Pastoral Ponderings ~ The Confidence That Draws Near

          I have been enjoying a wonderful time of exploring the Bible’s teaching on the second coming of Christ. It comes up in Revelation in the seventh verse where it says: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.” The last few days I have explored this theme in the book of Hebrews where we get a very detailed picture of how Jesus’ first coming fulfilled the first covenant and established the second, and how his second coming will fulfill the second covenant for God’s people, and judge those who are still in their sins.

          Throughout my exploration of the teachings on Jesus’ second coming, this has become very clear: the truth about Jesus’ second coming is not to keep us preoccupied with trying to figure out when it will take place, but to keep us preoccupied with serving Jesus faithfully until he comes. This morning I was very encouraged with Hebrews 10:19-25 which summarizes how Jesus’ servants should live as we await his return.

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

          This speaks of the first coming of Christ and what he accomplished by fulfilling the first covenant and establishing the new covenant in his blood. Because of this, we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, the blood of the new covenant. And, because of Jesus’ work, we can relate to Christ and each other as brothers.

²⁰ by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,

          Jesus’ first coming created a “new and living way” into God’s presence. We are to make the utmost use of this new and living way now while we wait for the complete fulfillment of the second covenant when Jesus comes the second time.

²¹ and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

          Jesus satisfied the first covenant by his own sacrifice as the Lamb of God who takes away our sin, and now he lives and serves as the “great priest” over God’s people. Jesus is the great high priest of the new covenant, guaranteeing that his sacrifice for our sins justifies us in his righteousness, sanctifies us from one degree of glory to another, and secures our glorification upon his return.

²² let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

          Because of Jesus’ sacrifice for sin, and his establishing of a new covenant in his blood, and because Jesus has created this new and living way into the holy places, we are called and exhorted and commanded to “draw near” to God who fully receives us through his Son.

          We can come with a “true heart”, instead of the superficial pretense that is so common in churches. We can come with “full assurance” rather than hearts full of doubts and insecurities. We are able to come because our hearts are “sprinkled clean from an evil conscience”, leaving us pure and righteous in God’s sight. We are able to come with “our bodies washed with pure water,” even cleaner and better than the consecrated water used by the priests.

          The point is that the description of our daily relationship with God through Jesus Christ should be that we are “drawing near”. The way is opened, let’s keep using it on a daily, moment-by-moment basis.

²³ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

          All that is said here, all that has been explained in the book of Hebrews, gives us every reason we need to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering”. Our hope is in Christ, a hope that is securely anchored in the most holy place. No matter how we feel on any given day, our hope is still secure.

          What we must do in response to this solid hope is hold fast to the “confession” of our hope. While the world, the flesh and the devil will seek to convince us that we are losers in Christ, our hope promises our victory and their defeat. So, we not only hold fast to our hope, but to the glad proclamation of hope.

          By this tenth chapter of Hebrews, it is abundantly clear that “he who promised is faithful”. Our hope rests in him, so it is secure. He does not waver, so our hope in him must not waver. The mirage of the red dragon’s success will disappear when the clouds part and Jesus appears the second time. We must wait for this day without wavering.

²⁴ And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

          This strikes me in a simple contrast. This week I have looked through Hebrews on the theme of the two comings of Christ in reference to the two covenants. This is in conjunction with my series through Revelation that often focuses on the second coming of our Lord and Savior.

          However, with all that the Bible teaches of the first coming giving us our salvation, and the second coming giving us the fullness of our inheritance in Christ, we are not told to “consider how to understand every detail of Jesus’ second coming”. We are told to consider things to do with relating to one another as we faithfully serve Christ in this wicked world while awaiting his certain return.

          In other words, while we must be clear on the things the Bible actually does teach about Jesus’ second coming, the purpose is not to distract us from our present work with thoughts of future things. Rather, the certainty of past things assures us of the certainty of future things so that we can be confident in living the present things as Jesus’ servants. Servants serve, and we are instructed in the certainty of the two covenants fulfilled in Christ so we will not give up serving Christ and his people in love.

