Christ is Coming!
Bible Teaching About Jesus Christ's Return to
Earth
It was once fashionable in religious circles to say that Jesus
Christ would never return to the earth. There are still plenty of
professing Christians who believe that. But there are now many others
who have come to believe that the Second Coming is a very important
event.
Christadelphians have always taught that the Return of Jesus Christ
to the earth is vital to the fulfillment of the purpose of God. This
booklet reviews Bible teaching about the Second Coming, both the
events that will lead up to that miracle and the reason for the Lord's
Return.
New Testament Teaching
Someone has counted the New Testament references to this great event,
and they number 318 occurrences! If you reflect that the number of
times the word for Christian love occurs is only 115, you will begin
to see the importance of this topic. Nor is it simply the case that
only one or two New Testament writers refer to the matter in their
writings. Treatment of the subject is widely spread.
Jesus spoke often about the Kingdom of God and his Second Coming.
His parables, for example, were told to those who thought the Kingdom
of God was to appear immediately. He was like a nobleman who had to go
"into a far country to receive for himself a Kingdom and to
return" (Luke 19:12). More than once he spoke of the Coming
of the Son of Man (e.g. Matthew 24:27,30,37,39,48; 25:27; 26:64).
And when he assured his disciples of his continuing spiritual, but
invisible, presence "even unto the end of the world" (Matthew
28:20), he inferred that then he would be visibly present with them
for ever.
The testimony of the Apostles was equally plain. They had been
clearly taught by the Risen Lord who, during the forty days before his
ascension into heaven, instructed them about the Kingdom of God, the
restored kingdom of Israel (Acts 1:3,6). It was the opening theme of
his post-resurrection appearances that all the Old Testament promises
were coming to their fulfillment in him (Luke 24:27). At the time of
his ascension, as he was being taken up from the Mount of Olives into
the clouds, God sent His angels to explain.
"Ye men of Galilee", they said to the watching apostles,
"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).
It is not therefore surprising that when the Apostles began to
teach in the streets of Jerusalem, they said that their Lord Jesus
Christ was to return to the earth as King. Peter gave the lead when he
boldly announced that the grave could not keep Jesus imprisoned. He
referred his hearers to a statement in Psalm 110:1, used also by his
Lord, to show that he had gone to heaven only until his enemies
have been subdued (2:34,35). Note the authoritative use of the Old
Testament.
But also note a vital point. Bible teaching is never given just for
the sake of informing us what happens next. It always has a deeper
intention, for we are meant to use the knowledge it confers to prepare
ourselves for those coming events:
"Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly
that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord
and Christ . . . Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name
of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:36,38).
It should follow that our consideration of Bible truth
concerning the Return of the Lord should also cause us to
search our hearts.
Other New Testament Writings
But what of the writings of other New Testament authors? Let us look
at just one of the New Testament letters, the First written by Paul to
the Thessalonians. Notice how he centers his entire message on the
truth of the personal return to the earth of the Lord:
"wait for his Son from heaven . . . which
delivereth us from the wrath to come" (1:10);
"what is our hope or joy? Are not ye in the presence of our Lord
Jesus Christ at his coming?" (2:19);
"he may stablish your hearts unblameable . . . at the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (3:13);
"the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout"
(4:16);
"the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night"
(5:2);
"I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved
blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (5:23).
You could try extending this investigation, if you wish. The
emphasis on the Lord's Coming continues in all the New Testament
letters, but it is always related to practical Christian living.
Because the Lord is coming again, there were matters in their lives
that required attention! And it is so for us.
Old Testament Teaching
The same person who counted 318 references in the New Testament
extended the search to the Old Testament, and discovered 1,527 such
references to an event in God's purpose which can be no other than the
Coming of Christ as King. Let it be clear that the exact number is
unimportant; there is always room for some difference of opinion about
the occasional passage. But it is perhaps startling to some readers to
consider that there could be five times as many references to the
Second Coming in a part of the Bible which has suffered widely from
neglect over the years.
