Imminence of His coming - Second Coming of Jesus- 1 Thessalonians
Jesus Christ Second Coming – Lesson 03
Importance of Imminent Coming
Jesus told His disciples not to be deceived by anyone!
But let us look at the church in Thessaloniki!
This church is unique in many senses, they were not so educated or not so much morally corrupted. But they have been easily deceived by others.
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2, Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, 2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
They have been informed saying that Christ had come already. They even circulated letter of confirmation as if it had come from Apostle Paul!
So people were worried about the loved ones those who were dead.
So, Paul reminds them not to worry and he reminds them about what he spoke to them while he was with them.
2 Thessalonians 2:5, Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?
Paul helps them to comfort them with his epistle asking them to comfort one another with the truth.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14, But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus.
Also, there are few people, who have heard that the Lord had come so they stopped going to work or doing anything. These people became a burden to the church, who have to feed them and their behaviour was disorderly in the church.
2 Thessalonians 3:10-12,10 For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. 11 For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies. 12 Now those who are such we command and exhort through our Lord Jesus Christ that they work in quietness and eat their own bread.
Paul confirms to them that the Lord will come surely. But the time is not yet and so he wanted to affirm them, to do that in every chapter he finishes it with a verse about Jesus second coming.
1 Thessalonians 1:10, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? 20 For you are our glory and joy.
1 Thessalonians 3:13, so that He may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, 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. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 5:23, Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a joy!!
How did they get to this problem?
Matthew 23:36, Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.
Because of this one word here translated as ‘generation’ as a typology, not as us we use. Let us examine the chapter of Matthew 23 in its context.
Jesus told the scribes and Pharisees that they have their position which they are using to preach to others but they are not practising them. As Message translation puts it across in verses 3-7,
They talk a good line, but they don’t live it. They don’t take it into their hearts and live it out in their behaviour. It’s all spit-and-polish veneer. 4-7 “Instead of giving you God’s Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn’t think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving
honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor’ and ‘Reverend.’
List of seven woe’s
1. For making salvation hard for other people (v. 13)2. For corrupting converts (v. 15)
3. For rude religion (vv. 16-22)
4. For neglecting what is actually important (vv. 23-24)
5. For self-indulgence (vv. 25-26)
6. For wickedness within (vv. 27-28)
7. For the murder of God's prophets (vv, 29-36)
Finally, they have not only refused to obey the voice of the Lord but they started murdering the Prophets.
These people group only Jesus made them as generation!
Why Jesus must return?
Of the 46 Old Testament prophets, less than ten of them speak of events in Christ's first coming while 36 of them speak of events connected His second coming.
1. Word of God
There is a total of 1,527 Old Testament passages referring to the second coming.
There are 7,959 verses in the New Testament.
And 330 of those or 1 out of 25 refer directly to the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Lord Jesus, Himself refers about His return 21 times.
Jesus Christ fulfilled His first coming prophecy literally so He will also fulfil His second coming literally too…
I would like to give you one reason why Jesus must come back again? To put it across simply because God said it and Jesus said, in a simple way… scripture must be fulfilled. God is NOT a liar!!
In the last week of Jesus… which we did a couple of weeks back we saw the list of prophecies fulfilled by Jesus Christ Literally.
Let us look at some of the prophecies Jesus yet to fulfil.
Psalms 2:6-9, “Yet I have set My King On My holy hill of Zion.” 7 “I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give You The nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession. 9 You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’”
Word of God says, Messiah, Jesus is going to come and He is going to be a king. He is going to reign on the throne and all the nations of the world will be subject to Him. He will rule them with a rod iron.
Did Jesus fulfil His first coming? No
Isaiah 9:6-7, For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of His government and peace There will be no end, Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, To order it and establish it with judgment and justice From that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
Messiah, Jesus came from God but there was no government upon His shoulders. There was no peace rather it was no peace when He came first time. So, Jesus did not fulfil this prophecy in His first coming. But He did mention that in His second coming He will do that.
Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
Jeremiah 23:5-6, “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. In His days Judah will be saved, And Israel will dwell safely; Now this is His name by which He will be called: THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus did not reign as King! He will in His second coming. Did Israel ever have peace? No absolutely not!
Zechariah 14:4-5, And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. 5 Then you shall flee through My mountain valley, For the mountain valley shall reach to Azal. Yes, you shall flee As you fled from the earthquake In the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You.
Did this happen? No
Jesus said in His own words.
John 14:2-3, 2 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. 3 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.
What a promise! He is going to receive us to Himself! Not as event or spectacular thing but He will receive me unto Himself!!
Luke 19:11, Now as they heard these things, He spoke another parable, because He was near Jerusalem and because they thought the kingdom of God would appear immediately.
Matthew 24:30, Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
So Jesus will be fulfilling these prophecies!! He is NOT man to lie.
Luke 9:22 &26, 22 saying, “The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day.”
26For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels.
