new Creation.

How should we conduct our lives while we are awaiting God’s promises regarding Jesus’ return?

• Philippians 3:12-14: continue to become more like Jesus (sanctification).
• Philippians 1:20-26: continue to serve one another and build each other up.
• Matthew 25:1-13: be alert, because we do not know when He will return.  Note also that this is a wedding (see also Revelation 19:6 above), so we should look forward to Jesus’ return.