The second coming of Jesus is going to be spectacular. 2 Thes­salonians 1:7-8 speaks of Jesus Christ being “revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire.” And 2 Peter 3:10 — “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.”

What a day that will be: a day of fire, a day of destruction! As 2 Peter 3:12 goes on to say — “the heavens will be set on fire and dis­solved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!”

The Coming Judgment⤒🔗

It will also be a day of judgment for everyone who has ever lived. 1 Peter 4:5 — “but they will give ac­count to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead.”

On what basis will we be judged? On everything we have thought, said and done.

1 Corinthians 4:5 — who will bring to light the things now hid­den in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart.

Matthew 12:36 — on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak.

Matthew 16:27 — For the Son of Man is going to come with his an­gels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

Nothing will be hidden on that day. Romans 2:16 tells us that on that day God will judge men’s secrets.

You might think you are able to get away with certain sins be­cause no one knows about them. But on that great and glorious day, all your secrets will be exposed. There will be nothing you will be able to keep hidden.

Think about it. Everything you have ever done, everything you have ever thought, the deepest, darkest, hidden sin within your heart, it will be exposed for all to see.

You cannot hide anything from God. He knows everything. He sees everything. And he will judge everything you have ever done.

You won’t be able to lie your way out of it. You won’t be able to blame anyone else for it. You will be judged for every single sin. Not a very pleasant thought, is it?

Romans 2:5 tells us: “But be­cause of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” So says the Lord Almighty. The day when Jesus Christ returns will be a day when God’s wrath will be displayed against those who do evil, those who sin.

The Deserved Judgment←⤒🔗

This could be a problem, be­cause we all deserve God’s wrath. No one is righteous on their own. Romans 3:10-12, quoting Psalms 14 and 53 — “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

Let’s face it: we are all horrible sinners. Even the most righteous of our deeds are like filthy rags.

Would you welcome the judg­ment of God based on what you have done in your life?

If you were to take all your wicked thoughts, all your sinful actions, every little secret sin you have ever committed, and you were to write them all down, you would end up with a rather large library. Every time you looked at someone with lust in your heart, every time you disobeyed your parents, every time you said a bad word, every time you thought a sinful thought, and we could go on and on. How would you like it all to be written down? Every little sin written in this li­brary would testify against you, and justice would demand that you be destroyed forever.

No matter how righteous we might think we are, no matter how holy we may consider our­selves to be, each one of us de­serves eternal condemnation.

Given this fact, you would think that the last thing we would ever want would be for Christ to re­turn. We should want him to hold off on coming back for as long as possible. “Don’t come back now, Lord Jesus. Give us a little bit more time before you execute your just wrath.”

But there is no avoiding judg­ment completely. It’s inevitable. As we read in Hebrews 9:27 — “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.” As Romans 2:3 asks, “Do you suppose ... that you will escape the judgment of God?”

A Comforting Doctrine?←⤒🔗

Surely, the doctrine that Jesus Christ will return is a most fright­ening doctrine.

Strangely, though, the West­minster Confession of Faith speaks of knowledge of the re­turn of Christ being a consola­tion. And the Heidelberg Cate­chism asks the question: “How does Christ’s return to judge the living and the dead comfort you?”

But we will be judged on what we have done, and everything we have done is tainted by sin. How can there be any consola­tion or comfort in considering that?

And yet, the Bible speaks of how “we may have confidence for the day of judgment.” (1 John 4:16)

In verse 24 of Jude, we read: “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy.” But there is no one without sin. So how can we be presented before God without fault?

The Heidelberg Catechism helps answer this question. In Q&A 52 we read, “I turn my eyes to the heavens and confidently a wait as judge, the very one who has al­ready stood trial in my place before God, and so has removed the whole curse from me.”

Here is the key: the one who is going to come back to judge the living and the dead, the one who will judge all men for all their sins, is the same one who won forgive­ness of sins for his people. The one who will execute the wrath of God against unbelievers is the same one who bore the wrath of God on himself on behalf of believ­ers, on behalf of those who have been chosen to be his people. The one who is judge is the same one who is intercessor and Savior.

It’s like being in a court of law where the judge also happens to be the lawyer who is defending you. There shouldn’t be much doubt as to the outcome. You could say that the whole judgment process has been rigged.

Those who have been elected will be presented spotless before God. Not on their own merit, of course. We know perfectly well that if it de­pended on our own merit, there would be no hope.

But it doesn’t depend on our merit. It depends on the merit of Jesus Christ, whose precious blood was shed in order that in people might have their sins washed away.

A Certain Hope←⤒🔗

We read in Revelation 7:14-17 —

These are the ones coming out of the great tribulation. They have washed their robes and made them  white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple; and he who sits on the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hun­ger no more, neither thirst any­more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living wa­ter, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

After the judgment, God’s people will be able to serve him forever in his glorious presence. They will never again experience pain, or hunger, or suffering, or death. They will only know the true joy of drinking from the fountain of living water for all eternity.

What exactly this is going to be like, we cannot know. We do know that it will be perfect. And we do know that it is going to last forever. What a day that will be!

We can be sure that this time is going to come, and we can be sure of where we are going. As we read in Romans 8:31-34 —

If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to con­demn? Christ Jesus is the one who died — more than that, who was raised — who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.

Christ intercedes for us. And if we have Christ as our intercessor, then no charge can be brought against us. If God has justified, no one will be able to condemn us.

This is why the doctrine of the return of Christ can be very com­forting. Believers know that noth­ing can separate them from the love of God in Christ Jesus. They know that they have been cleansed by the blood of Christ. They know that there is hope.

Titus 2:13-14 —

waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own pos­session.

As we wait, things will be diffi­cult. God promises much turmoil before the second coming of Christ. But in spite of all the trou­bles, we know the glorious hope of Luke 21:27-28 —

And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

Our redemption is drawing near. That is what the second coming means to the believer: redemption, salvation, eternal life.

Mind you, the doctrine of the second coming should not be a comfort to unbelievers and hypocrites. To those who refuse to submit to the Lord of all, the doc­trine of the second coming can only be a source of fear and trembling. The wrath of God manifested on that day will be a horrible thing. For many, the truth of the second coming should come as a warning: Re­pent! Repent and believe! Re­pent of your sins, and know that the Lord will forgive all who truly bow before him in humble sub­mission. Repent, before it is too late.

However, the believer can have comfort from knowing of the sec­ond coming. He can receive comfort and strength to carry on in his work, knowing that God will ac­complish his purposes.

Thanks be to God, that he com­forts his people with the knowl­edge of the salvation that awaits us. Thanks be to God, that we will be presented before the Father blameless. Thanks be to God, Jesus Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead.