Welcome to Episode #179 of the Way of the Bible podcast. This is our third of eight episodes in our Twenty-Third mini-series entitled The Return of Jesus Christ [2]. On today’s episode, we’ll look at New Testament passages that speak of the most written about time in the Bible, the return of Jesus Christ to judge the world in righteousness on the Day of the Lord [3].
What we are chasing through the Scriptures is directly related to a matter-of-fact statement God made to the serpent when pronouncing a curse on him in the Garden of Eden. Genesis 3:15 – And I [God] will put enmity between you [the serpent] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
The prophetic Scriptures tell of a day yet to come when Jesus, the offspring of the woman, will do away with the serpent who enslaves mankind to do his will because of their fear of death. Because Adam ate the forbidden fruit in defiance of God’s command, sin entered the world and death through sin. In consequence, corruption to decay also came upon the entire created cosmos.
Paul, in speaking to his understudy – Timothy, describes the condition of those opposed to the gospel in 2 Timothy 2:26 – Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. This is where I get “being taken captive to do the devil’s will.”
The writer of Hebrews speaks of mankinds enslavement to the devil in Hebrews 2:14-15 – Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
A coming global leader who will be the offspring of the devil will arise in the days ahead. He will charm and deceive the world and become it’s leader. In jealousy and wrath he will order the peoples and nations of the world to conduct genocide on both Jews and Christians in the world at that time. He and an army he will be leading to attack Jerusalem will be destroyed in a moment by a word from Jesus’ mouth on the Day of the Lord. The Day Jesus returns to judge the world in righteousness and redeem a remnant of Israel still in the land.
Comments & Upvotes