SHEPHERDVILLE COLLEGE

FOUNDATIONS OF FAITH
Ptr. Evelyn S. Contante, EdD

MODULE 12: SECOND COMING OF JESUS & RAPTURE OF SAINTS

I. INTRODUCTION

There are three Greek words used to reveal this fact: (1) Parousia-personal presence (2)
Apokalupsis-revelation and (3) Epiphaneia-appearing. These three words signify that there will come
a time when Christ will return in a public, personal revelation of Himself to the world. Some teach that
the Second Coming is when at death "Jesus comes to receive the soul," but that is not a public
revelation visible to all the world. Acts 1 :10,11 describes the ascension which we studied in a
previous lesson and described as being (1) personal (2) bodily (3) visible and (4) with power. The
Saviour's first coming was in humiliation but the second advent will be glorious.

Actually, there are three major viewpoints respecting His Second Coming: 1) Post millennial
view: It teaches that the Second Coming will follow rather than precede the millennial age. 2) The
AMillennial view: He does not believe in a literal period of a thousand years but believes that when
Christ comes everything ends quickly. 3) The pre-millennial view: The Lord comes and then follows
the Millennium. Another problem is that the Second Coming is in two stages: 1) The rapture which is
secret (I Thess. 4:15-17) when the Lord comes FOR His saints and we meet Him in the air. 2) The
revelation which is public (Rev. 1 :7), when the Lord comes WITH His saints to set up the Millennium,
I Thess. 3 :13.

II. COMPETENCY A. OBJECTIVES

At the end of this module, you should be able to:
a. memorize the Article of Faith No. 12
b. get acquainted with the Second Coming of Christ & Rapture of Saints

B. CONTENT
Article of Faith No. 12: The Jesus the Loving Shepherd Christian Fellowship believes:

In the blessed hope- the rapture of the Church at Christ second coming.

I. PROPHECIES OF CHRIST'S SECOND COMING

His first coming was prophesied and those prophecies came to pass literally. This gives
us great confidence that the prophecies of the second advent will also be fulfi1ted literally
and not in a figurative or spiritual sense. 1. It was foretold by the prophets. Dan. 7 :13, "I saw
in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven."
2. It was foretold by Jesus Himself. Matt. 25 :31, "When the Son of man shall come in His
glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory." 3. It
was foretold by Paul. I Tim. 6 :14, "Keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable,
until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ." 4. It was foretold by angels. Acts 1 :10,11,
when the Saviour ascended from the earth. None of these prophecies were fulfilled at His
first coming.

II. TIME OF CHRIST'S COMING

This is a secret that only the Lord knows. Matt. 24 :36, "But of that day and hour
knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Jesus Christ as man
did not know that date but Jesus Christ as God is omniscient and certainly knows the exact
moment when it will occur. I believe it is a movable date (2 Pet. 3:12, R. V.) that can be
advanced or retarded on the speed or slowness of taking the Gospel to every tribe.
Matt.24:14.
III. PURPOSE OF CHRIST'S COMING
 1. To complete the salvation of saints: He has delivered us from the power and penalty of sin
but then He shall deliver us from the presence of sin, Heb. 9 :28.

2. To be glorified in His saints. II Thess. 1 :10, "When He shall come to be glorified in His
saints, and to be admired in all them that believe."

3. To bring to light the hidden things of darkness. I Cor. 4 :5, ".. . who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts. "

4. To judge. II Timothy 4:1, "... Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at His
appearing.

5. To reign. Rev. 11 :15, ". . . Christ; and He shall reign for ever and ever."

6. To receive us to be with Himself. John 14:13, "I will come again, and receive you unto
Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also."

7. To destroy death. I Cor. 15:25,26, "For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under
His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."

IV. HOW IS CHRIST COMING?

A. Secretly at the Rapture. I Thess. 5 :2, "For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the
Lord so cometh as a thief in the night." , Matt. 24:44, "Therefore be ye also ready: for in
such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh." Matt. 24:50, "The lord of that
servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for Him, and in an hour that he is not
aware of." Be prepared to meet Him TODAY.

B. Publicly at the Revelation. Rev. 1:7, "Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall
see Him, and they also which pierced Him." Matt. 24 :30; Titus 2 :13.

