It happened nearly two thousand years ago. It was a normal day for the people of the Roman town of Pompeii. The men went to their workshops. The women were doing their housework. The children went to school and the farmers did their work out on the fields. Nobody suspected any danger. Everything seemed to be as it had always been. But on that day – the 24^th of August of the year 79 AD, something most disastrous happened to these people.

Suddenly, without any warning or notice, the volcano Vesuvius erupted. The town of Pompeii was located on the slopes of this volcano. Suddenly, huge explosions were heard. While the men were still at work in their workshops and the women were busy with washing clothes or with baking bread and while the children were listening to their teachers, all of a sudden they were covered with a huge layer of burning lava. Piles of ashes were thrown on top of that burning lava and the whole town of Pompeii was covered by six meters of debris.

Pompeii had vanished. After some time the people forgot about this town. Nobody remembered where the town of Pompeii had been. It was completely forgotten until by chance, in 1748 someone found some interesting items in the ground. Scientists decided to dig further and they found the buried and lost city of Pompeii. They found the people embalmed while they had been going about their daily work. Pompeii can still be seen near the volcano, Vesuvius, close to the city of Naples in Italy.

In one day, totally unexpected, Pompeii came to an end.

There will be a day like that again. That day will bring an end to the earthly exist­ence of all the people of this world. That will also be a day when men and women will go to work and children will go to school. On that day, all of a sudden, this world shall be brought to an end. That is the day when the Lord Jesus Christ will appear. "Watch, therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh."

In this article I plan to write a few things about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. We hope to focus upon God's Word and find what the Lord tells us about this important issue. We also hope to listen to what our Confessions say about this matter. We hope to deal briefly with some issues concerning the second coming of Christ. We will also try to imagine what the second coming will be for those who love the Lord and for those who do not love the Lord.

Christ's Second Coming is Taught in Scripture⤒🔗

Every Lord's Day we confess the words from the Apostolic Creed: I believe in Jesus Christ … Who ascended into Heaven … From thence He shall come to judge the quick and the dead. Why do we confess this? Why do we expect the Lord to return? Is it because we feel this? Is it because we think this, or because we would like Him to return?

The reason why we confess the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is because God has revealed this to us in His Word. The Lord has promised very clearly in His Word that He will come again to judge the living and the dead.

Where do we find this? We can mention various texts. Let us listen to a few verses from Scripture.

Matthew 24:30 – And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Acts 1:11 – 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.

In 1 Thess. 1:10 – Christians are urged to Wait for His Son from Heaven.

We can also mention Matthew 26:64; Revelation 1:7; 2 Timothy 4:1; Daniel 7:13; Psalm 98:9. There are more Scripture references that could be given, but let this be sufficient for us to know that the Lord Jesus Christ will one day come back to this world to judge the living and the dead.

Christ's Second Coming is Taught in Our Confessions←⤒🔗

The Confessions also explain the second coming. Lord's Day 19, Question and Answer 52 of the Heidelberg Catechism asks us: What comfort is it to thee that 'Christ shall come again to judge the quick and the dead'? The answer is:

That in all my sorrows and persecutions with uplifted head I look for the very same person, who before offered Himself for my sake, to the tribunal of God, and has removed all curse from me, to come as judge from heaven: who shall cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but shall translate me with all His chosen ones to Himself, into heavenly joys and glory.

Article 37 of the Belgic Confession also refers to the second coming of Christ.

Finally we believe, according to the Word of God, when the time appointed by the Lord (which is unknown to all creatures) is come, and the number of the elect complete, that our Lord Jesus Christ will come from Heaven, corporally and visibly, as He ascended, with great glory and majesty to declare Himself judge of the quick and the dead; burning this old world with flame and fire, to cleanse it. And then all men will personally appear before this great judge.

Christ's Second Coming is Necessary←⤒🔗

The second coming of Christ implies the fulfillment of Christ's work of salvation. There is an unbreakable link between the resurrection, the ascension, the sitting on the right hand of God and the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. The second coming is necessary for the full salvation of His people. At His second coming the Lord shall call all the dead from the graves – also the dead bodies of His people. Then His people shall be in glory with Him with their bodies and souls. That will be their full salvation.

The second coming will also be the ultimate point of His glory. Every knee shall bow before Him and death shall be fully conquered. That will be the full salvation for His people and the perfect glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. All His enemies shall then be publicly put to shame. They shall be cast into perdition. The second coming of Christ is tied in with all the facts of sal­vation. The second coming is the consequence of His cross, resurrection and ascension.

