Sermon Tone Analysis

*THE RETURN OF THE KING*

 

IAN LORING WAS A MISSIONARY TO ALBANIA.

ONE EASTER SUNDAY AS HE WAS PREACHING

ON CHRIST'S EMPTY TOMB,

 

HE TOLD THE LISTENERS

THAT THE EMPTY GRAVE CLOTHES STILL HELD HIS SHAPE,

 

BUT THE NAPKIN, WHICH HAD BEEN WRAPPED AROUND HIS HEAD, WAS FOLDED AND PLACED A SHORT DISTANCE AWAY     FROM THE OTHER GRAVE CLOTHES.

THESE ALBANIANS IMMEDIATELY SAW THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS SEEMINGLY MINOR DETAIL.

YOU SEE, IN ALBANIA, WHEN A PERSON HAS FINISHED WITH THEIR MEAL AND THEY'RE PREPARING TO LEAVE THE TABLE,

THEY CRUMPLE UP THEIR NAPKIN TO SHOW THAT THEY'RE FINISHED.

BUT IF THEY'RE PLANNING ON COMING BACK, THEY'LL LEAVE THE NAPKIN FOLDED.

IT'S A SIGN THAT THEY'LL BE BACK.

THE ALBANIANS SAW THE APPLICATION.

*JESUS IS COMING BACK!*

THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT HE'S COMING BACK TO EARTH AGAIN.

*HEBREWS 9:28 (NIV) SAYS \\ **28 **SO CHRIST WAS SACRIFICED ONCE TO TAKE AWAY THE SINS OF MANY PEOPLE; AND HE WILL APPEAR A SECOND TIME, NOT TO BEAR SIN, BUT TO BRING SALVATION TO THOSE WHO ARE WAITING FOR HIM.

*

* *

THE NEW TESTAMENT WRITERS ARE CLEAR

IN THEIR PROPHECY       ABOUT HIS SECOND COMING.

BUT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

THE PROPHECIES OF CHRIST'S FIRST AND SECOND COMING

ARE SO MINGLED TOGETHER THAT JEWISH SCHOLARS

DIDN'T CLEARLY SEE THEM AS SEPARATE EVENTS.

THIS MAY PARTIALLY EXPLAIN WHY THE JEWS AS A WHOLE REJECTED CHRIST THE FIRST TIME HE CAME.

THEY DIDN'T REALIZE HE WOULD COME THE FIRST TIME TO *SUFFER* AND THEN THE SECOND TIME TO *CONQUER*.

EVEN HIS FOLLOWERS EXPECTED HIM TO FULFILL THE GLORIOUS PROMISES RELATING TO HIS SECOND COMING.

IT WAS ONLY AFTER HE ASCENDED TO HEAVEN THAT THEY REALIZED THAT THEY WERE LIVING IN THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN HIS TWO APPEARANCES.

THE TIME PERIOD BETWEEN HIS TWO COMINGS

IS KIND OF LIKE *A PLAIN BETWEEN TWO MOUNTAINS*.

JOHN WALVOORD EXPLAINS IT THIS WAY:

*SINCE THE FIRST COMING HAS ALREADY HAPPENED, *

*IT'S HISTORY *

*AND CAN NOW BE EASILY SEPARATED FROM HIS SECOND COMING.*

THE CONTRAST BETWEEN HIS TWO COMINGS ARE DRAMATIC.

*IN HIS FIRST COMING *

HE WAS WRAPPED IN SWADDLING CLOTHES

*IN HIS SECOND COMING* HE WILL BE CLOTHED ROYALLY IN A ROBE DIPPED IN BLOOD.

*IN HIS FIRST COMING* HE WAS SURROUNDED BY CATTLE AND COMMON PEOPLE.

*IN HIS SECOND COMING* HE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE MASSIVE ARMIES OF HEAVEN.

*IN HIS FIRST COMING* THE DOOR OF THE INN WAS CLOSED TO HIM.

*IN HIS SECOND COMING* THE DOOR OF THE HEAVENS WILL BE OPENED TO HIM.

 

*IN HIS FIRST COMING* HIS VOICE WAS THE TINY CRY OF A BABY.

*IN HIS SECOND COMING* HIS VOICE WILL THUNDER AS THE SOUND OF MANY WATERS.

\\ * *

*IN HIS FIRST COMING* HE WAS THE LAMB  OF GOD WHO CAME BRINGING SALVATION.

*IN HIS SECOND COMING* HE WILL BE THE LION OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH WHO COMES BRINGING JUDGMENT.

*THE ANTICIPATION OF CHRIST*

 

ALTHOUGH CHRISTIANS ARE MOST FAMILIAR WITH THE FIRST COMING OF CHRIST.

