How is Jesus portrayed at the Second Coming? - Nathan Jones - http://www.lamblion.us/2014/08/the-second-coming-of-jesus-christ.html
On July 16, 2014, I was interviewed by Vic Batista, senior pastor of the Miami-based Calvary Chapel Aventura on his radio program "The Truth Will Set You Free" via TWave Radio. "Pastor Vic" (as he likes to be called) was born in the Dominican Republic and is as active in planting churches and helping orphans there as he is in southern Florida, reaching out with the Good News of Jesus Christ to both the English and Spanish speaking audiences.
In this "The Truth Will Set You Free" episode, we discuss the amazing events surrounding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The first half of the discussion is in English, while the second half is translated into Spanish.
From Lamb to Lion
Nathan: Revelation 19 is one of my favorite passages because it shows us another side of Jesus Christ that we didn't see earlier in the New Testament. Before, we saw Jesus as a Lamb - a suffering servant - who was poor and was basically a peasant His whole life, and who was crucified for our sins.
But, then you read Revelation 19 and you see a whole new version of Jesus - the Roaring Lion, the glorified Jesus Christ. Revelation 19:11 says, "Now I saw Heaven open and behold a white horse and he who sat on him was called Faithful and True and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood," (likely His blood). "And His name is called the Word of God and the armies in heaven..."
Those armies are us, Vic, you and me and those who were raptured off this earth. We are clothed in fine linen, white and clean, and we follow Him on white horses.
Out of Jesus' mouth goes a sharp sword - the power of His command - that with it He will strike down the nations. "He will then rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself, treads the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe, and on His thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords."
And that's the return of Jesus Isn't it amazing?
Vic: Hallelujah!
Nathan: Referring back to the Lord of the Rings movies, Aragorn had a pretty impressive return, but it's nothing compared to Jesus Christ's return. He's back, opening up the heavens and coming with all His saints and angels with Him to defeat the Antichrist and the False Prophet. Revelation 19:19 says, "I saw the beast, the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." So, Satan tries to lead a human army against Jesus upon His return.
"Then the Beast was captured and with him the False Prophet who worked signs in his presence by which he deceived those who received the Mark of the Beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the Lake of Fire burning with brimstone, and the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh." This description reveals that when Jesus returns He doesn't even need us or His angels to help fight the Antichrist's army. Jesus with just a word makes His enemies fall apart.
Jesus proceeds to defeat Satan who He then throws into a pit for a thousand years. Jesus sends the Antichrist and the False Prophet to Hell. With His enemies vanquished, Jesus will then set up His kingdom here on this earth.
Vic: That's amazing! Let me just say, that if you don't know how to ride horse yet, you'd better learn how.
Nathan: That's right. Well, I was really hoping for something cooler to return with Jesus to earth in, like say a muscle car. Maybe it's talking about some sort of angelic horses that we'll be flying around on, because it says we'll be coming down from Heaven. Or, maybe they're angels because angels have different shapes. Not all angels are curly, blond haired guys with big wings like many people think. The Bible explains that there are many different types of angels. We'll also be wearing white robes which stand for the righteous acts and the purification Jesus gave us from our sins.
Vic: Nathan, those are wonderful passages you shared with us. I thank you for clarifying these events explaining how they are going to line up and take place because there's a lot of confusion surrounding them, even among Christians. Some people are freaking out because they confuse the Rapture with the Second Coming, and they think they are going to have to suffer through the Tribulation. But, as you were explaining, the Rapture and the Second Coming are separate events.
Not Appointed to Wrath
Vic: Now, we know from the Bible that we the Church are not going to be here to live through the Tribulation, right?
Nathan: Right, the Church will be Heaven during the Tribulation. If you read Revelation 19, it explains the preparation of Jesus and the Saints - that's us - being prepared to come back with Jesus to defeat Satan, his Antichrist, his false prophet, and the evil armies of the world who are attacking His people. Jesus will defeat these evil beings and set up His kingdom on the earth at the end of the Tribulation, but during the Tribulation we will be with Jesus in Heaven.
Vic: So, the Church is not going to be affected by the Tribulation, right?
Nathan: Right. Now, as believers in Christ, we do have to suffer tribulations on this earth, but only at the hands of man and Satan. Nobody lives on this earth without some kind of suffering in their lives. But, the wrath of God is different. It's like the Flood. The Tribulation is God's wrath upon this world. Jesus promises in many places in the Bible that the wrath of God is never meant for His children. Jesus explains through Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus will return to take up His saints, which are those who have accepted Him as Savior, up to Heaven to avoid those seven years of Tribulation that are coming upon the earth. Then we will return with Jesus after those seven years to watch Him defeat evil and set up His kingdom.
Vic: You are right. First Thessalonians 5:19 says, "God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." And that's our hope, because the Lord Jesus is coming for those who've placed their trust in Him. We also believe that time is running out, right?
Nathan: Yes. The signs of the times point to the soon return of Jesus Christ. We have many articles on our website at lamblion.com which talk about Christ's return. Go to our website and in the search box type in the words "signs of the times" or just "signs" and you can watch our shows and read our articles where we list out all the different signs that Jesus said were coming that point to the nearness of His return.
In Luke 21 you can find ten signs which show that we are getting close to the Lords' return. Another is Zechariah 14, which dedicates an entire chapter to the Second Coming of Jesus. It talks about the Tribulation wars, Jesus' return, what that day will be like, and the peace that Jesus institutes. It also talks about the Millennial Kingdom, which is the thousand year reign of Jesus Christ on this earth, and what that will be like. We also have quite a number of articles on the Rapture and a number of TV shows on this subject as well.
The purpose of Lamb & Lion Ministries is to proclaim the soon return of Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus is coming soon, and we are excited about it. We want to tell people about it, so that's why this ministry exists. We believe the Lord Jesus is coming soon to Rapture His Church, and we don't want anyone to have to live through the Tribulation. That's why we share the Gospel with them, so they too can be saved, participate in the Rapture, get to return with Jesus in all His glory, and see Him come down and defeat evil and set up His kingdom.
Vic: That's awesome!
In the third and last part of this discussion with Pastor Vic on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, we'll look at what the purpose of prophecy is all about.
BE SURE TO CHECK OUT MY PROPHECY WEBSITES...............................
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