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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how the Second Coming of Christ will bring God’s plan for history and creation to its glorious completion.

Key Verse

Titus 2:13: Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.

Introduction

The whole Bible tells us about God’s plan to restore creation to its original purpose. Sin and death will be put away forever. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire. All of this will come about when Christ returns to earth in glory and power.

The first time Christ came to earth was for our salvation. He came as a humble baby, lived a perfect life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead. But the second time He comes will be completely different. He will return to restore creation to God’s original design and to establish His righteous kingdom on earth. All of creation is waiting for this day.

Romans 8:19-22: For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Throughout history, believers have sometimes differed on details about the end times, but all Christians agree on this essential truth: Jesus Christ is coming again, and His return will change everything. When we study prophecy, we’re not just learning about future events—we’re discovering God’s faithfulness and finding hope for today.

Here are the main points we will explore together:

• The Second Coming of Christ
• The millennial reign of Christ
• The resurrection of the dead
• The final judgment
• The eternal state

The Second Coming of Christ

All through the Bible we read the prophecy that the Lord will come with His saints to judge the wicked and establish His kingdom. This prophecy will be fulfilled when Christ returns to earth in power and great glory.

Jude 14-15: Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”

Psalm 50:3-6: Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages. He summons the heavens above, and the earth, that he may judge his people: “Gather to me this consecrated people, who made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a judge.

Zechariah 14:4-5: On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him.

We have been promised that Christ will return in the same way that He departed. When Jesus ascended into heaven from the Mount of Olives, the angels gave His disciples this wonderful assurance:

John 14:3: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Acts 1:11: “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Some Christians separate what they call the “rapture” from the Second Coming, seeing these as two distinct events—a secret catching away of believers that is later followed by Christ’s public return with the saints. Others believe that we will be caught up together with the Lord (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) at the Second Coming itself. All believers, however, accept that Christ is coming again and that His coming will be public and visible.

Notebook Moment: How does the promise of Christ’s return affect the way you face difficulties and disappointments in your daily life?

The Second Coming will not be secret or hidden like His first coming. Every eye will see Him when He returns. Christ will come to earth with the saints and angels to defeat Satan’s armies and establish His righteous kingdom.

Revelation 1:7: “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen.

Revelation 19:11-15: I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.

The Millennial Reign of Christ

Christ will defeat the armies of this world at the great battle of Armageddon. Satan will be bound for a thousand years, unable to deceive the nations. Christ will then set up His righteous reign in Jerusalem, ruling the earth in perfect justice and peace.

Christians have understood the thousand-year reign described in Revelation 20 in different ways. Some believe it describes a future time of peace with Jesus ruling on earth, while others see it as a picture of the spiritual rule of Jesus now or a symbol of hope for the future. In this lesson, we will approach this as a literal 1000-year period when Christ will reign on earth.

Revelation 20:1-4: And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

The reign of Christ will be a direct fulfillment of the prophecy that God gave to David about his throne being established forever.

2 Samuel 7:16: Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.

The Old Testament prophets spoke often of the glorious reign of the Messiah on earth. Isaiah painted a beautiful picture of this time when the wolf will live with the lamb and the leopard will lie down with the goat (Isaiah 11:6). Knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea (Isaiah 11:9). All nations will stream to the mountain of the Lord to learn His ways (Micah 4:1-2), and they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks (Micah 4:3). Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore (Micah 4:3).

Why will Christ reign on earth for a thousand years? The purpose will be to show what God always intended for humanity. We will finally see what it means to live in perfect obedience under the righteous reign of Christ. This will be a time of unprecedented peace, prosperity, and blessing for the entire earth.

Jeremiah 31:31-34: “The days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah. It will not be like the covenant I made with their ancestors when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they broke my covenant, though I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest,” declares the Lord. “For I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more.”

Satan will be released at the end of the Millennium for one final rebellion. Even after a thousand years of perfect rule under Christ, some people will still choose to follow Satan when given the opportunity. He will make one final attempt to overthrow God, but he will be defeated completely and punished for eternity.

