Page 323
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 5:49 pm
The Apostle John calls him the Antichrist. And although “the mystery of iniquity doth already work,” “he who now letteth” restrains the Antichrist from appearing in the world before the appointed time. The Antichrist’s reign will be short. The Lord Jesus will kill him “with the spirit of His mouth and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming.”
The coming of Christ will be like lightning that “comes out of the east and shines even to the west.” It will be accompanied by heavenly signs: “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Interpreters understand the “sign of the Son of Man” to mean either the Cross of Christ, or a star, or the universal resurrection of the dead. The appearance of Jesus Christ will occur “with the angels” or with the “voice” of the archangel and the loud sound of a trumpet. The Apostle Paul calls it “the trumpet of God.” Everything will happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The Second Coming will happen suddenly, when no one is expecting it: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away — so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” The exact time of the coming is “known to no one, not even the angels of heaven, but only the Father.” Some interpreters, based on the comparison of Christ’s coming to that of a thief, conclude that it will happen at night. This is also indicated by Christ’s parable of the ten virgins, in which His coming is likened to the arrival of the bridegroom: “...at midnight there was a cry made: Behold, the bridegroom comes; go out to meet him.” The Lord Jesus Christ called for constant spiritual vigilance in anticipation of His return.
The coming of Christ will be like lightning that “comes out of the east and shines even to the west.” It will be accompanied by heavenly signs: “The sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken; then shall appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” Interpreters understand the “sign of the Son of Man” to mean either the Cross of Christ, or a star, or the universal resurrection of the dead. The appearance of Jesus Christ will occur “with the angels” or with the “voice” of the archangel and the loud sound of a trumpet. The Apostle Paul calls it “the trumpet of God.” Everything will happen “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
The Second Coming will happen suddenly, when no one is expecting it: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away — so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.” The exact time of the coming is “known to no one, not even the angels of heaven, but only the Father.” Some interpreters, based on the comparison of Christ’s coming to that of a thief, conclude that it will happen at night. This is also indicated by Christ’s parable of the ten virgins, in which His coming is likened to the arrival of the bridegroom: “...at midnight there was a cry made: Behold, the bridegroom comes; go out to meet him.” The Lord Jesus Christ called for constant spiritual vigilance in anticipation of His return.