• WHAT wonderful
promise did Jesus make concerning His Second Advent?
"Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe
also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told
you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."
- John 14:1-3.
• What will follow
the signs of Christ's coming?
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory." - Luke 21:27.
• At His ascension,
how was Christ's return promised?
"And while they looked stedfastly toward
heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye
men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is
taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into
heaven." - Acts 1:10-11.
• With what words
does Paul express the blessed hope of Christ's Second Advent for His people?
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our
Saviour Jesus Christ." - Titus 2:13.
• What does Peter say
about this awaited event?
"We have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power
and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty." - 2 Peter
1:16.
• When He returns,
will most of the inhabitants of earth he prepared to meet Him?
"Then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in
the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." - Matt. 24:30.
"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of Him. - Rev. 1:7.
• Why will many not
be prepared for this important event?
"But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My
Lord delayeth. His coming; and shall begin to smite his fellowservents, and to eat and
drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not
for Him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint
him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
- Matt. 24:48-51.
• What will the
world. be doing when Christ returns in the clouds of heaven for His own?
"But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the
Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and
drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the
ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming
of the Son of Man be." - Matt. 24:37-39.
"Likewise also as
it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they
planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and
brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the
Son of man is revealed." - Luke 17:28-30.
NOTE: These texts do not
teach that it is wrong in itself to eat drink, marry, buy, sell, plant, or build, but that
men's minds will be so taken up with these things that they will give little or no thought
to the future life, and make no plans or preparations to meet Jesus when He comes.
• What will happen to
the wicked or unconverted people when Jesus comes again?
"But with righteousness shall he judge
the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the
wicked." - Isa. 11:4.
"And the slain of the LORD shall be at
that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be
lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground."
- Jer. 25:33.
• How will Christ's
second coming affect the earth itself?
"And there were voices, and thunders,
and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were
upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great." - Rev. 16:18.
"And every island fled away, and
the mountains were not found." - Rev. 16:20.
"I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place
was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of
the LORD, and by his fierce anger." - Jer. 4:26.
"Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth
it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof." - Isa
24:1.
"The land shall be utterly emptied,
and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath spoken this word." - Isa. 24:3.
• Who is it that
blinds men to the message about salvation through Jesus Christ?
"In whom the god of this world [Satan] hath blinded the minds of them
which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them." - 2 Corinthians 4:4.
• How important is it
that we now prepare our lives to meet Christ when He returns
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be;
but we know that, when He shall appear we, shall be like Him; for we shall see Him
as He is." - 1 John 3:2.
• Will the return of
Christ be a time of reward?
"For the Son of
man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward
every man according to his works." Matthew 16:27.
"And, behold I come
quickly; and my reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall
be" - Rev. 22:12.
• Who will receive
the promised salvation when Christ returns?
"So Christ was offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall
He appear the second time without sin unto salvation." - Heb. 9:28.
• What strong
motivation should His return have on our lives right now?
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he
is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." -
1 John 3:2-3.
• To whom are these
crowns of life promised?
"For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have
fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his
appearing." - 2 Tim. 4:6-8.
• What will the
waiting ones say when Jesus comes the second time?
"And it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him,
and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation." - Isa. 25:9.
• Has the exact time
of Christ's coming been revealed?
"But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but my Father only." - Matt. 24:36.
• In view of this
fact, how does Christ tell us to prepare for that glorious event?
"Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord
doth come." - Matt. 24:42.
• What warning has
Christ given that we might not be taken by surprise when He returns?
"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be
overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come
upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the
whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of
man." - Luke 21:34-36.
• What special
attribute should the waiting ones develop?
"Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it,
until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your
hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." - James 5:7-8.
• What has been the
attitude of too many Christians toward the Second Advent of Christ?
The belief of the Christian Church in the second coming of Christ appears in Christian
literature from the origin of the so-called Apostles' Creed down through to very recent
times.
• What promise is
made to those who look for the appearing of Christ?
"So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him
shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation." - Heb. 9:28.
• How many will
receive a reward when He comes?
"For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with
his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works."
- Matt. 16:27.
NOTE: It is a time of
general reward.
• Did the disciples
think that death would be the second coming of Christ?
"Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto
him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?
follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple
should not die: yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, If
I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?" - John 21:21-23.
NOTE: That is, from this
saying they gathered the idea that because it was intimated to be possible for John to
tarry till Christ comes, he would never die. Therefore it is certain that they regarded
death and the coming of Christ as separate events.
• If death is not the
coming of Christ, how will He come?
"And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a
cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven
as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you
into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
- Acts 1:9-11.
"And I looked, and behold a white cloud,
and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown,
and in his hand a sharp sickle." - Rev. 14:14.
• How many will
behold Him when He comes?
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen." - Rev. 1:7.
• But I thought Jesus
was coming back secretly?
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so,
Amen." - Rev. 1:7.
• What wonderful
demonstration will accompany the Lord's coming?
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of
the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise
first." - 1 Thess. 4:16.
• What will then take
place?
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound,
and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." - 1 Cor.
15:51-52.
"For the Lord himself shall descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the
dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be
caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall
we ever be with the Lord." - 1 Thess. 4:16-17.
• Have not the
martyrs of old gone to their reward?
"And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the
promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should
not be made perfect." - Heb. 11:39-40.
• When were the
disciples to be recompensed?
"And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee:
for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." - Luke
14:14.
• How is this to be
brought about?
"And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again,
and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." -
John 14:3.
• What was Enoch's
belief about this event?
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the
Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to
convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have
ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him." - Jude 1:14-15.
• What was Job's hope
when in the depths of affliction?
"For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day
upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh
shall I see God: Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not
another; though my reins be consumed within me." - Job 19:25-27.
• How did David
express himself on this point?
"Before the LORD: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall
judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth." - Ps. 96:13.
• Did Daniel teach
this same sentiment?
"And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for
the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since
there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be
delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book." - Dan. 12:1.
• In what splendor
will the Saviour come?
"For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him
shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his
Father's, and of the holy angels." - Luke 9:26.
• When Christ, at the
transfiguration, represented His future glory, how did He appear?
"And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his
raiment was white as the light." - Matt. 17:2.
• What is the
appearance of an angel?
"His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning,
and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished
brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." - Dan. 10:6.
• What is the
appearance of the glory of God Himself?
"And I saw as the colour of amber, as the appearance of fire round about within it,
from the appearance of his loins even upward, and from the appearance of his loins even
downward, I saw as it were the appearance of fire, and it had brightness round about. As
the appearance of the bow that is in the cloud in the day of rain, so was the
appearance of the brightness round about. This was the appearance of the likeness of
the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell upon my face, and I heard a voice of
one that spake." - Eze. 1:27-28.
NOTE: If Christ comes
shining in the accumulated glory of Himself and His Father, and surrounded with ten
thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands of bright angels, He will indeed be
"wrapped in a blaze of boundless glory."
• For what was Paul
waiting when in his Roman dungeon?
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be:
but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as
he is." - 1 John 3:2.
• What description
does the beloved John give of His appearance?
"His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes were as
a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and
his voice as the sound of many waters. And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out
of his mouth went a sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in
his strength." - Rev. 1:14-16.
• When He shall have
gathered together His elect (Matt. 24:31), if we are among them, what shall we hear from
the Saviour?
"Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world." - Matt. 25:34.
