The second advent of Jesus our Lord
Please read Jeremiah 33: 14-18, Luke 21: 25-36 and 1 Thessalonians 3: 6-13 and then pray; Almighty God, as I come before your Word, may I be filled with a passion to prepare well for the coming of our Lord. In His Wonderful Name, I pray. Amen.
On the first Sunday in advent, I always feel like I should be wishing everyone a happy new year, which may sound a strange type of greeting to share on December 1st. But today sees the commencement of a new Church year. We must wait another month for the start of 2025 and the beginning of a new calendar year. But when the starting pistol is fired at the beginning of any Church year, what is our attention so precisely drawn towards on the first day of a new liturgical year in the life of the Christian Church? It is always drawn towards the second advent, or second coming of our Lord. It is drawn towards the complete and final Christian/biblical hope. Jesus is coming again! Jesus will at some point in future history, known only to the Father, (Matthew 24:36) return to this world in glory and power. This second advent of Jesus will be an awesome and apocalyptic event which the bible describes and proclaims as a fact. What is stated in Hebrews 9: 27-28 as a fact, is boldly proclaimed throughout the whole of the NT;
Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.
Or as the Nicene Creed states when summarising the key beliefs of Christian faith;
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.
And from our gospel reading today, just days before the time when Jesus was crucified, and then rose triumphant from death, he spoke these words to his curious disciples;
At that time, they will see the Son of Man in a cloud with power and great glory.
I will say something now which is mocked by many the world over. Jesus Christ is Sovereign Lord of all history. History is His-story. He is the King of kings and the Lord and lords. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. (Isaiah 9:7) His first coming was promised centuries before it occurred in Israel 2000 years ago, and this arrival in the world which we celebrate each Christmas, literally divides history. Since his first coming, Jesus the Christ, has proved to be by far the most dominant and influential person in human history. Few who really know and understand world history doubt this. But Jesus’s second advent at some point in the future, is set to close human history, as he finally and triumphantly brings in the fullness and completeness of his Kingdom and redemption work. (Luke 21:28) History, as we have known it, will end when Jesus appears again in power and with great glory. This is the message of the bible. What are the final words of sacred Scripture as recorded in the Revelation of John?
He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.” Amen. Come Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen. (Revelation 22:20-21) His final and ultimate promise to this world – I am coming soon!
If the first words in the bible relate to God creating everything, the last words point to the promise of a new creation at the return of Christ the Lord of heaven and earth. God promises, as recorded in the bible, are promises that are ALWAYS kept. And promises made by God form the basic storyline of the bible and God’s intervention in this world and his sovereignty over all things.
To begin with, let us see how this works with reference to our reading from the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 33 contains two hugely important promises to the people of Israel. The first relates to the fact that their exile in Babylon will end, and they will return to their own land and to Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 33: 6-12). Elsewhere in Jeremiah, there is a specific promise that the exile will last 70 years and will then end and the restoration and return will begin. (Jeremiah 25:11) The first great promise then, relating to biblical history contained in Jeremiah 33 and in other parts of the OT is that Israel will return to their homeland after exile. As we sang in our hymn at the beginning of our worship today;
O come, O come Emmanuel and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here…
The second great promise in Jeremiah 33, is a messianic promise. (Read 14-16) This of course relates to the advent or the arrival of Jesus the Christ. He is this righteous Branch – from David’s line. (15) He is David’s greater Son. He is the Lord Our Righteousness. Notice again the specifics of the promise. This is a “gracious promise” (14) made to Israel – that will come through the house or line of Judah. (14) Jesus is the Lion of the tribe of Judah. (Revelation 5:5) All this biblical history and these concrete promises are knitted together by Matthew at the beginning of his gospel as he records the genealogy and birth of the Christ.
Thus, there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile in Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ. (Matthew 1:17)
God fulfilled his promises to Abraham, King David, the Exiles and to us. God’s promises never fail!
Moving to our text in the great gospel of Luke, where once again we have two mighty biblical prophecies and promises, this time, from the lips of Jesus, the Messiah. This teaching was given just days before Jesus went to the cross which he had foretold. Here he is speaking to the disciples about the demise and the destruction of the great Temple in Jerusalem. They are admiring the beauty and the glory of this colossal and sacred religious structure. Jesus promised/prophecies two things. Firstly, this Temple will be destroyed. It will be dismantled. Not one stone will be left standing on another. Secondly, he solemnly promises that He (the Son of Man) will return with power and great glory.
