Jesus is
Coming Again!
John 14:1-3
23 Jan 2011 AM
Pastor Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (Isaiah 66:15,16;
John 14:1-3)
A.
Every book
in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, describes a future event so big,
and so cataclysmic, that
1.
Oh they have
tried with
a.
Armageddon
b.
Independence
Day
c.
2012
2.
These are
just a few of the expensive disaster movies!
3.
You see,
world-wide cataclysmic disasters make for big box office hits – because
everyone loves watching (not experiencing) disasters!
4.
There is
something inside of us that KNOWS something BIG is ahead for this world!
B.
There is
coming a world wide disaster of epic proportions
C.
I am
speaking of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!
D.
God has a
Timetable, a Schedule that He is working through
1.
It began at
Creation
2.
It worked
through the sinful fall of Adam and Eve – God was there
3.
God
patiently worked through Abraham’s faith
4.
Through
5.
Then through
the Exodus and wilderness years, and then through all the kings of
6.
At just the
right time, Jesus was born and came to seek and to save the lost
7.
We call that
His FIRST Coming!
a.
There is no
fact in history more established than the fact of the FIRST coming of Jesus
Christ
b.
Our
calendars testify to His coming 2,011 years ago
c.
The fact of
Christianity, and churches all over the world testify that someone named
Jesus was here and we are still worshipping Him
d.
The hundreds
of thousands of people who gave their lives on the stakes, and in the
coliseum, and in prisons, all for Jesus Christ, testify that Jesus came and
was Lord of their lives
e.
The
countless millions of marriages that have been restored, and millions of
drunkards made sober, and millions of wayward children brought home, all by
the life of just ONE MAN, Jesus, testifies to the coming of Jesus Christ
2,011 years ago!
8.
Well,
everything is still on track, even 2,000 years later
9.
On track for
the Second Coming of Jesus Christ!
E.
Why TWO
Comings?
1.
Because all
the prophecies in the Bible about the Messiah have not been fulfilled
a.
Over 700
prophecies about the Messiah
b.
Only 100
were fulfilled by Jesus the first time He came
c.
There are
600 more to come!
2.
Because
Jesus PROMISED to come again (John 14:1-3)
F.
The Second
Coming is actually in TWO PARTS
1.
The Quiet
Rapture of believers – will happen any time soon!
2.
The very
visible Return of Jesus Christ to this world! Seven years later!
II.
Let’s Review
A.
What is the Rapture?
(1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
1.
This is when
Jesus Christ comes for His people. Those who have by faith completely
trusted the eternity of their souls of His saving power with nothing else
added.
2.
“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 Thessalonians 4:16-17
3.
It happens
when we least expect it
4.
In the
twinkling of an eye
5.
And we are
gone!
B.
The Great Tribulation
(Matthew 24:29,30)
1.
The beast
(the antichrist) will take charge of this entire world
2.
A false
Peace will reign for the first 3 ½ years. People will think the Messiah
finally has come – but he will be a fraud!
3.
Then, for
the last 3 ½ years, in the time called The Great Tribulation, all of God’s
judgment will be poured out on this world as the anti-christ, and the false
prophet trick all of mankind in to turning against God and His Son.
4.
Revelation,
chapter 16 records seven awful judgments poured out on a God-forsaking world
and its Satanic leaders!
a.
Putrefying
painful sores,
b.
Seas full of
dead men’s blood,
c.
Rivers
filled with blood,
d.
Epidemic
diseases will plague man and animal.
e.
The sun will
scorch the flesh of blasphemous man, and then disappear into the blackness
of absolute darkness, as men gnaw their tongues for pain.
f.
God will
send great earthquakes, deafening thunderings, and terrifying lightenings,
as huge hailstones pound the remnant of earth’s inhabitants.
g.
All this
time, the antichrist and the false prophet will gather all the nations
together in a valley called the
5.
Them the
words, “It is done”, will thunder from heaven as God’s wrath is satisfied.
C.
THEN COMES, THE SECOND COMING!
1.
And then,
the second phase of Christ’s Second Coming transpires!
2.
“…the coming
of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:13b.
3.
He comes and
defeats the armies of the anti-christ.
4.
