The Creed - I Believe In Christs Return

I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker

The Creed
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
I BELIEVE in CHRIST‘S
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
RETURN Ghost; the holy
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

I BELIEVE in Godthe Father Almighty, Maker
of heaven and earth: And in Jesus Christ his only
Son, our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born
of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified,
dead, and buried; he descended into hell; the third day he rose
again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the
right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence he shall come to
judge the quick and the dead. I believe in the Holy Ghost; the holy
catholic church; the communion of saints; the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body; and the life everlasting. Amen

The Tools God Used to Save Me

The Creed – I Believe in Christ‘s Return

Key Question…
―What does the Future Hold?‖


Eschatology
The Study of the End Times


Why Should We Believe
Anything the Bible
Says About the Future?


• Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates the omniscience of God
• Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates that the Bible is a
supernatural Book
• Fulfilled prophecy demonstrates that Jesus is the Messiah
and God
• Fulfilled prophecy gives Christians confidence in the future
predictions that the Bible makes

Peter Stoner in Science Speaks calculates the odds of just eight prophecies
being accidently fulfilled in the life of one man.

1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000 (one hundred quadrillion: 1017)

Statisticians say anything past 1 to 1050 power is no chance. This is
exceeded once 20 fulfilled prophecies is considered (and Jesus fulfilled 109).


One Example of Fulfilled Prophecy
―So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a
decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the
Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be
built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. Then
after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have
nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy
the city and the sanctuary.‖ - Daniel 9:25-26, 500 B.C.

Sabbatical Years
442 435 428 21 28 35 70
449 14

1 2 3 67 68 69
BC AD

The Bible‘s Emphasis on Christ‘s Coming

109 distinct prophecies that concern the Messiah‘s first coming

All fulfilled in the life of Jesus of Nazareth

There are over 200+ prophecies that predict Christ‘s second
coming.

―Truly, truly…‖


The Bible‘s Emphasis on Christ‘s Coming
• Prophecy takes up 1/5 of the Scripture; of that 1/5, 1/3 refers to the
2nd coming of Christ
• There are over 660 general prophecies; 333 about Christ
• 109 were fulfilled in His first coming
• 224 are for His second coming
• Of the 46 Old Testament prophets, less than 10 of them speak of His
first coming, but 36 speak of His second coming
• 1,500 passages in Old Testament that refer to 2nd coming
• 1 out 25 verses in New Testament refer to 2nd coming
• For every time the Bible mentions His first coming, it mentions His 2nd
coming 8 times
• For each time the Atonement is mentioned once, the 2nd coming is
mentioned twice
• Jesus refers to His 2nd coming 21 times
• Over 50 times it tells Christians to get ready for His 2nd coming


Approaches to Bible Prophecy
(Primarily the Book of Revelation)

1. Preterist: means ―the past‖. A Preterist interpretation of
prophecy holds that most of the New Testament prophecies
of the book have already been fulfilled.
2. Historicist: believes prophecy (especially Revelation) is a
foretelling of all history from the time of the first coming of
Christ unto the end of the age.
3. Idealist: doesn‘t look for specific fulfillment of the prophecies
of the book; rather, the Revelation is perceived to contain
spiritual lessons that may find recurrent expression in history.
4. Futurist: prophecy describes events that are largely future to
all but those living just before the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ.

Preterism
The term preterist is Latin for ‗past‘. Thus,
preterists believe that Bible prophecy was
fulfilled in the past. Therefore, they view the
major prophetic passages of Scripture, such
as the Olivet Discourse and the Book of
Revelation, as already fulfilled. There are 2
flavors of preterism:

1. Extreme – believe all prophecy was
fulfilled in the past; no return of Christ to
the earth
2. Moderate - believe in a future Second
Coming, but still insist on interpreting the
Olivet Discourse and the Book of
Revelation as basically already fulfilled in
the past.


