The Return of the King, Part 1

Tonight we engage in one of the most fascinating studies in all of scripture, the return of Jesus Christ our Lord. The Christmas season is a wonderful season and we spend a whole month celebrating the first advent. We're going to spend the next several months anticipating the second advent.

And during the celebration of the first advent, the arrival of the Messiah, we sing all kinds of songs about His coming. And there's one song we sing every year at Christmas time, but it's really not a Christmas song at all. In fact, over 250 years ago when Isaac Watts wrote that song, Joy to the World, it was never intended to be sung at Christmas because it's a song based off of Psalm 98 about the Lord coming in judgment to reign.

And we sing the song at Christmas because we want to celebrate the birth of the King who has come. But when Isaac Watts wrote the song based on Psalm 98, he wrote these words, Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her King.

Let every heart prepare Him room and heaven and nature sing. Joy to the earth, the Savior reigns. Let men their songs employ while fields and floods, rock hills and plains repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground. He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace and makes the nations prove the glories of His righteousness and wonders of His love.

Those words were written based on Psalm 98 verse number 4 which says, Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth. Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Verse 8, Let the rivers clap their hands.

Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord for He is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity. When Isaac Watts wrote Joy to the World, he was thinking about the return of the King.

A beautiful song that reminds us of our coming Messiah. All throughout the Christmas season we spent time looking at the different prophecies about the arrival of the Messiah. And yet through all those prophecies the underlying tone is that He is coming but He is coming again as well.

And I can't help but think about those prophecies and remember the very first prophecy given in Scripture by a man concerning the coming of the Messiah. And in the Bible the very first prophecy by a man was a prophecy not about His first coming but a prophecy about His second coming. I think that speaks loudly to what God wants us to understand about His rulership.

The very first prophecy about the coming of the King is really a prophecy about the second coming. It is recorded in Jude 14 and 15. And about these also Enoch in the seventh generation from Adam prophesied saying, Behold the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones to execute judgment upon all and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.

There is coming a day when the King arrives and when He arrives He comes with His holy ones. Well who's that? That's us. That's Revelation 19.

And the first prophecy from a man given to man, listen carefully, is about the judgment to come upon man. Isn't it interesting that when Enoch prophesied about the coming of the King he prophesied about the time He would come to judge man. To help man understand that there is coming a judgment upon him.

An ungodly man because of all of his ungodly deeds will receive a righteous judgment from the King when He arrives. Now the coming of the King, the return of the Messiah is the single most motivating influence in the life of a believer. And throughout our series for the next several months you will see how the return of the King will motivate you unlike anything else.

Let me give you a couple of illustrations. Turn with me in your Bible to 1 Thessalonians. 1 Thessalonians chapter 1. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 1 every chapter in this epistle ends with something about the return of the King.

I find that very interesting. Every chapter ends with something about the return of the Messiah. It says in chapter 1 verse number 9, for they themselves report about us what kind of reception we had with you and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God and to wait for His Son from heaven whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.

There was something about the church of Thessalonica that was unique. One was they walked courageously. They turned from idols to serve God.

They worshipped wholeheartedly. When they turned from idols they turned to serve the living and true God. And they waited expectantly for the return of the Messiah.

And in the waiting expectantly, it's a word that speaks of anticipation. Anticipation in such that it governed the way they lived their lives. You know how it is that when you are anticipating something, when you have something to look forward to, it motivates you throughout the week.

So at the end of the week if you've got something special planned, you're looking forward to the end of the week knowing that this exciting thing is going to take place and it motivates you. Well to wait expectantly for the return of the King, knowing that He could come back at any moment, you live in the light of His imminency, His imminent return. And that's what happened with those in Thessalonica.

Over in chapter 2 it says, for who is our hope or joy or crown of exaltation? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming? For you are our glory and joy. You see Paul was motivated because he knew that at the coming of the Messiah there would be the crown of exaltation, the crown of joy. And what is the crown of joy? The crown of joy centers around the fact that there are people given their lives to Christ because you have been instrumental in leading them to the Lord.

And so there's something about the return of the Messiah that keeps you sharing Christ and telling people about His return because they are your joy, they are your glory. Chapter 3, it says this. Verse 11, now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all men just as we also do for you so that He may establish your hearts unblameable in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all of His saints.

