Archive for Second Coming
The Basis of Our Expectation
When most Christians think about the parousia of Christ, at which time both the dead and living in Christ are to be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess. 4: 16-17), they think of it as an imminent expectation. That is, the rapture and resurrection of believers is something that can occur during any generation. It doesn’t matter whether you are pre-trib, mid-trib, or post-trib; if you are solidly evangelical in your views, then you believe that the rapture intimately concerns you. Very well. But while the doctrine of imminency is confessed by all, it is less often understood why this element is essential to a true unfolding of the Gospel message.
We are aware of some who would postpone Christ’s second advent to a far future time. They urge Christians not to look for the second coming, which is the blessed hope of the church (Titus 2: 13), but for the evangelization of the world. They urge us to buy houses and cars, plant vineyards and oliveyards, make investments, and look for long-term schemes to reach fruition. One writer has even suggested that Christ will not return for another 36,000 years! This is wrong, all wrong. If only the truths concerning this matter were better understood, Christians would shun any doctrine that seeks to put off the coming of the King to receive us unto Himself.
The doctrine of imminency is indeed important, and is based – believe it or not – on the substitutionary, sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6: 23). Christ paid the wages when He died on Calvary’s cross. Hence, Christ’s death is substitutionary in nature. That is a simple equation, and easy to understand – as it well should be.
Think about it for a moment. If Christ’s death was substitutionary (which all Protestants admit), then it is evident that regenerate Christians need not die. That is, there is no more necessity for undergoing death. Wherefore Paul explicitly teaches: “Behold, we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed” (1 Cor. 15: 51). That is, not all members of the Body of Christ shall undergo physical death; but regardless of whether we live or die, we shall all be tranformed into the image of Christ. In this regard, nothing has changed since the apostle penned these words.
For any Christian to claim that all the members of Christ’s body on earth at any given time must needs fall asleep in death, is to subvert this truth, and to demonstrate ignorance of the springhead whence it flows. Sometimes Preterists seek to solve the problem of imminency by relegating all the “expectation passages” to the first century, and positing their fulfillment in A.D. 70. But this method is inconsistent, and inadequate to deal with the facts. Paul’s teaching in Philippians 3: 20-21 places the rapture of believers in the immediate foreview of the church. Since the transformation of the living and dead did not occur in the first century, it is clear that it must still occupy an important place in our daily walk. There is only one body and one faith (Ephesians 4: 4-5). The church has received but one set of marching orders. How faithfully we adhere to these marching orders will reveal our value as stewards. It is a matter which concerns “all” (Luke 12: 41-48).
The questions we must ask is: Did Christ die for our sins? Was He raised for our justification? Is He coming again? If you answer yes to all three of these questions, then you will have to place more importance on the second coming, if you haven’t already. For the return of Christ is bound up with His sacrificial death on Calvary’s cross, and is therefore part of that “good news” which we are to preach. Any man who seeks to deny or wilfully obscure such good news will have something to answer for at the judgment seat of seat.
Rev. D.M. Panton — The Coming Parousia Of Christ
(from Rapture, 1922)
“The Parousia of Christ runs simultaneously with the Parousia (2 Thess. 2: 9) of the Antichrist; the heavenly Parousia is the advanced outpost whither God calls His ambassadors, on the outbreak of war against the world and the last judgments of God; and unrecalled ambassadors are in peril from both batteries.”
“But Antediluvian and Sodomic wickedness recur, and remain obdurate, during the Parousia. At length ripness of iniquity below, and the close of the judgment scene above, together produce the break-up of the Parousia; scattering clouds on a sudden to reveal to every eye the triple glory (Luke 9: 26) burning in the heart of the Pavilion.
“For as the lightning cometh forth from the east, and is seen even unto the west; so shall be the presence [see Revised margin throughout] of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24: 27); who shall paralyze Antichrist by the manifestation, or outburst, of His Parousia; and “then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13: 43). Our Lord’s feet at last alight (Zech. 14: 4) upon Olivet.
Dan Peek’s “Highway To Tribulation” and Other Prophetic Writings
I recently came across an excellent series of articles on endtime prophecy, written by Dan Peek. During the 1970’s, Peek played in the band “America.” He had a major hand in recording classic tunes such as “Horse With No Name,” “Ventura Highway,” “Don’t Cross The River,” “Tin Man,” “Sister Golden Hair,” and countless others. Peek left the band in 1978, however, after renewing his Christian faith. He’s been studying prophecy and eschatology for over 30 years, and has quite a few observations to make on the “end times.” Reading his articles has been a real blessing. I wish to thank him especially for giving me permission to quote from his articles.
I am pleased to find that the author holds to a Dispensational view of prophecy. That is, he believes that there is a future period of blessing in store for the Jewish people. Since one of the major purposes of my blog is to combat the erroneous Roman Catholic idea of “Replacement Theology,” Peek’s observations are strikingly relevant. He writes:
“The Church is not the new Israel. This is false teaching. Replacement theology is not biblically sound doctrine. Israel’s future begins when the Church departs. Why? Because their blindness ends when “…the fulness of the Gentiles be come in“. Romans 11:25.”
“The Church is the Bride of Christ and Israel is God’s wife. He says of her, “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth… because the Lord loved you“. Deuteronomy 7:6-8.
“When the time is right, Israel will turn again to the Lord, saying, “Come and let us return unto the Lord: for he hath torn, and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, AS THE LATTER AND FORMER RAIN unto the earth“. Hosea 6:1-3 (emphasis added).
“These verses in Hosea are like a trumpet blowing, loudly proclaiming prophesy. As mentioned earlier, the two days are finished and the third day has begun. Israel will soon recognize their Redeemer, the Messiah ben David, who will appear when the nation is surrounded by Philistines, literally and figuratively, as Palestinians, the Arabs and the rest of the “World“, invade the “pleasant land“. Messiah ben David will crush all these enemies to powder, as the stone cut out without hands. Truly a refulfillment of David versus Goliath.
“I believe the reference to the latter and former rains are the realization that Israel has seen Him before and now they see Him again and receive Him proclaiming, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord“.
He also writes:
“When Roman Catholicism went off the rails in the time of St. Augustine, the concept of replacement theology began its insidious growth. Both Catholic and some Protestant sects adhere to this unscriptural rendering of the Bible. Replacing Israel with the Church. This is not only unsound theologically it is an affront to God Almighty and will be punished. Though the Church and Israel share many areas of common ground, they are separate entities.”
As one who has major “connections” in the secular world, Peek is highly qualified to gauge the “signs of the times,” and believes we are nearing the end of the age. In his seven-part series entitled, “Highway To Tribulation,” he talks about the events happening around the world right now, which foreshadow the Tribulation. Despite discrepancies among Christians, most evangelicals believe that the world will endure some rough times before the new age of righteousness and peace dawns, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to rule and reign from Jerusalem.
Peek believes – and I agree with him – that the signs of a near tribulation are everywhere around us. All we have to do is open our eyes, and see that in the rise of globalization, new age theology, and developments in the Middle East, God is moving some major pieces across the checkerboard of this doomed world. Close our eyes though we may, we cannot deny the evidence. Things are not getting better and better. They are getting worse!
One of the more intriguing topics Peek discusses is the concept of the “666” numbering system. The author claims that this system is, in its incipient form, already present in the universal barcode system. In light of modern-day “tracking technology,” microchip implantations are also being utilized to pave way for the “mark of the beast.”
Peek writes:
“The New Age version of the Millenial Messianic Kingdom will of course be counterfeit. The 666 or Beast System will hold out the promise of earthly paradise, peace and prosperity. The Mark of the Beast which will be placed in the hand or forehead of those who receive it, is a counterfeit of the seal of the Holy Spirit by which God recognizes his children. Therefore I feel it’s entirely possible that the Mark of the Beast will be invisible to the “naked eye” but readable by some type of machine or electronic sensor. A chip implant would for all intents and purposes be invisible except to a machine programmed to read it. This would mimic the “invisible” seal with which all saved/redeemed children of God are sealed. “…in whom also after ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance…” Ephesians 1:13. Again in Ephesians we are reminded of this. “…the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.” Ephesians 4:30. In the book of Revelation, the 144,000 are sealed “…of our God in their foreheads.” Revelation 7:3.
“The demonic counterfeit seal is near, even at the door. Within the last year Shenzhen, China a city of 12.4 million people, issued residency cards with powerful computer chips embedded in them to the vast majority of the citizens. These chips contain not only their basic I.D. info such as name and address but list the carriers’ work history, education, religious affiliation, ethnic background, police record, medical insurance information and their landlords’ telephone number. It was recently announced that starting in 2009 National Identity Cards will be issued to all British citizens linking all of their personal information with a fingerprint, facial recognition or iris (eye) pattern.
