Why Jesus Must Come Back (Part 3)

Jesus coming again Titus 2:11-14 reads, “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

Last week, you might recall, that we continued in our series titled “Why Jesus Must Come Back,” and we dealt with why THE IMMINENCY OF JESUS’ COMING CALLS FOR ALERTNESS. In talking about this subject, we discussed three lamentable conditions that we face in this day and time. Allow me to share those briefly:

I. WE ARE FACED WITH THE DULLNESS OF MAN TO SPIRITUAL TRUTH

2 Timothy 4:3 reads, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears…”

II. WE ARE FACED WITH THE DULLNESS OF MAN TO SPIRITUAL DANGERS

III. WE ARE FACED WITH THE DULLNESS OF MAN TO PROPHESIED EVENTS

Today, allow me to talk with you for a few minutes about why THE IMMINENCY OF JESUS’ COMING CALLS FOR AWARENESS

I. WE MUST BE AWARE OF ALL THAT CHRIST HAS DONE FOR US IN THE PAST.

I Corinthians 15:1-4 reads: Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand;

By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain.

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures

II. WE MUST BE AWARE OF THE GREATNESS OF WHAT HE WILL DO FOR US IN THE FUTURE – THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

Who can measure the import of His coming? Men try to minimize the first coming of Christ, and now they are trying to do the same thing regarding the second coming. This is not new. It has ever been so. It was true in the first century, for Peter said, “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts.” It is indicated that there were scoffers in that day, and there are scoffers in this day.

Our Saviour is coming in two parts. First, in the rapture; and second, in the second coming proper – specifically. The dead in Christ shall be raised from the graves. The living shall be changed. There will be a great union. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 says, “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.”

That is describing the first part of Jesus’ Second Coming — when He will take those who believe in Him away from the earth at the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the seven-year reign of the antichrist.

The second part of Jesus’ Second Coming is when He will return with His church to defeat the antichrist, overthrow evil and then establish His thousand year reign. The Bible speaks of this 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.”

III. WE MUST BE AWARE THAT ONE DAY WE ALL WILL FACE THE SON OF GOD IN JUDGEMENT.

A. Christians will face Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ.

The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 5:9-10, “Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.”

The Bible also says in I Corinthians 3:13-15: “Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

These two passages speak of the Judgment Seat of Christ — sometimes referred to as the “bema”. Only church-age saints will appear at that judgment, as shown in 2 Corinthians 5:10: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ.” The purpose of the bema is an exhaustive evaluation of our lives. First Corinthians 4:5 says the Lord will come and “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God.”

Thus, the purpose of the judgment seat of Christ is to examine a Christian’s total life. We will be recompensed for the deeds we have done, whether good or bad. The term used there refers to a summing up and estimation of the total pattern of a believer’s life. This overall focus should keep us from worrying over every stupid thing we’ve ever done, or thoughtless sin we have committed. It’s a time of reward, not punishment.

B. Unbelievers will face Christ at the Great White Throne Judgment. This is the most fearful time depicted in the Bible.

The Bible says in Revelation 20:11-14: “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.”

Everybody who has rejected the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ will be present at this judgment. Speaking of this Great White Throne Judgment, John MacArthur said “This is man’s last day in God’s court. This day of judgment, this tribunal, this court, this trial will not be like the familiar trials held on earth. For those on trial this day will experience a very different kind of court. There will be no debate about guilt or innocence. There will be a prosecutor but no defender, there will be an accuser but no advocate. There will be an indictment but no case for the charged. There will be a swift presentation
of the convicting evidence but no rebuttal, a testimony with no cross examination. There will be an utterly unsympathetic judge and no jury. There will be a sentence but no appeal, a punishment with no parole in a jail with no escape.”

The Bible also says of this Second Coming 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 clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”

Revelation 1:7 reads: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.”

Yes, the imminency of Jesus Christ’s coming calls for awareness. Are you aware of that today?

Dear friend, if you are not ready to meet your Creator when He comes, may I strongly encourage you to get ready. If Jesus were to come back right now, where would you go – to Heaven to be with Jesus, or to hell to be with the devil and his angels forever? You can be sure that you are going to Heaven right now, today. Allow me to show you from God’s Word:

1. Accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God’s law. The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 7:20: “For there is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” Romans 3:23 reads: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”

2. Accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: “For the wages of sin is death…”

3. Accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: “And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.” The Bible says in Revelation 21:8: “But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

4. Accept the fact that you cannot do anything to save yourself! The Bible states in Ephesians 2: 8, 9: “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is a gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

5. Accept the fact that God loves you more than you love yourself, and that He wants to save you from hell. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

6. With these facts in mind, please repent of your sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and pray and ask Him to come into your heart and save you this very moment. The Bible states in the book of Romans 10:9, 13: “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you are willing to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, please pray with me the following simple prayer: Heavenly Father, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I now believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen.

Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in twenty-three foreign countries. He is the author of fifteen books. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry which publishes a monthly magazine called The Torch Leader. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts, The Prayer Motivator Devotional and the Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, and the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, and a Master’s degree in Religion from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica for twenty-four years. God has blessed their union with seven children. Find out more at www.danielwhyte3.com.

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