Second Coming | Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Second Coming'

Things To Come

Published June 24, 2015 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Eschatology, future, Second Coming, Things to come

Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem during His ministry on Earth, but Mark records just one, and Mark 11 and 12 describe our Lord’s actions and teachings in Jerusalem and around the Temple. The Jerusalem we read about in these two chapters of Mark is a dark and dangerous city. Jerusalem had become a hotbed of hostility and unbelief. Like the prophets before Him, Jesus experienced the constant hostility of the city’s religious and political leaders.

Throughout Mark 11 and 12 we witness what happens to a community, Jerusalem in this case, when it fails to fully realize its calling to follow the Word and the will of God. There is a breakdown in society and culture and especially of religion. This is shown in Jesus’ cleansing of the Temple, which had been turned into “den of robbers” by the religious elite. Most preachers and Bible students like to talk about the righteous anger of Jesus when He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, but Mark wants his readers to understand Jesus didn’t do these things because He was angry. It was a form of judgment. He had previously cursed an unproductive fig tree (Israel) and would tell a parable about the destruction of the tenants of a vineyard who were also unproductive (Israel). These three incidents show that God takes seriously the moral and spiritual conduct of a nation, and they set up Jesus’ teaching in Mark 13.

A change of scene, same teaching Mark 13:1 – 4

As he was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, what beautiful buildings these are! Look at the decorated stonework on the walls.”

Jesus replied, “Yes, look! For not one stone will be left upon another, except as ruins.” (Mark 13:1, 2 TLB)

As Jesus and His disciples left the Temple grounds, the disciples couldn’t help but comment on the greatness of the architecture. You and I have no concept of how beautiful Herod’s Temple was. Apparently it was truly a magnificent structure that literally took the breath away. That makes Jesus’ statement all the more startling. On that beautiful day, how could the apostles imagine a day when that great Temple, not even finished yet, would lay in ruins? How would it even be possible to topple the massive stones used in the Temple’s construction?

What Jesus said was startling, but it shouldn’t have been surprising. The prophets had already written about the very thing Jesus was talking to His disciples about this day.

It is because of you that Jerusalem will be plowed like a field and become a heap of rubble; the mountaintop where the Temple stands will be overgrown with brush. (Micah 3:13 TLB)

But Mark, far from writing like an ignorant fisherman, wrote like a theologian. He made it very clear that the coming destruction would be a direct judgment of God. George Beasley-Murray in his work, Jesus and the Last Days, wrote:

Mark’s setting of the prophecy at this point inevitably confirms the impression that the ruin of the Temple is the divinely ordained judgment upon Israel for its rejection of the Word of God brought by Jesus.

The judgment of God upon His people as predicted by Jesus was absolute. Josephus, our go-to Jewish historian wrote about the destruction of Israel and the Temple by Titus in 70 AD:

Caesar ordered the whole city and the Temple to be razed to the ground…the wall encompassing the city was so completely leveled to the ground as to leave future visitors to the spot no ground for believing that it had ever been inhabited.

Make no mistake: Caesar was angry with the Jews. But he was only a tool in the hands of God as He executed His judgment upon His people.

Don’t be misled; remember that you can’t ignore God and get away with it: a man will always reap just the kind of crop he sows! (Galatians 6:7 TLB)

The disciples asked Jesus two questions that are the key to understanding Mark 13 and our future.

And as he sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives across the valley from Jerusalem, Peter, James, John, and Andrew got alone with him and asked him, “Just when is all this going to happen to the Temple? Will there be some warning ahead of time?” (Mark 13:3, 4 TLB)

Two streams, one destiny

Mark 13, along with Matthew 24, are difficult for modern Bible readers to understand. There is a lot of Jewish apocalyptic language used that would have been easily understood by the disciples that we miss. And there are really two levels of prophecy in Mark 13: prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem (fulfilled in 70 AD) and prophecies concerning the second coming of Christ (not yet fulfilled). These are interwoven, spoken in the same breath. Some were fulfilled in 70 AD, some will be fulfilled in our future, and others had a partial fulfillment in 70 AD but will be fully fulfilled at the Second Coming.

Let’s look at the disciple’s questions.

Will there be some warning ahead of time?

Naturally the disciples wanted to know about signs. Lots of Jews wanted to know about signs. Previously the Pharisees demanded a sign from Jesus and He refused. But the disciples asked for signs and our Lord answered their request.

The signs Jesus gives He treats like one, long continuous sign from His time, through our time, into the Tribulation, and ending when He returns. There will be:

False teachers, vs. 5, 6.

These will be people supposedly preaching the truth, but they will be preaching lies; they will be preaching their own brand of theology that has little or nothing to do with the Bible.

Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the terrible wrath of God is upon all those who do them. Don’t even associate with such people. (Ephesians 5:6, 7 TLB)

There have always been false teachers, by the way. They aren’t an invention of a liberal church in America. Although you could say liberal evangelicals have perfected the art of false teaching. False teachers were the bane of Paul’s existence and were the main reason why he wrote some of his letters. These false teachers claimed to be messengers from God but were really anything but. Their purpose was to lead gullible and ignorant believers astray. That’s the purpose of all false teachers, of all time.

