As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
- The disciples wanted to know the sign of Jesus’ coming-which coming? (2nd coming)
- And of the end of the age
- Most Christians think that when second coming Christ comes, that will also be the end of the age (end of the world), but when the discples asked him about his coming, did they say ‘what is the sign of your second coming which is the end of the age?” no, they seem to be 2 seperate events.
- If they truly are the same event, they should be described the same way in the Bible, but that isn’t the case. First, let’s see how the Bible describes the end of the age, then we’ll see how the Bible describes the end of the age.
- 2 Thes. 1:6-9
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. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.
- It says that Jesus will be revealed from heaven in blazing fire.
- Why is he coming with fire? What is his purpose?
- To punish those who do not know God and do not obey God. Do we want to meet God this way? Not at all, that’s why we have to know God in the Bible.
- They will be punished with everlasting destruction-this destruction never ends.
- What is this event called? Everlasting destruction with fire? This is the end of the world, the end of the age.
- Let’s confirm that this is really the end of the age by seeing this same event prophesied in the old testament.
- Is. 66:15
See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.
- So again we see God is coming with fire to execute judgement upon all men–clearly the end of the age is with fire and this is when we will all see judgement-judgement day.
- But is this the only time God will come? Let’s see now that we know how the Bible describes the end of the age, how it describes the second coming of Christ.
- Mt. 24:30
Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth[a] will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And 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 heavens to the other.
- How is Jesus Christ coming this time? Not with fire, this time he’s coming on the clouds.
- What is his purpose in coming this time? He will send his angels to gather his elect.
- So this time Second Coming Christ is coming on the clouds to gather the elect.
- So is this the same as the end of the age? No.
- But let’s see even more about this event, his coming on the clouds to gather the elect. Why is he gathering them?
- Lk.21:27
At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
- When Christ comes again in the clouds it says redemption is NEAR-meaning salvation is NEAR-no judgement yet.
- So judgement day, the end of the age has not come yet. So are these the same event? Not at all.
- He’s coming 2 different ways with 2 different purposes–because these are 2 seperate events.
- So those people who teach that they are the same event–is that based on the Bible? No it’s based on their own interpretation. When we actually study the Bible and listen to what it says we can understand.
- We know that the end of the age is everlasting destruction–is there anything after that? No, so we know that this has to happen last. First Christ has to come in the clouds to bring salvation and teach the people, then he’ll come with fire to judge those did not know or obey him.
- But will Christ really come in a cloud? Think about it, if Christ appeared this way with clouds and glory, wouldn’t everybody see him? At that moment, everybody would look up and say “Look thats Jesus Christ”–then at that moment, wouldn’t everybody know God? Who would be punished? Even atheists who don’t believe in God because they don’t have proof would look up and have proof, believe in God and be saved! Then this has to mean something else. We know that Christ spoke in parables. Actually when he used the word cloud, there is a meaning to the word cloud in the bible, let’s see
- Jude v.12
These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead.
- People=shepherds=clouds.
- So what does a cloud mean? It means a person.
- So when Christ says he’s coming in the clouds, how is he coming? As a person.
- Let’s see more proof that a cloud is a person.
- Prov. 25:14
Like clouds and wind without rain is a man who boasts of gifts never given.
- Like clouds is a what? A man.
- Clouds=man
- So when Christ says he’s coming in the clouds, how is he coming? As a man.
- Again, let’s make sure this is how he is coming.
- Heb. 12:1
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us
- “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great CLOUD of witnesses”
- When Apostle Paul said he was surrounded by a cloud, what was he surrounded by? Witnesses.
- Can a cloud witness? A witness is someone who testifies to what they saw.
- Do clouds have mouths to witness? No, people do–but it says we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses or people.
- So when he was surrounded by people he said “oh look at this big cloud”
- Because clouds=people!
- So second coming Christ will appear how? As a man.
- 2,000 years ago, at Christ’s first coming he came as a man. But the Bible prophesied about his first coming. let’s see
- Daniel 7:13
“In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
- The prophet Daniel wrote this 600 years before Christ existed.
