What will happen at the Second Coming?

Dies irae (In English: “Day of Wrath”) is a poem that later became a popular Gregorian chant. It’s since been adapted by a variety of musicians, including Mozart himself.

Give it a listen, you might recognize it.

Its overall tone evokes a multitude of feelings - dread, awe, urgency, fear…

And it just so happens to be about the day Jesus returns.

Day of Wrath or Rejoicing?

So, remember how on Monday we talked about how the Kingdom of God is here but not entirely?

You have people serving God, but there’s still war and famine and all that nasty stuff.

Well, the good news about Jesus’ Second Coming is that He’s going to do away with all that.

He’s going to come back and judge the injustice in the world and deal it a final blow.

Now, many have, tragically, used this promise to incite fear and anxiety in people, and, yes, it’s true that the book of Revelation (the book that explains these things in most detail) has some pretty graphic images.

But remember this is Jesus we’re talking about.

Jesus’ heart is for His people, and He’s coming to wage war on the spiritual darkness that keeps them in captivity.

That’s what His judgment will be like.

Yes, it’s true that “the wages of sin is death”, but it’s also true that “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.”

So, will Jesus’ Second Coming be a day of wrath?

Yes. Wrath on injustice. But for all the good in the world, it will be a day of victory.

The New Heaven and New Earth

Once God has brought final justice, the best part comes…

So, the popular view is that, after we die, our little disembodied soul goes up into Heaven where we dwell for eternity with God.

Earth, meanwhile, will be taken up in fire and brimstone and burn and all that stuff.

Except that’s not what the Bible says.

Revelation 21 tells us that after Jesus returns, He will bring the fullness of His Kingdom in what is called “the New Heaven and the New Earth.”

In other words, Earth and Heaven will be merged together (a fulfillment of that line in the Lord’s Prayer “on Earth as it is in Heaven”).

The result is a planet free from sin - all that was wrong will be completely gone. It’s like the purifying work Jesus does for the human soul will encompass reality itself.

This is where the whole thing is heading - and it’s why Jesus’ Second Coming is so significant.

And it’s also a lot to take in.

So join us tomorrow as we process what to do with this inevitable direction of life on Earth.

For now, be blessed.

Jon,

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