The Second Coming of Christ - How, When and Why

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If there were no promise of the second coming of Christ, sin, evil, and death could exist forever, and we will forever look at the suffering around us.
If evil existed through eternity in the universe, it would be a real eternal torture for any decent being.
However, the second coming of the Messiah was announced as the end of evil, suffering and sin. The Bible says that evil will not last forever.
Some people consider the coming of Christ as the end of the world, and others say it is their blessed hope.
For people who have invested everything in a life without God, the coming of Christ represents the loss of everything, shame and eternal condemnation, and therefore they experience it as the end of the world.
It is the end of the world in which they believed, because they had personal benefits from the evil this world defended.
It is the end of a world in which immoral people legally prescribe moral norms and impose on everyone, the world in which criminals have greater civil rights than honest people.
It is the end of the world only for people who have rejected God. However, it is good news and a new beginning of a new world for people who believe in God.
So when they hear about the second coming of Christ, some claim this is intimidation, and others hear it as good news -  depending on the choices we have made, for God or against Him.
The Second Coming of Christ and the theory of the spontaneous origin of life on Earth are two opposing beliefs with opposite expectations and predictions.
People who do not believe in the existence of God believe that life on our planet is constantly progressing towards better, more complex and organized forms.
However, according to the Bible, our world was created intelligently and it was perfect at the beginning, but because of the rebellion of man against God, everything began to degrade towards the worse and less organized.
Man's moral, intellectual and all other abilities are getting worse, the natural conditions for life on the planet are getting more difficult, diseases are multiplying, nature is moving from the Garden of Eden in the beginning toward the constant expansion of deserts, more and more extensive disasters in the nature, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes ...
Men partly cause these changes by his selfish abuse of nature, the genetic alteration of plants, animals, and ultimately humans, without moral standards that would appeal to law, guilt, or shame.
Men has become so evil that some considers a great achievement and development the fact we produced a weapon with which can destroy the entire planet multiple times.
Looking at contemporary world events, it is difficult not to see the degradation of man and nature, instead of spontaneous progress.
On the one hand, people who do not believe in God predict the emergence of new, ever-improving species with the spontaneous improvement of old life forms.
On the other side, the Bible predicts the deterioration and degradation of existing life forms, which will lead almost to the destruction of the planet, which is why God will intervene with the second coming of the Messiah, to execute His judicial decision.
So, it is enough to listen to the news to be able to determine whether people are progressing or degrading, or whether the prediction of people who believe in the spontaneous origin of life or in the degradation of man, which according to the Bible precedes the second coming of the Messiah, is true.
In addition to the obvious degradation of humans in terms of morality, the destruction of the planet we live on, the extermination of animals and insensitivity to other living beings, Jesus Christ described the signs of the times by which we will recognize the nearness of His second coming.
If you thought that the signs of the second coming of Christ were wars, riots, earthquakes and other catastrophes in nature, which is a generally accepted opinion, the Bible describes it a little differently.
In his end-time description, Christ says just the opposite: "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Matthew 24: 6-8
It is clear that due to the increasing intensity of evil, there will be more and more devastating wars, more and more terrible famines and diseases, more and more frequent earthquakes, and that evil will take on ever greater proportions.
However, Jesus says this is NOT the end yet, but it is only the beginning of suffering.
If wars, diseases, and catastrophes are not just the end times, then what does Jesus say is the sign of the end times?
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come." Matthew 24:14 As a sure sign of the nearness of the second coming of the Messiah,
Jesus says the preaching of the gospel of salvation will be completed, which means, everyone will hear about the choice for God or against Him, and this will be everyone’s final decision no one will be willing to change.
At that time, if someone decided to reject God, no matter what God tries to do to change his mind, will not be enough to persuade that person not to destroy himself this way.
And if someone has decided to trust God, no matter what ungodly people do, they will keep trusting God completely.
You may be wondering why the indicator of the culmination of evil is that the preaching of the gospel has ended, and not the horrors of wars and catastrophes in nature.
Notice that Jesus said that the gospel would be preached, that it would be announced to everyone, so everyone could hear the good news of salvation, and based on that, they should decide to accept it or to decline.
Jesus says that even more terrible than wars, famines, and deaths will be when people make their final decision to reject the salvation that God offers, when people cease to be subject to the influence of God’s Spirit.
Jesus says, "Then the end will come," because when atheists and religious hypocrites completely reject the influence of God's Spirit, evil on planet Earth will quickly reach its peak.
It is also difficult to imagine the extent of wickedness when their conscience does not admonish them anymore, and when they feel no shame in doing evil.
Jesus described the signs of His coming as a survival manual, as a map of how to get through a minefield without stepping on a single landmine. This is a series of spiritual tests for God’s people.
 
