“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also” (John 14:1-3).

When we hear someone saying that Jesus’ second coming is nigh, immediately the question comes: When will it be? The mockers will say, we have heard this story for years, even since we were little children, but the world still goes on, and where is the promise of His coming? Perhaps not only skeptics or unbelievers make such a declaration, but even some of those who claim to believe in God and in His word. If they do not say it in words, they may declare it through their actions. They behave as if they would dwell on this earth forever and expect a bright future in this world, accumulating riches and taking little time to meditate upon the wonderful promise of Jesus: “I will come again.”

After His resurrection, Jesus met with His disciples on the Mount of Olives, and gave them the last instructions about their work, and then He was taken up to heaven. As the disciples looked up and saw a cloud receiving Him out of their sight, two angels confirmed the same truth that Jesus had spoken previously to His disciples. These were their words: “Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11).

The promises of God never fail. There is good reason to believe that the promise of the advent of the Lord will also be fulfilled. The coming of Jesus is as sure as you and I exist on this earth. The signs of the approaching of time indicate that only a short time is left for the fulfillment of the most glorious event of history. Is it not evident that the world is growing from bad to worse in all facets of life? Has not the Lord predicted through His servants the prophets and the apostles that the present conditions which exist on earth would take place just prior to the second coming of Jesus? It is an undeniable fact that such a condition in which we are cannot continue forever. Jesus is coming the second time, very soon. This sacred doctrine of the second coming is the very keynote of the Holy Scriptures, both in the Old and New Testaments.

The word of God does not leave us in uncertainty regarding the reason for Jesus’ second coming. It is evident that in this world there is much evil, suffering, disease, and death. Our heavenly Father is not pleased with the suffering of His beloved children. He is anxious to deliver us from all our sorrows and misfortunes. Jesus declared that He desires that we may be with Him where He is, in a bliss where there shall be no more sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain, nor death. In His priestly prayer, among other things, this was His petition to the Father: “I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:24).

The apostle Paul writing to the Thessalonians assured them that there will be glory, happiness, and a peaceful condition when Jesus comes: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Thessalonians 1:7).

“In his second letter Paul sought to correct their misunderstanding of his teaching and to set before them his true position. . . . He told them that he presented them to other churches as an example of the patient, persevering faith that bravely withstands persecution and tribulation, and he carried their minds forward to the time of the second coming of Christ, when the people of God shall rest from all their cares and perplexities.”1

The beauty of the mansions that Jesus is preparing for us cannot be described by pen or voice. “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9). “Let your imagination picture the home of the saved, and remember that it will be more glorious than your brightest imagination can portray.”2 “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2).

This is why our Saviour Jesus Christ will come: to take us from this world of misery and suffering to the eternal home which He is preparing for us, where everlasting gladness and happiness will be enjoyed by the saved. “And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away” (Isaiah 35:10).

Procrastinating is practiced by many who are claiming to be awaiting the coming of their Lord. They believe that He is coming, but neglect to make a complete preparation for that event. Now is the time to prepare, while we have this probationary time. After the close of probation there will be no Intercessor on our behalf in the heavenly sanctuary, no confession of sins will be accepted, no second chance will be available for repentance and conversion.

“God’s people are to warn the world to prepare for the second appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who is coming with power and great glory, when the cry of peace and safety is being sounded from every part of the Christian world, and the sleeping church and the world will be asking in scorn, ‘Where is the promise of His coming? . . . All things continue as they were from the beginning.’ ”3

“Now is the time to prepare for the coming of our Lord. Readiness to meet Him cannot be attained in a moment’s time. Preparatory to that solemn scene there must be vigilant waiting combined with earnest work. The union of these two makes us complete in Christ. The active and devotional must be combined as were the human and divine in Christ. So God’s children glorify Him. Amid the busy scenes of life their voices will be heard speaking words of encouragement, hope, and faith. The will and the affections will be consecrated to Christ. Thus they prepare to meet their Lord; and when He comes, they will say, with joy: ‘This is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us.’ ”4

