Second Coming

My hope at this time is not the second coming. My hope is in the Holy Spirit. I believe that Jesus will return at the end of the age, but he will not return until the church has completed its work, cooperating with the Holy Spirit. He will not return to rescue a church that is failing. Many Christians are currently hoping that Jesus will return soon, but that is actually an escapist hope. It is a hope that Jesus will return and do what we can’t be bothered doing.

This type of hope is part of what is wrong with the church. Instead of doing what God is telling us to do, we would prefer that Jesus do it for us, either by returning, or by doing it for us by sending revival. An old lady that I once knew said that prophecies about revival are the hope of the lazy. I think she was right.

My hope is greater than the second coming. My hope is that the Holy Spirit will bring in the Kingdom of God by working through his body here on earth. That is a far greater task and will produce a far more beautiful kingdom than the ugly, brutal kingdom prophesied by those who hope for Jesus’ return.

I am absolutely certain that the Holy Spirit will do what he has promised to do, but it will take some time, because he will not force people to change. He is patient, but he will eventually get he work done.

Little Season (3) - Fire from Heaven

The devil will succeed in building support, but he will not achieve his objective.

But fire came down from heaven and devoured them (Rev 20:9).

This fire from heaven is not literal. The event that follows the fire is the last judgment, so it must be a reference to the appearance of Jesus (Rev 20:11-15). This is confirmed in Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians.

When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels, he will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus (2 Thes 1:7-8).

The blazing fire is the second coming.

Then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming/parousia (2 Thes 2:9).

The Man of Lawlessness and his followers will be destroyed by the splendour of Jesus appearance.

Judgment usually comes to produce repentance, but this time there is no hope of repentance, because the fate of every person on earth will be sealed. Each one will go to the last judgment and receive the consequences of his choices. The work of redemption will be complete and the Book of Life will be closed, forever. We should not speak of the appearance of Jesus lightly, as the fate of many people will be sealed with a certainty that is equalled only be death.

Jesus appearance marks the end of the Little Season and the end of history.

Cause of the Earthquake (1) - Sign of the Second Coming

In September 1010, Christchurch was struck by an earthquake that measured 7.1 on the Richter scale. Although many buildings collapsed, no one was killed and very few were injured. A second serious earthquake struck Christchurch in February 2011, causing serious damage to buildings and took nearly two hundred lives.

Christians have made various suggestions about the cause of the earthquake. I will discuss these in light of the categories defined my previous series of posts.

1. Sign of the Second Coming
One notion that we have to get out of the way first is the common idea that earthquakes are a sign that the second coming is near. This view, which is widespread among Christians, is based on Jesus big prophecy.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains (Matt 24:7,8).

There are several reasons why the usual interpretation of this passage is wrong.

1. Jesus said there will be no signs for the second coming. Life will be going on as normal. No one knows in advance when Jesus will return.

2. Jesus Big Prophecy was a warning about the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The disciples heard Jesus say that the stones in the temple would be cast down and had asked when this would happen. Jesus responded with a warning of events that would occur before the fall of Jerusalem. Earthquakes were one of these signs. The city of Pompeii was severely damaged by an earthquake in AD 63. Others took place in Crete, Smyrna, Miletus, Laodicea, Colossae, Rome and Judea. Jesus prophecy has already been fulfilled, so it is not a reference to the second coming.

3. Earthquakes have occurred throughout history, so anyone assuming they are a sign of the second coming will be continually confused because the second coming is always coming.

Thesis 25 - Last One

When Jesus returns at the consumption of all things, he will receive the kingdom that has been prepared for him by his church and the Holy Spirit(1 Cor 15:25). He will hand it over to Father, who will be all in all (1 Cor 15:24).

Jesus does not Return to Establish Kingdom

When Jesus ascended into heaven he received the place in all creation.

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name (Phil 2:9).

God raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come (Eph 1:19-20).

The scriptures teach that he must stay there until all his enemies are defeated.

He sat down at the right hand of God. Since that time he waits for his enemies to be made his footstool (Heb 10:12,13).

He does not return to defeat his enemies. He waits in heaven until the church and the Holy Spirit have defeated them. The Bible promises that in a short time we will crush Satan under our feet (Rom 16:20). Jesus returns when his enemies are defeated to bring in the end of the age.

Jesus return does not establish the kingdom. He actually hands over to the Father a Kingdom that has already been established by his follows.

Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet (1 Cor 15:24-25).

Jesus hands over the kingdom to God the Father. He reigns in heaven until all his enemies are defeated. When he returns, Jesus will receive the kingdom from the church, and hand it back to our Father.

Jesus warned his followers that the kingdom would come slowly, like yeast permeates a loaf of bread. It does not come in one dramatic manifestation.

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21).

Jesus was warning his disciples not to expect the Kingdom to come instantly in a visible way. It comes gradually as the Spirit works in the hearts of men.

This doctrine that Jesus will return to establish the Kingdom is Satan’s best lie. He has used this lie to successfully cripple the church, by fooling us into believing that the church will not come during this season. He has fooled us into believing that we can sit back and wait, because Jesus will come and so it for us. Unfortunately, that is a false hope.

