Truth That Changes Lives

JP Jones: The return of Jesus Christ at His second coming will be visible and it will be physical.

Music: Not to us but to Your name, be the glory. Yes.

Guest (Male): Thank you for joining us on Truth That Changes Lives. Pastor JP Jones is the Senior Pastor of Crossline Community Church in Laguna Hills, California, and a professor in biblical studies at Biola University.

Today on Truth That Changes Lives, Pastor JP will be giving us a message from a series entitled Foundations. Let's listen as JP gives us part one of The Second Coming.

JP Jones: Well, this summer we've been looking at our core beliefs as a church. What are those historic truths that the church of Jesus Christ has always embraced that kind of define us as Christ followers? And we come to what we believe about Christ's second coming. The statement that we have in our personal doctrinal statement as a church is this: We believe in the second coming of Jesus Christ. He will return bodily to Earth to establish His kingdom. Unbelievers will be judged and spend eternity separated from God in hell, and believers will be rewarded with eternal fellowship with God in heaven.

Now, I'm going to break this statement down into two messages. Today we're going to talk about the second coming and next week we will talk about heaven and hell, and you need to be sure to be there because it's going to be a hell of a sermon, I can guarantee you.

Well, World War II, the generation that experienced that had Douglas MacArthur saying, "I shall return." Many of those in our generation heard Arnold Schwarzenegger say, "I'll be back."

Every generation since the beginning of God's revelation has been informed about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Because both the Hebrew scriptures and the New Testament clearly proclaim God's kingdom intentions and the second coming of Messiah Jesus.

We're going to look at a passage of Scripture in Acts chapter one to kind of develop some of our thoughts about this. But I want to let you know that this is an essential truth of the church. In fact, in Titus chapter two, it says it's the blessed hope, the appearing of Jesus Christ. In Philippians chapter three, the Apostle Paul writing to the church at Philippi said that our citizenship is in heaven and from there we are eagerly waiting a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who's going to come and transform our bodies to be like His glorious resurrection body.

In First Thessalonians chapter four, the Apostle Paul says, "I'm writing to you so that you will have hope." And what I'm writing to you about, that just as we believe that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead, we also believe that He's coming again.

And then there's a whole book in the Bible, the last book, the book of Revelation, which speaks very specifically about the details preceding and surrounding the actual second coming of Jesus Christ. This is an essential truth of the church and like all truth, it's designed to change our lives.

When we understand the truth of Christ's second coming, it will renew us with a new sense of hope and a new sense of purpose in terms of how we are to live our lives. If you have your Bibles, would you turn to Acts chapter one. We're going to look at Acts 1:6-11. And I want to make a couple of observations from this text with respect to Christ's second coming.

Here's the backstory on the text. After the resurrection, there was a 40-day period where Jesus appeared to His disciples and taught them and instructed them about the kingdom. And during that time He presented Himself to them as alive from the dead. And He empowered them and motivated them with respect to their kingdom assignment to go and take the gospel to the very ends of the earth. Here in Acts chapter one we have the final appearance of those appearances during that 40-day period. And then we have in this passage the actual ascension of Jesus into heaven.

So at Acts 1:6-11 it says this, "So when they met together, they asked Him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?' And He said to them, 'It's not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority, but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.' And after He had said this, He was taken up before their very eyes and a cloud hid Him from their sight. And they were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 'Men of Galilee,' they said, 'why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.'"

Here is a passage that describes the ascension of Jesus and the promise of His second coming. So here's my first observation: Jesus will return visibly and physically to Earth. Jesus will return visibly and physically to Earth.

Here's this gathered group of apostles. They've been, they've been with Jesus. They've seen Him on several occasions. They've come to the place where they were convinced He really died and He really was raised from the dead. And they'd been receiving from Him marching orders with respect to the Great Commission and specifically kingdom vision about how their Great Commission assignment related to the advancement of God's kingdom.

And now on this final occasion, He's lifted up out of their sight and they're, they're literally watching Him ascend into the sky to the place where they, they can't even see Him anymore. Can you just imagine if you were in that situation, what would just be going on in your mind and in your heart? The, the miraculous experience of that but then the, the sense of, well, what do we do now?

At that very moment, God sent two messengers who looked at the apostles and said, "Jesus, whom you just saw go into heaven, is going to come back the exact same way." Well, how did He go up? He went up physically. He went up visibly. The return of Jesus Christ at His second coming will be visible and it will be physical.