There's something about the coming of Christ that causes me to reach out in loving concern for my brother and care for him and love him unlike any other time. So those who wait expectantly for the return of the King learn to love their brethren, learn to reach out and to care for those in need. Those who wait expectantly for the return of the King tell those who do not know the Lord about the Lord because they know the King is coming to judge the world.

Those who wait expectantly for the return of the King live a life that has turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God. There's a reverence and an allegiance and a severance about their lives simply because they wait expectantly for the coming of the King. And then of course in chapter 5, excuse me, chapter 4, that familiar verse in verse number 13, but we do not want you to be uninformed brethren or ignorant brethren about these who are asleep, that you may not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God.

And the dead in Christ shall 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.

Therefore comfort one another with these words. The very fact that that the dead in Christ will rise first and we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together in the air with them. There'll be that that great reunion in the air knowing that Christ will come back and take us home to be with him.

Those are the words of comfort unlike any other words of comfort because it gives us a future. It gives us a hope. And then in chapter 5 verse 23, Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you entirely and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Once again, Paul is concerned that those who read his letter understand that Jesus is coming again, the return of the King. Remember Philippians chapter 4? Turn with me there if you would for a moment. Philippians chapter 4. Rejoice in the Lord always verse 4. And again I say rejoice.

That's a command. That's not an option. It's a command.

You are to rejoice in the Lord always. Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near.

Now you can translate that two ways. One he's near because he's on the present. Well if he's on the present he's everywhere at the same time he's near to you.

He is present with you. Better translation would be the Lord is next. That is he is next in terms of prophecy.

That is he is next on the horizon. The reason you rejoice always and the reason you end up not being anxious about anything is because Jesus is coming again. Those who believe in the imminent return of Christ are the ones who worry the least.

Because he goes on to say this, the Lord is next. Be anxious for nothing but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God. Don't be anxious.

Rejoice. Why? Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. Why? Because the Lord is next.

He's coming. He's near. Nearer than you think.

Therefore no need to be anxious about anything. You can pray with supplication and thanksgiving. Let all those requests be made known to God because he is next.

He's coming again. So those are just a few examples of how the return of the King motivates us to live the kind of life God wants us to live while we are on this earth. It gives us a clear perspective.

It keeps us focused above and not below. And all of us need to be focused above looking to the return of the King. And so we will study what is called in theological terms eschatology.

A study of end times. A study of what's going to happen next. I'll be honest with you it's filled with much mystery.

If everybody knew the exact hour of the return of the King I'm sure we'd live our lives a lot differently. Not for the better but for the worse. And yet even Jesus said in Mark chapter 13 that neither he nor the angels in heaven knew of the time that he would return.

He knows now but in his humanity he set aside some of his divine attributes. One of them was knowing when he was going to return. And so it's clouded with much mystery.

And even when you read through the scripture there are a lot of generalities, very few specifics. And so our job is not to give you every single detail and every single specific but to spend enough time on the study of the return of the King that you understand that he's coming again. And you're able to articulate what's going to happen when he returns.

So that you can be motivated to tell people about Christ because that's what motivated Enoch. He knew the King was coming to judge with all of his holy ones. And he didn't want people to perish.

And so he would tell them about the coming of the judge. That should motivate us to tell others about the coming of the King who will one day judge the world because of their ungodliness. And so we come to a place where we begin to understand that Jesus is going to come again.

Now let me also add this note. We'll get to our outline here in a second. We're not going to finish it by the way tonight.

That's no surprise to most of you. But let me add this note. I think it's very important.

Because you're here and if you continue to come you will receive what those who don't come won't receive. And that is you will receive a special blessing. Because the Bible says in the book of Revelation the first chapter, the third verse, blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the things which are written in it.

For the time is near. Better translated the time is next. This is the next time.

And so in Revelation 1 verse number 3 at the book of the revelation of Jesus Christ which describes for us the return of the King. There is a special blessing given only to those who read and hear and keep the words of this book, the book of Revelation. And while our object is not to study the book of Revelation we will cover a lot in the book of Revelation because it reveals to us the return of the King.

