Acts
1:9-11 – “ Now when He had spoken these things, while
they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their
sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, “Men
of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up
from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into
heaven.”
In
John 14:2-3 Jesus makes this wonderful promise, “In My Father’s house are
many mansions; if it were not so, I
would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself;
that where I am, there you may be also.” He promises, “I will come again and receive
you to Myself.” What a powerful promise
of the Lord’s return.
In
Acts 1:11 two angels make this statement, “this same Jesus, who was taken up
from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into
heaven.” I love the words, “this same
Jesus.” He is coming personally for His
people. The Apostle Paul writes in 1
Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of
God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are
alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in
the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with
the Lord.”
He
is coming personally. He is not sending
an angel although angels will be involved in this awesome event. Angels are often used by God to announce His
plans. God used angels to announce the
birth of the Messiah, His resurrection, and He will use them to announce His
second coming. This same Jesus, not an
angel, is coming back again.
What
glorious plans await the faithful believer.
The Apostle Paul refers to this as a mystery in 1 Corinthians 15:51-52,
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in
the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound,
and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
This
same Jesus is coming again. Matthew
records the words of our Lord in Matthew 24:42 concerning His coming, “Watch
therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” He continues in verse 44, “Therefore you also
be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” We must watch and pray, put God first, and be
ready for His return.
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