Session 1

Topic Introduction

Welcome to join our Bible study, brother and sisters. So happy to see so many of you here. God bless your seeking heart! My name is Ryan and I will be the preacher for our Bible study group for the next 8 days.

• As believers, our greatest hope after believing in God is to be able to enter the kingdom of heaven. When we are able to enter God's kingdom, we can gain eternal life and no longer live with stresses and pain. If people believe in the Lord their entire life, but fail to welcome the Lord, they will be left to suffer in the disasters and ultimately be destroyed and be thrown into the lake of fire.

• None of us wants that. So we have organized this Bible series to help brothers and sisters learn how to welcome the second coming of the Lord Jesus. This is an 8 day Bible study series, and you will get to learn many many new things you didn't know about the Lord's return. For example, we will read the prophecies concerning the Lord's return to understand His divine plan. We will learn about God's judgment work and His requirements for believer to enter the kingdom. We will learn about how to discern true and false Christ, how Christ will establish His kingdom on earth and much much more!!! If you are also looking forward to the Lord's return, join us for the next 8 days and it will definitely transform your life!

Self-Introduction

• Now, a little about myself. My name is Ryan and I am originally from Philly and used to work as engineer but I left my job in 2020 and started to share God's words full time. COVID really made me realize that we are living in the last days, and how much we need God's care and protection. It was heart breaking to see so many lives lost. My goal is to help more people to get to know Christ and to help them to prepare for what is to come. Because, COVID was just the beginning. Now I live with my family in the outskirts of Albany, NY.
• Brothers and sisters, where are you all from?

Mic and Chat

Prayer

Dear Lord Jesus Christ, we give you all the praise the honor and the glory! On this thanksgiving season we have so much to be thankful for. We thank you for waking us up to this wonderful day, we thank you for supplying our daily needs and looking after us. We thank you for arranging this wonderful time for brother and sisters and I to come together to eat and drink your words. Today, as we count our blessings, we are also reminded of the brokenness in our world, we are also reminded of your imminent return to make all things rights. As we five into your worlds to learn about your words, we pray you will will the holy spirit to come among us to enlighten and guide us all. Open our heart to investigate and learn. May all the praise and glory be to you, we pray in your most holy and precious name. Amen!

Importance of learning to welcome the Lord

• Let's start by understanding why do we have to learn to welcome the Lord's return?
• The Bible tells us:

📖 "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Matthew 24:6–7)

• If we look around, these signs of the last days are being fulfilled at this very moment. There are floods, climate change, wildfires, droughts, and hurricane. There are also man made-disasters, war, famine and plagues. These events are happening more frequently, becoming more destructive and more widespread.

• These signs were not given to stir fear, but to awaken us and to remind us of the imminent return of the Lord Jesus. Now is exactly the time believers need to be vigilante and prepare for the Lord's return.

• Some may say, "I believe in Christ, of course I'll be able to welcome Him when He comes."

• Actually, not every believer will be able to welcome the Lord. In Jesus' Parable of the Ten Virgins, there were ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom, but only five were prepared and actually met Him. The five wise virgins brought oil for their lamps, while the five foolish ones did not. This shows us that only those who were prepared can welcome the Lord, while those who are unprepared will be left behind.

• The Lord Jesus also reminds us throughout the Bible that as believers we cannot be complacent in our faith. We must seek Him continually, stay vigilant, and be prepared, or we risk being cast out by the Lord.

📖 “He that seeks finds; and to him that knocks it shall be opened” (Matthew 7:8)
📖 “So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth” (Revelation 3:16)

• So how do we prepare? How do we add oil to our lamps? We need to equip ourselves with the knowledge and truth regarding the Lord's second coming — how is He will come and what He will do when He arrives? Only by understanding God's divine plan can we have the hope of welcoming Him and enter God's kingdom.

Other Prophesies

Brothers and sisters, before we dive into God's words, let's see what you already know about the Lord's return.

❓Question: How do you think the Lord will return in the last days?

A. The Lord will directly come on a cloud.
B. The Lord will come like a thief in the night.
C. The Lord will return in flesh.
D. I am not sure, I want to learn more.

I used to think that the Lord will simply come on a cloud and every eye will see, because Revelation 1:7 says,

📖 “Behold, He comes 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.” (Revelation 1:7)

• The Lord's coming on a cloud will certainly be fulfilled. But why the scripture says, "all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him." Wailing means mourning, crying in grief, pain and sorrow. Logically speaking, the Lord coming with clouds should be a joyful event, but why it says all people will wail when they see Him coming on the clouds?