Wars and rumors of wars, vs. 7

And wars will break out near and far, but this is not the signal of the end-time. (TLB)

Again, just like false teachers have always been around, there have always been wars going on all over the earth. In point of fact, peace is the exception, not the norm in most places. Wars actually serve a very useful function: they bear testimony to the fact that Prince of Peace has not yet established His kingdom on earth. There was plenty destruction and violence leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem, yet during the years just prior to the return of Christ, conditions on earth will have degenerated drastically, as sinful man casts off all restraints and the Lord allows him to do so.

Natural disasters, vs. 8

...there will be earthquakes in many lands, and famines.

When we read in Revelation about the strange events taking place on earth during the Tribulation, it’s easy to understand why there will be an increase in things like earthquake and famines.

Hatred for His sake, vs. 9 – 13

You will be dragged before the courts, and beaten in the synagogues, and accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This is your opportunity to tell them the Good News. (Mark 13:9 TLB)

We know this happened in the early chapters of Acts, and in various parts of the world Christians have been “dragged before the courts” since the book of Acts. It’s hard to believe that Christians are being sued and fined outrageous amounts on account of their faith in America, but this “soft tyranny” against believers is becoming all-too common in this land of the not-so-free-anymore.

Natural affection perverted, vs. 12

Brothers will betray each other to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will betray their parents to be killed.

This must surely be the most heartbreaking sign of all. Not only will Christians face hostile courts, councils, synagogues, politicians, beatings, and other persecution, they will also experience hostility from their own families.

Don’t trust anyone, not your best friend—not even your wife! For the son despises his father; the daughter defies her mother; the bride curses her mother-in-law. Yes, a man’s enemies will be found in his own home. (Micah 6:5, 6 TLB)

How is this even possible? Matthew gives us the answer:

At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other… (Matthew 24:10 NIV)

Deceitful workers of wonders, vs. 22

For there will be many false Messiahs and false prophets who will do wonderful miracles that would deceive, if possible, even God’s own children.

False teachers are one thing, but false teachers that seem to be able to work supernatural wonders are something else. Demon possessed preachers and religious leaders, claiming to do the work of Christ, will cause even believers to fall away from the true faith.

Changes in the material universe, vs. 24

After the tribulation ends, then the sun will grow dim and the moon will not shine, and the stars will fall—the heavens will convulse.

These verses have traditionally been regarded a description of what will happen in the sky just prior to the glorious appearing of the Messiah. Bible scholars are divided as to how literally to take this verse and verses like it. One thing is certain, though, the coming into our world of the Messiah and His kingdom will be a cataclysmic event.

When is all this going to happen?

Contextually, the disciples were wondering when the Temple was going to be destroyed. Jesus, in He giving His answer, answers that question but then proceeds to talk about His Second Coming.

Nobody knows for sure, vs. 32

However, no one, not even the angels in heaven, nor I myself, knows the day or hour when these things will happen; only the Father knows.

As it was in the days of Noah, so shall the coming of Christ be. The fact of the coming flood was preached by Noah for two hundred years as he built his ark, but nobody, not even Noah, knew when the time would come to shut the door.

The fact of Jesus’ Second Coming cannot be denied. The Old Testament prophets saw it, Jesus talked about it, and the New Testament predicts it. It will happen; He will come again.

The Gospel will be preached, vs. 10

And the Good News must first be made known in every nation before the end-time finally comes.

This is a sign but also a condition to be fulfilled. When the last person on earth has heard the Gospel, the time will have come to Jesus to come back.

The abomination of desolation will be set up, vs. 14

When you see the horrible thing standing in the Temple—reader, pay attention!—flee, if you can, to the Judean hills.

This prediction is found in Daniel 9 and was previously fulfilled in Jewish history, but it will happen one more time just prior to the Second Coming.

Jesus’ advice

Our Lord had given His disciples a lot to think about. And we have a lot to think about, too. Jesus is coming again. We don’t know when it will happen. But one thing is certain: we are to be ready. There is no room for apathy, indifference, or unbelief in the Church regarding this. Jesus’ advice to His disciples is His advice to us, today.

First, we are to trust Him.

Take care! I have warned you! (Mark 13:23 TLB)

Indeed He has. There are no surprises. Jesus has warned us that things will get worse and worse in our world before He returns. We shouldn’t be shocked or surprised when we see Christians persecuted anywhere in the world, even here in America. But we need to trust Him.

Second, we need to be watchful. Three times in verses 33 – 37 He urged His followers to be watchful; to keep their eyes open; to be alert. Jesus hasn’t left us in the dark. He has told us everything we need to know. Our job now is to be wise; to be spiritually wide awake.

Third, we are to pray.

Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. (Mark 13:33 AV)

The one who is watching and paying attention to the signs will also be an intercessor. Don’t become discouraged or disheartened about the state of our country or of the world. Pray! Watch and pray! Faith in His coming should lead to a better, more spiritual life.

