Ultimate Deliverance

It’s no fairy tale! One day, you can be free from all the hurt, hunger, loneliness, crime, and chaos infecting the world today. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? But it’s not going to be some charismatic world leader who is going to deliver you—no, your deliverer is far superior! Jesus is coming soon, but there are a lot of misconceptions regarding how He’s coming back. So take a few minutes to understand what the Bible really says about the second coming so you won’t be left behind!

1. Can we be positive Jesus will return a second time?

“Christ … will appear a second time” (Hebrews 9:28).
“If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again” (John 14:3).

Answer: Yes! In Matthew 26:64, Jesus testified that He would come back to this earth again. Since the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35), this is proof positive. It is Christ’s own personal guarantee. Besides, Jesus fulfilled the prophecies of His first coming—so we can be absolutely certain that He will fulfill the prophecies concerning His second coming too!

2. In what manner will Jesus return the second time?

“When He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said,

‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:9–11).

Answer: The Scriptures promise that Jesus will return to this earth in the same manner that He left—in a visible, literal, bodily, personal manner. Matthew 24:30 says, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He will come in the clouds literally, as a personal being with a body of flesh and bones (Luke 24:36–43, 50, 51). His coming will be visible; Scripture is clear on these facts!

3. Will the second coming of Christ be visible to everyone or only to a select group?

“Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him” (Revelation 1:7).
“As the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27).
“The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Answer: Every man, woman, and child living in the world when Jesus returns will see Him at His second coming. The staggering brightness of His appearance will stretch from horizon to horizon, and the atmosphere will be charged with brilliant glory like lightning. No one will be able to hide from it. This will be a loud, dramatic event in which even the dead are raised.