The Coming King
The Story . . .
2 Kings 11:1-21
Athaliah, the ruthless queen of Judah, was even more
wicked than her mother Jezebel. When her son Ahaziah died,
she quickly seized control of the kingdom by executing all of her
grandsons who might reign in her place. "But Jehosheba, ... sister
of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and ... they hid him
... from Athaliah, so that he was not slain. And he was with her
hid in the house of the Lord six years. And Athaliah did reign
over the land." 2 Kings 11:2, 3.
For six years only a handful of trusted people knew that the
royal child was living and hidden in the
temple of God. Jehoiada, the high priest,
loved and trained young Joash as his own
son. For six years Jehoiada planned and
prayed for the best moment to present this
rightful heir to the people. Finally the old
priest secretly summoned trusted captains
in the army and showed them that the
youngest son of Ahaziah was still alive.
They decided to wait until Friday evening,
when all of the faithful people would
come to the temple for Sabbath worship,
to present the young king to them. With
hundreds of armed soldiers on every side,
Jehoiada brought the heir of David's
throne before the crowd and introduced
him. At first the people were astonished,
but when they saw the royal crown
placed upon his head, "they clapped their
hands, and said, God save the king." 2 Kings 11:12.
Now when wicked Athaliah heard the noise of trumpets and
all the people rejoicing, she came running into the temple only to
discover that her reign of terror was through. That day she and her
followers were slain, and Joash was given the kingdom.
The Bible tells us that another son of David will soon emerge
from the heavenly temple amidst the blowing of trumpets to
receive His rightful kingdom and to destroy the wicked.
The Study
Fill in the blanks after reading each Bible text.
1. Who is this king who will soon emerge from the temple
in heaven?
Revelation 14:14 And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the
cloud one sat like unto the _______________ of _______________,
having on his head a golden crown.
2. Will Jesus come quietly when He returns?
1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven
with a _______________, with the voice of the archangel, and with the
_______________ of God.
Jeremiah 25:30 The Lord shall _______________ from on high, and
utter his voice from his holy habitation; he shall mightily roar upon his
habitation; he shall give a _______________.
Psalm 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep _______________:
... and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.
NOTE: "Tempestuous" means "turbulent and stormy." The second coming of
Jesus will clearly be noisy beyond description. There will be nothing secret about it!
3. What other physical evidence will accompany
Jesus' return?
Revelation 16:18 And there was a great _______________, such as was
not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great.
4. Who will see Jesus when He returns?
Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in
heaven: and then shall _______________ the _______________ of the
earth mourn, and they shall _______________ the Son of man coming
in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and _______________
_______________ shall see him.
NOTE: This is too clear to misunderstand. Every person alive, wicked or
righteous, will see Jesus return to earth. A secret gathering, or "rapture," of God's
people is not described in the Bible.
5. Who will be with Jesus when He returns in the clouds?
Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the
_______________ _______________ with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory.
NOTE: The brightness of the Lord's return will, by comparison, make the
brightness of a hydrogen bomb pale into insignificance. At Jesus' tomb, the
brightness of one angel caused all the Roman guards to fall to the ground as dead
men (Matthew 28:2-4). The brightness of all heaven's angels will make Jesus'
second coming too bright for anyone to miss. Added to this will be the fantastic
glory of Jesus and the Father (Luke 9:26). Jesus' second coming will be like
lightning flashing from one horizon to the other (Matthew 24:27).
6. What will the brightness of Jesus' coming do to the
living wicked?
2 Thessalonians 1:7, 8 When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed
from heaven with his mighty angels, In _______________
_______________ taking vengeance on them that know not God.
2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom
the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall
_______________ with the brightness of his coming.
7. What will happen to the righteous who are dead at
Jesus' coming?
1 Thessalonians 4:16 The dead in Christ shall _______________
first.
8. At this point, what will happen to the living and
resurrected saints?
1 Corinthians 15:52, 53 The dead shall be raised incorruptible, and
we shall be _______________. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.
NOTE: No one except God has immortality now (1 Timothy 6:15, 16). But it
will be given as a free gift to the righteous at Jesus' second coming. Their bodies
also will be changed into heavenly, incorruptible bodies, like that of Jesus
(Philippians 3:20, 21).
9. After being changed, what will happen to the righteous?
1 Thessalonians 4:17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be
_______________ _______________ together with them [the
resurrected saints] in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air.
NOTE: God's saints will meet the Lord in the air. Jesus does not touch the
earth at His second coming, so He will not appear on the earth, as many
believe. His second coming will be a sky appearance, not an earth appearance.
10. What solemn warning does Jesus give about His
second coming?
Matthew 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall _______________ _______________.
Matthew 24:24, 26 For there shall arise _______________
_______________, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and
_______________; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive
the very elect. ... If they shall say unto you, Behold, ... he is in the secret
chambers; _______________ it _______________.
NOTE: Satan will impersonate Christ's second coming by appearing upon the
earth as a glorious being, and he will deceive billions. Jesus has warned us that
He will not touch the earth at all at His second coming, but rather will remain
in the air. The dazzling deceptions of Satan will be so convincing that most
people will be deceived.
11. What will prevent the righteous from being deceived?
Isaiah 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according
to _______________ _______________, it is because there is no
light in them.
NOTE: God's people will not be deceived, because they will know from a study
of God's Word just how Jesus will come (Acts 17:11). Any appearing that is not
in agreement with Scripture is a counterfeit and must be rejected. Jesus
forewarned us.
Matthew 24:25 Behold, I have told you before.