“Of course the Anti-christ will be a counterfeit of Jesus and many scholars believe the False Prophet will be a counterfeit of John the Baptist or a type or shadow of him. There will of course be a false “Church”. The word “Church” is one of the most abused and misused words in the world’s lexicon. To true Believers in Jesus Christ, the Church is His Body, comprised of all the various members of this living organism. The false “Church” will of course be all those who choose to worship the Anti-christ.”
Although all of this seems to paint a somewhat bleak picture of upcoming events, Peek is no shallow doomsday prophet. His writings hold out the hope of a speedy return of Christ — a truth that is all the more salutary in these trying times. This is what every Christian should be waiting for.
Of course, the above quotes provide only a slim sample of the material Dan Peek has written. It is recommended that the reader go to Peek’s site for himself to read the articles archived there. He is currently working on more multi-chapter articles, which will be released directly to the web. However, these articles, collected together, would make an excellent book, and help spread the news about Jesus Christ’s soon return to establish His Millennial kingdom.
Jesus Christ Refutes Hyper-Preterism
“Behold my hands and My feet, that it is I myself: handle Me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see Me have… And they gave Him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb. And He took it, and did eat before them” (Luke 24: 39, 42, 43).
This scene took place on the evening of Christ’s resurrection. Our Lord had been raised since early morning, but we do not have a full record of what He did or where He went that day. A few hours earlier, though, He had appeared to two of His disciples on the road to Emmaus, and had sat down to meat with them when they arrived at the village. Then He disappeared (see Luke 24: 13-31).
Just that morning, He had forbidden Mary Magdalene to touch Him, “For,” said He, ”I am not yet ascended to My Father” (John 20: 17). When He appeared to the eleven at evening, however, He gave them permission to handle Him, that they might see that He was no spirit, but truly flesh and bone (cf. 1 John 1: 1). This proves that sometime between morning and evening, Christ had ascended into heaven in His physical body.
While some Christians may scoff at the idea of there being more than one ascension, he/she need only compare the two accounts which Luke gives in Luke 24: 50-51 and Acts 1: 9-11, and they’ll see that two different ascensions are mentioned. The ascension recorded in Luke happened on the evening of the resurrection; whereas that recorded in Acts occurred after a period of 40 days of instruction concerning the kingdom (Acts 1: 3). Surely Luke was not making a “mistake” when he wrote of more than one ascension.
For all we know, Christ may have ascended and descended many times prior to His final taking up in Acts 1: 9. The fact that on the evening of the resurrection He told His disciples to touch Him, indicates that He had ascended at least once prior to His appearance to the eleven. But since He appeared in His physical body, it is equally clear that He must have ascended in His own body!
Take the argument a step further. How did Christ ascend in Acts 1: 9? If Christ had previously went to heaven in His own body, then there was no need for Him to divest Himself of His humanity in Acts 1: 9. And remember what the angels said:
“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).
Ouch! The Hyper-Preterist has no refuge, except to create a non-Biblical ascension, which I’ve already showed lacks Scriptural precedence. True, Paul said that “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incoruption” (1 Cor. 15: 50). But Hyper-Preterists forget that Christ didn’t say: “Behold, I am flesh and blood.” He said: “Behold, I am FLESH and BONE.” There is a difference!
Also, after Christ rose from the dead, He was no longer subject to corruption.
“For Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption” (Psalm 16: 10)
“Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over Him” (Romans 6: 9).
Therefore, from Christ’s appearance in His physical body AFTER an ascension into heaven, we may infer that He physically ascended into heaven when He sat down on the right hand of God. And that proves that Christ will return in His physical body.
Hyper-Preterism stands refuted!
Theology For A Rainy Day
Since the Lord saved me by His grace in spring of 2004, I’ve come to a better understanding of my place in the cosmos. I don’t say “in the kingdom,” because I don’t believe the church and the kingdom are the same. But in the cosmos there is a niche for us all, small and insignificant though it may be.
I think that part of the secret to maintaining a Christian perspective is to remember who is administering the affairs of this world. Our worldview must be a Biblical one. At present, the world is run by Satan and fallen man. E.W. Bullinger writes:
“God is not administering, ordering, or ruling [the world's] affairs; though He is over-ruling all things in order to secure the accomplishment out of His secret counsels and purposes. His rule, and Dominion is in abeyance; and, while He is silent, He is, by His Spirit whom He has sent, bringing the world in guilty, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (The Great Cloud of Witnesses, pg. 318).