The fact of the matter is this: the New Testament can only be
understood once the Old Testament has also been studied. The two
Testaments belong together as interdependent parts of God's revealed
truth. What the Old Testament foretells the New Testament fulfils, in
part. But a very large amount of Old Testament prophecy remains
unfulfilled.
Consider these promises of a King who will reign over God's Kingdom
on earth, and ask yourself whether they have ever been fulfilled:
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GENESIS:
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"Thy seed (a descendant of Abraham) shall possess the
gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of
the earth be blessed" (22:17,18; see Acts 3:25; Galatians
3:16).
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2 SAMUEL:
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"And when thy days (David) be fulfilled, and thou shalt
sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed (descendant)
after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will
establish his kingdom. He shall build a house (a Temple) for
my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for
ever" (7:12,13).
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PSALMS:
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"The LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day
have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the
heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession" (2:7,8; see Acts 4:25,26);
"He (the promised king) . . . shall have dominion also
from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the
earth" (72:6-8).
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ISAIAH:
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"It shall come to pass in the last days, that the
mountain of the LORD's house (His Temple) shall be established
in the top of the mountains (at Jerusalem) . . . and all
nations shall flow unto it . . . for out of Zion shall go
forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. And he
shall judge among the nations" (2:2-4);
"Of the increase of his government and peace there shall
be no end, upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom,
to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice
from henceforth even for ever" (9:7);
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JEREMIAH:
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"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch (descendant), and a King
shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and
Israel shall dwell safely: and this is the name whereby he
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (23:5,6).
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The Kingdom of God
Many times God has promised that He will rule the earth. What man has
failed time and again to achieve, God will establish. The King will be
a descendant of both Abraham and David (see Matthew 1:1). He will rule
from Jerusalem, on David's throne (see Luke 1:31-33). His Kingdom will
be one of justice and righteousness; it will involve Divine education,
Temple worship, and the exercise of Kingly power to establish peace on
earth (see Revelation 11:15-18).
The Kingdom of God was once before established on earth. King David
and his descendants reigned upon the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord
(1 Chronicles 28:5). There was nothing special about the throne
itself. The Divine appointment was what mattered and when king after
king had neglected God's law, He brought that arrangement to an end.
But even when the prophet Ezekiel announced the end of the Kingdom to
King Zedekiah (in 21:25-27), he promised that God would restore the
Kingdom on earth when he should "come whose right it is".
The Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth has
therefore to be understood against that powerful Old Testament
background. When Jesus began his public ministry by announcing that
the Kingdom of God was at hand (Mark 1:15), he was saying to those who
knew the Old Testament promises that he was the promised King. But
Jesus had first come to achieve personal righteousness, and to make it
possible for others to become right with God.
It is now possible for us to find peace with God through the
forgiveness of our sins, by association with the saving work of the
Lord Jesus. First we have to understand the Gospel, including Bible
teaching about the work and person of the Lord Jesus, and the Kingdom
over which he is now the King. Then we have to be baptized as
believing adults into his saving Name (see Acts 8:1 2).
Behold Your King!
But what is the Second Coming of the Lord going to be like? For
example, would it be possible to miss it altogether and not even be
aware that it had occurred? Will it be visible or invisible? Will
Jesus be there in person or merely a spiritual presence? And will he
come to the earth or only towards the earth?
Jesus Christ rose bodily from the grave. He was not an invisible
spirit creature but One who could be seen, handled and held (1 John
1:1; Luke 24:39,40). His body was marked by the evidence of his
suffering on the cross. Yet he was no longer subject to the
limitations of human existence. He could come and go despite locked
doors, and on Mount Olivet he ascended bodily to heaven, defying the
law of gravity. The disciples had seen him go; he would return
visibly. As the angel later said: "Behold, he cometh with
clouds; and every eye shall see him" (Revelation 1:7). Or as
Zechariah the Old Testament prophet had predicted, long before the
crucifixion, "They shall look upon me whom they have pierced
and they shall mourn for him" (12:10).
