There should be no doubt in your mind, Jesus is Coming! We live in a time when many people are concerned about the second coming of Christ. For years many religious organizations have forced their opinions and traditions on people. It seems that every few years a new group of religious fanatics decide they know the exact date when Jesus will return. It is time to see what the Bible says about Jesus’ second coming.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus said that He had greater works to do in the future. He specifically mentioned two works: the raising of the dead and the passing of final judgment. These works are proof that He is God, but we must understand that they were delegated from the Father. The raising of the dead and the passing of judgment are associated with Jesus’ second coming.
When Paul wrote about this subject, he viewed Christ’s second coming as the occasion when His people would share His glory and be displayed to the universe as God’s children, the heirs of heaven. Romans 8:21 says, “creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” Both the present work of Christ and His future work are dependent on His finished work. That finished work was the beginning of God’s good work in His people. This work will not be completed until “the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6), when the entire universe will be united in Christ (Ephesians 1:10). All of us will die, Jesus will return, and then we will have to give an account for what we have done on this earth (Hebrews 9:27-28). The three most prominent views of the second coming of Christ are premillennialism, postmillennialism, and amillennialism. There are a large number of religious groups that believe in the doctrine of premillennialism.
Premillennialism is based on a misunderstanding of Revelation 20. Premillennialism has become very popular in the last twenty-five years and is the most believed by denominations today. Premillennialism is a doctrine that says that Jesus is coming back to this earth to set up an earthly kingdom where He will reign for one thousand years. The most common misconception in this particular view is that Jesus intended to set up His kingdom when he first came to this earth, but was killed before He could accomplish His goal. Therefore, within this view, His disciples were forced to establish a temporary institution, which is the church.
The scriptures teach that the church is the kingdom of God (Matthew 16:17-19). Second, the scriptures teach that the church is not temporary and that it was planned from the beginning (Ephesians 3:10-11). We must remember the prophesy of Daniel in Daniel 7:13-14 of the church. He said that the church would stand forever and that it would be the final kingdom. Third, to say that Jesus did not accomplish His goal or mission leads one to believe that He failed. This is impossible because He is God. He fulfilled His promises to establish His kingdom (Acts 2:47, Colossians 1:13, Revelation 1:9).
Postmillennialism is the belief that Christ will return at the end of the millennial age. Those who hold to this view believe that the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will postdate, or come after, and climax the millennium. This view envisions that the world will increasingly become better until the millennium arrives, and Jesus’ millennial reign will not be in person. It is also based on a misunderstanding of Revelation 20. This position was supported by Martin Luther, John Wycliffe, and other early reformers, with the except of the Anabaptists which supported premillennialism. This view used to be very popular, but is not as common today in main stream denominations. Therefore, for the sake of time, we will discuss the third view.
Amillennialism is the belief that there is no literal millennial reign on Christ on earth. This view supports the fact that the church is the kingdom and that when Jesus comes again there will be millennial reign. This view also supports the fact that the description of the millennial reign in Revelation 20 is not to be taken as literal but figurative. This is the view that is consistent with the Bible.
Now that we have discussed these three views we need to see how, if Revelation is not to be taken literal, we can know how Jesus is coming. We must be prepared for His coming, so we will study a few scriptures in this lesson that will help us in being more prepared for the second coming of Christ.
The only way to learn about Jesus’ second coming is to see what the Bible says about it. When Jesus ascended into heaven in Acts 1:11 the angels told His disciples, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” This verse teaches us that Jesus will come back the same way He left. He left on a cloud and He will return on a cloud. One thing we should note from this passage is that it does not say that He will return to the earth. Instead we are told that we will meet Him in the air when He returns (I Thessalonians 4:15-18).
One thing you should know is that no one can know when Jesus is coming. II Peter 3:10 says, “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.” This is also seen in I Thessalonians 5:2. Some denominations believe that there will be signs to show God’s people when He is coming. This, and other verses in the Bible, show us that no one will know when He is coming. In fact, no one in heaven will know until it happens. Mark 13:32-33 says, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch and pray; for you do not know when the time is.” Jesus says that He does not even know when it will happen, because only God knows when it will happen.
When Jesus comes again the Bible says that the dead in Christ will be raised (John 5:28-29). Then those who are alive will be caught up to meet Him in the air (I Thessalonians 4:15-18). At that time we will be taken to the judgment seat where we will be judged according to our works (II Corinthians 5:10). At that time God will divide the wicked from the righteous (Matthew 25:31-46). The wicked will be condemned to spend an eternity in hell and the righteous will enter into heaven.
The pattern of events just mentioned is consistent throughout all of the Bible. The other views, already mentioned, express a different perspective that is not biblical. They hold to the rapture. That means they believe the saved will be suddenly taken away when Jesus comes. This view is not supported with scripture and began as a doctrine because of a person’s dream in the early 1800’s. Some people try to twist I Thessalonians 4:15-18 to support this view. They also support the doctrine of many resurrections when the Bible only teaches there is one (Acts 24:15, John 5:28-29). They also believe in the seven years of tribulation and other things mentioned in the book of Revelation because they take them as literal events that will take place in the future. These are just a few of the many doctrines held to by those who support a millennial reign.
When Jesus comes again he will not set up an earthly kingdom. Instead He will return the true kingdom, which is the church, to God (I Corinthians 15:23-24). At this time eternity, through the eyes of man, will begin. Then the earth will be destroyed. There is no way that Jesus could have a millennial reign after He comes because the Bible says that the earth will be melted with fervent heat and destroyed(II Peter 3:5-7, 10-12).
There is no doubt that Jesus will come again. We must be prepared for His second coming by knowing God’s will for our lives that is revealed in His Word. Matthew 7:21 say, “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.” We need to know exactly what God requires of us and obey it so that we can spend eternity with Him. Have a great week!
You are loved.
Ray Reynolds, PhD
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