"LIFE AFTER DEATH"

             What Do We Know About The Lord's Second Coming?

INTRODUCTION

1. Everything we have examined up to this point in this series on "Life
   After Death" has pertained to the "intermediate state"

2. Though Christians can look forward to experiencing bliss during the 
   "intermediate state", there are even greater blessings for us to look 
    forward to...
   a. The "resurrection of the dead", in which our spirits will obtain 
      glorified and immortal bodies
   b. The "Day of Judgment", which for the Christian will be a day of 
      glory and vindication
   c. The "new heavens and new earth", in which God and Christ will 
      dwell with us for eternity
   -- All of these blessings will be ushered in with the LORD'S "SECOND 
      COMING"

3. While most professing Christians look for the Lord to return, they 
   often differ greatly over the details surrounding His "second coming"
   a. The "premillenial" view looks for Christ to come in order to 
      establish a literal kingdom on the earth, over which He will reign
      for a 1000 years
   b. The "postmillenial" view understands that Christ will at some 
      point begin a thousand year reign from heaven, at the end of which
      He will come to judge the world
   c. The "amillenial" view believes that Christ has been reigning as 
      "King of kings, and Lord of lords" ever since His ascension to 
      heaven, and that His coming will be to raise the dead, judge the 
      world, and usher in the "new heavens and new earth"

4. In this lesson, the "amillenial" view will be presented, which I 
   believe most accurately teaches what the Bible reveals about the 
   "Second Coming" of our Lord

[We begin, therefore, with...]

I. THE "CERTAINTY" OF HIS COMING

   A. PROCLAIMED BY ANGELS AT HIS ASCENSION
      1. Cf. Ac 1:9-11, the "two men . . . in white apparel"
      2. Who said that "This same Jesus, who was taken up from into 
         heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into 
         heaven."

   B. PROCLAIMED BY THE APOSTLES
      1. Peter, in his second recorded sermon - Ac 3:19-21
      2. Paul, in writing to...
         a. The Corinthians - 1 Co 11:26; 15:22-23
         b. The Thessalonians - 1 Th 1:9-10; 2:19; 3:13
         c. The young evangelist, Timothy - 2 Ti 4:1
      3. The writer to the Hebrews - He 9:27-28

[Just as throughout the Old Testament one finds the recurring theme "The
Messiah is coming!", so in the New Testament we find not only "He has 
come!" but also "He is coming again!"

To the certainty of His coming, we can add...]

II. THE "MANNER" OF HIS COMING

   A. HE WILL COME IN PERSON
      1. "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will 
         so come..." - Ac 1:11
      2. "the Lord himself will descend from heaven..." - 1 Th 4:15-17

   B. HE WILL COME "WITH THE CLOUDS"
      1. "This same Jesus . . . will so come in like manner as you saw 
         Him go into heaven" - Ac 1:11 (referring to verse 9:  "He 
         was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight")
      2. ". . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." - 1 Th 4:17
      3. "Behold, He is coming with clouds . . ." - Re 1:7

   C. HE WILL COME WITHOUT WARNING
      1. ". . . the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night." 
         - 1 Th 5:2
      2. "For when they say, 'Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction
         comes . . ." - 1 Th 5:3
      3. ". . . the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night" 
         - 2 Pe 3:10

[Of course, this unexpected coming of the Lord will not surprise the 
faithful, who seriously watch for the Lord's coming (cf. _1 Th 5:4-11).
With joyful anticipation, they await the personal return of their 
Savior.

What will happen when the Lord returns?  To answer this question we now
consider...]

III. THE "PURPOSE" OF HIS COMING

   A. TO RAISE THE DEAD
      1. ". . . for the hour is coming in which all who are in the 
         graves will hear His voice and come forth . . ." - Jn 5:28-29
         a. Note that there is but one resurrection, including both the 
            good and evil, that will occur at one time ("the hour")
         b. As Paul said, ". . . there will be a resurrection of the 
            dead, both of the just and the unjust." - Ac 24:15
      2. Those who are alive at the Lord's coming . . .
         a. Will be "changed" in "the twinkling of an eye", being 
            clothed with immortality and incorruption - 1 Co 15:50-54
         b. Then "caught up . . . to meet the Lord in the air." - 1 Th
            _4:16-18