Deceit
The most important time for people is when they still have an opportunity to decide to trust God, because at that time there will be the strongest pressure on pious people to reject God.
Jesus described a series of various pressures on religious people and warned us that there would be a great reduction in the number of sincerely religious people.
Most people will continue to say they are religious, but the number of hypocrites who believe because of some benefit, position in society, or fear of God's punishment - will multiply.
Before everyone makes their decision, notice that Jesus emphasizes at every instance, an increase of pressure, leads the vast majority to fail the tests, which means a minority of people remain on God's side, fewer and fewer. In the Bible this group is called "the remnant".
Deception: Jesus says, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.” Matthew 24:4-5
So, if many were deceived, a smaller number of people remained devoted to God.
Hatred, torture, murders: “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake. And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.” Matthew 24:9-10
Physical harassment and murder are the next temptations, to which many fall again, which means that even smaller number of God’s people will firmly adhere to God's principles.
False Prophets: A minority or remnant who endures previous temptations will be challenged by false prophets: "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many." Matthew 24:11
Again, many have been deceived, and a minority remains undeceived.
God has called us to compare His earlier revelations and principles with the speech of self-proclaimed prophets, and to reject anyone who speaks differently from God in the Holy Scripture.
The Impact of Sin: People are also discouraged by just looking at the multitude of sins all around us: "And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." Matthew 24:12
From that small group of sincerely religious who were not deceived by false christs, did not succumb to persecution, nor to the deceptions of false prophets, from that minority the love of many will “grow cold” as a consequence of seeing the lawlessness all around them.
Unfortunately, people become what they watch. If we look at sin, it becomes easier to identify with it.
If we turn our heads from sin and see God before us, the love toward God, ourselves and people around us - will never grow cold.
Thus, Jesus repeated multiple times that many will stop believing in God, which means the number of truly religious people will decrease as the end draws near.
You have probably heard that many religious organizations boast of a large number of members, and a steady growth in membership.
God warned us in the Bible that the number of sincerely religious people will decrease as the second coming of Christ approaches.
This means that religious organizations lower the criteria for membership, and include as members people who openly live contrary to God's principles, to get a certain benefit from the number of members in society, or as a psychological effect that attracts people in the wrong way.
Jesus points toward deception as one of the main reasons people will reject God in the end time. Many believe their leaders are reincarnations or some reflection of Christ, although the Bible describes the second coming of Christ in a different way.
Spiritists, New Age religions, and the Spiritual Formation, which advocates so-called "spiritual exercises," say that the most important thing is for a person to change how he feels.
So, instead of repenting for sin, all that matters to them is that they stop feeling guilty about the sin they committed, and they achieve this by silencing their conscience, even though God uses bad feelings to warn them they need a change of character and not a change of feelings.
The tricks they use stun the brain, for example by mechanically repeating syllables or sentences, suggestive relaxing thoughts or meditation.
However, true change of character can be accomplished by dedicated, sincere prayers to God, and He as our Creator will make that change in us.
The true path of consecration to God is presented by hypocritical believers as fanaticism.
When a person prays to God and allows God to renew his character to a perfect state, a person begins to love good and hate evil, and this is not just a change of feelings, but a change of our essence. In the Bible this is called the new creation.
Many people think they are “newborn” believers because they have performed a ritual, had a mystical feeling, had a charismatic emotional experience, or because they are members of a certain group.
However, the new birth described by Jesus, is the new creation of man's character, which is possible if a person surrenders to God's guidance daily, so God can lead him throughout his life in a way He sees as the best.
It is a painful process because people are in an environment which popularizes sin, and ridicules goodness, honesty, helping others and true love as weaknesses.
 
Deception of our senses
"When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?" Luke 18.8
One of the most convincing ways to deceive will be the appearance of Lucifer as a false Messiah.
Even people who falsely present themselves as messiahs have deceived many.
However, the power of illusions that Lucifer will use to deceive people will be irresistible deceptions, and the human mind will not be able to resist these deceptions.
Even when someone tells us that he is a magician, our mind is not able to understand what the trick is, to understand how our senses have been deceived.
Imagine when someone does not present himself as a magician, but as a messiah, and performs miracles with the capacity of a fallen angel, much greater abilities than human beings have.
Because of the irresistibility of these deceptions, Jesus warned us NOT to go out to see false messiahs. Those who go out and see, will inevitably be deceived.
"Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There!’ do not believe it… See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.
For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together.” Matthew 24: 23, 25-28
I tested a few of my religious friends and asked them what they would do if they heard a false messiah appear nearby.
Although they knew Jesus said they should not go out to see him, almost everyone said they would go out to see him, some to watch from the sidelines, so they can tell others what kind of scam that is, and some claimed they will go there to tell others this is a deception, to help them not to be deceived.
Even if someone tries to persuade others that this is a deception, without being sent by God, one could be easily killed by an enraged mass, because he rejected God's warning and will not be protected by God.
The question is, if Jesus says, "Do not go out," and the man comes out, who will protect that man from the deception?
God did not send him there, He even warned him not to go there, because the deception will be too strong for human senses, and God did not promise to help us there.
A man who goes to see a false messiah is doomed to be deceived because he disobeyed God’s warning, as Adam and Eve were deceived in the Garden of Eden.
Let us now look at the differences between the coming of the true Messiah and the false one, which God pointed out as a warning to us in the Bible.
 
The True Coming of Christ will be Visible Everywhere on the Planet
"Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.” Revelation 1:7
The coming of the true Christ will be visible to all the inhabitants of our planet, not just to the local population or in secret.
So, the false messiah will come locally, and not all people on Earth will see him at the same time, while the coming of the true Christ will be heard and visible to all people on the planet:
  "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day." Luke 17:24
Not only the coming of Jesus will be visible, but the sound of the trumpet will be heard from heaven:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
So, the coming of the true Messiah will be both visible and audible to every human being on Earth.
 
The true Christ - will not come down to Earth!
"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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:30,31
Notice, that Jesus does not come down to us on the Earth, but remains on the cloud on which He comes, and people ascend to Him:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.
While the false messiah descends to the Earth and walks among men, the true Messiah, on the contrary, does not descend to the Earth, while resurrected people ascend to the cloud on which Jesus comes.
The true Messiah resurrects the God-fearing people who died through all times, they ascend to Him, and He takes them to Heaven before the throne of God, until He renews the planet, so we can safely live on it again.
At the time of Second Coming, the true Christ will immediately execute His judgment on those who rejected Him, and save those who believed in Him.
On the other hand, the false messiah will not, by his coming, execute judgment on all. He will only persecute God's people.
The true Christ does not come alone but "in the glory of His Father with His angels." (Matthew 16:27)
Revelation says that Jesus will lead an innumerable heavenly army: "And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses." (Revelation 19:14) Jesus sends angels to bring resurrected people to Him.
 
Surprise
"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape." (1 Thessalonians 5:2,3; compare with Matthew 24:43)
The true coming of Christ will be a surprise to people, because it comes at an unexpected moment, as the flood surprised the people because until then it had not rained, but dew had soaked the earth.
Although Noah warned people for 120 years about the coming flood, the flood surprised most people.
Even though the second coming of Christ is often spoken of, most people will still be surprised:
"But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." (Matthew 24: 37-39)
The second coming of Christ will be a global cataclysmic event for the entire planet like the global flood, while at the arrival of the false messiah there may be local rather than global catastrophes.
The prophet Daniel sees the true second coming of Christ as a stone that destroys all the kingdoms of the world:
“You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth." (Daniel 2,32-35)
The stone cut off without hands represents Christ's kingdom of glory (Daniel 7:14; Revelation 11:15), which will be established without human effort at the Second Coming of Christ.
Before the second coming of Christ, the function of the main celestial bodies that regulate the survival of people on Earth will be disrupted:
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Matthew 24:29
 
Resurrection and Transfiguration
If someone says that he is the Messiah and performs great miracles, but all people have not yet been resurrected or transformed into heavenly bodies for eternity, then it is a false christ. Here is how the true Christ will come:
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15: 52,53
The apostle Paul says, "the dead in Christ will rise first." (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
At the second coming of Christ, all the saved will be resurrected ("And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24:31; 25: 32-34; Mark 13:27)
At the time of the coming of Christ, all dead righteous people from all times will be resurrected, and alive believers will be transformed by God.
If anyone claims to be the Messiah, and the dead righteous are not resurrected, and the living righteous on earth are not transformed, then this person is a false messiah.
The Apostle Paul says the living and transformed believers "shall be caught up together with them [the resurrected righteous] in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:17; compare with Hebrews 11:39, 40).
Thus, they go to the heavenly homes prepared for them by Christ (John 14:3), and do not remain on earth, as in the case of the false messiah.
The resurrected will be reunited with those who were sad when they parted with them. Now they joyfully shout: "O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)
Resurrected bodies will not be sick, old, mutilated as they went to the graves, but new ones, immortal and perfect, which will no longer bear the marks of the sin which caused their decay.
The risen righteous will experience the moment when Christ renews in men the perfect image of God in mind, soul and body (1 Corinthians 15: 42-54).
The false Christ will not be able to imitate the general resurrection of people faithful to God, nor the general destruction of the ungodly at His very coming (1 Corinthians 15: 51-57; 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17).
After the coming of the false Christ, life will flow as before, sin will continue to be everywhere around us.
 
The death of those who rejected God
“For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” Revelation 6:17
For saved people, the second coming of Christ is a time of joy and salvation, but for lost people it will be a time of fear and sorrow.
They resisted the love of God and His calls for salvation for so long, and had pleasure in unrighteousness (see 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12; Romans 1: 28-32).
When they see the One whom they have rejected coming as King of kings and Lord of lords, they will know it is too late for the repentance, and the hour of their condemnation has come.
Overwhelmed with fear and despair, the ungodly flee from the glory of God's coming and want the mountains to fall on them to hide them (Revelation 6:16, 17).
They are fleeing from God whose nature is love! They are aware that no matter how much someone loves them, they are not worthy to be pardoned, but they deserve the death sentence for the evil they did.
No matter how much they silenced their guilty conscience, now they are ashamed and cannot hide.
Jesus said that then there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, complete despair because they rejected God.
The destruction of the ungodly is a very painful scene. While murderers, rapists, thieves and all other immoral people did their evil, people usually complain and say, "Why did God not do anything, they deserve the death penalty."
People say they would gladly take revenge on them the moment they suffer from the evil things the ungodly did to them.
But when it comes to the very moment to execute the death penalty, when we see human misery, howling and crying, most people feel sorry for them.
We are unhappy when someone must die. This is why God postpones the death penalty for so long.
However, for some people there is no other way. Even if they were pardoned, they would kill again, mistreat people, and inflict suffering on others and themselves.
"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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:30
At the second coming of Christ, “all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him” (Revelation 1:7), which means both - people who believe in God and those who do not.
The wicked will mourn over themselves, and the saved will cry for happiness, because they have been waiting this for so long, and it has finally been fulfilled. It has caused them so much trouble and ridicule in their lives, but it turned out to be the best possible choice.
“The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut… It shall come to pass in that day that the Lord will punish on high the host of exalted ones, and on the earth the kings of the earth.” Isaiah 24: 19-21
At that time, God will destroy the union of all apostate religions, which is symbolically called Babylon, "will be utterly burned with fire." (Revelation 18:8)
The leader of this union is - the lawless one or the man of iniquity - "whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." (2 Thessalonians 2: 8)
The forces responsible for forcibly imposing the mark of the beast (Revelation 13) will be "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” - the Lord Jesus Christ. (Revelation 19:20,21)
“Alas for the day! For the day of the Lord is at hand; It shall come as destruction from the Almighty.” Joel 1:15 For the day of the Lord is coming, for it is at hand: ... And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Joel 2:1,32
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So, if someone claims to be the Messiah, but:
- if he walks on the Earth instead of coming on a cloud in Heaven with a multitude of angels,
- If all people on the Earth do not see him and hear him,
- If there is no universal resurrection, transformation and ascension of people who believed in God,
- If he doesn't come with a multitude of angels,
- If the planet is not destroyed cataclysmically as at the time of the flood,
- If those who have rejected God were not condemned,
then this is not the true Messiah.
"For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect." Matthew 24:24
 
