All
About Christ's Return
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1
We invite you to pray with us:
O Lord, our Father,
What a wonderful hope You have given us through the promise of the imminent return of Your
Son, Jesus Christ.
Please help us, by Your Holy Spirit, to understand when, how and why this event will take
place, so that the enemy may not deceive us in the last days.
May Your Word always be our only guide. In the precious name of Jesus we pray.
Amen.
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Matthew 24:3,4
Now as [Jesus] sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples
came to Him privately, saying,
«Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the
end of the age?»
And Jesus answered and said to them:
«Take heed that no one deceives you.»
In our previous two lessons, we saw that the Bible assures us that Jesus will
come a second time. According to the signs of the times as revealed in the Scriptures,
this event is very near!
Now, let's try to discover:
- when Jesus will return;
- how He will return;
- and finally, why He will return.
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Matthew 24:36,42
But of that day and hour no one knows, no, not even the
angels of heaven, but My Father only. (...)
Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.
First, Jesus was straightforward about the moment of His return: the day and
hour of this great event will never be revealed to anyone.
This fact alone is vital information when considering the confusing times that lie ahead.
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Acts 1:6,7
[The disciples] asked [Jesus], saying,
«Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?»
He said to them,
«It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own
authority.»
Jesus warned us against the inclination to fix the date of His glorious return:
that way, we will have no other choice but to be watchful.
Nevertheless, many have not followed Jesus' advice and have suggested one date and
another: all have failed.
Beware of people claiming to know the day and hour of Jesus' return.
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2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or
troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of
Christ had come.
Let no one deceive you by any means (...).
In the time of the apostle Paul, some people were so anxious to see the day of
Jesus' return that they assumed all the signs of the times had already been fulfilled...
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2 Thessalonians 2:3
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will
not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of
perdition.
... but the apostle Paul cooled down the heated believers by reminding them
that some events still had to take place before the return of Jesus.
Moreover, the signs of the times were far from being completely fulfilled yet.
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2 Peter 3:3,4
Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last
days, walking according to 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 creation.»
At the opposite extreme, the Christian Church sank into an apathetic and
indifferent attitude which will persist until the very last days.
People begin by doubting the reality of Christ's promise to return, and soon no longer
feel the need to prepare themselves for this event.
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Luke 18:8
[Jesus said,]
«Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?»
Here is some food for thought.
Many Christians waited for Christ, but died before His return. Yet now that He is so close
to coming, very few are truly waiting for Him.
And while some Christians imagined the signs of Jesus' coming in Paul's day, now that
these signs surround us, very few seem to see them.
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Luke 21:28-31
«Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift
up your heads, because your redemption draws near.»
And [Jesus] spoke to them a parable:
«Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. When they are already budding, you see and know
for yourselves that summer is now near.
So you, likewise, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is
near.»
Although we cannot know the day and hour of Christ's return, He invites us to
recognize the signs announcing the imminence of this glorious day.
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Hebrews 10:37
For yet a little while, and He who is coming will come
and will not tarry.
Therefore to the first question: «WHEN will Jesus return?», the Bible
answers:
No one knows the day and hour, but by observing the signs of the times, we know that Jesus
will return very soon.
Now, let's look at our second question: «HOW will Jesus return?»
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Acts 1:11
This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven,
will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.
John 20:27
Then [Jesus] said to Thomas,
«Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into
My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.»
Thomas did not see a ghost, but Jesus in the flesh!
Now, the angels tell us that Jesus will return exactly as He left.
So, the first characteristic of the return of Jesus is: a return in the flesh, personally
and bodily.
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Luke 21:26,27
For the powers of heaven will be shaken.
Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
2 Thessalonians 1:7,8
The Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty
angels, in flaming fire.
The second characteristic of the return of Jesus Christ is: a glorious event,
noisy and spectacular.
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Matthew 24:26,27,30
Therefore if they say to you, «Look, He is in the
desert!» do not go out; or «Look, He is in the inner rooms!» do not believe it.
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming
of the Son of Man be. (...)
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.
The third characteristic of the return of Jesus is: a universal, visible event,
not secret or local.
Never forget this very important point.
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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.
Revelation 6:16,17
And [they] said to the mountains and rocks,
«Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of
the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?»
These verses confirm that it will be a universally visible return.
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Luke 21:34,35
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed
down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you
unexpectedly.
For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Finally, in addition to being a personal, corporal, glorious, noisy,
spectacular and universally visible return, this great event will happen unexpectedly,
suddenly.
This is why Jesus invites us to be always watchful.
