Lesson 38 - The Second Coming

(Lesson 38)

The Second Coming

“…Be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” Matt 24:44

Discussion Guide:

The Church has always believed that Jesus Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. This event is known as the Parousia or the second coming and it will mark the end of time as we know it. Belief in the eventual return of Christ is an essential article of our faith and we reiterate it at every Mass. Jesus makes it clear that this event will not take place in secret but will be very obvious to everyone on earth. “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of man (Matt 24:27). Before the end comes, there will be a time of great apostasy, religious deception, and a falling away from the truth (CCC 675). On Judgment Day, good will achieve decisive victory over evil and the deeds of all will be exposed to reveal their furthest consequences (CCC 1039). The elect will dwell with God in the New Jerusalem. The old world of sin and death will be replaced by a new world of worship and love where God will wipe away every tear (Rev 21:4).

Jesus warns us not only about false Messiahs, but also about false predictions regarding the timing of the second coming (Matt 24:36). Many non-catholic pastors center their theological message on attempting to convince people that the end of time is very near. Many people, including many Catholics, believe these “prophecies”. The truth is that he might come today, or he might come a thousand years from now. Only God knows! The notion of a “rapture” where true believers are snatched out of the world and everyone else is “left behind” to suffer tribulation is a false man-made doctrine. Do not be fooled by someone pointing out a couple of “out of context” Bible verses that “prove” this. Jesus will come again in glory. He will not come halfway and secretly remove his people and establish some sort of earthly kingdom apart from his heavenly kingdom (CCC 676). There will not be two second comings. This theory was made popular in the early 1800’s. It is a result of selectively interpreting Bible verses to create a false theological vision of the end times. There are many great Catholic books that refute this belief in a convincing and scholarly manner.

Discussion Points:

· The return of the Lord marks the end of time as we know it

· When Jesus returns, it will be obvious to everyone; He will return in glory

· No one knows the hour or the day when Christ will come back

· The Church will suffer a great tribulation and apostasy before the Lord returns

· The final judgment will reveal the consequences of each of our deeds

· The “rapture” that features disappearing believers and non-believers who are left behind to face tribulation is purely a man-made fantasy

Parables About the Coming of the Kingdom

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43

Another parable he put before them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also. And the servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then has it weeds?' He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.' The servants said to him, 'Then do you want us to go and gather them?' But he said, 'No; lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them. Let both grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.'"…….Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field." He answered, "He who sows the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world, and the good seed means the sons of the kingdom; the weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the close of the age, and the reapers are angels. Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the close of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 25:1-13

"Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For when the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, they all slumbered and slept. But at midnight there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.' Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps. And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise replied, 'Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut. Afterward the other maidens came also, saying, 'Lord, lord, open to us.' But he replied, 'Truly, I say to you, I do not know you.' Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

The Second Coming


“…Be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect” Matt 24:44

Opening Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we ask for the grace of perseverance and patience. May we live every day of our lives as if it were to be the day of Your return. Marana tha, Lord Jesus. Amen

Theme:

At the end of time, Jesus will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead. No one knows the hour that the Lord will return so we must always be prepared.

Bible Readings:

Matthew 24:36-44 "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only. As were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left. Watch therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the householder had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have watched and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

2 Peter 3:3-10 First of all you must understand this, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own passions and saying, "Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things have continued as they were from the beginning of creation." They deliberately ignore this fact, that by the word of God heavens existed long ago, and an earth formed out of water and by means of water, through which the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist have been stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men. But do not ignore this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow about his promise as some count slowness, but is forbearing toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up.

Revelation 21:1-8 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away." And he who sat upon the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." Also he said, "Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true." And he said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the fountain of the water of life without payment. He who conquers shall have this heritage, and I will be his God and he shall be my son. But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the polluted, as for murderers, fornicators, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their lot shall be in the lake that burns with fire and sulphur, which is the second death."

Explanation of the Bible readings: Jesus tells us that no one knows the day or the hour of the second coming (Matthew 24:36). It will come upon the world like a thief in the night so we should always keep watch. We must keep ourselves in a state of grace not only because of the possibility of the return of Christ, but because we do not know the hour of our own death. St. Peter predicts that false teachers will appear who cast doubt on the return of the Lord. He stresses that the Lord is patient and seeks the repentance of all. God does not view time as we humans view time; ”with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day”. He will come in accordance with his divine timetable, not our human one. The book of Revelation describes the New Jerusalem and the victory over sin and death. Jesus makes it clear that not all men will enter into heaven (Rev 21:8). If we strive to do the will of Christ by obeying his commandments and we seek his mercy with faith, we will enter into the joy of the Masters house.