The abomination that causes desolation
“And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.” 2 Corinthians 11:14,15
The culmination of deception will be when Satan appears as a false christ. Human senses and reason will not be able to resist the force of this deception.
The deceptions of a fallen angel no human mind will be able to expose without God, so the whole world will fall under the influence and power of the false messiah.
God described this as "the abomination of desolation." The word “abomination” in the Old Testament described false gods which people worshiped by immoral rituals, and even by offering human sacrifices, such as Astarte, Moloch, Baal, and others.
By these deceptions, the false christ will cause the whole world to worship him, with exception of the people who trust God only.
This abomination will cause devastation, because it will urge ungodly people to persecute and kill God's people. At that time, if God did not react, no sincerely pious person would remain alive.
"Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything out of his house. And let him who is in the field not go back to get his clothes. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
And pray that your flight may not be in winter or on the Sabbath. For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.” Matthew 24: 15-22
Satan, as a false Christ, will accuse God's people of bringing a curse on the other inhabitants of the earth. Everything will be supported by spiritualistic miracles which will be interpreted as God’s miracles.
People who truly respect God will be labeled as enemies of law and order, to allegedly disrupt the morals of society, causing evils that occur on Earth in the form of disasters and plagues.
The faithfulness to God of the small group of remnant will be declared stubborn, intolerant and contempt of authority.
The false messiah who deceived one third of angels and vast majority on the Earth, sets different standards from God's, and leads people to rebel against God, while retaining perverted religiosity.
“Now, brethren, concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, we ask you, not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though the day of Christ had come.
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God…
And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12
 
Closing the Circle
Jesus said that all these events precede His true coming, and suggest the nearness of the end time:
"Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” Matthew 24: 32-35
Some people think that Jesus will not come soon. But for many people, Jesus will come too soon, because if they did not repent and die, they will wake up from death when Jesus comes, but there will be no more time for repentance.
The signs of the times that Jesus described are becoming more and more intense, which tells us the day of the second coming of Christ is approaching fast.
Let's see what hasn't been fulfilled yet:
1) God's people are not yet hated by all nations (Matthew 24:9). The inexplicable hatred of ungodly people towards those who sincerely respect God, still has not become universal, everywhere on the planet.
2) The gospel, the good news of the salvation of men through the sacrifice of Christ, has not yet been preached troughout the world (Matthew 24:14). There are still people who have not made their final decision;
3) Satan has not yet appeared as an imitation of Jesus Christ. The abomination of desolation does not yet stand in the holy place (Matthew 24:15). Although many forces are trying to put themselves in a place that belongs only to God, it is still not a general trend of the entire planet, except for God's people.
4) God's people still do not have to flee from persecution, and sincere religiosity is not yet declared illegal (Matthew 24:20), when only a hypocritical religion with double standards will be acceptable.
5) The great tribulation that never was, nor will ever be (Matthew 24:21) has not yet begun. All this has not yet been completely fulfilled.
 