And so when God makes a promise He is good on His promises. So there is a blessing given to those who come and hear and heed the words of the prophecy of this book. This blessing is so prominent that the Holy Spirit concludes the book of Revelation with these words in Revelation chapter 21 verse number 7, and behold I am coming quickly blessed is he who heeds the words of the prophecy of this book.

So again the whole book about the return of the King, the revelation of Christ is bracketed by blessings. If you want to truly be blessed unlike any other time in your life because the single most motivating influence in the life of the believer is the anticipation of the return of the King. And when you begin to understand all that surrounds His return because you have read the book of Revelation and you have kept the words that you read, you've heard those words, you will be blessed in a very special way.

I think that's important. I want to be blessed. I truly want to be blessed by the Lord.

If somebody said to me, look if you come to church and you read this book and you memorize this book and you heed this book you're going to receive a blessing. Guess what I'm going to do? I'm going to read, hear and listen to that book because I want my life to be blessed. So the challenge for you is to go to other people in our church and outside of our church and say, hey do you really want a blessing? And they're going to say, yeah I do.

Come with me on Wednesday nights because there's a promise given to those of us who hear the words of the prophecy and heed the words of the prophecy that we will receive a blessing that those who do not hear and because they don't hear it they can't heed it because they don't know what it says, right? They miss out on the blessing. But because you're here you're not going to miss out on the blessing. And so we need to understand that.

Plus the Bible says very simply and we already read it in 1 Thessalonians 4.13, we can't afford to be ignorant about the return of the King. And we told you back in November and I'll tell you again and I'll continue to tell you that there are seven specific locations in the New Testament that says do not be uninformed. Better translation, do not be ignorant.

If you're uninformed you can't be wise on the subject, you're ignorant on the subject. Don't be ignorant at all about the sins of Israel, 1 Corinthians chapter 10. Don't be ignorant about the salvation of Israel, Romans chapter 11.

Don't be ignorant about spiritual gifts, 1 Corinthians 12. Don't be ignorant about Satan's devices, 2 Corinthians chapter 2. Don't be ignorant about the stimulus for preaching the gospel, Romans chapter 1. Do not be ignorant when it comes to the second coming of the Messiah, 2 Thessalonians chapter 4, because you need to understand what the Bible says. The seventh one is don't be ignorant about the sufferings of Paul, and I think that's 2 Corinthians, yeah 2 Corinthians 1 verse number 8. But the Bible is very clear, don't be ignorant about these things, because if you are it's going to hinder your life.

If you're ignorant about the second coming of Christ, if you're uninformed about the second coming of Christ, we've already read, your life is going to miss a blessing. You're going to miss out on the most wonderful blessing this side, listen carefully, of eternity, because the return of the King will motivate you every single day of your life, in every situation you face. I've come to realize that over the years that people who anticipate the return of the King live a life of great joy, great expectation, great anticipation.

Their attitude, their mood is different than those who don't live in light of the return of the King, because they know that at any moment He could come back, and they want to be ready for His return. And so we need to be ready. One more thing, as I go through some ideas that I want to talk about.

Throughout the years we have gone to Israel, we take three specific journeys. One is just the regular journey to Israel, one is the regular journey plus Jordan, and the third one is specifically entitled the Journeys of Jesus. Some of you have been on one or all three of those journeys with me.

The one I like the most is the Journeys of Jesus. We wake up on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea and the sun glistening on that beautiful sea, and we have our breakfast and make our way to a specific location, because we want to begin our Journeys of Jesus at the end and not the beginning. And so we go to the end.

We go to a place called the Tell of Megiddo. And there we look at the excavations, we make our way up this tell. And a tell is a man-made mound.

A tell is a city built upon a city, built upon a city, built upon a city, because someone conquered the city, destroyed it, and rebuilt another city on top of it. And the Tell of Megiddo has the history of 25 different cities built upon that tell. And as we make our way up to the top of Megiddo, we overlook what is called the Jezreel Valley.

It's also called the Valley of Ezdralon, better known as the Valley of Megiddo. And as we overlook that valley, and we all sit down on rocks, the valley is to my back, and those who are with us sit on the rocks overlooking the Valley of Megiddo. And we begin with these words, these words.

It's a quotation from the 12th article of the Jewish Creed. It reads as follows, I believe with the perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah, and though he tarries, I will wait daily for his coming. We begin our time, the journeys of Jesus, at the end.

