"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more
abundantly" (John 10:10)
Misunderstanding Jesus' expectations of His followers is one of the
biggest tragedies of all. Mistakenly assuming that Jesus paid the penalty
for our sins so we can now do whatever we want, many have a mental picture
of Jesus as a quiet, docile, loving Being handing out eternal life to
anyone who will simply acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior. Many believe
there are many roads to God and a joyful afterlife.
The Bible reveals that we each have a date with destiny when we will
face Jesus and give account of our actions. Surprisingly, the way Jesus
will appear when He returns and the criteria He will use in determining
who will be in His Kingdom are quite different from what most people
have been led to believe. Similar to the confusion surrounding Jesus'
first coming, misunderstanding is rampant regarding His return. What
is the truth-the real story-about His return?
Why will Christ come a second time?
Jesus is pictured in the book of Revelation as the resurrected Savior,
the Messiah who is preparing to return to earth a second time. "I am
He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore" (Revelation 1:18).
But how is He coming, and why? In Matthew 24 He gives us the
sobering answer. Responding to the disciples' question, about the time
of His return and the end of this age of man, Jesus laid out a frightening
scenario that includes widespread religious deception, warfare, famines
and devastating natural disasters. "All these," He told them, "are the
beginning of birth pains" that will usher in this new age to begin at
His return (verse 8, NIV).