So it will not do to say that only those who look with faith will
see the Lord. Some will look, see, and mourn (Revelation 1:7). Nor
will it do to say that Jesus will come invisibly, for the Lord himself
warned:
"Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is
Christ, or there; believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs
and false prophets . . ." (Matthew 24:23,24).
Nor will it do to argue that the Bible talks of the presence
of the Lord, meaning that it will be an invisible one. The New
Testament also talks about the revelation of the Lord, using a
word that means uncovering or manifesting. In fact, the presence
(Greek: parousia) of the Lord turns out to be an especially
suitable term. One of the most authoritative Greek Lexicons available
says of the word:
"It became the official term for a visit of a
person of high rank, especially of kings and emperors visiting a
province" (Arndt and Gingrich).
It is such a visit by a King that the Scriptures foretell. The
crowds who welcomed King Jesus into Jerusalem when he sat astride a
donkey and they threw coats and' palm branches before him, shouted out
greetings that referred right back to the Promises of God:
"Blessed be the kingdom of our father David that cometh in the
name of the Lord" (Mark 11:10). Matthew comments that the
rejoicing was a foretaste of what had been forecast by Zechariah the
prophet, when he wrote "Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee".
Now if the initial royal visit was attended by such joy and
rejoicing, consider what the next one will be like! The prophet had
declared:
"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O
daughter of Jerusalem: behold thy king cometh unto thee: he is just,
and having salvation. . . and he shall speak peace unto the heathen;
and his dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river
even to the ends of the earth" (Zechariah 9:9,10).
Dual Fulfllment
This Scripture illustrates a widely used feature of Bible prophecy:
its joint short and long-term character. Jerusalem rejoiced at the
Kingly coming of Jesus -- "Lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon
a colt the foal of an ass" -- just as the prophet had said. But
their joy was short-lived, for he did not then go on to establish
worldwide peace, or commence to rule from Jerusalem over a Kingdom
that was to last for ever. Jesus completed enough of the prophecy at
that time to demonstrate that he was the Coming One, and to give us
confidence that he will return to complete the promised transformation
of the earth. Zechariah compressed the two comings in such a way that
there appeared to be no interval between them. This has led some
people to argue that the Kingdom will never come, because, they say,
even Jesus expected it in the First Century, or at most shortly
afterwards. It has thus been dismissed by some as an early Christian
hope, which has now been superseded by a superior understanding. But
when all the Scriptures are studied carefully, it becomes clear that
the Coming of Jesus was not to occur immediately after his ascension
to heaven.
The Day and the Hour
Any attempt to show that Jesus was mistaken about the time of his
Coming is doomed to failure. He clearly stated, more than once, that
he did not know:
"Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not
the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Matthew 24:36).
As he later said, this was something that the Father had reserved
within His own authority (Acts 1:7). But Jesus did know that some long
time would elapse before his Second Coming. He told parables to
indicate that his coming would not "immediately appear"
(Luke 1 9:11), that it would be "after a long time" (Matthew
25:19), and that there might be some delay for those who were waiting
(25:3). Like their Lord, his followers were to appreciate that they
could "not know what hour" he would come.
The apostles also acknowledged that they could not know the precise
time of the great event for which they waited. Peter warned about
people who would scoff, as so many have, at the "promise of his
coming" (2 Peter 3:4). Indeed he poured scorn on their
faithlessness, what he called "willful ignorance" -- people
believing what they wanted to believe, regardless of the evidence. And
Paul was in no doubt either, for he went on record as saying:
"But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye
have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that
the day of the Lord so cometh . . ." (1 Thessalonians 5:1,2).
Can you complete that quotation? It holds the key to two vital
matters concerning the early return of the King. Notice first what the
verse above says. There would be general indications available -- what
Paul calls "times and seasons" -- which would help keep the
believers prepared. And the verse continues:
". . . the day of the Lord so cometh as a
thief in the night."
