DAY OF DELIVERANCE

In May of 2000, a memorial plaque was placed in a grove of trees near Mount St. Helens. Fifty-seven names were etched on that plaque. Fifty-seven lives who were needlessly lost. The victims of Mount St. Helens knew the mountain was going to blow. The signs were clear; everyone had been warned. But for one reason or another, those fifty-seven refused to get off the mountain. They were sure they'd be safe. But in the end, Mount St. Helens proved too much for them. Its thick clouds of ash and relentless mud flows caught them off guard. Jesus Christ doesn't want that to happen to you. He wants you to be ready for the greatest event this world has ever known.

What event should we be getting ready for?
"I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come _____ and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:2,3).

Before Jesus went back to heaven, He promised His disciples that one day He would return. He would rescue them from this world of sin and bring them home to heaven. For centuries, prophets have been pointing forward to this day of deliverance. It is the peak of Bible prophecy and the "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13) of God's people everywhere.

What is the purpose of Christ's second coming?
"And behold, I am coming quickly, and My _____ is with Me, to give to every man according to his work" (Revelation 22:12).

Jesus is coming to take His people to their home in heaven, just as He promised. There they will live with Christ in heavenly mansions throughout eternity. Love, joy, and harmony will continually surround them. No walls will separate family and friends. And most of all, no barriers will separate us from God. For we shall see Him face to face (Revelation 22:4) and follow the Lord wherever He goes. 

How will Jesus return for His people?
"Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in _____ manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:9-11).

The Bible says, "While they watched, He was taken up and a cloud received Him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). Jesus will return in the same manner. The second coming will be a literal, visible, and personal event, just as Christ's ascension was. He will return for you in the clouds, as a real Person with flesh and bones (Luke 24:36-43, 50, 51). 

Will everyone see Jesus when He comes?
"Behold, He is coming with clouds and _____ eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him" (Revelation 1:7).

All around the world, every man, woman and child will see Jesus return in glory. The brightness of His coming will stretch across the sky. "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:27). Everyone will come face to face with Jesus on that great day.

Will anyone return with Christ?
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy _____ with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory" (Matthew 25:31).

When Jesus returns as the conquering King (Revelation 19:11), He will be escorted by all the heavenly angels, "ten thousands times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Revelation 5:11). The sky will be so brilliant that no one will miss this grand event!

Will Jesus come quietly when He returns?
"Our God shall come and shall not keep _____" (Psalm 50:3).
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a _____, with the voice of an archangel, and with the _____ of God" (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

The second coming of Christ is not designed to be a secret. It will be bright enough to see and loud enough for all the world to hear. 

How will the second coming of Christ affect this world?
"And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great _____, such a mighty and great _____ as had not occurred since men were on the earth" (Revelation 16:18). 
"Every mountain and island was _____ out of its place" (Revelation 6:14).
"I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all the cities were _____  _____ at the presence of the Lord" (Jeremiah 4:26).

The tremendous earthquake will grip the earth and shake it to its core. The destruction will be so devastating that the world will be utterly destroyed. The apostle Peter tells us this day "will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and elements will melt with fervent heat, both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up" (2 Peter 3:10). 

What will happen to those who are unprepared for this earth-shattering event?
"Whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and _____ with the brightness of His coming" (2 Thessalonians 2:8).

Sin is combustible material. It bursts into flames when brought in contact with the presence of the Lord. Those who refuse to let go of sin and turn to Christ will be destroyed with it. 

What will happen to those who are ready and waiting for Jesus?
"And the dead in Christ will _____ 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" (1 Thessalonians 4:16,17). 

The Second Coming of Christ is a great resurrection morning for all who have lived for Jesus. The Bible says, "Do not marvel at this: for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth--those who have done good to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation" (John 5:28,29).

"For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be _____ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Corinthians 15:52,53).

The Bible says, "He who is the blessed and only Potentate [Ruler], the King of kings and Lord of lords. It is He alone who has immortality" (1 Timothy 6:15,16). But when Christ returns, He will give immortality to all His followers. Our mortal bodies will be changed into heavenly ones, just like the one that Jesus had after His resurrection. "For our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of His glory" (Philippians 3:20, New Revised Standard version).

