Anticipating His Return

ANTICIPATING HIS RETURN

Text: John 14:3, "And if I go and prepare a place for you,

I will come again, and receive you unto myself;

that where I am, there ye may be also."

Intro: (Per Sandra Jean Pathik) Biblical prophecy provides some

of the greatest encouragement and hope available

to us today.

Just as the Old Testament is saturated with prophecies

concerning Christ’s first advent, so both testaments

are filled with references to the second coming of Christ.

One scholar has estimated:

1,845 references in 17 O. T. books to Christ’s second coming.

N. T., 318 references to the second advent of Christ

—an amazing 1 out of every 30 verses.

23 of the 27 New Testament books refer to this great event.

For every prophecy in the Bible concerning Christ’s first advent,

there are 8 which look forward to His second!

Consider: I. What We Already Have

II. His Promise To Return

III. Reasons For His Return

IV. How He Will Come Back

V. Then What?

Theme: The anticipation of Christ’s return is a vital

encouragement to live holy and seek to do God’s will.

I. What We Already Have

A. rich provisions from God

1. promises

2. unbelievable blessings

3. advantages in this life (outweigh present troubles)

1. Needs being supplied.

2. being given divine direction

3. sins covered/guilt taken away

4. assurance/declaration of forgiveness

5. peace with God

6. live in harmony with others

7. We can freely approach the Father to ask for

healing of our sicknesses.

B. We already have the ultimate revealing of God

when Jesus returns to earth.

1. 1 Cor. 15:19

2. "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable."

II. His Promise To Return

A. J. C. often told disciples He would return.

B. Some say circa 300 vss in N. T. concerning the 2nd Advent.

1. Jesus taught most of that number.

2. It is a doctrine common to all N. T. writers

a. Paul

b. Peter

c. John

d. Jude

e. angels -- Acts 1:9-11

III. Reasons For His Return

A. to reward His people

1. Rev. 22:12, "And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward

is with me, to give every man according as

his work shall be."

2. Rev. 22:13, "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and

the end, the first and the last."

B. Jesus’ return will prove, once and for all, the Heavenly

Father is truthful.

1. Some doubt. Some deny.

2. Jesus WILL return

3. So then every one of us will give account to God .

C. Good ultimately overcomes evil

D. There is a created MORAL ORDER in the universe.

IV. How He Will Come Back?

A. Harmonizing (bringing together in an understandable manner)

a couple of Scripture verses:

1. 1 Thess. 5:2, "For yourselves know perfectly that the

day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."

2. Matthew 24:27 (KJV) For as the lightning cometh out of the east,

and shineth even unto the west; so shall also

the coming of the Son of man be.

3. Two phases of the Second Coming

a. coming for His Saints, i.e., thief in the night--

1) 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 (GW)

13 Brothers and sisters, we don’t want

you to be ignorant about those who

have died. We don’t want you to grieve

like other people who have no hope.

14 We believe that Jesus died and came

back to life. We also believe that, through Jesus,

God will bring back those who

have died. They will come back with Jesus.

15 We are telling you what the Lord

taught. We who are still alive when the Lord

comes will not go {into his kingdom}

ahead of those who have already died.

16 The Lord will come from heaven with a

command, with the voice of the archangel, and

with the trumpet {call} of God. First,

the dead who believed in Christ will come back to life.

17 Then, together with them,

we who are still alive will be taken in the clouds to meet

the Lord in the air. In this

way we will always be with the Lord.

18 So then, comfort each other with these words!

2) World is suprised (thief...).

3) J.C. appears in the air, draws the living

and dead saints to himself,

takes us to heaven with Him,

marriage supper celebration

4. Christ returns all the way to earth

a. with an army (His saints) by His side

b. to defeat the Evil One

c. This return is like the lightning, for all the world to see it.

V. Then What?

A. The curse on this earth will be removed.

1. curse of sin

2. Curse settled over earth when man rebelled against