ACTS 1:10-11
The foundation of the teaching concerning the second coming of Jesus to the earth is found in this lesson's memory verse:
Acts 1:10-11 "They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'"
That Jesus is coming again to the earth is clear from this passage. Some important features given in this passage are that when Jesus returns, He will be the same Jesus who left, and He will come again in the same manner as He left. This helps to limit the number of views that can be Biblically held concerning Christ's second coming. For example, Sung-Myoong Moon claims to be the fulfillment of Christ's second coming. Sung-Myoong Moon is not, however, "this same Jesus" whom the apostles saw taken up into heaven. Jesus was a Nazarene Jew; Moon is a Korean. Jesus was resurrected in the same body as was laid in the tomb: nail prints, spear wounds and all (John 20:27). Can Moon show such a collection of scars (also see Zechariah 12:10)?
Some claim that Jesus' second coming will be a spiritual one. Yet the Jesus who left the apostles was a physical Jesus with flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). That the same Jesus will come back in the same manner is very important: otherwise, Jesus might change in heaven, or decide to come back in a different body, in which case anyone could claim to be Jesus come again in the flesh.
The resurrection of Christians will occur when Jesus returns to earth in bodily form recognizable as Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 1:10-11).
Zechariah 12:10 ". . . they will look on me, the one they have pierced, and mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son." This is said by the same one who in the context would "pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication." Jesus is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). The Jews at some future time will look upon Jesus whom they have pierced. Jesus will be recognizable, for they will mourn over Him.
Luke 19:41 And when He approached, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, 44 and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.Ó
Matt 24:1 And Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 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.Ó 3 And as He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?Ó 4 And Jesus answered and said to them, See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, "I am the Christ," and will mislead many. 6 And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs. 9 Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name. 10 And at that time many will fall away and will deliver up one another and hate one another. 11 And many false prophets will arise, and will mislead many. 12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people"s love will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end, he shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come.
In Luke 21 the question is asked only about the temple and the destruction of Jerusalem.
Verses 8 to 11 is an introduction of what is going to happen from now until his second coming.
Verses 12 to 24 Christ tells them what will happen leading to the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem focusing on the disciples question concerning the Temple and Jerusalem.
Verses 24 is the connection verse leading us to verse 25 and following which introduces the events immediately preceding Christ"s second coming.
Verses 25 -27 brings us to the generation of people who will witness Christ"s second coming. Luke is very brief about this.
In Matthew 24 Christ only answers the questions about the sign of His coming and of the end of the age.
Verse 14 is the connection verse leading us to verse 15 and following which introduces the events preceding Christ"s second coming.
Verse 15 and following brings us to the generation of people who will witness Christ"s second coming. Matthew is very detailed about this.
Mark 13 follows in the line of Matthew 24.
Lk 21: 5 And while some were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and votive gifts, He said, 6 As for these things which you are looking at, the days will come in which there will not be left one stone upon another which will not be torn down.Ó 7 And they questioned Him, saying, Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?Ó 8 And He said, See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, "I am He," and, "The time is at hand"; do not go after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.Ó
Luke 21:10 Then He continued by saying to them, Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, 11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and will persecute you, delivering you to the synagogues and prisons, bringing you before kings and governors for My name"s sake. 13 It will lead to an opportunity for your testimony. 14 So make up your minds not to prepare beforehand to defend yourselves; 15 for I will give you utterance and wisdom which none of your opponents will be able to resist or refute. 16 But you will be delivered up even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, 17 and you will be hated by all on account of My name. 18 Yet not a hair of your head will perish. 19 By your endurance you will gain your lives. Luke 21:20 But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; 22 because these are days of vengeance, in order that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23 Woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land, and wrath to this people, 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
15 Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; 17 let him who is on the housetop not go down to get the things out that are in his house; 18 and let him who is in the field not turn back to get his cloak. 19 But woe to those who are with child and to those who nurse babes in those days! 20 But pray that your flight may not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath; 21 for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.
Daniel 12:1 Now at that time Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. 2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt.
22 And unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days shall be cut short. 23 Then if anyone says to you, "Behold, here is the Christ, or "There He is," do not believe him. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. 25 Behold, I have told you in advance. 26 If therefore they say to you, "Behold, He is in the wilderness," do not go forth, or, "Behold, He is in the inner rooms," do not believe them. 27 For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken, 30 and then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
32 Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; 33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door. 34 Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 Jesus will come "with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God. In verse 14 we see again that when Christ comes "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep (died) in Him." Christians who die beforehand will not miss any of the good things that await Christians when the Lord Jesus returns, because Jesus will bring their souls with Him.
Matthew 24:30 According to His own teaching, when He comes He will appear in the sky, causing all the nations of the earth to mourn. They will see Him coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:31 "He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the earth to the other." Notice that Jesus calls believers His elect (ie., those whom He has elected, or chosen.)
1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 ". . . and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them to meet the Lord in the air." That this resurrection is a physical resurrection is seen in the fact that the Lord will bring the dead in Christ with Him and yet they will rise.