Paul, who knew the Lord could come at any time, gave the best piece of advice:

So be careful how you act; these are difficult days. Don’t be fools; be wise: make the most of every opportunity you have for doing good. Ephesians 5:15, 16 TLB)

Three Appearances of Jesus, 4

Published September 1, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: fig tree, rapture, Second Coming, three appearances of Jesus

In all, Jesus will make three appearances, each corresponding to an aspect of our salvation. His first appearance on earth as a baby in a manger brought God’s plan of salvation down to man from the Father. His second appearance was in Heaven, after His death, resurrection and ascension. There, Jesus makes intercession for His people, maintaining their salvation. Our Lord’s third and final appearance will be when He returns to earth in power and glory. This will be the consummation of our salvation.

When Jesus returns to earth, He will be returning with His saints. Let’s take a moment to distinguish Jesus’ returning with His saints and His coming for them.

Some results when He comes for His people

We call this event the Rapture. Jesus will appear in the clouds for His people, but He won’t touch down on earth. His purpose will be to remove believers from the earth just prior to the Tribulation, a period of seven years during which God will pour out His wrath on the nations of the world in judgment. He will also bring Israel to its knees, metaphorically speaking, for the purpose of bringing them into His family. Given the main purposes for the Tribulation, there is no need for the Church to be here. Even so, during this time there will be many converts to Christ; great revivals will break out and even in the midst of God’s judgments, the Gospel will be preached.

Here’s what will happen when Jesus comes for His people:

The resurrection of the dead in Christ.

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a mighty shout and with the soul-stirring cry of the archangel and the great trumpet-call of God. And the believers who are dead will be the first to rise to meet the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16 TLB)

What a stirring passage of Scripture! The Lord Himself – not an angel – will step out of heaven to personally call His people to Himself. He won’t be sending surrogates get His people. When He returns to establish His kingdom on earth, He will send His angels to do the ground work, but He will be the One gathering His people.

He will descend with a “mighty shout.” Jesus didn’t do a lot of shouting during His time on earth, but He did shout at Lazarus to come out of the tomb. There will also be the “soul-stirring cry of the archangel” and the “great trumpet-call of God.” It is Jesus who will be commanding the “dead in Christ” to rise. His voice alone will be orchestrating the events on earth. This is what Revelation refers to as “the first resurrection.” The apostle Paul wanted to part of this group:

So whatever it takes, I will be one who lives in the fresh newness of life of those who are alive from the dead. (Philippians 3:11 TLB)

The transformation of the living.

Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up… (1 Thessalonians 4:17a TLB)

As the Lord descends, the saints will ascend to meet Him in the air. That phrase, “caught up,” is from the Greek verb harpazo, meaning, “to seize and carry off speedily, to catch away.” This is where we get the term, rapture. There will be a glad reunion with the departed and resurrected loved ones:

Then we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and remain with him forever. (1 Thessalonians 4:17 TLB)

It is here that this event will occur:

It will all happen in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, when the last trumpet is blown. For there will be a trumpet blast from the sky, and all the Christians who have died will suddenly become alive, with new bodies that will never, never die; and then we who are still alive shall suddenly have new bodies too. For our earthly bodies, the ones we have now that can die, must be transformed into heavenly bodies that cannot perish but will live forever. (1 Corinthians 15:52, 53 TLB)

What a marvelous day this will be. It will be an orderly event: the dead will be raised first, followed by the living. That last phrase is, to me, the most exciting one: and remain with him forever. Nothing and no one will be able to take us away from our Lord. Little wonder Paul said this:

So comfort and encourage each other with this news. (1 Thessalonians 4:18 TLB)

The things we’ve been talking about shouldn’t terrify or confuse any believer. The teaching of the end times, and in particular the rapture, should be a comfort to all believers. That word “comfort” also means “exhort.” Believes are to talk about these things to comfort, in the traditional sense, but also to exhort each other. Jesus will be taking His Church out of the earth one of these days, ready or not. The dead will be lifted out of their graves first, followed by the living and together we will be standing with the Lord, in His presence forever. In fact, we will be coming back with Him to the earth when He physically, literally and visibly returns to earth.

Some results when Jesus appears with His people.

Jesus will have a job to do when He comes back. He will –

Manifest His own.

Part of living right is thinking right. According to Paul, one motivation for living and thinking right is the prospect of a glorious future:

And when Christ who is our real life comes back again, you will shine with him and share in all his glories. (Colossians 3:4 TLB)

Part of our glorious future will be our manifestation alongside Christ when He returns. He second coming will be full of majesty and splendor, and we will be right there, in the midst of it. Lightfoot’s ancient comments still make you shiver:

The veil which now shrouds your higher life from others, and even partly from yourselves, will be withdrawn. The world which persecutes, despises, ignores now, will then be blinded with the dazzling glory of the revelation.

Punish the disobedient.