- In his vision he said that he saw a son of man coming in the clouds.
- This person coming on the clouds received authority, glory, and a kingdom (sovereign power). His kingdom will never pass away or be destroyed.
- So whoever received authority, glory, and a kingdom is the son of man coming on the clouds.
- So let’s see in the Bible first who received authority.
- Mt. 28:18
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
- Jesus is the one who received authority.
- Now let’s see if he also received glory
- Jn. 17:10
All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them.
- Who received glory? Jesus Christ.
- So far he is the one who received authority and glory, let’s see if he also received a kingdom because if he did then he is the son of man coming on the clouds.
- Lk. 22:29
And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me
- Did Jesus Christ receive a kingdom? Yes, so now we see that all these 3 things in the prophecy of Daniel were fulfilled by who? By Jesus.
- But when Daniel saw Jesus Christ coming, how did he describe it? Did he say “He’s going to be born in the flesh and be a little boy and grow up?” No he said he’s coming in the clouds, but he actually came in the flesh.
- So what about his second coming? The Bible says he will come in the clouds so how should we expect him? In the flesh. He will be born, he’ll have a physical life, he’ll have a family, he’ll be a teenager, he’ll grow up. Should we be surprised when Christ comes this way? Even though it seems hard to accept, God chose to come like one of us to teach us.
- 2,000 years ago why was Christ crucified? Because the people expected him to come in a glorious way, on the clouds of heaven just like they do now. But if we expect Christ to come in our own way, not the way he said he’d come in the Bible, then we also will reject him.
- To the children of God, God in the flesh IS the glory of God because he humbled himself and came like one of us so we could know him better.
- 2,000 years ago, what did they say about Christ because he came in the flesh? Let’s see
- Jn. 6:41
At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”
- The Jews complained when Christ said “I came down out of heaven.”
- But when Christ said this, what was he saying? Where were we before we were born on this earth? We were in heaven. We all came down from heaven, our spirit was born in a body.
- So when Christ says I came down from heaven, he’s saying that the spirit of God was born in a body.
- But the people who didn’t understand focused on what? I know your mom and dad! They focused on the physical and not the fact that he had the words of God.
- Will it be different this time? No, this time people also misunderstand Christ. So why did he come back to be mistreated?
- Lk. 18:8
“I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?”
- When the Son of Man comes–meaning when Christ comes again at his second coming, he will not find faith on the earth.
- Why doesn’t anyone have faith? Every church says they have faith, but Christ said when he comes a second time there is no faith on this earth.
- If there is no faith, can anyone be saved and go to heaven?
- How can we have faith in God? By keeping God’s commands, then we have faith.
- The ones who don’t do what God says can they say they have faith? No.
- But what does God command us to do? Did God command us to keep the Passover? Sabbath? Yes but what happened to the sabbath in 321 ad? It was abolished. Passover, 325 was abolished.
- No one was keeping the commands of God. No one had faith. No one could go to heaven. So what did Christ have to do? Come again and bring back the commands of God, salvation so that we can go to heaven. So how important are the Sabbath, all the feasts of God that God had to come again? So important.
- But where can we find all these commands so that we can go to heaven?
- Jn. 10:16
I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.
- In the Bible the sheep are God’s people, Christ is the shepherd.
- So Christ said I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen, what is this sheep pen?
- 1st coming Christ had his sheep, his disciples who followed him. But were they the only ones? No there’s us too! When Christ comes a second time, he will also gather his sheep.
- Where will the sheep, the people of God be? In every church, second coming christ is gonna make his rounds appearing in all 850 denominations? 2,000 years ago he didn’t do that, where he was, that’s where his people were.
- So where is this place?
- Mic. 4:2
In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains;
it will be exalted above the hills, and peoples will stream to it. Many nations will come and say,
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
to the temple of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths.”
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
- In the last days, God’s people will go to where God’s laws are being taught.
- Zion is the place established by God–He meaning God will teach his people there.
- We keep the laws of God because second coming Christ came and taught us.
- Christ Ahnsahnghong established the church of God and brought back all the truth, he gave us faith–he’s second coming Christ.