12. Would it be safe to go see a false Christ?
Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in
the desert; _______________ _______________ forth.
13. What can we know about the time of Jesus' return?
Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth _______________
_______________, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 24:33 When ye shall see all these things, know that it is
_______________, even at the doors.
NOTE: Only God knows the exact time of the second coming. All date setting
is out of harmony with the Bible. But Jesus made it clear that when we see the
signs of His coming fulfilled (Matthew 24:4-51; Luke 21:8-33; and 2 Timothy
3:1-8), we can know that His coming is very near-even at the doors.
14. What will the angels do at Jesus' second coming?
Matthew 24:31 His angels ... shall _______________ together his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
NOTE: Your guardian angel (Matthew 18:10) will probably be the first to greet
you at Jesus' return. What a blessed thought! No wonder the Bible calls the
second coming the "blessed hope" (Titus 2:13)!
15. Since we are living just before Jesus' second coming,
how should we relate to this solemn, glorious event?
Matthew 24:44 Therefore _______________ ye also
_______________: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh.
16. How will people be rewarded at Jesus' second coming?
Revelation 22:12 Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to
give every man _______________ as his _______________ shall be.
NOTE: People will be saved by grace but rewarded based on their conduct, not
on their profession (Matthew 7:21-23).
17. What will the wicked say when Jesus returns?
Revelation 6:15-17 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and
the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every
bondman, and every free man ... said to the mountains and rocks, Fall
on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne ... :
For the great day of his wrath is come; and _______________
_______________ be able to _______________?
NOTE: During this horrendous final earthquake, the wicked-petrified with
fear-will prefer for the rocks and mountains to fall on them rather than to face
King Jesus unprepared.
18. What will the righteous say when Jesus appears?
Isaiah 25:9 Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and
_______________ will _______________ us: ... we will be glad and
rejoice in his salvation.
19. What is the prime purpose of Jesus' second coming?
John 14:3 I will come again, and _______________
_______________ unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
NOTE: Jesus' most thrilling purpose in returning to earth is to take His children
to the glorious home He has prepared for them. No more tears, woes, heartaches,
or illness forever. But rather, joy and peace unspeakable forever.
Your Response
Jesus is coming in the clouds very soon. Will you plan now to be ready to
meet Him?
ANSWER: _______________
Supplement
This section provides additional information for further study.
The Secret Rapture Theory
The secret rapture theory is based on eight premises that have been so
widely embraced that most people accept them as fact without pausing to
investigate. However, our only safety is to search the Scriptures daily to
determine whether those things are so (Acts 17:11). The eight points of the
secret rapture theory are as follows:
1. The rapture is silent.
2. The rapture is invisible.
3. The rapture leaves the wicked alive.
4. God removes the righteous to protect them from the tribulation.
5. Christ's second coming will be in two stages: (1) the secret rapture,
and (2) the actual coming, which will be glorious.
6. These two stages of the second coming will be seven years apart.
7. The rapture will take place before the revelation of the Antichrist,
who then will bring about the tribulation.
8. The wicked will at this point have a second chance to be converted
and to serve Christ.
To examine these points fully is beyond the scope of this limited supplement,
but we will briefly cover each point here. Points one and two were covered in this
lesson, but they are mentioned again for emphasis. Prepare for some surprises!
1. The rapture is not silent, but rather is extremely noisy. The Scriptures say
Jesus will descend "with a SHOUT, with the VOICE OF THE ARCHANGEL,
and with the TRUMP OF GOD." 1 Thessalonians 4:16, emphasis added. David
says, "Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: ... it shall be very
tempestuous [violent, whirling] round about him." Psalm 50:3. And Jeremiah
says, "The Lord shall roar from on high, ... he shall mightily roar ...; he shall give
a shout. ... A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth." Jeremiah 25:30, 31.
Nothing about it is quiet! Christ will come with a noise heard around the world.
Mark this well. If you are living when Jesus returns, you will hear Him come.
Your ears will ring with catastrophic noise.
2. The rapture is not invisible; it will be seen by all. All of the angels will
come with Jesus (Matthew 25:31). One lone angel appeared at Jesus'
resurrection, and his brightness was so overpowering that the entire Roman
guard fell to the ground as dead men (Matthew 28:2-4). Consider the staggering
brightness of all the angels of heaven! Added to the glory of the angels will be
Jesus' own glory (Matthew 25:31) and the glory of His Father (Matthew 16:27).
The brightness will be overwhelming. Jesus added, "For as the lightning cometh
out of the east, shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of
man be." Matthew 24:27. Secret? By no stretch of the imagination. In fact, the
Bible forever settled this by saying, "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every
eye shall see him." Revelation 1:7. Rest assured, if you are living at Jesus' second
coming, you will see Him come!
3. The rapture does not leave the wicked alive. They are slain at the Lord's
coming (Isaiah 11:4; Malachi 4:1; 2 Thessalonians 2:8).
4. God does not remove the righteous from the tribulation, but rather
protects them through it (Psalm 91:5-12).
5. Christ's second coming will not be in two stages-one secret and the
other seen by all. There is only one second coming, and it will be seen by every
living person on earth. There is no Scripture to support a two-phase second
coming.
6. The secret rapture teachers claim that there is a seven-year period between
the two second comings of Christ. This is not scriptural.
7. Antichrist does not appear three and one-half years after the second
coming of Jesus. He has been active for centuries (1 John 4:3) and is doing his
nefarious work even now.
8. The wicked will not have a second opportunity to be saved after the
second coming. All sinners will be destroyed at the second coming. There is no
second opportunity for anyone after Jesus' second coming.
