Session 1

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Session 1 Invitation

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. That is why we have organized this Bible study series—to help brothers and sisters learn how to welcome the second coming of the Lord Jesus. This is an 8-day Bible study, and during these eight days you will learn many things you did not know about the Lord’s return. For example, we will read the prophecies about the second coming and understand what God plans to do. We will learn about God's judgment work and His requirements for believers to enter the kingdom of heaven. We will also learn how to discern the true Christ from false Christs, how Christ will establish His kingdom on earth, and much more! If you are also looking forward to the Lord's return, I warmly invite you to join us for these eight days—it will definitely transform your faith!

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

Importance of learning to welcome the Lord

• Let us first understand why we must learn how 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 24:7)

• 🖼️ 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 are not meant to scare us, but to awaken us and remind us that the Lord Jesus is returning soon. This is precisely the time for believers to stay alert, be vigilant, and prepare for the Lord’s return. Only God can truly protect us in the last days, and only by welcoming Him can we enter the kingdom of heaven.

• Some people may say, “I believe in Christ. Of course I will be able to welcome Him when He comes.”

• 🖼️ But in fact, not every believer will be able to welcome the Lord. In the Lord Jesus’ parable of the ten virgins, all ten were 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 virgins did not. This shows us that only those who are prepared can welcome the Lord, while those who are unprepared will be left behind.

• Throughout the Bible, the Lord Jesus also reminds us that believers must not become complacent in their faith. We must seek Him diligently, stay watchful, and be prepared. Otherwise, we will be rejected.

📖 “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 must equip ourselves with the truth about the Lord’s second coming—how He will return and what work He will do. Only by understanding God’s plan can we truly be prepared to welcome the Lord and enter His 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 would simply come on a cloud and that every eye would see Him, 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 notice that the scripture also says, “all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.” Wailing means mourning, crying in grief, pain, and sorrow. Logically, the Lord coming on the clouds seems like it should be a joyful event—so why does it say all people will wail when they see Him?

• Brothers and sisters, is coming on a cloud the only prophecy about the Lord’s return? In fact, there are hundreds of prophecies in the Bible about the Lord’s second coming. Do they all say the Lord will return on a cloud? Clearly, they do not. It is important to consider all the prophecies, not just one or two, so that we can understand the full picture of how the Lord will come.

• Most importantly, what did the Lord Jesus Himself say about His second coming? In the Bible, some prophecies are spoken by men, some by angels, and some by the Lord Jesus. If we want to understand exactly how the Lord will come, we must pay close attention to His own words. After all, 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 prophecies describe the Lord’s second coming in the last days—they are not about what He did 2,000 years ago.
• These prophecies were spoken personally by the Lord Jesus, not by angels or prophets.
• In these scriptures, does the Lord Jesus say He will come on a cloud? [ No. ] Instead:
  • 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 that coming on a cloud is not the only event that will take place during the second coming. There is much truth here to uncover. Let’s fellowship about these truths together.

Son of Man

• To understand the meaning of these prophecies, let’s begin with a question:

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

✅No

Many of you answered “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. Just as 2,000 years ago, the Lord Jesus was born as a human being in the flesh to save us!

• 🖼️ The Lord Jesus mentions “the coming of the Son of Man” or “the Son of Man comes.” He tells us that He will come back as the Son of Man. So what does this mean? When Jesus says He will return as the Son of Man, is He referring to Christ in the flesh as a human, or Christ in a spiritual body?

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

A. In the flesh as a human
B. Spiritual body

✅ The correct answer is A: in the flesh.

Son of Man has normal humanity

• 🖼️ The term “Son of Man” refers to someone who is born of a human and who has normal humanity, going through a normal process of growth. A spirit cannot 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—can we call angels the ‘Son of Man’? [ No. ] Angels are spiritual beings; they do not have flesh and blood, do not need to eat or sleep, and are not human. Therefore, they cannot be called the ‘Son of Man.’
  • The Son of man is the exact opposite of a spiritual body—it refers to a real human being living with normal humanity.
  • The Lord Jesus called Himself the "Son of Man", because 2,000 years ago He became a normal and ordinary human with flesh and blood. Like other humans, He had to be born, 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 that Christ, becoming flesh as the Son of Man, can suffer many things and be rejected. A spirit cannot suffer. Christ could only suffer and be rejected when He becomes a human.
• Just as 2,000 years ago, some people did not accept the Lord Jesus in the flesh, causing Him to suffer and be rejected. If Christ had not become flesh but directly appeared as a spiritual body, descending on a cloud, who would dare resist Him? He would not have to suffer, much less be rejected by this generation again.
• 🖼️ Therefore, the term “Son of Man” refers to Christ in the flesh—as a human being—not as a 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, He was referring to returning in the flesh for the second time—that is, putting on flesh and becoming a human being with normal humanity to come to earth again.
• The Lord’s return is a process, not a single event.
• 🖼️ ➡️ Before the disasters: The Lord becomes a person for the second time and comes to earth to prepare believers for the kingdom of heaven.

