The Second Coming of Jesus Christ Part 2 Kathryn Kuhlman

And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up, and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, Why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. Beloved, he's coming back to earth again. As surely as he went away. And he did. He said he would come back. There were those who promised he would come back. And he's coming back. And the thrilling part is, he'll return in the same manner as he went. And he went in bodily form. He was visible to the eye. The same Jesus. But remember something. He will come first in the region of our atmosphere. And the dead in Christ and the living saints shall be caught up to meet him in the air. Oh, my friend, that's going to be glorious. Let me just take a few minutes and explain something to you. And be sure that as you are enjoying this little heart -to -heart talk that you have your own Bible open. There's nothing like the Word of God. And I want to remind you again that if I make one statement that's contrary to the Word of God, I am wrong and the Bible is right. If your minister preaches one thing from the pulpit and the Bible says something else, the Bible is always right. Know that. Now, when I'm talking to you about the great catching up, when I'm talking to you about the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, I want to be dead sure that I can back up every statement with the Word of God. And if you can find where I have said something that is not in the Word of God, that is not scriptural, then you tell me about it. Otherwise, you'll have to accept it if the Word of God says it. Because the Word of God comes from the highest authority in heaven and in earth. Jesus himself said that he was coming back and coming back in bodily form. He said it. He cannot lie. Remember that. He is coming back. We have nothing that assures us that since he went away that he has ever been back to this earth in bodily form. For you see, he has been in position of great high priest, the great mediator between God and man all this time. Ever since he went away. This very hour. He is seated at the right hand of God the Father. In position of great high priest. Our great intercessor. When we pray he is there. The last great bequest that he made to man. Before he went away. was to assure us that he was leaving us his name to use. Therefore, when we pray, we have access to the throne of God. We have a hearing at the throne of God in the name of Jesus. And God the Father hears our prayer through the... person of Jesus Christ, the great high priest. Oh, that's thrilling. That's wonderful. All right. Now remember, as we talk about the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, there are two stages of the second coming. I'm going to give you scripture for both. If you will please turn to Matthew, the 16th chapter. Here is something that is always so misunderstood, and it's all because there should not have been a chapter marking where there is a chapter marking now in the Bible. Chapter 17 should not begin where you see it in your Bible. The last verse of chapter 16 must continue with the first verse of the 17th chapter. Let me read it to you as it should be. And I'm reading now from the 16th chapter of Matthew, the 28th verse. Verily, and remember it's Jesus speaking, and we know something that's most important. because whenever he uses the word verily, it's sort of a stop, look, and listen sign. I say unto you, this comes from his own lips, there be some standing here which shall not taste of death till they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Don't stop there. There's a chapter marking there, but don't stop there. Continue. Because the next verse begins, and after six days, in other words, six days later, Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John, his brother, and brings them up into a high mountain apart, and was transfigured, before them and his face did shine as the sun and his raiment was white as the light and behold there appeared unto them moses and elijah talking with him then answered peter and said unto jesus lord it is good for us to be here if thou wilt Let us make your three tabernacles, one for thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah. Oh, that human aspect, always enter into it. Always, whenever man has something to do with it, he spoils the whole thing and says, come on, let's build something. Why is it man is still that way? God begins pulling. worry out of his spirit. Oh, the supernatural is happening everywhere in God's blessing, and the first thing that man thinks about, let's build something. Come on, let's build. And here enters in the human aspect when it was something that was so priceless and so holy and so wonderful. Then answered, Peter. And it was just like Peter to get the idea of building impetuous. Yeah. He wanted to put four walls around what he was experiencing. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, it's good for us to be here. If thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles. He wasn't only going to be satisfied with one. Let's make three of them. One for thee and one for Moses and one for Elijah. And while he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed him. And behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. Hear ye him. Do you remember when that same voice spoke before? Do you remember that again the same person said the same words regarding his son? Sure. It was when Jesus came up out of the waters of baptism and God the Father spoke audibly at that time and said, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. But let's go back now to this transfiguration scene. In this transfiguration scene, we have a fulfillment of Jesus' word that there were some, and the some were only three, Peter, James, and John. That's all. Only these three of his disciples who should not taste of death until they saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. But remember something. The transfiguration scene was a rehearsal of the second stage of Christ's second coming. Just as John was