Jesus is coming again! That "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" is being borne witness as never before. Even unconverted people on the street feel that something is taking shape. The people of God know what it is: the "last days" of man's rule on earth and the return of the Lord. Sincere children of God everywhere are putting on "the whole armour of God" that they may "be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" in this evil day, for they know what lies ahead.
Jesus told his disciples that his saints would suffer great tribulation in the last days, and that "after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth, to the uttermost part of heaven" (Mk.13:24-27).
The return of Jesus is being heralded in perhaps an unprecedented manner. The saints of God every where are waiting, watching, and praying for the time when they shall see Jesus, "who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body" (Phip.3:21). "But of that day and that hour", we are told, "knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray, for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house [church], and gave authority to his servants [ministers], and to every man [member] his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore, for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning, lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all: 'Watch'" (Mk.13:32-37).
Those who believe in a visible, personal coming of Jesus are not following "cunningly devised fables", for our Lord repeatedly stated that he would return to earth and receive the faithful unto himself. Yes, our Lord promised to return for his bride, the faithful of the church, and this he will do at the close of this age.
The writer of Hebrews tells us, "It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many. And unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb.9:27-28). Just before he faced death, that old warrior, the apostle Paul, joyfully exclaimed, "There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day - and not to me only, but unto all them that love his appearing" (2Tim.4:8). Oh, how those thrilling words have echoed in the souls of godly men through the centuries, and that echo has revived hope and encouraged the hearts of all who are seeking to be counted worthy of God's eternal rest. We understand from Paul's words that the faithful saints' expectation of the personal return of Jesus may grow beyond a mere longing, even to the point of loving his appearing. Reader, such a love is demonstrated by obedience to his commandments, including his charge to "Take ye heed, watch and pray."
Paul tells us, "The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. . . . But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. . . . Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober. For they that sleep sleep in the night, and they that be drunken are drunken in the night. But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (1Thess.5:2-9).
The hope of our Lord's return vibrates through and touches the tenderest chord in the heart of each child of God. The thought of his coming sets on fire the passions of praise and gives hope and faith to all who are watching and praying. The bride cherishes the thought of the bridegroom's coming, anxious to see the one she loves. Beloved, "it is high time to awake out of sleep, for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed." Indeed, "the night is far spent, the day is at hand; let us therefore cast off the works of darkness", as Paul further entreats, "and let us put on the armour of light" (Rom.13:11-12), for our king is coming to punish the wicked and to reward the righteous.
The angels confirmed Jesus's promise to return the second time by saying to his followers, "Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? 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" (Acts 1:11). This is worded to meet the requirement of the most exacting legalist. "In like manner" means "exactly as" or "in the very same way".
We are told that "a cloud received him out of their sight"; and Jesus declared in Mark 14:62, "Ye shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven." Angels were present when he went away, and of his second coming we read in Mark 8:38, "The Son of man . . . cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels." Our Lord ascended from the Mount of Olives, and Zechariah (14:4), speaking of our Lord's return, tells us, "His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives". Is not this "in like manner," or "in the very same way"? The most technical scholar could not ask for a more perfect wording than we have here, concerning the promise of our Redeemer's return to earth.
Listen to a few biblical testimonies concerning the second coming of Jesus:
The second coming of Jesus will not be at all a secret. All the world will witness Jesus's return, not merely the righteous who are expecting him. In Matthew 24:30 we read, "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. And then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." John agrees that Jesus's return will be witnessed by all men when he says, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and EVERY EYE shall see him, and they also which pierced him. And all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him" (Rev.1:7).
My friend, what will you do, "When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ"? Are you ready to join in the song of the redeemed at his coming? Is your heart burning with loyalty? Are you living in such an attitude toward his coming that you will receive, with Paul, a crown of righteousness that is laid up for all who love his appearing? Are you ready for that joyful benediction: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of the Lord"? Child of God, you should be thrilled to know that you will soon be meeting with the saints of all ages, keeping company with angels, and singing and shouting around the throne of God!
"Behold thy King cometh!" This time, in the clouds of heaven, in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. "Watch therefore, for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for at such an hour as ye think not, the Son of man cometh."
Editor's Note: This tract was written over 20 years ago by the late George Clark. He was a "pillar" of Pentecost, and the body of Christ has known very few preachers like him, both in his, and in our day. While Brother Clark spoke of the SURE return of Jesus in this tract, he was not teaching that Jesus's return was IMMINENT (i.e. "very near, and about to happen any moment"). We reject the teaching prevalent in most Pentecostal circles, that, as they say, "all things have been fulfilled, and Jesus could come at any moment". All things have NOT been fulfilled, and the coming of Jesus is years away according to the Spirit of God, and according to the very scriptures which false teachers use to justify this false doctrine. To get more information on "WHEN" Jesus will return, please order our tract: "The Time Draweth Near?", which explains in depth why this false doctrine of "Jesus's imminent return" is taught (and received) among God's people.