• Also, there are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible about the Lord's second coming. Do they all say the Lord will come back on a cloud? It is important to consider all the prophecies, not just one or two.

• Also, what did Lord Jesus Himself say about His second coming? In the Bible: there are prophecies spoken by men, prophecies spoken by angels and prophecies spoken by the Lord Jesus. If we want to know how exactly the Lord will come, we have to pay close attention to the words of Lord Jesus. At the end, He is the one we are waiting for.

Next, let's look at Lord Jesus' own prophecies

📖 “As the lightning comes out of the east, and shines even to the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27).

📖 “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:24–25).

📖 “Therefore be you also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son of man comes” (Matthew 24:44).

📖 “As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:37).

📖 “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

📖 “If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief, and you shall not know what hour I will come on you” (Revelation 3:3).

📖 “Behold, I come as a thief” (Revelation 16:15).

📖 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

• These are prophecies talking about the Lord's second coming in the last days, it is not talking about what the Lord Jesus did 2,000 years ago.
• These are prophecies personally spoken by the Lord Jesus, not the words of angels or prophets.
• In these scriptures, the Lord Jesus did not talk about He will come on a cloud.
  • The Lord Jesus mentioned "the Son of Man comes", what is the meaning behind Him coming back as a Son of Man?
  • The Lord Jesus also prophesied coming like a thief, how will it be fulfilled?
  • The Lord Jesus also tells us, in order to recognize Him, we have to hear God's voice. Why is it necessary?
• We can see, coming on the cloud is not the only event that will take place during the second coming. There are many truth here; let’s fellowship about them together.

Son of Man

• To understand the meaning of these prophecies, let's first think about a question.

❓Do you think that coming on the clouds is the only way God can show Himself to people?

✅No

Many of you shared no and that is correct. God can appear and work in many different ways. He could appear as a spirit but He could also become a human to work on earth. Like 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus was born as a human being in the flesh to save us!

The Lord Jesus mention "the coming of the Son of man" or "the Son of man comes." The Lord Jesus tells us He will come back as a Son of Man, so, what is a Son of man? When the Lord Jesus tells us He will come back as a Son of Man, do you think it is referring to Christ in the flesh as a human OR Christ in the spiritual body?

❓Question: What is the meaning of `Son of Man`?

A. in the the flesh as a human.
B. spiritual body.

The correct answer ✅ is A. the flesh.

Son of Man has normal humanity

• The “Son of man” refers to someone who is born of a human and possesses normal humanity, going through a normal process of growth. A spirit can’t be called the “Son of man.”
  • For example, in the Old Testament, God worked directly as a Spirit—He has no physical form or image—so He never called Himself the “Son of man.”
  • In the Bible there are angels, but angels also never call themselves the "Son of Man." Angels are spiritual beings, they do not have flesh and blood, do not need to eat or sleep, so, angels are not human beings, they cannot be called the "Son of Man."
  • The Son of man is the exact opposite of a spiritual body, it refers to a human being with normal humanity.
  • The Lord Jesus called Himself the "Son of Man", because 2,000 years ago He became a normal and ordinary human being with flesh and blood. Like human beings, He had to be born, He had to eat, drink and sleep.

Son of Man can suffer many things

The Bible further tells us:

📖 “For as the lightning, that lightens out of the one part under heaven, shines to the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in His day. But first must He suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation” (Luke 17:24–25)

• This verse shows us Christ becoming flesh as a Son of Man can suffer many things and be rejected. The spirit cannot suffer. Christ can only suffer many things and be rejected when He becomes a human. Just like 2,000 years ago, some people didn't accept the Lord Jesus in the flesh, causing Him to suffer and be rejected. If God didn’t become flesh but directly appeared as a spiritual body, descending on a cloud in the sky, who would dare to resist or reject Him? He wouldn’t have to suffer many things, much less be rejected by this generation again.
• Therefore, "Son of man" refers to Christ in the flesh, as a person, as a human being. Not the spiritual body.

Two Ways

• So, what does "Son of Man" have to do with the Lord's second coming?
• When the Lord Jesus prophesied that He would become the Son of Man, it is referring to Him returning in the flesh for a second time. That is, He would put on flesh and become a person with normal humanity and come to earth again.
• The Lord's return is a process.