A sober realization of these facts will keep our eyes looking up to Christ as the one hope we have. He alone is the bright and morning star (Rev. 22: 16). And so we get theology for a rainy day. Those who realize their high calling, as unfolded in the prison epistles of Paul (Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, Titus, 1 & 2 Timothy), will learn to sit loose to the things of this world.
Moses the man of God once said: “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts to wisdom” (Psa. 90: 12). Only when the world’s image is effaced from our hearts will we ever truly know what real Christianity is about. Man must be made to learn how frail he is, that all carnal security may be shaken. He must understand that the sands of this aeon are fast running out. Until Christ comes to bind the usurper and establish His kingdom, the daily round of human existence is futile at best.
Christian discipleship can sometimes be burdensome. As pilgrims, our journeying to and from leads us sometimes to view ourselves as outsiders – mere visitants waiting for the “calling on high” (Phil. 3: 14); and so we forget our role as witness-bearers in this world. That is what a Christian must become, though, if he would serve his Lord properly: a lamp shining in the midst of a dark and unregenerate (and might I say, doomed?) world. To keep precious oil in our vessels, we must remain in communion with Him Who sits at the right hand of God. This entails setting our affections on things above, not on things on the earth (Col. 3: 1-2).
Moses knew what he was talking about when he said, “Let us number our days.” The fact that the things are this world are so fleeting gives us a standing reminder that we have a commission to carry out, which is more important than our own agendas. That commission is to bear witness to the Gospel in whatever way we can. All other programs must be subservient to this.
But most of us fail miserably when it comes to personal witnessing. I speak from experience. Side-tracked by ephemeral issues, we too often forget that bearing witness to the truth of the Gospel is infinitely more important than refuting error, in whatever shape it may come.
But like clouds that obscure the sun, those things that divert attention from Divine priorities tend to go away after a heavy rain. Solomon once said, “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go the house of feasting; for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart. Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better” (Ecc. 7: 2-3).
Solomon did not know when he’d die, but he knew it could be at any moment. And then he would go down to the grave, not to awaken until the trumpet called him forth. Surely without this hope to sustain him, existence would have been a miserable thing.
It was the hope of resurrection that made life worth living. It was the simple fact that also sustained Job throughout all His afflictions. It was the coming of the Savior, the second Adam, to receive what the first Adam had forfeited, and to bring in the long-awaited kingdom, that sweetened the earthly pilgrimage of the fathers. It was the hope of the second coming that bolstered Paul as he languished in his prison. It is the same hope that motivates us today.
Without being too sentimental, I call this “theology for a rainy day.” Throughout the ages, the hope of Christ’s return has always exercised a salutary effect on the human heart. If you the reader are missing the blessed realization that the Savior will soon come, or have allowed it to become obsured by the things of this world, I urge you to look into the Scriptures of truth, “that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints” (Eph. 1: 18).
How To Refute Preterism: Part 1: “Smash Preterism Now”
Brian Simmons has launched a new audio series entitled “How To Refute Preterism,” in which he showcases the inconsistency and foolishness of Preterist eschatology. In this first episode of the series, Brian shows that an A.D. 70 parousia means an A.D. 70 resurrection — proving that Partial Preterism is wrong on timing, while Hyper-Preterism is wrong on nature. As these two systems of Preterism cancel each other out, the obvious conclusion is that the Futurist view of Christ’s coming is correct!
Listen now: http://antipreterist.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/smashpreterismnow.mp3
Charles H. Welch– Audio Lectures On The Second Coming
1. Old Testament References To The Second Coming
2. The Second Coming In Daniel’s Prophecy
3. The Second Coming In The Book of Zechariah
4. The Second Coming In Haggai and Malachi
5. Israel’s Attitude To The House Of God
6. The Second Coming In Matthew
8. The Second Coming In The Book of Acts
9. The Second Coming In Paul’s Epistles
10. The Second Coming In 1 Thessalonians
11. The Second Coming in 2 Thessalonians
12. The Second Coming in 1 Corinthians
13. The Second Coming In Hebrews and Romans
14. The Second Coming in 1 Peter, James, Jude, and John
