Matthew 25:31, “Jesus says, ‘When the Son of Man shall come in His glory and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit on the throne.’” Then is the key word. That throne will be given to Him when He comes, not in a manger, not all alone, but when He comes in the company of all the holy angels, not in humble baby form but in full glory. Then will He sit on the throne. He came in humiliation the first time, He must then come in full glory attended by the angelic host and even accompanied by the redeemed saints who have been raptured previously, He comes to establish His Kingdom and glory. Very different characteristics to that coming.
In Micah chapter 4, “In the last days when the mountain of the house of the Lord is established in the world, in the earth, nations will come and go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us about His ways that we may walk in His paths, for from Zion will go forth the Law, even the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” That has not happened. Jewish people are apostate. They do not believe in the Messiah. They do not proclaim the Word of the Lord.
Further, He will judge between many nations, render decisions for mighty distant nations, nations will hammer their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not lift up sword against nation and never again will they train for war. And the whole world will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever. That hasn’t happened, nor has anything remotely like that happened.
Isaiah 33:20 says, “Jerusalem will be a city of peace.” That hasn’t happened. Isaiah 35 says, “Nature will be dramatically changed. The desert will be turned into a flourishing garden.” Zechariah 14 says, “The mountain will be split in Jerusalem, creating valleys running west and east to the desert to the sea, and water will flow both directions.” That hasn’t happened. Isaiah 45:23 says, “The world will bow their knee to the Messiah.” That hasn’t happened. Jeremiah 23 says, “He will be a great King over all the earth.” That hasn’t happened. Daniel 7:13-14 says, “He will be given by God the Father dominion that knows no limit and no end.” That hasn’t happened. It has to happen. God’s Word is at stake.
“God is not a man that He should lie,” Numbers 23:19. “Let God be true and every man a liar,” says Paul. “God who cannot lie.” God has declared this, and Genesis 18, I think, records a good way to understand this. In Genesis 18 God acknowledges that Abraham is His friend, that Abraham had walked with God in faith and God had not withheld from Abraham anything He planned to do. God was about to wipe out Sodom and Gomorrah, obliterate them. He did not want Abraham’s faith shaken. So He revealed His plan so that when it happened Abraham’s faith was not only shaken, it was confirmed because what God had said God did. And in Genesis 18:17 God says, “Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do? No. Cause when I do it, Abraham will know that I speak the truth.” So God didn’t hide all the prophecies about the first coming. We saw them all come to pass so that we would trust Him for what is yet to come.
The promises of God require the Second Coming. Secondly, the statements of Jesus require the Second Coming. He said He was coming, I just took you through it. In Luke alone, Luke 12, Luke 17, Luke 19, and here the full text of Luke 21. It’s also recorded, parallel accounts in Mark, parallel accounts in Matthew, even more extensive there, and John. In John 13 on that Passover night on the following Thursday from the Wednesday in which Jesus spoke of His Second Coming, Jesus was speaking about His death in verse 31, John 13, “Now is the Son of Man glorified and God is glorified in Him.” He saw His death as the path to glory. “Little children,” verse 33, “I am with you a little while longer, just a little while.” Really a couple of days, then after the resurrection 40 days before the ascension. “I’m with you just a little while, you’ll seek Me and as I said to the Jews I now say to you, where I’m going you can’t come, I’m going to be gone.” Verse 36, “Simon Peter said to Him, ‘Lord, where You going?’ Jesus said, ‘Where I go you can’t follow Me now. But you shall follow later.’” Later? Yes, because I’m coming back. Look at chapter 14. “Let not your heart be troubled, believe in God, believe in Me. In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. 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, receive you to Myself that where I am there you may be also.”
Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, every one of the gospels record the promise of Jesus that I’m coming, I’m coming, I’m coming. But maybe my favorite precise promise comes 60 years later, 60 years after these promises in visions given to John and recorded in the book of Revelation, for in the book of Revelation six times there’s a quote from the mouth of Jesus. Here’s the quote, six times, “Behold, I come quickly.” That’s His reiterated promise, His last promise, His final word about His coming from heaven. There’s no change in the plan. As the character of God is at stake, as the integrity of God is at stake, as the truthfulness of God is at stake in the promises He made of the coming of Christ to set up His Kingdom, so the character of Jesus is at stake, the integrity of Jesus is at stake, the trustworthiness of Jesus is at stake who keeps saying He’s coming. To deny His coming is to deny His virtue, His character. The Redeemer must return because of the promise of the Father, because of the promise of the Son.
Thirdly, because of the promise of the Holy Spirit. All through the Old Testament God was promising. All through the gospels Jesus is promising the Second Coming. And then came the Apostles and their letters and they begin to write. And what did they say? First Corinthians 1, “I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God given you in Christ Jesus and everything you’ve enriched in Him in all speech and all knowledge, even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed to you, so that you’re not lacking in any gift, waiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Philippians 3:20 and 21, “He’s coming and He’s coming to give you a glorified body like His own body.” Colossians 3, “He’s going to appear from heaven.” First Thessalonians chapter 4, “There’s going to be a trumpet, there’s going to be the voice of the archangel, we’re all going to be called together to be with Him in glory.” John says we’re going to see Him like He is, be changed into His image.
The coming of Jesus Christ is a consistent theme through all the epistles themselves. And the Holy Spirit is the author of Scripture. Is Jesus coming? Yes. How do we know He’s coming? It is the testimony of the most reliable source in existence, the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. So when I say to you I’m waiting to go on CNN and tell them that I have reliable testimony to the fact that none of the things that people think are going to destroy this world, what’s actually going to do it is the return of Jesus Christ…I am accurate in saying I represent THE most reliable source…none other than God the Trinity. Now that’s God’s person, next time we’ll look at God’s program which calls for the Second Coming.
Father, we thank You for a wonderful morning. What a joy and privilege to worship You, beautiful music, wonderful encouraging testimony to Your blessing upon Your Word, great fellowship, sweet communion of the saints. We thank You, Lord, for hearing our prayers, for infusing our worship with Your power. We thank You for how You come to us in the lives of all these precious people. We thank You that Christ lives in them and when we interact with them, we interact with our Lord. Thank You for the truth of Your Word. We thank You that we know the end, we know where everything in history is going. And we know who’s in charge of it all. We understand Your patience until people come to repentance. We understand Your patience until You’ve gathered in the redeemed. But we would say with John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” O Lord, come, take Your glory. May the world see who You really are, who we really are in the glorious manifestation of Your own person and the glorious manifestation of the children of God. And until that time, may we be faithful knowing these things are coming to pass. May we be the kind of people that bring You glory and honor and draw others to gospel salvation.
Now, Father, give us a great day and confirm into our hearts these glorious realities. History has already been prewritten. We are so thrilled to be able to watch it unfold, even as Abraham did because we, too, are Your friends and You want to strengthen our faith. And as we see the things that go on in the world, they point clearly in the direction of the unfolding of what You have promised. May we be faithful until Jesus comes to bring Him glory, we pray in His name. Amen.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
