The Promise Of Christ's Coming Again

Welcome to the end. That's podcast to town Friday, December 24 season is much more than the baby born in a stable. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lord stay with us for a look to the future and the promise of Christ coming again. I'm sure when Jesus was on earth he never dreamed that the world would celebrate his birth in the fashion which we have chosen the celebrated.

In fact, if you will think about it. Jesus made no references to his birth. He spoke of the purpose for which he came, but nowhere does he say anything about the humble circumstances by which he was born for you see Jesus had his mind on the future not on the past. That is, he was not concerned about his birth. He was far more concerned about his return.

And if you recall, in the upper room in the 14th chapter of John. If you will turn their his disciples now being prepared for his crucifixion. The next day he is told him that he was going away from them and in the 13th chapter of the 33rd verse he says to them little children I'm with you little while longer. You shall seek me, and is said to you Jews announce that you also where I'm going, you cannot come.

Verse 36 Simon Peter said to him, Lord, where you going Jesus answered where I go you cannot follow me now, but you shall follow me. So in their minds they began to think a little of some things that he said to them, for example, the Old Testament prophecies of the return of the Lord establishment of the kingdom, sitting upon the throne of David. All of these prophecies that he had given and now he's talking about dying. He's talking about going away. They cannot follow him. They cannot be where he is and all of a sudden this confusion and anxiety and fear began the grip and Jesus understanding that because he knew all men in the 14th chapter of John moving from saying to them, where I'm going. You cannot follow me said to them, in John 14 beginning in verse one let not your heart be troubled you believe in God believe also in me. In my father's house are many mansions of dwelling places.

If it were not so I would've told you before 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 to myself, that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus said to them, even though you cannot follow me now I am going away, but I shall return, I will come back now it is very important to the Lord Jesus Christ. At that moment that his apostles understand these coming back.

In fact he really said more in those last days of his life about his return. Then he said about his death about his crucifixion for the many passages that deal with the return of the Lord and so the theme of this message is the promise of Christ coming again, and here is my purpose in this message that you may see how important it is for God and therefore must be to laws that we understand that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a vital part of God's great redemptive plan and must be uppermost in the mind of the body of Christ among his people. So let me begin in the Old Testament. First of all with the prophecies of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is of his coming again. His return and it's interesting that in the very first prophecy of the Old Testament that prophesies the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is his first coming also includes a prophecy of his return. So if you turn the Genesis chapter 3 and let's look at this 15 verse which should be familiar to every single believer. Adam and Eve have fallen in the garden and now God is pronouncing judgment and he says in verse 14 of this third chapter and the Lord God said to the serpent because you've done this accursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the feeling on your belly shall you go industrial you eat all the days of your life and I will put enmity between you and the woman I watch this I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed here and inference of the virgin birth or it is not the woman who has the seed he that is, Christ shall bruise you Satan on your head and you Satan shall bruise him on the heel. Now when he said you Satan shall bruise him on the heel on the Lord Jesus Christ came the first time his crucifixion. He suffered the cross and it appeared that Satan was about to win the battle that is Satan cruising him on his heel, but then he says, and you shall bruise him all that he shall bruise you on the head.

Satan you going to be conquered when is Satan to be conquered when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again and destroys all the wickedness in this world and brings to fruition, his great redemptive plan, destroying everything that is evil and anti-God in the world and ultimately casting Satan into the lake of fire where he shall burn forever and ever and ever. In the very first prophecy of his first coming is an implication of the events that will take place when he comes after that is, he takes the body of Christ out of his life at the rapture the church if you move on over to the book of Isaiah the great prophet is Isaiah in the ninth chapter. It's interesting that again in a prophecy that deals with the identification of the Messiah in this ninth chapter and the 67 verses here is likewise a prophecy of things that will transpire when he returns. He says, verse six, for a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us and the government will rest on his shoulders and his name will be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God and eternal father, Prince of peace. And then he says there will be no end to the increase of his government or of peace on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness, for then on and forevermore there's only one kingdom it's going to last forever more. That is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ is only one is considering the throne of David, that is the Lord Jesus Christ and he speaking here of events that will transpire when the Lord Jesus Christ returns when he comes again. So in both of these prophecies, there is the reference to the first coming of the Lord Jesus. They said he would be called wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace, but he shall reign on the throne the throne of David, that shall reign forever and ever and ever. As you go through the Old Testament, for example, you find one reference after the other hundreds of Scriptures concerning the return of the Lord. In fact, in the Old Testament there are 20 times more passages of Scripture that deal with the return of the Lord than there are passages that deal with his first coming, so that in the first prophecy of the Old Testament you find a reference to the return of the Lord. We just read in Genesis chapter 3 and then the last prophecy of the Old Testament, Malachi chapter 4 turn their view will the last prophecy in the Old Testament is likewise a reference to the return of the Lord. Listen to what he says. He says in verse five.

