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CHARACTERISTICS OF THE SECOND COMING

The following characteristics of the Second Coming of Christ are not exhaustive. Others could be listed, but these are sufficient to impress the believer with the character of that Day.

Personal – It is Christ who will return, not a spirit, not an unknown power or influence, but the person of Jesus Christ and not another. At the Ascension the angels informed the apostles that “this same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). Christ Himself promised: “I will come again” (Jo. 14:3), and Paul told the Thessalonians: “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven” (I Thess. 4:16).

Emphatically the Scriptures affirm that the Second Coming of Christ is Christ coming: “this same Jesus,” “I will come,” and “the Lord Himself.” For the individual who submits to the authority of Scripture the issue is settled—the Jesus of history, the Jesus of the first century, is the One coming back to this earth.

Visible – He will be seen; “all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming” (Matt. 24:30). He is not coming in secret; He is coming openly and publicly. “Every eye will see Him” (Rev. 1:7).

His Coming will be a spectacle; it will be spectacular. He will be coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 24:30; Rev. 1:7), with His holy angels (Matt. 25:31), and as He comes “the tribes of earth will mourn because of Him” (Rev. 1:7).His coming will be as the lightening that comes from the east and flashes to the west (Matt. 24:26-27). There are no indications in the descriptions of the event of any attempt to conceal or make His Coming obscure.

Of course the following passage is replete with symbolic language, but without deciphering which part is symbolic and which is literal, the impression is still gained that the Return will be an imposing and unimaginable event:

Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KINGS OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev. 19:11-16).

The Jesus that is coming is the Jesus that Thomas saw and was told to touch. Thomas did not initially see the risen Lord, and he doubted. He wanted to see and touch before he would believe (Jo. 20:24-25). Eight day later Jesus appeared to Thomas and said: “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach you hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing” (Jo. 20:27). Thomas said: “My Lord and My God” (Jo. 20:28). The “Lord” and “God” that Thomas saw is the One who is coming back and the One who we will see.

Audible – Not only will His Return be visible, it will also be audible: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, and with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (I Thess. 4:16; Matt. 24:31). Note the three contributions to the audible nature of the event: a trumpet, a shout, and the voice of an archangel. What a sight! What a sound! What a Coming!

Expected – The Coming of Christ is expected for two reasons: one, He promised that He would return; and two, the writers of the New Testament predicted His Return (see: Promise and Prediction). Therefore believers are confident that He will return, and we live in expectation of His Return.

How could His Return not be anticipated in light of the following affirmations and predictions?

For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matt. 24: 27);

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 (Matt. 24:30);

so also will the coming of the Son of Man be (Matt. 24:37, 39);

you do not know what hour your Lord is coming (Matt. 24:42);

the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matt. 24:44);

when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him (Matt. 25:31)

Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven (Matt. 26:64);

For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels (Mk. 8:38);

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 (Jo. 14:3);

If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you (John 21:23);

This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in life manner as you saw Him go into heaven (Acts 1:11);

Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send Jesus Christ . . . (Acts 3:19-20);

eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 1:7);

But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming (I Cor. 15: 23);

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil. 3:20);

When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4);

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? (I Thess. 2:19);

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 (I Thess. 3:13);

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 . . . For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God (I Thess. 4:15-16);

and to you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels . . . when He comes, in that Day to be glorified in His saints (II Thess. 1:7, 10);

blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ’s appearing (I Tim. 6:14);

there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing (II Tim. 4:8);

looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13);

To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time apart from sin, for salvation (Heb. 9:28);

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord . . . for the coming of the Lord is at hand (Jas. 5:7-8);

In this you rejoice . . . that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ (I Pet. 1:7; see v. 13);

that when His glory is revealed (I Pet. 4:13);

but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night (II Pet. 3:10);

looking and hastening the coming of the day of God (II Pet. 3:12);

abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming (I Jo. 2:28);

Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him (Rev. 1:7);

Behold, I am coming quickly (Rev. 22:7);

And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to everyone according to his work (Rev. 22:12);

Surely I am coming quickly (Rev. 22:20).

These statements from the Scriptures make the event assured. If the Scriptures are indeed the Word of God, then the events that they affirm have already occurred (history) or will occur in the future (prophecy). The fact is the Bible can be trusted (see: The Significance of Truth). And without doubt the Bible predicts and avows that Jesus will return to this earth at the end of days.

Unexpected - Though the Second Coming is certain, no one knows exactly when it will occur. As the Day approaches the believer will discern that His Coming is close but will not know precisely the time; it will be like a thunderstorm with thunder and lightning, both of which can occur at any moment but the observer does not know the exact moment of either. On at least two occasions Jesus makes this point:

But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only . . . therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect (Matt. 24:36, 42, 44; 25:13; Mk. 13:31-32; Lu. 12:40);

It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority (Acts 1:7).

Without specifying a particular time, the Scriptures do indicate signs by which the discerning believer will know that the end is approaching (see: Signs of His Coming). It is not necessary for the followers of Christ to know the specific date of His Return; to know that He will return is sufficient.

It is mainly for the unbeliever that the event will be unexpected. Both Paul and Peter speak of the coming of the Lord as being a like “a thief in the night” (I Thess. 5:2; II Pet. 3:10). Paul says to the Thessalonians that “you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night” (I Thess. 5:2), and he continues: “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (I Thess. 5:4). He tells them that they are “all sons of light and sons of the day” and “not of the night nor of darkness” (I Thess. 5:5). So, while the day is expected by the believer, it is unexpected by the unbeliever.

Triumphant – Jesus is coming “on the clouds of heaven with power” (Matt. 24:30)—He is not returning to provide options but to determine destinies. He will not occupy a position of weakness but will be seated on a throne of authority.

He is coming to raise the dead believers and gather His elect: “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven . . . and the dead in Christ will rise first” (I Thess. 4:16), and then “He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matt. 24:31). He will deliver His followers “from the wrath to come” (I Thess. 1:10), for “God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thess. 5:9).

He is coming to break the rule of evil on the earth, beginning with the end-time epitome of evil, the Antichrist, “whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming” (II Thess. 2:8; see: The Antichrist). Satan will be bound and confined, thus limiting his work of evil (see: Reality of Satan). And the two who support him will be cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone (Rev. 19:20).

He is coming to judge “the living and the dead” (II Tim. 4:1). All will stand before Him to be judged, and “in righteousness He judges” (Rev. 19:11). “And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15).

The One doing all these things is “KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16). He will not suffer defeat, but will be the victorious Conqueror, the One who conquers evil and all of its manifestations.

Glorious – Several verses speak of the glorious character of His Return:

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 (Matt. 25:31);

they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30)

when Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory (Col. 3:4);

looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Tit. 2:13);

rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy (I Pet. 4:13).

Note what is affirmed: He will come in His glory and sit on the throne of His glory; He is coming with great glory; and His Return is a glorious appearing, when His glory will be revealed. And the believer will appear with Him in glory. What does all this mean?

To think of “glory” is to think of God in the Old Testament. When the Tabernacle was erected “the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34), and when the Temple was constructed “the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord (I Ki. 8:11). In the latter passage the glory is equated with the cloud that filled the house (I Ki. 8:10-13), thus justifying earlier displays of the cloud, and fire, with the displays of the glory of God: the burning bush (Ex. 3:1-6), pillar of cloud by day and fire by night (Ex. 13:21), protection for the people (Ex. 14:19-20), the giving of the Ten Commandments and the experience with Moses on Mt Sinai (Ex. 19:16-25; 24:9-18), the blessing of the people (Lev. 9:23-24), and the cloud above the mercy seat (Lev. 16:2).

God’s glory is a reoccurring theme for the psalmist: “You have set your glory above the heavens” (Ps. 8:1), “The Lord is high above all nations, His glory above the heavens” (Ps. 113:4), “Lord, I have loved the habitation of Your house, and the place where Your glory dwells (Ps. 26:8), and “Not to us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory” (Ps. 115:1). The psalmist desired to see God’s power and glory (Ps. 63:2), and referred to God as the “King of glory” (Ps. 24:7-10).

In the Old Testament God is associated with His glory—to experience the glory was to experience God. Connected to the glory was God’s presence, His dwelling place, His perfection, His power, and His protection.

It is against the background of this understanding of glory that glory is associated with the Return of Christ. So the association informs us that the Return is the Return of Deity. At the end-time history will be terminated by the appearing of the very Subject of history, for history is not the account of the deeds of men but the account of the deeds of God—history is Theistic not humanistic.

The end-time Return of Jesus Christ will be the Return of God, and the doings of Jesus Christ when He returns will be the doings of God. It will be glorious for He is coming in glory.


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