The Second
Coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ
{Please note that our
study is not intended to be an indepth appraisal of any particular system of
eschatology. It is simply reflections upon the information which the Bible gives
regarding the second coming of Christ. These notes are merely a guideline, -
i.e. bones to which flesh and tissue will be added when we meet to discuss.}
This subject is among the most important to
occupy the consideration of each child of God, as is indicated in the Pauline
epistles, e.g. Rom. 9-11; 13:11,12; I Cor. 15:20-26; I Thess. 4:13-17; II Thess.
1,2; II Tim. 3:1-5; 4:3,4; Titus 2:13,14.
During the lifetime of the New Testament
Church various types of groups have been looking forward to the Coming Christ.
For example, many members of the early Church did not expect to die, - they
believed most strongly that Jesus Christ would return during their lifetime
(e.g. II Thess. 2:1,2). Then there was Montanus in the second century A.D. who
led his people into the hills of Phrygia because he was expecting the heavenly
Jerusalem to descend at any moment. Approaching 1,000 A.D. many within the
Church were convinced that the Second Coming of Christ was imminent.
Throughout the centuries many theories have
developed concerning this most important of events; to name but a few of the
more well-known, - dispensational premillennialism (or premillenarianism),
historic premillennialism, postmillennialism, amillennialism, pretribulationists,
midtribulationists, posttribulationists.
While it is true that some Christians spend
too much time looking into theories of the ‘end times’ there are, on the other
hand, those who would patronisingly scorn us, and encourage us not to look too
deeply into these things because God will ‘sort it all out in the end anyway’.
[Compare the Parable of the foolish virgins (Mt. 25:1-13, esp. vv. 10-12) and
the Parable of the talents (Mt. 25:14:30, esp. vv. 24-30.] Their particular
view, in my opinion, is not worthy of much comment, except to say that the Bible
has always - throughout Old and New Testaments - informed its readers concerning
future events. Sadly also, in many Old Testament situations (e.g. Jer. 7:4; Amos
7:10-13), the people of God chose to ignore the words of prophesy spoken by the
men of God.
Yes, we can safely deduce that the Bible
desires its readers to be aware of signs relating to the imminent appearance of
Jesus Christ (e.g. Lk. 21:34-36). These differences regarding eschatology (the
doctrine of ‘end times’) have split many churches, confused many believers, and
created many problems. There are some views which are most definitely unBiblical,
but there are some other views which deserve respect, - although, some more than
others!
Ultimately, the Bible gives us indications
pertaining to the Parousia (Second Coming). The emphasis lies upon these two
considerations, - Jesus Christ is coming back and the Church must be watching
and waiting.
You will be glad to know that we shall not
be looking into the various shades of, or even every aspect of, eschatology;
instead, we shall go directly to Scripture and draw from it in a very simple and
straightforward way the information which God in His wisdom desires and requires
us to know.
Question: Will the
Lord Jesus Christ Come To Earth For A Second Time?
There are those within the wider Church
community who would not necessarily believe that Jesus Christ will return to
earth in bodily form. Instead, they prefer to believe that He is here already.
They impress upon their audience that when a believer dies (and the definition
of a ‘believer’ varies) Jesus comes for them and takes them to heaven. Thus they
tend to confront the matter with a ‘spiritual’ understanding. They don't feel
that it is particularly necessary to explore the subject any further, - although
they employ an ostentatious vocabulary to support their viewpoint.
But what did Jesus say? Did He say that He
would return again? Coming near to the end of His ministry He was comforting His
disciples,
Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe
in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions: if it were
not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I will come again ... . (Jn. 14:1-3)
In this statement He made efforts to allay
their fears and worries. He told them of the hope, - the eternal hope, - of the
faithful disciple of Christ (see also e.g. Titus 1:1-3; 2:13). That hope
consists in the believer enjoying the presence of God throughout all eternity.