And so I would say to you who are suffering, God will give you rest along with us when the Lord Jesus appears suddenly from heaven in flaming fire with his mighty angels, bringing judgment on those who do not wish to know God and who refuse to accept his plan to save them through our Lord Jesus Christ. They will be punished in everlasting hell, forever separated from the Lord, never to see the glory of his power… (2 Thessalonians 1:7 – 9 TLB)

This is not an insignificant thing that Jesus will do. Right now, we see criminals and evil doers getting away with it. The justice system seems to be a joke and the perpetrators of crimes seem to get more consideration than the victims. But we are assured that when Jesus comes back, He will mete out perfect justice. Nobody will be getting away with anything.

Closely related to His punishment of those who are disobedient, will be what happens to the nations of this world.

Judge the nations.

But when I, the Messiah, shall come in my glory, and all the angels with me, then I shall sit upon my throne of glory. And all the nations shall be gathered before me. And I will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and place the sheep at my right hand, and the goats at my left. (Matthew 25:31 – 33 TLB)

The grip nations have on their citizens and their ungodly rule of this world will finally be broken as our Lord calls them to account for the godlessness.

Restore Israel.

No, God is not finished with Israel. Not by a long shot. Some churches teach something called Replacement Theology, which says that God is done with Israel and that the Church has taken its place. Therefore, all the promises made to Israel may now be claimed by the Church. That’s not only bad theology, it’s anti-Semitic. When Jesus returns He will completely restore national Israel. It will finally be the nation God always intended it to be.

The Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! And the royal line will be as God, like the Angel of the Lord who goes before them! For my plan is to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. Then I will pour out the spirit of grace and prayer on all the people of Jerusalem. They will look on him they pierced, and mourn for him as for an only son, and grieve bitterly for him as for an oldest child who died. (Zechariah 12:8 – 20 TLB)

I want you to know about this truth from God, dear brothers, so that you will not feel proud and start bragging. Yes, it is true that some of the Jews have set themselves against the Gospel now, but this will last only until all of you Gentiles have come to Christ—those of you who will. And then all Israel will be saved. Do you remember what the prophets said about this? “There shall come out of Zion a Deliverer, and he shall turn the Jews from all ungodliness. At that time I will take away their sins, just as I promised.” (Romans 11:25 – 27 TLB)

Destroy the Antichrist.

The Antichrist will be, and he may already be, a real person. He will be the big political leader during the Tribulation.

Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with it the false prophet who had performed the signs on its behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (Revelation 19:19, 20 TLB)

Rule the nations.

Our Lord will judge the nations but He won’t destroy them; He will rule them. The world will – and even today already is – desperate for a political savior; that one brilliant politician who will make everything right and undo all the damage done by previous leaders. The fact is, only Jesus will be able to do this.

In his days may the righteous flourish and prosperity abound till the moon is no more. May he rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. (Psalm 72:7, 8 TLB)

The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord, and his name the only name. (Zechariah 14:9 TLB)

Some signs of signs of His coming.

While there are no signs for when the rapture may occur – it could have happened any time in the past and can happen any time in the future – there are many, many signs that will point to the Second coming of Jesus.

We know that the Bible does not teach that the Church will convert the world. That just isn’t going to happen. We know that the world will be in terrible shape just before Christ comes. Things may be bad now, but imagine how things will be with the Church it taken out of the way? All the horrible things that will take place during the seven-year Tribulation will be the signs pointing to Christ’s return.

The preaching of the Gospel.

Yes, even though the Church will be taken away, many people will come to know Jesus during the Tribulation and they will take the message of salvation all over the world.

And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it, and then, finally, the end will come. (Matthew 24:14 TLB)

Of course, the Gospel has been preached since the days of the Apostles, and it’s being preached today. But during the Tribulation, with the convergence of Bible prophecy and the knowledge that supernatural events are occurring, many will find the Lord and preach the Gospel in spite of the danger. There will be many martyrs during this time, but if history teaches us anything, it’s that the more pressure the world exerts against believers, the harder they pushback. The Gospel will be preached around the world like never before.

The budding fig tree, Israel.

Then he gave them this illustration: “Notice the fig tree, or any other tree. When the leaves come out, you know without being told that summer is near. In the same way, when you see the events taking place that I’ve described you can be just as sure that the Kingdom of God is near. (Luke 21:29 – 31 TLB)

The fig tree is symbolic of the nation of Israel. God doesn’t keep time with a Timex. If you want to know how far along we in God’s prophetic timetable, look to the nation of Israel.

This parable is found in all three Synoptics, but is most complete in Matthew 24. The fig tree represents Israel. Her revival will be the harbinger of the Messiah’s return.

Perilous times.

You may as well know this too, Timothy, that in the last days it is going to be very difficult to be a Christian. (2 Timothy 3:1 TLB)

Then there will be strange events in the skies—warnings, evil omens and portents in the sun, moon and stars; and down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, for the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then the peoples of the earth shall see me, the Messiah, coming in a cloud with power and great glory. So when all these things begin to happen, stand straight and look up! For your salvation is near. (Luke 21:25 – 28 TLB)

Perilous is a good word to describe the days just preceding the Second Coming, for sure!

