New Believer's Bible Sample - Flipbook - Page 18
CO R N E R S T O N E S
page A20
The End Times and Jesus’ Return
Jesus promised that he would come again to earth: “Don’t let your hearts be
troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room
in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going
to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you,
so that you will always be with me where I am” (John 14:1-3).
Of the 333 references to the Lord’s coming in the 929 chapters of the Old
Testament, only 109 were fulfilled by his first coming. That leaves 224 yet to
be fulfilled in the second coming of Christ.
There are 300 verses about the Lord’s return in the 260 chapters of the New
Testament: one out of every 30 verses. Fully 23 of the 27 New Testament books
mention the return of Christ. Jesus himself referred to his second coming at
least 21 times.
Do you get the idea that God is trying to tell us something? Make no mistake
about it: Jesus is coming again. And for Christians, that is good news. It gives
us hope in a hopeless world (Titus 2:13).
• The two end-times witnesses see 1 Kings 18:38, page 334
• The day of the Lord is coming see Zechariah 14:1-9, page 883
• What to do while we wait see Malachi 4:5-6, page 888
• The Rapture see 1 Thessalonians 4:17, page 1153
• We can look forward to Jesus’ return see 2 Thessalonians 1:7, page 1158
• Keep an eternal perspective see 2 Peter 3:10-11, page 1207
• Jesus is coming soon see Revelation 3:11, page 1226
Faith and Works
When a person truly comes to Jesus Christ, this relationship will dramatically
transform his or her life. We may see this transformation more immediately
in the lives of some than others. For those whose lives are characterized by
pronounced bad habits and blatant immoral living, the change in lifestyle
will show others that something profound has indeed happened within that
person’s life. For others who may not be known for blatantly sinful living,
the change may not be as outwardly pronounced, but it is just as significant.
Remember, all of us were separated from God by sin, which was dealt with and
absolved at the cross of Jesus.
Our conversion will show itself in both fruit and works. This concept of
“bearing fruit” is used often in Scripture to describe the results of someone’s
commitment to Jesus Christ. If we do not bear fruit—that is, show through our
actions and attitudes that we are people of God—then it is apparent we have
not really come to know Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Bearing fruit is not