When it happens the Lord's Coming will be swift, sudden and
unexpected. No-one expects thieves to strike. But they often succeed
because people overlook the dangers. It is also the case that speed is
vital to a successful robbery, which is why the figure is used by
Jesus (Matthew 24:43), Paul (1 Thessalonians 5:2), and Peter (2 Peter
3:10), to emphasise the vital point. We must be on our guard,
watchful, prepared, vigilant. The Lord could come at any time! He will
come when we least expect him!
The Times and Seasons
That is why when Jesus explained what was to happen before his Return,
he very carefully emphasised the need for watchfulness. Sitting with
his disciples one day on the Mount of Olives, from where he would
later ascend to heaven, he gave them some general indications of what
was to happen prior to his "coming and the end of the world"
(Matthew 24:3). This prophecy presents a fascinating challenge, for it
combines a short-term prediction about the fall of Jerusalem and the
destruction of the temple, with a long-term forecast of world events.
A list of the predicted events in the three Gospel accounts
(Matthew 24, Mark 1 3 and Luke 24), which does not claim to be a
structured sequence of prophetic events, shows the following:
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The rise of false Christianity and false Christs
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The persecution of true Christians.
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Wars and rumors of wars, nation against nation.
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Earthquakes, famines and pestilences.
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Jerusalem surrounded by armies.
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The Jewish nation dispersed.
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Jerusalem in non-Jewish occupation.
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Tribulation and distress.
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Signs in the sun, moon and stars.
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The powers of heaven shaken.
Notice how believers are warned about the rise and growth of false
Christianity. It is the Lord's first concern. His words were fulfilled
by the rapid development of wrong teaching in New Testament times
(e.g. Acts 20:29), and are being fulfilled again at the close of this
age. Elsewhere the message is that the true believers will comprise a
very small remnant, compared with those who hold a distorted form of
Christianity.
Antichrist
The apostles also warn about this development. Paul was emphatic that
there would be manifestations of false Christianity, for he prophesied
that the Day of the Lord:
"shall not come, except there come a falling
away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped" (2 Thessalonians 2:3,4).
The apostle Paul describes the man of sin in language that refers
back to the prophet Daniel, who accurately foretold the rise and fall
of four empires that exercised power in the Middle East. He traced the
development from them to a false religious system, involving the Holy
Roman Empire and the papacy, that is opposed to Christ and his true
followers. This is counterfeit Christianity, and the apostle Paul
describes it as "the mystery of iniquity" which was already
at work, and "a strong delusion".
The other thread of teaching in the Lord's catalogue of future
events concerned trouble. There were to be wars and rumors of wars,
both within and between nations; there would be natural disasters and
widespread hardship, earthquakes, famines and epidemics; terrors and
fearful sights would be in the heavens, causing much fear and
distress. People would not know which way to turn for fear of what was
about to happen on earth.
To some extent these problems are as old as man. The tendency to war
against one another is evident even in the first book of the
Bible, and famine features there too. But even within Bible
history the atrocities of which man is capable become increasingly
ugly, and since then even more widespread horrors have been seen. The
powers now available to mankind are enough to make any sane person
fear for the future. More than ever before, these words of Jesus are
coming true:
"There shall be . . . upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts
failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are
coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And
then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory" (Luke 21:25-27).
Tribulation
The reference to the sea and waves roaring, like others to signs
in the sun, moon and stars, may be either symbolic or literal or
some combination of both. The prophet Isaiah, for example, wrote about
the wicked being "like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest,
whose waters cast up mire and dirt" (57:20). Jesus may have
been drawing upon such imagery to describe a world that was full of
trouble because it was full of wickedness. He may also have been
teaching us to look out for some upheaval of the physical order, like
tidal waves, which would also be an indication of the end of the age.