   B. TO DELIVER UP THE KINGDOM TO GOD
      1. Contrary to the view that Jesus has yet to establish His 
         kingdom on earth, He has been ruling over His kingdom since He 
         first ascended to heaven!
         a. In fulfillment of the prophecy that God would raise up the 
            Christ to sit on the "throne of David", Jesus was raised 
            from the dead and made "Lord" - Ac 2:30-36
         b. All authority in heaven and earth has been given unto Him -
            Mt 28:18
            1) He is far above all principality, power, might, and
               dominion, with all things placed under His feet - Ep 1:
               20-22
            2) At the right hand of God, angels and authorities and
               powers are made subject to Him - 1 Pe 3:22
         c. Christians are said to be "in" His kingdom
            1) Having been "delivered . . . from the power of darkness
               and translated into the kingdom of the Son of His love"
               - Co 1:13
            2) They are "in the kingdom . . . of Jesus Christ" - Re 1:9
         d. Christ will continue to reign "till He has put all enemies 
            under His feet" - 1 Co 15:25
            1) Note that His reign will be concurrent with the fact 
               enemies are still present
            2) As prophesied by the Psalmist:  "Rule in the midst of 
               Your enemies!" - Psa 110:1-2
         e. Thus Christ is NOW "the blessed and only Potentate, the King
            of kings and Lord of Lords" - 1 Ti 6:15; cf. Re 19:16
         f. And He will reign "till He has put all enemies under His 
            feet" - 1 Co 15:25
            1) The last enemy that will be destroyed is death itself - 
               cf. 1 Co 15:26
            2) Which we have seen will be destroyed at the coming of the
               Lord when He will raise the dead - 1 Co 15:51-54
      2. So when Jesus comes, it will not be to "set up" His kingdom, 
         but to "deliver up" His kingdom!
         a. As Paul clearly told the Corinthians - 1 Co 15:23-26
         b. As taught by Jesus in His Parable of the Tares, His kingdom 
            will last until "the end of this age", after which "the 
            righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of 
            their Father" (i.e., the heavenly kingdom) - cf. Mt 13:36-43

   [As suggested by the Parable of the Tares, delivering up the kingdom 
   to the Father requires some "weeding".  This leads us to consider
   another purpose of our Lord's coming...]

   C. TO JUDGE THE WORLD AND PUNISH EVIL
      1. God has appointed "a day" in which He will judge the world
         - 2 Pe 3:7
         a. The one appointed to be the Judge is Jesus Christ - Ac 17:
            31; 2 Co 5:10
         b. The standard by which He will judge will be the words He has
            spoken - Jn 12:48
      2. It will be a day of perdition (utter destruction) of ungodly
         men - 2 Pe 3:7
         a. Those who know not God and have not obeyed the gospel will
            be punished with "everlasting destruction" - 2 Th 1:7-10
         b. Those whose names are not in the "Book of Life" will be cast
            into the "lake of fire" - Re 20:11-15
      3. More about the "judgment" will be considered in a future lesson

   D. TO USHER IN THE "NEW HEAVENS AND NEW EARTH"
      1. As taught by Peter - 2 Pe 3:10-14
         a. This will follow the "passing away" of the present heavens 
            and earth (10-12_)
         b. It is in fulfillment of God's promise (13; cf. Isa 65:
            17-19; 66:22-23)
         c. It is something we are to "look for" (13-14)
         d. It will be a realm where righteousness dwells, therefore the
            need for us to be found "in peace, without spot and
            blameless" when Christ returns (13-14)
      2. As taught by John - Re 21:1-22:5
         a. It will follow after the first heaven and first earth have
            "passed away" (1; cf. 20:11)
         b. It will be the place where the "New Jerusalem" will abide
            when it "comes down out of heaven" (2; cf. 3:10c; 21:10)
         c. God will dwell with us in this "New Jerusalem" that has 
            "come down out of heaven" (3-27; 22:1-5)

CONCLUSION

1. The "purpose" of Jesus' second coming can be summed up by His 
   statement in Re 22:12...
   
         "And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me,
         to give to every one according to his work."

2. That Jesus has not yet come is only an indication of God's 
   long-suffering (2 Pe 3:8-9), but rest assured that "day" will one 
   day come!

3. In succeeding lessons, I intend to examine more closely several of 
   the subjects mentioned in this lesson

4. In the meantime, what should be our attitude be toward the coming of 
   our Lord?
   a. One of PRAYERFUL PREPARATION - Lk 21:34-36; 2 Pe 3:14
   b. One of JOYFUL EXPECTATION - Ph 3:20-21
   c. One of PATIENT ENDURANCE - He 10:35-39

Prepared by:
   David Arnold