My dear readers,

Signs BEFORE the Second Coming of Christ (1)

The last of the last days are before us. Christ is returning soon. We may have heard this hundreds of times and yet Christ has not returned. Let this constant reminder not be despised by God’s children. Those who despise this truth are severely warned by God in 2 Peter 3:3-7: “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water: Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished: But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. ”The 2^nd Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ can be understood from two perspectives.

The first perspective is the 2^nd Coming of Christ FOR the church. This is taught clearly by the LORD in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” [Emphasis added] Two amazing events will occur, one after the other, during this 2^nd Coming of Christ.

The believers who had died in Christ will be resurrected from the dead first. This is known as the First Resurrection. These believers who died in Christ comprise from the first Old Testament believer to the last New Testament believer who dies before this 2^nd Coming of Christ. The reason is that all Old Testament believers were saved by Christ when they looked forward to what Christ would do for them in the future. They knew that the offerings of the clean animal sacrifices pointed to the future Saviour who would come and die for them. They believed by faith the suffering and death of Jesus Christ in the future. The New Testament believers, also by faith, look back to what Christ has done at Calvary. Hence all believers who die in Christ before the 2^nd Coming will participate in this First Resurrection. Immediately after this First Resurrection, all believers who are alive when the 2^nd Coming of Christ occurs will be “caught up”, i.e. raptured. These two groups will meet the Lord Jesus in the air and He will bring all the saints with their glorified bodies before God. This 2^nd Coming of Christ is the climax of believers’ salvation whereby they will receive the glorified or resurrected body.

The second perspective is the 2^nd Coming of Christ WITH the church. This is taught clearly by the LORD in Revelation 19:11-16: “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” [Emphasis added]

The armies here include the saints and the holy angels. The saints are mentioned in Jude 14: “And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints.” The holy angels are mentioned in Matthew 25:31-33: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” This 2^nd Coming of Christ will be to battle and destroy the world and the devil and all who follow him and who have his mark on them. Jesus Christ will come as the King of kings and Lord of lords with all His saints and holy angels. He will not come to save, for the days of salvation will be over. He will come to judge this sin-filled wicked world.

Christ’s coming FOR the church will precede His coming WITH the church. He has to come and take believers to heaven before they can come down with Him from heaven. The Lord has given us some signs that will occur before the 2^nd Coming of Christ FOR and WITH the church. We shall look at these signs in detail in the next few weeks, God willing.

Some of the signs which precede the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ FOR the church include the following:

• The Gospel will be preached in all the world -- Matt 24:14.
• There shall arise false Christs and false prophets showing great signs and wonders -- Matt 24:24.
• A Falling Away – 2 Thess 2:3.
• Days of Noah -- Matt 24:36-41.

Some of the signs which precede the 2^nd Coming of Jesus Christ WITH the church include all the above signs and the signs listed below:

• The Abomination of Desolation standing in the Holy Place -- Matt 24:15.
• The Great Tribulation -- Matt 24:21; Rev 6, 8-9, 11, 15-16.
• Darkening of the sun and moon and stars falling from the heavens -- Matt 24:29; Acts 2:19-20.
• Identities of the Antichrist and the False Prophet revealed – 2 Thess 2:4, 7-9; 1 Jn 2:18; Rev 12, 13, 17.
• One World Church -- Rev 13:8.
• Battle of Armageddon -- Rev 16:15-21.

(to be continued)