V. WHERE IS CHRIST COMING TO?

A. At the Rapture we will meet Him in the air, I Thess. 4:17.

B. At the Revelation we will descend with Him to the earth. Probably He will land the Mount of
Olives, Zech. 14 :4.

VI. MANNER OF HIS COMING

1. In the clouds. Matt. 24:30, "... see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven. "
2. In the glory of His Father. Matt. 16 :27, "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His
Father with His angels."
3. In His own glory. Matt. 25:31, "When the Son of man shall come in His glory. . ."
4. In flaming fire. II Thess. 1:8, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God,
and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ."
5. With power and great glory. Matt. 24:30, ". . . clouds of heaven with power and great glory. "
6. As He ascended, in bodily form, Acts 1:9-11.
7. With a shout and the voice of the archangel. I Thess. 4:16, "For the Lord Himself shall
descend. . . with a shout, with too voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God"
8. With His saints. I Thess. 3 :13, ".. . coming of. . . Christ with all His saints."
9. Accompanied by angels. Matt. 16 :27, quoted above. 10. Suddenly. Mark 13:36, "Lest
coming suddenly He find you sleeping."

VII. SIGNS OF CHRIST'S COMING

II Tim. 3:1-7 lists 23 signs of His coming, most of which are very evident today.
 (1) Perilous times (13) Without natural affection
(2) Men loving themselves (13) Trucebreakers
(3) Covetousness (14) False accusers
(4) Boasters (15) Incontinent
(5) Proud (16) Fierce sins
(6) Blasphemy (17) Despising good
(7) Disobedient to parents (18) Traitors
(8) Unthankful (19) Heady
(9) Unholy (20) Highminded
(10) Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God (21) Having a form of Godliness
(11) Silly women laden with sins (22) Divers lusts
(12) Ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth

Matt. 24:5-7, 12-38 lists ten signs: (1) False Christs (6) Iniquity to abound (2) Wars and war
rumours (7) Love of many waxes cold (3) Famines (8) Eating (4) Pestilences (9) Drinking (5)
Earthquakes (10) Marrying Other signs include: (1) The destruction of Jerusalem, Luke 21:20,24
(2) The completion of the Church, Rom 11:25 (3) Gospel preached everywhere, Matt. 24:14; (4)
The coming of the antichrist, II Thess.2:3-8

VIII. Results of His Return:

1. WITH REGARD TO GOD

Isa 40:5, "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it their: for the
mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." When Christ returns the glory of the Lord will be
revealed. Everyone shall see it.

2. WITH REGARD TO THE CHURCH

A. At the coming of Jesus Christ the dead in Christ shall rise. I Thess. 4 :13-18, "The dead
in Christ shall rise first" (verse 16).

B. At the coming of Christ the bodies of believers will be changed to be like His. Phil.
3:20,21, "... who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His
glorious body." See I John 3 :2, also. I Cor. 15:51-53, "We shall be changed, For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality."

C. At His coming the living believers and resurrected believers meet Him together, I Thess.
4 :17, and continue to be with the Lord forever.

D. The Bema or judgment of believers will follow immediately, II Tim. 4:8; I Pet.5:4.

E. At the revelation the Church will live and reign with Christ. Rev. 20:4, "They lived and
reigned with Christ a thousand years. "

3. WITH REGARD TO ISRAEL

The coming of Christ will be preceded by the re-gathering of Israel, Isa. 11:11,12. The
prophecies of Ezek. 36.24; 37:21; and Zeph. 3:19,20, have largely been fulfilled. Probably
immediately after the rapture there may be even a greater re-gathering. At His coming, the
nation of Israel, all 12 tribes, will be reunited, Ezek. 37:19-24. Jesus Christ, David's son, will
reign as king as prophesied, Jer. 23 :5,6. Israel will doubtless be judged and cleansed at
this time.

Rom. 11:26, "And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, there shall come out of Sion
the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob." See Ezek. 37 :23 and Ezek.
36:25-29. Israel and Palestine shall prosper tremendously at this time, Jer. 31:31-34. Ezek.
36:37,38, "I will increase them with men like a flock. As the holy flock.. ." Ezek. 36 :33-37,
"This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden." Israel will then be the
leading nation of the world, Zech. 8:23; Isa. 49:22,23. At this time Israel will take the
 message of the kingdom to all nations. Isa. 66:19, "They shall declare My glory among the
Gentiles." Many of the promises that Israel expected to be fulfilled at the first coming will
actually be fulfilled when the Saviour returns the second time.