Jesus wasn’t fooling them. Neither was Jesus being fooled Himself. He was
speaking to them of something of which He knew (Jn. 14:2; 17:1-5). Yes, He did
tell them that He was leaving them, but also that He would return for them
(v.3). They were in a state of shock; they couldn't understand fully, no matter
how hard they tried (vv.5,8). It wasn't until after the Cross at Pentecost that
they began to see things a little clearer (see Acts 2). They began to look for
the reappearance of the Lord Jesus Christ (e.g. Acts 3:19-21). On the Island of
Patmos John the Apostle had a vision given to Him by God (Rev. 1:9ff.).
Throughout the book of the Revelation (or,
sometimes known as the Apocalypse) God showed him His plan of the ages and also
of the culmination of events in history. As he approached the end of that
experience John - the ‘disciple whom Jesus loved’ (Jn. 13:23; 19:26; 21:7,20) -
saw a Rider on the white horse (Rev. 19:11-21). The description of that Rider
can be fulfilled in none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. It is evident that
this particular passage of Scripture relates to the final era of the end times.
The Rider - the Lord Jesus Christ - is inside the gates of heaven and He is
waiting for them to open so that He would enter into earth and defeat the beast
and his armies (cf. Rev. 17:12-14). Similarly, as He stood outside the temple in
Jerusalem (c. A.D. 30) Jesus spoke with His disciples and He reassured them of
the certainty of His coming again and the necessity of their watchfulness,
Be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye
think not the Son of man cometh. (Mt. 24:42)
He also added a statement which is in
agreement with Rev. 19:11-21,
But of that day and hour knoweth no man,
no, not the angels of heaven, but My Father only. (Mt. 24:36 cf. Mt. 25:13; Mk.
13:33; Lk. 12:37; Rev. 3:11; 16:15)
It is as if the Lord Jesus Christ is
waiting at this very moment to enter into time to destroy for all eternity the
enemies of God, “but of that day and hour knoweth no man”. The Bible clearly
teaches He is coming back again, - there is no doubt of that!
Question: Is it
wrong to study too deeply the coming again of Christ?
There are some ‘end times’ enthusiasts who
have often sought to predict the Second Coming. The Jehovah Witnesses have
falsely prophesied Christ’s Second Coming at least three times within the last
century. On the evangelical circuit there are those who would argue along
similar lines to these:
1. The world, most likely, was created c.
4,000 B.C..
2. c. 2,000 B.C. Abraham (to whom God gave
the promise, (Gen. 12:1-3) journeyed to the country we know as Israel.
3. 2,000 years later, as time moved from
B.C. to A.D., Jesus Christ was born.
4. Since a most important event has
occurred every 2,000 years it is probable that another important event will
occur c. 2,000 A.D.
5. Therefore, it is very likely that Jesus
Christ may return c. 2,000 A.D..
[It is also interesting that the New Age
Movement and the ancient astrological timetable follow a similar agenda. They
believe that the first period (i.e. from creation to Abraham) was the Age of the
Bull; the second period is known as the Age of Pisces and will soon evolve into
the Age of Aquarius. During the latter Age the Maitreya (or Messiah)will
establish his kingdom on earth, probably c. 2032 A.D..]
Question: But, are
we given any indication regarding the time of His return?
Yes, we are. On the Mount of Olives (Acts
1:12), as the Lord Jesus spent His final few moments with His eleven disciples,
they could sense that something special was going to happen. They asked Him if
He was on the threshold of restoring the kingdom of Israel (Acts. 1:6). He
replied that it was not for them to know the times and dates; however, He
promised that the Church would be endowed with the Holy Spirit, and as a
consequence they would become witnesses throughout the world (v.7). He then was
taken up into heaven. As they were watching, two angels of God appeared and
spoke to them,
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 (Acts 1:11).
Zechariah (14:4ff.) also looks forward in
time to the coming again of the Messiah,
His feet shall stand in that day upon the
Mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east. {read again the
precise location described in Acts 1:12}
Indeed, it is not for the Church to know
times and dates. It is very unwise to pontificate and to put a date on the
Second Coming, - very dangerous, very foolish and very unBiblical. However, the
Bible does direct the believer to be watchful, - as we have seen in the opening
part of our study.