Revelation 20:7-10: When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

The Resurrection of the Dead

Prophecies concerning the resurrection are found throughout the Old Testament, but these prophecies were not always clear. This is why Paul calls this doctrine a mystery—it was not fully revealed in the Old Testament but became clear through Christ’s death and resurrection.

1 Corinthians 15:51: Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed.

Job 19:25-27: I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes—I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Daniel 12:2: Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.

The Bible describes several different resurrections from the dead:

• The resurrection of Christ
• The resurrection of believers
• The resurrection of unbelievers

Christ is called the firstborn from the dead. We have the promise of resurrection because of Him. His resurrection guarantees ours.

1 Corinthians 15:20-23: But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.

Those who have died in Christ will be resurrected when He returns in the clouds.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-17: Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Those who have died without Christ will be resurrected for the final judgment. This resurrection will occur after the thousand-year reign of Christ.

Revelation 20:11-15: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

The Final Judgment

Jesus prophesied about the final judgment, describing it as the separation of sheep from goats. This will be the moment when all accounts are settled and God’s perfect justice is displayed.

Matthew 25:31-34: When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.’

It’s important that we understand what the Bible teaches about who is judged and how they are judged:

• Believers will be judged for their faithfulness
• Unbelievers will be judged for their sins

Believers will not stand in the final judgment for condemnation. Our sin was judged at the cross when Jesus paid the price for our rebellion.

2 Corinthians 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

But the Bible does teach that we will give an account for our works. We will be rewarded according to our faithfulness as servants of Christ. This will happen when we’re caught up at the time of His return.

Notebook Moment: How does knowing that you will give an account to Christ for your life change the way you make decisions today?

1 Corinthians 3:11-15: For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work. If what has been built survives, the builder will receive a reward. If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.

Unbelievers will stand before the Great White Throne of God. They will be judged for their unbelief and their rejection of Christ’s salvation.

Revelation 20:11-15: Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.

The Bible promises that someday every knee will bow before Christ and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. This will be fulfilled at the final judgment.

Isaiah 45:23-24: By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear. They will say of me, ‘In the Lord alone are deliverance and strength.’

Philippians 2:10-11: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

The Eternal State

After the final judgment, the Lord will create a New Heaven and a New Earth. Everything that sin brought into the world will be destroyed forever. There will be no more sorrow, no more tears, and no more death.

Revelation 21:1-4: Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,” for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 22:1-5: Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.

For all eternity we will enjoy God’s presence and grow in our knowledge of His grace. We will never exhaust the depths of God’s love or reach the end of His goodness.

Psalm 16:11: You make known to me the path of life; you fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

John 17:3: Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.

Ephesians 2:7: In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

Notebook Moment: What aspect of the eternal state with God gives you the most hope and joy as you think about it today?

Conclusion

Many Christians love to study prophecy, but some approach it for the wrong reasons. God didn’t give us prophecy to satisfy our curiosity about dates and times or to create elaborate charts of future events. What then is the purpose of biblical prophecy?

First, we see that God is faithful and just. When we study the Second Coming, we discover that our God always keeps His promises and always does what is right.

Revelation 19:11: I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war.

Second, we are comforted by the words of prophecy. When life becomes difficult and the world seems to be falling apart, we can find hope in God’s promises about the future.

1 Thessalonians 4:18: Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Third, we are to be purified as we watch and wait for His return. The hope of Christ’s coming should motivate us to live holy lives that honor God.

1 John 3:3: All who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure.

The Second Coming of Christ is not just a doctrine to believe—it’s a hope to live by. When you face challenges today, remember that Christ is coming again. When you see evil and injustice in the world, take comfort in knowing that God will make all things right. When you’re tempted to compromise your faith, let the reality of Christ’s return motivate you to live for Him with your whole heart.

The same Jesus who died for your sins and rose from the dead is coming again. He will wipe away every tear, defeat every enemy, and establish His kingdom forever. This is our blessed hope—and it’s a hope that will never disappoint us.

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