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Our Mission: Revelation 14:6-12
The Moment of Truth - Lesson 23
Christ's
Hopeful Promise
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Let's pray together:
Lord Almighty,
We are about to begin one of the most important lessons of this Bible course, which will
reveal the reason for the glorious hope that animated the writers of the Bible, from
Genesis to Revelation.
May this hope also become ours, this is our prayer in Jesus Christ.
Amen.
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John 14:1-3
Let not your heart be troubled; you 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 to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
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When Jesus told His disciples that He would depart soon, they
were grieved very much.
However, Jesus gave them this incredible promise: one day, He will come a second time to
gather His people!
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Numbers 23:19
God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son a man, that He
should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?
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Indeed, as we have studied in the lesson «God's Solution», Christ's first coming happened
exactly as foretold by the Old Testament prophets.
We can understand why the disciples never doubted the promise of their Master: the second
coming of Jesus is as sure as the first one!
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The message of the Bible in three points:
CHRIST WILL COME!
It is the message of all the Old Testament.
CHRIST HAS COME!
It is the testimony of all the New Testament.
CHRIST WILL RETURN!
It is the glorious hope of all the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.
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Luke 17:24,25
For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven
shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.
But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.
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The Old Testament contains prophecies about Christ's first
coming, marked by His sufferings and His death, but also other prophecies about His second
coming, marked by His glorious appearance.
The Jews did not understand this distinction, believing that at His first coming, Christ
would free them from the Roman yoke. This partly explains why they rejected Him.
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Job's testimony: Job 19:25,26
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God.
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First of all, let's study the testimony of some great Old
Testament figures about the end of the world and Christ's second coming.
Here we see Job, overwhelmed by sickness, after having lost all his family and his wealth.
His only hope was the resurrection on the last day, at the glorious return of his
Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
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Enoch's testimony: Jude verses 14 and 15
Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men
also, saying,
«Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to
convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have
committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken
against Him.»
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Enoch had a vision of the second advent of Christ. Even more, he
saw what will happen on that day.
We will study these events in our next lesson.
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The psalmist's testimony: Psalm 50:3-5
Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall
devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him.
He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people:
«Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.»
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The psalmist's words are in perfect harmony with the message of
the New Testament.
Indeed, at the time of His return, Jesus will gather His people, those who have made a
covenant with Him by accepting His sacrificial death on the cross.
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Isaiah's testimony: Isaiah 25:8,9
He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away
tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for
the Lord has spoken.
And it will be said in that day:
«Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord;
we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.»
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The prophet Isaiah saw in vision the reaction of those impatiently waiting for their Savior, as He finally comes back to take them with Him.
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Isaiah's testimony: Isaiah 66:14,15
When you see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall
flourish like grass; the hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, and His
indignation to His enemies.
For behold, the Lord will come with fire and with His chariots, like a whirlwind, to
render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire.
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As we can see, Isaiah had many visions of Jesus' return.
This is a colorful description of this glorious event which will mark the end of the
world.
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Daniel's testimony: Daniel 12:1
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands
watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never
was since there was a nation, even to that time.
And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the
book.
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The prophet Daniel too had a vision of Jesus' return.
In fact, we find many visions of Jesus' return in the book of Daniel (please see the
lesson «The Statue of Daniel» for an example).
God really shows great single-mindedness in the inspiration of His prophets!
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Jesus' testimony: Matthew 24:30,31
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then
all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
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Now, who is better than Christ Himself to speak about His second
coming?
Jesus' description of His return corresponds exactly to that of the Old Testament
prophets.
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Jesus' testimony: Revelation 22:7,12,20
Behold, I am coming quickly. Blessed is he who keeps the words of
the prophecy of this book. (...)
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according
to his work. (...)
He who testifies to these things says, «Surely I am coming quickly.»
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As if trying one last time to awaken the reader, Jesus repeats
three times in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible that He is coming soon.
We can't say we haven't been forewarned!
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The angels' testimony: Acts 1:9-11
Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was
taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by
them in white apparel, who also said:
«Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken
up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.»
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These two angels came to confirm once more the reality of
Christ's promise.
Now, let's look at the testimony of Jesus' disciples.
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1 Corinthians 16:22,23 (KJV)
Maranatha.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you!
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First of all, let's note that the return of Jesus was often a topic of conversation between Christians. Soon, they began to use the word «Maranatha!» as a greeting, which means: «O Lord, come!»
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Paul's testimony: Hebrews 9:28
So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.
To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation.
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The apostle Paul, an expert in the Scriptures, understood that
the Messiah had to come twice:
- a first time to bear our iniquities on the cross;
- a second time to gather those who believe in Him.
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1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
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2 Thessalonians 1:7,8,10
The Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire (...) when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe.
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Paul was another man for whom the return of Jesus was the unrivaled hope.
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James' testimony: James 5:7,8
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it
until it receives the early and latter rain.
You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.
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The apostle James, like all the others, desperately wanted to see
Christ return in his time.
But the signs foretelling the second coming were not all present yet (see the previous
lesson «The Signs of the Times»).
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Peter's testimony: 2 Peter 3:10,13
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in
which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with
fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (...)
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells.
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The apostle Peter was not an exception: like the others, he preached the message of hope concerning the second coming of Jesus Christ.
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John's testimony: 1 John 2:28
And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
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Finally, the apostle John revealed his faith in Christ's second
coming.
In fact, the New Testament alone includes more than 300 passages referring to this event!
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Revelation 1:7
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and
they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.
Even so, Amen.
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The last book of the Scriptures, Revelation, written by John,
gravitates round the second coming of Jesus.
This event will be, for those waiting for Christ's return, a day of deliverance and the
end of a world marked by corruption.
And as we have already seen in our previous lesson about the signs of the times, this
great day is coming very soon. Maranatha!
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«I will come again.» (John 14:3)
Jesus Christ will return: it is an absolute certainty.
«The Lord will come with fire», announced the patriarchs and the prophets.
«I will come again», Jesus told His disciples.
«He will so come», the two angels declared while Jesus was ascending to heaven.
«He will appear a second time», proclaimed the Apostles.
And the Church has repeated along with them: «Maranatha! O Lord, come!»
Our next lesson will talk about the whys and wherefores of Christ's second coming.
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Let's thank God for His assistance:
O Lord,
There could be many reasons to be discouraged when we see the events now happening in the
world, but we thank You for the glorious promise You have given us.
We desire to possess this hope the people of the Bible had. Please help us to be prepared
for that great day, that we may shout with the apostolic Church: «Maranatha! O Lord,
come!»
In Jesus Christ, we pray.
Amen.
The test of Lesson 23 is waiting for you!