➡️ Before the disasters, the Lord becomes a person for the second time and come to earth to prepare the believers for the kingdom of heaven.
➡️ After the disasters, the Lord comes on the cloud and rewards the good and punishes the wicked.

• A lot of people know about the part where He comes on the cloud, but if you had not read the prophecies of the Lord Jesus, you would not know about the part where He returns in flesh as a person again.

• We are not denying that the Lord Jesus will come on the cloud, it is written in the Bible so it will happen, but, it is not everything that that is going to happen. The Lord Jesus also clearly prophesied He would return as 'Son of Man' in the flesh as a human being, so it must also be fulfilled.
• The prophecy of the Lord coming on the cloud and becoming a person in the flesh will all happen but they wouldn't happen at the same time.

➡️ Before the disasters, the Lord Jesus first becomes a person for the second time and comes to earth.
➡️ After the disasters, the Lord comes on the cloud in the spiritual body.

Why Bible Does Not Directly Say Christ returns as a human? (🚨 Block)

• Some may wonder: "if the Lord Jesus really returns as a human again, why didn't the Bible directly say 'human', or 'a person.' Why did it use the phrase 'Son of Man' "?
  • This is because the Bible was written 2,000 years ago. 2,000 years ago, people didn't speak like the way we do today. In modern English, we use words like 'human' and 'person', 2,000 years ago, people call each other the 'Son of Man'.

New is Fake? (🚨 Block)

• Brothers and sister, give a thumbs up in the chat if this is the first time you are hearing that the Lord Jesus will first come as a person again before He comes on the clouds. Wow! Many of you are learning something new today, this is great! It means you are growing in your knowledge and understanding of God and His divine plan.
• A sister once said to me, "this is new, first time I have heard of it, my pastor never told me this, this must be fake, I don't believe it." Do you agree?
• While it is natural to hold on to what we already know, we must be careful not to mistake what we already know for the total truth of God. Whether this is your first time or the tenth time hearing about it, our confirmation must come from God's words, not our past experience or imagination. As Bible says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5)
• Today insteading of asking, "Does it sound familiar? Is it what I already know?" let's ask, "What does the Lord Jesus actually say about His second coming?" Our goal is not to justify what we already know, but to seek the fullness of His truth.

Listen to Voice

Next, let's look at other prophecies where the Lord Jesus spoke about returning in the flesh for a second time.

📖“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears My voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20)

📖“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me” (John 10:27)

Let us consider this question:

❓Q: What is the key to recgonize the Lord Jesus when He comes?

A. Listen to His voice?
B. Seeing Him?

The correct answer ✅ is A. Listen to His voice.

❓Do you think listening to God's voice is fulfilled by God coming in flesh or coming on a cloud?

• If the Lord Jesus were to come directly on a cloud, the Bible says: "every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7). Every person - believers and non-believers alike, will immediately see Him, and all will recognize Him and fall on their knees. The recognition of the Lord Jesus coming on the cloud is immediate and visual. There is no need for the Lord to ask us to hear His voice to recognize Him because people would know right away simply by seeing that glorious, divine appearance.

• This prophecy of “hearing God's voice” is not talking about the Lord coming on a cloud; it is actually referring to the Lord becoming a person—the Son of Man—a second time. Why? When the Lord returns as a human being, On the outside, He will look like an ordinary person. He will not physically look like God or a powerful king—He won't be wearing a crown or radiating divine light. Therefore, we cannot recognize the Lord in the flesh just by looking at Him.

• So how do we recognize the Lord when He returns in the flesh? This is where "hearing God's voice" comes in. Christ becoming a person is the word becoming flesh. Even though His outward appearance may be ordinary, the words He speaks and the truths He teaches contain the wisdom, righteousness, and authority of God—words that no human being could ever speak.

• This is also what happened at His first coming 2,000 years ago. The Lord Jesus looked completely ordinary and normal; He lived and dressed like any other person. Because of this ordinary human appearance, many people failed to recognize Him by sight, and some even nailed Him to the cross. But the Lord's followers like Peter and Samaritan woman who paid attention to what the Lord Jesus had to teach and share was able to recognize the Lord Jesus by what He has to say.
• "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)
• When Christ returns in the flesh, He will speak more words, and His sheep-those who love the truth- will come to recognize Him by listening to what He has to say. That is the meaning of "My sheep hear My voice."
• Therefore, the prophecies telling us to hear the Lord's voice to recognize Him are powerful evidence that the Lord Jesus will return as a person—in the flesh—a second time. These prophecies could only be fulfilled by the Lord Jesus coming back as a person speaking to His people.

