"The Greatest Show on Earth"
As the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man....Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. 24:27-31, RSV.
One thing is certain about the second coming of Jesus--everybody will know when it takes place. Some things happen in secret, while others are public. Jesus Himself describes His return as the most public event in history. The timing may be a secret, and the event will sneak up on the world like a thief in the night, but the experience itself will be spectacular. All eyes will see it, whether we want to or not. The Second Coming, when it takes place, is not an option for viewing. You can't switch channels or turn off the set. It is the historical event that will end history. As such, it will affect every person living on the earth at the time.
From our earthly perspective it may seem that time is stretching indefinitely from the past into the future, but that is merely an illusion. With the "sign" of Jesus' appearing in the clouds of heaven with a host of angels, it is all over. Time may seem to be dragging on, but when Jesus comes He will, as He claimed in His last words to the church in the Bible, do so "quickly" (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20).
We need to look again at the descriptions of that return that Jesus used in today's verses.
* It will be like lightening flashing across the heavens.
* It will take place with dynamic power.
* It will be an event of great glory.
* A multitude of angels will accompany Jesus.
* A loud trumpet call will rattle the heavens.
* And there will be a gathering of the elect from all across the face of the earth.
Some years ago I saw a movie called The Greatest Show on Earth. It featured the circus in its heyday--a time everybody in town showed up for the circus parade as it headed toward the fairgrounds where the great tents were pitched.
"The Truly Greatest Show on Earth" is yet future. Nothing will be able to compare with it in terms of brightness and glory.
That is one show I want to see. But, I should add, from the right seat.
As the lightening comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man....Then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt. 24:27-31, RSV.
One thing is certain about the second coming of Jesus--everybody will know when it takes place. Some things happen in secret, while others are public. Jesus Himself describes His return as the most public event in history. The timing may be a secret, and the event will sneak up on the world like a thief in the night, but the experience itself will be spectacular. All eyes will see it, whether we want to or not. The Second Coming, when it takes place, is not an option for viewing. You can't switch channels or turn off the set. It is the historical event that will end history. As such, it will affect every person living on the earth at the time.
From our earthly perspective it may seem that time is stretching indefinitely from the past into the future, but that is merely an illusion. With the "sign" of Jesus' appearing in the clouds of heaven with a host of angels, it is all over. Time may seem to be dragging on, but when Jesus comes He will, as He claimed in His last words to the church in the Bible, do so "quickly" (Rev. 22:7, 12, 20).
We need to look again at the descriptions of that return that Jesus used in today's verses.
* It will be like lightening flashing across the heavens.
* It will take place with dynamic power.
* It will be an event of great glory.
* A multitude of angels will accompany Jesus.
* A loud trumpet call will rattle the heavens.
* And there will be a gathering of the elect from all across the face of the earth.
Some years ago I saw a movie called The Greatest Show on Earth. It featured the circus in its heyday--a time everybody in town showed up for the circus parade as it headed toward the fairgrounds where the great tents were pitched.
"The Truly Greatest Show on Earth" is yet future. Nothing will be able to compare with it in terms of brightness and glory.
That is one show I want to see. But, I should add, from the right seat.
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