The cry of the Bridegroom’s friends.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. (Matthew 25:6 KJV)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night… (2 Peter 3:10a KJV)

We don’t know when the rapture will occur and we don’t know when Jesus will come again, but the fact of His coming is settled in Scripture. He is coming. And He will be here when the world is least expecting Him.

We aren’t in the Tribulation yet, no matter how bad circumstances may be, but even now the signs pointing to His return are obvious to those of us who are looking. The way things are going, with all the violence and uncertainty all over the world, now more than ever, all believers should lift up their heads, and know that their redemption draweth nigh.

The Three Appearances of Jesus, 3

Published August 29, 2014 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: rapture, Second Coming, three appearances of Jesus, Tribulation

The second coming of Christ to the earth, which is the third appearance of Jesus, begins with the rapture of the saints (the “blessed hope” of the Church), followed by the visible, literal, and physical return of Christ to the earth with His saints, where He will rule and reign for one thousand years. This period is known as the Millennium and, among other things, will bring national Israel into God’s family and establish universal peace.

That paragraph, which large chunks of the Church believes, has caused a lot of theological violence over the years thanks in part to the adherence of certain denominations to something called The Westminster Confession of Faith which is a wonderful document written by men in an attempt to systematize and categorize the elements of Christian doctrine. It’s a worthy attempt at this but, as worthy as this document is, it is necessarily flawed as it written by man. The WCF (as it is known) devotes a scant sentence or two to the doctrine of the Second Coming. Since the document fails to mention the rapture, the Millennium, and other Biblical elements of eschatology, churches that wholly embrace it will have nothing to do with them. In fact, sometimes, they are downright nasty in their opposition to them. For some unfathomable reason they feel positively threatened by people who hold to this orthodox, historical version of Eschatology.

Before going any further, let me assure those who may hold to a different view of Eschatology that I am not your enemy! I have no war with you, nor do I think any less of you. I think the WCF is an awesome document. However, when it comes to doctrine and theology, I am of the opinion that it is better to go to the best document available: the Holy Bible. It’s helpful to know what others think the Bible says, but it’s essential to know what Bible says. No Christian needs the Westminster Divines, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, me or any other great or near-great Christians to tell them what and how to think.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16 NIV)

With that out of the way, let’s discuss an unnecessarily hotly disputed point. Will our Lord return before or after the Millennium? There are those who say He will return before the Millennium; that He is One who establishes the Millennium. Others teach that Jesus will return after the Millennium. Still others – hold on to your seats – teach that we are in the Millennium right now. The Bible contains the truth, and that’s what we need to know. According to the Good Book, what will the world look like when Christ returns? What will be the condition of man at the moment He returns?

The testimony of the prophets, Daniel 12:1, 2

“At that time Michael, the mighty angelic prince who stands guard over your nation, will stand up and fight for you in heaven against satanic forces, and there will be a time of anguish for the Jews greater than any previous suffering in Jewish history. And yet every one of your people whose names are written in the Book will endure it. And many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” (TLB)

These two verses seem to put to death the notion that we are in the Millennium right now. This is what society will look like at the tail end of the Great Tribulation, just before the Jesus returns. We know this because Jesus used language just like this to describe world conditions just prior to His return. But here, Daniel’s vision concerns his people, the Jews. It will be a dark time for them “at that time,” a phrase that designates the end of the end times. It will be a time of unparalleled anguish and suffering. Obviously there will be no utopia on earth.

What the Gospels say

The Second Coming of Jesus will be preceded by a time of terrible distress on earth that will touch both Jew and Gentile.

Then there will be strange events in the skies—warnings, evil omens and portents in the sun, moon and stars; and down here on earth the nations will be in turmoil, perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides. The courage of many people will falter because of the fearful fate they see coming upon the earth, for the stability of the very heavens will be broken up. Then the peoples of the earth shall see me, the Messiah, coming in a cloud with power and great glory. (Luke 21:25–27 TLB)

The kingdom of God, which is by definition “God’s rule and reign,” is here now but will be consummated and fully established at our Lord’s second coming. To look at the what the world is like now, it’s hard to imagine that the Lord “ruling and reigning!” But He is. Matthew 13 gives us a realistic view of the pathetic state of the kingdom of God as it is constituted right now. It will be even worse just before Christ returns.

Let both grow together until the harvest, and I will tell the reapers to sort out the thistles and burn them, and put the wheat in the barn. (Matthew 13:30 TLB)

That’s the tail-end of a parable which tells of a farmer’s wheat field that has been infested with weeds. The workers wanted to go out and pull all the weeds but the owner of the field, God, told His workers to hold off. Pulling weeds – judging between saint and sinner – is not the job of the workers. The point of that parable is that in the kingdom now are many who don’t belong here. Just look at the state of the Christian church today. It’s hard to know who the players are without a program!

