Christ’s Appearing: Public or Private?

It is known that one day Jesus shall return. But when he shall return, no one knows.

“ But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the Angels of heaven, but my father only.” (Mt 24:36 GenevaBible)

People should notice that even Jesus did not know when he would come back to earth. Him not being God, knows that such knowledge only belongs to God and as such he has to accept it also not to know it.

From the words Jesus spoke when he was on earth, he gave parables which give an indication that we should be prepared and should be looking for the signs we would be able to recognise.
We are told that Jesus would return in the last days, he will even have us come out and greet him through a human cry of, “the bridegroom comes.”

“And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh: go out to meet him.” (Mt 25:6 GenevaBible)

“ Behold, I stand at the door, and knock. If any man hear my voice and open ye door, I will come in unto him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Re 3:20 GenevaBible)

We should know that at the end-times the gospel shall be preached all over the world and there will be people all over who call out to the citizens the news of Christ’s returns. Though we all should be warned and ready for when the day comes, that we should not miss the moment of no return.

“ Therefore be ye also ready: for in the hour that ye think not, will the Son of man come.” (Mt 24:44 GenevaBible)

“Remember therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast and repent. If therefore thou wilt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” (Re 3:3 GenevaBible)

Nothing is guaranteed in our life, but Scriptures give us some idea of past and future times as well does it give us some guidance to construct our life. The events of the end of the age, the Age to come, should persuade us beyond any reasonable doubt that Jesus is certainly coming back and that we should be prepared for it and be ready to meet Jesus.

God cannot die, but Jesus, being a human being could and did die. Normally no man can stand up from the grave and be alive again.  Jesus has certainly been resurrected, and as such mankind received a proof that this also could happen to her as well.  Jesus, previously lower than angels, was made higher by his heavenly Father, Who took him in heaven at His right hand. 

All the Scripture affirms that there will be a day when the Father shall send Jesus back to gather all his people to himself and to judge all the unrighteous to eternal punishment. And the Scripture cannot be broken. God cannot lie, and His Word is therefore always true. Therefore, the disciple of Jesus is to work hard to understand the difficult end-times passages and thereby to become more and more convinced of the soon-coming return of Jesus. The more the disciple studies the Scripture, the deeper the roots go and the more convinced they are of all that the Scripture declares, including the bodily return of the glorious Lord Jesus Christ.

The disciples of Jesus were, and still are, living in anticipation of the moment people would be taken out of death. For disciples of Christ in the present days there are prominent reasons for spending time in the eschatological passages of Scripture, and that is why we presented the previous days those articles on the prophecies concerning the future.
Every prophecy about the lord Jesus will be accomplished because these prophecies have been etched forever in God’s Word and are, therefore, manifestations of God’s Truth.

So, would Jesus coming back be visible or not, when Jesus returns?

As in the times of Noah believers and unbelievers will both be on the earth right up to the aforesaid time of judgment. With a roar and fire, the Day of the Lord and Great Tribulation will come bringing great sufferings. Immediately after the suffering of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light. It will be like the stars falling from heaven,
and the powers of heaven will be shaken, whilst the present order of things will burn up and dissolve. (Matthew 24:21,29)

“29 And immediately after ye tribulations of those days, shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and ye powers of heaven shall be shaken. 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the kindred’s of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man come in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” (Mt 24:29-30 GenevaBible)

Let us not forget:

Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go

 

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #34

Christ’s Appearing: Public or Private?

 

The answer is: Christ’s Coming will be both private and public. This is evident from what Paul told the Thessalonians:

“The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thess. iv. 16).

See also Psalm ii.4, 5; 1. 8, 4; 2 Thess. ii. 1; 2 Tim. iv. 1.

The gathering together and judgment of the responsible being over, the Lord Jesus, and all his faithful and immortalised followers, proceed to God’s Land, for the purpose of delivering it from the heels of the invaders (Zech. xiv. 2; Ezek. xxxviii. 16, 19; Isa. lxiii.1-6; Isa. xxxi. 4, 5; Zech. xii. 4-7, 9; Joel iii. 2, 11;Psalm xxiv. 7-10). That, apparently, will be the first public intimation of the presence on earth of our crucified Jesus (Zech. xii. 10).

To the world generally he will appear as a “thief in the night”, but certainly not to the faithful watchmen of Israel (Rev. xvi. 15 ; 1 Thess. v. 2; Mark xiii. 34, 37).

“ (Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.)” (Re 16:15 ASV)

“ For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (1Th 5:2 ASV)

“ And he called unto him the multitude with his disciples, and said unto them, If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.” (Mr 8:34 ASV)

“ For what should a man give in exchange for his life?” (Mr 8:37 ASV)

 

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“4 But he that dwelleth in the heaven, shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure, saying,” (Ps 2:4-5 GenevaBible)

“Why do the heathen rage, and the people murmur in vain?” (Ps 2:1 GenevaBible)

“Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession.” (Ps 2:8 GenevaBible)

“1 To him that excelleth on Neginoth. A Psalm of David. Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast set me at liberty, when I was in distress: have mercy upon me and hearken unto my prayer. 2 O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame, loving vanity, and seeking lies? Selah. 3 For be ye sure that the Lord hath chosen to himself a godly man: the Lord will hear when I call unto him. 4 Tremble, and sin not: examine your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the Lord.