Luke 21:20-33 Signs of the end times
1 Thess 4:16-17 Jesus will not be coming in secret
Rom 11:25-26 Israel to convert in end times (CCC 674)

Catechism of the Catholic Church:

671 Though already present in his Church, Christ's reign is nevertheless yet to be fulfilled "with power and great glory" by the King's return to earth. This reign is still under attack by the evil powers, even though they have been defeated definitively by Christ's Passover. Until everything is subject to him, "until there be realized new heavens and a new earth in which justice dwells, the pilgrim Church, in her sacraments and institutions, which belong to this present age, carries the mark of this world which will pass, and she herself takes her place among the creatures which groan and travail yet and await the revelation of the sons of God." That is why Christians pray, above all in the Eucharist, to hasten Christ's return by saying to him: Marana tha! "Our Lord, come!"

672 Before his Ascension Christ affirmed that the hour had not yet come for the glorious establishment of the messianic kingdom awaited by Israel which, according to the prophets, was to bring all men the definitive order of justice, love and peace. According to the Lord, the present time is the time of the Spirit and of witness, but also a time still marked by "distress" and the trial of evil which does not spare the Church and ushers in the struggles of the last days. It is a time of waiting and watching.

The glorious advent of Christ, the hope of Israel
673 Since the Ascension Christ's coming in glory has been imminent, even though "it is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has fixed by his own authority." This eschatological coming could be accomplished at any moment, even if both it and the final trial that will precede it are "delayed".
674 The glorious Messiah's coming is suspended at every moment of history until his recognition by "all Israel", for "a hardening has come upon part of Israel" in their "unbelief" toward Jesus…..

675 Before Christ's second coming the Church must pass through a final trial that will shake the faith of many believers. The persecution that accompanies her pilgrimage on earth will unveil the "mystery of iniquity" in the form of a religious deception offering men an apparent solution to their problems at the price of apostasy from the truth. The supreme religious deception is that of the Antichrist, a pseudo-messianism by which man glorifies himself in place of God and of his Messiah come in the flesh.

676 The Antichrist's deception already begins to take shape in the world every time the claim is made to realize within history that messianic hope which can only be realized beyond history through the eschatological judgment. The Church has rejected even modified forms of this falsification of the kingdom to come under the name of millenarianism, especially the "intrinsically perverse" political form of a secular messianism.

677 The Church will enter the glory of the kingdom only through this final Passover, when she will follow her Lord in his death and Resurrection. The kingdom will be fulfilled, then, not by a historic triumph of the Church through a progressive ascendancy, but only by God's victory over the final unleashing of evil, which will cause his Bride to come down from heaven. God's triumph over the revolt of evil will take the form of the Last Judgment after the final cosmic upheaval of this passing world.

681 On Judgment Day at the end of the world, Christ will come in glory to achieve the definitive triumph of good over evil which, like the wheat and the tares, have grown up together in the course of history.

682 When he comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead, the glorious Christ will reveal the secret disposition of hearts and will render to each man according to his works, and according to his acceptance or refusal of grace.

1039 In the presence of Christ, who is Truth itself, the truth of each man's relationship with God will be laid bare. The Last Judgment will reveal even to its furthest consequences the good each person has done or failed to do during his earthly life:

All that the wicked do is recorded, and they do not know. When "our God comes, he does not keep silence."…..

Faith words:

Apostasy: The formal renunciation of one's religion; the perversion of the religion beyond recognition.

Marana tha: Consists of two Aramean words, Maran'athah, meaning, "our Lord comes," or is "coming."

Millenarianism: The belief in a glorious kingdom, partly natural, partly supernatural; founded in the hopes of a temporal Messiah establishing his kingdom on earth.

Parusia: A Greek word which literally means "presence" or "coming," and refers to the eventual second coming of Jesus Christ in the end times.

Reflection Questions:


If you knew that the Lord was coming back tonight, how would you spend your day?






What impressions have you received from the media (television, books, movies, etc…) about the second coming of Christ?





Does the present culture make it more difficult to be prepared for the coming of the Lord or for our own personal judgment day? Explain.