And we turn, everybody, to Revelation chapter 16. And in Revelation chapter 16, we read these particular words. Verse 13, And I saw it coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs.

For they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world to gather them together for the war of the great day of God the Almighty. Verse 16, And they gather them together to the place which in Hebrew is called Har-Megiddon. We point to the valley, we tell everybody that this is the location where the kings of the east will one day gather, and they will gather for the great day of the war against God.

And we begin to explain to them the end. That's where we begin. We remind them that the 12th article of the Jewish Creed is exactly what we believe.

Because we could say we believe with a perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah. But we believe with a perfect faith in the second coming of the Messiah. And though he tarries, I will wait daily for his return.

Now our guide, who's been our guide for many years, Mark Sugarman, has heard the story about the end. Because he believes in the arrival of the Messiah. He believes he's coming.

We believe he's coming again. And he always tells us a story that when Jesus arrives, or the Messiah arrives, he didn't call him Jesus, when the Messiah arrives and the Messiah says to him, Mark, it's good to be here. He will know that he is right and I am wrong.

But if he hears the words, Mark, it's good to be back. Then he will know that I am right and he is wrong. The problem with that is, and I have told this to our guide, Mark Sugarman, if he waits that long, it will be too late.

It will be too late for him to respond. And so I talked to him about the Messiah and the return of the Messiah. And we spend time on the Telemegiddo explaining to people the return of the King.

Because we believe he's coming again. And we believe and we spend time, not only in that location, but in all the locations about the journeys of Jesus, explaining the fact that Jesus has already been here, the Messiah has already come, and that the Bible teaches both comings of the Messiah in the Old Testament. And that's why the bulk of our study, the journeys of Jesus, although it takes us through the Gospels, it always takes us back to the Old Testament to show that the Old Testament teaches there are two comings of the Messiah.

So crucial to understand. And our guide, as well as my friend Ezekiel, have heard me speak on these words in Zechariah chapter 12, verse number 10, which says, And I will pour out on the house of David, this is the Lord God Jehovah speaking, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication, so they will look on me. That's good.

The Jew wants to look upon Jehovah God. And then it says, Whom they have pierced. Well, wait a minute.

When was God pierced? And then it says, And they will mourn for him. Who's that? If they look on him in whom they have pierced, why will they mourn for him? Who's him? Unless the Messiah is God in the flesh. And they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.

In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem like the mourning of Hadadrimon in the plain of Megiddo. That was when King Josiah was killed by the pharaoh of Egypt. And there was great mourning over in the land of Judah because of Josiah being slain in the valley of Megiddo.

In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem like the mourning of Hadadrimon in the plain of Megiddo. And the land will mourn every family by itself, the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves, the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves, the family of the Shemites by itself and their wives by themselves all the families that remain, every family by itself and their wives by themselves. And the emphasis is this, that these great prophets, these great kings, these great priests, these great rulers of Israel, that's why Nathan's mentioned, David's mentioned, Levi's mentioned, because it's representative of the nation itself.

And as they would lead by example and the nation follow their example, so too will be in the end when they will look upon Him whom they have pierced and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son. It's all-inclusive of the nation of Israel that they themselves, each individual, each wife, each family member themselves will begin to mourn because salvation is not a national thing and it's a personal thing. Every person will mourn because every person will repent.

And then it says in verse number 1, in that day a fountain will be opened for the house of David. What day is that? That's the day of the Lord in the context of Zechariah 12 and Zechariah 13 and Zechariah 14. In that day a fountain will be opened, the same fountain that began at Calvary some 2,000 years ago, the fountain that flows with the blood of Christ that cleanses us from all of our sin, that fountain will be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for impurity.

Then down to verse number 7, awake, O sword, against My shepherd. God says the shepherds of Israel have led My people into idolatry. My shepherd will lead them into purity.

Awake, O sword, against My shepherd and against the man, in Hebrew it's the mighty man, not a normal man, it's a mighty man. And that mighty man is defined by the next phrase, My associate, better translated My equal. In other words there's one equal in authority and equal in nature.

The shepherd, God's shepherd that He gives to Israel is one who is equal in nature with Him and authority with Him because He's not a normal man, He's a mighty man. And we know that the Messiah is the mighty God of Israel. And it says, declares the Lord of hosts, strike the shepherd that the sheep may be scattered and I will turn My hand against the little ones.