When I return the world will be as indifferent to the things of God as the people were in Noah’s day. They ate and drank and married—everything just as usual right up to the day when Noah went into the ark and the Flood came and destroyed them all. And the world will be as it was in the days of Lot: people went about their daily business—eating and drinking, buying and selling, farming and building—until the morning Lot left Sodom. Then fire and brimstone rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. Yes, it will be ‘business as usual’ right up to the hour of my return. (Luke 17:26 – 30 TLB)

The key words in what Jesus said are: “Noah’s day” and “days of Lot.” In case you forgot, neither of those days were particularly good days! Sin was rampant. In fact, man had deteriorated to such a state that God had no choice but to execute a devastating judgment. In the case of Noah’s day, all life on earth was destroyed, save for the life aboard the ark. In Lot’s day, the sinful inhabitants of a whole valley were killed.

Yes, the world was at its worst during the days of Noah and Lot. No, things will not get better and better before the Lord returns. It’s clear things will get worse and worse.

“But the question is: When I, the Messiah, return, how many will I find who have faith and are praying?” (Luke 18:9 TLB)

That’s a rhetorical question Jesus asked. The self-evident answer is “None.” In other words, faith will be in very short supply when Jesus comes back.

What the letters say

It’s not only Jesus who talked about His second coming. Paul did. Here’s a sampling:

But the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some in the church will turn away from Christ and become eager followers of teachers with devil-inspired ideas. These teachers will tell lies with straight faces and do it so often that their consciences won’t even bother them. (1 Timothy 4:1, 2 TLB)

There has always been false teaching in the church, but it’s rampant today. But then you can’t have false teachers in the church without eager listeners and followers in the pews. Today’s Christian is so Biblically illiterate, it’s a sad testimony to members of my profession. Today’s Christian will believe just anything! They have no discernment and no understanding of or even desire to understand deeper spiritual things. They don’t know what they don’t know. They have itchy ears and will follow anybody whose teaching makes them feel good.

For people will love only themselves and their money; they will be proud and boastful, sneering at God, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful to them, and thoroughly bad. They will be hardheaded and never give in to others; they will be constant liars and troublemakers and will think nothing of immorality. They will be rough and cruel, and sneer at those who try to be good. They will betray their friends; they will be hotheaded, puffed up with pride, and prefer good times to worshiping God. They will go to church, yes, but they won’t really believe anything they hear. Don’t be taken in by people like that. (2 Timothy 3:2 – 5 TLB)

That’s not an editorial from “Christianity Today!” It IS Christianity today, as seen from a vantage point of some 2,000 years ago. Jesus once said that His church would prevail; that even the gates of Hell wouldn’t stand against it. He was right; Hell won’t wreck the church because church members are doing a good job of that on their own.

First, I want to remind you that in the last days there will come scoffers who will do every wrong they can think of and laugh at the truth. This will be their line of argument: “So Jesus promised to come back, did he? Then where is he? He’ll never come! Why, as far back as anyone can remember, everything has remained exactly as it was since the first day of creation.” (2 Peter 3:3, 4 TLB)

When there is no respect for the teachings of Scripture or the institutions of faith, people stop taking the doctrines of faith seriously. Naturally we see this occurring in the world all the time; that shouldn’t surprise us at all. But we are starting to see it happening in the church. Bible teachers and pastors making fun of those of us who take Bible prophecy seriously; questioning the intelligence of their fellows who are doing exactly what the Bibles admonishes Christians to do: watch and pray.

Once again, I ask the question: Why is knowing this important? A lot of Christians think it isn’t. They think it’s a foolish waste of time talking about future events that they don’t even think will happen. And even if they are going happen in the future, what of it? How does what will happen effect us in the here and now? Don’t we have enough trouble today?

What we’ve been looking at today is what theologians call “the Tribulation.” It will be period of seven years preceding the Second Coming. It’s important to know about this time of God’s wrath because the Bible has a lot to say about it. To dismiss the Tribulation is to dismiss large portions of the Old Testament, including whole books. It is to dismiss the Word of the Lord to His people. It is to dismiss significant teachings of Jesus – the Olivet Discourse – and most of the book of Revelation. Understanding the Tribulation is to understand why “the Gospel of the kingdom” is so important and even what it is. To dismiss the Tribulation is to dismiss God’s people, the Jews. God’s purpose for Israel as far as the Tribulation goes is to bring about their conversion so that they may finally receive the promised blessings of prophecies dating back to Abraham.

But not only is the Tribulation vital to the future of Israel, it also demonstrates that God knows what’s going on today. God will be judging the nations during this seven year period. They will be judged because of their ungodliness. This is not unimportant. Just look around at what the nations of the world are doing: killing innocent people; oppressing others; stealing wealth they’re not entitled to; passing laws robbing their own citizens of freedom, religious and otherwise. They have to be punished; somebody has to hold them accountable for their atrocious actions. God can’t give these nations a pass, and He won’t!

This is why knowing what will happen is so important. God’s very character is at stake. Without these seven years, God comes off looking uninformed, uncaring, uninvolved and disinterested in the world He created and the people He loves.

