Sunday: The Promise of His Return
Daily Lesson for Sunday 12th of May 2024
The Protestant Reformers and the pilgrims who left from Holland for the New World longed for the coming of Jesus. For them the second coming of Christ was a joyous event that they eagerly anticipated. John Wycliffe looked forward to the coming of Christ as the hope of the church. Calvin spoke for all the Reformers when he talked of the glorious return of Christ as “of all events most auspicious.” For faithful men and women of God, the second coming of Christ was something to be embraced, not something to be feared.
Read John 14:1-3, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, and Titus 2:11-14. Why did these Bible passages give such hope to Christians through the centuries?
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It is easy to understand why a belief in the second coming of Christ has brought such hope and joy to Bible-believing Christians. It points forward to the end of sickness, suffering, and death. It ushers in the end of poverty, injustice, and oppression. It anticipates the end of strife, conflict, and war. It forecasts a future world of peace, happiness, and enduring fellowship with Christ and the redeemed of all ages forever.
“The coming of the Lord has been in all ages the hope of His true followers. The Saviour’s parting promise upon Olivet, that He would come again, lighted up the future for His disciples, filling their hearts with joy and hope that sorrow could not quench nor trials dim. Amid suffering and persecution, the ‘appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ was the ‘blessed hope.’ When the Thessalonian Christians were filled with grief as they buried their loved ones, who had hoped to live to witness the coming of the Lord, Paul, their teacher, pointed them to the resurrection, to take place at the Saviour’s advent. Then the dead in Christ should rise, and together with the living be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. ‘And so,’ he said, ‘shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.”—Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, p. 302.
Why is the Second Coming so important to our faith? Especially because we know that the dead sleep (see lesson 10), why does this teaching take on such importance? Without it, why would we be, as Paul said, in an utterly hopeless situation (see 1 Corinthians 15:15-18)?
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This morning we are having a litte family get together for Mother's Day breakfast. One reason is that Carmel's Mum will be with us. She is 97 and while her mind is showing signs of aging, she is still good for a conversation and she has retained her wicked sense of humour. We all know that she is nearing the end of her life and as one would expect in a Seventh-day Adventist family, conversations often turn to the return of Jesus and the resurrection. Verses are often quoted and hope expressed.
The thought occurred to me that our discussion about the second coming often takes place in the shadows of suffering, ageing, and calamity. We want it all to end. There is nothing wrong with that, but maybe we should continue the conversation when things are going well, we are being successful, money is being deposited in the bank, and you have not had to visit the dentist for 12 months.
My point is; the Second Coming should not just be a "calamity prop" but something that permeates all of our living.
This is what I’m looking forward to most of all! Seeing Jesus, face-to-face… knowing Him as fully as I am known….
By His gracious work in us we will be pure in heart, my brothers and sisters, and we’ll see God! 🙏🏻😍
I was entering the Sabbath by listening to Sandra Entermann, Paul Fua & Johanna McKay on the Sabbath Sing Along on Youtube. They sang a beautiful song I had not heard before. I was so moved I kept repeating it. I Googled it and found the title: One Day (When We All Get To Heaven) by Matt Redman. My heart burns within me each time I hear it.
How I long for that day. I long for it in the painful times. I long for it in the blessed times when my heart is so full of gratitude and I just want to see my Jesus face to face and to embrace him and say, "Thank you." Even so, come Lord Jesus!
One day You'll make everything new, Jesus
One day You will bind every wound
The former things shall all pass away
No more tears
One day You'll make sense of it all, Jesus
One day every question resolved
Every anxious thought left behind
No more fear
One day we will see face to face, Jesus
Is there a greater vision of grace
And in a moment, we shall be changed
On that day
And one day we'll be free, free indeed, Jesus
One day all this struggle will cease
And we will see Your glory revealed
On that day
When we all get to heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We'll sing and shout the victory
Well, Joyce, when I read your comment, I just had to look it up for myself, and I found this rendition by the worship leader Matt Redman himself. (I was interested to read that he helped start three church plants.)
Here is the song on Youtube (no ads): Matt Redman - One Day (When We All Get To Heaven) (Acoustic)
It seems to me that the Holy Spirit is moving people in all places and all denominations to spread the Word!
Thanks for sharing the link. We are singing When We All Get To Heaven to end our church's 50th Anniversary Celebration in a few weeks. Love this rendition.
so inspiring and assuring.
1. The Second Coming will bring an end to sickness, suffering, and death. Isn't that a great thing to wait for?!
2. For anyone who has gone through the fire and experience its pain, the second coming of JESUS will be a meaningful and happy event for him/her. I mean sometimes we don't see the important of the second coming because we don't know the pain of this earthly life. Sometimes we just see the second coming as a normal event and we don't hope for his hurry coming because we don't know the edge of the great controversy!!!
But if we knows the cost of living a faithful Christian life in this world of sin, we would be praying for JESUS'S soon return everyday.
3. The second coming of JESUS is what hold our Faith, the second coming is what makes us moving forward in Faith, the second coming is what makes our Faith meaningful-Because, if there would be no future (second coming) our Faith will be meaningless.
Be blessed Family...
Amen Maurice! Our faith and hope in Christ is everything.
I too have been hearing about our Lord coming to take us home for a long time. I have not given up hope. My prayer is that each and every one of us will not give up hope for Jesus return. 1 Peter 1:7. Remember the promises that He will help us sustain in His love.
Philippians 2:13.
Psalm 23:6.
1 Thessalonians 3:11-13.
Yes Lord establish(and sustain) us till we see you in the air calling us home.
It’s Mother’s Day today! Inge, thank you for providing the link to listen to the beautiful rendition of “When we all go to heaven’...; it brought tears to my eyes. As an individual, yes, I am grateful that I can focus my hope, but as a mother, I am sad at the same time and my tears of joy soon turn to tears of sadness.
Every time my heart rejoices over the Glory of Heaven’s Light and Hope, I remember the darkness still covering the hearts of so many people yet unaware of His Light which would provide the so desperately needed peace in the coming times of trouble and the promise of Eternal Life.
Family members, friends, neighbors, government leaders and strangers, all need our prayers that God’s Holy Spirit would change their darkness into His Light. Fervent prayers for those needing to be touched is the cry of the rejoicing and, at the same time, mourning heart which does not want to see anyone left behind.
As we all start to continuously and earnestly pray for each other’s families and friends, I am certain that our prayers will soon include the petition that our heavenly Father will include all in the whole world still waiting to be saved by His Grace!
Brigitte, let us keep praying for our loved ones that the Holy Spirit may enlighten their minds - that they may realize that God only wants the very best for them.
Personally, I pray that the Lord will forgive the mistakes we made in raising our children and overrule them so that we may rejoice together in heaven!
Yes, thank you Inge!
This is my earnest prayer also dear Inge. May God forgive us for the mistakes we made in raising our children. And may those who left the fold be brought back so that we can together rejoice when we meet our Saviour in the air 🙏
The promise of His coming is so vital to me ,surely what could it mean to just live and die forever never to be resurrected again? Our faith will be meaningless.Even so,come Lord Jesus Christ.
I blessed by the song when we all get to heaven pray for me and my family
His 2nd coming is very important to me, this is where my faith in him will be into action, if he don't return then our faith will be nothing.
In the other hand, those who have been doomed my the pleasure of this world will find His 2nd coming just a normal event, some have big scientific projects, you never know, they might be hating to hear about the day.