          Because Jesus came, and because he is coming, consider how to stir up your brothers and sisters in the Lord to greater love and good works than we have ever done before. Is there a temptation to minimize our love and good works because of the negative reaction from the world, the flesh and the devil? See what a great covenant relationship you have with the King of kings and Lord of lords and stir up a fellowship of believers who are devoted to growing to maturity in love and good works.

²⁵ not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

          People can neglect to meet together because they have not felt the impact of Jesus’ covenant work, or because they have been enticed into believing that the immediate pleasures of sin they can see are superior to the lasting pleasures of righteousness that are eternally overflowing at God’s right hand (where Jesus just happens to be sitting). People can neglect to meet together because they are so convinced Jesus could come any day that they have their lawn chair set up on some hill hoping to be first in line to the grand event. No matter what reasons we might use to justify not meeting together, it is a bad habit, and we are to be sure we do not neglect the fellowship of God’s family.

²⁵ …but encouraging one another,

          While people neglecting to meet with us can be somewhat discouraging at times, we are to be the ones who not only meet together, but make it the most encouraging experience to do so. In other words, we come together as people who have been under attack from the evil one, under attack from the world around us that hates Jesus and those who belong to him, and under attack from our own flesh that always wants the easiest way out of everything. Simply sitting in the same room as other believers does not do anything for us. We must meet to encourage one another. We must bring our sharing from the word, our testimonies of divine appointments and answered prayers, reminders of what God’s word says about things we are experiencing, and build up the courage of the body of Christ to remain strong, firm and steadfast in our devotion to Christ.

²⁵ …and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

          There is a finish line up ahead. The finish line is “the day drawing near”. The “Day” is the second coming, the final appearance of Christ that ends life on earth as we know it, and brings judgment on the world while bringing God’s children into the eternal rest of Heaven.

          The simple fact is that it is much easier to begin a race than to finish it. It is easier to start a fight than to fight to the finish. It is easy to come into the church without much fanfare, and difficult to discover that we have become Satan’s favorite target.

          Because it can be disheartening to press on through a fog, never quite knowing when the finish line will greet us, everything we do in Christ we must do “all the more”. Lesser things can be discarded; traditions of man can be forgotten; personal preferences can be lost, but the life of the New Covenant must grow to maturity, must be lived in an “all the more” kind of way.

          The fact is that “the Day” is drawing near. It will still come as a surprise. It will still come suddenly. But it is coming. And, when it comes, all the pleasures of sin that sought to sabotage God’s work in our lives, will be gone forever, so let them go now. When Jesus comes, the very worst of God’s enemies against us will be destroyed, so do not let them destroy you now.

          As this post falls on a Saturday, let it be a reminder to make sure your Sunday with God’s people fits this description, and all the rest of the descriptions of life in the body of Christ. Listen to the preaching of the word of God with a heart to receive the encouragement you need to be faithful to your place within the body of Christ, and then pass that encouragement on to others as you share with them in response to your fellowship together.

          The bottom line is that, if we will tell God we absolutely want to live out this paragraph from his word in the fullest possible way, he will most certainly give us the divine appointments to do it.

          From my heart, Monte

 

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

Pastoral Pings ~ The Wonder of Jesus’ Brothers

          Today’s wonderful truth: Jesus’ disciples have been Jesus’ brothers from before time began. I have long known that, when someone receives Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior that we are Jesus’ brothers.[1] This morning I came to understand this in an even more encouraging way. It began with this Scripture: “Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”[2]

          What stood out to me was that the first coming of Christ is explained as, “he had to be made like his brothers”. Jesus took on himself “flesh and blood”[3] because his “brothers” were already flesh and blood. He came into the world conscious of us being his brothers, brothers he needed to rescue from the world, the flesh and the devil, so that we could fellowship with him in brotherly love.

