God With Us 2022 Part 3
In God With Us part 1, I explored the evidence for God’s desire to be with us found in the creation account.
In God With Us part 2, I explored the birth of Jesus and what it reveals to us regarding the heart of God. This is the third and final post of this series and I will explore Jesus’ promise to come again to be with us and to take us to be with Him.
“ “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 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. ”
Jesus was very clear. He will come again to receive us to Himself so that where He is we can be also. Jesus wants to be with us and this understanding helps keep my heart from being troubled.
The Apocalypse
Many associate the apocalypse with scary events causing them to be afraid of the second coming of Jesus. The Greek word Apokalypsis (ἀποκάλυψις) means disclosure:—appearing, coming, lighten, manifestation, be revealed, revelation. (Strong’s definition) In Portuguese and Spenish and perhaps other languages as well the last book of the Bible is referred to by the Greek word or its transliteration. In English, we have the translation of the Greek so we call the last book of the Bible Revelation, which is less scary than calling it the book of Apocalypse!
There’s a whole genre of post-apocalyptic writing, movies, and games. Meriam Webster defines postapocalyptic as existing or occurring after a catastrophically destructive disaster or apocalypse.
As a student of the Bible, I find this fascinating. Here is a secular term that cannot be understood without a reference to the book of Revelation. The problem I see in this is that the entire book of Revelation is summarized as essentially a catastrophic destruction of life on planet earth. If you never read the book of Revelation you would think it describes a nuclear holocaust or maybe zombies. Yes, Zombie Apocalypse literally means a zombie revelation or uncovering, but in our cultural context, it means the collapse of society due to an overwhelming swarm of zombies.
So we avoid the book of Revelation, we are afraid of it. We don’t talk much about the second coming of Jesus because that’s going to happen at the end of time and that will be terrible and scary right? Except that the followers of Jesus seem to look forward to that day. Paul refers to it as the blessed hope of the glorious appearing of Jesus!
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, 12 teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, 13 looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
- Titus 2:11-14 NKJV (bold mine)
I grew up in the Seventh-day Adventist faith and I have heard my share of scary end time sermons. However, the more I study the Bible for myself the more I am convinced that the second coming of Jesus is an event we ought to look forward to! Jesus wants to be with me and I want to be with Him, why would I not want Him to come soon?
If I am not looking for the soon coming of Jesus what am I going to look forward to?
I Will Come Again
In John 14:3 Jesus clearly states that He will come again to receive us to Himself that where He is there we may be also. It is clear that Jesus desires to be with us. Not only did He create us, but He also came and was born as one of us, lived for over 30 years as a human, and died so that we might live with Him. If we believe this to be true how could we doubt that He will come again?
9 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, 11 who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
- Acts 1:9-11 NKJV
When Jesus went up into heaven two men in white apparel, I believe they were angels, told Jesus’ followers that He would come again like He went up. That is, Jesus would not be born again as a baby, but rather He would come in the clouds. I would argue that the second coming of Jesus is what motivates the efforts of the apostles to proclaim Jesus to the whole world.
25 “And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; 26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.”
- Luke 21:25-28 NKJV (bold mine)
Luke 21:27 records Jesus making this same point. His second coming will not be like His birth, that most people missed. It will be a glorious event!
7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.
- Revelation 1:7 NKJV
John describes the second coming of Jesus using similar words and adds that this time every eye shall see Him. He also adds an interesting line, “And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.”
John is the last living disciple and he is writing from the island of Patmos, where he was exiled. He writes to the early church who is being persecuted and he encourages them, that even though people are putting their lives on the line when they choose to follow Jesus it is worth it because He is coming again and there will be a reversal. When Jesus comes, it is those who are in power, those who are persecuting the followers of Jesus who will mourn.
The description of Jesus coming in the clouds probably also brought up in the mind of Jesus’ followers the prophecy found in Daniel 7.
13 “I was watching in the night visions,
And behold, One like the Son of Man,
Coming with the clouds of heaven!
He came to the Ancient of Days,
And they brought Him near before Him.
14 Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
Which shall not pass away,
And His kingdom the one
Which shall not be destroyed.
- Daniel 7:13-14 NKJV (bold mine)
Matthew 24 records Jesus using similar language while describing His second coming to His disciples.
30 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. 31 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.
- Matthew 24:30-31NKJV (bold mine)
Jesus’ assertion that He would come again in the clouds with great power contributed to Him being sentenced to death.
64 Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, “He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Look, now you have heard His blasphemy! 66 What do you think?”
They answered and said, “He is deserving of death.”
- Matthew 26:64-66 NKJV (bold mine)
The second coming of Jesus is not a new teaching. It is not a small detail, it is the culmination of the plan of salvation! If I share with you how God created the world (God with us part 1), and about how God became flesh and dwelt among us and died for us and was raised again from the dead (God with us part 2), I should not avoid talking about the second coming of Jesus in the clouds with great power and glory.