When we begin to consider the whole subject
carefully we find that it is not unwise to seek to determine Biblically the
events surrounding the Parousia. It is interesting that while teaching the
disciples about His coming again Jesus set before them a parable (Lk.21:29-31).
He told them to look at the fig tree and to notice that when summer approached
the leaves began to sprout. Obviously this parable was connected in some way to
what had gone before (Lk. 21:5-28). Verse 20 speaks about a desolation which was
intended for Jerusalem (cf. Mt. 24:2). This event actually took place when
Titus, the Roman general, took the city in A.D.70. From 70 A.D. to the Six-day
War of 1967 A.D. Jerusalem was under the domination of Gentiles, - that is a
true historical fact! Look at the final few words in 21:24, “until the times of
the Gentiles be fulfilled”. From 721 B.C. to May 14th., 1948 the children of
Israel, - the Jews, God’s own special nation, - did not possess a land of their
own. They were scattered throughout the world (Diaspora, or Dispersion),
but God promised through His prophets that His people would be brought back into
their land,
The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is
mighty; He will save, He will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in His
love, He will joy over thee with singing. I [the Lord] will gather them
that are sorrowful for the solemn assembly, who are of thee, to whom the
reproach of it was a burden. Behold, at that time I will undo all that will
afflict thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven
out [i.e. the nation of Israel]; and I will get them praise and fame in
every land where they have been put to shame. At that time will I bring you
again, even in the time that I gather you: for I will make you a name and a
praise among all people of the earth, when I turn back your captivity before
your eyes, saith the Lord. (Zephaniah 3:17-2)
Let’s return to Luke 21, and again to the
parable which Jesus spoke (vv. 29-31). He said,
When these things begin to come to pass,
then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.
(v.28, italics mine)
Therefore, it seems most appropriate to
consider that the days in which we live are approaching the times of which Jesus
spoke, - especially when we take into consideration the
return of the Jews to their land following May, 1948.
Question: As a
Christian, why ought I to look forward to His coming?
Since Jesus Christ died on the Cross to
take away my sin He is coming to receive me unto Himself (Jn. 14:3). As a
Christian, the Bible describes me as being a part of His Church. His Church is
described as His Bride (Eph. 5:25,26). As with any Bridegroom, - but this
Bridegroom in particular, - it is the desire of His heart to present His Church,
His Bride, before His Father in heaven (v.27). Will He achieve that aim? Yes, He
will, for He said,
I give unto them eternal life; and they
shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of My hand. (Jn. 10:28)
He has loved us from before the foundation
of the world (Eph. 1:4,5) ... even before there was a blade of grass on this
earth! The dowry which was necessary for Him to pay was at the price of His own
blood. Every born-again believer is an integral part of the Bride of Christ, -
indeed, the Bride would not be complete without you! It is this Bride which the
Bridegroom loves and desires to be with.
In the Gospels Jesus speaks about the
marriage suppers (Mt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13), and the vision of John also takes up
this theme, regarding the “marriage supper of the Lamb” (Rev. 19:7,9). This is
the picture of the Church being united in heaven with Christ. How does that take
place? The Bible describes the scene, indeed, if the Bible did not contain the
information we - in and of ourselves - could never devise such an extraordinary
scheme of events such as are described in its pages. A sound so magnificent as
the sound of a trumpet will herald Jesus Christ’s coming again (Mt. 24:31; I
Thess. 4:16). A tremendous fear will grip the world of the unsaved, “and then
shall all the tribes of the earth mourn” (Mt. 24:30),
every eye shall see Him, and they also
which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him.
(Rev. 1:7; cf. Zech. 14:12,13)
At this particular time in the history of
the world the unsaved will not - nor never again - have the opportunity of
calling upon Christ as Saviour. For when the Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth
He will return as the Judge, ... and not the Saviour, as He did in His first
appearance. The Bible tells us that the unsaved and unrepentant will suffer for
all eternity the wrath of God (Rev. 14:17-20).
But this is also the moment when the Lord
Jesus will draw to Himself in a mighty way His own people whom He has saved with
His precious blood. At the sound of the trumpet the believers who have died in
Christ will awaken from the dead and they shall rise to meet Him in the air (II
Thess. 4:16,17). Then each born-again child of God who is still alive will
follow them to meet the Master. And the Bible says, “and so shall we ever be
with the Lord” (II Thess. 4:17).
