Lesson #7Reading : Acts
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Two thousand years agoJesus had been crucified. His followers were puzzled and disappointed.All their hopes had been placed in him - now he lay dead in the tomb.
But - the third day, Jesus came out of that tomb alive!
His followers remembered the words he had spoken to them before his death:
"Ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice...but your sorrowshall be turned into joy" (John 16:20).
What a joy it must have been to see their beloved Lord and Master again!
"Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (John 20:20).
We can hardly imagine how glad they were.
When Jesus went to heavenNow read the first eight verses of Acts 1 again. Picture to yourselfhow happy the apostles must have been during those forty days, when Jesuswas among them once again. Think of those men, at the end of the forty days,standing on the green slopes of the Mount of Olives, with Jesus in theirmidst. Suddenly, he was taken from them, upwards into heaven. How they wouldgaze after him as he left the earth, and was hidden from their sight bya cloud. He had been taken from them again.
Yet this time they were neither puzzled nor disappointed. Not at all! Luketells us that,
"...he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven, and they worshippedhim, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy" (Luke 24:51-52).
The secret of their joyWhy, after this second parting, were they so joyful?
Partly, because Jesus had made them a promise. He had said to them:
"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" (Matthew28:20).
This meant that although they could not see him he could see them and wouldalways care for them.
But that was not the only reason for their joy. While they were watchinghim go into heaven, two angels came to them with a message. They said:
"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 asye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).
As the disciples went back to Jerusalem to obey the commandments of theirLord, they knew for certain that Jesus himself would come back to this earth.That was something to make them rejoice.
The words of JesusAll these things happened nearly 2000 years ago, and Jesus has not comeback yet. But he will come. He said so himself. In Luke 21:27 he speaksabout coming in a cloud, with power and great glory. (Did you notice thathe went in a cloud and that the angels said he would come 'in like manner'as they had seen him go?)
Many of the parables also speak of his second coming. Take, for instance,the parable in Matthew 25:1-13. This speaks of a bridegroom, and althoughthe picture is of an Eastern wedding, we have no difficulty in understandingit. The bridegroom is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the story warnsus that when he comes, there will be some who are not prepared for him.
Notice verse 13. Jesus does not say, "Ye know not whether your Lordwill come or not". There is no doubt about it. His coming is certain.But he does say:
"Ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh".
The witness of PeterNot many days after Jesus had gone into heaven, we read about Peter inthe Temple in Jerusalem, speaking boldly to the Jews who had been responsiblefor crucifying Jesus. In Acts 3:19-20 he says to them:
"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blottedout, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you. "
Peter also spoke of the second coming of Christ in a letter which he wrotelater to believers. In 2 Peter 3:4 he writes of those who would say in disbelief,
"Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep,all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation".
You may have heard people use words very much like these. But God Himselfhas promised to send the Lord, and we know that He will keep his promise.Peter goes on, in verses 9 and 10, to say:
"The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, butthat all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come, asa thief in the night..."
The witness of PaulJesus himself appeared to the apostle Paul, and sent him to preach toothers. Paul claims that the gospel that he preached was given him by JesusChrist. And Paul taught about the second coming of the Lord. In 2 Timothy4:1 we read:
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, whoshall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing..."
Paul wrote two letters to the ecclesia at Thessalonica. You will find theseletters in your Bible. They consist of eight short chapters, and - hereis the surprising thing - in every chapter Paul mentions the coming of Jesus.
In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 he speaks of the resurrection of the dead at Jesus'coming:
"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, withthe voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christshall rise first.
In 2 Thessalonians 1:7,8 Paul tells how Jesus will be...
"...revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire takingvengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of ourLord Jesus Christ".
Here he speaks of Jesus coming to punish some; but if we read on, we findthat he also speaks of some to whom his coming will bring joy, for he willcome "to be admired in all them that believe".
What will Jesus do when he comes?The coming of Jesus will change the lives of everyone living at thattime. It will be a tremendous event for (a) believers who are watching andwaiting for him; (b) all who are living at the time, who do not know thetrue gospel; (c) the nation of the Jews.
We will consider these in turn:
(a) True believers (those 'in Christ') who are waiting for his coming:
Jesus will raise from the dead all who have died in faith, and gather togetherthe living believers.
"Behold I shew you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shallall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump:for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible,and we shall be changed" (1 Corinthians 15:51,52)
Those who have been unfaithful will be rejected, but for the faithful, therewill be great joy. Jesus will give them eternal life. He will, as Paul tellsus, "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his gloriousbody" (Philippians 3:21). Like him, they will share immortal life,free from all pain and suffering. They will help Jesus in the great workof teaching all nations about God, and helping the people of the world torespond to His great love, and walk in His ways.
(b) The people of the world:
At the time of the coming of Jesus, God's judgements will be poured outon the wicked, and there will be a time of great trouble on the earth. Thisis sad, but it is necessary. Without God's judgements, the world will neverturn to Him, and accept the Lord Jesus as His chosen King.
After the pouring out of God's judgements, the people of the world willbe ready to accept Jesus as their King. He will establish God's Kingdomon earth. His rule will be wise and loving, and he will care for the poorand needy. Turn to Psalm 72 and read it through. It will give you a pictureof the rule of Jesus. It tells how he will care for the poor and needy,and those who have no helper.
The people of the world who survive the judgements of God will live in theKingdom of God and receive many blessings. They will, however, still beopen to sin and will die,
much like people do today, though their lives will be longer. During theirlives they will be taught the ways of God and have the opportunity to acceptor reject the Lord Jesus. At the end of the Millennium, or 1000 years reignof the Lord Jesus, there will be a second resurrection and judgement forthose who have lived on the earth during the Millennium. Some will be giveneverlasting life, and some will be rejected. Finally, death will be abolishedfor ever.
(c) What of the Jews?
Jesus will come back at a time when the nation of Israel is in a desperatesituation. They will be surrounded by enemies on all sides. Jesus, withhis divine power, will overcome those who are fighting against them. Thenmany of the Jews will realise at last that Jesus really was their promisedKing - and they crucified him! The prophet Zechariah says they will "lookon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn" (Zechariah 12:10).
They will gladly accept him as their king.The Lord will set up God's Kingdom, and the Jews will be the chief ofthe nations. Their capital city, Jerusalem, will become the capital of theworld. It will be the centre of worship for all people. It will be a timeof great happiness for the Jews, after all their suffering.
What love and joy and peace will flow from this new world centre!
What will happen to you and me?Read again the parable of the ten virgins, in Matthew 25:1-13. If weare wise, like the wise virgins in this parable, we will study God's Word,and prepare ourselves now for the coming of Jesus. When Jesus said to theapostle John, "Surely I come quickly" (Revelation 22:20), he replied,"Even so, come, Lord Jesus".
Shall we be like the apostle, and make this our prayer
Summary1 . Jesus Christ is coming back to the earth.
2. We can be quite sure of this, because he said so himself.
3. Also, the angels said so. Peter, Paul, and John said so.
4. When he comes, he will give his faithful followers everlasting life.
5. He will make Israel the chief of the nations.
6. He will teach all people of the earth God's ways.
7. If we are wise, we shall prepare now for his coming.
Chapters to read : 1 Thessalonians 4; Daniel 12:1-4; Matthew 25:1-13
A verse to learn : Acts 1:11
The angels said: "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 inlike manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. "