Like a Thief

Next, let's look at more prophecies where the Lord Jesus spoke about returning in the flesh for a second time. He tells us:

📖 “If therefore you shall not watch, I will come on you as a thief” (Revelation 3:3).

📖 “Behold, I come as a thief” (Revelation 16:15).

📖 “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom comes; go you out to meet him” (Matthew 25:6).

• What does it truly mean for the Lord to come as a thief?
  • Some may say, "It simply means that the Lord's return is going to be a surprise, and no one knows the day or the hour." While that is true, there is actually a greater significance behind this verse.
• Let's first think about a simple question:

❓Q Does a thief come secretly or publicly?

A. Publicly
B. Secretly

The correct answer ✅ is B, secretly.

• When a thief comes, it is very quiet; there are no loud sounds or great noises. When a thief arrives, it is not immediately obvious, and people wouldn't all know at once. Even if you cross paths with a thief, you wouldn't recognize them just by looking at them.
• So, how will the prophecy of the Lord coming back secretly and quietly be fulfilled? Why people wouldn't be able to recognize Christ even after seeing Him?

❓Q. How will "coming like a thief" be fulfiiled?

A. Coming as a person in the flesh (secret and quiet)
B. Coming on the cloud (public)

• If the Lord Jesus were to come on the cloud directly, the Bible says there would be the sound of a trumpet, the heaven and earth will shake, and it would surely be a visual spectacle. Is that going to be quiet? (Not quiet at all!) The Bible also says every eye shall see and the Lord will descend with millions of angels. Is that secret? (No, it is going to be a public, open display).

• Therefore, coming like a thief is not talking about the Lord Jesus coming on a cloud.

• The correct answer is A. Coming like a thief refers to the Lord Jesus returning as a person in the flesh for a second time. Every time the Lord becomes a person, His arrival is always secret and quiet.
• Just as 2,000 years ago when the Lord Jesus came in the flesh as a baby. He was born quietly, perhaps in the middle of the night. Did the whole world know about it when He was born? (No, so it was very secret!) Did people recognize the Lord Jesus when they saw Him? (No!) That is why many people eventually rejected Him and nailed Him to the cross.
• "He asked His disciples, saying, ‘Who do people say that the Son of Man is?’ So they said, ‘Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” (Matthew 16:13–14)
• The Lord putting on flesh to become a person is like a king going undercover. Outwardly, the Lord Jesus was just an ordinary Son of man. Even when people saw Him, they couldn't tell that He was God by His outward appearance. Just as we can't identify a thief by merely looking at their appearance, we can't identify Christ in the flesh by merely looking at Him.
• Therefore, when the Lord Jesus said, “I come as a thief,” it will be fulfilled by the Lord becoming a person and returning in the flesh again.

Two Ways Review

We have read a lot of important prophecies. Let's recap the main point.

❓Question: According to the Lord's own prophecies, in what way will He return?

A. He will directly come on a cloud, because He already came in the flesh 2000 years ago.
B. Secretly in the manner of a Spirit.
C. First, He will become flesh again and come secretly. Then, He will descend publicly on a cloud.
D. I'm not sure.

The correct answer is ✅ is C.

• I know for some of you, this may be the very first time you are hearing about this. But, Think of the Bible like a puzzle. One prophecy is just one piece. If we look at only one piece, we can’t see the full picture. When learning about the Second Coming, we truly have to consider everything the Lord Jesus has told us. By considering all His prophecies—coming as a thief, the need to hear His voice, and coming as the Son of Man—we can clearly see that coming on the cloud is not the only event that must be fulfilled. The Lord Jesus also told us that He will return as a Son of Man in the flesh a second time.

• All prophecies in the Bible must be fulfilled, but their fulfillment happens through a process, with clear steps. Both “the Son of man comes” and “comes with clouds” will be fulfilled, but there is a sequence.

➡️ Before the disasters: He comes as the Son of Man—in the flesh, secretly, like a thief—to express the truth and carry out the work of judgment.
➡️ After the disasters: He appears in the form of the spiritual body, descending publicly on a cloud to reward the good and punish the evil.