This is the promise of the entire truth of Scripture. In fact, in the last book of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, Revelation 1:5-8, at the very introduction of this book, John, who's the author, who's writing the revelation that he's receiving from Jesus about Jesus, says this: "John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia, grace and peace to you from Him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before His throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and freed us from our sins by His blood, He has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve His God and Father. To Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Look, He is coming with the clouds and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of Him. So shall it be. Amen."

John here quotes from the Hebrew scriptures in the book of Zechariah. This same passage is used by Jesus in Matthew chapter 24, and it's used by John in his gospel in John chapter 19. And here in the book of Revelation, he takes this passage that promises that every eye will see Him, Him who was pierced. And he says, "This relates to Christ's second coming." However God supernaturally works out those events when Jesus Christ comes back, it will be such that the entire Earth will be aware of His coming. It will change history forever, and His second coming will be visible and it will be physical.

No one's going to miss Jesus. I've shared this with you before, I know I have, I know I have with the men. My son, who's here, he's going back to Cal Poly this year, is in his senior year in college. When he was in high school, at Tesoro High School, he played football and he wrestled. And in the league that Tesoro competed in wrestling was a school, Calvary Chapel. It's associated with the church, Calvary Chapel. It's a small private Christian school, but it has a tremendous wrestling program. In fact, for many years Calvary Chapel was the number one wrestling school in the state. They have this wrestling program where they recruit kids and train them all the way up so that by the time they get to high school, they've been wrestling for years.

Their wrestlers win the league, win CIF, win the state. Many of their wrestlers go on to be national champions and get full ride scholarships. So whenever Tesoro was going to be wrestling against Calvary Chapel, it was kind of a foregone conclusion as to, you know, what's going to happen. I show up at the gym, it's over at Tesoro High School. I walk in and I see, you know, Calvary Chapel's over in the corner and all their kids, you know, are, are working out. They're all, you know, solid Christian guys going to Christian school, great athletes. And Tesoro's over there doing their warm-up, ready for the meet. And I walk up into the stands and there's a group of dads that we kind of gotten to know one another through wrestling season. And I see this one guy, his son was a senior, he was a really good wrestler, and I, you know, said, "Hey, who's your son wrestling?"

Well, not only were all the wrestlers good at Calvary Chapel, they had one guy who as a junior was the state champion, California State Champion. He went on to be the national champion and is now on a full ride wrestling scholarship. So that year he was coming back after being the state champion the year before. And he was over in the corner. And, you know, he was like a man child. And he had his warm-ups on and all the, all the, all the guys that were with Calvary Chapel had their warm-ups, this black sweatshirt and in bold white letters it said, "Jesus." So he's over there. And I turned to the dad and I said, "So who's your son wrestling tonight?" And he goes, "Jesus."

I said, "Well, if he's wrestling Jesus, he's going to lose for sure." We laughed about it, you know. But there was no doubt Jesus was in the gymnasium that night. Let me tell you, when Jesus comes back, it's not going to be secret, metaphorical, allegorical, spiritual, it's going to be real, visible, physical, and everybody will see Jesus when He returns. That's what the Bible promises as the hope of His followers.

Here's a second observation. Jesus will establish His kingdom. I've said this before on many occasions, Jesus is not coming back to take sides, He's coming back to take over. Paul writes to Timothy in Second Timothy chapter four, kind of exhorting Timothy to step up to the plate of spiritual leadership and do what he's called to do, which is to preach the word of God. And he says, "I charge you in the presence of God and of Jesus Christ, who's going to judge the living and the dead."

When Jesus comes back, He's coming back to judge the living and the dead. He's coming back to establish His rule, His reign, His agenda, His kingdom. And in fact, that's what our passage alludes to in Acts chapter one. Because remember, Jesus for 40 days was appearing to the apostles, presenting Himself alive, convincing them that He was the resurrected Lord. And we're told in Acts 1:3 that during this time, He was teaching them about the kingdom.

