Sermons.love Support us on Paypal
Contact Us
Watch 2022-2023 online sermons » Greg Laurie » Greg Laurie - The Second Coming

Greg Laurie - The Second Coming


  • Watch
  • Audio
  • Donate
  • Become Partner
    Greg Laurie - The Second Coming
TOPICS: Second Coming, End times

Heard a story about a traveling salesman that was out on the road. He had a really long hard day. He returned to his hotel room. Sitting at the edge of his bed, he took off his shoe and just let it drop to the ground with a big thud and then it dawned on him, "Oh my, you know, it's late at night, there's someone below me, I might have woken them up". So he very carefully and quietly took off his second shoe and put it on the floor. A half hour passes, there's a knock at the door. And the salesman opens the door and there standing before him is a man with dark circles under his eyes and he said, "Would you just let the other shoe drop so I can get some sleep"?

You know, in many ways, the world today is waiting for the other shoe to drop, so to speak. And that's what's happening here in Revelation 19: the other shoe is dropping, if you will, as Jesus Christ is now visibly returning to the earth in what we call the Second Coming. This is the event the church has been praying for for centuries. In the Lord's Prayer, Christ taught us to say to the Father, "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven". That is effectively a prayer for the return of Christ. And now here in Revelation 19, we see this prayer is being answered before our very eyes. By the way, it's not just Christians that believe this. I read a Gallup Poll that said 66% of the American people believe that Jesus Christ is coming back to this earth in the future. And that poll was taken quite a long time ago.

I wonder if that percentage is not higher with all that is going on in our world right now. Make no mistake about it, Christ is coming again. And at the Second Coming, Jesus is going to come back to this planet, he's gonna judge his enemies, he's gonna set up his kingdom, and he'll rule over the earth for a 1000-year period that is called the Millennium. Satan's heyday will be over and he'll be chained up for 1000 years. By the way, the Second Coming of Christ is mentioned many times in the Bible. It's mentioned 1800 times in the Old Testament and 300 times in the New Testament, specifically one verse in 25 mentions the Lord's return in the Bible. It's referred to in 27 Old Testament books and also in 23 New Testament books. Listen to this. For every prophecy about the First Coming of Jesus Christ, there are eight prophecies about the Second Coming.

So, clearly, this is a theme in the Bible that is repeated over and over again. In Revelation 22:20, we read these words: "He who testifies to these things says, 'Yes, I am coming quickly.'" And then John responds, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus". That should be the response of every believer: "Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven". You know, after Jesus was crucified and rose again from the dead, now he was going to ascend to heaven and we read over in Acts chapter 1, verse 11, that the angels told the disciples as Christ was ascending, "Why do you stand here gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus who is taken from you into heaven will come again in like manner as you saw him go into heaven". So know this, Jesus Christ is coming again. The incarnation without the coronation, would be like the East without the West. It's repeated over and over.

One of the more familiar passages is Matthew 24, also known as the Olivet Discourse when Christ speaks of this and he says, "Immediately after the Tribulation of those days," and remember, there's gonna be a great tribulation period that lasts for seven years. So the Second Coming is at the end of the Tribulation period. So Jesus says, "As this is happening, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give her light, the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heaven will be shaken and then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory". No, it doesn't say, "Greg Laurie". Great glory. I actually think I'll be there, though, and if you're a Christian, I think you'll be there as well. I'll tell you why I believe that in just a few moments. But the Second Coming happens at the Battle of Armageddon, and the Battle of Armageddon is at the end of the Tribulation period.

So the question may arise, what are we going to be doing, as followers of Jesus? After the Rapture and before the Second Coming, something's gonna happen in heaven that some Christians don't know about. It's called the Judgment Seat of Christ, and every Christian will be present at the Judgment Seat of Christ. It happens after the Rapture and it happens before the Second Coming. Now, you might say, "Wait, wait. I thought we weren't gonna be judged". Well, you won't be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. We'll talk about that next time. That is that judgment where the small and the great, the rich and the poor, every person, stands before God and if your name is not found written in the book of life, you're cast into the lake of fire. This is not that judgment. Not only will a Christian not be judged then, but they will not even be present at that judgment, in my opinion. What I'm talking about is a different judgment that's sometimes called the Bema Seat or the Judgment Seat of Christ. And that is the judgment that we're gonna stand before as followers of Jesus Christ.

Describing this in 2 Corinthians 5:10, it says we must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ that each one may receive the things done in the body according to what he has done whether it be good or bad. So I'll stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ and he'll wanna know what did I do with my opportunities. Did I leverage them? Did I use the influence that God gave me? Did I address my sphere of influence? I know I'm supposed to go into all the world and preach the gospel, but did I go into all of my world and preach the gospel? Did I reach out to people that I know? How did I use my resources? How did I spend my money? These things all will be reviewed at the Judgment Seat of Jesus Christ. And I think we'll be in for some surprises.