• Brother and sisters, I want to clarify an important point: we are not discussing the Lord Jesus' first coming 2,000 years ago. We are focused on the prophecies that the Lord Jesus will become a person again and come in the flesh for a second time.
• Some maybe wondering, “Why can't the Lord Jesus return as a spirit?”
  • Think about it this way: we often say things like, "God is with us," or "God is guiding me." That is referring to God's spirit. God’s Spirit is always present. Even right now, as we fellowship, God’s Spirit is here with us. And if His Spirit has never left, then it can’t come back,” because it’s already here.
  • So, when the Lord Jesus prophesied that He will return, He wasn’t talking about coming back as a spirit. His Spirit is already with us. His return must refer to appearing again in a physical form.

Why Come in Flesh?

• Next, let us delve into a critical question: Why will the Lord Jesus come in the flesh again?
• God's method of appearance is never an arbitrary decision. God's appearance has everything to do with His work of salvation for humanity. Like 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus had to come as a person in the flesh; only by doing so could He carry out the work of the crucifixion and forgive our sins.
• In the last days, the reason why the Lord Jesus will come in the flesh again is because He has important work that He needs to do to prepare believers for the kingdom of heaven. God taking believers to His kingdom is not simply a matter of God lifting us into the sky.

The Lord Jesus personally prophesied all the work that still need to be done:

📖 "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. (John 8:34-35)

📖 “I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:12–13)

📖 "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God" (1 Peter 4:17)

📖 "For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:9)

📖 “For the Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22)

📖 “And has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man” (John 5:27)

📖 “...and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left” (Matthew 25:32-33)

From these verses, we can see some of the key tasks that must be accomplished:

➡️ The Lord Jesus must still teach us many truths.
➡️ The Lord Jesus must carry out the work of judgment, beginning from the House of God.
➡️ The Lord Jesus will separate the good from the bad.

All of these works must be fulfilled before God can take believers into His kingdom.

• Some may wonder: "Are we not already forgiven of our sin? Why must God do all this work?"
• It is true that we have been forgiven of our sins through grace. However, we can still constantly commit sin and live according to our fleshly desires. In our daily lives, we still give in to the temptation to pursue wealth and status; we are still controlled by our arrogance, pride, selfishness, jealousy, and lust. The Lord tells us that everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.
• Does God want His people to continually live in the cycle of sinning and repenting? No. If God simply took people who can still sin and rebel against Him into the Kingdom, what would Satan say? "You are taking all these sinners to your kingdom? You should take me too!"
• Therefore, before believers can be taken to the kingdom of heaven, we must be cleansed and purified of our sinful nature. The Lord Jesus will return to teach us and guide us into all the truth so that the believer could overcome their sinful nature once and for all, no longer living in the cycle of sinning and repenting.
• Now, let's think: for this work, is it better for God to carry it out by coming on the cloud, or by coming as a person?

Express Truth, More Approachable

❓Question: When the Lord comes to teach men more truth, which is easier for people to approach and understand Him?

A. The Lord comes in flesh as a person to speak and interact with us.
B. The Lord speaks to us directly from the sky.

Let's find out the answer by reading a couple passages of words.

📖 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God....And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1,14)

“God’s saving of man is not done directly using the method of the Spirit and the identity of the Spirit, for His Spirit can neither be touched nor seen by man, neither can man draw near. If He tried to save man directly using the perspective of the Spirit, man would be unable to receive His salvation. If God did not put on the outward form of a created man, there would be no way for man to receive this salvation. For man absolutely has no way of approaching Him, much as no one was able to go near the cloud of Jehovah. Only by becoming a created human being, that is, only by putting His Word into the body of flesh that He is about to become, can He personally work the Word into all who follow Him. Only then can man personally hear and see His Word, and moreover gain His Word, and by this means come to be fully saved”

“This was the advantage of God becoming flesh: He could take advantage of mankind’s knowledge and use human language to speak to people, and to express His wishes. He explained or ‘translated’ to man His profound, divine language that people struggled to understand in human language, in a human way. This helped people understand His intentions and know what He wanted to do. He could also have conversations with people from the human perspective, using human language, and communicate with people in a way they understood. He could even speak and work using human language and knowledge so that people could feel God’s kindness and closeness, so that they could see His heart”

• The correct answer is A. The Lord coming in the flesh as a person is much easier for us to approach and understand Him.
• The bible verse tells us the Word has to become flesh.
• Let's first talk about why the spiritual appearance is not the best way to do this work. Even though God can certainly speak as a spirit from the clouds, people could not bear it. We have a clear example in the Old Testament:

📖 “And all the people saw the thunder, and the lightning, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood afar off. And they said to Moses, Speak you with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die” (Exodus 20:18–19).

