9/02/07 – 35LAW “The Real Truth About the Second Coming of Jesus“– Pt 1
Victory Ministries International presents:
Awesome Truths and Amazing Facts
Treasures of awesome truths from God’s Word
and facts that affect you!

Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s message is “The Real Truth About the Second Coming of Jesus – Pt 1”

Before we begin, let us seek God’s guidance, “Heavenly Father, as we begin this most important subject regarding the real truth about the second coming of Jesus, I pray that You bless those listening today with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we may understand that you Jesus is coming far sooner than expected and in a manner the church is not preparing for. We pray for wisdom, knowledge and understanding so that we may live in the center of Your revealed will, as we ask in Jesus Name, Amen.”

Right now, I continue to keep my pledge, to cry aloud and spare not, to lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are transgressing God’s law.
Dwight L. Moody, famous American evangelist (1837-1899) found the event of the second coming is mentioned over 2,500 times in the Bible. Over two thousand years ago the vast majority of religious people had access to the same Old Testament scriptures we do, where there are over 300 prophecies regarding His first coming, which Jesus fulfilled, but they missed acknowledging Jesus as the Messiah at His first coming.
 
"Why?" How could they miss it with all that Bible evidence? For two main reasons; the common people were not reading the Scriptures for themselves and the religious leaders of that day had created a theory based on several Bible verses taken out of context.  

They created a theory that when Messiah comes, He's going to be a great conquering king.  He's going to sit on the throne of David, rule the world, and to do away with the hated Romans. It sounded great, but it wasn't truly Scriptural. They took the prophecies that related to His second and third coming and mistakenly applied them to His first coming.  

When Israel of old thought the Messiah would come with a rod of iron, He came as a Lamb.  They were looking for someone to free them from the Romans, when Jesus' mission was to free them from sin. Satan was so successful at deceiving the people in Christ's day, because people weren't reading the Scriptures for themselves. This false theory brought in by religious leaders, was blindly followed, which proves you must check out the truth for yourself. 

Jesus realized this when He came to this earth, and therefore, in Matthew 24:3 & 4, when the disciples asked Him, "Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" the very first thing Jesus said to them was, "Take heed that no man deceive you."
 
In the 260 chapters of the New Testament, the subject of the second coming is mentioned 331 times. In fact, as important as His first coming was, there's only one text in the Bible about His first coming to every eight texts in the Bible about His second coming. The Bible mentions the Second Coming once in every 25 verses in the New Testament.

Let's look at the promise in John 14:1-3 "Let not your heart be troubled:  ye believe in God, believe also in me.  In my Father's house are many mansions:  if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.  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."  

That's the blessed hope each of us have. But note, He doesn't say He'll come down to earth at the 2nd coming, and set up His kingdom here.  He says, "I will come again and receive you unto Myself, that where I am, there you may be also."  He doesn't say He's coming to join us here, He says He's coming to take us there, where He has gone.  And He's in heaven.  He went to prepare a mansion for us. 

Revelation 12:12 says the devil has great anger, because he knows he has but a short time left.  Listen carefully.  If the devil tried to deceive people about Jesus' first coming, you can be certain he's going to try to confuse all Christians about Jesus' second coming. He wants them to believe something that is not Biblical, so they're not ready to meet Jesus when He comes.  

Jesus in His love foresaw there would be much deception about His second coming. He personally gave us two great warnings that we should look out for to make sure we're not deceived. Matthew 24:24. "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect." 

So we must be very careful, for there is danger of even the very elect, being deceived by these things.  Jesus then spelled out two things to watch out for. Verse 25 "Behold, I have told you before.” Jesus is here warning us, so we have no excuse if we miss what He says next, “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth:" That's the first great deception that will be in the world about the second coming of Jesus. They're going to say, "Jesus is here in the desert or at some convention center. Let’s go see Him. He has already come." Jesus says when you hear that, don't follow it, don't even go out to see it, and don't watch it on TV. It's not the truth! But it will be powerfully deceiving.

The Bible in Revelation 16:14 warns us of the "spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and the whole world."  So the devil can deceive people with mighty miracles and works of deception.  The devil can counterfeit miracles in the hope of deceiving many people. 

The second deception is simply a theory that deceives many people, and that's the last part of verse 26. "... behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it (what?) not!" Christ says, When they're talking about the second coming, and they tell you He's coming secretly, don't believe it." Are you listening?  It's these two very deceptions that are in our world today, and millions of people believe them.
  
There is only one-way to avoid deception, and that is to know what the Bible really teaches about Christ's 2nd coming.  God will not allow Satan to counterfeit the genuine return of Jesus—God has placed that beyond his evil power. The Bible gives five basic, very clear facts, regarding how the second coming of Jesus Christ is going to take place, and coupled with the Bible texts to back them up, it can keep you from ever being deceived. You can have assurance to know what to believe and why you believe it.

Let's go to our first test, which is a prophecy of how Jesus is going to come.  This event took place at His ascension back to heaven. The first fact tells us that Jesus is going to come literally. Acts 1:9 "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  Acts 1:10, “And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Acts 1:11, Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? …this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Notice the phrases we just read, 

It says, "they beheld" Him, "he was taken up ... out of their sight,"  they "looked," stedfastly toward heaven "gazing up into heaven," and they had "seen him go into heaven."  His ascension into heaven was an actual event! Jesus was taken up from Earth to heaven literally and personally. He went in clouds, so He will return in clouds.  "This same Jesus"—the very same Person. They saw Him go: we'll see Him come back.  It's no secret event.  Jesus ascended with an actual physical body—not as some ghostly spirit or intangible essence! 
  
The second coming of Jesus Christ is not a spiritual presence manifested over the earth that one cannot identify. It's more than a warm feeling created by the Holy Spirit.  It is literal. And it is a Personal event that will occur at a precise moment in time.  

The Bible teaches that not only will it be literal and personal, but it will also be visible .  Every person will be able to see it take place, according to Revelation 1:7 "Behold, he cometh with (what?) clouds; and (how many?) every eye shall see him..." Isn't that exactly what we just read in the book of Acts? It said, "a cloud received him out of their sight" and then the angel said the way He went up is the way He's coming back.
  
Looking to the words of Jesus', He says the very same thing in Matthew 24:30, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:  and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in (the what?) the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." 

2 Thessalonians 1:7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2 Thessalonians 1:8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: The devil is a master counterfeiter, but here is something Satan cannot counterfeit—

Jesus appearing in the clouds of heaven with power and glory and every eye in the world seeing him. That's why the devil has to come up with these two other counterfeit teachings. First - that Jesus is already here—you can see Him in the desert, or somewhere else. Second - He's in the secret chambers—coming secretly. A secret rapture if you please. The devil brings in those false theories because he can't duplicate the genuine way that Jesus is going to come. Is that clear? 

Well time is up for this week. Next week we will continue this study on “The Real Truth About the Second Coming of Jesus – Pt 2. ”If you would like to worship with seventh day Sabbath-keepers, come to the Victory Everlasting Gospel Church at our new location at the Hampton Inn Conference suite in South Hill, VA at the exit 12 interchange of Interstate 85. We meet at 9:30 am and will be meeting there until out new building has been completed.
Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Come Lord Jesus.