• 🖼️ ➡️ After the disasters: The Lord comes on the cloud to reward the righteous and punish the wicked.

• Many people know about the part where He comes on the cloud, but if you have not read the prophecies spoken by the Lord Jesus, the part about Him returning in the flesh as a human will be new to you.

• We are not denying that the Lord Jesus will come on the cloud—it is clearly written in the Bible and will happen. But, that is not everything that is going to happen. The Lord Jesus also personally prophesied that He would return as the Son of Man in the flesh, and this must also be fulfilled. Brothers and sisters, do you believe that all of God’s words will be fulfilled and come to pass? [Of course!]
• How can the Lord come on the cloud and in the flesh? Actually, there is no conflict—His return is a process. The prophecies of the Lord coming on the cloud and returning in the flesh will both be fulfilled, but they will not 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.

• Let’s see where this is written in the Bible:

📖 "As the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, ..." (Matthew 24:37-38)

📖 "Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven:..." (Matthew 24:29-30)

• People eating, drinking, marrying, and giving in marriage clearly describes a time when life is still normal, before the great disasters. This is when the Lord returns as the Son of Man in the flesh. Before the tribulation, the Lord will return in the flesh as a person to work on earth and prepare believers for the kingdom of heaven.
• Next scripture says, “Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days… shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven” This shows that it is after the tribulation that the Lord will come on the cloud.

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 doesn’t the Bible directly say ‘human’ or ‘a person’? Why does it use the phrase ‘Son of Man’?”
  • This is because the Bible was written over 2,000 years ago, and people spoke differently back then. In modern English, we use words like human or person, but 2,000 years ago, people refer to a human as the ‘Son of Man’.

New is Fake? (🚨 Block)

• Brothers and sisters, give a thumbs up in the chat if this is the first time you are hearing that the Lord Jesus will return as a person again before the disasters. Wow! Many of you are learning something new today—this is wonderful! 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; it’s the first time I’ve 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 full truth of God. Whether this is your first time or your tenth time hearing about it, our confirmation must come from God’s words, not our past experiences or imagination. As the Bible says:

📖 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)

• Today, instead 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.

• Now, is this prophecy talking about the Lord Jesus 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 Lord Jesus coming on the cloud is very obvious—we can confirm it with our eyes. There is no need for the Lord to ask us to hear His voice to recognize Him, because everyone will immediately know Him just by seeing Him in the sky.

• 🖼️ This prophecy about “hearing God's voice” is not referring to the Lord coming on a cloud; it refers to the Lord becoming a person—the Son of Man—a second time. Why? When the Lord returns in the flesh, He will appear as an ordinary person. He will not physically look like God or a powerful king—no crown, no lights coming out of His body—just an ordinary looking man.
• Can people recognize the Lord in the flesh just by looking at Him? [ No. ] Otherwise, people would not have nailed the Lord Jesus to the cross 2,000 years ago. Therefore, we cannot identify the Lord in the flesh simply by appearance.
• 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 exactly what happened at His first coming 2,000 years ago. The Lord Jesus looked completely ordinary and normal. Because of this, many people failed to recognize Him and some even rejected Him. Yet His followers, like Peter and the Samaritan woman, who listened to His teachings and paid attention to His words, were able to recognize Him.
• As Peter said:

📖 “Then Simon Peter answered Him, ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have 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 recognize Him by listening to what He has to say. That is the meaning of "My sheep hear My voice."
• 🖼️ Therefore, the prophecies that tell us to hear the Lord’s voice provide clear and powerful evidence that the Lord Jesus will return as a person—in the flesh—a second time. These prophecies could only be fulfilled if He comes back as a human being, speaking directly to His people, so that His followers can recognize Him through His words.

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 will be a surprise, and no one knows the day or the hour." While that is true, there is a deeper significance to this prophecy.
• Let's start with a simple question:

❓Q Does a thief come secretly or publicly?

A. Secretly
B. Publicly

The correct answer ✅ is A, secretly.

• When a thief comes, it is very quiet; there are no loud sounds or 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 might not realize he is a thief. So coming like a thief means the Lord’s return will be secret and quiet.
• So, what does it mean for the Lord to return secretly and quietly??

❓Q. How is “coming like a thief” fulfilled?

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

• 🖼️ If the Lord Jesus were to come directly on a cloud, the Bible says there would be the sound of trumpets and the heavens and earth would shake. Is that going to be quiet? (Not at all!) The Bible also says that every eye shall see Him, descending with millions of angels. Would that be secret? (No! It is entirely public. Everyone will see.)