The Manner of Christ's Second Coming←⤒🔗

How will the Lord Jesus Christ return? In other words, in which way will the Lord Jesus return? What will actually happen when He comes? This is very difficult for us to understand for our thinking is limited by our understanding of time and space.

Although it is difficult for us to imagine how His second coming will be, let us try to discern from Scripture what will take place when He comes again.

Matthew 24 tells us of various events that will occur when Christ returns. In verse 29 we read:

The sun shall be darkened, the moon shall not give her light and the stars shall fall from heaven, the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.

Verse 30 states: The sign of the Son of man shall appear in Heaven. Then shall all the tribes of the earth see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Verse 31 reads: And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet.

Matthew 16:27 tells us that the Lord Jesus shall come together with His angels. 1 Thessalonians 3:13 reveals that His coming shall be with all His saints. 2 Corinthians 5:10 warns us that we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ. 1 Cor. 15:42-47 promises us that the dead shall be raised and they will receive a spiritual body. Those who are alive on earth at the second coming of Christ shall be changed into this different body in a split second.

1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17 shows us that the people of God will ascend to meet the coming Christ and to be with Him forever.

When Will the Lord Jesus Return?←⤒🔗

We do not know the day. We cannot even calculate or estimate the day of His second coming. The Lord, however, has given us the parable of the fig tree. What is the meaning? In Matthew 24:32-35, the Lord Jesus speaks of buds that appear in the springtime in Palestine on the fig tree. When the leaves begin to grow, the people know that summer is coming. Likewise, we should discern the signs of the times.

We can tell that the Lord Jesus will return by discerning the signs of the times. Christ urges us to consider these signs. By them we will know that His coming is near.

We cannot calculate the day of the coming of Christ. Nevertheless, many have tried to do so. In the early church there was a sect called the Montanists, followers of a certain man called Montanus. They calculated that the Lord Jesus would come back in the year 150 A.D. This was one hundred and twenty years after the crucifixion. They thought that this time was in agreement with Genesis 6:3.

In Luther's days there was someone who calculated that the last day of the world would be in 1533. Luther himself said that 1540 was 5500 years after creation. He thought that there would still be another 500 years until the eternal sabbath would come. Luther said, however, that the last days would be shortened so that it would take less than 500 years before Christ would return.

The Adventists of the nineteenth century calculated that the final year of this world would be 1844. In our time Hal Lindsay calculated that the end of the world would be in 1988, for that would be forty years after the establishing of the state of Israel in 1948.

It is very difficult to discern what exactly are the immediate signs of the coming of Christ. Some expositors distinguish three phases:

Phase One: The beginning of the sorrows (Matthew 24:1-8).

Phase Two: The great tribulation (Matthew 24:9-21).

Phase Three: The cosmic signs that are immediately connected to the actual coming of Christ (Matthew 24:27-35).

The first period will be characterized by wars and rumours of wars, famines and great diseases. Natural disasters will also occur, such as earthquakes. The Gospel will have been preached to all nations.

The second phase is characterized by false teaching, false prophets and great deceit. Severe persecutions will arise against the people of God. The law of God will be despised and rejected. A spirit of coldness will descend upon man. The antichrist will appear (2 Thess. 2:3, 4).

These signs taken together convey the second coming of Christ. The despising of God's Law calls for the end. The disasters in nature announce the end. The preaching to all nations prepare for the end.

We Must Recognize the Signs of the Times←⤒🔗

We mentioned some signs of the times whereby we may know how close we are to Christ's return. Needless to say it is very important that we recognize these signs. Yet it is very difficult for us to do so because by nature our hearts are blind to the things of God and we lack spiritual discernment. Also it is very easy to draw false con­clusions. We should be very careful not to isolate certain events in history and then state that this a fulfilling of a certain text.

Abraham Kuyper, for instance, believed that World War I was the fulfilling of Revelation 9:16-21, where it states that a third of the people of the earth will be killed. Many terrible wars and terrible illnesses have occurred throughout history. Spurgeon believed that the signs of wars and rumours of wars, diseases and earthquakes relate to all times. These things have always been happening. Calvin writes in a similar vein.

Still, when we look at our age, don't we see that these signs are intensified? In the twentieth century there have been many wars. There are estimates that in our age more than 150 million people have been killed by wars. Every year the world spends 1000 billion dollars to maintain their armies. If we could spend that money in a different way, in one year we could cure the infrastructure of Africa and Asia and deliver them from hunger. If we could refrain from these military costs for another year, we could do the same for India and Pakistan.

