Lesson 10 - Christ, Our Coming King

Lesson #10 --

Section #1 -- CHRIST, OUR COMING KING

p 49 -- John 14:1 -3 -- Let not your heart be troubled ... In my Father's house are many mansions ... I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go ... I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

Note - This is the greatest unfulfilled promise and prophecy in all the Bible. The return of Jesus, has been the hope and expectation of the church in all ages. This wonderful promise is based on only one condition - "If I go - I will come again." If He went, then He is sure to return.

Acts 1:9-11 -- And when He [Jesus] had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked ... two men stood by them ... which also said ... This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.

Note - The disciples to whom Jesus had made the wonderful promise of John 14:1-3 now see Him go into heaven. And two angel-messengers reassure the gazing disciples that this same Jesus will return again. These angels emphasize that the return will be "in like manner" as they have seen go. Why is this important? That brings us to our next text.

Matthew 24:23-27 -- There shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders ... believe it not. For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the coming of the Son of man be.

Note - Since there will arise false christs seeking to disturb the very elect, then it behooves us know from the Word of God, the exact way and manner that the true Christ Jesus will return the proceeding verses (Acts 1:9-11) are to be found three ways in which the disciples observed His departure. (1) A cloud received Him." (2) They "beheld" Him as He went up. And (3) the "Same" Jesus would return. It would not be a "spirit" return, for Jesus went bodily into heaven. The angels declared that Jesus would come again "in like manner." Let us check.

Matthew 24:30-31 -- And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect.

Note - This statement by Jesus is very important. He declares that when He returns all the tribes of earth will see Him. At that very time, the elect will be gathered. Who are the Elect?

I Peter 1:2-3 -- Elect ... through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.

Note - Peter defines the elect as those sanctified by the Spirit and sprinkled with the blood of Jesus. These he says have obtained "a lively hope." (Verse 3) At the sounding of the trumpet, the "elect" are in two categories. Note the next verse.

p 50 -- I Thessalonians 4:16-17 -- The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall arise first: Then we which are alive ... 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.

Note - From these verses, it will be observed that the "elect" are composed of those who have died in Christ., and the righteous who are alive on the earth, noted by Paul as "we." Since this letter is addressed to the "church" (I Thess. 1:1). we conclude the "we" to be the church. Another important factor in these verses is the revelation that Jesus does not touch the earth when He comes the second time. We meet Him "in the air," and from that point, we shall "ever be with the Lord." The return of Jesus also marks a resurrection - "the dead in Christ shall arise first." This is called the "First" Resurrection.

Revelation 20:5-6 -- This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection.

Note - The second coming of Christ concerns primarily those only who are blessed and holy. "The rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years were finished." (20:5) Thus Jesus' return and the resurrection of the just mark the beginning of that remarkable prophecy of Revelation 20 - The 1000 Years. (The Millennium)

Section #2 -- THE BEGINNING OF THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:1-3 -- And I saw another angel ... having the key of the bottomless pit ... . and he laid hold on ... Satan and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit ... till the thousand years should be fulfilled.

Note - Two expressions should be noted in these verses: (1) The term - "bottomless pit." To interpret this expression literally, would mean a pit without a bottom, and such an implication would make the prophecy ridiculous, for Satan comes out of the pit after the 1000 years. (20:7) The two words are a translation of a single Greek word - abussos - which means simply an abyss. In the LXX, the translators used this Greek word in Genesis 1:2, to translate the Hebrew word t'hohm. This word is used to describe the earth before God began the process of organization of the mass He had created on the first day. The word is thus used again and applied to the state of the earth as it will be for 1000 years after the return of Jesus the second time. (2) The second expression is the word - "bound" - in connection with Satan's inability to deceive the nations for 1000 years. How is this possible? Let us divide all humanity, alive and dead, into four groups, and find out what happens to each group at the return of Jesus the second time:

a. The righteous living - "caught up to meet Jesus in the air.- (I Thess 4:17)

b. The righteous dead - "The dead in Christ shall arise first." "They lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years." (I Thess. 4:16; Rev. 20:4c, 6b)

c. The wicked living - Destroyed at the "presence of the Lord." (II Thess. 1:7-10)

d. The wicked dead - Lived not till the thousand years were completed. (Rev. 20:5a)

On the basis of this deduction, there is not a single human being alive on the earth after Jesus comes the second time. The earth returns to a state of chaos which becomes Satan's abode for 1000 years. Jeremiah the prophet also pictures these conditions.

Jeremiah 4:23-28 -- I beheld the earth, and lo, it was without form and void ... I beheld and lo, there was no man ... I beheld, and lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities

p 51 -- were broken down at the presence of the Lord, and by His fierce anger. For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.

Jeremiah 25:31-33 -- The Lord hath a controversy with the nations ... He will give them that are wicked to the sword ... And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried, they shall be dung upon the ground.

Note - The wages of sin is death, and here among the dead Satan and his angels will be confined for 1000 years to view and contemplate the results of his rebellion.