Behold, I'm going to send you Elijah the prophet before one before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord, which is a reference that the Lord Jesus Christ coming at the end of the tribulation. When he sends judgment upon the earth. So the first prophecy of the Old Testament deals with the coming of the Lord. That is his return. The last prophecy of the Old Testament also deals with the return of the Lord. Then of course there is in the Gospels, the preaching of the Lord Jesus Christ and we saw on the 14th chapter of John that he was assuring his apostles here in the upper room before his crucifixion that he was coming he says I'm going away and if I go away, I will come again and receive you unto myself that where I am, there you may be also a definite promise of his personal return. Now look, if you will, in Matthew chapter 24 and 25. These two chapters are the most complete and the most detail about the return of the Lord because in this particular passage he gives us detail now in the 24th chapter beginning in verse one. The Bible says Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when his disciples came to the point I came to point out the temple buildings to and he answered and said to them, do you not see all these things. Truly I say to you, not one stone here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down. That was around 33 or somewhere there about in 70 A.D., about 40 years or thereabouts.

Later Titus the Roman general came in and destroyed the city of Jerusalem, so that that part of the prophecy came to pass in a very short period of time looking people in verse three and is he was sitting up on the Mount of olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, and listen to what they ask tell us, when will these things be. Secondly, what will be the sign of your coming. And thirdly, what will be the sign of the end of the age so they ask him three questions. He says this to them several times, watch out. Be careful that someone mislead you. There will be many false prophets that he talks about wars and rumors of wars and people being frightened and that that the end of time is not yet nation rising against nations. He says they'll be famines and earthquakes ever on the increase.

He says will be great tribulation, and you will be persecuted for my namesake again.

He says in verse 11. Any false prophets, watch out. Don't let them fool you. He says many are going to grow cold cases, but the end is not yet.

He says there's been there will be an abomination of desolation. He talks about again in verse 23 if anyone says to you, behold, here is Christ don't believe that. Watch out for false prophets. Anytime the Lord Jesus Christ says three things that close together. You know that he's trying to get a point across.

He says in verse 29 immediately after the tribulation of those days. He is describing something else. Now the sun will be dark and the moon will not give its light, and he goes on to talk about the coming of the Lord the time of judgment. Then he says beginning in verse 32. He begins to give them some parables of how they are to respond to these things and he says to them, giving the parable of the fig tree. In essence, you are to be ready, watch out. There are signs of my coming you to be ready for my return you to be working until I return you to be carrying out the work that I've given you to do all through these Gospels. The latter part of the Gospels, Jesus is reminding them of the events that are going to take place when he comes again. So he just keeps laying in their these proclamations. These prophecies these promises that the Lord Jesus Christ will return one of these days very important to God that the body of Christ understands that very important to us that we understand the importance from God's point of view of the things that are going to transpire when the Lord Jesus Christ comes again in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Having spent his ministry here on earth. The Bible says in acts chapter 1. Having said to them, but you shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and you shall be witnesses to me. He says both in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria. The uttermost parts of the earth.