“Prepare for the judgment, that when Christ shall come, to be admired in all them that believe, you may be among those who will meet Him in peace. In that day the redeemed will shine forth in the glory of the Father and the Son. The angels, touching their golden harps, will welcome the King and His trophies of victory - those who have been washed and made white in the blood of the Lamb. A song of triumph will peal forth, filling all heaven. Christ has conquered. He enters the heavenly courts, accompanied by His redeemed ones, the witnesses that His mission of suffering and sacrifice has not been in vain.”5

There are many different theories about the coming of Jesus. Some say that He will come to establish His kingdom in Palestine. Others believe that He has already come, in spirit, in 1914, and that His coming is not literal. Many believe in the rapture theory, saying that two persons may walk together and, suddenly, one of them disappears. He was raptured, or taken to heaven. Much could he said about the different false beliefs going on around us about the coming of Jesus. Yet we want to know the truth as it is revealed in the word of God.

Jesus said through John the Revelator: “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen” (Revelation 1:7).

From this verse we understand that every living person on earth will see Him when He comes, including those who have been resurrected in the time of tribulation described in Daniel 12:1, 2. All those who at that time are raised for everlasting contempt will wail when they shall see Him. Among them are those who mocked, derided, condemned Him, and those also who pierced Him. Jesus Himself said that when He comes all nations shall see Him coming and will lament: “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” (Matthew 24:30).

When Jesus comes all heavenly angels will escort Him, and He will come visibly, literally, personally, with great power and magnificent glory.

“Christ will come in His own glory, in the glory of His Father, and the glory of the holy angels. Ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands of angels, the beautiful and triumphant sons of God, possessing surpassing loveliness and glory, will escort Him on His way. Then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations. Then every eye shall see Him, and they also that pierced Him. In the place of a crown of thorns, He will wear a crown of glory - a crown within a crown.”6

“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels” (Matthew 16:27). The angels will have a special role to play at the coming of Jesus: “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other” (Matthew 24:31).

After the partial resurrection of Daniel 12:2, the voice of God will announce the day and hour of Jesus’ coming. The saints who are alive, 144,000 in number, will understand that voice and are prepared to meet their Lord. Soon a small black cloud appears in the east, and as it comes closer to the earth it becomes larger and brighter until it becomes a glorious, shining cloud, and upon it sits Jesus. The righteous are possessed with anguish of spirit when they “cry with trembling: ‘Who shall be able to stand?’ ”7 That anguish does not last long: “Then the voice of Jesus is heard, saying: ‘My grace is sufficient for you.’ The faces of the righteous are lighted up, and joy fills every heart.”8 That will be the end of the time of Jacob’s trouble.

Jesus does not step on this earth at His second coming. Rather, the saints are taken up to meet Jesus in the air. Paul the apostle made this clear: “For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 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” (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17).

Before the living saints are united with the resurrected saints they must be changed from mortality to immortality. Paul explains this in his epistle to the Corinthians: “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).

“The living righteous are changed ‘in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye.’ At the voice of God they were glorified; now they are made immortal and with the risen saints are caught up to meet their Lord in the air. Angels ‘gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ Little children are borne by holy angels to their mothers’ arms. Friends long separated by death are united, nevermore to part, and with songs of gladness ascend together to the City of God.”9

“We all entered the cloud together, and were seven days ascending to the sea of glass, when Jesus brought the crowns, and with His own right hand placed them on our heads. He gave us harps of gold and palms of victory. Here on the sea of glass the 144,000 stood in a perfect square. Some of them had very bright crowns, others not so bright. Some crowns appeared heavy with stars, while others had but few. All were perfectly satisfied with their crowns. And they were all clothed with a glorious white mantle from their shoulders to their feet. Angels were all about us as we marched over the sea of glass to the gate of the city. Jesus raised His mighty, glorious arm, laid hold of the pearly gate, swung it back on its glittering hinges, and said to us, ‘You have washed your robes in My blood, stood stiffly for My truth, enter in.’ We all marched in and felt that we had a perfect right in the city.”10

What a happy reunion will that be! We shall see our beloved ones, the saved from all ages, the angels, especially the guardian angels that kept safely the children of God. We shall behold the face of our dear Saviour, who will wipe away all our tears from our eyes. We will enjoy the great privilege that Adam had in the beginning to see God face to face. Human language is inadequate to describe the bliss and glory that await the faithful children of God. May God grant us His mercies that we all may be there.