The Return of Christ

Gospel Tract #

Jesus Is Coming Again

by George Clark

"Don't let your heart be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I'm leaving to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I'll come again and take you with me, so that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:1-3)

Jesus is coming again! That "the coming of the Lord is drawing near" is being borne witness as never before. Even unconverted people on the street feel that something momentous is taking shape. The people of God know what that something is: the end of man's rule on earth and the return of the Lord Jesus. Sincere children of God everywhere are putting on "the whole armor of God" that they "may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil," for they know what lies ahead.

Jesus told his disciples that his saints would suffer great tribulation in the last days and that "after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give her light, and the stars will be falling out of the sky, and the powers that are in the heavens will be shaken. And then, they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send his angels and will gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of earth to the uttermost part of heaven" (Mk. 13:24-27).

The saints of God everywhere are waiting, watching, and praying for the time when they see Jesus, "who will transform our lowly body into the likeness of his glorious body" (Phip. 3:21). But "concerning that day or that hour," we are told, "no one knows, neither the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son; only the Father. Take heed; stay alert and pray; you do not know when the appointed time is. The Son of man is as a man making a journey, who left his home [believers on earth] and gave his slaves [ministers] authority, to each one his job, and commanded the doorkeeper to be watchful. Therefore, be watchful, for you don't know when the lord of the house is coming, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cock-crowing, or in the morning, lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: be watchful" (Mk. 13:32-37).

Those who believe in a visible, personal coming of Jesus are not following "cunningly devised fables", for our Lord repeatedly promised to return for his "bride"; that is, for those who are faithful to him, and this he will do at the close of this age.

The writer of Hebrews tells us, "It is appointed to men once to die, and after that the Judgment, so also, Christ, having been offered once for all to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time to those who wait for him, not to atone for sin, but to bring salvation" (Heb. 9:27-28). Just before he faced death, that old warrior, the apostle Paul, joyfully exclaimed, "there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous judge, will grant me on that day; and not only to me but also to all those who love his appearing" (2Tim. 4:8). How those thrilling words have echoed in the souls of godly men through the centuries, and that echo has revived hope and encouraged the hearts of all who are seeking to be counted worthy of God's eternal rest. From Paul's words, we see that the faithful saints' expectation of the personal return of Jesus may grow beyond a mere longing, to the point of "loving" his appearing. Reader, such a love is demonstrated by obedience to Jesus' commandments, including his charge to "take heed, stay alert and pray."

The hope of our Lord's return vibrates through and touches the tenderest chord in the heart of each child of God. The thought of his coming sets on fire the passions of praise and gives hope and faith to all who are watching and praying. The bride cherishes the thought of the bridegroom's coming, anxious to see the one she loves. Beloved, "it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Indeed, as Paul further entreats, "The night is far spent; the day is at hand. Let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light" (Rom. 13:11-12), for our king is coming to punish the wicked and to reward the righteous.

Paul tells us, "The Day of the Lord is coming like a thief in the night . . . But as for you, brothers, you are not in darkness that that day should overtake you like a thief . . . So then, let us not sleep as the rest do, but let us be alert and sober. For those who sleep, sleep in the night, and those who get drunk, get drunk in the night; but let us who are of the day be sober, putting on a breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath but to obtain salvation through our Master, Jesus Christ" (1Thess. 5:2-9).

The angels confirmed Jesus' promise to return by saying to his followers, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who is taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). This is worded to meet the requirement of the most exacting legalist. "In like manner" means "exactly as" or "in the very same way".

We are told that "a cloud received him out of their sight," and Jesus declared in Mark 14:62, "You will see the Son of man . . . coming with the clouds of heaven." Angels were present when he went away, and of his second coming, we read in Mark 8:38 that Jesus will come "in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels." Our Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives, and Zechariah (14:4), speaking of our Lord's return, tells us, "His feet will stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives." Is not this "in like manner" or "in the very same way"? The most technical scholar could not ask for a more precise wording concerning the promise of our Redeemer's return to earth.

Listen to a few biblical testimonies concerning the second coming of Jesus:

Paul's Testimony

1Thessalonians 4:15-18

Now, we say this to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and who remain until the coming of the Master, will by no means precede those who sleep. For the Master himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and then, the dead in Christ will rise first. Next, we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them among the clouds to meet the Master in the air; and so we will ever be with the Master. Therefore, encourage one another with these words.

Peter's Testimony

Acts 3:19-21

Repent therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing will come from the presence of the Lord. And He will send Jesus Christ, who before was preached to you, whom heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

James' Testimony

James 5:7-9

Be patient brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be patient also. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is drawing near. Grudge not one against another, brothers, lest you be condemned. Behold, the judge is standing at the door.

John's Testimony

1John 3:1-3

Oh, what great love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! This is why the world doesn't know you, because it didn't know him. Beloved, we are now children of God, but what we will be isn't yet made manifest; but we know that when it is made manifest, we'll be like him, for we'll see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure.

Jesus' Testimony on His Return

Matthew 24:26-27

If they say to you, ‘Behold! He is in the wilderness!', do not go out there; or ‘Behold! He is in the secret chambers!', do not believe it. As lightning comes out of the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of man be.

The Scoffers' Testimony on Jesus' Return

2Peter 3:4

The scoffers' testimony is in the form of a question: "Where is the promise of his coming?" When they fail to dissuade the children of God from looking for the return of the Savior, scoffers spiritualize his return, making it a mere metaphor. Child of God, watch and pray, for Satan would tell you, through misguided people, that the baptism of the Spirit, or some other spiritual experience, is the second coming of Jesus. This is wrong. Christ was here in spirit before his birth in Bethlehem (1Pet. 1:10-11); yet, it was his personal, visible appearance that we call his first advent. It will also be his personal, visible appearance (in a glorified body) that will fulfill the prophecy of his second advent. He came first and sowed the seed of his kingdom. He will come the second time to gather the harvest.

The second coming of Jesus will not be a secret. The whole world will witness his return, not merely the righteous who are expecting him. In Matthew 24:30, we read, "And then, the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." John agrees that Jesus' return will be witnessed by all men when he says, "Watch! He is coming with the clouds, and EVERY EYE shall see him; they also who pierced him, and all the tribes of the earth, shall mourn bitterly because of him. Yes, Amen!" (Rev. 1:7).

My friend, what will you do "when Jesus the Master is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire meting out punishment to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Master, Jesus"? Are you ready to join in the song of the redeemed at his coming? Is your heart burning with loyalty? Are you living in such an attitude toward his coming that you will receive, with Paul, a crown of righteousness that is laid up for all who love his appearing? Are you ready for that joyful benediction, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord"? Child of God, you should be thrilled to know that you will soon be meeting with the saints of all ages, keeping company with angels, and singing and shouting around the throne of God!

"Behold, your King is coming!" This time, in the clouds of heaven, in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. "Watch, then, for you don't know at what time your Master is coming. But know this, that if the steward of the house had known in which watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and he would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore, you be ready, for in such a moment you do not think, the Son of man is coming" (Mt. 24:42-44).