POWER OF PRAISE by: Liz Wahl Andre’

"The Second Coming of Jesus Christ"

Jesus Christ will return twice to the earth. The first time He will not “touch down,” but appear in the clouds to gather His church, both dead and alive, to meet Him in the air “in the twinkling of an eye.” Only His bride will see Him at the Rapture, or the catching away of the saints. Last week, the Rapture was explained in detail. The saints will be taken out of the earth before the revealing of antichrist and the Great Tribulation that will destroy many of the inhabitants of the earth. Jesus warned His disciples to be ready, living holy lives and awaiting His return so that they could be spared the wrath of God that will be poured out upon the earth: “Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21: 36).

At the second coming of Jesus Christ, the whole earth will see Him: “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 antichrist will arise to power and take religious and economic control over all of those who take his mark (Revelation 13: 13-17). The horror that antichrist brings will pale in comparison to the wrath of the Lamb that will be poured out upon the earth in the seven bowl judgments of God.

This is the setting when Jesus comes back to restore his millelinum kingdom on the earth:

1) One-fourth of mankind will die from war, famine, and wild beasts of the earth. The world population is now over 6 billion people, so that means that over 1.5 billion people will die during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 6:8).

2) One-third of all vegetation (grass, trees, etc.) will be burned up (Rev. 8:7).

3) The sun and moon will be darkened (Rev. 8:12).

4) The gates of hell will be opened and hordes of locusts, big as horses, will be released upon the earth. They will sting men like scorpions and the pain will last five months. Men will beg God to let them die, but they will not be able to die (Rev. 9: 3-6).

5) A worldwide famine, unlike anything that has ever been seen, will come upon the earth (Rev. 18: 8).

6) In the Battle of Armageddon, the blood of those killed in battle will flow for two hundred miles, its depth up to the bridle of a horse, in the valley of Jezreel. (Rev. 14:20).

7) The seven seas of the earth will be turned to blood, producing a thirst from which there will be no relief (Rev. 8:8, 11: 6).

8) Every person will be covered with painful, festering boils (Rev. 16: 2-11).

9) Earthquakes will be so severe that islands in the sea will disappear (Rev. 16:18).

These are just a few of the plagues that will come upon the earth as described in the Book of Revelation. Jesus came to earth the first time as a Man, a meek Lamb and the suffering Messiah Who died for our sins. He entered Jerusalem on the back of a lowly donkey. When He returns in all of His terrible majesty, He will appear as a conquering King, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, astride a great, white horse. The Apostle John saw this vision of the risen, glorified Christ returning to earth to defeat antichrist and His enemies: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And he Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS” (Revelation 19: 11-16).

His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives which faces Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, making a very large valley (Zechariah 14: 4). Jesus will defend Israel from her enemies, bind Satan and cast him into the bottomless pit, and begin His thousand year reign upon the earth. Satan will be released after a thousand years, and incredibly, will muster up a large army of rebels to fight against God. Fire from heaven will come down and devour Satan’s army, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire where he will be tormented forever.

Dear reader, do not miss the ark of safety found only in Jesus Christ. Repent and give your life to Jesus today. Flee the wrath to come on that great and terrible Day of the Lord (Joel 2:11). Even so, come, Lord Jesus!