READING • ACTS 1
“This same Jesus ... shall so come in like manner”
The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is one of the central hopes of the Gospel. Jesus went bodily into heaven, and the apostles were told plainly that he would return to the earth.
Two thousand years ago
After Jesus had been crucified, his followers were bewildered and sorrowful. Their hopes had been centred upon him, and now he lay dead in the tomb. But on the third day everything changed: God raised Jesus from the dead.
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.”
John 16:20 • King James Version
The disciples experienced exactly that change from sorrow to joy. When the risen Jesus appeared to them, John records simply:
“Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20)
When Jesus went to heaven
Acts 1 tells us that Jesus was with the apostles for forty days after his resurrection, speaking to them of the Kingdom of God. At the end of those forty days, on the Mount of Olives, he was taken up from them and a cloud received him out of their sight.
This second parting did not leave them hopeless. Luke says that after Jesus was carried up into heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem “with great joy” (Luke 24:51–52). Their joy rested on firm promises.
The secret of their joy
Jesus had assured his disciples that, although they would no longer see him, he would not abandon them. He had promised: “Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (Matthew 28:20).
Then, as they watched him go, two angels gave them a direct promise about his return:
“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11 • King James Version
The words of Jesus
Nearly two thousand years have passed since the ascension, but the promise has not changed. Jesus himself repeatedly taught that he would return. In Luke 21 he described the Son of man “coming in a cloud with power and great glory” (Luke 21:27)—a striking parallel with the manner in which he was taken into heaven.
His parables also warn disciples to be ready. The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1–13 pictures a bridegroom whose arrival finds some prepared and others unprepared. Jesus concludes:
“Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.”
Matthew 25:13 • King James Version
The question is not whether he will come, but whether we shall be ready when he does.
The witness of Peter
Soon after the ascension, Peter preached in Jerusalem and called his hearers to repentance. His message looked forward to God sending Jesus Christ again:
“Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:” (Acts 3:19–20)
Years later Peter warned that some would mock the promise because the return had not yet happened. He anticipated the question, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (2 Peter 3:4). His answer is that delay must not be confused with failure: God is patient, giving people opportunity to repent.
“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night ...”
2 Peter 3:9–10 • King James Version
The witness of Paul
The apostle Paul also made the return of Christ a central part of his preaching. He charged Timothy before “the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:1).
The two letters to the Thessalonians repeatedly turn the believers’ thoughts toward the coming of Jesus. Paul describes both resurrection and judgement:
“For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:” (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
In 2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 he also speaks of the Lord Jesus being revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, bringing judgement upon those who reject God, but glory and joy to those who believe.
What will Jesus do when he comes?
The return of Jesus will be a public and world-changing event. Consider its effect on these three groups: faithful believers, the nations of the world, and the people of Israel.
WHO?
WHAT WILL THE RETURN MEAN?
BELIEVERS
The faithful dead will be raised, living believers gathered, and those accepted by Christ will receive everlasting life.
THE NATIONS
God’s judgements will bring human rebellion to an end. Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God and teach the nations God’s ways.
ISRAEL
Israel will be delivered in a time of great distress. Many will recognise Jesus as their promised King, and Jerusalem will become the centre of his rule.
Believers who are waiting for him
Jesus will raise those who have died in faith and gather living believers. Paul describes a sudden transformation at the resurrection:
“Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
1 Corinthians 15:51–52 • King James Version
Those who are accepted by Christ will receive everlasting life. Paul says that the Lord “shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body” (Philippians 3:21). Freed from pain, suffering and death, the faithful will share in Christ’s work of teaching and ruling the nations.
The people of the world
Scripture describes a time of divine judgement associated with the establishment of the Kingdom. Human rebellion will not be allowed to continue for ever. These judgements are severe, but they prepare the way for a world in which Christ’s righteous rule is acknowledged.
Jesus will establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. Psalm 72 gives a picture of a king who judges righteously, defends the poor, delivers the needy and brings peace. Those who survive the judgements will live under that rule and will be taught the ways of God.
The thousand-year reign
The Kingdom will continue for a thousand years. Mortal people will live under Christ’s rule, and at the end of that period there will be a further resurrection and judgement. Finally, death itself will be abolished.
What of the Jews?
The prophets describe Israel in great distress before the final deliverance. Jesus will overcome those who fight against Jerusalem, and many among the Jewish people will recognise the one whom their nation once rejected. Jerusalem will become the centre of Christ’s Kingdom and of instruction for the nations.
“They shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him ...”
Zechariah 12:10 • King James Version
What will happen to you and me?
The parable of the ten virgins makes the lesson personal. The wise did not merely know that the bridegroom was coming; they prepared for his arrival. The promise of Christ’s return should therefore shape how we live now.
At the close of the Bible Jesus says, “Surely I come quickly.” John answers, “Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20). To be ready means studying God’s Word, believing the Gospel and obeying the Lord Jesus.
SUMMARY
What this lesson has shown
1
Jesus Christ will return to the earth.
The angels at the ascension promised that the same Jesus would come again in like manner.
2
Jesus himself promised his return.
His teaching and parables repeatedly speak of his coming and warn disciples to watch and be ready.
3
The apostles taught the same hope.
Peter, Paul and John all looked forward to the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4
The faithful will receive everlasting life.
The dead in Christ will be raised, and those accepted will be changed and made immortal.
5
Christ will establish God’s Kingdom.
He will judge the nations, rule righteously and teach the peoples of the earth God’s ways.
6
Israel and Jerusalem have a special place.
Israel will be delivered and Jerusalem will become the centre of Christ’s world-wide rule.
7
The promise calls for preparation now.
Wise disciples study, believe and obey so that they are ready for the Lord when he comes.
Chapters to read
1 Thessalonians 4 • Daniel 12:1–4 • Matthew 25:1–13
LEARN BY HEART • ACTS 1:11
“Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:11 • King James Version
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