Revelation - Lesson 13

By Stafford North

Christ's Second Coming

Background Information for the Teacher

Objectives:

  1. The student can describe the nature of Christ's return and key events that occur with it.

Preparation:

  1. If you choose to use them, have ready your visuals-overhead projector and transparencies, PowerPoint, or chalkboard.
  2. Have copies of the Worksheet for Lesson 13 available.
  3. Have copies of the Test 12 ready
  4. Have pens/pencils ready for use.
  5. All students should have access to a Bible.

Theme:

Having reviewed the general outline of the pre-millennial view and why it is not in harmony with scripture, this lesson states what the Bible does teach about Christ's second coming.

Lesson Plan for Conducting Class

Introduction: (10 minutes)

  1. Make the test available to students as they enter, if you wish. (Download test over Lesson 12 below.)
  2. Call the roll, welcome visitors, and make any necessary announcements.
  3. Songs (as desired)
    1. I'll Fly Away
    2. God is so Good. (If your book does not have the verse about "He's coming back," be sure to add it since that is about our lesson today.
    3. Faith is the Victory
    4. There's a Great Day Coming
  4. Prayer asking God to thank God for His promise that Jesus will come again and take us to be with Him and for the gospel that makes the message known to us.
  5. Give answers to Test 12.No. 1-as usualNo. 2-a thief. No. 3-signs, suddenly. No. 4-dead, raised, spiritual. No. 5-transformed, spiritual. No. 6-dissolved or destroyed. No. 7-kingdom, physical, spiritual, eternal. No. 8-judgment. No. 9-hell. No. 10-heaven
  6. Ask students to get the worksheet for Lesson 13 and their Bibles ready.
  7. We have been studying a theory about "end time" events which we have shown to be false. We want to close this series with a list of statements from the Bible which show what the second coming will be like. Some of this overlaps a bit with some things we have studied, but that review will be helpful for us as we close out this 13-lesson series.

Learning Experiences: (30 minutes)

  1. Someone read Matthew 24: 37-39. No. 1. Q: What does this teach about the second coming? (Life continues as usual.) Jesus makes the point here that His second coming will be preceded by normal days, just as normal days preceded the flood. People in Noah's day were doing the normal things-eating, drinking, marrying, giving in marriage-until the day the flood arrived. So it will be before "that day." People will be continuing with life as usual and suddenly the Lord is here. The idea that great abnormal days will precede the second coming is not taught in scripture.
  2. Someone read Matthew 24:36, 42-44 and 2 Peter 3:10. No. 2. Q: To what type of event does the Bible here, and elsewhere, compare the second coming? (To the coming of a thief.) Q: What is the point of the comparison? (That the second coming will be as unexpected as the coming of a thief.) Q: Is this true only for those outside of Christ or does it apply to Christians as well? (To Christians as well because Matthew 24:42 says "You do not know on what day your Lord will come.")
  3. No. 3. We have already learned that the list in Matthew 24:4-14 is not a list of signs by which we can be warned of His coming. Certainly we cannot make predictions about it. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8. Q: What does this passage suggest about the suddenness of His return? (It is sudden. He comes in flaming fire. It also mentions "the day" on which He is glorified.) Certainly no suggestion here of warnings or build-up.
  4. No. 4. Someone read John 5:29. Someone else John 6:40. And someone else 1 Corinthians 15:22-23. Q: What happens when Christ returns? (The dead are raised?) Q: All of them? (Yes, all of them.) Q: In what body are they raised? Someone read 1 Corinthians 15:42-44. (A spiritual body, imperishable and glorious.)
  5. No. 5. Someone read 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17. Q: What else happens at Christ's return? (The living are transformed into that same spiritualbody.)
  6. No. 6. Someone read 2 Peter 3:10. Q: What happens to the world at Christ's return? (Our solar system and everything in it shall dissolve-be done away. Thus, the earth is destroyed.)
  7. Someone read 1 Corinthians 15:24-26. No. 7. Q: What happens to the kingdom when Christ returns? (He returns it to God. There have been three stages of the kingdom-(1) the Old Testament physical kingdom, (2) the New Testament spiritual kingdom (the church), and (3) the eternal, heavenly kingdom. With the second coming of Christ, we move from the time of the spiritual kingdom to the time of the heavenly kingdom. This is what 1 Corinthians 15:25 says. 2 Timothy 4:18 also speaks of this coming stage of the kingdom.
  8. Q: With everyone now raised or transformed into their new bodies, what happens next? Someone read Revelation 20:11-15. No. 8. (Now comes the judgment time for all. This passage in Revelation as well as 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 mention this separation.
  9. No. 9. Q: Where do the wicked go? (To hell) Someone read Revelation 20:15 Matthew 25:34 and 46. This is the place of departed wicked souls. They will stay in this state of punishment forever. It is sometimes called outer darkness to suggest the lonely status and sometimes as a lake of fire to suggest that it is painful. Certainly we all want to avoid this terrible condition.
  10. No. 10. The status for the righteous, on the other hand, is sublime. They are in heaven. Someone read Matthew 24:34. Someone else read Revelation 21:3-4 for a description of their status.

Application:

  1. Q: Why does God picture these two final outcomes to us in such graphic terms? (So we can make a more informed decision about where we want to go?)
  2. Q: When should we have these comparisons before us? (all the time)
  3. Q: What is something you may do differently as result of this study?

Assignment: None

Evaluation:

  1. The oral participation this lesson since there is no opportunity for a further test.

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