The Second Coming: what are we looking for???

Brothers and sisters in Christ . Before we start this study, I would like to express to you , how much this was laid on my heart ,by Our Almighty God. I am so thankful for what He wants to show us in these latter times. First of all, we need to really take  time this week, and sow as much about the Risen Christ as is possible! He is Alive and well and seated on the Throne of Grace!   Now its the time to reflect at what He did do for mankind and how He will reward us in the end. He is our Hope and We must Give Him All the Glory every time we speak of Him!!!!  May God Bless You all and may he speak to Your hearts this evening and give YOU clarity and understanding of His good will and purposes for each one of us this day! This is surely a time of focusing on how much He loved us even before we were formed! I love that sticker that that says. "How much do You love me Lord'? He said ,this much ,and He stretched out His arms and died. Thank You Lord God for loving us!!! Eternity is just a breath Away!

The Second Coming: What Are We Looking For?

by Dr. Ronald B. Allen

The Second Coming: What are we looking for? The greatest cataclysm of world history. The prophets talk about the bad news of the return of God to earth in the person of Jesus by a phrase that’s been mentioned a number of times in this book. The phrase is the Hebrew phrase yom Adonai. We translate it “the day of the Lord” or “the day of Yahweh.” The prophets stumble over each other trying to find adequate language to describe the horror of that day.

Turn to the end of the Old Testament to the little book of Zephaniah. Zephaniah shares with Joel and many other prophets of God a phrase that is the phrase of absolute horror. It’s called the great day of the Lord.

Zephaniah in 1:14-16 writes that the great day of the Lord is near and hastens quickly. The noise of the day of Yahweh is bitter. Mighty men will scream aloud. That is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, devastation and desolation, darkness and gloominess, clouds and thick darkness. I look at all of those pairs of words, and I see a man ransacking a thesaurus, if there were such a thing available, trying to find adequate terms to describe the calamity of the day of the return of Christ to the earth, because when He returns it will be in the worst judgment in the history of the world.

How can that be? How can that be if Genesis 6 to 9 describes the death of all living by the great flood? How can that be, given the suffering that we’ve experienced even in our own lifetime, like the recent calamitous flooding in places like Honduras, from typhoons, tsunamis, horrible earthquakes, hurricanes, all of these so-called acts of nature? How can there be something worse than all of those things?

I think what makes the Second Coming worse in judgment is that all of those things God did through mediation, that is through Creation, nature gone riot, Creation in upheaval. But in the Second Corning, the judgment will be done, not by water, not by flood, not by fire, not by storm, but by His own hand. Did you hear that?

We’re all familiar with the story of the ten plagues. Are we familiar with the wording of Exodus 11? Turn back there where the announcement of the tenth plague is given. The last plague God used to deliver Israel from Egypt is the most horrendous of the list. There were others that were awful, the turning of the Nile to blood, the darkening of an eclipse that lasted for days and was specific on the Egyptians and not the people of Israel. Some eclipse that was. Cattle disease, boils, gnats, flies, awful things, but none of the plagues is like the tenth. Because in the tenth plague we’re told that from the house of pharaoh, to the humblest farmer in the land, and even extending out to the barn, the firstborn of Egypt will die. They will not die, however, as Sunday school lessons have it, by the “Angel of Death,” but by the hand of God.

Look at Chapter 11 verse 1: “The LORD [Yahweh] said to Moses, ‘One more plague I will bring on Pharaoh.’” He says I will do this. Verse 4, “Thus says the LORD , ‘About midnight, I am going out into the midst of Egypt’” You see what we’ve done? We’ve softened this because it’s almost intolerable. It’s something that we can’t stomach. God? No, we’d like it to be done by an angel. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a demon. God? No, we’d like it to be done by a storm or a disease, but God says, “I will do this.” And so He did.

Turn to Chapter 12 and look at the summary in verse 29. “It came about at midnight that the LORD struck all the first-born.” Not an angel, not a seraph, not a messenger, but the Lord.

I do Passover Seders in the spring. The rabbis sometimes got things right, and this they nailed. In the Passover Haggadah, the liturgy for that wonderful service of praise to God for deliverance from Egypt, there is a homily on these words from Chapter 11 where God says, “I will go out into the midst of Egypt.” Listen to this. “The Lord, Yahweh, brought us forth from Egypt, not by means of an angel, nor by means of a seraph, nor by means of a messenger, but the Most Holy. Blessed be He in His own glory. As it is said, ‘I will pass through the land of Egypt in this night, I will smite every firstborn of the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment.’ I, Yahweh, I will pass through the land of Egypt, I, Myself, and not an angel. I will smite every firstborn, I, Myself and not a seraph. And on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgment, I, Myself, and not a messenger. I, Yahweh, I am He, there is none other.” And that’s the way it was. When the final act of deliverance was done, it was God who did it. And that was to get His people out of Egypt. And then when they came to the watery mass, and the army was behind them and the Sea of Reeds or the Red Sea was before them, then it was again that God acted in His own person, not by an angel, not by a seraph, not by a messenger, but in His own glory.