Jesus gave the illustration fantastically to His disciples that He must die , rise again and then He will return!
The book of Revelation Jesus said six times “Behold I come quickly."
According to one writer, we saw there are at least 333 prophecies in the Old Testament telling about this deliverer. Now Jesus is that deliverer, but the first time He came, He only fulfilled 109 of those prophecies. Which means there are yet 224 prophecies of what the deliverer would do when He came and those 224 prophecies have never been fulfilled.
2. Church:
Jesus will come again to take back His church.
The early church had an exponential growth and along with that comes the problem too. So, the Jerusalem council assembles together at Acts 15.
Paul and Barnanbas came from Phoenicia and Samaria and other places.
Peter reports to council what the Lord did with the Gentiles in verses 6 to 12 of Acts 15. Remember in Acts 10 Peter visits the house of Cornelius after seeing a strange vision.
Acts 15:4, And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them.
James, the half-brother of Jesus Christ, answering saying that God did visit the gentiles and taken them as His people and quoting from the prophet of Amos.
Amos 9:11-12 which is recorded in Acts15:16-17, ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the Lord who does all these things.’
Look at the order of events mentioned in this portion of scripture,
First, V14, "God visits the Gentiles and calls out a people for His name." - the gathering of the church.
Second, V16, "After this I will "return” – the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The church is taken out before the return of Christ.
When Jesus returns V17, "I will build again the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down and set up again it's ruins,"
Third, Jesus sets up the kingdom and reigns as king in David's throne.
Fourth, V 17, "The rest of the men and all the nations shall come and seek the Lord." - All the nations come before the Lord.
➢ Jesus calls out His church,➢ Jesus Christ returns,
➢ Jesus rebuilds the kingdom for Israel and
➢ Gentile nations come to His throne.
Some point of time I will preach about Israel’s Past, Present and Future but until such time could you please read with this understanding the book of Romans?
➢ Romans chapter 9 – Israel’s Past
➢ Romans chapter 10 – Israel’s Present
➢ Romans Chapter 11 – Israel’s Future
You will have greater understanding about the God’s time plan.
As for as the church is concerned you will find this Past, Present and Future in the book Ephesians chapter 5.
Past:
Ephesians 5:25, Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
Look at the phrase as Christ loved the church- Past
Present:
Ephesians 5:26, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,
Jesus will keep cleansing her – Present
Future:
Ephesians 5:27, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.
So, Jesus will present the church to Himself without spot or wrinkles- Future.
3. Israel and Jerusalem:
Luke 21:24, And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
Almost all teachers on the Last Days agree that the restoration of the Land of Israel. In 1948 after almost 2,000 years the End-Time clock started to tick and then in 1967 Jerusalem came back under Jewish control.
When we read the book of Ezekiel especially chapters 38 and 39 we understand that the nation of Israel plays a major role in the End time.
Zechariah 2:8, For thus says the Lord of hosts: “He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you; for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.
Israel is the apple of eye of God.
God will rule and reign from Jerusalem. We will find that there are earthly features to the kingdom that demand his return to earth literally.
Isaiah 2:1-4, The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. 2 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. 3 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. 4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war anymore.
This kingdom needs an earthly location and this is not for His first coming since it expressly says ‘in the latter days’
Zechariah 14:9, And the Lord shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be— “The Lord is one,” And His name one.
How can anyone deny the millennium rule on the earth after reading this word from the Lord?
Jeremiah 31:10, “Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, And declare it in the isles afar off, and say, ‘He who scattered Israel will gather him, And keep him as a shepherd does his flock.’
God will gather the Israel.
Ezekiel 36:19-24, So I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the countries; I judged them according to their ways and their deeds. 20 When they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My holy name—when they said of them, ‘These are the people of the Lord, and yet they have gone out of His land.’ 21 But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations wherever they went. 22 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. 23 And I will sanctify My great name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst; and the nations shall know that I am the Lord,” says the Lord God, “when I am hallowed in you before their eyes. 24 For I will take you from among the nations, gather you out of all countries, and bring you into your own land.
➢ God’s plan they have been scattered.➢ They are His people.
➢ They are the house of Israel.
➢ For the sake of His name.
➢ Nations will come to know He is God.
➢ God will gather them from all nations.
Romans 11:25, For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.
In the New Testament God has clearly shown to us it’s His plan that blindness had come into the nation of Israel until the fullness come to the Gentiles.
Zechariah 2:10-13, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! For behold, I am coming and I will dwell in your midst,” says the Lord. 11 “Many nations shall be joined to the Lord in that day, and they shall become My people. And I will dwell in your midst. Then you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you. 12 And the Lord will take possession of Judah as His inheritance in the Holy Land, and will again choose Jerusalem. 13 Be silent, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused from His holy habitation!”
Glorious promise from the Lord
➢ Jesus will come again to Jerusalem➢ He had chosen that as His possession
➢ Many nations will have joined with Him who believe
➢ He will dwell with them!