6  Many say, Who will show us any good? but Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us. 7 Thou hast given me more joy of heart, than they have had, when their wheat and their wine did abound. 8 I will lay me down, and also sleep in peace: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Ps 4:1-8 GenevaBible)

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our assembling unto him,” (2Th 2:1 GenevaBible)

“I charge thee therefore before God, and before the Lord Jesus Christ, which shall judge the quick and dead at that his appearing, and in his kingdom,” (2Ti 4:1 GenevaBible)

“ And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.” (Zec 12:10 ASV)

 

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Preceding

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #1 Introduction: What is Prophecy? – Prophets, fortune-tellers and Prophecy

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #2 Shiloh

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #3 Job’s Redeemer

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #4 Judah — Gods Battle Axe

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #5 Evening Morning Period

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #6 Daniel’s Seventy Weeks

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #7 Toes of the Image

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #8 The Fourth Beast

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #9 Michael the Great Prince

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #10 Gog

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #11 King of the North

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #12 The Little Horn of the Goat

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #13 Antiochus Epiphanes

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #14 Tarshish

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #15 More about Tarshish

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #16 Weapons of War as Fuel

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #17 Temple of Ezekiel’s Prophecy

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #18 Shape of Ezekiel’s Temple

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #19 Annual Pilgrimage to Jerusalem

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #20 King of the South

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #21 Messiah the Prince

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #22 Micah’s Forty Years

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #22 Wounded in the House of My Friends

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #23 Elijah Before Christ

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #23 Riches of Egypt

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #24 One of a City, Two of a Family

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #25 Called My Son Out of Egypt

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #26 That it might be Fulfilled

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #27 Mount Olivet Prophecy

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #28 The Number of the Beast

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #29 The Sign of the Son of Man

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #30 Sacrifices in the Millennium

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #31 Transport to the Judgment Seat

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #32 Identity in the Resurrection

Answers Concerning Prophecies and things future #33 Sheep and Goats at the Judgment

The Prophets Inquire into and Testify About Salvation

How can we prepare for the Kingdom of God

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Additional reading

1. Prophecies over coming days
2. God’s Plan, Purpose and teachings
3. Why did Christ not reveal the exact time of his second coming?
4. Matthew 24 about temples or Houses of God and the end of the age
5. Matthew 24:3 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Desolation, Oppression and the Parousia – The Apostles’ Question
6. Matthew 24:4-8 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part One – Beware Being Misled
7. Matthew 24:9-14 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Part Two – The Acts of the Apostles Foretold
8. Matthew 24:15-28 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer: Sign 1: Encamped Armies. The Sign Great Oppression Is Near
9. Matthew 24:29-35 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: The Answer Part Two – Sign 2: The Parousia. A Sign after the Great Oppression
10. Left in the dark or being in the dark seeing light
11. Matthew 24:36-41 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: About That Day and Hour
12. Matthew 24:42-51 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Stay Awake!
13. Making sure to be ready and to belong to the escaped ones
14. Matthew 25 Jesus ministry drawing to its dramatic conclusion and warning to be ready
15. Matthew 25:1-12 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Judgment by the King and Ten Virgins
16. Matthew 25:13 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Keep on the Watch
17. Matthew 25:31-46 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Judgment on the Realm of Heaven #1 Matthew 25:31-34
18. Matthew 25:31-46 – The Nazarene’s Commentary: Judgment on the Realm of Heaven #2 Matthew 25:34-36
19. Coming to the end of the year – Something to chew on
20. Looking forward for what is to come
21. Jesus Christ will return to earth
22. Looking forward to the return of Jesus
23. Being enlightened concerning the significance of the times in which we are now living
24. The Conclusion of the System of Things
25. Hope for the future
26. Making the time ready for Jesus to return
27. Preparing for his coming
28. To be prepared for the Day of Judgment
29. Date Setting
30. You know neither the day nor the hour
31. Looking at things, distinctions resolutions and expressions
32. Memorizing wonderfully 24 the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father
33. Memorizing wonderfully 35 When the son returns it shall be As it came to pass in the days of Noah
34. Today’s thought “… and to the end of the earth” (April 30)
35. Today’s Thought ” … the earth will be shaken” (May 23)
36. Today’s Thought “You haven’t heard, and you haven’t known; these things have not reached your ears before.” (June 23)
37. May we be “ready” when Jesus returns
38. Signs of the Last Days
39. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #2 Wars, natural disasters, famine and false Messiahs
40. Sign of the Times and the Last Days #3 Coming events revealed in the prophetic writings
41. Jesus … will come in the same way as you saw him go
42. Afraid to see the man of the heavens opened
43. Today’s thought “… of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes” (February 12)
44. Certainty in a troubled world
45. Only once and with consequences
46. Great Tribulation and Armageddon
47. The Rapture Wars
48. Dark times looking like death is around the corner – but Light given to us
49. After darkness a moment of life renewal
50. Together tasting a great promisse
51. Secret or public return of Jesus
52. Just an Ordinary Day
53. 2020 Talking Points – Stuck with polemics, histrionics, and ad hominem denunciation

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The return of Jesus, the Prince of Peace and the great Reconciler of humanity with the Creator.

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