• Therefore, “coming like a thief” does not refer to the Lord 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 takes on flesh, His arrival is secret and quiet.
• Just as 2,000 years ago, when the Lord Jesus was born as a baby, His birth was quiet, likely in the middle of the night. Did the whole world know about it? No—it was very secret. Did people recognize Him when they saw Him? No. That is why many 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 appears as an ordinary human. Even when people see Him, they cannot tell that He is God by His outward appearance. Just as we cannot identify a thief merely by looking at them, we cannot recognize Christ in the flesh simply by appearance.
• Therefore, when the Lord Jesus says, “I come as a thief,” it will be fulfilled by Him becoming a person and returning in the flesh once again.

Two Ways Review

We have read many 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 prophecies like puzzle pieces. 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 must consider everything the Lord Jesus tells us. By looking at all His prophecies—coming as a thief, the need to hear His voice, and coming as the Son of Man—we clearly see that coming on the cloud is not the only event. The Lord Jesus also tells 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 follows a process with clear steps. Both “the Son of Man comes” and “comes with clouds” will be fulfilled, but in 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 focusing on the prophecies that He will become a person again and return in the flesh for a second time.
• Some maybe wondering, “Why can't the Lord Jesus return as a spirit?”
  • Think about it: we often say, “God is with us” or “God is guiding me.” That refers to God’s Spirit. God’s Spirit is always present—even right now, as we fellowship, His Spirit is with us. Since His Spirit has never left, it cannot return, because it is already here.
  • Therefore, when the Lord Jesus prophesies that He will return, He is not speaking of 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,... (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 Jesus provided an accurate answer in human language that everyone could understand: "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 best 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

• Brothers and sisters, do you think it matters whether believers welcome the Lord Jesus when He comes in the flesh again or when He comes on the cloud?

• Actually, it makes a huge difference—it determines people’s final destiny. Let’s look at an example. The Lord Jesus said:

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

• Do you all know the story of Noah? God saw the wickedness on the earth and decided to cleanse it with a flood. Before the flood came, He instructed Noah to warn people and urge them to enter the ark.
• Does it make a difference if someone enters the ark before the flood or after the flood? Absolutely. Those who enter the ark before the flood live; those who wait until they see the flood are destroyed.
• 🖼️ In Noah’s time, listening and believing beforehand led to salvation; 🖼️ waiting to see before believing led to destruction.
• In the last days, the same principle applies. It matters whether believers choose to welcome the Lord’s return in the flesh or wait until they see Him come on the cloud. This choice determines whether believers can receive God’s salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven.

❓Question: How should we welcome the Lord's return to be saved? 🤔

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.

✅ B. Welcome the Lord when He comes in the flesh for the second time.

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 spiritual 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”

• The Lord Jesus prophesied many times that He would return as the Son of Man, coming in the flesh again to express the truth and guide believers into all truth. If someone reads these prophecies yet refuses to believe that this is God’s plan, it exposes the nature of their faith. How a person treats God’s words is how they treat God Himself. If a person does not take God’s words seriously, it becomes clear what kind of believer they truly are.
• Welcoming the Lord when He comes on the cloud requires no effort or faith. Anyone can do that. The Bible even says the devil will see and tremble. Waiting until after the disasters, waiting to see the Lord on the cloud before welcoming Him—this is the path of false believers and unbelievers. They cannot recognize God’s voice; they only want to see before they believe. True believers, however, welcome the Lord before the disasters, when He returns quietly in the flesh as the Son of Man, by recognizing His voice and accepting the truth He expresses. Just as the Lord Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice.”
• For most of my life, I was taught to simply wait for Jesus to come on the cloud. But now we can see clearly that this is not what the Lord Jesus wants believers to do. By the time He appears on the cloud, it will already be too late. The Lord Jesus told us to hear, to seek, and to search. Why? Because He wants us to welcome Him when He returns in the flesh again. Only by welcoming the Lord’s return in the flesh—by hearing His voice and accepting the truth He expresses—can we have the hope of entering the kingdom of heaven.

Invitation

Hey everyone 🌆 Quick heads up — I'm planning a 3-minute welcome call tonight or tomorrow ☎️ for prayer and a quick review. I want to make sure it fits into your schedule, so could you let me know which time works best for you? 🤔

Here are the options:
A. 8 AM – 10 AM EST
B. 10 AM – 12 PM EST
C. 12 PM – 2 PM EST
D. 2 PM – 4 PM EST
E. 4 PM – 5 PM EST
F. 5 PM – 6 PM EST
G. 6 PM – 7 PM EST

Just shoot me a message with your preferred time slot, and we'll lock it in ⏰ Can't wait to connect with you all! 😄

• 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!

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