Jesus is Coming with Power and Great Glory
Revelation 19:11-16
“Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are full of hundreds of verses, references and prophesies of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. Actually, there are more prophesies of Christ second coming to the earth than there are of His first coming as a baby in a manger in Bethlehem. In studying these prophecies especially in the Old Testament, we need to remember that the church age was hidden to the prophets. You can only find the church in types and pictures in the OT. So, there are no references to the coming of the Lord for the church at the rapture in the OT. Whenever the prophets saw Messiah’s coming, it was either His first coming as baby in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), or His Second Coming as the King of kings and Lord of lords to set up His kingdom. And they often saw them as one event.
People are often surprised to learn that references to the Second Coming outnumber references to the first coming by a factor of eight to one. Scholars have identified 1,845 different biblical references to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, no less than seventeen books mention Christ’s return. The New Testaments authors speak of it in 23 of the 27 books. Seven out of ten chapters in the New Testament refer to His return. In other words, one out of every thirty verses in the New Testament teaches us that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth.
Zechariah prophesied of both events.
Jesus first coming: Riding into Jerusalem just before His crucifixion. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)
His Second Coming: “Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, And your spoil will be divided in your midst.” (Zechariah 14:1) “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south.” (Zechariah 14:4) “And the LORD shall be King over all the earth. In that day it shall be-- "The LORD is one," And His name one. (Zechariah 14:9)
Jesus told His disciples about His Second Coming and described it this way in Matthew 24:23-31: “Then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. 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. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 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.”
We will give a few more references tomorrow. But in closing, one of my favorite is John 14:2-3: “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.”
The most wonderful thing about His coming, is His promise that we will be with Him! Today could be that day!
God bless!
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