Coming Once, Coming Twice, Gone!

This is a sermon that was given on the first Sunday of Advent 2014.

Written Excerpts:

Acts 1:9-11 (NKJV) ⁹  Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰  And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹  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."

Introduction:

In the Scripture passage that we read a little earlier in the service, we read through a couple of familiar Isaiah texts that have been understood to be connected to the coming of the Messiah.

There are even more texts that relate to His first coming which we will be referring to shortly.

According to the Christian Calendar, today is the 1^st Sunday of Advent, and I wanted to draw our attention to the topic of the coming of the Messiah as it pertains to both His first and second comings.

The title I’ve chosen for the message today is a phrase that popped into my mind as I was thinking about Advent. As you probably have already realized, the wording parallels the words we often associate with auctions – “Going once; going twice; gone!”

Well, obviously the subject of Advent is not about going, but “coming.” However, there is an aspect about the Messiah’s second coming in which it is appropriate to use the word “gone” as I hope to convey in the message today.

So, let us listen for the voice of the Spirit as we consider some interesting truths about Messiah’s first coming, His second coming and the things that will be gone once He comes again.

I. Coming Once

Everyone who has read and studied the Bible understands at least to some degree that God planned and performed all that was necessary to redeem mankind from our own dungeon of sin and ruin.

That abundantly sufficient remedy included the coming of His own Son into our world to completely identify with our humanity in every way, except sin.

But God didn’t just dropped Him into our world unannounced like a paratrooper behind enemy lines, but He prophesied His coming and even prepared certain individuals to be involved in the whole “program.”

I don’t have time today to read all of the verses of Scripture, but the OT predicted the Messiah’s:

Birthplace; family heritage or ancestors; virgin birth; role as king and as priest; and some scholars have even argued that the exact year of His coming was predicted in the prophecy of Daniel.

Some prophecies, like these I’ve mentioned, predicted specific details. Dozens of other prophecies may not have originally predicted specific details about the Messiah, but many Jewish scholars viewed the events in the life of Jesus as the meaningful fulfillment of prophecies made hundreds of years earlier.

The intriguing part is the fact that in spite of all that God did to prepare and predict the coming of His Son, there were actually only a few people that were actively expecting Him and recognized Him when He arrived. (i.e. Simeon, Anna, Magi)

It was so easy for the world to be blinded by ignorance and sin that they missed Him!

II. Coming Twice

After arriving on earth and engaging in His ministry of teaching and works of mercy, Jesus often spoke about a time in the future when He would return with a completely different agenda than He came with the first time.

His words were expounded and expanded further by the teachings of the apostles in the NT letters that they authored.

Just as it was regarding His first coming, there are dozens of prophecies relating to His second coming. I don’t have to convince most of you that there are dozens of interpretations surrounding all of those prophecies as well!

Yet, one solid fact remains – Jesus is coming again!

God promised His first coming and it happened. We can rest assured that His second coming will happen as well!

We may not all agree on the timing or the exact circumstances surrounding that event, but we can all be expecting and watching for His return.

Let us not be like the various groups that Jesus described:

Like those in the “days of Noah, ” eating and drinking and totally consumed with hedonistic revelry; or those like the “foolish virgins” who ran out of oil for their lamps just before the bridegroom arrived; or any others that miss His return because of being preoccupied with purely earthly values and pursuits.

III. Gone!

Now that we have talked about various aspects of the Messiah’s second coming, it is appropriate to mention the things that the Bible says will be gone when He comes.

(Some of the things I will discuss are not necessarily portrayed as being gone exactly at the same time of His coming, but they all are certainly related to His coming.)

A. The saints are gone.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NKJV) ¹⁶  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.
¹⁷  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.

When Jesus the Messiah comes, the saints will be gone.

I know that there are hundreds of opinions about how it all happens and when it all happens. I don’t really care about any of that. All I know is the Bible says that the dead in Christ will rise first and all His faithful followers that are still alive will be caught up in the air together with the Lord.

The Bible also describes a time when the earth will be renewed (we’ll discuss that next) and the saints will once again dwell on the earth, but initially, they will be gone from the earth.

B. The old (current) heavens and earth are gone.

2 Peter 3:13 (NKJV) Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Revelation 21:1 (NKJV) Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

Walter C. Kaiser et al., Hard Sayings of the Bible,

While all scholars must agree that the central issue for John is moral purification, the removal of all of the taint of sin and rebellion, some scholars look at such terms as "the first heaven and first earth had passed away" and argue that what we are talking about in this passage is a totally new creation. This appears to fit the language of Peter, who writes, "The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare. . . . " (2 Peter 3:10). In other words, according to this view, the heavens and earth are so polluted that what is needed is something like the Genesis flood, a destruction and re-creation, but this time the destruction is done by fire, not water….

Again, I have to admit that I’m not completely satisfied that I understand everything about this description. I really don’t need to understand how much is figurative language and how much is literal. I just believe that the new order of creation is going to be much greater and better than we can ever imagine.

The old is gone and the new has come!

C. The curse of sin is gone.

Revelation 22:3 (NKJV) And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.

The Bible describes a time when the earth will be restored to the same kind of peace, harmony and perfection that it was created with originally.

If you can imagine what the earth would have been like in the Garden of Eden before the curse of sin, then the newly renovated and restored earth will also be without the effects of the curse only now it is permanent and can never be lost again.

D. All sorrows and suffering are gone.

Revelation 21:4 (NKJV) And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

When Jesus the Messiah comes again and begins to rule as King of kings and Lord of Lords, then He will remove all our tears and sorrows and pain and everything that vividly reminds us of sin and its horrible effects in our lives.

Conclusion:

God announced the coming of His Son, Jesus the Messiah, long before He actually appeared, and He did come at the exact time and place it was as prophesied.

God has also prophesied the return of His Son in power and glory. It will occur at the exact time and in the exact manner that God has planned.

His second coming will be both fearsome and glorious.

For all those who repented and fully trusted in the saving blood of Jesus, His appearing will be a glorious occasion when all the former things that have been associated with the curse of sin upon the world will be wiped away forever and we will eternally enjoy the holy love of our Redeemer.