Judgment
As a Christ follower living in the United States, I must admit it is quite comfortable to be a Christian. Sure there are inconveniences, but nobody is trying to kill me. Following Jesus does not mean putting my life on the line. And I wonder if this is the reason why so many, at least in the western world, seem to avoid talking about the second coming of Jesus. When you are being persecuted and have to rely on God to provide for you every day of your life you long for Him to come soon. But what happens when you’re living comfortably and it feels like you don’t need God all that much?
What happens when you have a comfortable place to live, access to plenty of food and quality health care? Suddenly the second coming of Jesus is not as important. Sure He will come someday in the future, around the time of the end of the world, but we don’t have to worry about it now. So the second coming of Jesus, the Revelation of Jesus Christ, coming in the clouds with great power and glory becomes the apocalypse, a scary event in the distant future that we do not talk about.
We read the gospels but skip the parts like Matthew 24-25, and especially portions like Matthew 25:31-32.
31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.
- Matthew 25:31-32 NKJV
We become comfortable with baby Jesus born in a manger. We like Jesus meek and mild. We weep at the thought of Him dying on the cross for our sins. But why do we shy away from talking about Jesus coming in His glory to judge the nations? Does it make us uncomfortable? Why would the second coming of Jesus make us uncomfortable?
Jesus gives us salvation as a gift. We do not have to earn it or work for it. We should not be afraid of His judgment. But life looks different in light of the second coming does it not? The imminence of the second coming of Jesus readjusts our priorities.
Let me put it a little differently. When you look at your life, what you consider a success and a failure change depending on your views regarding the second coming of Jesus. When you plan for the future, what you emphasize and where you invest your time and effort change depending on your views regarding the second coming of Jesus.
I want to be very clear about this. Please read carefully. I am not saying “panic and head for the hills.” I am not saying “become a monk and move to the mountains.” I am not saying do more good deeds because Santa Clause is coming to town and you don’t want to receive a lump of coal instead of the gift from your wishlist.
What I am saying is that Jesus is coming soon, and you should organize your life accordingly. This means being intentional about being about the Master’s business. (For more see my series on the Parable of the Talents)
I am not telling you to focus on yourself. Attempts to save yourself will fail because they spring from a selfish heart. Salvation is not about just saying the name of Jesus. Spiritual abuse is a real thing. Much harm has been done by those in power who claimed to be doing so in the name of Jesus.
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
- Matthew 7:21-23 NKJV
What I am telling you is to live your life focused on those you can help. Minister to others not out of a desire to save yourself, but out of love for the other.
In Matthew 25:31-46 Jesus illustrates the final judgment as Him separating the sheep from the goats. At first glance, it seems like the judgment is based on actions or behavior. The difference between the sheep and the goats seems to be based on how they treated those in need. This would indicate that salvation is based on works and good deeds earn you eternal life. But a more careful reading of the text reveals that salvation is not based on the actions but rather on the heart. The behavior only revealed the condition of the heart.
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
- Matthew 25:37-40 NKJV
Based on these verses, the righteous are surprised by Jesus’ claim regarding how they lived their lives. This means that the righteous were not aware they were “doing the things” they needed to do in order to be saved. If salvation was by works, the doers of the work would have been doing good deeds intentionally hoping to receive a reward. But when they are surprised by the reward it reveals they were simply living their lives, not expecting a reward, but simply doing what they felt like doing. They fed the hungry because their hearts had been softened by the presence of Jesus. They gave drinks to the thirsty because it gave them joy to be able to do something for someone else who was in need. They helped strangers and clothed the naked, cared for the sick, and visited those in prison because it felt like the right thing to do. The righteous did good deeds not to earn their salvation, but because they were saved. They lived as Jesus lived. Helping those in need felt right, it was worthwhile for them.
Priorities
I don’t want you to live your life afraid of the judgment. I don’t want you to have nightmares about the apocalypse. I want you to live a life of adventure and service because when you realize what God has done for you you experience a desire to discover what you can do for others. I want you to live an exciting and challenging life shaped by mission, by a desire to serve, to share the good news, and to introduce others to the God who has loved them all along.
What is God calling you to do?
This is not about earning your salvation, but about living out your life as one who is saved. Life is about living out of the overflow of what God does for you. Life is about receiving blessings from God and becoming a blessing to others.
Service begins in the home, to those closest to you, and from the home, it spreads outward to those around you. We serve those closest to us, then our neighbors, co-workers, classmates, and on and on serving and helping as many as God calls us to serve.
None of us can do everything, but all of us can do something.
What is God calling you to do?
Who will you serve this week? This Month? This year?
Prayerfully consider this, and put it into action. Jesus is coming soon, and there is a world that is dying in desperate need of the gospel, and of help, and of love.