Awesome!!
Amos 9:14-15, I will bring back the captives of My people Israel; They shall build the waste cities and inhabit them; They shall plant vineyards and drink wine from them; They shall also make gardens and eat fruit from them. 15 I will plant them in their land, And no longer shall they be pulled up From the land I have given them,” Says the Lord your God.
God will bring them back and plant them and they will NO longer be uprooted!
Finally, the glorious promise of God on the nation of Israel in
Ezekiel 37:13-14, Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. 14 I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.’
God will bring His people from the grave!
He will put His spirit and on them to live!!
He will place them in their land!!!
4. To Judge the Nations
Jesus is appointed Judge of all mankind:
John 5:20-30 (please take time to read)
V22: For the Father judges no one, but has committed all judgment to the Son,
Matthew 25:31-33, When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left.
Son of Man is the Judge presiding over the judgment of All nations.
Let us look at the book of Joel whom through God spoke about the ‘Last Day’
Joel 3:1-2, “For behold, in those days and at that time, When I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, 2 I will also gather all nations, And bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; And I will enter into judgment with them there On account of My people, My heritage Israel, Whom they have scattered among the nations; They have also divided up My land.
When God brings the Israel from the captivity He will enter in to Judgement at the valley of Jehoshaphat.
Here the Armageddon takes place read from Joel 3:7-17. But let us look at verse 11-16,
Assemble and come, all you nations, And gather together all around. Cause Your mighty ones to go down there, O Lord. 12 “Let the nations be wakened, and come up to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; For there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. 13 Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, go down; For the winepress is full, The vats overflow— For their wickedness is great.” 14 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. 15 The sun and moon will grow dark, And the stars will diminish their brightness. 16 The Lord also will roar from Zion, And utter His voice from Jerusalem; The heavens and earth will shake;
➢ All nations will assemble and gather
➢ Come to valley of Jehoshaphat
➢ Instead of all nations fighting with the nation of Israel they will come to the valley of decision
➢ That Day will be of His coming day
➢ Sun and moon will be darkened
➢ Lord will roar from Zion
➢ His voice will come from Jerusalem
The nations are all going to be judged.
The nations that have responded to Messiah will enter the kingdom.
The nations that have not will be sent out into everlasting punishment.
This is the judgment God promises for the nations But the Lord will be a shelter for His people, And the strength of the children of Israel.
You can see this fulfilled in Revelation 14:14-15 & 20
14 Then I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and sitting on the cloud was one like a son of man, having a golden crown on His head and a sharp sickle in His hand. 15 And another angel came out of the temple, crying out with a loud voice to Him who sat on the cloud, “Put in your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is ripe.”
20 And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
Revelation 11:15, Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.”
Amen!!
God spoke through Apostle Paul to the church in Thessaloniki the same.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-9, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, 8 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. 9 These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
The Second Coming of Christ will be a time of relief for believers and vengeance for unbelievers.
Who Will Be Judged?
The following people will be judged when Christ returns.
1. Those living from the nation Israel (Ezekiel 20:34-38 & Matthew 25)2. The Gentile Nations (Isaiah 40:15& 17 & Matthew 25:31-32)
3. The Old Testament Saints (Daniel 12:2 & Matthew 16:7)
4. The Tribulation Saints (Revelation 20:4-6)
So, Jesus had to come once again to give judgement.
The church is taken out and then God deals with Israel and they're saved in that seven-year Tribulation.
God's promise to Israel.
Church was born on the day of Pentecost and it ends at the Rapture.
As soon as the Rapture occurs the blindness in the nation of Israel will be lifted. As Zechariah prophesized they will look to Him whom they pierced.
But not everyone will look to Him.
Jesus must return, which is the plan of God.
Then Tribulation for seven-year period.
Ezekiel 20: 33-38, 33 “As I live,” says the Lord God, “surely with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, I will rule over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand, with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will plead My case with you face to face. 36 Just as I pleaded My case with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will plead My case with you,” says the Lord God.37 “I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant; 38 I will purge the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against Me; I will bring them out of the country where they dwell, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Lord.
God is going to gather them in the Tribulation and then all Israel will be saved. says "So all Israel shall be saved," meaning that all the persecution will stop. It also means that as a nation they will be saved, but there will be some rebels who will be purged out.
So, the return of Jesus is essential.
When Jesus comes again, it ends the church age.
When Jesus comes again, it deals with the judgment of the nations.
When Jesus comes again, it allows Him to set up the kingdom for Israel.
When Jesus comes again, the fullness of the Gentiles ends and then He comes and Israel is saved, delivered.
God's program.
The climax and fulfilment of His church depend on it.
The climax and fulfilment of the nations depend on it. The climax and fulfilment of Israel depend on it.
So, Jesus is coming.
God's person demands it.
God's program demands it.
I am ready and I sincerely hope YOU are ready too!
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