Daniel: The End of the Dream

Published August 14, 2013 Uncategorized Leave a Comment
Tags: Daniel, Millennial Kingdom, Second Coming

second-coming-01

Daniel 7

That was the end of the dream. (Daniel 7:28a TLB)

The historical section of the book of Daniel ended with the last verse of chapter 6. Now, Daniel begins the second part of his book which contains four prophetic visions which focus on the destiny of Israel in the world among Gentile nations. Chapter 7 parallels chapter 2, as both chapters put forth the four great world empires, followed by the rise of a fifth empire or kingdom which will be the final kingdom on earth, the great Millennial Kingdom, which Christ will inaugurate when He returns to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In chapter 2, the kingdoms of this earth are illustrated by a great statue, and in chapter 7 they are portrayed by a series of animals.

The book of Daniel is clearly not laid out in chronological order, and this drives the casual Bible reader crazy. Verse 1 indicates when this chapter occurs:

One night during the first year of Belshazzar’s reign over the Babylonian Empire, Daniel had a dream and he wrote it down. (Daniel 7:1 TLB)

So, we know that chapter 7 takes place somewhere around the year 553 AD. That means that some 50 years have passed since Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the great statue. Now, the great Nebuchadnezzar had been dead a decade, and none of his successors where close to being the world leader he was. They were weak, impotent, and distracted men, and they lead Babylon to its end. Daniel had this vision about 14 years before the fall of Babylon, and it encompasses the nations of this world from Daniel’s time, about 500 years before Christ, to our time to the end of the ages.

Daniel was a faithful Jew, he was a man of God, an interpreter of dreams and visions, and he was a prophet. He was also life-long political presence in Babylon. But most of all, Daniel was a man of action. Let’s look this man’s vision and its implications for us, today.

1. The dream 7:2—14

Daniel’s dream and its interpretation are repetitions of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2. There, the four parts of the great statue corresponded to the four great world empires, beginning with Babylon, and here these same empires correspond to a series of animals.

The empire of Babylon=the head of gold=winged lion;
The empire(s) of Medo-Persia=breast and arms of silver=a bear;
The Greek empire=belly and thighs of brass=four-headed, winged leopard;
The Roman empire=legs of iron=dreadful beast.

The question Bible students ask, is: Why repeat God’s plan for the empires of the world? These two dreams or visions reveal to man God’s unfolding of history. Previously, God had given to Egypt’s Pharaoh two dreams about the same thing: one dream of seven cows and one of seven ears of grain. Joseph explained to Pharaoh why he had a dream with the same meaning twice, and Joseph’s explanation probably applies here, too:

“Both dreams mean the same thing,” Joseph told Pharaoh. “God was telling you what he is going to do here in the land of Egypt.”

The double dream gives double impact, showing that what I have told you is certainly going to happen, for God has decreed it, and it is going to happen soon. (Genesis 41:25, 32 TLB)

So what’s going to happen WILL happen, and it is happening today. Just because liberal Bible scholars attempt to poke holes in the tapestry of Bible prophecy as it hangs in Daniel doesn’t mean Bible prophecy isn’t true or dependable. The kingdoms of this world are portrayed as “animals” rising up out of the great sea of humanity; they are, without exception, beasts of prey—brutish, strong, living by instinct alone. If that isn’t an accurate picture of the nations of this world throughout history, nothing is! But the thing we need to remember is that God allows these various world powers to rise to prominence, and He permits other nations to take their place. We see the sovereignty of God at work here.

When you look back at history, you can see nations coming and going like images on a blackboard that get drawn, then erased, then drawn again. Part of this vision has already taken place—what was prophecy in Daniel’s day is merely history in ours. We have already witnessed the rise and fall of Babylon, Persian, Greece, and Rome. The rest will surely come to pass.

2. The blessed end

That was the end of the dream. When I awoke, I was greatly disturbed, and my face was pale with fright, but I told no one what I had seen. (Daniel 7:28 TLB)

Both the dream and its interpretation disturbed Daniel; the emotional shock of it all overwhelmed him to the point where he felt compelled to keep it all to himself. What would be the point to telling anybody in the royal court the dream? Belshazzar was no Nebuchadnezzar; he had no respect for Daniel’s spirituality or for God Himself. So Daniel didn’t tell the dream to anybody because nobody would appreciate the wonders of God’s revelations. This was something Jesus understood well:

“Don’t give holy things to depraved men. Don’t give pearls to swine! They will trample the pearls and turn and attack you.” (Matthew 7:6 TLB)

In his dream, Daniel saw new monarchies coming and going. But the last one astounded him. The history of the “beast kingdoms” has been written in blood and tears. But a final kingdom will come, and this new Kingdom will be the Kingdom of God and of His Christ.

