The Coming of the Lord

When the disciples asked Jesus about His 'coming', they didn't at that time have the concept that Jesus was going to be going away anywhere. They thought that as Messiah He was here to do His thing and here to stay!

So by asking about His 'coming', they weren't thinking so much about a vertical return from heaven to earth: they were asking when Jesus intended escalating His Messianic-program, which He'd obviously already inaugurated, up to the next level, up to its ultimate level.

Turns out, that wasn't all going to be completed quite as neatly as they may have been thinking. 

For starters, He was going to be crucified; and rise again - and that was going to turn-out to be central to the Messianic kingdom-program.

Then the heavens were going to have to receive Him - He would have to reign in and from heaven - until the time appointed by the Father. 

There would be a lot of suffering in the world; a lot of persecution against disciples - the temple and city of Jerusalem would even be destroyed within a generation.

But the Apostles were to be concerned with receiving the power of the Holy Spirit and going into all the world to announce the gospel of the kingdom of God to everyone regardless of ethnicity.

Then at the last day Christ will appear the second time, to take the kingdom-program up to its ultimate level eternally. That's our blessed hope. Eternity with Jesus. A new earth. 

The dead in Christ won't miss-out - because when Jesus returns He shall bring the dead in Christ with Him, and they shall rise from the dead. We'll be caught up in the air. We shall appear with Him gloriously, to the awe of all the world. 

The wicked will also be raised, to judgment. To the wicked, the affect of His coming will be like an unexpected robbery. The earth and all the works in it shall be burned up. But to us who believe, He is precious: there will be a new earth, and we shall be together with the Lord forever! 

But only the born-again will see the kingdom of God - whether Gentile or Jew. 

So today is the day of salvation.

But how shall the hear without a preacher? So we must go. 

Our announcement: the good news of the kingdom of God.