Certainly there have been many earthquakes and natural disasters over
the past few years, all over the world. The apostle Paul described the
whole world order as groaning and travailing in pain (Romans
8:22), like a woman waiting to be delivered of a child. It is thus
evident that our present troubles are the birthpangs of a new and
better world, soon to begin.
In both Testaments we are told that the tribulation that will come
at the end of human government is the final herald of the Second
Coming. It will be:
"a time of trouble such as never was"
(Daniel 12:1);
"the time of Jacob's (Israel's) trouble" (Jeremiah 30:7);
"great tribulation" (Matthew 24:21).
Will the believers waiting for their Lord have to suffer this
trouble, or will they be spared? The likelihood is that present-day
believers will live through this time of trouble, indeed that they
have already begun to do so. Jesus promised that for the elect's sake
that time would be shortened (Mark 13:20). But those who finally stand
approved before the Judge are those "which came out of the great
tribulation, and they washed their robes, and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb" (Revelation 7:14).
As that trouble increases, and God pours out His wrath upon the
earth, there are indications that true believers will be sheltered
from that outpouring. Isaiah describes the great shake-up of human
society when God intervenes:
"Come, my people, enter into thy
chambers. . . hide thyself as it were for a little moment, until the
indignation be overpast. For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place
to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity"
(24:18-23, 26:20,21).
We must therefore consider carefully what Jesus said:
"When these things (the signs of which he spoke)
begin to come to pass, then look up and lift up your heads, for your
redemption draweth nigh" (Luke 21:28).
We should not wait until total disaster has struck, and there is no
escape route left. It is better to learn the lesson now, that this is
the time immediately before the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
The Nation of Sign
There is one great sign which removes all doubt concerning his
imminent return. The nation of Israel is back occupying the land
promised by God. The history of the Jewish nation has been a guide
throughout the ages to the outworking of God's purposes. They were
called as a special people, because of the great promises that had
been made to their Fathers. They were given the right to occupy the
land we now know as Israel, conditional upon their faithful obedience
to God. They were the people whose kings occupied the throne of God's
Kingdom on earth.
They forfeited these rights when, after centuries of indifference,
they not only refused to accept the Lord Jesus as their Messiah, but
were involved, with the Romans, in effecting his death by crucifixion.
Because of that rejection, Jerusalem was overthrown. Throughout the
intervening centuries Jews have wandered the earth as a stateless
people, hated and persecuted almost everywhere they went, just as
Scripture said they would be.
But Scripture also forecast a better future for this nation of
sign, not because they would change their behavior and live to deserve
better treatment, but because God would take pity on their plight and
act to redeem them. He would remember the promises made of old to the
Fathers and act to vindicate His great name. At the time of the end
they would be brought back from the nations and once more be settled
in their own land-the land of promise! So the prophets said:
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ISAIAH:
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"The remnant shall return . . the ransomed of the Lord
shall return, and come to Zion" (10:21; 35:10).
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JEREMIAH:
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"He that scattered Israel will gather him"
(31:10).
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EZEKIEL:
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"I will even gather you from the people, and assemble
you out of the countries . . . then shall they dwell in their
land . . . yea, they shall dwell with confidence" (11:17;
28:25,26).
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ZECHARIAH:
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"I will bring them, and they shall dwell in the midst
of Jerusalem" (8:8).
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And so it came to pass. After nearly two thousand years of
dispersion and down-treading, in 1948 the State of Israel was born by
the decree of the United Nations, and in 1 967 the whole of Jerusalem
was repossessed by Jews. It had taken all that time for the words of
Jesus to be fulfilled:
"They shall fall by the edge of the sword, and
shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be
trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).
Everything now indicates that the Times of the Gentiles are
rapidly drawing to a close and the Time of the Kingdom of God is
once more at hand. The bringing together of troublous times and the
return of the Jews to the Land removes any doubt. Shortly King Jesus
will return to Jerusalem as World Ruler, to reign over Israel and over
all nations. Of all the available Signs of the Times given by Jesus
and the prophets, the establishment of Israel-the Nation of Sign-is
the clearest witness that the End is now at hand.