• When God appeared to people on Mount Sinai with roaring thunder, how would you describe people's reaction? Happy or scared? (They were terrified!) The Israelites were so afraid they begged Moses, "You go speak with God. Whatever God wants us to do, we will follow. We dare not see God’s face!" In the last days, if God were to come in the spirit, wouldn't we also be terrified and afraid of getting close to Him? How then could God express the deep truths needed to supply us and guide us? Who would actually dare to approach Him?
• This is the incredible advantage of God becoming flesh. As a person, He looks like a human from the outside, which does not create fear or trepidation. He can use human language to express the truth, allowing us to better understand God's intentions. He can interact with His followers and answer their questions anytime, anywhere.

• Just as the Lord Jesus did 2,000 years ago, He had face-to-face conversations with people, using parables from everyday life (like the parable of the net and the leaven) to explain God's divine truth. For example, when Peter asked how many times he should forgive his brother, the Lord didn't thunder from the sky; He answered gently and practically, "seven times seventy times." God becoming flesh as the Son of Man is simply easier for people to contact and speak with and is the most conducive way to lead people to enter the truth and attain salvation.

Reveals People, Separate Good and Evil

• Brother and sisters, do you think every believer can enter God's kingdom? (No)

• Another work that the Lord has to do in the last days is to sort believers according to their kind: separating the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the tares, and the wise virgins from the foolish ones. It will determine who can be taken to God's kingdom and who will be left behind to perish in the disasters. But which way is better for God to do this work: in the flesh or the spirit?

• Let's first see if God can effectively do this work by coming on the cloud.

  • If God were to appear to people as a glorious spiritual body, every eye would see, and every mouth would confess. Both the good and the evil would prostrate themselves before Him. Even people who never truly believed in God before would pretend to love and obey God just to get into the kingdom of heaven. The Bible says even devils believe and tremble! In this scenario, how could good and evil be separated?
  • Some may wonder: "But doesn't God see our heart and know who is good and who is evil?" Yes, He does. But if God were to tell people directly that they are evil and wicked and deserve to go to hell, would anyone willingly admit it? Wouldn't people just complain that God is unfair and unrighteous?
  • So, this work cannot be done by God coming on a cloud. Instead, this work is fulfilled by the Lord when He returns as a person in the flesh for a second time, as stated in the Bible: “And has given Him authority to execute judgment also, because He is the Son of man” (John 5:27)

Let's understand why through an analogy. Has anyone here seen the TV show called "Undercover Boss"?

In this TV show, the boss of a company wants to figure out who the good workers are and who the bad workers are. So he dresses up as a regular employee. While working there, he secretly observes and assesses their performance, and in the end, he promotes the hardworking ones and fires those who are not doing their jobs.

Why do you think the boss had to go undercover and pretend to be a regular worker? Yes! It is so that he could find out the truth and see the true colors of people. People all have cunning nature, if I knew my boss is watching me at work, I would work hard to leave a good impression. That is the wisdom of the boss going undercover.

In the last days, to separate the good from the bad, the Lord also goes undercover—by becoming a person to speak and work!

In this way, the wise virgins—those who seek the truth and listen to God's voice—will be able to recognize Him, welcome Him, and gain His end-time salvation. The foolish virgins and hypocrites, because Christ becoming a person appears ordinary and normal, will instead casually judge, condemn, and resist Him. They will be revealed as the evil ones, who only believe in God with their mouth, but have no relationship with Christ and do not truly love the truth.

Just like 2,000 years ago, when the Lord Jesus was in the flesh, many religious leaders of Judaism condemned and rejected Him. The Lord Jesus revealed them as hypocrites who could only recite the scriptures but did not truly revere God in their hearts.

So, only by Christ returning in the flesh as a person for a second time can He sort people according to their kind and purify the believers for the Kingdom of Heaven.

Two Ways Review

At this time let's recap what we have learned so far, in the last days the Lord's return is broken into 2 step, secret arrival and public appearance.