And they will come about in all the land, declares the Lord, that two parts in it will be cut off and perish but the third will be left in it. And I will bring the third part through the fire. We find them as silver as we find and test them as gold is tested.

They will call on My name and I will answer them and I will say they are My people and they will say the Lord is My God. And it's that portion of Scripture that caused our guide Mark Sugarman to grab me by the arm one day as we made our way up the Temple Mount to say I hope, I hope that me and my girls are a part of that one third remnant. And I said to Mark you can be.

You can be. You don't have to wait to be a part of that remnant. You can be a part of that remnant this very day if you believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

Because you see the Old Testament teaches both comings of the Messiah. They will look on Him in whom He's already been here before. How will they know that He has been pierced unless He's been here before to be crucified? The same thing is taught over in the book of Malachi the third chapter.

Turn there with me if you would please. We'll get to the outline. Just hang with me.

This is all introductory material. It might seem an information overload for you but if you come every week it will all begin to fall into place for you like Legos fall into place for little kids as they put them together. It's not that difficult.

Well putting Legos together is difficult for me but that's another story for another day. Malachi 3 verse number 1, Behold I am going to send My messenger, God saying I'm going to send My messenger, fulfillment of Isaiah 40 verses 1 to 3 who is of course John the Baptist as we will see on Sunday once again as we, not this Sunday but the following Sunday as we look at Luke 1 once again, the forerunner to the Messiah. Behold I am going to send My messenger and He will clear the way before me and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.

Now that's a very important understanding because Malachi prophesies after the destruction of the first temple and before the rebuilding of the second temple. That's very important to understand. So, so My messenger will come before me and the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple.

Okay. Well do we know that Jesus the Messiah suddenly came to His temple? Yes we do. Because we know that 8 days after His birth He suddenly came to be dedicated at the temple.

And Simeon would greet them and Simeon's song about the salvation of the Lord in the light of revelation to the Gentiles would be sung and Anna the prophetess would see Him. We also know as you read on in Luke chapter 2 that when He was 12 years of age He was in the temple and He was listening and speaking about things yet to come. And so at His dedication in the temple and at His declaration in the temple about I must be about my Father's business declaring that He is the Son of God at 12 years of age.

And then in John chapter 2 at His denunciation in the temple when during that first Passover during His, the first of His three years of earthly ministry He went to Jerusalem and He went to the temple and He turned over the tables and ran the money changers out of the temple. The Lord would suddenly come to His temple. So the prophecy of Malachi 3 verse number 1 has already been fulfilled.

And so in 70 AD the destruction of the temple, the second temple took place. There is no third temple yet. So there had to be one who would suddenly come.

And because all the records of the Messiah or all the records of the genealogies of the Jews were destroyed in 70 AD nobody would be able to know who the Messiah was if He truly was in the line of David. But they would know before the destruction of the second temple because all the records were there. That's why Jesus was never questioned on His genealogy or whether or not He truly was the Son of David because you could bet all the Pharisees went down to the temple to check the records to see if Jesus truly was of the house and lineage of David and He was.

And by the way when the third temple is built by the Jews not for the Messiah but for the anti-Messiah there will be no records to check whether the anti-Messiah is from the house and lineage of David. The fourth temple will be built by Messiah Himself according to the book of Zechariah. It's the branch who will build His temple.

And so when you come to Malachi chapter 4 verse number 4 it says, Remember the law of Moses my servant even the statutes and ordinances which I commanded him in Horeb for all Israel. Behold I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord. So we know that the Messiah will suddenly come to His temple.

We also know that Elijah will come before the great and terrible day of the Lord. We know that Revelation 11 speaks of two witnesses, one like Moses, one like Elijah who come to prophesy before the return of the Messiah. So it's very clear that in the Old Testament there is taught two comings of the Messiah.

One would have a forerunner. We know the forerunner's name is John the Baptist because we know what the book of Luke says about the forerunner to the Messiah. And we know that he will suddenly come to His temple.

We also know that when the Messiah returns there will be no temple to return to suddenly because it will already have been destroyed in the tribulation period. When the Antichrist desecrates the temple and destroys it in the middle of the tribulation. So when the Messiah comes for the second time He will rebuild that temple to be the temple He wants it to be.

