A Prophecy Fulfilled - The Prophecy Yet To Come!

Merry Christmas! Christ has come! Alleluia! On this Christmas we reflect Christ's coming into this world as a reminder of His coming again. The Bible, especially the Gospels and Epistles are filled with End Time prophecy, meaning, Judgement Day, when Christ will take us to be with Him forever. The Holy Spirit graciously gave us His account of what would happen through His servant John in the book of Revelation. We will take a look at the other prophecies of the last day throughout the Bible that prepare us for our Savior's return.

We know that Christ ascended into Heaven and disappeared into the clouds 40 days after His resurrection in view of His disciples. God sent His angels to the disciples to let them know to get to work letting us know He's coming back in the very same way He left. Acts 1 tells us, "₉After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. ₁₀They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ₁₁"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

On the last day a trumpet will sound and Christ will appear coming in the clouds with all His angels. The believers who died waiting for His return will be resurrected and the remaining believers will be caught up with them and our bodies will be made perfect and the unbelievers judged and sent away from Christ. The World will be devoured in flames and we will be given a new perfect home with a new Holy City and heaven(sky) and we will be with Jesus. We will live without sin, hunger, tiredness, thirst, pain, sorrow and anything else that has ailed us on Earth due to sin.

Judgement Day has been prophesized since the Old Testament, Psalm 1 encourages the Jews and now us Christians, not to lose heart in our faith, "₅Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. ₆For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish." Joel and Daniel both give accounts of what believers will see upon Christ's return. Joel writes in chapter 2, "₂₉Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. ₃₀I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. ₃₁The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. ₃₂And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls." Daniel gives his account in chapter 7, "₉"As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. ₁₀A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened."

We also know to be prepared for Judgement Day, Jesus warns us that no one knows the hour. Matthew 24:36, ""No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." The Bible uses the imagry of the last day being like a thief in the night, unexpected, unpreparable and therefore making it so that we should not let our guard down. Peter writes in his second Epistle, chapter 3,"₁₀But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. 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. ₁₁Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives ₁₂as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. ₁₃But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness."

The disciples thought that the Jesus would be returning sometime during their ministry and every generation has had reason to believe they were living in the very end times. Acts 17 tells us, "₃₁For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."" It's true, we are living in the end times, but for how much longer, we have no idea. But we are not without signs. Revelation gives many signs that clue us in on what times will be like, throughout the New Testament, we are given these as well, Matthew tells that Jesus warns His believers in chapter 24, "₁₄And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. ₂₄For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible."

Paul's first letter to Timothy also tells us of some of the troubling things we will see as Christ draws near in chapter 3, "₁But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ₂People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ₃without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ₄treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God-- ₅having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. ₆They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, ₇always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth. ₈Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. ₉But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone. ₁₀You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, ₁₁persecutions, sufferings--what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. ₁₂In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, ₁₃while evil men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived."

Needless to say, much like Christ's unavoidable crucifixion, the last days before Christ's return will not be a time of happiness for many. For many others it will be a much worse time once Christ returns. While we look forward to our eternity with Jesus, we worry about and get angry with the nonbelievers for their opposition of Christ. God warns us throughout the Bible to not seek personal revenge, for it is His, but one only need look at the verses above to see the condition of these people. Not only will the Word be shared with everyone, many will toss it to the side and love other things, evil things. Then they'll take some form of aggression against the believers. Paul reassures us of the judgement that we have no cause to fear in 2 Thessalonians, "₅All this is evidence that God's judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering. ₆God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you ₇and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. ₈He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. ₉They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power ₁₀on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you." One can't help but relate to these verses in our day to day lives.

Sadly for nonbelievers, these people will be fairly judged and harshly dealt with. But it should come of no surprise to them. Jesus lays it out here in Matthew 25, ""₃₁"When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ₃₂All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ₃₃He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. ₃₄"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ₃₅For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ₃₆I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' ₃₇"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ₃₈When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ₃₉When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' ₄₀"The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' ₄₁"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ₄₂For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ₄₃I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' ₄₄"They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' ₄₅"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' ₄₆"Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

The day of Judgement once again is made to sound very frightening. But we as believers can see even in the verses above that the believer has no cause for concern. The verses above encourage excitement to the believer. But there isn't a whole lot of detail for the believer in these verses. But if we go all the way back to the Old Testament, Ezekiel tells us what type of new home to expect in chapter 28, " ₂₄" 'No longer will the people of Israel have malicious neighbors who are painful briers and sharp thorns. Then they will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.₂₅" 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: When I gather the people of Israel from the nations where they have been scattered, I will show myself holy among them in the sight of the nations. Then they will live in their own land, which I gave to my servant Jacob.₂₆They will live there in safety and will build houses and plant vineyards; they will live in safety when I inflict punishment on all their neighbors who maligned them. Then they will know that I am the LORD their God.' "" We will no longer have enemies who disagree with us. We will have homes and grow food. We will also have a great city to enter and be with Jesus, who's glory will give light to the world. Alot of people are surprised to learn there is no church in Heaven, but we need no longer worship Jesus with ceremony, we will worship Him by being with Him and Him with us the same. John does give the fullest account of Heaven in his Revelation. I find it only appropriate to share this message below.

"21 ₁Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. ₂I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. ₃And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ₄He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ₅He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." ₆He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. ₇He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son. ₈But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death." ₉One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." ₁₀And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ₁₁It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. ₁₂It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. ₁₃There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. ₁₄The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. ₁₅The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. ₁₆The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. ₁₇He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. ₁₈The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. ₁₉The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, ₂₀the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. ₂₁The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. ₂₂I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. ₂₃The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. ₂₄The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. ₂₅On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. ₂₆The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. ₂₇Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

22₁Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb ₂down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. ₃No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. ₄They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. ₅There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. ₆The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.""

Heaven is described as a beautiful place, with the finest of architecture, buildings and streets made out of materials even the richest people on our Earth couldn't afford. We will no longer thirst or long for anything, we will have the water of eternal life, no aging ailments, no sickness. Think of what it means to be lively, we conjur pictures of youth, energy, happiness, health, excitement. Heaven is described as a beautiful bride. Think of a wedding, the bride herself strives her best to be a beautiful as possible for her groom, her bridesmaids attend to her, lifting her train and walking with her to display her beauty, the groom stand breathless and anxious at the front of the church, the whole congregation stands to get a first view of her as she enters the chapel, and her father graciously and loving gives her over. A bride is personal to the groom, it is for him and no one else, in that same very way, Heaven has been prepared for you, it's beauty has been prepared and perfected, not only to glorify God, but to be presented to you lovingly. When a believer dies in Christ, it is described as a rest, but this new Earth we will have been rested. We will be invigored. Tiredness will not even be a distant memory.

Therefore make every effort to prepare for Christ's return. Share the Gospel with those who do not know it, repent of your sins, live every last second as though it was your last, because it is. Whether death or judgement comes to you first, remember that you do not know when either of these things will happen. That's why at Christmas, we celebrate Jesus' coming to this world. We reflect upon His death and resurrection and we look forward to His return. You have nothing to fear on Judgement Day, when standing before your Heavenly Father, you need only to point to Jesus' perfect life and death for you and state you were made Holy through this.