7. POSITIVE EXPECTATION

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Matthew 24:30 "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (KJV)

The return of Jesus Christ will be accompanied by demonstrations of his all-power.

	It will happen after tribulation at the commencement of "the terrible day of the Lord" (Joel 2:31 KJV; Matthew 24:29 ).
	It will be a visible event (Matthew 24:27; Revelation 1:7 ).
	It will be accompanied with astral phenomena (Matthew 24:29 ; foretold in Isaiah 13:9-10 and Joel 2:31; 3:15 ).
	It will be unmistakably signalled (Matthew 24:30 ). The sign is not specified, but we know what it possibly will be: It could be unusually bright lightning (Matthew 24:27 ) . In some way unfurling the standard of the King of kings and Lord of lords. Or possibly it could be the blaze of the Shekinah glory of Christ. When Israel nationally rejected Jesus Christ, the Shekinah glory departed from the temple (Matthew 27:51 ). With the return of Jesus Emmanuel - God with us - (Matthew 1:23 ) there will be a disclosure of divine glory, so the "sign" could be the appearing of the Son of Man Himself.
	It will be a time of mourning despair for opposers of the Christ (Matthew 24:30 ).
	It will be a time of awful destructive power (Matthew 24:30 ). Satan will be overcome, antichrist and his armies destroyed (Revelation 19:11-21 ).

A KEY SCRIPTURE

1 Thessalonians 4:17 "Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. " (KJV)

There will be an almighty display of the all-power of God in the catching away of living saints.

	It is scriptural to look with expectancy for the glorious changing of our bodies so that they are shaped or conformed to the likeness of the body of the risen, glorified Lord (Philippians 3:20-21 ).
	It will happen through Him who is able by His working power (Philippians 3:21 ). It will be by the action of His power by which He originally made the body, that He will make our bodies like His resurrection body.
	It will take place "in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52 KJV ). In an atom of time He will change our body from one kind to another. What a manifestation of His omnipotence!

A KEY SCRIPTURE

John 6:39-40 "This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. 40 "And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (NKJV)

Christ demonstrates keeping His Word to those who believe on Him by raising them up according to His promise.

Those who doubt the resurrection are in error regarding who Christ is, His word and His all-power (Matthew 22:29-30 ). Christ Jesus will fulfill His word completely. He will lose none that believe on Him and will raise every believer in that great day by His omnipotent power.

A KEY SCRIPTURE

Revelation 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." (KJV)

A full-throated, whole-hearted response by the multitude of the redeemed to the evident reigning of Omnipotent God.

By the all-power of God, Satan will be defeated (Isaiah 24:21 ), and Satan will be bound (Revelation 20:2-3 ). Then the curse will be removed from the earth (Isaiah 55:12-13 ) as the result of the reigning of our omnipotent God.

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QUESTIONS FOR GROUP INTERACTION