In this passage in Luke, and in similar passages of Scripture in Matthew (24) and Mark (13) Jesus intermingles teaching about these two great events – the fall of Jerusalem and his personal return to the world with an army of angels (holy ones). The first promise relating to the destruction of the Temple and the fall of Jerusalem was fulfilled to the letter in AD70. (21: 20-24) This is a historical fact! This happened under the leadership of the auspicious Roman General – Titus. The second promise, relating to Jesus’s return has not yet been fulfilled. This is still to come – but it will come! Jesus will come again. The world will see the return of the Son of Man who is the Son of God. (27)
If the promise relating to the return of the exiles after 70 years came true; if all the many and various promises relating the coming, birth, life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah Jesus came true; if the promise relating to the destruction of Jerusalem and the second Temple came true according to the words of Jesus – then why doubt or dismiss the promise of His second coming into this world to judge it in righteousness and truth. This promise will also be fulfilled. Jesus did not and cannot lie or deceive. He promised He will return to reign – and he most certainly will! And all will see Him. All will recognise Him and His Lordship and authority. All will tremble before His glory and power. As someone has said; Many people will be surprised when Jesus comes again, but nobody will be mistaken. (Revelation 1:7)
Read Luke 21: 34-36, emphasising 35
But isn’t there a rather long delay asks someone? But wasn’t there also a long delay between the promise to Abraham and the first coming of Jesus, would be my reply? The bible anticipates this question which is often asked mockingly, sneeringly, sarcastically, and dismissively. Read 2 Peter: 3-10.
We move on to 1 Thessalonians. This along with Paul’s second letter to this Church is drenched with teaching about his second coming. (see 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 1: 5-10) Paul has received a report from his right-hand man Timothy that the Christians in Thessalonica are doing well, standing up the pressures of persecution, and progressing in their faith. Paul is encouraged by Timothy’s report, but he still wants to encourage these dear saints to continue growing even more in their faith. Keep growing and keep going is the apostle’s message! Paul wants them to grow more and more in love and purity and service. (4: 1-12). Paul ends this part of his letter with a pray in which he prays that the Thessalonians love will go on increasing and their holiness will mature so that they are ready for the return of Christ their Lord.
(Read 1 Thessalonians 3: 11-14)
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (14)
In other words, your job as Christians, is to be alert and ready for the return of the Lord whenever that may happen. Be ready. Be prepared. Be sanctified and consecrated to the Lord who is coming back, and be wholeheartedly committed to his work and service.
The question we end with must be this, assuming we accept that Jesus’s promise to return is going to be fulfilled in the future, perhaps the very near future…
How do we prepare for that great day of His second advent?
One way to offer an answer to this great question would be to read and seek to put in practice the practical parts of these two epistles to the Thessalonians. Paul’s instructions to the Thessalonians (and to us) are very helpful in directing us to do the right things as we wait for Christ’s return. Take this passage as one example. (Read 1 Thessalonians 5: 12-23)
Someone has rightly said: The certainty of the second coming of Christ should touch and tincture every part of our daily behaviour.
The other thing to consider when understanding how to prepare for the second advent, is to consider the teaching of John the Baptist. He was the one chosen by God to instruct people how to prepare for the first coming of the Messiah. How were they to prepare then? How were they to clear the way, to prepare the way for the mighty coming of the Lord? Through;
- Repentance
- Faith in Jesus – the Lamb of God who came to take away the sin of the world.
- Obedience to God’s commands – living a fruitful and holy life of service.
This way of approaching life and living helps and enables and equips us to be ready to meet our God, either when we die or when Jesus returns. If we pursue the biblical call to true repentance, faith in Jesus – God’s Son, and obedience to the call and commands of God – we will be ready.
You may think that you need to be ready for Christmas and for all that is to come in a few weeks. But far more important is our readiness and preparedness for His sure and certain return. We must have oil in our lamps knowing that He will come like a thief in the night.
As the famous Bishop J.C Ryle wrote;
There shall be no time for parting words or a change of mind when the Lord appears.
In all our thoughts about Christ, let us never forget his second advent.
And as the great early 20th century preacher G Campbell Morgan wrote;
I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps He may interrupt my work and begin his own. I am not looking for death, I am looking for Him.
May I close with those words of prayer from the apostle Paul – and may God answer this prayer in all our lives.
May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones.
AMEN!
(Revd Peter J Clarkson 1.12.24)