4. WITH REGARD TO THE NATIONS AND UNREGENERATE INDIVIDUALS

The coming is a happy day for the Church and Israel but a sad day for the rest. Matt. 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," an unhappy day for the unconverted Rev. 1:7, "All the tribes of the earth
shall mourn over Him." The Judgment of the Nations will follow the Revelation of Christ.
Matt. 25 :31,32,' "When the Son of man shall come in His glory. . . then shall He sit upon
the throne of His glory; and before Him shall be gathered all nations:' sheep and goats
divided It seems likely that the sheep nations will then follow the Lord, Isa. 2 :2,3. The goat
nations will be rendered vengeance in flaming fire, II Thess. 1:7-9. Those remaining on
earth will be forced to serve Christ for He will rule with a rod of iron, Psa. 2:9; Zech. 9:10;
Rev. 11:15. These nations will cease war and live in peace, Micah 4:3,4; Isa. 2:4.

5. WITH REGARD TO SOCIETY AS A WHOLE

The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Isa. 11 :9,
"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the
knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

6. WITH REGARD TO THE ANTICHRIST AND THE DEVIL

Antichrist will be revealed after the rapture and his reign of terror will be culminated with the
revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ with His saints. II Thess.2:8, "And then shall be revealed
the lawless one [antichrist] whom the Lord Jesus shall stay with the breath of His mouth,
and bring to nought the manifestation of his coming." Rev.19 :20 tells of the final end when
the antichrist is cast into the lake of fire. The devil shall be chained and cast into the abyss
for a thousand years beginning -with the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Rev.20:1-3, "...
the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him for a thousand
years. . . should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years shall be fulfilled."

7. WITH REGARD TO THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE

Creation shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption. Rom. 8:19-21, "For the earnest
expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God....itself also
shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption." The curse or at least part of it will be
removed. Isa. 55:13, "Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier
shall come up the myrtle." will mean peace to the animal world. Isa. 65:25, "The wolf and
the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock... They shall not
hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, saith the Lord." The wilderness will become
fruitful. Isa. 32 :15, "Until the spirit be poured upon us from on high, and the wilderness be
a fruitful field." The desert shall blossom like the rose. Isa. 35:1, "The wilderness and the
solitary place shall be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."
These things happen because the Second Coming ushers in the Millennium.

C. STUDENT ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS (SAQ)

Answer the following questions. Write your answers in the worksheet. (Note: Compile all your
worksheets in one document only. You will submit worksheets (SAQ & evaluation answers) altogether
during exam day to my email address with the file name: <your surname: Finals WS>)

1. From Acts 1:10,11, what 3 words would describe His second coming? (20%)
2. What tasks must the Church accomplish in view of His soon return? (20%)

III. SUMMARY

Be not a scoffer like those in II Pet. 3 :3, for His coming is sure and certain. Is it right to sell
everything and sit on a hilltop waiting for Him? Definitely not. We ought to plan and work as if He were
not coming for another century but live a holy and pure life as if He were to return today. I Thess.
3:12,13. This doctrine must affect our lives. It ought to keep us busy and WATCHING.

We are warned to watch and be ready. Mark 13:33, "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye
know not when the time is." Matt. 24:42, "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth
come." We are warned that we have a stewardship given to us by our Lord and He requires that we
be faithful in the discharge of that responsibility, Matt. 25:14-30. We must be careful to maintain a
worthy character, I John 3 :1-3. In view of His near return we must hasten to carry out the Great
Commission of Matt.28:18- 20, the taking of the Gospel to every nation and every creature. We must
do our utmost to further the cause of missions and hasten the Lord's return.

IV. EVALUATION (Follow the same instruction from the SAQ part.)

1. Memorize Article of Faith No. 4. (10%)

2. When will Christ return? (20%)
3. Listen to the song “Even So Come” by Passion (Kristian Stanfill). Memorize the tune and
lyrics. Video yourself while singing this song. Use musical accompaniment such as minus
one/ instrumental or any musical instrument. (30%)

V. REFERENCES

Douglas, A. (1966). 100 Bible Lessons.

Holy Bible. New International Version (NIV).