          I love it that I was Jesus’ brother in the heart of God before time began. When I was chosen to be holy and blameless in his sight[4], and I was predestined to be adopted as God’s son[5], I was then considered to be Jesus’ brother even though Jesus had to come and deliver me from death.

          Before time began, God knew that he would have his creation ruined by sin. He also knew that he would create and have a people of his very own who were holy and blameless in his sight[6]. However, he knew that this would not be accomplished through creation alone, since the devil would lead the whole creation into sin[7]. Instead, having a people in the image and likeness of Jesus[8], would require that he adopt them out of their orphan-world of sin, and into the home of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit[9].

          When God chose people who would belong to him, who would be in his Son’s image and likeness, and when he predestined that these sinners would be adopted as his sons, we were already God’s sons and Jesus’ brothers even before the creation of the world[10]. We were chosen to be sons, and so we were sons. We were chosen to be brothers to Jesus, and so we were brothers to Jesus.

          When God created the world in all its beauty, and Satan came and corrupted God’s creation with sin, it was as though every human being was captured into Satan’s prison camp. Everyone inherited Adam’s sin nature, and everyone was born in sin. However, all the children God had chosen for himself, and had predestined to be his sons, were already considered brothers to the Lord Jesus Christ.

          So, when it says that Jesus “had to be made like his brothers in every respect,” we are called to this wonderful realization, that we were already his brothers even while we were imprisoned by sin. Even when we survived prison camp by serving the enemy and so getting some worldly reward for our bondage, we were still brothers to Jesus, chosen and predestined to something that Satan could not stop no matter how horrific his prison camps could become.

          This is the wonder-filled thought for today: Jesus loves his brothers. He came into the world because we were already his brothers, but we were in Satan’s prison camp and could not enjoy fellowship with our heavenly family. Jesus died for his brothers. He laid down his life for his brothers. He secured the freedom of his brothers. And now, all those who have been born again into the family of God,[11] are invited to live in brotherly love relationship with Jesus Christ, and with the rest of the household of God.

 

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

 

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[1] Romans 8:29; Hebrews 2:10-13

[2] Hebrews 2:17

[3] Hebrews 2:14

[4] Ephesians 1:4

[5] Ephesians 1:5

[6] Colossians 1:22

[7] Genesis 3; Romans 5

[8] Genesis 1:26-27

[9] Romans 14:17

[10] Ephesians 1:4

[11] John 1:12-13; John 3

Pastoral Pings ~ From Trauma to Trophy

          To anyone who wonders why God let them experience abuse as a child, consider that it was Satan who perpetrates abuse, and God who delivers. If you have been thinking that God let you endure countless experiences of rejection, loss, disappointment and heartache, consider that it is Satan who has sought to ruin you, and it is Jesus Christ who comes to rescue.

          While we are easily inclined to doubt the love or power of God to help us when we are children, there is a better way of looking at these things, difficult as it may be to accept. Consider that your life in Jesus Christ would present this glorious declaration to the devil: “What you intended for harm[1], to the destruction of a precious little child, God has taken hold of for good[2], to reveal his glorious power to heal the broken hearts of children[3], and fully restore them to the image and likeness of Jesus Christ[4].”

          Here is how I apply this to myself: In all the ways that Satan lured people into hurting and harming me as a child; in all the ways he led people to reject me, demean me, speak evil of me, and trample my little soul underfoot, God can now put on eternal and public display that he is able to fully heal any and every wound the evil one inflicts on any of God’s children[5]. Everything Satan did to show that he had power to inflict pain on a little child, God now overcomes so that he can show Satan, demons, angels, and all humanity, that he is able to take such a messed up, wounded, sinful little creature as me, and present me before himself as holy and blameless in his sight[6].

          The message is simply this: When Jesus Christ takes hold of anyone’s life, no matter how hurt, abused, and sinful we have been, and no matter how much we have hurt and abused others, he turns us into a trophy of his grace that shows everyone that God can make good of anything whatsoever that Satan has ruined, abused and corrupted with sin.

