TCC–1367
1
THE LORD WILL TAKE CONTROL
A. Introduction: Jesus’ first promise to His followers when He left this world was: I’ll be back (Acts 1:9-
11). We’re working on a series about why He is coming back and what it will mean for us.
1. To understand the why and the what we have to start with the big picture, God’s plan for humanity.
Almighty God created men and women to be His sons and daughters, who live in loving relationship
with Him. And He created the earth to be a home for Himself and His family. Eph 1:4-5
a. Sin has damaged the family and the family home. Because of sin, all people are disqualified
from God’s family, and the family home is infused with a curse of corruption and death. As a
result, everything deteriorates, and all living things grow old and die. Gen 3:17-19; Rom 5:12
b. Jesus came to earth two thousand years ago to die as a sacrifice for sin and open the way for men
and women to be restored to God’s family through faith in Him. Jesus will return to bring full
or complete salvation to this world. I Pet 3:18
c. Heb 9:26-28—(Jesus) came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin
forever by his sacrificial death for us (NLT)…(He) will appear a second time, not carrying any
burden of sin nor to deal with sin, but to bring full (complete) salvation to those who are
(eagerly, constantly and patiently) waiting for and expecting Him (Amp).
1. Full, complete salvation includes resurrection of the dead (the reuniting of the inward and
outward portions of our makeup that separate at death). And it includes restoration of the
earth (the removal of all sin, corruption, and death) so that God’s family can live on earth
again in our original bodies (resurrected and made immortal, and incorruptible).
2. Once the world is restored to pre-sin condition, the Lord will then set up His visible, eternal
kingdom on earth, and come to live with His family forever in the world He made to be our
home. The Bible begins and ends with God on earth with His family. Gen 2-3; Rev 21-22
d. Before full salvation comes, hard times are ahead for this world. Jesus said that prior to His
return, there will be tribulation on earth unlike anything the world has ever seen, Matt 24:21-22
1. But Jesus told His followers that when these things begin to take place: Look up and lift up
your heads because your redemption (full salvation) is drawing near (Luke 21:28, Amp).
2. The Greek word that is translated look up has the idea of being elated in joyous expectation.
You cannot respond this way unless you know what is happening and why, and unless you’re
convinced that no matter how bad things get, God will get you through until He gets you out.
2. Last week we noted that Jesus’ return will affect every person who has ever lived. As part of Jesus’
second coming, every human will stand before Him to be judged. John 5:27-31; Acts 17:30-31; etc.
a. The purpose of this judgment is to reward those who believe in Him with full salvation. Also at
this judgment, it will be shown why it is right and just to forever separate from God’s family and
the family home, all who throughout history have refused God’s offer of salvation through Jesus.
b. No one ceases to exist when they die. At death, the inward portion and outward portion of our
makeup separate. Our body goes into the ground and we, minus our body, pass into another
dimension—either Heaven (God’s home) or Hell (a place of separation from God).
1. Both Heaven and Hell are temporary. God didn’t create humans to be a race of disembodied
spirits. At Jesus’ return every man and woman will be reunited with their body resurrected.
2. Those who belong to God’s family will live forever on earth, once it is renewed and restored.
Those not in God’s family will go to what is called the lake of fire and the second death.
(The Bible gives little information about this place—other than you don’t want to go there.)
B. This week we’re going to begin to talk about why there will be great tribulation before Jesus returns, and
how it will affect the people who are alive on earth at that time.

TCC–1367
2
1. Before this world can be restored, a counterfeit kingdom must first be removed from this world,
along with its ruler, and all who refuse to come out of this kingdom and surrender to the rightful
King—the Lord Jesus Christ.
a. When the first man Adam sinned, the government structure in the world changed. Adam was
supposed to be God’s under ruler. But but when he acted on the Devil’s temptation to disobey
God, Satan seized Adam’s authority and became the god of this world. II Cor 4:3-4
b. We know this from an interaction between Jesus and the Devil, when the Devil tempted Jesus to
sin. He said: I will give you the glory of these kingdoms (kingdoms of this world) because they
are mine to give to anyone I please…if you will bow down and worship me (Luke 4:6. NLT).
2. Jesus came into the world the first time to begin the process of removing this usurper king (Satan)
and his counterfeit kingdom, through His sacrificial death and resurrection.
a. Just days before Jesus was crucified, He said: The time of judgment for the world has come,
when the prince of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will
draw everyone to myself (John 12:31-32, NLT).
b. Through His resurrection victory, Jesus broke the power of the Devil (Heb 2:14-15). The Devil
has been defeated, but he has not yet been subjugated (forced to submit and removed from
human contact). That will happen when Jesus returns to bring full salvation to this world.