Amillennialism
―no millennium‖
The amillennial view teaches that there is currently a spiritual reign of Christ over the
church and it will continue until He returns for His saints. The thousand year period
spoken of in Revelation is symbolic and not literal. There is no tribulation, no earthly
millennium, and no eternity on a new earth; Christ simply returns and eternity in
Heaven begins. It is the view held by Catholics and many Protestant denominations.

Jesus

The Church Age

Unknown Period of Time


Postmillennialism
―after millennium‖
The postmillennial view teaches the Church age will eventually evolve into a golden
age where the Church will rule over all the world. This will be accomplished through
the ‗Christianization‘ of the nations. Once the Church has carried out its mission of
redeeming the world, Christ then returns and eternity begins in Heaven.

Jesus

The Church Age The Golden Age

Church Expanding Church Reigning


Premillennialism
―before the millennium‖
The premillennial view teaches that the Church age will end with the Rapture, after
which starts the tribulation period. The tribulation lasts seven years and climaxed by
the second coming of Christ, who establishes a reign upon the earth that lasts 1,000
years. After the 1,000 years, the last earthly rebellion is crushed, God creates a new
earth for His people, and eternity begins.

Jesus

The Church Age The Tribulation The Millennium

Unknown Period of Time Seven Years 1,000 Years


Premillennial Amillennial Postmillennial
Literal Millennium Yes No No
Resurrection before Millennium One None None
Thousand Years in Revelation Future Present Present
Resurrections Two (at least) One One
Literal interpretation of Yes No No
Prophecy
Unconditional Old Testament Yes No No
Covenants with Abraham
Distinctions between Israel and Yes No No
the Church
Messianic Kingdom Future Present Present
Rapture / Second Coming Separate Same Same
Binding of Satan Future Present Present
Moral Progress Decline Decline Improve
Major Judgments Two One One


What are the series of
events that lead up to
Christ‘s return – His
Parousia?


The Re-Gathering of Israel

quot; Then it will happen on that day that the
Lord Will again recover the second time
with His hand The remnant of His people,
who will remain, From Assyria, Egypt,
Pathros, Cush, Elam, Shinar, Hamath,
And from the islands of the sea. And He
will lift up a standard for the nations And
assemble the banished ones of Israel, And
will gather the dispersed of Judah From the
four corners of the earth.quot;
(Isaiah 11:11-12)


The Re-Gathering of Israel
quot;―Before she travailed, she brought forth; Before her pain came, she gave
birth to a boy. ―Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Can
a land be born in one day? Can a nation be brought forth all at once? As
soon as Zion travailed, she also brought forth her sons.quot;(Isaiah 66:7-8)
Some theologians believe this prophecy describes what happened on May
14, 1948 - when the Jews declared independence for Israel as a united and
sovereign nation for the first time in 2900 years. During that same day, the
United States issued a statement recognizing Israel's sovereignty. And, only
hours beforehand, a United Nations mandate expired, ending British control
of the land. During a 24-hour span of time, foreign control of the land of Israel
had formally ceased, and Israel had declared its independence, and its
independence was acknowledged by other nations. Modern Israel was literally
was born in a single day. Within hours of the declaration of independence in
1948, Israel was attacked by the surrounding countries of Egypt, Jordan,
Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. The birth pains (fight for
independence) came after the birth of the nation.

The Rapture
―According to the Lord's own word, we tell
you that we who are still alive, who are left
till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not
precede those who have fallen asleep. 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.‖
(1 Thess. 4:15-17)


Marriage Supper / Rewards
―If any man builds on this foundation
using gold, silver, costly stones, wood,
hay or straw, is work will be shown for
what it is, because the Day will bring it
to light. It will be revealed with fire, and
the fire will test the quality of each
man's work. If what he has built survives,
he will receive his reward. If it is burned
up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be
saved, but only as one escaping
through the flames.
(1 Cor. 3:12-15)


