Article 30

About the last day and the second coming of Christ from heaven, we confess: that the great God of heaven, who in the beginning created heaven and earth with all visible things out of nothing, also appointed a day and time, which cannot be known by the angels of God in heaven, much less by mortal men, but which will unexpectedly overtake men, as the snare of the bird, and a thief in the night; at which time the Almighty God will destroy this whole visible, earthly realm, and burn it with everlasting fire, except those of the human race who have done the will of God; these will remain forever.

In the last great day of the Lord the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who in the presence of the apostles ascended from the earth in a cloud, will come again from heaven, in the clouds of the sky, but not in the humiliated form of a servant, as at His first coming into the world at Bethlehem. For at this His second coming He will reveal Himself in the clouds as a King of mighty kings, and Lord of lords, with the power and glory of His Almighty Father, and all the angels of God with Him; and He will then, with the trumpet of God and the voice of the archangel, peal forth an unutterable sound and shout, so that heaven and earth, all the mountains and islands, will be moved; the sun and moon will lose their brightness, the stars will fall from heaven, and all kindreds of the earth will weep and wail over themselves, for fear and expectation of the things that are to come; and all will see the Son of man coming, with power and great glory.

About this last day of the Lord, read: "And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world?" Matthew 24, verse 3.

"The day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are in it will be burned up." Second Peter 3, verse 16; Sirach 16, verse 18; Malachi 4, verse 1.

"For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child." First Thessalonians 5, verses 2 and 3.

"Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. But of that day and hour no man knows, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only." Matthew 24, verses 35 and 36; Mark 13, verse 31; Psalm 102, verse 27; Isaiah 51, verse 6.

About Christ's coming from heaven, read: "You men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who is taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven." Acts 1, verse 11.

"For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God." First Thessalonians 4, verse 16.

"Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye will see him, and they also who pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth will wail because of him." Revelation 1, verse 7; Matthew 24, verse 30; Luke 21, verse 27. Read also: First Thessalonians 1, verse 10; Second Thessalonians 1, verse 7; Daniel 7, verse 13; Jude, verse 14.