Article 15

By Steven J. Hogan

Jesus Christ has good reason to come back to earth, and in fact, many good reasons. But you need to first understand that He is not just going to drop in and see how things are going. He’s not making some casual visit to this planet, making stops in a few cities, seeing some Christians, giving some speeches, and then leaving. He is coming to stay. Jesus Christ is the Lord of this earth, and He is a holy judge, a sovereign King, and a loving Savior. This is His planet. He made it. He owns it. He’s going to do what He wants to do, what He has a right to do, and what He has already planned to do.

Way back in eternity past, God foreknew and predestined the life of Jesus Christ. We are all aware of Christ’s 1st coming, being born, living, and dying on this earth to pay for our sins, and then being raised from the dead. Both God’s Word and history tell us about Christ’s brief stay on earth. But God’s Word also tells us what will be taking place at His 2nd coming. It is no mystery to God, and He has not left it a mystery to us. God has told us ahead of time what will be taking place because He wants us to know why Christ is returning to earth, and to be looking forward to seeing Him and being with Him when He comes back.

Why is Jesus Christ coming? Let me say it simply: Christ is coming back to take up the saints, to take out the enemy, and to take over the world. It’s the rapture of the saints, the wrath of God, and the reign of Christ. But there is so much more than this. Let me list some general reasons why our Lord and Savior is returning to this world (the Biblical reasons in the following lists are by no means comprehensive in God’s future plans – there is much more).

* Jesus Christ is coming back to carry out His Father’s eternal will and purpose for planet earth. Matthew 6:9-10, Psalm 33:8-12
* Jesus Christ is coming back so that all things and all people in heaven and earth will be summed up in Him, and will be under His authority and control. Ephesians 1:9-11
* Jesus Christ is coming back because He’s going to keep His promise. Hebrews 10:37; Revelation 22:7, 12, 20
* Jesus Christ is coming back to fulfill God’s Word, to carry out all His plans for this world, and the people living in it. Matthew 5:17-18, 24:35; Revelation 22:18-19
* Jesus Christ is coming back to bring this present evil age to an end, to start the new age, and to establish His kingdom on earth. Ephesians 1:11-21; Psalms 47, 67, 72, 96
* Jesus Christ is coming back for His bride, for He loves her, and He can’t wait to take her home to heaven, to celebrate the wedding feast, to show her His glory, and then to reign over the world with her. John 14:1-3, John 17:24, Revelation 19:7-9
* Jesus Christ is coming back to clean up a world that has been polluted and messed up by sin and Satan. It must be a holy place before He can begin His reign over the earth. Revelation 4-9, 16
* Jesus Christ is coming back to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham and his descendants. Genesis 12:1-3, Isaiah 41-66, Acts 3:17-26, Romans 11:25-27
* Jesus Christ is coming back to be worshiped, for every knee to bow and every tongue to confess that He is Lord of heaven and earth. Philippians 2:9-11, Revelation 5:13
* Jesus Christ is coming back so that “the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord.” Habakkuk 2:14
* Jesus Christ is coming back because God’s character demands it. He will be holy and judge sinners on the earth. He will be loving and rapture believers from the earth. He will be faithful and carry out God’s will on earth. Isaiah 42:1-4; Matthew 24:3-40; Revelation 4:8

There are many good reasons why Jesus Christ is coming back, and no one is going to stop Him. His great and glorious plans for us and this earth need to be fulfilled. Therefore, Christ must come back; He wants to come back; and He cannot not come back. And no one – no man, no woman, no angel, no devil, no demon – will deny Him, stop Him, or thwart any of His purposes and plans. “O Lord, You are my God; I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name; for you have worked wonders, plans formed long ago with perfect faithfulness.” Isaiah 25:1

Do you see where we are at in the whole big scheme of things? We are living in the last part of this present age, what is often called the church age. God’s plans for this church age are now being carried out, and Jesus Christ, His Son, is executing these plans, is fulfilling His Father’s will, is building the church. And this is our time to live, to be faithful to God, to use our talents for His purposes, to do our job in building His Kingdom, and to make disciples of all the nations until the end of the age. But we are now living in the end-times (Daniel 12:4), and therefore we know that this present age is coming to a close, that our stay on this sin-filled earth is about over, and that specific, God ordained plans for the church will soon begin to be fulfilled.

At this time Jesus Christ is in heaven, and He is waiting for the signal from His Father to return to earth to bring this present age to a close, and then begin His millennial kingdom. Here are some reasons why Christ is coming back at the end of this age:

