THE DOCTRINE OF

CHRIST’S RETURN

A Look at what the Bible Says

 

 

Since God has revealed Himself to us in Scripture, and the doctrine that He wants taught in His church is nothing other than what the Bible says; it should be obvious that those who refuse to teach what the Bible says, or affirm that it is true, do so because another authority has replaced the authority of Scripture in their lives.

GOD’S DESCRIPTION OF WHAT WILL TAKE PLACE

Matthew 24

30  And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven: and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31  And he will send his angels with the sound of a great trumpet, and they will gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

 

Matthew 25

31 ¶ When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory:

32  And all nations will be gathered before him: and he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates his sheep from the goats:

33  And he will put the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.

34  Then the King will say to those on his right, Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

35  For I was hungry, and you gave me food: I was thirsty, and you gave me drink: I was a stranger, and you took me in:

36  Naked, and you clothed me: I was sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.

37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? or thirsty, and give you drink?

38  When did we see you a stranger, and take you in? or naked, and clothed you?

39  Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and go to visit you?

40  And in answer the King will say to them, I tell you truly, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me.

41  Then he will say to those on his left, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

42  For I was hungry, and you gave me no food: I was thirsty, and you gave me nothing to drink:

43  I was a stranger, and you did not take me in: naked, and you did not clothe me: sick, and in prison, and you did not visit me.

44  Then they will also answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not help you?

45  Then he will answer them, saying, I tell you truly, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.

46  And these will go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

 

John 5:28 Do not marvel at this: for the hour is coming, in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice,

29  And will come out; those who have done good, to the resurrection of life; and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of damnation.

John 6:40 Every one who looks to the Son, and believes on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up on the last day.

1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ will rise first:

17  Then we which are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 

 

Revelation 20

11 ¶ Then I saw a great white throne, and him who sat upon it, from whose presence the heavens and earth fled; and there was no place for them.

12  And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged according to what they had done, as it was written in the books.

13  And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and hell gave up the dead that were in them: and everyone was judged according to their works.

14  And death and hell were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death.

15  And whoever was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away.

 

2Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad.

Romans 14:12  So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.

2Timothy 4:1 and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

 

THE SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRIST’S RETURN

 

EVILDOERS SHALL BE CAST INTO THE LAKE OF FIRE

Matthew 13:40 Therefore as the weeds are gathered and burned in the fire; so it will be at the end of this world.

41  The Son of man will send forth his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom those who sin, and all who lead others to sin;

42  And will throw them into a furnace of fire: where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.

Mark 9:45 And if your foot offends you, cut it off: it is better for you to enter into life maimed, than to be cast into hell having two feet, into the fire that will never be put out:

46  Where their worm does not die, and the fire is never put out.

Revelation 14:11 And the smoke of their torment ascends for ever and ever: and there is no rest day or night, for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name.

Revelation 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

Revelation 20:15 And whoever was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

 

HOWEVER, WE ARE ALL EVILDOERS

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

11  There is no one who understands, there is no one who seeks after God.

12  They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is no one who does good, no, not one.

13  Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips:

14  Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:

15  Their feet are swift to shed blood:

16  Destruction and misery are in their ways:

17  And the way of peace have they not known:

18  There is no fear of God before their eyes.

23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

 

THEREFORE, ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT

ONLY THOSE WHO TRUST IN CHRIST WILL NOT BE CONDEMNED

1John 1:7  The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses us from all sin.

Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

before God.

Romans 4:3  For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.

4  Now when a man works his wage is not determined by grace, but by debt.

5  However when a man does not work, but trusts in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

6  Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, to whom God imputes righteousness without works,

7  Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered.

8  Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Romans 10:11  For the scripture says, Whoever believes in him wiall not be ashamed.

1John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming.

Romans 9:33  As it is written, Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling-stone and rock of offence: and whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.

 

CONCLUSION

 

The Biblical record of Christ’s return is just as much a doctrine of Scripture as anything else that the Bible says (2Timothy 3:16). Those who deny the truth of the Biblical account do not change that fact, nor do they change what the Bible says, they simply reject it.

 

“The pure doctrine is simply nothing else, absolutely nothing else, than the pure Word of God.” (Law and Gospel, page 349) “Neither ought any doctrine be taught or heard in the church but the pure Word of God, that is to say, the Holy Scriptures; otherwise accursed be both the teachers and hearers together with their doctrine.” (Martin Luther)

 

Gary Ray Branscome