The Signs of His Coming

By Olujide Arije

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a subject marked with so many controversies because of the different interpretations that have been given to the same set of scriptures. However there are certain truths clearly stated in the scripture: the second coming of the Lord which is also called the 'Day of the Lord' is a singular event (1 Thes 5:2, 2 Pe 3:10); the resurrection of believers that have slept in the Lord and the changing into new bodies of those who are alive will occur at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ (1st Corin 15:51-52, 1st Thes 4:13-17); and the second coming of the Lord Jesus will occur sometime after the antichrist has been revealed whose reign will be ended by the Lord's second coming (2nd Thes 2:8). The news of the Lord's second coming is good news for those that are looking forward to his return. It is for this reason that this singular most important event after the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus is called the 'Blessed Hope', that is, the hope of our salvation. If Jesus is not coming back then we are of all men most miserable. Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we will be no more, but thanks be to God who has loved us with an everlasting love. Everyone who names the name of Jesus Christ shall be saved, on that day. To name the name of Jesus is to accept the Lord Jesus as one's personal Lord and Savior. Behold, He comes! Blessed and holy is he that partakes in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ. This book is a journey into Holy Bible on the truth about the second coming of the Lord Jesus so that through what is written we may have comfort while we wait for Him to appear.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Olujide Arije
• Release date: Jan 29, 2014
• ISBN: 9781311943415

Book preview

The Signs of His Coming

Olujide Arije

Copyright 2014, Smashwords edition

©2013 Olujide Arije

All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ‘The New Living Translation’ or NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked ‘The Message’ or MSG are taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked ‘Amplified Bible’ or AMP are taken from the Amplified® Bible, Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture marked ‘God’s Word Translation’ or GW are taken from GOD’S WORD®, © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations. Used by permission of Baker Publishing Group.

Scripture quotations marked ‘Contemporary English Version’ or CEV are taken from the Holy Bible, Contemporary English Version

Scripture quotations marked ‘1912 Weymouth New Testament’ are taken from the Holy Bible, 1912 Weymouth New Testament.

Lord, open my understanding in this matter that doubt might dissolve and that by the correct knowledge of these things, true light may shine in my heart and correct teaching may be delivered to the body of Christ to the end that we will have hope and receive much comfort,

Amen

Contents

Preface

1 Jesus is coming again

2 Characteristics of His Coming

3 Manner of His Coming

4 The Mystery of the Lord

5 The Elect

6 The Antichrist

7 Condition for ‘Rapture’

8 Sequence of His Coming

9 The Day of the Lord

10 Our Comfort, Hope and Rejoicing

Appendix A

Appendix B

Preface

The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is a subject marked with so many controversies because of the different interpretations that have been given to the same sets of scriptures. I had so much bubbling within me from studying the scriptures on the matter that I could not help but put them all down in a book. Now being compelled by Holy Spirit to get this book out, I find it very difficult not to comply with His leading that I perceive in my heart.

Please, if there are any errors of commission or omission in this book; let them be charged squarely to my account for we know only in part. However I ask every reader to study personally to see if these things be so. My prayer is that the very God of peace will sanctify you wholly; and that your whole spirit and soul and body will be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. May the Grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, Amen.

1 Jesus is coming again

And now, brothers and sisters, I want you to know what will happen to the Christians who have died so you will not be full of sorrow like people who have no hope. 1st The 4:13 NLT

Listening to teachings about the end time is scary for a lot of people. When the end time is preached or taught, it usually makes people either sober or sad. To be sober is altogether not bad if it is godly – for godly sorrow works repentance – but sad doesn’t seem right in the light of the scripture in 1st Thessalonians 4:13 that expressly says on this matter: …not (to) be full of sorrow…. In fear some get born again and others rededicate their lives to right living. However, after the acute effect of the message has worn off, life goes back to the pre-message state: …eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage (Mat 24:38). The message of His coming however should be good news to those that are looking forward to his coming. The Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians to comfort one another with the words about the second coming of Christ (1st The 4:18). He also told Timothy that there is a type of crown reserved for those that love the appearing of the Lord (2nd Tim 4:8). The Apostle John said that when we shall see him we shall be like him (1st John 3:2). The appearing of Lord is the joyful hope we have. The usefulness of our trust and faith in his death and resurrection rests on His second coming. If He is not coming again, we can as well just eat and drink; for tomorrow we die. Scriptures show us that the resurrection of those that died in Christ will be when Christ comes again. It also tells us that the ‘saving’ of the bodies of those of us who are alive then will be at this time too. If he does not come again we are of all men most miserable. If Christ is not coming again, let us eat and drink for tomorrow we die and it all ends there. However we join with Job who said many years ago:

"But as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives, and that he will stand upon the earth at last. (26) And after my body has decayed, yet in my body I will see God! (27) I will see him for myself. Yes, I will see him with my own eyes. I am overwhelmed at the thought! Job 19:25-27 NLT

"I know that my Savior lives, and at the end he will stand on this earth. (26) My flesh may be destroyed, yet from this body I will see God. (27) Yes, I will see him for myself, and I long for that moment". Job 19:25-27 CEV

The Hope of Our Calling

Man is a tripartite being: he has a spirit, a soul and a body. This is a foundational truth that everyone must understand. 1st The 5:23 says: And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. This scripture shows us that the whole man is made up of spirit, soul and body. What is the relationship among these three? Firstly, man is a spirit. When God was to create man, he said: let us make man in our own image and likeness. Jesus gave us an understanding of the image and likeness of God when he declared: God is a Spirit… (John 4:2-4). Man must also be a spirit if indeed he was made in the image and likeness of God. We can say then that man is essentially a spirit. You will notice that though the body of man was made from the earth, he only became alive when God breathed the breath of life into his nostrils (Gen 2:7). Thus the essence of man is not his physical body. We can clearly demarcate at least two distinct parts of man: his body and his spirit. The body of man is his earth-suit; his legitimate basis for being on earth. Just as man cannot survive in outer space without the space-suit, so also man cannot survive on earth without his earth-suit which is his body. Man interacts and transacts in the physical realm with his body: touch, taste, hearing, sight and smell. Man interacts and transacts in the spiritual realm with his spirit. There is a spiritual realm indeed because God is a Spirit. The Apostles James crowned it up when he said: …the body without the spirit is dead... (Jas 2:26). The body without the spirit is useless. Thus again, man in his essence is his spirit not his body. There is an intermediate part between the body and the spirit called the soul and that is the third part of man. The soul consists of man’s intellect, will and emotion; these are peculiar to the soul and apart from the body and spirit. The soul is also the mind. Awareness or consciousness is in the soul for man became a living soul, that is, became aware of himself when God breathed into him (Gen 2:7). The relation amongst the components of man can now be expressed thus: man essentially is a spirit, he has a soul and he lives in a body. When the body expires (dies) the spirit departs and takes the soul along (cf. Gen 35:18 and Luk 16:19-24; the rich man still had his awareness even after death of his physical body)

The point to note from the above is this: when a man gets born again, it is his spirit that gets born again, not his soul and not his body. Paul told the Corinthians that: …if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2Cor 5:17). That newness is in the spirit of man. Nothing happens physically to the man; some may have emotional experiences but the actual change was a spiritual one. No one experiences any physical changes like increased or decreased weight, height, number of pimples on the face, and so on, when they get born again. Scripture however teaches what to do with the other two parts. In Romans 12: 1 Paul told the Christians in Rome that having made a decision to follow the Lord Jesus Christ they needed to make a conscious effort to direct the activities of their bodies to only those things that would please him: as living sacrifice. In the next verse he told them what to do with the Soul (the mind): they were to renew their minds. Lets’ see these scriptures:

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service". (Rom 12:1)

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God". (Rom 12:2)

While the salvation of the spirit is done and complete, the salvation of the soul is ongoing and will continue till the man departs from the physical realm. The salvation of the body is at the second coming of the Lord Jesus when we shall receive new bodies: bodies like the Lord Jesus had after He rose from the dead. It is the salvation of our bodies the Apostle Paul called the Hope of our Salvation. It is for the completion of this salvation that our hope is put in the returning of the Lord Jesus. Earlier in my walk with the Lord, when I read the words of Paul about a salvation we were waiting for, I didn’t quite understand and I wondered: did we not receive salvation when we got born again? It has now become clear to me that he was talking about coming into the fullness of what we received, which is the saving of our bodies. Consider the dimension of hope in the following scriptures:

The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, (Eph 1:18)

For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith (Gal 5:5)

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (Eph 4:4)

For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel; (Col 1:5)

In