Verse nine of acts one and out. He said these things. The Bible says he was lifted up while they were looking on a cloud received him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while he was departing, behold, two men in white clothing, angels stood beside them and listen to what the angel said to these disciples and they also said men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky. This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched him go into heaven. That's rather clear the angel in the announcing of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and his birth dropped in the word of prophecy of his return, the Angels who stood by while the Lord Jesus Christ ascended into the presence of the father stood by to say look just as you see, the Lord Jesus Christ as sending to the father, so shall ye also see him come in like manner, just as you seen them go. How do they see him go in a physical bodily form.

They saw him go, he says, just as you seen him go in a personal physical form. He is coming back the same way so that the word from heaven by the Angels and the ascension of Jesus was. He is going to return. Now if the Lord Jesus Christ is not coming back when he say several things and listen to me carefully so you not misinterpret that is, if the Lord Jesus Christ is not coming back in literal, visible form. If he's not coming back personally. First of all, he was the greatest imposter. This world is ever known because he said he would. But if he doesn't, then he was a liar.

He's an imposter. He's a deceiver.

If he's not coming back. The church is been deceived if he's not coming back all the Old Testament prophets were in error. If he's not coming back all the New Testament was an era if he's not coming back will close the Bible, shut up the church and forget it because if he's not coming back on until you this is it, what we have in this world is it if Jesus Christ is not going to return. The Bible says that the believer is blessed hope is the company that is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the last thing I want to say about this is simply this, what is God's motivation what God have in mind what was God's purpose for from the very beginning of the Bible all the way to the in and ending it up with a whole book given over that subject. What is God's motivation. Why did he do it. I believe there are three reasons. One of them is very clearly given to those in first John chapter 3 remember what he says in verse two beloved, now with the children of God. It has not appeared yet what we shall be. We know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is verse three and everyone who has this whole porthole when he comes, we'll see when he comes we going to be like him.

Everyone who has this hope fixed on him on Christ purifies himself, just as he is pure. Listen it is a great motivation to godly living.

To be aware of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a motivation to godly living. Secondly, it helps us keep our focus right go back to Colossians chapter 3 promote chapter 3 in verse two. What impulse about our focus as we live our daily life going about our business in our home with our children, our friends, our social life are pleasures.

He says in verse two, Colossians 3.

Set your mind thinks your mind. He says on the things above, not on the things that are on earth, that is, does this action on my part. Does this expended to have anything to do with eternal values or my living a life of self-centeredness and selfishness, looking out for myself on my living is the Lord Jesus Christ and tentatively live and that is I'm to live with my feet on the ground. My hands busy for God but my eyes on the heaven fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ fixed on things that are eternal.

Fixed on the fact that every perspective that I have must be sifted through the fact that I'm an eternal being, and I'm going to live forever and ever with the Lord Jesus Christ. Fix your mind is not only it is not only a motivation for God and living is a motivation to keep our perspective right God wants us to view life through the eyes of eternity.

The only way to do that is to fix them on the things of God, so that the involvement of our money and our time and our energy will be on invested in something that has lasting value. There's 1/3 motivation. I believe that God has in mind because when you and I began to understand and we began to allow the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to be uppermost in our thinking is the greatest motivation to evangelism and missions of anything else that God is ever taught is the greatest motivation.

I do not know of an evangelistic mission minded church where they do not believe in the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and it's talked about where it is emphasized and that is our emphasis must be evangelism and missions. That is the work of the church. Our responsibility is evangelizing those about us and sending others whom God calls to the uttermost parts of their that is our minister. That is our and if the church is in doing that is not doing the one thing for which God left the church year in preparation for his coming. And once we get a glimpse of it in the mind of God is very important we understand the mind of God, the return of the Lord Jesus Christ is extremely important.

One whole book all the way to the Bible first prophecy last prophecy last word of Jesus last promise of Jesus last prayer all deals with the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. It should say something to us about the way we're investing time, money and energy thoughts and interest in the work of the church individual life corporate like body life the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for listing to the promise of Christ's coming again if you'd like to know more about Charles Stanley for intense ministries find Pentax.org does not capture the presentation of intense ministries Atlanta, Georgia