• Before the disasters, the Lord will first come in the flesh as a person for a second time to prepare the believers for the kingdom of heaven. He will speak new words to guide believers in to all the truth, teaching them how to overcome sin and rescue them from Satan's control. When He returns in the flesh not everyone will recognize and know Him, that is why it is a secret arrival.
• After the disasters, the Lord will come on the cloud, every eye will see and the Lord will reward and good and punish the wicked. This is the public appearance.

Consequence

Why does all of this matter? Why do we have to understand these two steps of the Lord’s return? It matters because you need to make a choice on how you will welcome the Lord and that choice will determine whether we can gain God's salvation.

Even though we are all waiting for the Lord to come, how we welcome Him will determine our outcome and our final destination. It determines whether we are the wise virgins who welcome the bridegroom, or if we become the foolish virgins who miss out on God's end-time salvation.

❓Question: How should we welcome the Lord? 🤔

A. Just wait to see the Lord descend on a cloud in His spiritual form.
B. Welcome the Lord when He comes in the flesh for the second time.
C. I'm not sure.

Welcome son of man to gain salvation

To know the answer, it is crucial to understand what God is going to accomplish in each part of His appearance. When the Lord secretly comes in the flesh before the great tribulations, He is carrying out the work of judgment to purify and prepare believers for the Kingdom of Heaven.

• You don't know how to overcome temptation from the enemy? The Lord will teach you.
• You don't know how to resolve greed, pride, or arrogance? The Lord will teach you.
• You don't know how to truly love, submit, and obey God? The Lord will teach you.

The entire goal of the Lord returning in flesh is to get the believers cleansed and ready for His Kingdom. Then, the great tribulation and disasters will come. Those who have gained this purification will be protected by the Lord through the disasters. So we definitely want to welcome the Lord before the disasters when He return in the flesh as a person for the second time.

Waiting for the clouds means destruction

What happens if believers wait until after the disasters to welcome the Lord when He comes on the cloud?

Bible says,

📖 “Behold, He comes 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.” (Revelation 1:7)

• What does wailing means? Wailing means crying. Is it a good cry or a bad cry? Wailing means a crying with deep sadness, pain, regret, and remorse. By the time people see the Lord Jesus coming on a cloud, it will be too late. God's work of salvation will be finished, and God will end the age. That is why in the Bible the Lord never tell us to watch the clouds and just wait to see Him, but rather He told us to remain watchful and to hear His voice. If we do not follow the Lord's own prophecies but continue to wait for the Lord to come on a cloud, we will not receive blessing but rather calamity.

Let's read a passage of words to understand why this is.

“Many people may not care what I say, but I still want to tell every so-called saint who follows Jesus that, when you see Jesus descend from the heaven upon a white cloud with your own eyes, this will be the public appearance of the Sun of righteousness. Perhaps that will be a time of great excitement for you, yet you should know that the time when you witness Jesus descend from the heaven is also the time when you go down to hell to be punished. That will be the time of the end of God’s management plan and it will be when God rewards the good and punishes the evil. For the judgment of God will have ended before man sees signs, when there is only the expression of truth. Those who accept the truth and do not seek signs, and thus have been purified, shall have been brought before the throne of God and entered the Creator’s embrace. Only those who persist in the belief that ‘The Jesus who does not ride upon a white cloud is a false christ’ shall be subjected to everlasting punishment, for they only believe in the Jesus who exhibits signs, but do not acknowledge the Jesus who expresses severe judgment and releases the life and the true way. And so it can only be that Jesus deals with them when He openly returns upon a white cloud. They are too stubborn, too confident in themselves, too arrogant. How could such degenerates be rewarded by Jesus? The return of Jesus is a great salvation for those who are capable of accepting the truth, but for those who are unable to accept the truth it is a sign of condemnation. You should choose your own path, and should not blaspheme against the Holy Spirit and reject the truth. You should not be an ignorant and arrogant person, but someone who submits to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and thirsts for and seeks the truth; only in this way will you benefit”

Invitation

• Brothers and sisters, if you missed any portion of our fellowship tonight, you can watch the following sermon recording to make up on what you missed. (主来相关视频)

• Tomorrow, we will learn about God's work of judgment. The Bible mentions in over 200 places that God will carry out judgment work in the last days. Why does God need to judge the believers? And how will God judge the believers? What are God's requirements for entering the kingdom of heaven? It is a big topic tied to our ultimate destinies and outcomes. Come join us tomorrow night where we’ll dive into this topic in more detail. Looking forward to seeing you all there!