The Second Coming of the Son of Man

Next I saw the arrival of a Man—or so he seemed to be—brought there on clouds from heaven; he approached the Ancient of Days and was presented to him. (Daniel 7:13 TLB)

What a glorious day that will be! The Son of God, in heaven, has been given all authority to take the kingdoms of this world from the Gentiles and to establish HIS kingdom. Jesus Himself once had this conversation with some religious leaders of His day:

Then the high priest asked him. “Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?” Jesus said, “I am, and you will see me sitting at the right hand of God, and returning to earth in the clouds of heaven.” (Mark 14:61—62 TLB)

Right now, this world is under the dominion of the kingdoms of man. But one day, man’s dominion of this world will come to its inevitable end when Jesus Christ returns in power and glory to build His kingdom. He will return and He will not be happy with the man’s kingdoms!

What fools the nations are to rage against the Lord! How strange that men should try to outwit God! For a summit conference of the nations has been called to plot against the Lord and his Messiah, Christ the King. “Come, let us break his chains,” they say, “and free ourselves from all this slavery to God.”

But God in heaven merely laughs! He is amused by all their puny plans. And then in fierce fury he rebukes them and fills them with fear. For the Lord declares, “This is the King of my choice, and I have enthroned him in Jerusalem, my holy city.”

His chosen one replies, “I will reveal the everlasting purposes of God, for the Lord has said to me, ‘You are my Son. This is your Coronation Day. Today I am giving you your glory.’ ” “Only ask and I will give you all the nations of the world. Rule them with an iron rod; smash them like clay pots!” (Psalm 2:1—9 TLB)

When the Lord returns, His kingdom will not be waiting for Him. He will build it. Jesus will come with the conqueror’s sword and He will bring the nations of man into line then He will establish His kingdom.

The destruction of the beast’s power

As for the other three animals, their kingdoms were taken from them, but they were allowed to live a short time longer. (Daniel 7:12 TLB)

The kingdoms of this world have had their way. The first four beasts were destroyed, but the ideology and philosophy of the kingdoms will continue. Until the Lord returns and puts down all rebellion, no matter what nation or kingdom dominates the world, the same beast-like philosophy will always prevail. A quick glance around at our own culture certainly bears this out! There are no more Babylonians, the Medes and Persians as world powers vanished, the Greek empire has all but vanished. Rome fell, yet the sins that caused it to disintegrate are all alive and well in America today; they are deep in the hearts of sinful man.

But, praise God, on that great day when Jesus returns, all rebellion will be put down from the four corners of the earth, in every land and ever nation.

3. A new kingdom is established

He was given the ruling power and glory over all the nations of the world, so that all people of every language must obey him. His power is eternal—it will never end; his government shall never fall. (Daniel 7:14 TLB)

The kingdom of Christ, the Millennial Kingdom, will be universal in scope—all over the world, people and nations will submit to the Lordship of Christ. Christ’s kingdom will ultimately be an everlasting kingdom. It’s true that part of it will last one thousand years, but the Millennial Kingdom will merge into the Eternal State, carrying on into all eternity. Imagine that. The eternal kingdom of Christ begins on earth at the Second Coming, continues here for 1,000 years, then morphs into the Eternal state. It will take all of eternity for God’s people to just begin to learn the fullness of God’s greatness.

4. Victory of the saints

…the Ancient of Days came and opened his court and vindicated his people, giving them worldwide powers of government. (Daniel 7:22 TLB)

“The Ancient of Days” is Christ. “His people” refers to the saints of God. God’s program for the universe will prevail and His people will prevail. It may not seem like it right now. In the cheap seats of history, it’s difficult to see what’s going on and understand how it all fits into God’s plan. The thing is, God is slowly and inexorably moving the kingdoms of this world toward their inevitable end and there is nothing any prime minister, president, king or potentate can do about it. God’s program for the universe will finally prevail through His people, the saints.

Jehovah said to my Lord the Messiah, “Rule as my regent—I will subdue your enemies and make them bow low before you.” Jehovah has established your throne in Jerusalem to rule over your enemies. In that day of your power your people shall come to you willingly, dressed in holy altar robes. (Psalm 110:1—3 TLB)

In a real sense, Christ’s ultimate victory will also be our ultimate victory. We will be vindicated! Our faith will finally be sight. All the promises we believe and trust will finally come to pass, and they will come to pass before everybody’s eyes! No wonder in that day:

…every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:11 TLB)

Whether they want to or not, all people, all over the world will acknowledge exactly who Jesus Christ is. His vindication will also be ours.

Don’t you know that someday we Christians are going to judge and govern the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2 TLB)

The end of history will not be an atomic bomb or global warming or cooling or a collision with an asteroid or even the destruction of all this is good on earth. The goal of God’s plan for the universe, and for our planet, is the establishment of an eternal kingdom and the consummation and preservation of all that is good, and beautiful, and true, and holy (Roy Swim).

« Previous Page — Next Page »

Mike's Place on the Web

Posts Tagged 'Second Coming'

Things To Come

Three Appearances of Jesus, 4

The Three Appearances of Jesus, 3

Daniel: The End of the Dream

Daniel 7

Recent Posts

Another great day!

Meta

Blog Stats

Jump To…

Never miss a new post again.

Archives

Email Subscription

Top Studies

Places I find interesting

Who’d have guessed?

My Conservative Identity: