Sabbath: The Return of Our Lord Jesus
Image © Pacific Press from GoodSalt.com
Read for This Week’s Study: Isa. 13:6, Isa. 13:9; Matt. 24:30-31; Dan. 2:34-35; 2 Tim. 4:6-8; 2 Thess. 1:7-10.
Memory Text: “For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).
The poet T. S. Eliot began a poem with the line: “In my beginning is my end”. However succinct, his words carry a powerful truth. In origins exist endings. We see echoes of this reality in our name, Seventh-day Adventist, which carries two basic biblical teachings: “Seventh day”, for the Sabbath of the Ten commandments, a weekly memorial of the six-day Creation of life on earth; and “Adventist”, pointing to the second coming of Jesus, in which all the hopes and promises of Scripture, including the promise of eternal life, will find their fulfillment.
However distant in time the Creation of the world (our beginning) is from the second coming of Jesus (our end, at least the end of this sinful existence), these events are linked. The God who created us (John 1:1-3) is the same God who will return and, in an instant, “in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (1 Cor. 15:52, NKJV), will bring about our ultimate redemption. In our beginning, indeed, we find our end.
This week, we will talk about the final of all final events, at least as far as our present world is concerned: the second coming of our Lord Jesus.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 30.
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He will come in a rapid and unexpected manner, like the lightning. Many would be looking for him in the desert, many in secret places; but He would come visible every eye shall see him.
It is useless to look to the sky and predict where the lightning would next flash. In a moment it would blaze in an unexpected part of the heavens, and shine at once to the other part. So rapidly, so unexpectedly would be his coming.
9 In that day they will say,
“Surely this is our God;
we trusted in him, and he saved us.
This is the Lord, we trusted in him;
let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”
20 He who testifies to these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon.”
Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s people. Amen.
It is important also that some of the deceptions of Satan to deceive even the very elect-if possible will be those that look for Jesus to come first to the Vatican, Salt Lake City Temple, (desert and secret chambers) The Watchtower headquarters, and the broadcast studios of TBN Trinity Broadcasting Network which I deem The Baal Network.
All of those locations have been solemnly promised by their leaders and members to be where Jesus will show up first!
Jesus calls all of them liars.
There are going to be seven last plagues that will last about one year from the start of the first one before Jesus is seen in the clouds of heaven. It is at the sixth one that the voice is heard from heaven (from God), to "Come out of spiritual Babylon". Now how secret is that? And yet, how many believed that there was going to be a great flood in the time of Noah as he was building the Ark?
Pete, where do you get this time-frame for the duration of the 7 plagues?
Robert, this time frame comes from the day-year prophetic principle. Applying this principle in Revelation 18:8 "Therefore shall her plagues come in one day." This has to be referring to the seven last plagues that God will use to bring spiritual Babylon to complete and total oblivion.
So every reference to any time at all must be prophetic time?
So how long will the 10 horns of Rev 17 reign when it says "they shall reign one hour with the beast"?
Who would survive a full year without water to drink, having instead blood to drink? Or do you believe the plagues themselves will be brief, but take a year to fulfill all 7?
I just don't see this as a prophetic time reference.
The book of Revelation is almost if not all entirely prophetic. Therefore, the day year principle has to be taken into account with that wonderful book of endtime events especially as they apply to Jesus Soon Second Coming.
One hour is about 14 days. As previously mentioned, one day is a year. It is during those 14 days that the death decree is issued and God's people, by this time sealed, will be in the wilderness earnestly craving Christ's righteousness knowing His coming is imminent. This is Armageddon. All the nations of the earth bent on destroying Sabbath keepers in response to Satan's personal appearances around the globe and condemning the remnant as earth's enemies. When EGW said the final movements would be rapid ones, she wasn't kidding.
Perhaps important to note that the 2nd coming of Jesus is NOT the final event to take place in the settling of the great controversy. The 1000 year judgment of the "dead", bringing the City of God to be placed upon this earth, the raising of the wicked and Satan being turned loose to deceive them once more, then the final act of God in answering every question and drying every tear, then the recreation of this world to it's former glory, though this time, exceeding the glory of the original creation. The 2nd coming of Jesus serves to usher in these last events that will follow it, while verifying the close of probation for sinners, who will not know until that great and terrible day.
From the day that Jesus comes to earth again, until the earth is restored to it's sinless and perfect state, will be at least 1000 years, plus the time given for Satan to deceive the nations once more and lead them to surround the city of God to prepare their attack against it.
Imagine Satan, who knows his last effort is only a brief charade to fool the wicked for a very brief time until God reveals to them their deceiver, and his futile plot to tear down the just and righteous government of God, his creator.
Each day, as the number of those who have overcome the world as Jesus did grows, his time diminishes, and he is keenly aware of it. So beware that he will use every means possible to hold you in his grasp until the sealing work is complete...!
How are we to wait for the coming of Christ? What has Christ asked us to do? Is it not to make disciples and tell everyone the good news? Let us not idly wait for His coming but let us be about the Father’s business and present ourselves as faithful stewards when He comes.
Brendan James, you are so right. One prophetic hour is about two weeks. That is how long the 10 horns do war with Jesus (The Lamb,) but Jesus overcomes them in two weeks. But some of God's People are still in Babylon and that is why God's Voice comes through the clouds from heaven to "Come out of her..." and gives them also 14 days to do so and while He also destroys the 10 horns along with THE HARLOT.