Know this: at the Rapture God gives us a first-class, roundtrip ticket. Yes, I'm going up, but I'm gonna come back down again. Look at Revelation 19, verse 11: "Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He that sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. And he is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses". Wow, what a powerful passage that is. Look at verse 11. He's called Faithful and True. This is in contrast to the devil who is unfaithful and he lies. Jesus said, in John 8:44, to the Pharisees, "You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desires. He's a murderer from the beginning. And he is a liar and he is the father of lies".

So, our Lord is faithful and true. But of course, not everyone thinks that. For the non-believer, God is never fair in what he does. And when men go out and break God's laws that he gives us for our own protection, and then they face the inevitable consequences, they shake a fist in the face of God and blame him, but the fact is he's faithful and true. And God keeps his promises. Think about it. Jesus said, "I'll never leave you or forsake you". Jesus said, "My peace I give to you, not as the world gives, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled. Neither let it be afraid". Has the Lord not kept his promises to you? Well, he's gonna keep all of his promises including his promise to come again, because he said in John 14:3: "I go to prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again to receive you unto myself that where I am, you may be also".

Now, I wanna point out something: judgment is not God's happy place. Do you have a happy place? Usually a person has something they like to do, you know? I mean, some people it's when they're eating. Another person, when they're exercising. I don't understand that, but they say there's this release of endorphins when you run. At least, they experience it. I've never met an endorphin. The only time I think I've had an endorphin released is actually when I was eating. But we have our happy place, things we like to do. I think some people think that judgment is God's happy place, "Oh yeah! I've been waiting for this. I can hardly wait". No, it's the opposite of that.

Remember, we read in Scripture that God is not willing that any should perish and also we read God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked. Here are some things we learned from the verses we just read, in case you're taking notes. Number one, the Second Coming of Christ will be public and it will be seen by everyone. The Second Coming of Christ will be public and it will be seen by all. There'll be no mistaking it when it happens. People will not say, "Was that just a really bad storm"? No, everyone will know because Jesus said, "As the lightning shines from the East to the West, so will the coming of the Son of Man be". Number two, the Second Coming of Christ will be accompanied by sadness and weeping. Yes, it's a happy day for heaven but it's a sad day for earth. Israel will mourn as they realize that Jesus was their Messiah.

Zechariah 12:10 says: "They'll look on me whom they have pierced and mourn for him as for an only son. They will grieve bitterly for him as for a firstborn son who has died". And Jesus is coming to bring righteous retribution and vengeance. Now, I know some people don't like the idea of a vengeful God. They wanna think of him as a loving God. He is a loving God. He is a forgiving God. He is also a holy God and a righteous God and, in this instance, he is a vengeful God. Some would say, "Oh no, God is too good to punish sin". No, listen, God is too good to not punish sin. Romans 12:19 says this: "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for it is written: 'Vengeance is mine. I will repay,' says the Lord".

Now think about it. We all read of horrible injustice that happens in this world, wicked acts of violence perpetrated on people, on innocent little children, and we think they can't get away with this and those people never get arrested, they're never incarcerated, they never face the ramifications for their sin. They escape the long arm of the law. But, listen, they will not escape the long arm of the Lord. There's a final judgment and everything will come out and this is that day. Now, again, I wanna distinguish between the Rapture and the Second Coming, two stages of the Lord's return. The Rapture is at the beginning of the Tribulation, or I should say, before it.

The Second Coming is at the end of the Tribulation. In the Rapture he comes before judgment; in the Second Coming, he returns with judgment. In the Rapture, Jesus comes for his people; in the Second Coming, he returns with his people. In the Rapture, he comes as a thief in the night; in the Second Coming, everyone will see. Let me say a word about us being there with the Lord. We're returning with the Lord. He's returning with mighty armies because the Bible says when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, we shall see him as he is and will be with him in that day. So we're coming back with the Lord when he returns to the earth again. Now, notice he rides a white horse in verse 11. A white horse. Now, think about when Jesus came into Jerusalem. He rode a little donkey, little different than that, than a white horse.

You know, we think, "A donkey, and now a white horse"? Well, this is how we expect him to come on a beautiful white stallion. On that first entry of Jesus into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, they said, "Hail him, hail him, hail him". And it was only days later that they said, "Nail him, nail him, nail him". But now he is returning as the risen Lord. And it's interesting it's a white stallion. If you've been with us in this Revelation series, you may recall that Revelation 6 has the four horsemen of the apocalypse and the first is a white horse and that's Antichrist, reminding us that Antichrist comes on the scene trying to present himself as Jesus Christ or as the Messiah. Remember, "Anti" doesn't just mean against. It also means instead of. But he's a false Messiah. And remember, Antichrist in Revelation 6 had one crown but Jesus wears many crowns.

