A CUP OF COLD WATER

 The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Today, I want to talk about a topic that we rarely hear about - the second coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is so central to our faith as followers of Jesus. It is our hope and what we long for, a time when our faith becomes sight. We should look forward to that Day with eager anticipation, not only for our rewards, but to see Jesus face to face.

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The first time Jesus came into the world, it was to preach the kingdom of God and pay the penalty for our sin by His death on the cross and resurrection, thereby making the only way for us to be reconciled to God (John 14:6). When He comes again the second time, as He promised, it will be to judge the world, living and dead, and to establish the kingdom of God (John 5:24–30; Revelation 11:15). On that day, all who believed in Him as Saviour will be with Him and He will reward everyone for their Christian service (Revelation 22:12). 

Jesus Christ predicted His death and resurrection in all four gospels, and they happened as He said they would (Mark 8:31–33; Matthew 16:21; Luke 24:7; John 10:17–18). After He died on the cross, His body was laid in a tomb and the Jewish leaders secured it with a stone. The stone was sealed and guards posted at the entrance of the tomb to guard it. They went to all this length just to prevent Jesus’s disciples from stealing His body and claiming that He had risen from the dead, as He had said (Matthew 27:65–66). But Jesus Christ still rose from the dead! The women who went to His tomb to perform the Jewish ritual for the dead found it empty because He had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:6). The schemes of man could not stop the purposes of God in Jesus, and they cannot stop His purposes in followers of Jesus. 

After paying the full price for the redemption of humanity, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and was seen by His disciples, and many others, before He ascended into heaven (1 Corinthians 15:3–8). While Jesus Christ was with His disciples, He told them He was going to prepare a place for them, and for all who would believe in Him, and come back, at a time specified by God alone, to take us to be with Him forever (John 14:2–3). 

Just as His first coming was predicted hundreds of years before He came (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14; Micah 5:2; Zechariah 9:9), so His return is certain, because He said so (Zechariah 14:1–9; Isaiah 13:9; Hebrew 9:28; Matthew 24:42–44). 

Therefore as we await His return, we should be vigilant and occupied with the work of advancing His kingdom. We should keep our lives free from sin and maintain our faith so that when He returns we will be with Him forever.