So the Old Testament is very clear that there are two comings of the Messiah and thus we begin to understand the return of the King. So we can hold hands with our Jewish friends and say yes, I want to let you know that we believe in the twelfth article of the Jewish creed. We do believe with the perfect faith in the coming of the Messiah.

But we believe that He's coming again. And though He tarries, though He tarries, we too wait daily for that return. The problem is just one word makes all the difference between hell and heaven.

He's either coming for the first time or He's coming again. And we believe He's coming again. Hebrews 9 says it this way.

Hebrews 9 verse number 28, so Christ also having been offered once to bear the sins of many shall appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin to those who eagerly await Him. The first time He came He came to redeem man. He came to offer Himself up for man.

The second time He comes He comes to complete the salvation of man, His glorification. And so there are clearly two comings of the Messiah. He appeared once, He will appear again.

And we believe in the return of that King. So having said all of that, let me give you seven points that will introduce to us our topic, the return of the King. As we stand on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, overlooking the Kidron Valley, overlooking the old city of Jerusalem, a very familiar sight, a sight you see on TV all the time, we stand there and I preach on the return of the King and talk to them about why He's going to return.

And I tell everybody who comes that the return of the King is number one, a sure event. It's a sure thing. You can bank on it.

The Bible says in Zachariah chapter 14, I think it's important to understand the Old Testament when it comes to the return of the King, especially when you talk to your Jewish friends, because the Old Testament clearly gives us not only the gospel, but it gives us the whole plan of redemption. In Zachariah chapter 14 it says this in verse number 1, Behold the day is coming for the Lord when the spoil taken from you will be divided among you. For I will gather all the nations against Jerusalem to battle and the city will be captured and the houses plundered, the women ravished and half of the city exiled, but the rest of the people will not be cut off from the city.

Then the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations as when He fights on a day of battle. And in that day, the day of the Lord, in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south. And you will flee by the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains will reach Ezel.

Yes, you will flee just as you fled before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him, that's of course us. And it will come about in that day that there will be no light, the luminaries will dwindle, for it will be a unique day which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but it will come about that at evening time there will be light.

And it will come about in that day that the living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea. It will be summer as well as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth and that day the Lord will be the only one and His name the only one.

All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Ramon south of Jerusalem. But Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's gate as far as the place of the first gate to the corner gate and from the tower of Hanel to the king's wine presses. People will live in it and there will be no more curse for Jerusalem will for the very first time dwell in security.

Jerusalem will never dwell in security until the King of Peace comes again. This is it. When He comes He will stand on the Mount of Olives.

It's a sure thing that our Messiah is going to return. We know that He's already been smitten. We know that the sheep have been scattered.

We know that because Zechariah 13 tells us by prophecy what's going to happen. We knew that when the disciples fled the scene and moved from Him in fulfillment of prophecy of Zechariah chapter 13. But we also know that Acts chapter 1 verse number 11.

Acts chapter 1 verse number 9 says this and after He said these things He was lifted up while they were looking on and a cloud received Him out of their sight and as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing behold two men in white clothing stood beside them. And they also said men of Galilee why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven. In other words He's going to come.

It's a sure thing that He will come again. Just like He ascended He will descend the same way. And this passage of scripture with Zechariah chapter 14 has led to an erroneous idea that somehow when Jesus returns He steps foot on the Mount of Olives first.

That is false. Acts 1 never says that. Acts 1 never says He's going to come back and stand on the Mount of Olives.

We know He is because Zechariah 14 says He is. But Acts 1 never says that He's going to descend down on the Mount of Olives. It just says that as you have seen Jesus ascend into glory He will likewise descend back when He comes again.

In other words the manner in which He left will be the same manner in which He will arrive again. But it doesn't say in Acts chapter 1 that when He comes back He's coming back to the Mount of Olives and putting His feet down there and splitting them. Eventually in His return He will end up on the Mount of Olives and He will split that mountain to the north and to the south.

But that's not where He descends first. The Bible is very clear about where Jesus will descend. In fact it gives us the exact location where He descends and we will explain that to you as time goes on.

