By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #251 ~
When you think about everything that’s happening in this sin-sick world, remember, Jesus Christ is coming again – and He will make things better. When you think about your life and the future God has for you, remember, Christ is coming again. When you think about prophecy, the #1 thing to know is that Christ is coming again. When you think about all the evil rulers, don’t forget that Christ, the King of kings, is coming soon, and He will be the best ruler this world has ever seen! Psalm 47; Rev. 11:15, 19:11-16
Over a hundred Bible verses specifically talk about Christ’s coming, and that’s because it’s such an important subject, and all the more now that we live in the end-times. And God has told you about it ahead of time because He really wants you to know what’s going to happen, and how then you should live (1 Chron. 12:32, Mark 13:23). Listed below are some of these verses.
* Matthew 24:27 – “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” The coming of Christ will happen suddenly, like lightning, and be visible to everyone on earth. Luke 21:27, Rev. 1:7
* Matthew 24:36-37 – “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” When Christ comes back, unbelievers will be doing normal everyday things – they will be eating, drinking, buying, selling, building, and planting. They don’t believe Christ is coming, and when He does, they will be shocked, completely caught off guard. Luke 21:26-28, 1 Thess. 5:1-3, Rev. 6:15
* Matthew 24:42, 44 – “Keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come… Be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour you do not expect.” God wants you to know the season of His Son’s return, the general time of His coming, but you won’t know the day or hour, the specific time of His coming. Be ready and watching! Matt. 24:32-36, 1 Thess. 5:4-8
* Mark 13:26-27 – “They will see the son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. Then He will send forth the angels and will gather together His elect from the four winds, from the farthest end of the earth to the farthest end of heaven.” When Christ returns, He will be seen in the clouds above the earth. At that time, Christ will gather together all the believers, those who have died and are in heaven and those who are still alive on earth. Matt. 24:31, 2 Thess. 2:1
* Luke 17:29-30 – “The day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.” Just after Christ is revealed and Christians are raptured, and on that same day, God’s wrath will begin, and be poured out upon this wicked world. 2 Thess. 1:6-10; Rev. 8:1-13, 9:1-21
* John 17:24 – “I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory.” One of the main reasons Jesus is coming back is so He can be with you. Much more than you realize, Jesus wants you to be with Him in heaven. John 14:1-3, 1 Thess. 4:17
* Acts 3:20-21 – “… that He may send Jesus, the Christ appointed for you, whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things…” At Christ’s coming, He will renovate and restore this old earth, not perfectly so, like the new earth (Rev. 21:1), but much better than now. It’s during the coming age, the 1000-year kingdom age, that you will be reigning with Christ over this restored earth. Matt. 19:28, Rom. 8:21, Rev. 5:10
* 1 Corinthians 15:22-23 – “As in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in His own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming.” Christians are made alive, that is, are glorified, are perfected, at Christ’s coming. In fact, this is the first thing to happen at His coming. 1 Cor. 15:42-44, Phil. 3:21-22, 1 Thess. 4:15-17
* Philippians 1:6 – “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Your salvation will be complete on the day of Christ, which is the day of Christ’s coming. This is a most special day, for then, all believers from all time, will be glorified. You were justified in the past, are being sanctified in the present, and will be glorified in the future.
* 1 Thessalonians 1:10 – “You turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, Jesus who rescues you from the coming wrath.” Christ is returning to rescue believers from the wrath that He will pour out upon this sinful world. And from this day until He comes back, you are to be working and waiting for Him.
