Second Coming

“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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3).

These were the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, who promised His followers that He would return one day to receive them to His home in heaven. Our Lord, who once came to the world to be the ransom for our sins, is coming to earth a second time. He will return as the King of kings, with great power and glory.

Together with Him will be thousands and thousands of saints and heavenly hosts. His coming will be a terrifying sight for those who have rejected Him as Lord. “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him” (Revelation 1:7). No one will be able to escape the wrath of the Great King.

But the Lord’s coming is a day believers eagerly look forward to. The Savior will welcome them home, and “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4). This day will bring about the ultimate fulfillment of the Christian hope.

An extraordinary event will occur at the Lord’s coming. By the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, God will raise believers who have died. Believers who are alive will be “caught up” in the clouds.

“For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Without going through death, believers who are alive will transform into spiritual bodies.

“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52).

“Our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21). Just as the Lord Jesus was raised to life in a spiritual body, believers will also be clothed with a spiritual body—glorious, powerful, and immortal.

Our existence does not end at death. There is a judgment that comes after death.

“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:10).

At the coming of Christ, God will judge everyone according to the word of God. He is all knowing, and will bring to light things done in secret. We will all have to give account for every sin that we have committed. The outcome of the judgment will decide each person’s eternal destiny.

God will execute His judgment on the unbelievers “when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9).

Sinners who did not receive the atonement of Jesus Christ will have to bear the consequences of sin — eternal death. “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Revelation 20:12-15).

On judgment day, believers of Christ will be saved from the wrath of God because their sins have been paid for. “So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28).

The saved ones will see Jesus the King face to face, and He will say to them, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). The King will also reward them with a glorious crown for their faithful service.

They will enter the heavenly city and live in the splendid glory of God. “There shall be no night there: They need no lamp nor light of the sun, for the Lord God gives them light. And they shall reign forever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).

No one knows when this moment will come. Great and unprecedented disasters will strike the whole earth suddenly. “For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:3).

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed” (Luke 17:26-30).

This universe will not last forever but will come to an end at the coming of Christ. Following the initial tribulation will be great cosmic chaos.

“Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken” (Matthew 24:29).

Finally, the last chapter of world history will close with total destruction by fire.

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

A new heaven and a new earth will then replace the former universe. This is the eternal home that God has prepared for His people.

Jesus died so that man could be saved, and He has been raised to life. He now calls everyone to repent and believe in Him.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God” (John 3:16-18).

The door of grace is now wide open. As we draw close to the coming of the Lord, enter the door of salvation while there is still a chance.

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).

He is the only one who can save you from the coming judgment. Your choice to accept Him now will mean eternal blessings when He comes again.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

Open confession of Christ alone will not get us into the gates of heaven. We must obey the words of our Lord and the gospel preached by the church, the body of Christ. Only in the church that God has established may we find the gospel of salvation. “Now it shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established on the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow to it. Many people shall come and say, ‘Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach us His ways, and we shall walk in His paths.’ For out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem” (Isaiah 2:2-3).

When Christ comes, He will take the church as His bride (Revelation 19:7). Those who have obeyed the true gospel of salvation and who abide daily by God’s word through faith will be saved. They will participate in the final and greatest wedding banquet.

Since we do not know when our Master will return, we need to be spiritually watchful at all times (Matthew 24:42; Luke 12:37).

“But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:34-36).

Devotion to daily prayer also helps us examine our ways and enables us to be spiritually strong.

It is essential to constantly live a life pleasing to the Lord and wait soberly for the Lord’s coming.

“The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts” (Romans 13:12-14).

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods” (Matthew 24:45-47).

We need to be diligent and persistent as we serve the spiritual needs of others through preaching, encouragement, and intercession. By regularly meeting with fellow believers, we can “stir up love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24).

When our master comes, He will require from us what each of us has received and reward us for our labor (Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, we must put our time, possessions, and talents to use for the Lord’s work. Let us always give ourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because we know that our labor in Him is not in vain.

“But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for ‘love will cover a multitude of sins.’ Be hospitable to one another without grumbling” (1 Peter 4:7-9).

Love will be a standard of divine judgment on the last day. In the parable of Jesus, it was those who showed deeds of kindness and concern that received eternal life. So let us learn to give to the needy and pray for the spiritually weak.

In addition to helping others, we need to be patient with one another, because love is patient, and love endures all things.

“Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!” (James 5:9).

It would surely please the Lord if we forgive others just as He forgave us. True love bears the burden of another and “covers a multitude of sins.”

Our Lord Jesus has warned us of the signs that will precede His coming, such as wars, famine, earthquakes, increase of crimes, religious persecutions, and rejection and confusion of the true faith. We can clearly see these signs occurring now, and with increasing intensity.

“And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).

The Judge is standing at the door. Are you ready? Are you responding to His call to repentance? Do not wait until it is too late. Enter the gate to eternal life while you may. It is our prayer that you believe and obey the true gospel of salvation today and that you will joyfully welcome the Lord when He comes.