* Jesus Christ is coming back to give Christians relief from the great persecution that they will be experiencing on this earth. Matthew 24:21-22, 2 Thessalonians 1:7
* Jesus Christ is coming back to rescue the Christians from God’s wrath that will be poured out upon this world. 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 5:9
* Jesus Christ is coming back to give Christians rest from their labors. Revelation 14:13
* Jesus Christ is coming back to resurrect the believers already in heaven, to glorify them, and to gather them to Himself. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Philippians 3:20-21
* Jesus Christ is coming back to rapture the Christians from the earth, to glorify them, and to gather them to Himself. 1 Thessalonians 4:17, Matthew 24:31
* Jesus Christ is coming back to redeem the Christians from their sinful bodies and from this evil world. Luke 21:28, Ephesians 1:14
* Jesus Christ is coming back to reunite you with all the believing friends and loved ones you knew on earth who have gone on ahead of you. 1 Thessalonians 2:19-20, 4:13-14
* Jesus Christ is coming back to reward you for all your work for Him. 2 Corinthians 5:9, Revelation 22:12
* Jesus Christ is coming back to pour out His wrath on the unbelievers, during what is called the Day of the Lord. Psalm 98:9; Jude 14-15; Revelation 8-9, 16
* Jesus Christ is coming back to destroy Babylon, the sinful and Satanic religious and economic world systems. Revelation 16-18
* Jesus Christ is coming back to destroy his chief enemy on the earth, the devilish Antichrist and his evil empire. Christ will then cast him and his wicked partner, the false prophet, into the lake of fire. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-9, Revelation 19:19-20

In the near future Christ will visibly return to this earth, and then reign over this earth from Jerusalem for exactly 1000 years. How wonderfully glorious this will be, and to think that we will be with Him, worshiping Him, helping Him to reign, and promoting His name, His cause, and His glory all over the earth. Let me share some reasons why Christ is coming back as it relates to the Jews on earth, the glorified believers, the millennial kingdom, and His great judgment at the end of the millennial kingdom:

* Jesus Christ is coming back to receive His inheritance from His Father. Psalm 2:6-8
* Jesus Christ is coming back to save a large remnant of Jews. Romans 11:25-27
* Jesus Christ is coming back to shepherd His flock. Micah 5:4
* Jesus Christ is coming back so He can be King over the world, reigning on this earth during what is often called the millennial kingdom. Zechariah 14:11, Revelation 11:15, Psalm 2:6-9, Isaiah 9:6-7, Daniel 7:13-14, 27, Micah 5:4
* Jesus Christ is coming back so that both the recently glorified believers and the newly saved Jewish believers can reign with Him over the world. Revelation 20:6
* Jesus Christ is coming back to give the Jews the land that was promised to Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3, 13:14-15, 15:18-21
* Jesus Christ is coming back to possess Judah as His portion, and to rule over the earth from the holy land, from Mount Zion. Zechariah 2:12
* Jesus Christ is coming back to save a great number of Gentiles during the millennial kingdom. Psalm 67:2, Romans 15:9-12
* Jesus Christ is coming back to teach the truth of God to the people on earth. Isaiah 54:13
* Jesus Christ is coming back to lead and guide the nations on the earth. Psalm 67:4
* Jesus Christ is coming back so that the kingdoms of the world will worship and serve Him. Psalm 22:27-31, Psalm 102:21-22
* Jesus Christ is coming back so that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord. Habakkuk 2:14
* Jesus Christ is coming back to rule the world with a rod of iron. Psalms 2:9, 110:1-2
* Jesus Christ is coming back to put all His enemies under His feet, including death itself. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26, Revelation 20:14
* Jesus Christ is coming back to carry out the overthrow and final defeat of the devil, and then cast him into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:7-10
* Jesus Christ is coming back to judge the unbelievers who are on this earth at the end of the Millennial Kingdom, and then cast them into the lake of fire. Revelation 20:11-15

I hope you are beginning to see that God has many great plans for your future and the future of this world. It’s important for you to see that life is not so much about what you are doing but much more about what God is doing and will be doing. On this earth, men and women go here and there, hustling and bustling, hurrying and keeping busy, making plans and doing what they want to do.

As Christians we too can be focused on our life and our own little world and the things we are doing, but we need to get our eyes off of ourselves – we need to be looking to God. We need to be reading His Word. We need to see the big picture. We need to see what He will be doing. And we need to be seeking God’s Kingdom, and praying for His Kingdom to come. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10, 33. Ultimately, all of God’s plans will be carried out. “The Lord nullifies the counsel of the nations; He frustrates the plans of the peoples. The counsel of the Lord stands firm forever, the plans of His heart from generation to generation.” Psalm 33:10-11

It won’t be long before Jesus Christ returns and everything will change! He will interrupt our little lives, and stop us and this earth, right in our tracks. None of us can fathom how different this will be, going from a devil-ruled, man-centered, sin-dominated world, to Christ suddenly taking over and doing what He has always planned on doing. The Lord and Savior will be back, the Judge is coming, and the King will be here to stay. This is good news for the believer, for he will experience the mercy and goodness of God; but this is bad news for the unbeliever, for he will experience the justice and wrath of God.

We need to wake up to the truth of Christ’s 2nd coming and the reasons for His 2nd coming. We need to do God’s work and hasten the coming of Christ, and the fulfillment of His plans for us and for the entire world. It won’t be long. You wait and see. In these days of the end-times, God is now carrying out His plans, and He knows exactly what He is doing. In fact, His work with everyone and everything on this planet is going precisely according to His eternal plan. Isaiah 46:9-11 – “I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure, calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of My purpose from a far distant country. Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass. I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Amen.