One of the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith is the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. (See Acts 1:10,11; Rev. 1:7) There is a day coming when everyone will know that Jesus is Lord and the ruler not only of this planet but all the universe. Some have wondered why Jesus would have any particular interest in coming back to this puny planet since in comparison to the whole universe, earth is very tiny. Yet, it is from here that the Lord has been choosing a special people from every generation to be a part of his church. Earth has been both a battle ground and a the proving ground for the people of God-the place where the redeemed persevere through trials and tribulations (Romans 5:3-5) that prepare us to be the sons and daughters of God for all eternity.
Evangelical theologians including Pentecostals refer to Jesus’ work on earth as the “already” and the “not yet.” The “already” refers to Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection when He came as a real human being (without ceasing to be God) to redeem fallen man from the evil consequences of sin. Without Christ binding himself to us and embracing us as his brethren (Hebrews 2:11), we would have all died in our sins without hope throughout eternity. Jesus’ atoning death on Calvary’s cross and his resurrection made it possible for everyone who trusts in him to receive the Holy Spirit and inherit eternal life and be residents of God’s Kingdom. That residency is a reality now but the “not yet” means that while we are now truly in Christ (see II Corinth. 5:17), our faith is still being tested and strengthened in a world that has not universally accepted Jesus as Lord. We are still living in a time of “probation” when people are being challenged to accept Christ or remain in their sins with its deadly eternal consequences. We now see two kingdoms coexisting side by side, the unbelieving world of men under the sway of satan (see II Corinth. 4:4, and John 12:31) and the Kingdom of God consisting of all believers in Jesus Christ (I Peter 2:9,10). Even the Old Testament saints are incorporated into this Kingdom (Study Hebrews 11)
As the people of God, we are living in a world which largely rejects Christ, but we are called not to be OF this world (John 17:15-16; I John 2:15-17). The world as we know it with all its corruption will come to an end when Christ returns. This world of sin has no future. Evil will not exist indefinitely; satan himself, the cause of so much misery and mankind’s perennial enemy has been judged at the Cross and his final end is certain after Christ returns (Rev. 20:10). Christ is returning here and will visibly rule in his Kingdom, the only Kingdom that has a sure future. What is now hidden from human sight will then be a visible reality. God will establish a new order of things. The old earth will be gone including death, suffering, tribulation and terrorism (See Rev. 21). You can count on that!
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