And now, our last question is: «WHY will Christ return?»
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Daniel 2:44
And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set
up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people.
It shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.
The main goal of Christ's return is the «restoration of
all things» (Acts 3:21).
He will then establish an eternal kingdom which will be based on love and justice, where
evil will be no more.
The day of His return will truly be earth-shattering!
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Matthew 16:27
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father
with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.
Revelation 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with
Me, to give to every one according to his work.
When He returns, Jesus Christ will put an end to the disorder prevailing here
on earth.
To do so, He will reward each one according to his works.
What, exactly, does Jesus mean by «rewarding each according to his works»?
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Romans 2:6-8
[God] will render to each one according to his deeds:
eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and
immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness - indignation and wrath.
God is Love, but He is also Justice.
His greatest desire is that each one of us inherit eternal life; however, He can grant
this reward only to those who follow Him with perseverance, and remain loyal to His will,
putting their lives into His hands.
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Revelation 11:18
The nations were angry, and Your wrath has come, and the
time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that You should reward Your servants the
prophets and the saints, and those who fear Your name, small and great, and should destroy
those who destroy the earth.
As we have studied in our Bible lessons, God has set up a plan of salvation for
each of us.
God is Love, offering us this plan of salvation and leaving us free to accept it.
But God is also Justice, and therefore each one of us will have to bear the consequences
of his choice.
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John 14:3
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.
Matthew 24:31
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.
Jesus offers us complete salvation, and a place in His eternal kingdom.
He will grant us this place at His glorious second coming.
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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.
2 Timothy 4:8
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of
righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not
to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
The only hope of the Christian is the return of his Savior, Redeemer, and Lord,
Jesus Christ.
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Daniel 7:27
Then the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the
kingdoms under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people, the saints of the Most
High.
His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.
In a future lesson, we will discover that the most wonderful thing that we
could desire is to inherit eternal life, to live forever by Jesus' side in the glorious
city He is preparing for us: the New Jerusalem.
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Mark 13:35-37
Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of
the house is coming - in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in
the morning - lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!
It's not enough to know when, how and why Jesus will return: we must now
seriously prepare ourselves for this great event.
To do so, the study of the Bible is essential, in order to know what God expects from each
of us.
In fact, this is the reason for this Bible study guide.
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2 Peter 3:11-13
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening
the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved being on
fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which
righteousness dwells.
The apostle Peter understood the importance of a serious preparation, in order
to be ready for the return of Jesus Christ.
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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.
Conscientiously, prayerfully studying the Word of God, and then putting into
practice what we learn, will keep us safe in Jesus Christ, so that we may not be deceived
by the enemy's snares.
For Satan always tries to lead us away from the truth.
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Luke 19:13
So he called ten of his servants, delivered to them ten
minas, and said to them,
«Do business till I come.»
In the parable of the minas, Jesus clearly expressed that, while we are waiting
for His return, we must not remain idle!
On the contrary, we must seek to put our talents to use in God's service, in order to
enthusiastically spread His message throughout the world.
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Matthew 24:44
Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming
at an hour when you do not expect Him.
We want to be ready for the glorious day of the second coming of Jesus Christ.
How about you?
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Let's thank God for His help:
Our Almighty God,
You have given us clear indications about the return of Jesus, so that we may not be
deceived in the last days.
But You also desire that we be ready for that great day: this is why we thank You for
offering us the help we need to properly prepare ourselves, and we know that in You, we
will have victory.
In Jesus Christ we pray.
Amen.
Source of the Pictures of this Lesson
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by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 5: In: «Awake» magazine (April 8, 1987),
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strikes feet of image». In: «New Pictoral Aid For Bible Study» (BREADEN, Frank),
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Paul. In: «The Bible Story, volume 9» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1957, p.181. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 22: PROVONSHA,
Clyde. In: «God Cares, volume 2» (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing
Association, 1985, p.506. Screen 23: SCHLAIKJER, Jes. In: «Votre Bible
et Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.193. Screen 24: Photo
by SPRINGER, Joel. In: «Adventist Review» (September 1996), Review and Herald Publishing
Association, p.17. Screen 25: PROVONSHA, Clyde. In: «Votre Bible et
Vous» (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), Press Publishing Association, p.332. Screen 26: In:
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Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Screen 27: In: «Le Moniteur»,
Pacific Press Publishing Association, Second Quarter 2000, front cover. Screen 28:
In: «Photo Gallery 25,000» by Media Graphics International, CD #3, DJ079.JPG.
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The test of Lesson 24 is waiting for you!