          This is the most beautiful before-and-after picture we could ever see. The “before” picture says, “Look at what Satan has done to ruin this man or this woman from the time they were children!” The “after” picture says, “Now look at what God has done to rescue, repair and transform this man or this woman into the likeness of the very Son of God, Jesus Christ our Lord!” The difference between Satan’s trophy case and God’s trophy case is that the devil’s trophy case looks like a Nazi concentration camp, while God’s trophy case looks like the most wonderful family dinner one could ever imagine.

          Now, it may not be altogether apparent in this lifetime who is still abused, broken and crippled by Satan’s strategic attacks on their souls, and who is being healed, restored and forgiven as the adopted sons of God. I simply want all those who are drawn to Jesus Christ to understand that every memory of abuse put in God’s hands will come to feel like he has transformed your trauma into a trophy.

          If you are struggling to feel the love of God because the abuses of life leave little room in your day for anything except pain, come to Jesus[7] with us who have already felt his healing touch. When Jesus is done with us, we will be like a woman who forgets all her labor pains in her delight to hold her beautiful little child[8]. Be assured that, from God’s side, he already sings over his little ones with healing lullabies of joy[9]. Let the soothing sound of his love songs bring you to sing a new song[10] that fills you with joy forever[11].

 

 

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

 

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[1] Genesis 50:20

[2] Romans 8:28

[3] Psalm 147:3

[4] I John 3:1-2

[5] Ephesians 3:10

[6] Ephesians 1:4; Colossians 1:22

[7] Matthew 11:28-30

[8] John 16:21

[9] Zephaniah 3:17

[10] Psalm 40:3

[11] Psalm 16:11

The Source of All Goodness.

          There are times when I am moved to do good to others with a conscious awareness that the love of Jesus Christ compels me to do so. I have been God’s work-in-progress for such a long time that I actually do not know what kind of person I would be without God’s gracious work in my life. Any good I do links very directly to impossible-to-count expressions of God’s goodness to me.

          I often hear others refer to the good works of people who do not trust in Jesus as evidence that the Christ is not necessary to our expressions of goodness. After all, we hear of Christians setting up social programs for the poor, and we hear of other religious and non-religious social groups doing the same things without Christ. I can appreciate that, at first appearance, this certainly appears to diminish my claim that Jesus is life, and without him, we can really do nothing at all.

          However, as these thoughts were tumbling around my mind this morning I realized something that had not stood out to me so clearly prior to this time. People who do not believe in Jesus were still created by Jesus.

          People who deny Jesus Christ cannot do so without using the mind he created. They cannot hold beliefs against God without those beliefs existing in their minds because of the way Jesus created the human brain and mind to live, and move, and have its being. They cannot utter their words of denial without using the mouth that Jesus himself designed to express words that are above and beyond the ability of any other creature he made.

          When people of any other religion, or any non-religion, claim that they are doing good works without any reference to Christ, they are speaking like little children who do not understand where they come from, how they are conceived, how they grow in the womb, or how they got out of mommy’s tummy. Their claim that they are working independent of Jesus is mistaken since they are using the body Jesus created in order to do their independent good works. They are thinking of these good works at a level that no other creature thinks of such things because Jesus himself created humanity to be in his own image and likeness. They are geared to do good because Jesus himself is the shining radiance of goodness always seeking good to do for all his creation.

          When I do a good work with a consciousness that Jesus so loves me that his living love inside me makes me want to do specific acts of kindness to others, I may not appear to do good works any better or greater than those who do not know the love of Jesus. I simply know the Jesus who causes both his friends and his enemies to do good things he designed into us as the only bearers of his image and likeness.

          Knowing such a thing is an invitation to all of us to let every desire of goodness we feel within ourselves to point us back to the Lord Jesus Christ who created us to be like him in such goodness.

          However, we must also consider this warning: a branch that is cut off from an apple tree still has all the design and potential to produce good fruit, but it is going to die by the very fact that it is cut off from its live-giving tree. In the same way, people who are not united by faith to Jesus Christ may appear to produce the same good works as those who are united to Jesus Christ by faith, but such an appearance is short-lived. Those doing their good works independent of Christ are already dying.