Will He come at all?
How can we be sure that Jesus will come for the second time? Imagine that someone kidnapped a child from its parents.
A parent pays a ransom for His child, and then does not come to take the child! This would be impossible.
Satan abducted people from God as our parent, God has paid a ransom for us and will surely come to take His children from the kidnappers.
If Jesus came out of love for us the first time to suffer so much torment and suffering, then it is more certain He will come the second time to remove all suffering and pain for eternity.
God has promised to destroy sin, evil, and death, and He wants us to trust Him He will do it at the most important moment in the history of the world — at the second coming of Christ.
God said that He would create everything new: sinless people in a world where will be no survival of the fittest, deceit or killings.
 
Mockers
“…knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’”
For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.” 2. Peter 3:3-7
“…how they (the apostles) told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.” Jude 18
God warned us, mockers will appear and mock God's people and God’s warnings, particularly before Jesus' second coming,
According to them, because He did not come till now, for them it is a proof nothing will ever happen.
Many mockers have been prophesied, and their appearance even confirms the nearness of Christ's coming.
God's plan for the future does not coincide with man's plans. God's plan is far more logical, and everything happens at the right time, in the best possible way.
People do not see logic at first sight, because sometimes God's intelligent plans are too complicated for the human mind.
Out of mercy to the world, Christ delays his coming, so that sinners may have the opportunity to hear the admonition and find refuge in Him before the wrath of God is poured out.
People should be thankful that God has extended grace, instead of mocking it.
 
When Jesus will come – the day and hour
When parents travel with their children on a long journey, almost every couple experiences constant questioning of their children: “When will we arrive?”
How much longer? People are eager to reach the promised goal as soon as possible.
Likewise, religious people behave like children who ask God as their Father every hour: - When will we reach Heaven? How much longer until Jesus comes?
Many people have tried to announce the day and hour of the second coming of Christ, causing many people to be disappointed and reject God.
People would not be disappointed if they trusted what God said, that only God knows the day and hour when He is going to execute His judgment decision, and that only He would personally announce that day and hour:
"But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Matthew 24:36).
It does not seem likely that after His resurrection Jesus would not know the day and hour of His coming. The Greek verb, which is translated as “knows”, also means "to tell, to pass the knowledge".
So we could translate this way, "But of that day and hour no one would tell (proclaim), not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." (Mark 13:32) Only God will announce the day and hour shortly before the coming of Christ.
Because of the many wrong dates of Christ's second coming given by many religious groups, people are in danger of thinking this is a distant future and they do not have to urgently prepare for God's judgment.
It is like in the story of a boy who deceived the locals several times, shouting that danger was coming, and when danger really came, no one believed the boy when he warned them, so everyone was killed.
 
Motives
Jesus has his own reason for wanting to come to Earth a second time. But what are our reasons, why do people want Jesus to come?
1) social and family reasons (we will be with our friends and family, we will hang out with them forever, we will have time for everything);
2) Intellectual reasons (Jesus will give us answers to scientific questions, interpret the Holy Scriptures, explain everything we did not understand);
3) economic reasons (we will have all material benefits, all we want, a golden house in a golden city, and there will be no poverty);
4) emotional reasons (personally I would like Jesus to come, I like that idea);
5) physical reasons (I want the pain, illness and death to stop, so that my body can physically recover).
However, Jesus' main reason for coming for us is to save us from sin, to bring us back to Himself, so we can live with God again.
 
