THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST Jesus has already appeared once to bring salvation, establish His church and reveal His will through the Scriptures. The Bible also says that Christ will yet “appear a second time” (Hebrews 9:28). But when will He come? How will He come? Why is He coming? In the next few minutes we shall scan though the Bible for answers to these important questions. The reader is kindly advised to have his/her Bible at hand and cross-check all the references. WHEN WILL Christ COME AGAIN? The Bible teaches two things concerning the time of Christ’s coming: (1) the certainty that He may come at any moment (2) the uncertainty of the time of His coming. The Certainty That Christ May Come At Any Moment The church of every century should expect Christ to come at any moment. Why? Because even in the first century Christ’s second coming was considered near. “The coming of the Lord draweth nigh…behold the judge standeth before the door” (James 5:8,9). “The Lord is at hand” (Philippians 4:5). “For yet a little while and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37). To John, Jesus said, “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his works shall be” (Revelation 22:12). Obviously, the church of the first century thought that Christ could have appeared at any moment. Since Christ’s coming was considered near in the first century, it must be considered even nearer in our modern age. But how has the Lord’s coming been near in all of the last twenty centuries? Peter, answering the objections of scoffers who mocked the delay of the Lord’s return (2Peter 3:3-4), gives an adequate explanation: “One day is to the Lord as thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2Peter 3:8). Time is nothing with God. The two thousand years since Christ’s promise to return are only two days on God’s calendar. As under the clear sky, a distant range of lofty mountains, seems almost at hand, so in the atmosphere of faith, the great towering event of the future, the Lord’s coming, dwarfs all else and appears always very near. Whether in the first century or in the twenty-first century, nothing is more vivid and thoroughly in the spirit of Jesus than the exciting exclamation, “The Lord is at hand.” The Uncertainty of the Time of Christ’s coming Although Christ may come at any moment, no one knows exactly when He will arrive. Two apostles have taught that it is unnecessary to discuss the time or season of Christ’s return because His coming will be like “a thief” (2Peter 3:10; 1Thessalonians 5:1-3); that is, suddenly and unexpectedly. In spite of these clear warnings against setting a date for the Lord’s coming, men of every age have boldly predicted the exact time. For instance, William Miller, one of the forerunners of the Seventh Day Adventists, predicted that Christ will return in 1844. In 1844, he changed the date to 1845; then finally gave up in humiliation. Later, Charles T. Russell, one of the founders of Jehovah’s Witnesses, predicted that Christ would come in 1914; when Christ did not appear he changed the date to 1918. J. F. Rutherford, Russell’s successor, predicted in his book, Millions Now Living Shall Never Die, that the Lord would return in his lifetime. Rutherford is now dead, but his book remains to testify to the folly of setting a date for the Lord’s coming. Matthew 24:1-36 is often used by religious teachers to predict the time of Christ’s coming. The wars, famines, earthquakes, etc. mentioned in this passage are thought to apply only to these modern days. However, a careful examination of the passage shows that these signs refer primarily to the time preceding the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (see especially Matthew 24:1-2, 16, 20 and the parallel passage in Luke 21:20-24). Jesus emphatically asserted that these signs would be fulfilled in the first century generation (Matthew 24:34). Jesus did not say that He will come in that generation but that He would come “immediately after the signs and tribulation of Jerusalem’s destruction (Matthew 24:29-31). The expression “immediately after,” is explained in verse 33 as meaning “near, even at the doors.” As we learned above, the Lord’s coming has always been near, even “before the door” (James 5:9). Thus immediately after Jerusalem’s destruction in A.D. 70 (which in God’s mind may be two days or two thousand years, 2Peter 3:8). Christ’s second coming was to be, and still is, the next great event to occur. But as to exactly when it will occur, no one knows. Jesus said, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only” (Mathew 24:36). This suspenseful “uncertainty” and the constant “nearness” of the Lord’s coming encourages the church of every century to be in a continual state of watchfulness. After Peter had declared, “The heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire, and the earth and the works that are upon it will be burned up”, he asks, “what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God” (2Peter 3:11-12). This type of watchfulness does not spend time eyeing the heavens or trying to discover the number of days. The number of months or years before the Lord comes (1Thessalonians 5:1-8). Rather, Christians must patiently, diligently and constantly practice the will of God in preparation for the Lord’s return (2Peter 3:10-14). But how will we know when He has come? HOW WILL CHRIST COME AGAIN? Some men teach that Christ’s coming will be secret. For instance, the Jehovah’s Witnesses, after setting 1914 and later 1918 as the date of Christ’s coming, later decided that Christ came in 1914 after all, but appeared secretly to only a few people. However, the Bible says not to believe in secret appearances. “Behold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him” (Revelation 1:7). A few religious groups teach that, when the Lord first returns, He will gather only the righteous in a secret rapture which the wicked will not witness. However, both the righteous and the wicked shall see the Lord coming to gather His elect. “Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28,29). Christ “shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). “The heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10). All nations will be gathered to witness His glorious return. But why is he coming? WHY WILL CHRIST COME AGAIN? The Bible says that Christ is coming to (1) deliver up His kingdom to God, (2) resurrect all the dead, and (3) execute the final judgement. Christ Is Coming To Deliver Up His Kingdom To God Concerning Jesus’ return, Paul explained, “Then cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power” (1 Corinthians 15:24). Thus, Christ is coming, not to establish His kingdom, but to deliver it up to God. Many passages teach that Christ is already reigning in His kingdom. Please note that the church and the kingdom are identical. Christ established His kingdom in the first century (Mark 1:15; 9:1; Acts 2:30-36; Colossians 1:13; Revelation 1:6, 9). Consequently, Christ began reigning on Pentecost when His church or kingdom was established (Acts 2:30-36). Secondly, Paul taught that Christ must reign before death is destroyed (1Corinthians 15:25-26). Paul also says that death is destroyed when Christ comes to resurrect the righteous (1Corinthians 15:52-57). Therefore, Christ must reign before His coming, not afterwards as some religious groups teach. After Christ’s resurrection, God set Him “at his right hand, far above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named” (Ephesians 1:20-21). He will remain there until all His enemies are destroyed, at which time He will also cease His reign (Hebrews 1:13). Therefore in this present age, Christ “rules in the midst of his enemies” (Psalm 110:2) as “prince of the kings of the earth” (Revelation 1:5). He is “King of kings and Lord of lords” (1Timothy 6:15). He has made the citizens of His kingdom (church members) to be “kings and priests unto God” (Revelation 1:6; 1Peter 2:9). Paul said, He “raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus” (Ephesians 2:6). In this sense, Christians sit and spiritually reign with him now for a complete period of time (represented in Revelation 20:4 by a “thousand years”). Jesus said His kingdom is not of this world (John 18:36) but a spiritual kingdom which dwells in men (Luke 17:21). When He delivers the kingdom to God at His coming, then the faithful shall reign with Him in glory, not for a thousand years, but “forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15; 22:5; 2Timothy 2:12). Christ Is Coming To Raise the Dead Remember that everyone, including the wicked who have already died, will witness Christ’s glorious return (Revelation 1:7). This will be possible because “the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28-29). Notice that all the dead, both righteous and wicked, will be raised in the same “hour.” Even the wicked who were punished physically in ancient times will be present on that day (Matthew 11:21-24). Those who repented in Old Testament days will be raised face to face with the wicked Jews who rejected Christ (Luke 11:32). Paul said there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust, (Acts 24:15). Note the phrase, “a” resurrection, not “two” resurrections. Religious theories that use highly figurative passages to teach two resurrections (the resurrection of the righteous separated from that of the wicked by a thousand years), do not agree with these plain statements of Scriptures. The resurrection of the wicked dead is vividly described in Revelation 20:12-15. Concerning the righteous, the Bible teaches that dead Christians will rise first and that afterwards the Christians still living will be “caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1Thessalonians 4:15-17). Elsewhere, Paul explains that the resurrected bodies of the righteous will not be natural, physical bodies, but spiritual, heavenly bodies (1Corinthians 15:42-53). Paul strongly declares that the resurrected bodies will not be composed of “flesh and blood” (1Corinthians 15:50). We must say with the apostle John, “It doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2). But why is Christ coming to raise the dead? Christ Will Finally Come To Judge All Men Christ is coming to raise the dead that He might execute final judgement upon all men, “We shall all stand before the judgement seat…every knee shall bow…everyone…shall give account…to God” (Romans 14:9-12). The basis of Christ’s judgement will be man’s actions in this life. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body” (2 Corinthians 5:10). Man will be judged by his deeds in the body, not out of the body, nor after death. Also, man will be judged by what he personally does. Revelation 20:13 describes judgment as follows: “the dead … were judged every man according to their works” (Revelation 20:13). The Bible never mentions anything about a person blessed at judgment for the works of another. Since man is judged by the deeds of his own personal life, no one still living can perform deeds that affect the destiny of the dead. Nor can the dead suffer a brief purging in a temporary state of torment and later change their destiny. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus described Hades, the realm of departed spirits awaiting the resurrection, a fixed state which cannot be changed. In the story of Lazarus, he died and went to that part of Hades called “Abraham’s bosom,” (Luke 16:22) or paradise, where Christ Himself went at death (Luke 23:43, 46; Acts 2:31). The rich man also died and went to another part of Hades called “torment,” tartarus (Luke 16:23; 2Peter 2:4,9). This place of torment is separated from Abraham’s bosom by a great gulf fixed to prevent passage from one to the other (Luke 16:26). After death, man’s spirit does live on (Ecclesiastes 12:7), but his destiny is forever sealed. “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). In the final judgment Christ will separate the righteous and the wicked “as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats” (Matthew 25:31-320). To the unrighteous Christ will say, “Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire” (Matthew 25:41). This state of final hell (Matthew 5:22; 10:28) will be place of punishment comparable to the most painful affliction of this life – fire. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30). The hell of the wicked shall be just as eternal as the heaven granted to the righteous. The unrighteous shall be punished with “everlasting destruction” (2Thessalonians 1:9), “everlasting punishment” (Matthew 25:46). Those in the lake of fire and brimstone “shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever” (Revelation 20:10). Christ will bid His followers to enter into heaven and receive their eternal reward. Some say that only a few of the righteous have hope of this heaven and that all the rest have hope only in a new existence on this material, renovated earth where they will continue to marry and live as we do today, only more blessed. However, the Bible says that this material universe will be destroyed: “all these things shall be dissolved” (2Peter 3:10-11). Heaven itself is described as a new heaven and a new earth,” a new habitation (2Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1), but not in the sense that it is two entirely different homes. The Bible never describes the reward of the righteous as being two different destinations or hopes. Paul says, “There is… one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4). Christ will not even set His foot on the earth, much less establish His throne there. All the righteous shall “meet the Lord in the air: and so shall … ever be with the Lord” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). The faith of Abraham and the great patriarchs was not in a home on the earth. They desired “a better country, that is, an heavenly” (Hebrews 11:13-16). In addition Christ emphatically denied that there will be marriages after the resurrection (Matthew 22:30; Luke20:34-36). There is but one home, one hope, for all the righteous: “Heaven” (1Peter 1:3-4). Christ will tell the righteous, “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). At this time the saved shall enter heaven: God shall wipe away all tears; there shall be no more death, sorrow or pain (Revelation 21:4). The Bible describes this new home with the most precious riches of life (Revelation 21:16-21). Its beauty, glory, purity, and eternity in the immediate presence of God and Christ is the blessing for which the people of God patiently wait and serve (Revelation 21:23). CONCLUSION Though no man can set the date, Christ’s return is more certain than the rising of tomorrow’s sun. That great event could occur tomorrow, or within the next five minutes. Whatever the time may be, we must live prepared, vigilant lives. Today God offers salvation to all. Later, when Christ comes, He will offer heaven only to the saved. Today the gospel of Christ is free for all to obey. Tomorrow when heaven’s portals open to the obedient, those who obey not the gospel will see those portals close in their very faces (2Thessalonians 1:8; Matthew 25:10). Are you prepared to see Christ return?
Posted on: Sun, 23 Jun 2013 06:02:36 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015