My wife Rita Atterson and I began our personal home Bible study this week on 1st Thessalonians. It sparked the memories of quite a bit of research I had conducted in regard to the Second Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ which I would love to share with you. I only pray that you follow up with your own personal study in light of Acts 17:11. I have used many resources at my disposal in order to solidify my belief that indeed Jesus IS COMING BACK. Arthur Pink, Herbert Lockyer, Clarence Larken, Ethelbert Bollinger, Chuck Missler, Tim Layhaye, to name a few, as well as Hebrew and Greek lexicons, dictionaries, and a number of Bible translations, etc... The Time of His Coming: To predict dates is to contradict the Word of God and falsify our position. Christ declares, You do not know when that time will come (Mark 13:33). How dare anyone journey beyond the limits of this explicit declaration? There is enough of certainty to feed the lamp of our faith and enough of uncertainty to make us careful lest when the Bridegroom comes, our lamps are out. The day of Christs coming is unknown. It has been marked off on Gods calendar, and there we rest. He tells me that Hes coming, and thats quite enough. That should be the end of the story; yet, there are those around us that insist THEY KNOW THE DAY AND THE HOUR!!! Most notably the Jehovahs Witnesses, and among many others! In studying the time element, we have three distinct groups of passages. The first group suggests uncertainty (Matthew 24:36-44; Acts 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-2); the second group indicates speed or imminence (Revelation 3:11); the third implies delay (Matthew 24:48; 25:19; Luke 19:11). The fact is certain, and such is sufficient for our comfort and inspiration. The time is uncertain, and such is sufficient for our separation and dedication. Of this we are confident, that Christ is soon to leave the secret place of His glory and return to Earth. CHRIST IS COMING! The Scriptures declare it. Saints believe it. Redeemed souls in glory are awaiting it. Satan accepts it. Sadly, I personally believe the multitudes in the Church overall are ignorant of it! May we be found among the number who, with garments washed and white, are ready to hail Christs arrival! The Manner of His Coming: Prophecy is often brought into disrepute through the unwise and unwarranted pronouncements of those who are called not as prophets but as interpreters of Gods program for the ages. If prophecy is to win more lives, we must have saner interpreters of the prophetic Word. Surely no other realm of the Bible demands more attention to the Pauline injunction about rightly dividing the Word of Truth than that of prophecy. In the description Paul gives of the return of the Lord in the air, we have a triad of accompaniments from 1 Thessalonians 4:16: 1). The loud command of the Lord. 2). The voice of the archangel. 3). The trumpet call of God. The loud command may call the dead in Christ. Just as Lazarus came forth from his grave, so the saved dead will respond en masse to Christs authoritative voice as the resurrection and the life. The voice of the archangel may be connected with those who are alive and remain. The trumpet call of God may summon the dead who are raised and the living who are changed to meet the Savior. This recalls the blowing of silver trumpets in Numbers chapter 10. Three blasts guided the journeyings of the Israelites: the first and second gathered the tribes; the third commanded them to march forward. The Resurrection of the Dead: Only some of the dead will rise: the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The rest of the dead, the wicked dead, will remain in their graves until the time of the great white throne, when all must be raised for the ratification of the condemnation (Revelation 20:12). Here, then, is a comforting hope: our holy, happy dead are to rise again. Death will not keep its prey. In A. T. Robertsons Word Pictures, the word for loud command, or shout, is an old word meaning to order, command (military command). Christ will come as a conqueror. And, as the Victor over the grave, Christ will command the graves to yield the dust of those who belonged to Him while on earth. We believe in the resurrection of the body. He who brought the body to dust because of sin will raise the dust in the resurrection of glory. Jesus declares that God is able to raise up children out of stones, and what are stones but solidified dust? If God was able to create the body of Adam out of the dust of the earth, surely He is able to fashion the glorified body of believers out of their buried dust or ashes. The Transformation of the Living: Next in order comes the transformation of all the living saints. We who are still alive and are left will be caught up (ἁρπάζω harpazō; rapiemur in Latin of which e get our word rapture) together with them in the clouds (1 Thessalonians 4:17). We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed (1 Corinthians 15:51). So there are millions who may never die. What a wonderful experience it would be to lay aside the mortal for immortality! As a Christian, I do not shrink from death. If I have to go home by the way of a grave, God will grant me dying grace. But what a thrill it would be to be found preaching the gospel, urging sinners to repent, when Christ appears! And because we may go without dying, it is imperative so to live that if our transformation should come the very next moment, all will be well between our hearts and the Savior. Seeing Him, we are to be changed into His likeness. We know that when the Messiah [Lit. he] is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is (1 John 3:2 ISV). Like Him! What is He like? Well, what was He like when He ascended on high? How old was He? Only thirty-three years of age. He did not come to the end of His earthly sojourn an old decrepit man. In His resurrected form, Jesus retains His youthfulness. We shall be like him means we will possess His perennial youthfulness. Ours is to be a body knowing no decay because of age. Now, the bodily infirmities of advancing years often hamper our Christian activities. But with a glorified body like Christs, we will be able to serve Him unceasingly, day and night, forever. Continuing his dramatic unfolding of Christs return, Paul declares that we are to be caught up together to meet the Lord in the air. As we have previously discussed, the word ἁρπάζω harpazō translated caught up in the AV, has the thought of being snatched away out of danger—before tribulation overtakes a guilty world, the Lord removes His own. He removes His Church, His Body from the hour of temptation that comes upon all the world to try those who dwell upon the earth. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The word ἅμα hama, together is worthy of note. First, it suggests the blissful reunion that our lonely hearts anticipate. Now we are not together. Loved ones have been called home; half of our heart is in heaven. But Christ is coming, and when He appears we will be reunited immediately to those whom we have loved and lost. Caught up together! On the way up to meet Jesus we are to have the joy of meeting our dear ones and then, arm in arm, rise to hail the blessed Lord unitedly. More to come....
Posted on: Tue, 21 Oct 2014 14:41:58 +0000
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