transported across the centuries into the day of the Lord and had revealed to him in the book of the Revelation the things that are to come to pass in the latter days, so Peter and James and John had a preview, or call it a foreview if you want to, on the Mount of Transfiguration of the coming of Christ. in his glory. We're not taking any chance. We have full assurance. We have proof. And God gave proof to these three disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration of that which Jesus had promised. and that which the Holy Spirit gave in Thessalonians. Oh, that's thrilling. A child can understand it. It's so simple. Why Moses? Why Elijah? All right, let's go a little deeper. In this transfiguration scene, Moses was a type. of the first resurrected saints. And Elijah was the type of those who would be caught out without dying. For remember, Moses died a natural death. Mm -hmm. And he was a type of those who died in the Lord and were buried. But Elijah had never tasted death to this very hour. Elijah has never tasted of death. He just went walking one day and he just kept right on walking. He never came back. If you don't believe it, read 2 Kings, the second chapter, the 11th verse. Elijah was caught out without dying. And there on the Mount of Transfiguration, we have the three, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus, as a sample of the glory of the saints at the time of the rapture. Now, Peter understood. That to me is the most amazing thing, how that the Holy Spirit will open a person's understanding. He'll not only open their understanding, but he'll open one's eyes, he'll open one's ears. And it's true, flesh and blood hath not revealed us unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. At the moment when Peter said, Oh, this is so glorious. This is so wonderful. Let's get busy and let's build something. But I'll tell you something. It wasn't long after that, before his spiritual eyes began to be opened. It's a shame that some of God's children didn't get their spiritual eyes opened before they began building. His spiritual eyes were opened. Flesh and blood have not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. How do we know that Peter finally understood the why of that which he was seeing with his own eyes? because he talks about it later. Read 2 Peter, the first chapter. Mm -hmm. We have his own words. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses... of his majesty. In other words, of his glory. You see, that was the reason that men and women didn't understand his first coming. And our first heart -to -heart talk, we established the truth, the fact of his first coming. Because... They couldn't understand that he had not come in glory. He came born in a manger and they couldn't associate. They knew that the Old Testament prophets had told of his coming. But they couldn't associate the humbleness of a manger with the glory that the Old Testament prophets spoke of. Because they... did not have the light regarding his first coming and his second coming. Now Peter says, I understand, I see. For we have not followed cunningly devised fables where we made note unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses. We didn't get it secondhand. Peter says, we were eyewitnesses of what? Of his majesty, of his glory. For he received from God the Father honor and glory. When there came such a voice to him from heaven, saying, this is my beloved son. in whom I am well pleased. And this voice, which came from heaven, we heard when we were with him in the holy mount. That's it. And they weren't in some kind of a trance. As surely as there were those, who saw his feet leave the Mount of Olives, so surely the eyes of the three disciples, Peter, James, and John, his brother, see Jesus. They saw him. They heard the voice of God the Father. They did not see God the Father. It would have been unscriptural had they seen God the Father. For no man can look upon the person of a holy God and live. Not in these bodies that are still corruption. These bodies are not geared for the presence of God. That's the reason we have to have new bodies resurrected. that bodies before we can stand in his wonderful presence. Oh, that's thrilling. I'm going to go one step further, and I want you to see something that is so familiar to you. It was Jesus speaking to Martha when he was about to raise Lazarus from the dead. And this scripture is used by every minister who ever conducts a funeral service. John 11, 25 -26 I am the resurrection and the life. He that believeth in me. Though he were dead, yet shall he live. There we have the first resurrection. But don't stop there. Go on further. Jesus didn't stop there. He continued. And whosoever liveth. In other words, those who are alive when I come back to earth. And there are some. Folk living this very hour who will never have a shroud put on their body, whose bodies will never be taken to a mortuary, there'll never be a casket purchased for them, there'll never be a funeral service held for them. I'm not worried about what kind of shroud I'm going to wear. I mean that. I'm not worried about what kind of a casket I'm going to have not on your life, my friend. I'm looking for that glorious time of catching up. For whosoever liveth is alive when I come back. And we're so near the end of this dispensation that there are those living this very hour. To whom this refers. who will never taste death in the sense that Moses tasted death, are those whose bodies have been laid to rest in the cemetery. And whosoever liveth and is alive when I come back and believeth in me shall never die. They shall never taste death. Hmm? And that's why on the Mount of Transfiguration, there was Moses who had tasted of death. But at the time of the great catching up, remember those who died in the Lord shall be raised first. And he was the type of those who died in Christ. Next follows the translation of the living saints. And there are those who are listening to me this very moment to whom this applies. Know that. Who are alive and believeth in me shall never die. Hallelujah. God bless you.