Turn to Exodus 15. This psalm, the first psalm in the Bible, is the celebration of the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, and it’s celebrated every year by Jewish people all over the world. Jewish people who follow their own Haggadah know this better than we Christians, because they recite this every single year. When God brought Israel from Egypt, not only was it He, and He alone, who slew the firstborn, but it was He, and He alone, who fought against their enemies and destroyed them. And when the song was sung, verse 3 says, “The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is His name.” Yahweh is a man of war, Yahweh is His name. And in those words, we are celebrating the fact that it was God, and God alone, who delivered them. Adonai ish milchamah, Adonai shemo. Yahweh is a warrior, His name is Warrior God.

That’s what we have portrayed about sweet King Jesus in Revelation 19. Jesus, when He comes down, is a man of war. Look at the words, verse 11, “He judges and wages war.” Look at the words of verse 15, “From His mouth comes a sharp sword.” The point is that it is He who will fight directly, personally.

The Second Coming of Jesus: What are we looking for? The greatest calamity in all of human history.

The people of the world don’t understand this. They use the word Armageddon which is our word, a Bible word. But they use Armageddon to describe nuclear holocaust, nation against nation. Back in the days of the Soviet Union there was such a threat of the end of the world, we thought, by one nation lobbing missiles against another and though it was thought that was Armageddon, it was not. That would be horrific, it would be world war, but it’s not Armageddon. Armageddon is the nations gathered together at the end of the Tribulation period to withstand God the Father putting His Son Jesus Christ on the throne of David in Jerusalem. That’s what Psalm 2 is about. That’s what Psalm 110 is about.

In Psalm 2, the nations are gathered together against the Lord, and against His Messiah, His anointed. And the One who is in heaven laughs in derision as He says, “I set My king on My holy hill, Zion.” Do you think the nations can withstand the power of God? That’s why there’s the greatest cataclysm of all of history. What makes it the worst is it’s not water, it’s not fire, it’s not disease, but it’s the Lord Himself who comes to judge.

Taken from Charles R. Swindoll, John F. Walvoord, J. Dwight Pentecost, eds., The Road to Armageddon: A Biblical Understanding of Prophecy and End Time Events (Nashville: Word Publishing, 1999), 161-165. Used by permission.



Is it a waste of time to focus on the Lord’s coming? Quite the contrary! It’s biblical. It’s what Titus 2:13 says we ought to do:

    Looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.

When was the last time—on your own—you meditated on Christ’s coming? If you’re like most, it’s been too long. People who are more practical than mystical, who are realistic rather than idealistic, tend to do that only at funerals and following near-death experiences. Most of us are here-and-now thinkers much more than then-and-there people. But Scripture says we are to “comfort one another” with information about Jesus’s return for us (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). It says these truths form the very foundation of a “steadfast, immovable, always abounding” lifestyle (1 Corinthians 15:50–58).

Our Bible is full and running over with promises and encouragements directly related to the return of our Lord Christ. I just checked. It’s not just hinted at; it’s highlighted. It’s an obvious theme of New Testament truth. You can’t read very far without stumbling upon it, no matter which book you choose. In the New Testament alone, the events related to Christ’s coming are mentioned more than 300 times. His return is certain!

Critics have denied it. Cynics have laughed at it. Scholars have ignored it. Liberal theologians have explained it away (they call that “rethinking” it), and fanatics have caused many to shrug it off. “Where is the promise of His coming?” many cynics still shout (2 Peter 3:4). The return of our Savior will continue to be attacked and ignored and denied. But there it stands, solid as a stone, soon to be fulfilled, offering us hope and encouragement amidst despair and unbelief.

“Okay, swell. But what do I do in the meantime?” I can hear a lot of pragmatists asking that question. First, it’s best for you to understand what you don’t do. You don’t sit around, listening for some trumpet blast. You don’t spend each day staring up into the sky, looking for a break in the clouds. You don’t whip out a white robe and tie yourself to a huge helium-filled balloon with angels painted all over it. And for goodness sake, you don’t announce a hard-and-fast date because of “the signs of the times”! Please.

You do get your act together. You do live every day (as if it’s your last) for His glory. You do work diligently at your job and in your home (as if He isn’t coming for another ten years) for His Name’s sake. You do shake salt out every opportunity you get . . . and you do shine the light . . . and for sure, you remain balanced, cheerful, winsome, and stable, anticipating His return each day. Other than that, I don’t know what to tell you.

Except, maybe, if you’re not absolutely sure you’re ready to fly, you get your ticket fast. As long as they are available, they’re free. But don’t wait. About the time you finally make up your mind, the whole thing could have happened, leaving you looking back instead of up.

What good is a ticket if the event is over?

See u in two weeks! Next: How Firm Is Your Foundation?
We can reveal our readiness for Christ’s return in three ways.

    First, we walk by faith, not by what we see.
    Second, we live in peace, not panic, with regard to the future.
    Third, we rely on our hope in God’s promise for our future.

One day, Jesus will come back for us. If you’re spiritually ready to meet Him, the thought of His coming should be a comfort to you—bringing peace. If you’re not ready, the idea of His coming probably causes you a great deal of fear and uncertainty. The secret of eternal life is being sure you know the One who has the power to defeat the grave. His coming is sure―are you?


powerful verses to meditate on:1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

New King James Version (NKJV)
The Comfort of Christ’s Coming

13 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.[a]

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 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. 17 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 Corinthians 15:50-58

New King James Version (NKJV)
Our Final Victory

50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 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. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”[a]

55 “O Death, where is your sting?[b]
O Hades, where is your victory?”[c]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Love in Christ ,Truth