The Lord
Jesus will then reign for 1000 years! The Millennium!
D.
I’m not
telling a movie script! I’m just reading the Bible and warning everyone of
the coming day of the Lord!
E.
Let’s Read About It
(Luke 21:5-11, 20-28)
1.
Jesus gives
a short term prophecy “the days will come”
a.
When the
b.
But, it
happened just 35 years later in 70 AD by the Roman governor, Titus
2.
That
prophecy gets the disciples interested – keenly interested! “WHEN will this
happen?”
3.
In a time
the Bible calls, “The time of the Tribulation”
4.
Jesus then
describes the events of that terrible 7 year time
a.
First part
of the Tribulation (Lk 21:5-11)
1)
Religious
deception
2)
More and
more Wars and fighting (commotions) – don’t get terrified
3)
World wars –
entire nations against nations
4)
Earthquakes
all over the world, and everyone aware of them – modern communications
5)
Famines
6)
Pestilences
– diseases on the increase – there are over 22,000 diseases that can affect
our world, and the list is only GROWING!
7)
Disasters
from the skies – asteroids, meteor showers
b.
Second half
(Lk 21:20-28)
1)
2)
Every Jew
having to flee to the mountains
3)
The
antichrist will sit down in the temple and demand the world to worship HIM
4)
The world
will be in awe of the antichrist’s powers
5)
But then,
all of God’s wrath and vengeance will be poured out upon everyone on this
planet – disasters on a scale that no one can fathom yet!
6)
A time of
great DISTRESS – Tribulation
7)
Horrific
signs in the skies: asteroids, comets hitting the earth
8)
Distress and
perplexity, as billions of people die
9)
Tsunamis all
over the world– seas and waves roaring – no normal storm
10)
Entire
islands just completely disappearing
11)
Great fear
throughout the whole world
c.
And THEN
shall ye see the Son of man (Jesus) COMING!
d.
And for some
of us, it is something to look forward to!
e.
But for the
world, it will be its worst night mare
III.
Message
A.
Jesus Promised He Would Come
Again (John 14:1-3)
1.
Acts 1:11 –
angels reminded the disciples of this truth
2.
The return
of Jesus is a good thing for those who love Him
3.
But a
terrifying event for those who have no time for Him
4.
You had
better think about that for a minute!
5.
If you have
no time for Jesus now, he will have no time for you THEN!
B.
The Bible Describes His Second
Coming. It is not imagined. It is described to
the finest detail
1.
Isaiah 2:12
2.
Isaiah
13:6-13
3.
Isaiah
66:15,16
4.
Joel 1:15;
2:1,2, 28-32
5.
Joel 3:9-16
6.
Acts 2:14-21
7.
2Thessalonians 1:6-10
8.
Jude 14,15
9.
Revelation
1:7
10.
Rev 6:12-17
11.
Rev 19:11-21
12.
Every Jew
has always been expecting this coming of the Messiah. That’s why they were
so shocked by the first coming. Most of the Jews believed that it was the
ONLY coming of the Messiah, yet all of the above is describing the SECOND of
the Messiah to the earth!
13.
Compare the
first and second coming
|
FIRST
COMING |
SECOND
COMING |
|
In the night, in darkness |
In flaming fire |
|
No one but a few saw Him
come |
Every eye shall see Him |
|
As a baby |
As a mighty KING |
|
He came to DIE |
He will come to REIGN |
|
He rode on a donkey |
He will come on a white
horse |
|
He laid down His life on
the cross |
He will never die again! |
|
He came to SAVE Sinners |
He comes to DAMN Sinners |
|
If you reject His fist
coming… |
You will have to face His
SECOND coming! |
C.
The Purpose of His Second
Coming.
1.
The Purpose
of His FIRST coming (John 3:16,17)
a.
As a meek
and lowly, humble SAVIOUR of eternal souls!
b.
To die in
the place of sinful men and women so they wouldn’t have to die in hell
c.
To save a
world from the coming righteous wrath of God
2.
The Purpose
of His SECOND coming
a.
To be
glorified – He was mocked and maligned and murdered the first time
b.
The second
time He will be honoured (Philp 2:5-9)
c.