And that's an interesting concept. Never let it be said you don't learn anything in church. Do you know that Jesus taught more about the kingdom than any other topic? More about the kingdom than heaven and hell, more about the kingdom than money, more about the kingdom than love, more about the kingdom than any other topic. In fact, you can take a concordance, which is like a Bible encyclopedia, and you can look up topics and then find every verse in the Bible where those topics are mentioned. So you can look up any topic you want that you think Jesus might have said something about, and you'll find every reference in Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, the gospels, where Jesus would have said something about that topic.

And you can count how many times that topic was discussed or that word was used, and you will find 173 times that Jesus says something about the kingdom, the number one teaching topic of Jesus. Let me tell you, as a follower of Jesus Christ, that ought to right away make you think, "Well, I better know something about the kingdom." If Jesus taught more about the kingdom than anything else, and I'm following Jesus as my king, I ought to know something about the kingdom. If you're here and you're a seeker and you're considering, "Is Jesus really who He claimed to be?" well, one of the things that you ought to consider is what did Jesus teach? And if Jesus taught more about the kingdom than anything else, you ought to try to figure out what He said about the kingdom.

So, here we are, after the resurrection, 40 days before His ascension, Jesus is teaching the apostles. And guess what He's talking about? The kingdom. So, they ask a kingdom question. It says this in Acts chapter 1:6-7: "So when they met together, they asked Him, 'Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?'" Here's His answer. He said to them, "It's not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority."

Don't you love it when people answer your question with a vague kind of indirect answer? Not really giving you an answer? I love doing that with people in the church and students of mine at Biola. They come and ask me, you know, really deep spiritual questions, I go, "Oh, hmm, that's really interesting. What do you think?"

Jesus redirects the question. He doesn't correct the question, He redirects the question. There is a kingdom. But what Jesus says is, "I'm not going to tell you all the specifics as it relates to its establishment." We're going to see in a minute what He does say is really important for us to understand about the kingdom in Acts 1:8. But at this point, what I want you to see is Jesus taught about the kingdom, the disciples understood Jesus taught about the kingdom, so the disciples ask a kingdom question.

Jesus, when He comes back, is going to establish His kingdom. When is that going to be? Jesus says, "The Father's fixed that by His own authority." We don't know with certainty when it's going to be. It's just going to be.

You ever thought what, what you have to have to have a kingdom? There are three things you have to have to have a kingdom. You got to have a king, a ruler. You got to have subjects, those who are ruled. And you got to have a realm, the sphere in which they're ruled. And the kingdom of Jesus has all three. Jesus is the king, we are His subjects, and this Earth and the universe is the sphere of His rule. Jesus is coming back as the king to rule His subjects in His kingdom.

That's what the Bible says. Jesus is the king who is returning to establish His kingdom. He will judge the living and the dead. Now, the passage in the Bible that tells us the most about this is in the book of Revelation. Now, the book of Revelation, the name Revelation, it comes from the Greek word Apocalypsis, which means unveiling or manifestation or revelation.

When we look at different types of literature, not only in the Bible, but just the genre of literature, if you were to take a literature class, there is a particular type of literature known as apocalyptic literature. Apocalyptic literature is characterized by visions and dreams and symbols and allegorical representation. The book of Revelation is very mysterious to some people and difficult for some people because it's, it's spiritual truth communicated through symbols. It's literal truth, but literal truth communicated in symbols.

So, in Revelation chapter 19 and chapter 20, we have the truth of Christ's second coming revealed to us in symbols. All right? I want to read this portion of scripture, but I want to set that up for you so that you can understand what's being described here is the second coming of Jesus Christ. It's apocalyptic. There's all kinds of symbols here.

This is what it says. "I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called faithful and true. With justice He judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on His head are many crowns. He has a name written on Him that no one knows but He Himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and His name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following Him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. He will rule them with an iron scepter. He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has this name: King of kings and Lord of lords." Who's this talking about? Jesus. Now, it's a symbolic representation, but it's Jesus.

John sees heaven open up and Jesus is riding forth with His army because this is describing the end of the age. And there is an end to the age. And Jesus does have something to do with it. And He's coming back to rule.

Guest (Male): What a great message for all of us today. Pastor JP provides us with great insight. That is why we'd like to make it available to you on CD. Just get in touch and mention today's date. We'll send it your way for just $5. Or if you'd like to support this ministry, you can write us at Truth That Changes Lives, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653, or give us a call at 949-916-0250. That's 949-916-0250. For your gift of $25 or more, we will send you a signed copy of JP's new book, Facing Goliath. Please join us every Sunday at 9:00 or 11:00 AM at Crossline Church in Laguna Hills. The address is 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653. Or check us out on the web at CrosslineChurch.com. We're going to get to the address and phone number again in a moment, but before we do that, Pastor JP, do you have any insight from today's message?