The Antichrist
―And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He
had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns
on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous
name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard,
but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth
like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast
his power and his throne and great authority.
One of the heads of the beast seemed to have
had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had
been healed. The whole world was astonished
and followed the beast. Men worshiped the
dragon because he had given authority to the
beast, and they also worshiped the beast and
asked, quot;Who is like the beast? Who can make
war against him?―
(Rev. 13:1-4)

Birth Pains
―I watched as the Lamb opened the first
of the seven seals. Then I heard one of the
four living creatures say in a voice like
thunder, quot;Come!― I looked, and there
before me was a white horse! Its rider held
a bow, and he was given a crown, and he
rode out as a conqueror bent on
conquest. When the Lamb opened the
second seal, I heard the second living
creature say, quot;Come!― Then another
horse came out, a fiery red one. Its rider
was given power to take peace from the
earth and to make men slay each other. To
him was given a large sword.‖
(Rev. 6:1-4)

Abomination of Desolation
quot;―And he will make a firm covenant with the many for
one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a
stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing
of abominations will come one who makes desolate,
even until a complete destruction, one that is
decreed, is poured out on the one who makes
desolate.‖quot;(Daniel 9:27)

quot;Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not
come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of
lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who
opposes and exalts himself above every so-called
god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in
the temple of God, displaying himself as being
God.quot;
(2 Thessalonians 2:3-4)


The Great Tribulation
―Let no one on the roof of his house
go down to take anything out of the
house. Let no one in the field go back
to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be
in those days for pregnant women and
nursing mothers! Pray that your flight
will not take place in winter or on the
Sabbath. For then there will be great
distress, unequaled from the beginning
of the world until now—and never to be
equaled again.‖
(Matt. 24:17-21)


Armageddon
―Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like
frogs; they came out of the mouth of the
dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out
of the mouth of the false prophet. They are
spirits of demons performing miraculous signs,
and they go out to the kings of the whole world,
to gather them for the battle on the great day
of God Almighty. ―Behold, I come like a thief!
Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his
clothes with him, so that he may not go naked
and be shamefully exposed.― Then they
gathered the kings together to the place that in
Hebrew is called Armageddon.‖
(Rev. 16:13-16)


The Second Coming
―I saw heaven standing open and there before me
was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. With justice he judges and makes war. His
eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many
crowns. He has a name written on him that no one
knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped
in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The
armies of heaven were following him, riding on white
horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.
Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to
strike down the nations. quot;He will rule them with an
iron scepter.‖ He treads the winepress of the fury of
the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his
thigh he has this name written:
KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS.‖
(Rev. 19:11-16)


Beast False Prophet Doomed/ Satan Imprisoned
quot; And the beast was seized, and with him the false
prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by
which he deceived those who had received the mark of
the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two
were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with
brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which
came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and
all the birds were filled with their flesh. Then I saw an
angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the
abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of
the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and
Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he
threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over
him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer,
until the thousand years were completed; after these
things he must be released for a short time.quot;
(Revelation 19:20-20:3)


Sheep/Goat Judgment
quot; ―But when the Son of Man comes in His
glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit
on His glorious throne. ―All the nations will be
gathered before Him; and He will separate them
from one another, as the shepherd separates the
sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep
on His right, and the goats on the left. ―Then the
King will say to those on His right, ‗Come, you
who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the
world…. Then He will also say to those on His
left, ‗Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the
eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil
and his angels;‖
quot;(Matthew 25:31-34, 41)


Christ‘s Millennial Reign
quot;Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and
judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of
those who had been beheaded because of their
testimony of Jesus and because of the word of
God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or
his image, and had not received the mark on their
forehead and on their hand; and they came to life
and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The
rest of the dead did not come to life until the
thousand years were completed. This is the first
resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a
part in the first resurrection; over these the second
death has no power, but they will be priests of God
and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand
years.quot;
(Revelation 20:4-6)