          One fall we did a major pruning of a large tree in our backyard. Many of the branches were hauled away, while larger chunks were cut to length for firewood. Because the firewood was green, I stacked it against the fence to cure until the following winter. However, that spring I made this startling discovery: my dead pieces of firewood were sprouting tiny shoots. I began taking pictures to see how long these dead logs would appear to produce the same signs of life as the branches still attached to the tree. It was quite amazing to me that I could actually see such a similarity between the living and the dead wood. That is, until the residue of sap in the dead logs dried up and the shoots and leaves died.

          This illustrates to me why it can appear that those lives that are cut-off from Christ sometimes appear to do just as good works as those who are united to Christ. We cannot look at the good works of Worldlings as proof that we do not actually need Jesus. Everyone who does good works apart from Christ does them because there is still some residue of the created image of Christ seeking to be what Jesus made them to be. The issue is that without the life of Christ, good people are dying and destined for hell. Only those who are united with Christ by faith do good works that will remain forever.

          As we have been celebrating Jesus’ first coming into the world in the Christmas holiday that bears his name, we are all going to see the day when Jesus comes again and judges us by how we have related to him in our lifetime. If we received his Christmas gift of life, we will be filled with joy when he comes. If we have rejected his gift of life, the residue of life that has kept us going, and even moved us to be good, will reach its end, and we will be terrified of his coming.

          Putting any suggestion of my opinion aside, here is what God’s breathed-out word declares: For those who have received the life of Jesus Christ their Creator, there is this promise: “so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him” (Hebrews 9:28).

          For those who have refused the life of Jesus Christ their Creator, there is also a promise: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him” (Revelation 1:7).

          If you ever notice that I have done some small act of goodness towards you, please receive it as two things: one is the declaration that Jesus Christ created humanity in his own image and likeness, and every good thing that any human being does is because Jesus Christ created us for such goodness.

          The other is that the good works of Jesus’ brothers are a specific invitation to you to come into the family of God and share in the goodness of God as only the children of God can know. Once you are a child of God through faith in Jesus Christ, the world may not notice that your good works are different from theirs. But you will now find yourself doing good works that can actually bring people back to life in Jesus Christ their Creator and Redeemer.

          My testimony remains: Jesus “gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good” Titus 2:14).

          From my heart, Monte

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

 

Christmas 2012 - Jesus Born of a Woman

In celebration of Christmas our home church looked at Jesus' coming as it is taught from the beginning of the Bible to the end. It was a great encouragement to see how God orchestrated his timeless plans into prophecies that were fulfilled in real-time events, which now speak of prophecies of Jesus' second coming, which soon will be seen in real-time experience. Here is the message we shared during the Sunday before Christmas.

The Glory of the Words of Light

Scriptures that Glorify Jesus’ Light

          Here are some Scriptures that encouraged me so much this morning. Approximately 700 years prior to Jesus’ birth, God gave this announcement: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone” (Isaiah 9:2).

          The point was simple: people were living in the darkness of sin, and there was no hope of a human being ever being born without a sin nature. God would have to be the one who filled such hopeless darkness with his light, and he told his people to wait expectantly for him to do so.

          One of the testimonies of Jesus’ coming into the world describes the event like this: “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” (John 1:9). Jesus is the light God promised would come to the people living in darkness.

          When Jesus began his ministry, we are told that his life fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah from seven centuries earlier. Matthew writes, “And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles— the people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned’” (Matthew 4:13-16). Jesus fulfilled the prophecy because he was and is the world’s true light.

          During his ministry, Jesus presented this invitation, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Jesus did not eradicate the darkness of the world, but shone himself into the world in order to draw people to follow his light. His children stay with him so that they remain in his light.

          Although Jesus was and is the true light of the world, here is how some people responded to him then, and continue to respond to him now: “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil” (John 3:19). One would think that people living in darkness would love the light. However, when people love the sinful things they do in the dark, they do not want the light to expose their sin.