What I want you to see is that it is a sure event. It's going to happen. You must understand this.

Why? 2 Peter chapter 3. You know what 2 Peter chapter 3 says don't you? Of course you do. You have it all memorized. In 2 Peter chapter 3 we begin to understand why it's so important to understand that this is a sure event.

In 2 Peter chapter 3 verse number 1 says this is now beloved the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder. Peter was one who wanted to keep people reminded of very important truths. He already said it earlier in chapter 1. I'm writing this to you to stir up your thinking to keep you reminded of what I've already told you.

Why? Because we so easily forget what was said. So Peter says I'm writing this to stir up your sincere mind by way of reminder that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles. In other words there is unity in what was said.

The holy prophets said it. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself said it and the apostles said it. What did they say? They all said the same thing.

And I'm going to remind you what they've already said because you can't afford to forget that the King is going to return. And so in verse number 3 it says know this first of all that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking following after their own lusts and saying where is the promise of His coming? Where is He at? You think it's a sure event that Jesus is coming again? Where is He? It's been 2,000 years and there is absolutely no hint of Him ever returning again. Where is He? Peter says know this first.

There will be scoffers. There will be skeptics. There will be mockers of the most important truth there is, the return of the King.

And then he says this. Forever since the fathers fell asleep all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation. That's uniformitarianism.

Everything happens just as it's always happened. Nothing is going to change. It's the same.

For when they maintain this it escapes their notice that by the Word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water through which the world at that time was destroyed being flooded with water. But the present heavens and earth by His Word are being reserved for fire kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not let this one fact escape your notice beloved that with the Lord one day is as 1,000 years and 1,000 years is one day.

The Lord is not slow about His promise as some count slowness but is patient towards you not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way what sort of people ought you to be? In holy conduct and godliness looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.

Oh there will be scoffers, there will be mockers, there will be people who say He's not going to come again but the Bible is our authority and the Bible speaks to the sure event of His coming again. The Bible says in John 14 verse number 6, I am the way, the truth and the life, Jesus is the truth. If He doesn't return He's a liar and we know that God is not a liar.

He always speaks the truth. In the book of Matthew the 24th chapter the 27th verse it says this, For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west so shall the coming of the Son of Man be. It is a sure thing He's coming again.

Verse 29, But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened and the moon will not give its light and the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds from one end of the sky to the other.

Chapter 25 of Matthew the 31st verse says, But when the Son of Man comes in His glory and all the angels with Him then He will sit on His glorious throne. But when He comes He is coming. His coming is so prevalent that in Revelation 2 verse number 5, Revelation 2 verse number 16, Revelation 3, 11 promises given to the churches of Asia Minor, Repent because I'm coming quickly.

You say well it's been 2,000 years that's not very quick to me. Folks His coming quickly is not the time in which He comes from His birth to His return. The quickness describes the suddenness of His arrival once He leaves glory and comes to earth.

That's the quickness in it. Once He says I'm coming He's here. Behold I'm coming quickly.

So Revelation 22 concludes with behold three times. I am coming quickly. 1 Corinthians 1, 4 to 7, Philippians 3 verse number 20, Colossians 3 verse number 4, Hebrews 9, 28, James 5, 7 and 8, 1 Peter 1, 13, 1 Peter 5, 4, 2 John 3, 2 all speak of the fact that Jesus is coming again.

The New Testament writers all believed in this one sure event that Jesus is going to come again. The question is do you believe that? It is a sure event. It's as true as you are sitting in your chair.

It's even truer than that because Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. And not only is it a sure event it will be a surprising event. How surprising will it be? Well next week we'll tell you how surprising it will be.

Let me pray with you. Father God we thank you for tonight and in the Word of the Lord. There is so much in the Bible about the return of the King.

It will take us weeks and months and once we're all done we still will not have digested all that is said in the Scriptures about your return. There is so much that's there. The Bible is about the redemption of man all for the glory of the King.

And we know Lord that you have made a promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. One is an Abrahamic promise. One is a Davidic promise.

One deals with the land that they will receive. The other deals with the Lord that will reign. And those promises are yet to be fulfilled.

But we know they will be because you said they would be. And so we live in anticipation of the day you arrive. Until that time may we be faithful in our ministry in the service of our King.

In Jesus name, Amen.