His Return as King and Friend
SABBATH AFTERNOON Read for This Week's Study:
Dan. 9:24-27; Matt. 24; Luke 21:25-31; John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Heb. 9:28.Memory Text:
"So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:28, NKJV).Though a distortion of the truth regarding the Second Coming, the Left Behind series of books and movies grabbed the attention of millions worldwide. The whole episode presented God as wickedly capricious, and it fostered a climate of irrational fear (if not panic) in people's minds about the Advent, a mood opposite to the way the Bible wants us to think about Christ's return. In the New Testament, generally, the return of Jesus is a glorious, supremely joyful event. He is our king, and also our friend.
Though there are unpleasant elements associated with the Second Coming (as we will see), it is not the fear factor that will cause people to turn their eyes toward heaven. Fear is important, and we do not proclaim the whole truth about the Advent without including it. But in doing so, we ought to stick with what the Scriptures explicitly say, and not present anxiety-provoking nightmares of our own making. To give the various aspects of the Advent the same emphasis they receive in Scripture is to create in the hearts of those who care to listen something akin to the anticipation of children yearning for Christmas.
The message of the Second Coming should be good news, and not something that sends people looking for anxiety therapy.
*Study this week's lesson to prepare for Sabbath, June 28.
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