Do you know that the Old Testament features more than 100 prophesies
regarding the coming of the Messiah to earth? Through these
prophesies we know that Jesus was truly the Messiah, for he
fulfilled every one of them. That is also how, we, believers can be
so confident that He will return physically to this earth to set up
His kingdom, because He promised He would!
God must have wanted His followers to learn Bible prophesies,
because He dedicated almost 30 percent of His Scripture to it.
Not only does prophesy teach us about future events, it also assures
us that God keeps His word and His promises. Another reason we
know that God wants Christians to study and understand prophesy is
that one of the earliest New Testament books is 1 Thessalonians, a
letter filled with teaching about end-time events. Every
chapter contains a reference to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ,
the Rapture, the Antichrist, the wrath to come, and other future
events.
The Second Coming of Jesus is a widely misunderstood and debated topic, even
among eschatology scholars. The Bible foretells of this "day of the Lord" or
"end times" event, but readers often confuse it with what is called the Rapture.
In studying either, it is important to understand the difference.
Debaters often proclaim the "Rapture" is a word that is not in the Bible. That
is true! English translations do not actually use the word Rapture but it is
translated from the Greek word harpazo, meaning caught, away, up. (See
Strong's Concordance # 726 and # 138.) The belief is largely based on 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17. It is important to note this because this verse says, "to
meet the Lord in the air." This means Jesus does not step foot on the earth at
this time; believers will be called up to the clouds to meet Him.
The Second Coming refers to Jesus' return to earth itself, conquering Satan
(Revelation 16:15-17 and 17:14) and reclaiming God's Kingdom with His saints (1
Thessalonians 3:13; Zechariah 14:5; Jude 1:14). Jesus himself foretold of His
return in Matthew 24 and 25. In these two chapters, He goes into great detail
about the events leading up to the time of His return.
Jesus, speaking of Himself, said in Matthew 25: 31-32, "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." (Here He is saying that God will separate His obedient followers from
the pretenders and unbelievers.)
In John 14:3, Jesus states, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will
come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." Then in
verse 28-29, He speaks more on this promise saying that He is telling this ahead
of time so that when it does happen, we will know He is true.
The early followers of Jesus Christ knew He had ascended to heaven and they
expected that He would return for them as promised. However, the promise is for
all who have been faithful believers since. Be spiritually prepared and watchful
for His victorious return!