The second coming of Jesus does not destroy forces of evil. Seeing Jesus will not be enough. Many people saw Jesus when he lived on earth, but continued to reject him. Those who teach a "millennium" after the second coming often imply that Jesus will establish the Kingdom by force. It is hard to imagine how Jesus would do this.

Dimensions (8) Second Coming

The second coming is not Jesus coming back down from way up there, like a bungee jumper on a sky hook. The Greek word used for the second coming is “parousia”. It means to appear. It is speaks about our seeing. What is actually going to happen is an opening up of the spiritual realm, so that people on earth can see into the spiritual dimensions of reality. The Greek word used is epiphaneia, which means “manifestation” (2 Thes 2:8). The spiritual dimensions will be blown open for everyone on earth to see.

Everyone will see Jesus seated on the throne at the right hand of God, (whatever that means given that it is an imperfect physical analogy for a far greater spiritual reality). Those who have not been born again will be almost destroyed by the sight. Those who are evil will be totally powerless before his glory.

The spiritual realms will be so glorious that the physical world will shrivel in comparison. It will seem like earth and sky are collapsing and disappearing, but it will just be that everything is coming into it correct perspective. When we can see clearly into the spiritual realm, everything in earth and space will fade away under the comparison.

The elements will seem to be dissolving before our eyes. The stars will seem to be rolling up like a scroll. It is not that they will be disappearing. Rather, the beauty and wonder of the spiritual realms will be so wonderful, that the earth and sky, as we know them, will fade into insignificance.

Some of this is captured y this woodenly literal translation of 2 Pet 3:10,12.

The day of the Lord will come like a thief. The spiritual world will come near with a booming, the orderly arrangement of things will be loosed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be exposed…. That day will bring about the releasing of the spiritual dimensions by fire, and the order of things will liquefy in the heat.

The words give a sense of the spiritual world intruding into the physical world. Such a dramatic event would produce plenty of heat and light.

Dangerous Idea (2)

The sign that Jesus gave in Matt 24:14 sign was fulfilled in biblical times. On the day of Pentecost, there were devout men in Jerusalem “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5). They would have taken the gospel back to their on lands. The Bible confirms that this happened.

I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world (Rom 1:8).

All over the world this gospel is bearing fruit and growing (Col 1:6).

This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven (Col 1:23).

By the time that Paul was writing his letters to the Romans and the Colossians, the sign that Jesus gave had been fulfilled. The Bible says that the gospel had been preached in the entire world, but unfortunately many Christians refuse to believe it.

The sign did not require the completion of the Great Commission. That task is still not complete. The prophetic sign only required the preaching of the gospel as a witness and a testimony. The scriptural examples given above show that the sign was fulfilled before the destruction of Jerusalem. It is not a sign of the second coming.

Worst of all, the belief that Jesus is coming within the next decade is dangerous. It encourages short-term thinking that distracts Christians from seeking the Kingdom of God.

I am really encouraged by the number of Christians who are starting to think seriously about the Kingdom of God. I note that when this happens, they start more long-term thinking and planning. The idea that Jesus is coming next week will have to go out the window, if we get serious about the Kingdom.

Dangerous Idea (1)

I get really disturbed by some of the beliefs that held by some quite mature Christians. These beliefs do not compromise their salvation, but they do prevent them from understanding the fullness of God’s plans for his church.

Recently I heard someone say these words.

The Bible teaches that Jesus will return when the gospel has been preached to all the nations of the earth.

He then went on to say that only a few hundred tribes have not heard the gospel, so we can expect Jesus to return in the next decade.

This is a very widespread belief, but it is simply not true. The Bible does not say what my friend says it does. The verse he is referring to is Matt 24:14.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world
as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

A couple of things should be noted about this verse.

First of all, we must be clear about what Jesus was referring to when he used the expression “the end”. The Greek word is “telos”. It is not the word generally used for the second coming, “paousia”. Telos means end or completion.

A close examination of the context shows that Jesus was speaking about the destruction of the Jerusalem, the time when the amazing building of the temple would be smashed (Matt 24:2,3). Jesus had warned of this event and the disciples wanted to know when it would happen. Jesus was not speaking of the second coming, but giving a sign for the destruction of Jerusalem. The gospel being “preached in the whole world” is a sign of the destruction of Jerusalem. It is a not a sign of the second coming.

Dispensationalism

Many Christians who have escaped dispensationalism are still caught up, because they still believe two things.

1. The final judgment is getting close.

2. Things will carry on as they always have till then.

These beliefs have two implications.

1. We are well through history on earth. Not much more is going to happen.

2. We have seen the best that the Holy Spirit can do.

These hidden, but pervasive assumptions contribute to a lack of expectation among believers, but they are totally wrong. The scriptures tell us about some great things that God still has to do. The usual approach is to push them to after the second coming, but there is no good reason for doing that. If we just expect more of the same as we have had, that is what we will get.

After Life (5) - The Second Coming

When history is complete Jesus will appear again.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thes 4:16-17)

Christians who are still alive on earth will be caught up into the air to be with Jesus. At the same time, the souls of the saints who have died and are in Paradise will have their bodies raised. Clothed in spiritual bodies they will return with Jesus when he comes in ther air.

We will then be ready to live with Christ in glory forever. We will all go together to the last judgment to receive our final reward, eternal life with Christ.

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