Satan Released / Last War
quot; When the thousand years are completed,
Satan will be released from his prison, and will
come out to deceive the nations which are in the
four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to
gather them together for the war; the number of
them is like the sand of the seashore. And they
came up on the broad plain of the earth and
surrounded the camp of the saints and the
beloved city, and fire came down from heaven
and devoured them. And the devil who
deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire
and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are also; and they will be tormented
day and night forever and ever.quot;
(Revelation 20:7-10)


White Throne Judgment
quot;Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat
upon it, from whose presence earth and heaven fled
away, and no place was found for them. And I saw
the dead, the great and the small, standing before
the throne, and books were opened; and another
book was opened, which is the book of life; and the
dead were judged from the things which were written
in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea
gave up the dead which were in it, and death and
Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and
they were judged, every one of them according to
their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown
into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the
lake of fire. And if anyone‘s name was not found
written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake
of fire.quot;


New Heaven and Earth
quot;Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the
first heaven and the first earth passed away, and
there is no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city,
new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from
God, made ready as a bride adorned for her
husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne,
saying, ―Behold, the tabernacle of God is among
men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be
His people, and God Himself will be among them,
and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and
there will no longer be any death; there will no longer
be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things
have passed away.‖ And He who sits on the throne
said, ―Behold, I am making all things new.‖ And He
said, ―Write, for these words are faithful and true.‖‖
(Revelation 21:1-5)


• What begins in Genesis ends in Revelation
• In Genesis the commencement of heaven and
earth; in Revelation the consummation of
heaven and earth
• In Genesis the entrance of sin and the curse, in
Revelation: end of sin and curse
• In Genesis the dawn of Satan and his activity;
in Revelation: doom of Satan and his activities
• In Genesis the tree of life is relinquished; in
Revelation: tree of life regained
• In Genesis death enters; in Revelation: death
exits
• In Genesis, sorrow begins; in Revelation:
sorrow ends
• In Genesis, paradise is lost; in Revelation:
paradise regained
• In Genesis, savior is promised; in Revelation
the savior is pre-eminent.

What Impact Should
Christ‘s Coming Have
on Us Today?


#1 - Obedience
quot;But the day of the Lord will come
like a thief, in which the heavens will
pass away with a roar and the
elements will be destroyed with
intense heat, and the earth and its
works will be burned up. Since all
these things are to be destroyed in
this way, what sort of people ought
you to be in holy conduct and
godliness,quot;
(2 Peter 3:10-11)


#2 - Worship
quot;And I saw between the throne (with the four living
creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain,
having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven
Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. And He
came and took the book out of the right hand of Him
who sat on the throne. When He had taken the book,
the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and
golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of
the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, ―Worthy
are You to take the book and to break its seals; for
You were slain, and purchased for God with Your
blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and
nation. ―You have made them to be a kingdom and
priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.‖quot;
(Revelation 5:6-10)


#3 - Proclamation
quot; And he said to me, ―Do not seal up the
words of the prophecy of this book, for
the time is near. ―Let the one who does
wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is
filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is
righteous, still practice righteousness; and
the one who is holy, still keep himself
holy.‖ ―Behold, I am coming quickly, and
My reward is with Me, to render to every
man according to what he has done.quot;


#4 - Service

quot;For we must all appear before
the judgment seat of Christ, so
that each one may be
recompensed for his deeds in
the body, according to what he
has done, whether good or
bad.quot;
(2 Corinthians 5:10)


When things get bad and you can't stand to look
It's time to read to the end of the book
Don't put it down 'til you get to the end
When Jesus come and His Kingdom begins
'Til He comes
God the Son
Teaches us to use the sword
And every fight
Has a light
When you know we win the war
- Michael W. Smith: End of the Book


The Creed - I Believe In Christs Return

Recomendados

Recomendados

Mais conteúdo relacionado

Mais procurados

Mais procurados (20)

Destaque

Destaque (20)

Semelhante a The Creed - I Believe In Christs Return

Semelhante a The Creed - I Believe In Christs Return (20)

Mais de Robin Schumacher

Mais de Robin Schumacher (20)

Último

Último (20)

The Creed - I Believe In Christs Return