Section #3 -- DURING THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:4 -- I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them ... and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

Note - The Bible in other references teaches that the redeemed will become a part of the judgment process. Jesus told His disciples that they would judge the tribes of Israel. (Matt. 19:28) Paul declares that the saints will judge the world and angels. (I Cor. 6:2-3) All that is involved in this judgment, we shall have to leave until that day when Christ shall set His "elect" upon those thrones. We do know that this period will be a time of adjustment as the saints acclimate themselves for the eternity ahead. We shall come to understand many things which are now only a mystery.

Section #4 -- THE CLOSE OF THE 1000 YEARS

Revelation 20:7-8 -- And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go forth to deceive the nations.

Note - These nations are declared to be in the four quarters of the earth. The wicked who had been slain at the presence of the Lord at His second coming, and those who did not come forth in the first resurrection now arise in a "second" resurrection. With beings once more to tempt, Satan is no longer restricted - bound - and goes forth to deceive.

Revelation 20:9 -- And they [the nations] went forth on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them.

Note - The beloved city is the New Jerusalem, which John saw coming down from God out of heaven. (Rev. 21:2) This city with its many mansions is the camp of the saints as they return with Jesus at the close of the 1000 years. (Zechariah 14:4-5) As the wicked seek to take the city by battle, fire from God devours them. This is called the second death. (Rev. 20:14-15) This fire also purifies the earth.

Section #5 -- THE ETERNAL KINGDOM

Revelation 21:1, 5 -- And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth ... And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold I make all things new.

p 52 -- Revelation 22:1, 3 -- And he shewed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of throne of God and of the Lamb and there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it and His servants shall serve Him.

SAINTS IN HEAVEN

CONTEMPLATION

The time of the final judgment is referred to in Revelation 20 as the judgment before the "great white throne." (20:11) As one brings together the picture as described in these final chapters of Revelation, a tremendous scene emerges. The Holy City has come down to earth, and is described as "the camp of the saints." (20:9) Far above the city appears the Throne of the Eternal - and the books of human record are opened. Before the Throne stand all the children of Adam in one first and final family reunion. (20:12) Consider as you envision the scene a few of those who will be there:

Cain and Abel will be there; Abel inside the jasper wall, Cain without. The last time they had seen each other, Abel's eyes were closing in death, and Cain's heart was burning with revengeful hate. Now the record is seen clearly. His refusal to acknowledge his need of a substitute has cost him dearly - the Holy City is forever closed to him.

Jacob and Esau will be there; Jacob within, Esau without. Again the books disclose the record. Esau's abhorrence of the birthright has cost him his right to the city of God.

Paul and Agrippa will be there; Paul within. Agrippa without. As Agrippa sees the record, he will be reminded of that day when Paul pled with him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He will hear again those fateful words he uttered - "Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian." (Acts 26:28) As his gaze turns to the glory radiating from the Holy City, he will realize as never before the price of "almost."

You and I will be in this scene somewhere. At the first resurrection, we will either meet the Lord in the air, or perish at His presence. During the 1000 years we will either be with Jesus, or lay as "dung" on the earth. Then in the family reunion we will either be inside or outside the city of God. The choice is ours now to make as to where we will be in the picture projected by this final time prophecy of the Bible.

p 53 -- Lesson #10 -- QUIZ -- (Fill in the blanks)

1. -- The greatest unfulfilled prophecy in the Bible is the promise of Jesus found in ____ ____:____, which says,"_____ ____ ____ ____."

2. -- When Jesus returns the second time, the ____ of earth will mourn, because they ____ Him come. On the other hand, when the ____ of God shall sound, the ____ in Christ ____ _____ first, and the ____ ____ will be caught up to meet the Lord ____ ____ ____ , and so they shall ____ ____ with ____ ____.

3. -- The resurrection of the righteous is called the ____ ____ and marks the beginning of the ____ ____.

4. -- During the 1000 years the earth will be ____, and without a living human ____. Here for this period will be the prison of ____ . Those who are slain by the presence of the Lord will lie as ____ on the earth, and will not be ____.

5. -- During the 1000 years, the righteous will be with Christ in heaven, sitting upon ____ of ____.

6. -- After the 1000 years the wicked will be resurrected, and Satan will then seek to deceive them into believing that they can take the camp of the saints which is the ____ ____. But ____ comes down from God and ____ them. This is the ____ death. 7. -- After the destruction of the wicked, God will make ____ ____ new. Then on this earth will be established the _____ of the ____ and His ____ shall ____ Him

Quiz Answers --

(1) John 14:3, I will come again. (2) tribes, see, trump, dead, will, arise, living, righteous, in, the, air, ever, be, the, Lord. (3) first, resurrection, 1000, years. (4) desolate, being, Satan, dung, buried. (5) thrones, judgment. (6) New, Jerusalem, fire, devours, second. (7) all, things, throne, God, servants, serve.