3. However, just before the Lord returns, Satan will offer the world a false Messiah, an anti or in place
of Christ, in an attempt to prevent Jesus, the rightful King, from taking control of the earth.
a. He will be inspired and empowered by Satan, “with counterfeit power and signs and miracles…
and use every kind of wicked deception to fool those who are on their way to destruction because
they refuse to believe the truth that would save them” (II Thess 2:9-10, NLT).
b. If this seems too hard to believe, remember that Satan tried to stop Jesus’ first coming. When
Jesus was born, the Devil inspired King Herod (a wicked king in Israel) to kill all the little boys
two years or less, in and around Bethlehem (Matt 2:16). Satan tried to tempt Jesus to disobey
God (Matt 4:1-11) and inspired wicked men to crucify Jesus (Luke 22:3; Acts 2:23; I Cor 2:7-8).
1. Before Jesus returns, the world will embrace this false Christ as God, reject the true Creator
and Savior, and abandon Judeo-Christian ethics and morality (the foundation of all western
civilization) in favor of doctrines (teachings) from devils. I Tim 4:1
2. This ultimate false Christ will preside over a worldwide system of government, economy,
and religion. The actions of this man and the responses of the world to him will produce the
chaos and tribulation of the final years leading up to Jesus’ return (lessons for another day).
4. We’ve made the point that the eyewitnesses of Jesus and the first Christians already had a lot of
information about Jesus’ second coming from the Old Testament prophets. Acts 3:20-21
a. Remember that the Bible is a progressive revelation of God’s plan to recover His family and the
family home. God has been talking about the end of the plan since the beginning.
b. The Old Testament prophets were not clearly shown that there would be two comings of the
Messiah (Savior, Redeemer). But they were given information about this final world leader,
who will defy God, as well as the chaos that he is going to cause.
c. Most of the first Christians were Jewish (schooled in the prophets.) They expected the Lord to
return in their lifetime. They knew there will be a time of great trouble before He returns, but
weren’t afraid because they knew the end result (full salvation). And they knew that God will
preserve His people for His kingdom. We need that same mindset. Let’s consider what they
knew from the Old Testament prophets.
C. The prophet Daniel was the first to write about this destructive final world ruler. In a series of visions
God gave to Daniel, the Lord showed him that the kingdoms of this world will rise and fall, but

TCC–1367
3
eventually they will become the kingdoms of our Lord. Jesus will reclaim the world He created.
1. God gave Daniel the information during a dark period in Israel’s history. Israel had been conquered
by the Babylonian Empire (586 BC). They destroyed Jerusalem, burned the Temple to the ground,
and deported most of the people to Babylon where the Jews remained captives for seventy years.
a. God gave Daniel a lot of information about Israel’s near future and the far future (the end of the
age). Much of what Daniel predicted has already come to pass and is verifiable in the historical
records of the Middle East. Daniel’s book is so accurate that the only way critics can dismiss it
is by claiming it was written after the events took place (lessons for another day).
b. For example, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon dreamed about a metal statue that was destroyed
by a rock cut from a mountain, but not by human hands. No one knew what the dream meant.
1. God gave Daniel the interpretation of the king’s dream. The statue represented four
kingdoms that would rule over Israel up to the time when the God of Heaven will crush the
kingdoms of this world and establish His visible kingdom on earth. The historical record
clearly identifies these four kingdoms: Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome. Dan 2:1-45
2. Note how Daniel interpreted the end of the dream: During the reign of those kings, the God
of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed…It will shatter all these
kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever…That is the meaning of the rock cut
from the mountain by supernatural means, crushing to dust the statue (Dan 2:44-45. NLT).
2, In Dan 7:1-28 Daniel recorded a dream and visions he had of these same four kingdoms, only this
time they were represented by four beasts that came out of the sea. The fourth beast was terrifying,
crushed and devoured its victims, and produced an arrogant leader (king).
a. Daniel wrote in his book: So I approached (an angel) standing beside (God’s) throne and asked
him what it all meant. He explained it to me like this: These four huge beasts represent four
kingdoms that will rise from the earth. But in the end, the holy people of the Most High will be
given the kingdom, and they will rule forever and ever (Dan 7:16-18, NLT).
1. To explain Daniel’s vision requires an entire lesson. One point: The final kingdom on earth
at the Lord’s return, headed by the counterfeit Christ, will be related to, but in a revived or
different form than the Roman Empire of two thousand years ago. Daniel wrote:
A. Dan 7:23-25—This fourth beast is the fourth world power that will rule the earth. It will
be different from all the others. It will devour the whole world, trampling everything in
its path …(its ruler) will defy the Most High and attack his people (NLT).