In the twentieth century many people have been martyred for their faith. In our time six million Jews have been massacred. Estimates have it that 8 million Nestorian Christians, 2 million Armenian Christians, 25 million Russian Christians and 10 million Chinese Christians have been put to death.

Since World War II abortions have totalled more than 50 million. These figures are based upon a study conducted for the Evangelical Broadcasting Company in the Netherlands in 1986.

Are these facts not signs of the times?

The Antichrist Will Come First←⤒🔗

Do we still expect the antichrist? Who is this antichrist? Scripture reveals different things about the antichrist. The apostle Paul describes the person of the antichrist and the apostle John portrays the spirit of the antichrist. Revelation shows us the empire of antichrist.

The apostle Paul describes the antichrist in 2 Thessalonians 2 as the man of sin, the son of perdition, … who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped. We cannot go into much detail here but we may say that the antichrist is a person who will reign over the world. The nations will join together and will unite against God and His commandments. The antichrist will be their leader and he will be in the service of satan. There have already been types or examples of the antichrist. We think of wicked Roman emperors such as Caesar and Nero and a man like Hitler.

Revelation calls the antichrist the beast. In Revelation 13:18 we read: Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six. That is the number 666. There has been quite a bit of discussion regarding the precise meaning of this number. People have assigned a certain numeric value to each letter of the alphabet and applied this to the name Nero. They then would come up with the number 666. Some people also thought that Hitler was the number 666. They did this by the scheme that a = 100, b = 101 and c = 102, etc. In this way they would show that the letters of the name Hitler added up to 666.

This is not the way we should view the number 666. Revelation 13:18 says: Here is wisdom. This is not the wisdom of cal­culation but the wisdom of faith. It means to have insight.

We should never forget that in Scripture the number 7 is the number of God and number 6 is the number of man. Man was created on the sixth day. King Solomon received 666 talents of gold every year. The image of Nebuchadnezzar, which was erected in the plain of Dura, was 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide. The number 6 is the number of man. The number 666 is three times 6. That is man at his height of earthly power and knowledge and earthly glory. The number 666 reveals the fullness of man. It denotes the ultimate height of the power of man, also in wickedness. It symbolizes the total rebellion of man and his total fulmination of wickedness against God.

In this connection we read in 2 Thessalonians 2:8: And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming. In verse 6 of the same chapter Paul speaks about the fact that the revelation of antichrist is withheld until he shall be revealed in his time: And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. The word: withholdeth has caused much discussion. Expositors are still not certain what the meaning of withholding is. Is it the preaching of the Gospel that keeps man outwardly in check? That would imply that when the preaching of the truth is taken away, this wicked will be revealed.

When Christ returns, He will make an end to all manifestations of wickedness. He will destroy antichrist with the brightness of His coming.

We Are Called to be Watchful←⤒🔗

We have briefly discussed some matters regarding the second coming of Christ. We have merely touched some facts from Scripture and the world around us. May this study lead us to consider the coming of Christ. He will return! When the Lord Jesus was asked to explain the signs of His second coming, He started off by saying: Take heed that no man deceive you (Matthew 24:4). In verses 11, 12 and 13 of this same chapter He teaches us: And many false prophets shall rise and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

We need to be watchful and we need to be firmly grounded in the doctrines of God's Word. We need to live close to the truth of God's Word. We need His grace and the mighty working of the Holy Spirit. We need true living faith.

The Second Coming Will be the Final Judgment←⤒🔗

We all shall see the coming Lord Jesus Christ. He will judge the living and the dead. He will judge you and me. What will the verdict be for you and me?

The second coming of the Lord Jesus will be majestic. The trumpet shall sound. The nations will be filled with deep awe. A sign shall be seen in heaven. The heavens will be rolled together as a scroll. Then the Judge will come. Christ Jesus, the Lord, will return, not as the Man of sorrows, but as the King of kings! The angels will be sent out to gather all His beloved ones from the corners of the earth. All the dead will rise from their graves and they will be placed before the majestic throne of Christ.

All the righteous will stand before Him and all the ungodly will have to stand before Him. He will make a separation between the righteous and the unrighteous. There will be those who will stand at the left hand of the Judge whom we had expected to be placed at the right hand. It also will be the other way around. There may be many at the right whom we would have placed at the left.