JP Jones: Thanks, Greg. We're in a series talking about those core beliefs that unite all true followers of Jesus Christ. The Bible addresses so many subjects. It talks about so many controversial truths and gives us the truth, God's perspective on them. And yet there are certain core beliefs that are essential to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. These are the essentials that unite all true believers and have crossed denominational and cultural bounds all throughout history because they are the truths that really mark a follower of Jesus Christ. And one of the truths that we're discussing right now is this whole truth of Christ's second coming.

The Bible is crystal clear that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Lamb of God slain before the foundation of the world, and salvation is in Christ alone. The message of salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone. Jesus Christ is the second person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God. He's the mediator between God and man. He's the King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus said that I am the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through Me.

But in the Hebrew scriptures, the prophecies about the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God, they paint a picture that encompasses both His first and His second coming. And in the New Testament, Jesus prophesied and the apostles prophesied that after Christ's resurrection, ascension and seating, He would come back again to establish His kingdom. The passage that we're looking at in Acts chapter one is one of those passages where Jesus Himself speaks about His coming. Jesus Himself gives a picture of the priorities of following Christ in this age. And then after His resurrection, two angels appear and encourage the apostles with the hope of Christ's return.

In Acts chapter one, Jesus said, in response to a question about the kingdom and the anticipation of restoring the kingdom to Israel, He said, "You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you'll be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth." And after He said this, He was taken up before their very eyes, a cloud hid them from their sight. And as the apostles were looking intently up into the sky as He was going, suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. And they said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven."

Now, in this passage there are a couple of things that are important for us to understand about the second coming of Jesus. One is the second coming of Jesus as it relates to His kingdom. Because the apostles were anticipating the kingdom that God had promised in the Hebrew scriptures to be fulfilled, and God says through Jesus Christ to the apostles in this passage, that that is up to the Father in terms of determining the times and epics for its fulfillment. In other words, there is coming a future kingdom age where God rules on Earth, and Jesus Christ is going to be the ruling King. At this time, the followers of Jesus were to be spirit-filled witnesses for Christ. And that continues for us today.

Everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ is to be a spirit-filled follower of Jesus. And in the name of Jesus, we're to proclaim the gospel to the very ends of the earth. But we're to do so in anticipation of His return. Because after Jesus ascended out of their sight and took His place at the right hand of the Father, these angelic visitors said that He's going to come back again in the same way. In other words, we look forward to a time when Jesus Christ physically and and bodily will return to Earth. And at that time, He will reign as King of kings and Lord of lords on Earth, championing His kingdom agenda. That's the hope of the church.

The second coming of Jesus Christ inspires us to know that this world is not the final say. There is coming a time when Christ reigns as the King, as the Judge, and His kingdom plan will be fulfilled. We look forward to that. And as those who know Jesus, we along with what Paul says in Philippians chapter three, we anticipate that our citizenship in heaven will be fully fulfilled because Jesus is going to come back and transform our bodies to be like His resurrection body. And we'll be enjoying that type of glorified relationship with God throughout all eternity. That's our hope, that's our expectation. In this life, we are to champion Christ's kingdom agenda. We're to be witnesses for Jesus, but we're to do so anticipating, looking forward to, filled with hope about His return.

Jesus Christ is coming back. He's not coming back to take sides, He's coming back to take over. He's coming back to fulfill His promises. He's coming back to reign on Earth as was promised in the scriptures. And so we live right now with purpose looking forward to the soon return of Jesus Christ. Lord, thank You so much that You've made these promises to us, and we can live with hope and confidence, knowing that You're coming back again, that there's a second coming in which You will reign and You will rule. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Guest (Male): We want to help you in your relationship with Christ. Please get in touch with us at TruthThatChangesLives.org, 23331 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills, California 92653. Or call us at 949-916-0250. On the internet, you will find us at CrosslineChurch.com. We hope to see you at one of our services every Sunday at our new campus in Laguna Hills. For more information and directions, please go to CrosslineChurch.com. Please join us next time on Truth That Changes Lives.