B. Dan 7:26-27—But then the court (Almighty God) will pass judgment, and all his (the
leader of this final kingdom) powers will be taken away and completely destroyed (NLT).
2. In another vision Daniel was given more information about the ruler of the final kingdom:
At the end…a fierce king, a master of intrigue, will rise to power. He will cause a shocking
amount of destruction and succeed in everything he does. He will destroy leaders and
devastate the holy people. He will be a master of deception, defeating many by catching
them off guard. Without warning he will destroy them. He will even take on the Prince of
princes in battle, but he will be broken, though not by human power (Dan 8:23-25, NLT).
b. Note that in each vision the Lord Jesus (the Rock, the Prince of princes) breaks the power of the
kingdoms of this world and its final ruler (Satan’s counterfeit of Him) and takes control.
3. The night before Jesus was crucified, at His trial, the Jewish leadership asked Him, are you the
Messiah? Jesus answered them by identifying Himself as the One Daniel prophesied about, the
Rock that will destroy the counterfeit kingdom and its ruler, and set up His everlasting kingdom.
a. Daniel wrote: As my vison continued that night, I saw someone who looked like a Son of man
coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient One and was led into his
presence. He was given authority, honor, and royal power over all the nations of the world, so

TCC–1367
4
that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will
not end. His kingdom will never be destroyed (Dan 7:13-14, NLT).
b. Note how Jesus answered the religious leaders at His trial: Jesus replied, Yes, it is as you say.
And (the time is soon coming when) you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand
of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven (Matt 26:64, NLT).
c. John the apostle saw this event and recorded it in the Book of Revelation: The…angel blew his
trumpet, and there were loud voices shouting in heaven: The whole world has now become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever (Rev 11:15, NLT).
D. Conclusion: The thought of Jesus’ second coming is not exciting for many Christians because it
frightens us. That’s too bad, because living with the expectation that Jesus is coming to bring full
salvation is a tremendous source of hope in this difficult, sin-damaged world.
1. People tend to focus on individual events connected with the second coming and miss the big picture
—the completion of the plan. If you don’t see the big picture, individual events can seem scary.
a. The Bible gives few or incomplete details about many specific events connected Jesus’ return
and the end of the age. People have a tendency to speculate about things that aren’t yet fully
revealed or try to match specific current events to the Scriptures, and draw wrong conclusions.
b. Many of the events won’t be fully clear until after they take place—just like Jesus’ first coming.
Isaiah was given a detailed prophecy of the Suffering Savior (Isa 53) seven hundred years before
Jesus went to the Cross. But people argued over who he was talking about for seven centuries.
2. We need to understand that world conditions described as being in place when Jesus returns won’t
come out of a vacuum. They’re setting up now, as the world increasingly abandons its Creator.
a. Jesus gave His apostles some signs that will indicate His return is near (more on this in later
lessons). Jesus compared these signs to labor or birth pains. Matt 24:8
b. Birth or labor pains start out slowly and far apart. As the time of the birth nears, the pains get
more intense and closer together. They can be excruciating, but since the woman understands
what’s happening, she’s able to bear the pain since she knows the end result—the same with us.
3. How do we prepare for what is ahead? Paul the apostle gave instructions to Timothy, his son in the
faith: You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times (II Tim
3:1, NLT). Paul went on to describe the behavior of people at the end of the age (II Tim 3:2-5).
a. Paul wrote that: (These) evil people and imposters will flourish. They will go on deceiving
others, and they themselves will be deceived (II Tim 3:13, NLT).
b. Then Paul told Timothy what to do: You must remain faithful to the things you have been
taught…You have been taught the holy Scriptures form childhood, and they have given you the
wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus (II Tim 3:14-15, NLT).
4. At Jesus’ first coming, the night before He was crucified, when Temple guards came to arrest Him,
Jesus said to them: Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple? I was there every day. But this is
your moment, the time when the power of darkness reigns (Luke 22:53, NLT).
a. Things got worse before they got better; Jesus was arrested, crucified, and buried. But we know
what happened next. Jesus beat the devil at His own game. His death became the sacrifice that
redeemed the world and began the process of reclaiming the family and the family home.
b. For a period of time in the not too distant future, this world will look as if everything is out of
control and has gone horribly wrong—just as it did when Jesus was crucified. But because we
know the end of the plan, we can look past what we see to the fact that full salvation is coming!
5. Eph 1:9-10—God’s secret plan has now been revealed to us; it is a plan centered on Christ, designed
long ago, according to his good pleasure, and this is his plan: At the right time he will bring
everything together under the authority of Christ…in heaven and on earth (NLT). More next week!