The "Rapture"
What then awaits the faithful follower of Jesus? Can he expect to go
to heaven with the Lord at his Return? Hardly, for the Lord is coming
to reign on earth, from Jerusalem. An elaborate scheme has been
devised by some Bible readers which requires not one Coming but two.
According to this, Christ's Coming would be first for the Church only
and would be a secret "rapture". He would come again with
the Church, for the world, and this would be visible and public. In
some versions of this theory the interval between the two comings is
very small; in others as much as seven years is thought to separate
the two events.
There is very little Scripture that can be used to attempt to
support these theories, for whilst there are some indications that a
separation will occur between companions when Jesus comes (Luke
17:34-36), the main teaching about the circumstances of the Return is
that given in Paul's First Letter to the Thessalonians:
"The Lord himself 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: 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"
(4:16,17).
The phrase caught up is that from which the whole idea of a
rapture has evolved; and the links with a supposed seven year period
of tribulation have been achieved by the unsatisfactory interpretation
of other Scriptures, especially from the Revelation. Clearly there is
to be a catching away of true believers, both of the living and
the resurrected dead, "to meet the Lord in the air". They
are to form a welcoming party who, with the angels who attend his
coming, will make up his entourage. But they go to meet him,
not he them. And their destination is made clear in the Scriptures
already considered: the Lord and his followers are bound for Jerusalem
(Zechariah 14:4), "the city of the great king" (Matthew
5:35).
The Lord will come!
In these dying moments of human government, the powers of heaven will
be shaken as men's hearts fail them for fear. The nations will be
engaged in a battle around Jerusalem. Then the Lord will come!
Unexpectedly, suddenly, in great power and glory, bringing salvation
for those who have faithfully waited and prepared for this central
event in their lives; but bringing judgement upon all those who have
wilfully ignored the faithful promises and gracious invitation of God:
"The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven
with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that
know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence
of the Lord, and from the glory of his power: when he shall come to be
glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that
believe" (2 Thessalonians 1:9,10).
It is vital therefore that we believe what the Bible so clearly
promises. We cannot simply "wait and see", because Jesus is
coming to save those who already believe, not to give reasons for
faith to those who have had clear evidence, but no inclination for the
things of God.
When the Lord spoke to his followers about his eventual return to
earth, he focused their attention more on the consequences of his
Coming than on the sequence of events itself. To this day we cannot
know for sure when Jesus will come. But we know perfectly clearly that
when he comes he will call us to account, and ask us how we spent our
lives on the eve of his return:
"Take heed . . . be not led astray . . . be not
troubled . . . take heed to yourselves . . . preach the gospel . . .
be not anxious . . . endure to the end . . . flee . . . pray . . .
believe not false prophets . . . take heed . . . look up and lift up
your heads . . . take heed to yourselves . . . watch . . . BE
READY" (Matthew 24; Mark 13; Luke 21).
The apostles make the very same points as they reflect on the
nearness of the Lord's Return.
"What manner of persons ought ye to be in all
holy conversation and godliness . . . be diligent that ye may be found
of him in peace, without spot, and blameless" (2 Peter 3:11-14).
"Denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12,13).
"When he shall appear, we shall be like him; for
we shall see him as he is. And every man who has this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:2,3).
Take Heed to Yourselves
The Bible is our guidebook to the future, just as it is our handbook
for the present. It alone will show us what God wants us to do. From
it we can learn God's purpose and promises. The first thing is to
understand and believe those things that are true. We shall then come
to appreciate the need for obedience to God, starting with baptism.
And thus we shall be doing what Jesus commanded.
The coming Kingdom of God on earth will transform human experience.
We need to learn to live now in harmony with our Creator. The Lord is
at hand! It is now an urgent matter for us all to examine our lives,
so that we are properly prepared for the Coming of the King.
-- TECWYN MORGAN