Philippians 1:9-11 “And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.”
Authentic believers from throughout the ages have set their hearts on the day in which they will stand before Christ, our Savior, and this has inspired them to live their life on this earth with heaven in mind!
Philippians 3:20 “But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.”
- We need to be reminded that this world in not our home!
- Those who “eagerly await” His return are filled with the hope that they too will be transformed as they receive their resurrection eternal body (see 1 Corinthians 15:51-54).
Colossians 3:4 “When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.”
1 Thessalonians 3:13 “May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.”
- The scriptures clearly reveal that when Jesus returns to this earth, He brings His faithful church with Him (see Revelation 19:14).
1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 “They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead —Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.”
- Christ will return to rescue His remnant followers in the Pre-Trib Rapture before the judgments of the Tribulation (seven years) begin.
1 Thessalonians 2:19-20 “For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we will glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy.”
- Believers should be motivated to bring others to faith in Jesus!
1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of god, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.”
- The Rapture is our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13), and therefore a great encouragement to live each day faithful in Christ!
1 Thessalonians 5:23 “May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This life we are presently living is but preparation for the day of His return, and we should seek to live holy lives as we wait for the glorious day!
The Second Coming of Jesus will bring the ultimate actions of God’s justice to earth. This will happen with awesome and absolute finality!
2 Thessalonians 1:6-7 “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”
We are warned in the scriptures that prior to Jesus’ Rapture return for the church, many false teachers will declare doctrines to confuse the faithful…
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.”
The Antichrist (“the lawless one”) will arrive and dominate this world for a short time, but he will be defeated completely by Christ upon His return…
2 Thessalonians 2:8 “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.”
We are called to remain faithful to our King as we patiently await His return…
1 Timothy 6:13-16 “I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time – God the blessed and only Ruler, the King of Kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.”
As His ambassadors, we are called to stay faithful to the word of God, the Bible…
2 Timothy 4:1-2 “In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage- with great patience and careful instruction.”
- We should only teach/proclaim the revelational truths of the scriptures!
2 Timothy 4:8 “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day —and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
When Jesus returns, He will bring forth great rewards for those “watchman” believers who “longed for” that day, and therefore had sought to serve Him faithfully.
Those who hold on to their “blessed hope” of Christ coming again in glory will maintain their strength and wisdom in this world today…
Titus 2:12-14 “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.”
- The Second Coming promise is our reminder that this present evil age will soon be coming to an end; therefore, we pursue doing good that honors our Lord.
Christ came the first time to purchase our redemption at the cross of Calvary, but His return brings His family the fullness of salvation…
Hebrews 9:28 “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”
We are strongly urged of the Lord to pursue the fellowship of the saints, more so in this generation that awaits “the Day” of His return!
Hebrews 10:25 “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the day approaching.”
While daily maintaining our faith, we wait patiently for His coming…
James 5:7-8 “Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
Our walk with the Lord provides us a “living hope” which rests on the foundation of His Resurrection, as well as the assurance of our future with Him…
1 Peter 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade – kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”
1 Peter 1:13 “Therefore, with minds that are alert and fully sober, set your hope on the grace to be brought to you when Jesus Christ is revealed at his coming.”
Because our hope is firmly fixed on what is to come when Christ returns, we can live daily in pursuit of loving the Lord completely and intelligently! The way we live in this world, being observed by others, may just be the one thing that draws them to Jesus, and the blessings He brings when He returns…
1 Peter 2:12 “Live such good lives among the pagans that though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.”
Christians have suffered much persecution throughout the church age, but all these trials and tribulations will quickly be turned to joy when he returns…
1 Peter 4:13 “But rejoice that you participate in the suffering of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.”
There are eternal rewards for those who persevere in faith…
1 Peter 5:4 “And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”
The Bible foretells of those who will come in the Last Days mocking the doctrine of the literal Second Coming of Jesus…
2 Peter 3:3 “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, ‘Where is the ‘coming’ he promised?’”
- What is most shocking about those who deny the imminency of Christ’ return is that they come from within the ‘church’
- Interestingly, those same people who deny the teaching of the Lord’s return also reject the Genesis account of God’s judgment in Noah’s Flood (see 2 Peter 3:4-7).
We are counseled in the scriptures to proactively remain close to the Lord…
1 John 2:28 “And now, dear children, continue in him, so that when he appears we may be confident and unashamed before him at his coming.”
We are promised that believers will receive a resurrected, immortal body, free from the sin nature, when Jesus Raptures His church unto the heavenly realm…
1 John 3:2-3 “Dear friends, now we are like children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.”
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