          For those who hate their darkness, Jesus sets them free from the darkness of sin and transforms them into “children of light” (I Thess 5:5). This is how God’s children of light are described: “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (I Peter 2:9).

          Christmas is not a time for people living in darkness to sing songs about a light they do not know or have. It is a time for people to leave their darkness and come into the light of Christ. When we do come to the light, we no longer sing songs about this once-upon-a-time-Jesus. Rather, we proclaim the excellencies of the one who has personally and experientially set us free from the darkness of our sin and set us safely into his marvelous light where we will be free from the darkness forever.

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, Canada, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

 

Between the Two Comings

Although the Mayan calendar could not possibly predict the time of Jesus’ second coming, the Bible makes it clear that Jesus is coming indeed. One of the major differences between Jesus’ first coming (what Christmas celebrates), and his second coming is this:

 

·         Jesus’ first coming was to bring salvation, but his second coming is to bring condemnation.

·         Jesus’ first coming created the way for us to be saved from the wrath of God against sin, but his second coming will bring the wrath against sin that is expressed to all those who would not be saved.

·         In Jesus’ first coming, he himself bore God’s wrath against the sins of those he would redeem, but in his second coming, he will come to pour out God’s wrath on the unredeemed.

·         In Jesus’ first coming, he came to seek and to save the lost, but in his second coming, he will find and condemn the lost.

Christmas is not only a celebration of Jesus’ first coming, that he came into the world to save sinners. It is also the celebration of redeemed sinners who know that, when Jesus comes the second time they will not experience any wrath from God, but only the joy of experiencing God lovingly receiving them into his presence forever. Such hope is based solely on this one thing: that those who receive Jesus Christ through repentance and faith are adopted into God’s household as his children and are now simply waiting for our Big Brother to return and take us to the home he has already prepared for us in our Father’s House.

 

 © 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, Canada, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com

Reveling in Revelation ~ Jesus' is Coming

This week I have come to this verse in Revelation: “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen” (Revelation 1:7). Here is what this verse looks like side-by-side with Jesus’ clear description of his coming in Matthew 24:29-31. This chart shows how these two Scriptures “fit” together, and how any other Scriptures regarding these things would be added to the picture.

My point is simple: Matthew 24:29-31 is Jesus’ doubly God-breathed words about his coming, Revelation 1:7 is a synopsis of what Jesus said earlier, and all the other Scriptures say the same thing. I find this a helpful and encouraging reminder that God’s word is simpler to understand than some would have us think.

Matthew 24:29-31	Revelation 1:7	Other Scriptures
“Immediately after the tribulation of those days (29)		Other Scriptures about Great Tribulation
the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. (29)		Other Scriptures describing cataclysmic changes in the heavens
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man (30)		Other Scriptures announcing Jesus’ coming
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn (30)	and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.	Other Scriptures describing nations mourning
and they will see the Son of Man coming (30)	and every eye will see him even those who pierced him	Other Scriptures declaring that all will see Jesus’ appearing
coming on the clouds of heaven (30)	he is coming with the clouds	Other Scriptures that show Jesus returning on or with clouds
with power and great glory (31)		Other Scriptures that declare the glory and dominion of Christ
And he will send out his angels (31)		Other Scriptures about the angels being sent out at this time
with a loud trumpet call (31)		Other Scriptures highlighting the trumpet call
and they will gather his elect from the four winds (31)		Other Scriptures that describe the gathering of the elect who are alive at Jesus’ coming
from one end of heaven to the other (31)		Other Scriptures that describe the resurrection of those who have fallen asleep in Christ

I look forward to both seeing and showing how all the references to Jesus’ coming in the book of Revelation fit the description Jesus gave in Matthew 24 (repeated in Luke 21 and Mark 14).

 

© 2012 Monte Vigh ~ Box 517, Merritt, BC, Canada, V1K 1B8 ~ in2freedom@gmail.com