The Second Coming Will be Glory for the People of God←⤒🔗

Try to imagine what the second coming will be for God's people who have been delivered from their misery and sins! They will receive a full pardon for all their transgressions. They were miserable and lost, but during their lives the Lord looked upon them in mercy. He pitied them. They learned to flee to Christ Jesus. The Name of Jesus is the sweetest Name they know. They have learned to delight in Him. He is their life, their joy and their aim in life. They have a deep longing to glorify Him without sin.

On this day of days they shall see their Saviour! They will see the glory shining from His face. They will see the love that beams from His countenance. Then they will realize: "Indeed, He is fairer than the children of men. He is my Beloved."

The Lord Jesus Christ will welcome His beloved people into His glorious presence. The Lord will impart heavenly glory to His saints. He will adorn them with ornaments fit for a marriage. This is the day on which Christ will honour His people in the sight of the whole world.

The Lord Jesus will rejoice in them. If the father of the prodigal rejoiced to have his son back, how much more joy will the Lord Jesus have in receiving His bride at His side? He shall see of the travail of His soul and be satisfied (Isa. 53:11). The Lord Jesus rejoices in His Bride and the Bride will delight in His glory. This joy begins now and will never end. This joy, which they were allowed to have a foretaste of at times, they now will enjoy with their Lord and Saviour until all eternity.

On earth they had to endure afflictions, sorrows, loneliness and grief. Maybe they breathed sighs and they spent their days in tribulations, but at that glorious day there will be joy, and sorrow will vanish. Sorrow is but for a night, but joy will come in this morning of the resurrection and it will never be night again.

The Second Coming Will be Doom for the Ungodly←⤒🔗

There is more to be said in regard to this day of days. There are also the many people who did not fear the Name of the Lord. In that day the sweet face of Christ will be most terrible for the wicked. They will be cut to the heart when they will see Him in the judgment seat. Then the wicked will have to say: "Here is He, the Lord Jesus Christ, upon His white and flaming throne, He, Who poured out His blood upon the earth to save His people from their sins. He repeatedly knocked upon the door of my heart. He begged me to leave my lusts and sinful desires. He of­fered to be my everlasting Husband. He told me that if I would have embraced Him, He would have given me the immortal crown of glory, but fool that I was, I despised His offer of grace. I shrugged my shoulders and did not pay attention. I dealt cruelly with my own soul. I wish I could flee away, as far as possible, but now I have to stand before His throne, with a lifetime of guilt and shortcomings, filled with innumerable evil thoughts, words and deeds. I wish I could hide beneath mountains or a huge animal, away from His sight, away from those loving eyes which now are eyes of wrath that pierce right through me."

Just imagine if a person would have to say: "True Lord, I lived under the preach­ing of the Gospel. Thou hast sent Thy faithful servants to me, who with tears have preached the Gospel. Yes, I can still hear him preaching. I still see the tears in his eyes. I have heard many searching sermons. Any passage of such a sermon could have been the beginning of eternal life for me, but I neglected to seek Thee. I was almost persuaded to be a Christian. I was close to the narrow gate, but I was still outside. I thought the lusts of the world were more precious than Thee. I considered the vanities of this world of greater worth than Thy presence. Looking at the display of sins on television was more important to me than looking unto Jesus. I had time for sports, but no time to seek Thee in my closet. I resisted Thee and Thy precious Spirit."

To a thousand of such questions there will be no answer, for the Lord Jesus Christ will pronounce the verdict: Depart from Me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Every single word of the Lord Jesus will breathe out fire, vengeance and woe.

The Second Coming Implies the Call for Repentance←⤒🔗

Are you prepared to meet the Lord Jesus Christ? Are you in Christ or are you still outside of Him? His coming will be joy for the godly but doom for the ungodly. Can you live in an everlasting fire? If you can, continue on in sin, but if you cannot, stop now, repent of your sins! Go on your knees before this righteous God and beseech Him for grace. You are still in the time of grace. Hear the Saviour calling you: "Are your lusts better than I? Are your carnal pleasures worth more to you than Me? Turn unto Me and live. I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

The Lord Jesus still delights to save lost souls. He delights to hear the pleas of helpless sinners. Cleave to Christ and in that day of days you shall be saved. Then, by the grace of God, you may say with the Belgic Confession, Article 37: Therefore we expect that great day with a most ardent desire to the end that we may fully enjoy the promises of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. AMEN.