* 1 Thessalonians 2:19 – “What is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when He comes – is it not you?” A very encouraging aspect of your hope is that you will be reunited with Christians you knew on earth. 2 Sam. 12:23, 2 Cor. 4:14
* 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – “The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” Christ’s coming will be announced with the shout of an archangel and the sound of a trumpet. Immediately after that, Christians on earth will be raptured and glorified, and joining up with all believers who had died in the past and were just glorified, they will together meet the Lord in the air. Matt. 24:31, 2 Thess. 2:1
* 1 Thessalonians 5:2, 4 – “You know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night… But you brothers are not in surprise.” The day of the Lord, and therefore Christ’s coming, will be a complete surprise to unbelievers, but not to Christians. Matt. 24:32-41
* 2 Thessalonians 1:7 – “To give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful angels.” When Jesus Christ returns, believers will be going through great tribulation, but they will be given immediate relief, for they will be miraculously raptured, quickly taken from this earth to be with Christ.
* 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3 – “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and being gathered to Him, we ask you brothers… do not let anyone deceive you in any way for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.” Christ’s coming, and the rapture, won’t happen until after the rebellion, the apostasy, and after the revealing and coming of the Antichrist, that devilish beast, that man of lawlessness. Matt. 24:10-31
* 2 Thessalonians 2:8 – “The lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming.” Christ is returning to defeat and destroy the Antichrist, which takes place at His coming, specifically at the battle of Armageddon. Then he will be “thrown alive into the lake of fire”, where he will be greatly and eternally punished. Rev. 16:13-16, 19:19-20
* Titus 2:13 – “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus…” This big-picture verse describes the entirety of your salvation. We can sum it up by saying that you are to live a holy life for Christ and are to look for His coming – and what a glorious, magnificent, and blessed appearance that will be. Luke 21:27
* James 5:7 – “Be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too be patient and stand firm because the Lord’s coming is near.” In the end-times, God will save multitudes of people from their sin. For your part, you must be patient with people, be sharing the gospel, and persevere to the end. Matt. 24:13-14, Mark 13:9-13
* 1 Peter 1:13 – “Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” Don’t ever set your hopes on the things of this earth, but on the fact that Christ is coming to deliver you from this devil-run world and bring you to Himself and to heaven, and to bless you like never before. Psalm 16:11, Rom. 8:18-25
* 2 Peter 3:3-4 – “In the last days scoffers will come, scoffing, and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is this coming He promised?’” In the end-times, evil people will mock you, laugh at you, and think you are crazy because you are expecting Jesus Christ’s return, but you are not, for you know the truth and you love Jesus, and you are extremely excited to see Him.
* 1 John 2:28 – “Dear children, continue in Him, so that when He appears we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.” You are to abide in Jesus and have a close relationship with Him. You do this by trusting His word, and by loving and obeying Him. The result of walking with Jesus is that you will be a bold and confident Christian. Acts 4:13
* 1 John 3:2-3 – “When He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. Everyone who has this hope in Him purifies himself, just as he is pure.” At Christ’s coming, you will receive a new body, just like Jesus’ body. Thus, you will be able to perfectly love Him, have wonderful fellowship with Him, and wholeheartedly serve Him. Eph. 2:10, Rev. 21:3-7
* Revelation 22:12 – “Behold I am coming soon. My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what He has done.” You will be personally and greatly rewarded for your life of service for Jesus Christ – and this will happen when He returns to earth. Col. 3:23-24
* Revelation 22:20 – “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Yes, I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.” Christ is coming soon – it won’t be long from now! We know this because we now live in the end-times, and because second-coming signs are being fulfilled. Matt. 24:4-35
No matter what happens – no matter what happens to you – no matter what trials or conflicts you go through – no matter what happens to family members or friends – no matter what happens to this country or in this world, know that Christ is coming again to rapture the church, pour out His wrath, save a number of Jews, restore this earth, and begin His reign over this earth. You should be excitedly looking for and praying for Christ’s return. “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
P.S. I cannot stress enough the importance of thinking about this glorious truth, that Christ is coming back, and soon. The benefits of having this truth in your heart are life-changing. I suggest that you read these two articles, for they will give you further understanding about Christ’s coming – “Over 100 New Testament Verses on Christ’s Second Coming” and “Thirty Important Truths About the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.”