Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life
Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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(Today’s Reading)
The Implications of the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact
(Book Installment 19)
The Scope of the Second Coming
Chapter 1 – References to the Second Coming
References to the Second Coming in the Gospel of Matthew (continued and concluding)
Notice below how Jesus describes the magnificent climax of God’s plan. He does so in apocalyptic terms, signaling that His return would be in the spiritual realm. (When people say “It was raining cats and dogs,” no reasonable person takes them to be speaking literally; we should use the same common sense when reading the Bible.)
Matt 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Matt 24:30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
Matt 24:31 “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
The scope of what Jesus is describing in His coming is immeasurable. His words point to majesty, but cannot contain that majesty.
As magnificent as the conclusion of God’s plan for redemption would be, Jesus’ disciples would not be able to predict the day or hour – only the season.
Matthew 24:42 “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
At the conclusion of God’s plan, Jesus would be sitting on His glorious throne. We know that this means He would no longer be sitting at the right hand of a glorious throne, but would be sitting on the very throne of God.
Matthew 25:31 “But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.
As with the Old Testament, I’m only giving you samples of what’s found in the New Testament. Collectively, they are helping us to recognize the importance of a spiritual Second Coming by recognizing the many specific things that were taking place behind the scenes – that is, in the spiritual realm. As for Matthew specifically, you may have noticed a lot of “Daniel language” in what I’ve presented to you. What Daniel foresaw from afar, Matthew – really Jesus – presented as up close and personal. The Second Coming was imminent in the 1st century and it was described as a spiritual event.
References to the Second Coming in the Gospel of Mark
Whereas Matthew spoke of the kingdom “of heaven” for his Jewish audience, Mark, like the rest of the New Testament authors, usually wrote “kingdom of God.”
Mark 1:14 Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God,
Mark 1:15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
Mark 9:1 And Jesus was saying to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power.”
Whether it was written “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God,” the “coming” always referred to the kingdom promised to David.
Mark 11:10 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!”
Both Matthew and Mark are reminding us is that Jesus taught that “the end” was a “kingdom.” In other words, the end would be a beginning – specifically, the beginning of the kingdom that would never end.
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