Table of Contents
The Ascension
After Jesus assured His disciples that he was no longer to be found among the dead, and after he had, for forty days, opened their minds to understanding the prophetic scriptures that described His sufferings and resurrection, at His ascension the angels, clothed in white raiment, addressed the disciples in these words:
“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).
Angels accompanied Jesus while he was ascending to Heaven. He was followed also by the multitude of captives who had risen from their graves on the day of His resurrection. Eph. 4:8. A large multitude of the heavenly host were attending Him and an immense host, ten thousand times ten thousand, were waiting for Him in heaven. When Jesus and His attending angels neared the heavenly city, the attending angels greeted with rejoicing the angels that were waiting in heaven:
“Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in” (Psalms 24:7).
With a thorough excitement, the angels who were waiting at the portals answered:
“The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in” (Psalms 24:10).
Then the solemn procession entered the city. All the heavenly host surrounded their majestic Commander and they worshiped before Him, and their melodious voices resounded through the heavenly courts, singing:
“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing” (Rev. 5:12).
Jesus will come the second time in glory
When Jesus had ascended with the clouds of heaven, the two angels declared:
“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).
Today, there are different opinions and views regarding the Second Coming of Christ. Some view it to be symbolic and spiritual, others think that death represents His coming, still others believe that a person goes through several rebirths, some believe that Jesus has already come, and there are many false Christs nowadays. All of these views are wrong and the gospel itself testifies against them, as it says:
“Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not” (Matt. 24:23-26).
The ones who are proudest of their signs and wonders and who are putting forth the most vigorous efforts to deny the fact that Christ will come in His glory, are the modern spiritualists who are saying: “We can summon Christ in our room when we are in a session.” But is Christ indeed going to come in the way that those spiritualists are saying he will come? No. The gospel says:
“For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:27).
Therefore, the Second Coming of Christ will be personal and visible.
“And they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matt. 24:30).
See also Mark 13:26; 14:62; Luke 21:27.
A visible, personal Coming
Who is going to see Him when he comes? Rev. 1:7 tells us:
“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).
The apostle Paul affirms in clear language that the coming of Jesus will be visible and personal. He writes:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
See also 1 John 3:2.
Many of the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the glory of Christ’s coming. Even before the Flood, God had given knowledge about the glorious coming of His Son, because we read about Enoch:
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints” (Jude 1:14).
The Son of Man Himself says about His coming:
“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory” (Matthew 25:31).
The righteous will meet Him
Before Jesus shall appear in His glory, the righteous who are waiting for Him will give the message of the Second Coming with a loud voice (Rev. 14:6-12; 18:1-4). They will sound the trumpet in clear tones and herald the great day of the Lord, in fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel which says:
“Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the LORD cometh, for it is nigh at hand” (Joel 2:1).
And in truth, His faithful people today are preparing the way for the Second Coming of Christ by proclaiming the message of Revelation 14:6-12 among all nations. With this message, the people of God are working in exact fulfillment of the words of Isaiah:
“We have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the LORD; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation” (Isaiah 25:9).
Paul also speaks of these people saying:
“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. 9:28).
And Luke 21 gives these people the following advice:
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh” (Luke 21:28).
When Jesus comes in His glory as a King, he will say to this righteous people:
“Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34).
And the book of Revelation concludes with the following words: “Behold, I come quickly.” And God’s people exclaim: “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”