How much time do I still have?
 “The great day of the Lord is near; It is near and hastens quickly.” Zephaniah 1:14
For people who trust God, there is only one question: Have I surrendered all my sins to God so He can forgive me?
Everyone is waiting for Christ's return, but the difference is that some will be ready and others unprepared. Some rejoice in the coming of Christ and want Him to come as soon as possible, while others want Him never to come.
Speaking through the prophet Isaiah (10:21) and the apostle Paul (Romans 9:27), God seriously warned us, even if God's people are like the sand of the sea, only the remnant will be saved.
Because of the power of deceit and pressure, many will reject the true God and listen to the false christ.
Many religious people failed to recognize the Messiah even at the first coming of Christ.
At the time of the first coming of Christ people had God's commandments, but they did not respect the Lawgiver.
They talked about God's love, but they did not live by it, nor did they accept it.
They knew about salvation, but they rejected the Savior.
They knew the truth from Scripture, but they did not live by the truth God had revealed to them.
They were convinced they were God's congregation, but they did not act like God's congregation. - Unfortunately, it is very likely that before the second coming of Christ, people will again reject the only thing that brings salvation to them.
“But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards...” Matthew 24:48, 49
Many people follow this psychology: God will come to judge us, but since He is not here yet, I can do whatever I want and “repent” at the last minute.
No intelligent person would really believe that someone can hide his fake repentance on the deathbed before God who created the brain and knows our motives and hidden thoughts.
Such people would continue to do evil in the kingdom of God, and God who reads human hearts and motives certainly woulnot not allow the possibility of another unjustified rebellion.
“Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will be taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” Matthew 24: 40-44
While we are alive, we have the opportunity to decide to trust God, but when we die we cannot change our decision anymore.
Since none of us knows when we will die, Jesus’ coming is very close to us as individuals, regardless of when He comes globally for all people.
Those who believe Jesus will come in 20 years, most likelly are not preparing as intensely as those who believe He will come soon.
However, uncertainity of this world does not guarantee anyone he will be alive tomorrow. People die suddenly every day in traffic, from diseases or in natural catastrophies, even though they thought they would live much longer.
It often surprises us that someone died, no matter how old they were. If we have sincerely prayed to God to forgive our sins, then it does not matter even if the second coming of Jesus will surprise us.
Our problem is that we don't like to wait. None of us is prepared to wait for a very long time for Christ to come.
Many are disappointed because they waited longer than they expected. However, God has delayed His coming because He is merciful and He wants to give more time to everyone to accept salvation.
We say we are waiting for Christ, but in fact Christ is waiting for us. We think we are ready to live with God and we just wait for Christ to decide to come.
Some even think that Jesus is late, so they think that Jesus has not yet finished all the work in the Holy of Holies before the throne of God, so we are waiting for Him to complete some work.
It is true that Jesus has not yet completed the work in the Most Holy Place, but that is because He still intercedes for people who repent.
He still mediates because people are not yet ready for God’s judgment. Jesus is still waiting, because He wants to save as many people as possible and gives everyone a chance to repent.
He knows that people should not ask Him to come earlier because they are unprepared, and they would be lost.
“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9
People who truly follow God are not any different when they are alone, when no one is watching them, and they do not obey God out of fear of punishment, but because they have recognized God's principles as just and the best possible choice for every human being.
At the very end of the Bible, Jesus gave the most important message: “Surely I am coming quickly.” Revelation 22:20
The greatest encouragement for us is that Jesus said, "But he who endures to the end shall be saved." Matthew 24:13
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.” John 14:1-3
“For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” Philippians 3:20,21
“When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” Colossians 3:4
“Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.” Jude 21
“…and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23.
“…so that you come short in no gift, eagerly waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:7
“For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another.” Job 19: 25-27
“…that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 1:7
“Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” Revelation 14:12
“This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.’” Acts 1:10,11
THE LAST WORDS IN THE BIBLE are: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Revelation 22:20,21
 
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10 commandments of God
And God spoke all these words, saying:
“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. “You shall have no other gods before Me.
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
“You shall not murder.
“You shall not commit adultery.
“You shall not steal.
“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”
Exodus 20:2-17