Jesus Is Coming Again, Part 1

Every true church has some mockers in it, who do not believe Jesus as Lord. They mock Jesus, they mock true Christians, and they mock the word of God. They do not believe in the parousia, i.e., the second coming of Christ to judge the world, so they live in sin and indulge in sin.

In 2 Peter 3:3-4 we read, “First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, [mocking] and following their own evil desires. They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

God is truth; his word is truth. God cannot lie. All God’s promises are true. Paul writes, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20).

Yes, Jesus is coming in glory to judge and destroy all the mockers of God. We want to look at three points from this passage.

Absolute Certainty of His Coming

The first point is the absolute certainty of the second coming of Christ. Jesus himself promised the following:

• Matthew 24: 30–31: “At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
• Matthew 24:35: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

Peter says in 2 Peter 3:10, “And will come the day of the Lord.” In the Greek, he put the verb first to emphasize the certainty of Christ’s coming. Although over two thousand years have passed, Jesus has not come yet because he is waiting for every elect to be saved. He will surely come when the last elect person is saved. The day of the Lord is the day of God and also the day of judgment, as we read:

• John 5:22–23: “Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.” Let me ask you: Do you honor the Son, Jesus Christ? Have you trusted in him alone to be saved?
• John 5:28–30: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear [the Lord’s] voice and come out— those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.”
• Acts 17:31: “For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead.”
• Acts 10:42: “He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that [Jesus] is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.”
• Revelation 20:11–15: “Then I saw a great white throne and [Jesus] who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” Let me ask you a question: Is your name written in the book of life? Have you believed in Jesus Christ and been saved?
• Matthew 25:31–33: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.”

Jesus is coming again, as he promised. He is coming to save his people and to judge all the mockers who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus.

In Hebrews 9:27–28 we read, “Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.”

Christ’s coming is imminent. Revelation 10:6 says, “And he swore by him who lives for ever and ever, who created the heavens and all that is in them, the earth and all that is in it, and the sea and all that is in it, and said, ‘There will be no more delay!’” Either he will come or we will die. There is no more delay.

When Jesus comes to judge, he will save the godly and destroy the ungodly. Peter writes, “If this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment” (2 Pet. 2:9).

The Character of His Coming

Second, we want to look at the character of his coming. Jesus will come again like a thief in the night. Jesus himself spoke about this, as did Paul:

• Matthew 24:43–44: Jesus said, “But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” In other words, we must be ready always.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:1–3: Paul writes, “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, ‘Peace and safety,’ destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.”

Jesus will come suddenly; he will come unexpectedly; and he will come without warning. In Matthew 25:6 we read, “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’” His coming will result in the destruction of all the wicked and the fullness of salvation of all true believers.

When he comes, it will be too late to be saved. Now is the time to be saved. Paul writes, “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:1–2).

Do not ask stupid questions like the one who asked Jesus, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?” (Luke 13:23). Ask the right question, as the Philippian jailer did: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” And the answer came: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household” (Acts 16:30–31).

I beseech you right now to repent and believe in Jesus the only Savior and be saved. (PGM) In fact, God himself brought you here to hear this word. Take to heart these words:

• Acts 4:12: Peter said, “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
• Romans 10:9: Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
• 2 Thessalonians 1:6–10: Paul also says, “God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.”

The Purpose of His Coming

The third point we want to look at is the purpose of Christ’s second coming. Peter writes, “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. . . . That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Pet. 3:10, 12).

Purpose 1: The Heavens Will Disappear

Peter says the heavens will disappear with a roaring sound, sound of a fierce fire. The word “heavens” may mean atmospheric heavens. Elsewhere we read:

• Revelation 6:14: “The sky receded like a scroll, rolling up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.”
• Isaiah 34:4: “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved and the sky rolled up like a scroll; all the starry host will fall like withered leaves from the vine, like shriveled figs from the fig tree.”
• Revelation 20:11: “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.”

Purpose 2: The Elements Will Be Destroyed

Peter says the elements, meaning the heavenly bodies themselves—sun, moon, stars, galaxies, and so on—will be burned up and dissolved. Peter is using apocalyptic language. It is difficult to interpret because the reality is greater than the language can express. We read:

• Isaiah 34:4: “All the stars of the heavens will be dissolved.”
• Isaiah 13:10–13: “The stars of heaven and their constellations will not show their light. The rising sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light. I will punish the world for its evil, the wicked for their sins. I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty and will humble the pride of the ruthless. I will make man scarcer than pure gold, more rare than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble; and the earth will shake from its place at the wrath of the Lord Almighty, in the day of his burning anger.”
• Joel 2:10–11: “Before them the earth shakes, the sky trembles, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?”
• Matthew 24:29–31: ““Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Purpose 3: The Earth and Everything in It Will Be Laid Bare

The third purpose is to expose the earth and all man’s work to divine judgment. Peter says everything will be laid bare. That means mockers and enemies of Jesus will have no place to hide from Christ’s judgment. Consider the following:

• Revelation 6:15–17: “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and among the rocks of the mountains. They called to the mountains and the 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 their wrath has come, and who can stand?’”
• Matthew 16:27: “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
• 1 Peter 4:5: “But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”
• John 5:28–30: “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just.”
• Matthew 25:46: “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”
• Isaiah 66:16: “For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain by the Lord.”

God’s fire saves the righteous and destroys the wicked.

• His fire saves. In Daniel 3:19–20 we read, “Then Nebuchadnezzar was furious with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and his attitude toward them changed. He ordered the furnace [to be] heated seven times hotter than usual and commanded some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace.” Yet these young men were not killed. The Lord who was with them saved Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The same God is also with us. He will come to save us and give us fullness of salvation.
• His fire kills the wicked. In Malachi 4:1 we read, ‘”Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and that day that is coming will set them on fire,’ says the Lord Almighty.”

The fire of God’s judgment will purify the world. Peter writes, “By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. . . . But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. . . . That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat” (2 Pet. 3:7, 10, 12).

Our God is a consuming fire. We cannot spit on his face and get away with it. He will come to destroy all those who dishonor him. We read:

• Hebrews 12:28–29: “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire.’”
• Hebrews 10:30–31: “For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again, ‘The Lord will judge his people.’ It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
• Psalm 2:10–12: “Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.”
• Philippians 2:12–13: “Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed–—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you [both] to will and to [do] according to his good purpose.”

Conclusion

When the Lord Jesus judges the world by fire, every godly person will be saved, as we read below:

• 1 Corinthians 1:7–9: “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, is faithful.”
• Jude 24–25: “To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy—to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.”
• 2 Timothy 4:8: [Paul said before he was beheaded] “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
• 2 Peter 2:9: “if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment, while continuing their punishment.”

What should we do in light of the sure second coming of Jesus Christ? We should listen to the apostle Peter and do what he says. He writes, “Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:10–11).

As we do what Peter says, what happened to Stephen will happen to us. As he was being stoned, Stephen saw heaven open, and the Lord standing. A similar thing happened to the great man, J. Gresham Machen, who founded Westminster Seminary, which became the world’s top seminary. As Machen was dying of pneumonia, he was given a vision of heaven. He told his friend, “It was glorious. It was glorious,” and he died and went to heaven. May God help us all to be saved.

Peter was crucified, yet he was saved. His spirit went to paradise to enjoy eternal fellowship with God. May God help us have trusted in Christ to follow his example. And may he regenerate those who are outside of Christ and give them saving faith, that they may repent of their sins, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and be saved.