Remember our Lord wore a crown of thorns when he was crucified. Now, he wears many crowns as he returns on his white stallion. This is Air Horse One returning to the earth again. You know, sometimes people wonder "What did Jesus look like"? You think of all the films you've seen that present Jesus and we've seen him presented in so many ways and people wonder what his skin color was, what his hair color was, how tall he was. Isn't it interesting that in all the Bible, not one Gospel author, not one person stops to just say, "Oh, by the way, Jesus was, like, around 5'10", he had dark hair," or whatever. Not one person describes him. Maybe that's because God knows our propensity for idolatry and, you know, that we would worship an image of him. But here we actually have a description of the appearance of Jesus but it is symbolic. Three things stand out: his eyes, his head, and his robe.

First there are his eyes. Verse 12: "His eyes are like a flame of fire". Now this conveys judgment. This conveys righteousness, as he is looking at you. You know, when you meet someone, you look 'em in the eyes, you shake their hand. I always taught my sons, you know, when you meet someone for the first time, you stand up, you firmly shake their hand, and you say, "Nice to meet you". Some people don't wanna make eye contact at all. They say the eye is the window to the soul. Well, now you're looking into the eyes of Jesus. Imagine that for a moment. His penetrating gaze cuts through every mask of hypocrisy because he sees the heart. We read when Jesus saw Matthew and called him in the Gospels, he saw right through him, or literally, he gazed right through him. So here are the eyes of the Lord who sees everything.

And then there's his head. Verse 12: "On his head were many crowns". He has many crowns because he rules many kingdoms, because he is Lord of all. God is sovereign over the entire universe. He's the all-knowing, all-powerful ruler who is also a loving, compassionate Savior.

And then there is his robe. Verse 13: "He has a robe that's dipped in blood and his name is called the Word of God". This phrase "dipped in blood," could be better translated "spattered in blood," reminding us that when he came the first time, he came to die for the sin of the world. Now he is coming to judge the world and return again. And he speaks his enemies out of existence with just a word from his mouth. The same voice that creates and stops storms and summons angels, speaks and now that judgment has finally come.

Now, you would think at a day like this, at a moment like this, that all of humanity would repent before a holy God. Is that what happens? No, look at verse 19: "And I saw the beast," remember, that's the Antichrist, "the kings of the earth," these are the leaders of various nations that are engaged in the battle of Armageddon, the kings of the East and the forces of the Antichrist, "and their armies, gathered together to make war against him who sat on the horse and against his army". So they take what little strength they have left, and point it toward Christ and attack him. And now this final judgment comes, Revelation 19, verse 20: "Then the beast," that's the Antichrist, "was captured, with him the false prophet," that's the Antichrist sidekick/religious guru leader, both of them are taken, "who worked signs in his presence, and they were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone".

The Antichrist, the false prophet, are immediately judged. These two are so wicked, they go directly to the lake of fire. Now those who have died rejecting Christ will wait for that final judgment, the Great White Throne Judgment, that I will talk about later. This is amazing, amazing stuff, that John's watching. He's just overwhelmed. And then we read in verse 10 that "he fell at the feet of this angel that's delivering this message and the angel says, 'Hey, man'". Well, he didn't say, "Hey, man," but he said, "See that you don't do that. I'm your fellow servant and of your brothers". And then he makes this amazing statement: "The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy".

So the angel's saying, "Hey, don't do that. We're in this together. This is all about Jesus". And then he gives this very important message that shows you why we've studied the book of Revelation and why we need to know more about prophecy in the Bible. Why? Because the testimony of Jesus is a spirit of prophecy. Listen to this. If you have gone through this series with us and your heart has not been moved closer to God, if you can live in sin, breaking God's commandments with abandon, and yet say, "Oh, I believe in the imminent return of Jesus".

Houston, we have a problem. The idea is if you really understand Bible prophecy, it should affect you in the way that you live, as it says in 1 John, "He that has this hope," that is the hope of the Lord's return, "they will purify himself even as he is pure". So, hopefully, studying these things has impacted you spiritually because, ultimately, the book of Revelation, and remember, Revelation, not Revelations. There's only one. The book of Revelation unveils truth. That's what it means: unveiling. It unveils our future. It unveils us to us, but most importantly, the book of Revelation unveils Jesus. Here's Jesus. It's all about Jesus. It's all about a relationship with Jesus Christ.

So let me say in closing, if you're a Christian, there is a judgment seat you will appear before. Again, not about whether you get in heaven or not, because the judgment will happen in heaven. It's like an awards ceremony where you'll be given rewards for your faithfulness to the Lord. But if you're a non-believer, you will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment and I'll talk about that next time. It's gonna be ominous and it's gonna be final. And there's no turning back if you get there. Listen, there are no chances after death, but there are thousands before.
Comment
Are you Human?:*