1 Corinthians 15:51-53 He will give believers new and spiritual bodies. We have seen in the resurrection lesson that believers' bodies will be like the glorious body of the Lord (Phil. 3:21). The Lord's resurrection body was a body with flesh and bones. The sense in which our bodies are said to be spiritual is not then that they are only spirit, but that they will be sinless, imperishable, and compatible with our eternal spiritual nature. The Lord will first resurrect the bodies of dead believers, making them imperishable and uniting their spirits with their new bodies. Then living believers in Christ will be caught up and their bodies changed into their new spiritual bodies.
Luke 14:14 Let us never forget that when the Lord returns He will graciously reward His believers who have worked for Him.
3. When this happens, all believers will be with the Lord forever.
1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 ". . . and so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."
Matthew 24:36, 42 No one knows what day or hour it will be except the Father alone. Jesus, therefore, tells us to keep diligent watch for when He will come. But does this mean that we have no idea whatever when the Lord will come?
Matthew 24:32-33 (Note that this is in the same passage) Jesus says in the context of His coming: "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door."
Jesus is saying here that although no one can say the precise time of His arrival, there are signs to watch for that tell of the nearness of His coming. What are these?
Matthew 24:3-31 Look especially at verses 15-22; 29-31. Jesus says in verses 15-22 that after the abomination of desolation (the man of lawlessness in 2 Thess. 8-10) stands in the holy place (the temple in Jerusalem), there will be a time of distress unequaled from the beginning of the world and never to be equaled again. This time of distress Jesus calls "The Great Tribulation."
Starting at verse 29, Jesus says that after the Great Tribulation there will be some astronomical signs. At that time Jesus says that He will return to gather His elect from the earth. From this passage where the order of events is clear, it appears that Jesus' return to the earth will be after the Great Tribulation.
1 Thess. 5:1-4 In this passage, Paul writes that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. Notice verse 4: it says, "you, brothers, are not in darkness that this day should surprise you like a thief. You are all sons of the light and sons of the day." So then, unbelievers, who do not know the signs that Jesus gives which tell of the nearness of His coming, will be surprised by His coming as by a thief. But believers who take the Lord's teachings on the matter to heart will know of the nearness of that day and be watchful. Again, no one knows the exact hour or day, but we can know how near that time is approaching.
2 Thess. 2:1-5 Paul warns the Thessalonican Christians not to let spurious reports of the second coming of the Lord to alarm them. Paul then reminds them of what he taught them while he was with them: The day of the Lord will not come until the man of lawlessness is revealed. He is described as the one who exalts himself above everything that is called God, and who sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Right now, there is no temple in Jerusalem, in fact, the temple site is currently occupied by the Mosque of Omar. Since the Lord will not come back until after this man of lawlessness sets himself up in the temple, we should closely watch Israel and the temple site.
Taking these passages together with the Matthew 24 passage, it is clear that Christians will go through the Great Tribulation (this is NOT the period of God's wrath upon the earth), and the astronomical signs that follow the Tribulation to herald the Lord's coming.
The timing of the Second Coming is certainly a doctrine to be aware of, but it is certainly not one to split churches over, or to insist on as a test of faith for qualification as a church member. The General Assembly of Regular Baptist Churches (GARBC) does make a major issue of when Christ's Second Coming will be, denying membership in its churches to any who do not agree with their position. This is one of the few flaws of this otherwise excellent denomination.
Matthew 24:45-51 So many times we can take a teaching that the Lord gives to comfort and strengthen our hearts, and make it the occasion for our laziness or sin. Jesus, after teaching what signs will proceed His coming, warns Christians not to become lax. He teaches that the one who begins a life characterized by riotous and sinful living because the Lord is apparently not coming for a long time will be assigned a place with the hypocrites. Apparently, someone who would begin to live in such an ungodly fashion could not be a genuine believer. He would also get lax about looking for the signs of the Lord's return and thus would be surprised by it. All told, the wisest way to conduct ourselves is in obedience to the Lord so that we will be most sensitive to, and watchful for, His glorious coming.
Scripture contains many distinct pieces of information regarding the timing and circumstances surrounding the Second Coming, and it demands considerable study to put the revelant Scriptures together. For a look at several attempts at this, the following reading is recommended:
When is the Resurrection of the Just? by H.J. Eckelmann, Understanding Revelation by Gary G. Cohen (especially chapter VI "Revelation 20-22: The Chronology of the Millenium and the Eternal State"), and The Pre-Wrath Rapture of the Church by Marvin Rosenthal.
5. This is a blessed hope to all believers, and a great motivation for continuing in holiness and in the pursuit of sanctification.
Matthew 24:42-43 Jesus tells His disciples to keep watch, for we do not know when our Lord is coming. So we must be ready, for the Lord will come at an hour when we do not expect Him.
1 Corinthians 15:54-58 When Christians are given their new bodies, we will know fully the victory over death and sin that our Lord Jesus Christ has won for us.
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope - the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good." Titus 2:11-14 Amen!