There are many verses throughout Scripture
which refer to the magnificent return of Christ for His people. We have only
considered a few verses, ... but since Calvary the Bride’s attention has been on
the Church and on her release from the world. This process of the release of the
Church has become known as the Rapture.
Question:
Into what kind of a world will the Lord Jesus enter?
Remember that Jesus, during the first
advent when He was born as a little child, entered the world and faced the
hatred and antipathy of Herod (Mt. 2). Revelation describes the scene as it
relates to God’s eternal plan (12:1-5). Constantly from Gen. 3:15 Satan has been
trying to stop the birth of Christ, and Rev. 12:4,5 illustrates his efforts.
Yes, John writes about the ‘dragon’, who is Satan (see v. 9). Peter describes
the activity of Satan as a lion on the prowl (I Peter 5:8). Satan, who was once
in high position in heaven (Is. 14:12ff.), was cast down to the earth, and
subsequently corrupted it (Rev. 12:8,9; Is. 14:15). He was judged completely and
irrevocably at Calvary (see. Jn. 12:31; 16:11; Mk. 3:27). At Calvary he was
bound, - that is not to say that his influence was destroyed and his power
negated. However, Revelation 20:3 tells us that he must be released - set free -
for a short time. Into what kind of a world does the Scripture say he will be
released? It will be during an era when antiChristian activities will be nearing
a peak. That is not to say that the world will be atheistic, - it most certainly
will not! The world will not be interested in the true Christ, nor anything to
do with Him, but the world will be interested in religion, - its own type of
religion. (For an Old Testament example read Jeremiah 17:1,2).
Right from the beginning man has been made
for God (Gen. 1:29,30), and, therefore, without God man is incomplete, ... so,
man, in his sinful condition, will find it necessary to fill the gap with a
‘pretender’, - a god who is not God. Isn’t that what Adam and Eve did in the
Garden, ... when they substituted the message of God for the serpent’s message
(Gen. 3:1-6)?! Through the ages Satan’s agenda compiled the persecution of the
Church, but now he has - and is - returning to the first trick of deceit which
he played on humanity. He reckoned, Don’t fight the Church from the outside, -
get inside and you’ll do more damage! That is the basis upon which he has
planned his agenda. Create a religious atmosphere, but change the object of
worship, - from God to self, as he did in Genesis 3. That is what he does. That
is the whole emphasis of the New Age Movement, - the aura which will permeate
society in such a way as to create the appropriate atmosphere in which Satan can
most take advantage. Through his servant he alligns himself with “Babylon the
great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth” (Rev. 17:5). This
‘woman’, who is riding on the scarlet beast (v.3), has her home upon the seven
hills (v.9) of Rome. The scarlet beast typifies the type of relationship this
woman is content to have. She identifies herself with the beast, - the
antichrist, - and desires to live off him. There has never been another system
in the entire history of the world to which verse 6 can more adequately apply, -
the Roman empire “is drunken [note the unmistakeable emphasis of the present
tense, - God hasn’t forgotten!] with the blood of the saints, and with the
blood of the martyrs of Jesus”. So, it seems, the Roman system has an integral
part in the plan of God as it makes and preserves friendships with the enemies
of God’s truly redeemed people.
The whole religious atmosphere of the world
will change. No longer will one religion, - such as Christianity or Buddhism, -
be dominant. Instead there will be a one world religious system which will be
compiled from all religions, - a multi-faith society. Surely we are living in
such a society.
Throughout the so-called Church there is a
thread which is unfurling and it invites all believers of every race and creed
and religion to join together because, “after all, we’re serving the same God, -
we just call Him by different names”. This multi-faith community denies Christ
His place and they equate Him with the likes of the Buddha or Mohammed. We are
in this era. Salvation by faith belongs only to the ‘tight-fisted, arrogant and
dogmatic fundamentalist Christians’. This type of thinking will spread like wild
fire throughout the world (Rev. 17:1,2; 18:2,3). If you stand up and preach that
Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation you will be part of an
ever-decreasing number of ‘oddities’. You will be taken to court for religious
discrimination or religious intolerance. The world will construct obstacles
which will seek your demise, and this culminates in a time of great tribulation
(Mt. 24:9; Mk. 13:9; Rev. 13:7).