Where will we be reunited with our beloved Savior?
"Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the _____ to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thessalonians 4:17).

Jesus made it very clear to His disciples that His second coming would be a SKY appearance. Before He died, He said these words, "And they shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Matthew 24:30). Even as He stood before His accusers, Jesus affirmed this truth. He said, "I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matthew 26:64). And there in the clouds we will meet our Lord, who will take us home to heaven.

Why is it important to know that Christ is coming in the clouds?
"For false Christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to _____, if possible, even the elect. See I have told you beforehand" (Matthew 24:24,25).

Our protection then, as it is now, are the words of Jesus. Satan will seek to counterfeit Christ's return and appear in various places on the earth. He will resemble Christ in such a convincing way that many will think He has set foot on the earth. But Jesus says, "if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or 'There!' do not believe it...Therefore, if they say to you, 'Look, He is in the desert!' do not go out; or 'Look, He is in the inner rooms!' do not believe it" (Matthew 24:23,26). Our eyes may tell us one thing, but Christ has said He will come in the clouds. He will not come down on the earth; we will ascend up to Him. This one truth will protect us from deception when the devil seeks to shake our faith in the word of God.

Can we know the exact day or year for Christ's return?
"But of that day and hour _____ one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
"Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not _____ Him" (Matthew 24:44).
"There will be _____ in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of nations, with perplexity...men's hearts failing them for fear and expectation of those things which are coming on the earth" (Luke 21:25-27).

The victims of Mount St. Helens had clear signs that an eruption was imminent. The same is true with the last days of earth's history. God has given a multitude of signs to warn us that time is running out. There will be signs in the sky, in the religious and political world, and all across the cities of America. As we see the accumulating evidence, we can be sure that the coming of Jesus is near, "even at the doors" (Matthew 24:33). See a partial list of these signs below. Check out the Bible Guide on the nearness of Christ's return called "Closer Than You Think!"

• Increase in War and Bloodshed.  "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom" (Matthew 24:6,7).
• Spread of the Gospel Round the World.  "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matthew 24:14).
• Time of Great Trouble.  "Then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of this world until this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21).
• Signs in the Heavens. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matthew 24:29).
• Little Interest in Eternal Life. "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the Flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be" (Matthew 24:37-39).
• Increase of Evil in Society. "But know this, that in the last days, perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
• Growth of Unbelief  in the Bible.  "Knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation" (2 Peter 3:3,4). 

Why hasn't Jesus returned yet? 

"The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should _____ but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).

Jesus wants to come soon and put an end to all the sin and suffering that is plaguing our world. But at the same time, He doesn't want any of His children to lose out on eternal life! He is waiting for every person to have the opportunity to make a decision for eternity. Will they invite Him into their hearts? Will they accept His free gift of salvation? Will they walk in His ways? For nearly 2,000 years, Christ has been inviting and pleading. He is waiting for us to decide.

How will people respond when they finally see Christ returning?
"And the kings of the earth, and the great men..._____ themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb'" (Revelation 6:15-17).
"Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him and He will save us...We will be glad and _____ in His salvation" (Isaiah 25:9).

On the Day of Deliverance, there will be only two groups of people and two ways to respond. The wicked would rather face an avalanche than to look into the eyes of Christ. Terror will grip their hearts as they see Christ in all His glory.  They would rather commit suicide than to face the judgment they know is coming. But God's people will be ready for this day. They have cherished the hope of the Second Coming, they have prepared to meet their Lord, and they have faithfully followed His truth. And now they are overjoyed to see their Savior face to face. When Jesus comes, there will only be 2 responses we can make. No middle ground. All will find themselves in one group or the other. What group will you be in? If we want to be ready then, we need to be preparing now. Now is the time to seek the Lord with all our hearts. "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed!

Do you desire to be ready for the Second Coming of Christ?

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