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Back in the spring, I began a series on this blog in which I was exploring the foundational beliefs of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, what we call the “Four-Fold Gospel.” I made it through the first 3 before we took a break for the summer (Christ our Savior, Sanctifier and Healer), and now I get to touch on the 4th, which is Christ our Coming King. In chapter 2 of his letter to Titus, the apostle Paul refers to the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ as our “blessed hope (Titus 2:13).” We believe that just as Christ came once in human form to die on the cross to purify and redeem us, he will come again to establish his reign and restore us to heavenly glory. Revelation 1:7 says “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.” As the church, we live as faithful followers in this present age while we wait in anticipation and intense longing for this glorious future event.

In the Christian and Missionary Alliance, we believe in the premillennial coming of Jesus. While we certainly understand that many faithful, bible-believing Christians may interpret this differently, it is our understanding and hope that the coming of the Lord will precede and introduce the 1,000-year millennium period. Christ will return first in all his glory with the armies of heaven to defeat his enemies (Revelation 19:11-16), and then after his return, the beast and the armies of earth will wage war against Christ, but they are defeated and thrown into the lake of fire and all his enemies are slain (Revelation 19:19-21). Then, an angel from heaven will come with a great chain and throw Satan into a pit and bind him for a thousand years, during which all his activities will be ceased (Revelation 20:1-3). Christ will establish his reign for a thousand years, and believers will rise at the onset of this period and reign with Christ during the millennium and the rest of the dead will resurrect at the end of the thousand years (Revelation 20:4-6). One author wrote that during the millennium period, “The binding of Satan means for the first time in human history mankind will not have to deal with his deceptive tactics, all of his activities will have completely ceased.” Satan, his minions, and all enemies of Christ will be defeated. During this period, Jesus Christ will possess absolute control and he will rule with all authority, and all who are alive at this time will submit to the rule of Christ. The millennium will be distinct and unlike any other age in human history, as the return and triumph of Christ will bring world-wide peace.

Why is this important to know? Because we live in a broken world, full of suffering, sickness, and the devastating effects of sin. But there will be a day when Satan is bound and banished, and the earth will be free from his influence. Our bodies are full of pain and our flesh tainted with sin, but there will be a day when Christ will bestow onto us a perfect and glorified resurrection body, a body free of pain and full of boundless strength and the resurrection life of Christ himself. This is our great hope and anticipation, but in the meantime, we must be alert, ready, and serving him faithfully. Scripture informs us that this coming will be imminent. Jesus says “Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming (Matthew 24:42 ESV).” The timing of the return of Christ is not revealed because God wants his church to always be expecting it. If we knew the date, then we would be inclined to wait until the last minute to take seriously our command to make disciples. But because the coming of Christ is imminent, we must always be ready and be urgently doing our part to take the gospel to the ends of the earth. A.B. Simpson notes that the expectancy of an imminent return of Christ will make us “unlike many comfortable Christians and will instead set our soul on fire to serve God and to save men (Simpson, 28).” The imminence of Christ’s coming compels us with a sense of urgency to evangelize the nations. We do not know when He is coming, but the one thing that we do know is that there are lost people who desperately need to hear the Gospel and be given a chance to be saved.