To judge the
world
1)
Make every
wrong right
2)
Bring to
light everything hidden
3)
To finish
pouring out the wrath of God on this world
d.
To judge the
devil and his angels (Rev 19:20,21)
1)
The
antichrist (2Thes 2:8)
2)
The false
prophet
3)
All who
follow them
e.
To REIGN as
King of kings and Lord of lords (Rev 11:15)
f.
To undo
sin’s effect on creation – by restoring all things back to the Garden of
Eden (the
D.
The Path of His Second Coming.
1.
The first
time He came, it was through a womb of a virgin woman in a little village
called
2.
The second
time He comes, it will be…
a.
From heaven
1)
The heavens
will rip apart
2)
Jesus will
race across the entire sky (Mt 24:27) – like lightning from the east unto
the west (Superman tried to mimic Jesus)
3)
On a white
horse
4)
Followed by
His brethren - that’s us - along with countless angels (Jude 14,15)
b.
Come out of
the North, across the field of the
1)
Where the
entire world will be gathered against Him, deceived into thinking they don’t
need God, and can live their own lives any way they want and can even defeat
the Son of God – oh there will be every military weapon pointed towards the
heavens (X-ray lasers, nuclear weapons, heat-seeking missiles, massive
cannons, fighter jets, radar jamming stations, … the whole works!
c.
He, in
flaming fire will destroy the entire army of the antichrist in one sweep
across that plain – the entire battle will be over in less than a few hours
– it is called the DAY of the Lord, not the week or the month. Most wars
take years to fight, but this one battle takes less than 12 hours!
d.
From there
he will touch down on the
1)
where He was
cruelly surrounded and captured like a criminal by the betrayal of Judas
Iscariot
2)
Splitting
the mountain into two halves
e.
He then
blasts through the sealed Eastern Gate of Jerusalem straight into the
f.
He will take
the antichrist and his false prophet and will cast them into the lake of
fire for ever and for ever!
g.
And will
destroy the
h.
And set up a
new throne, HIS throne
i.
And then
will begin the greatest kingdom of all time, the
E.
The Bible
Warns of Christ’s Second Coming!
1.
No one today
knows the day or the hour (Mt 25:13)
2.
Yes there
are signs, and indicators that we are very, very close
3.
But Jesus
Himself told us to JUST BE READY for any day!
4.
So be Ready
F.
Sadly,
People Don’t Believe It’s Actually Going to Happen (2Peter 3:3-9)
1.
Ignorers
a.
Like it was
in the days of Noah
b.
And in the
days of
c.
Thinking
things will always stay the same
2.
Scoffers/mockers (2Pe 3:3) “Where is the promise of his coming?”
3.
Willingly
Ignorant (2Pet 3:5-7) Dumb on purpose!
a.
Ignorant of
Noah’s flood – it came as promised
b.
Ignorant of
the coming destruction – it will come, just as promised
4.
But you
don’t have to be part of that mess (2Pet 3:8,9)
a.
God has been
very patient
b.
He is not
being lazy either
c.
But very
particular, in waiting for people
d.
He does not
want any to go through such hell on earth
e.
He sent His
Son to die under His wrath, so no one else would ever have to
5.
Today is
YOUR chance to repent
IV.
Conclusion
A.
You don’t
have to wait for the second coming to have to fearfully face the God of
heaven!
B.
If you died
today, you will stand before God almighty (Heb 9:27). THAT will be
terrifying enough, if you are not forgiven
1.
I didn’t
say, If you are not a Baptist
2.
Or If you
are not a good person
3.
Or, If you
are not baptized
4.
But if you
have not experienced the mercy of God and been born all over again, but this
time, by the Holy Spirit of God, bringing you into the family of God, simply
by child-like faith in the perfect and finished work of Jesus Christ in your
place on the cross!
C.
God is not
willing that ANY should perish (should have to face His judgment), but that
all should come to repentance and be saved from the wrath to come!
D.
SO, WHAT
SHOULD YOU DO? REPENT-BELIEVE-BE SAVED!!
1.
“Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out,” Acts 3:19a
2.
“…Believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” Acts 16:31b
3.
“For by
grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift
of God:” Ephesians 2:8