The Church will be riddled with apostates
and compromisers who will nullify the claims of the Gospel (e.g. Mt.
24:4,5,10,11,23,24). In fact, the future tense need not apply anymore! They will
introduce all kinds of devient teaching which will result in many within the
Church be led away into confusion (e.g. II Thess. 2:9-11). It will have “a form
of godliness, but denying the power thereof” (II. Tim. 3:5) The Bible says,
“from such turn away”. Onto the world’s stage will strut a new and powerful
pseudo-religious figure. This man will speak with great wisdom. He will
captivate the minds and hearts of the world’s population. The beast - the
servant of Satan - will seek to mimic the works of God (note Ex. 7:10-12). He
will look like a lamb (cf. Jn. 1:29), but he can’t hide his true personality, -
he speaks like a dragon (Rev. 13:11). Rev. 13:13 tells us he reenacted the
miracle of Elijah on Mount Carmel (cf. I Kgs 18:30-38) and the beast gained the
same reaction as Elijah gained from the crowd (cf. Rev. 13:13,14 with I Kgs.
18:39).
The world will have fallen in love with him
and he will be extremely powerful (Dan. 8:24,25). He will succeed where others
have failed. He will establish a one-world political system affiliated to the
one-world religious system. As in the days of which Habbakuk spoke (1:2-4) the
man of sin and lawlessness will have perverted justice to such a degree that all
will be relative, - there will be no such thing as ‘right or wrong’ (II
Thess.
2:6-9). The power of his false activities will have such an effect that the
Church will become impotent (Rev. 11:7ff.; Dan. 8:24). He will be succesful in
uniting all religions, however, the Church of Christ will not succumb to his
seduction. Therefore, his anger will be unleashed in a terrifying way upon the
Church and upon the Jewish race. Now that the man of sin (‘the antichrist’) has
revealed his pernicious and wicked character the world, in general, is also
faced with his wrath (Dan. 8:25). At this point in time God will unleash His
holy judgment upon the world (Dan. 8:25; Rev. 14:9-11). The conflict between
the Church and the man of sin reaches its climax when the Lord Jesus Christ
appears in glory (Rev. 14:14ff.). In the war to end all wars the man of sin
(Rev. 19:19), along with his co-conspirators (the beast and the false prophet,
i.e. the Satanic ‘trinity’) and followers, will be defeated by Christ and the
Church (Rev. 19:20,21; 20:10). Then follows the casting into the lake of fire of
all who have
spurned the love of God in Jesus Christ (20:11-15).
Question: In
conclusion, what is the final destiny of the believer?
From the commencement of the history of the
Jews, - those people who God loved with a special love (Dt. 7:7,8) - God has
always been pleased to save unto Himself a remnant. This remnant, on each
occasion, has been saved by God’s grace. Furthermore, this remnant, consisting
of Jews and Gentiles (Rom. 11), has been on the mind of God throughout all
eternity. Before any member of His Church breathed a single breath of earthly
air
He hath chosen us in Him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in
love (Eph. 1:4).
He has saved us (Eph. 1:5), is keeping us
(Eph. 1:13), and will keep us (Eph. 1:14) until we stand before His throne (Rev.
4 & 5). If we are His and truly His then nothing - neither apostasy, confusion,
nor tribulation (no matter how great) - will ever separate us from Him (Rom.
8:37-39; Jn. 10:29). In Christ we are more than conquerors (II Tim. 1:9,10). The
picture of the home-coming conqueror in the New Testament times is based upon
the triumphant army marching into the city, - Revelation 7:9-17 draws that
beautiful scenario.
Then for ever the born-again believer in
the Lord Jesus Christ will share in the privileges of heaven and experience the
blessings described in Revelation 21 and 22.
