Isaiah 66:15-16
See, the Lord is coming with fire, and his chariots are like a whirlwind; he will bring down his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. For with fire and with his sword the Lord will execute judgment on all people, and many will be those slain by the Lord.
Daniel 7:13-14
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Luke 2:11-14
Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.
Matthew 24:29-31
“Immediately after the distress of those days ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
Rev 16:15
“Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed.”
2 Peter 3:10
But 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 done in it will be laid bare.
Unlike What People Expected, God’s Promises Were Fulfilled Like a Thief
There are many prophecies in the Old Testament regarding God’s coming, which would be described as majestic, wondrous, beautiful, and tremendous (Isaiah 66:15-16; Daniel 7:13). Despite all that, when those prophecies were actually fulfilled, it happened differently than what was expected. Jesus was born quietly in Bethlehem, and no one saw the Lord coming with actual fire, chariots, or clouds. It was fulfilled according to a different prophecy (Isaiah 7:14). God’s promise was fulfilled quietly like a thief. God gave the Word and carried out salvation history through Jesus’ body. Through healing the sick and the Word, those who believed the Word and followed gained the right to become sons (in their relationship toward God) from their former position of being servants to God.
Similarly, for those who know, we won’t be discouraged when our expectations are not met, but instead we will realize that God fulfills our prayers in a different way than we expected. Only those who understand this concept recognize that things come true within God’s history even in the midst of hardships and suffering. God’s history is being fulfilled that way even now despite adverse events.
Jesus’ Second Coming Will Be Fulfilled Differently Than We Expect
There are many prophecies regarding Jesus’ Second Coming (Matthew 24:29-30; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; Revelation 20:6). Additionally, the Bible describes that when Jesus comes, there will be earthquakes, big signs, etc. (Luke 21:10, 2 Peter 3:10). It would be majestic, wondrous, and beautiful if it comes true as described. However, even the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled according to God’s Will, differently than how people had envisioned them based on the scriptures. According to Isaiah 66:15-16 and Daniel 7:13, people thought the Lord would come in a grand way, but He actually came quietly like in Isaiah 7:14. Likewise, Jesus’ Second Coming could also be fulfilled quietly and in a way different than we originally thought.
Because People Interpret The Bible Literally, Even if God Has Accomplished Everything According to His Will, They Fail to Recognize It
People expect things to happen in a specific way, but God works in a completely different way. God is invisible and we can’t see Him with our physical eyes. The invisible needs a body to work through in the physical realm. The Bible says Jesus will come riding on the clouds of Heaven and come with a sword and fire; however, it was fulfilled not as people expected. Sometimes, fire is a parable for the Word, as the following scriptures all state (Jeremiah 23:29, Luke 12:49, Matthew 10:34). God’s history is being fulfilled, and the things God promised, and the history people waited for is being fulfilled; yet, people don’t feel it as real. The Messiah who saves both the body and the spirit brings the greatest, biggest, and the most eternal benefit to the world.
Even though God came at Jesus’ time through His body and fulfilled the prophecies, because people understood the Bible only literally, they did not recognize that God had come through Jesus. Therefore, we must be cautious in how we interpret the scriptures for the Second Coming.
Somebody Who Centers on Himself With His Own Thoughts Will Go Down the Wrong Path
The Almighty God is the essence of salvation, and the Holy Spirit helps to give us inspiration. In order to know how God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus treat us and work with us, we have to take action with all our heart, will, and life every day. Then we can realize and understand deeply how They help and love us while we do the necessary work.
Keep your spiritual eyes open to how God is working through appropriate people in each time period. God is with us as much as we take action and as much as we work on the goals of God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus. We need to become one with God, the Holy Spirit, and Jesus; then we won’t get discouraged or resort to the physical things of this world but will be able to fulfill what we each need to do. We can only become united with the Trinity and Jesus, and escape the domain of death if we take action sincerely with our hearts.
We need to petition God; then we can win against the daily spiritual battles. Those who call upon the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13).
How Do We Know That God Loves Us?
We know that God loves us through His many actions of love. Through the Word, we have been saved from death to life. He heals our diseases, helps us in times of need, accompanies us every day, and gives us the Word – these are all pieces of evidence that God loves us.