IT'S THE SECOND COMING THAT GETS THE MOST INK IN THE BIBLE.

IT GETS MORE INK BY A FACTOR OF ABOUT EIGHT TO ONE.

BIBLE SCHOLARS COUNT 1,845 REFERENCES TO THE SECOND COMING, IN THE BIBLE.

JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF REFERRED TO HIS RETURN 21 TIMES.

EXCEPT FOR THE SUBJECT OF FAITH, THE SECOND COMING IS *THE* MOST DOMINANT SUBJECT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.

*THE PROPHETS FORETOLD THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.*

* *

MANY OLD TESTAMENT PROPHETS WROTE ABOUT CHRIST'S SECOND COMING,

BUT IT WAS ZECHARIAH WHO GAVE US THE CLEAREST PICTURE.

*ZECHARIAH 14:3-4 (NIV) \\ **3 **THEN THE LORD WILL GO OUT AND FIGHT AGAINST THOSE NATIONS, AS HE FIGHTS IN THE DAY OF BATTLE.

4 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.*

DO YOU SEE HOW ZECHARIAH DEALS IN SPECIFICS.

HE EVEN PINPOINTS THE GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION WHERE CHRIST WILL RETURN.

JUST LIKE ARMAGEDDON, THE MOUNT OF OLIVES IS AN ACTUAL IDENTIFIABLE PLACE

THAT EVEN STILL HAS IT'S ORIGINAL NAME TODAY.

UNLIKE VAGUE FORTUNE-TELLERS

AND PROPHETIC CHARLATANS,

 

THIS PROPHET DARED TO BE EXPLICIT AND SPECIFIC

SO THAT THE TRUTH OF HIS PROPHECY COULD NOT BE MISSED WHEN IT HAPPENS.

*JESUS HIMSELF ANNOUNCED HIS SECOND COMING IN*

*MATTHEW 24:27 (NIV) \\ **27 **FOR AS LIGHTNING THAT COMES FROM THE EAST IS VISIBLE EVEN IN THE WEST, SO WILL BE THE COMING OF THE SON OF MAN.

*

*29 **“IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE DISTRESS OF THOSE DAYS *

*“ ‘THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, *

*AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT; *

*THE STARS WILL FALL FROM THE SKY, *

*AND THE HEAVENLY BODIES WILL BE SHAKEN.’

*

*30 **“AT THAT TIME THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN WILL APPEAR IN THE SKY, AND ALL THE NATIONS OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN.

THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY, WITH POWER AND GREAT GLORY.*

* *

*THE ANGELS ANNOUNCED THAT JESUS WOULD RETURN*

 

RIGHT AFTER JESUS ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN, THE TWO ANGELS SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES.

*ACTS 1:11 (NIV) \\ **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.”

*

 

THE NEXT VERSE SAYS THAT THEY RETURNED TO JERUSALEM *FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES*.

SO JESUS ASCENDED TO HEAVEN FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES AND ACCORDING TO THE ANGELS HE WILL RETURN TO THAT VERY SAME SPOT.

\\ * *

*JOHN THE APOSTLE FORETOLD JESUS' SECOND COMING*

 

THE PROPHECIES OF CHRIST'S RETURN ARE LIKE BOOKENDS TO JOHN'S REVELATION.

IN THE FIRST CHAPTER JOHN WROTE.

REVELATION 1:7 (NIV) \\ 7     LOOK, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS,

AND EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM,

EVEN THOSE WHO PIERCED HIM;

AND ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN BECAUSE OF HIM.

AND IN THE LAST PAGES OF THE LAST CHAPTER

ALMOST THE VERY LAST WORDS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT.

OUR LORD EMPHATICALLY AFFIRMS HIS SECOND COMING

* *

*REVELATION 22:20 (NIV) \\ **20 **HE WHO TESTIFIES TO THESE THINGS SAYS, *

*“YES, I AM COMING SOON.”**

AMEN.

COME, LORD JESUS.

*

 

*THE ADVENT OF CHRIST*

 

THERE ARE TWO TIMES IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION WHERE THE DOOR TO HEAVEN IS OPEN.

THE FIRST TIME THE DOOR OPENS IS TO RECEIVE THE CHURCH INTO HEAVEN.

THAT'S WHEN WE'RE RAPTURED.

*(REVELATION 4:1)*

 

 

 

AND THEN THE DOOR SWINGS OPEN AGAIN IN

*(REVELATION 19:11, 14)*

 

THIS TIME CHRIST AND HIS CHURCH WILL BEGIN