The Coming of the Lord


 
This write-up stems from a burden the Lord has placed on our hearts to renew in the hearts of His children the consciousness of the return of our Lord Jesus, and to point men to His expectations in times like this. This consciousness was a moving force in the early Church, as portrayed in The Acts of the Apostles. Little wonder that the disciples were ready, not only to partake of His glory, but also to suffer for Him. This helps us to understand their willingness, not only to live for Him, but also to die for Him.
 Rather unfortunately, this is a controversial area of Scripture. Two major reasons are responsible for this.
The use of many signs and symbols in the core books (of the Bible) that deal with the subject.
The need to relate the interpretations arrived at to past, present and future events.

As a fallout of the above factors, different schools of thought have emerged. And this has not helped us. What we need to do is focus less on the speculative details and more on the fundamental issues. On this note, let us move on to chart a course for our present focus.
 Three Major Appearances
The Scriptures reveal three major appearances of our Lord Jesus to the world of men. This should not, in any way, be confused with His different appearances to men at different times. For our present purposes, the words “appearance”, “visitation” and “revelation” refer to the same thing, namely the coming of the Lord (see Jn.1:11, Lk.19:44, Heb.9:28, 1 Pet.1:13).
 We know that the Lord knew and declared the end from the beginning (Isa.46:10, Ac.15:18). Based on this fact, we believe that, from the beginning, the Godhead had ordained that there would be three major appearances (or visitations) of Christ on the earth. For instance, Enoch, who lived only seven generations from Adam, prophesied concerning the third appearance of the Lord, an event far removed from him, by thousands of years (Jd. 14-15).

For those of us living in the last days, the first appearance is located in the past, while the remaining two are yet to come. As we move on to consider the relevant passages, we need to be warned. It takes spiritual understanding to distinguish one appearance from the other, especially the last two. Interestingly, this is not a new problem.  The Jews had a similar problem, and it robbed many of them of the opportunity of obtaining salvation through Christ. As far as the majority of Jews are concerned, Christ is yet to come.

In seeking to understand this problem, let us consider Isaiah 9:6-7: “For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder…Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His Kingdom…” Even though, on the face of it, the passage does not appear to be saying so, the Lord was making reference to two appearances of Christ, separated by several hundreds of years. However, the Jews expected the child to grow up and rule within the span of His life in the flesh. And with such an expectation, it was easy to explain away the vision of the suffering Messiah seen by the same prophet (Isa,53:1-12, Ac.13:26-29). While thanking God for the fact that we did not miss out on this understanding, we must take heed, for there are many more potential areas of error.

Our present burden is to unravel how that which may be described as two future appearances of the Lord may be referred to as His second coming. Interestingly, while we believe that there are two major appearances located in the future, the writers of the New Testament books of the Bible do not go to great lengths to distinguish the one from the other.
 One reason for this may be the fact that these appearances are linked to the hope of the believer. The present day believer should hope for the next appearance (during which the saints will be caught up to meet the Lord), while the believer living in the days of the tribulation will have no option but to wait for the only appearance that lies ahead of him. For a man who misses the second appearance, the third appearance has to take the place of the second, but not without its terrible consequences. This leads us to consider, in proper sequence, the appearances, along with the features and purpose of each appearance.  

The First Appearance
This visitation of Christ is best captured by the words of John 1:14: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth”. In other words, “God was manifest in the flesh…” (1 Tim.3:16). The implication is that the Son of God became the Son of man, emptying Himself of His divine attributes and assuming the form of a man (see Phi.2:5-8).

At this juncture, we will highlight some of the features of this visitation:
He partook of flesh and blood, assuming the form of a man.
He assumed a lowly estate. He was a carpenter’s son who, at birth, was kept in a manger (a box for animal feed) and wrapped in swaddling clothes (strips of clothes). Even as a grown-up man, He confessed that He had nowhere to lay His head, implying that He had no house of His own. He could have assumed a more ‘dignified’ estate, but He chose to assume “the form of a servant” (Phi.2:7).
He was born of a virgin, meaning two things: (a) His conception was accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by a fusion of the seed of a man with the seed of a woman and (b) in any case, until He was born, His mother (Mary) did not know any man (Mat.1:25).
He died on the cross to take away the sins of men.
This leads us to a consideration of the purpose of such an extensive visitation, spanning over three decades:
He came to reveal the Father to men (Jn.10:30, 14:7-11, Lk.10:22).
Similarly, He came to give men a fresh understanding of the way of the Lord (Mat. chs.5-7, 1 Jn.5:20).
He came to give the believer a godly example, to be a pattern of the way the believer should live (Eph.5:1-2, Phi.2:5-9, 1 Pet.2:21, 1 Jn.2:6).
He came to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, to make atonement for sin and reconcile man to God (Lk.4:18-19, Mat.1:21, Rom.5:11, 2 Cor.5:18-19). On this note, we move on to consider the second appearance.
 The Second Appearance
This is best captured by the words of Hebrews 9:28: “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation”. The implication is that Christ was “offered to bear the sins of many” during His first appearance, and that when He appears a second time, He will have other purposes in view.
 In considering the features of this appearance, 1 Corinthians 15:50-54 and 1 Thes.4:5-17 are relevant:
He will appear in the clouds, and meet with His faithful ones in the air. His appearance will trigger off a chain of reactions:
The Lord Himself shouts or gives a command.
The archangel speaks forth.
The trumpet of God sounds.
The dead in Christ are raised (as the last note of the trumpet sounds).
Those who are alive and belong to Christ are transformed, as they assume glorified bodies. Both groups of triumphant saints are caught up to meet the Lord in the air.
All are transported to Heaven, as the Lord leads the way!
 The Lord does not leave us in the dark, as touching the purposes for this appearance:
He comes to gather unto Himself believers of all ages. This is a necessary prelude to the marriage of the Lamb and the accompanying marriage supper (Jn.14:2-3, 1 Thes.4:15-17, Rev.19:7-9).
He comes to usher in “the day of vengeance of our God” (Isa.61:2, Mat.24:21, Jer.30:7, 1 Thes.5:2-9).
He comes to initiate the chain of events that will lead to the salvation of the Jews (Rom.11:26, Zec. chs.12-13). This leads us to a consideration of the third appearance.
 The Third Appearance
This is best captured by the words of Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen.”
 Straightaway, we will consider some of the notable features of this visitation:
Unlike the second visitation, which ends in the skies, His feet will touch the earth and men on the earth will see Him (Mat.24:27-30, Zec.14:4).
He returns with the angelic hosts and His saints (the triumphant believers of all ages) – Jd.14.
He will destroy the anti-Christ with the breath of His mouth and the brightness of His coming (Dan.8:25, 2 Thes.2:8).
 This leads us to a consideration of the purposes for this visitation:
He comes to consummate all things, to restore all things. In the words of Peter, “the Heavens must receive” Him “until the times of restitution of all things, which God had spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began” (Ac.3:21, Rev.21:5).
He comes to rule and reign for a thousand years, to subdue all things, including His enemies (Psa.2:8-12, 110:1, Heb.1:13, Rev.2:26-27).
He comes to give the remnant of natural men a final opportunity to embrace His love. Unfortunately, not all will embrace it (Rev.20:1-3, 7-9).
 This leads us to consider some dimensions of the manifold wisdom of God, as it relates to our subject. We will first consider God’s dealings with the Jews and Gentiles, and then focus on the “blessed hope” of the saints.      

Rejected Israel
In chapters nine, ten and eleven of Romans, Paul considers the Jewish question. He begins with great burden and sadness of heart, focuses the light of God’s Word on the issues at stake and ends on a note of praise.
 His understanding of the Jewish question can be summed up in the following way:
In identifying an Israelite, Paul observes that not every descendant of Abraham or Isaac is qualified. The Ishmaelites (from Ishmael), the Edomites (from Esau) and the descendants of Keturah (Abraham’s later wife) are excluded.
The Potter has power over the clay to fashion it as He wills. The implication is that no man has the right to strive with the Sovereign LORD as touching the Jewish question and similar mysteries (Deu.29:20). For the avoidance of doubt, the workings of God can be understood. By God’s grace, we will yet consider this.
The Israelites, being ignorant of God’s righteousness, sought to establish their own righteousness. In the process, they stumbled on Christ and missed out on the grace of God.
Even though God stretched forth His hands towards them, they were disobedient and obstinate (see also Heb.3:10, 1 The.2:14-16).
In spite of the above facts, there is a Jewish remnant, based on the election of God. As it was in the days of Elijah, when God preserved seven thousand men, who had not bowed the knee to Baal, so it is in these times. Paul was an example of that remnant.
God gave them a spirit of slumber, along with partial blindness, so as to bring in the “fulness of the Gentiles”. Afterwards, the Lord will focus on the Jews and bring in the ‘fulness of the Jews’.
 
This leads us to consider Daniel’s vision of 70 weeks (see Dan.9:24-27). The 70-week period is often interpreted as 70 sevens or 70 weeks of years, amounting to 490 years. And this is broken into three time periods:
 
7 weeks (or 49 years) during which the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the temple) would be rebuilt.
62 weeks (or 434 years) during which the Messiah would appear and then die for others. In addition, the people of the prince that was to come (the Romans) would destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the temple). The period under consideration would be characterised by a flood, war and desolations. At this point, we need to know that the predictions under the first two divisions of the “seventy weeks” have been fulfilled and are now part of history.
1 week (or 7 years, still in the future) during which the prince (the Antichrist) will enter into a covenant “with many”, which (by his actions) he will break in the midst of the week (after 3½ years).
 The amazing thing is that while the 69th (or 483rd year) week ended with the death of the Messiah, the 70th week (or the remaining 7 years) is yet to commence. The sign by which the commencement of the commencement of the 70th week can be identified is the signing of a treaty between the Antichrist and “many”.
 We must not forget that the 7-year period in question tallies with the general 7-year tribulation period and that the implied breaking of the covenant in the midst of the week (after 3½ years) leaves us with a 3½-year-period, which tallies with the period of the great tribulation (see Rev.11:2-3, 12:6&14, 13:5, where time periods of 1,260 days, 42 months and “a time, and times and half a time”, all referring to 3½ years, are used).
 Favoured Gentiles
The mystery of the transition period that evidently exists between the 69th and 70th weeks is resolved by the Scriptures. In Romans 11:25 Paul says, “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be wise in your own conceits, that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”. Again, a close look at Daniel 9:24-27 will reveal the purposes for which the 70 weeks were separated. In the first place, the period was separated by God to focus on Daniel’s people (the Jews).
 Secondly, the Lord spelt out the specific things He intended to accomplish:    
To finish or restrain transgression.
To put an end to sin.
To atone for wickedness.
To seal up the vision and prophesy.
To anoint the most holy (Host Holy Place or Most Holy One).
 Two things are immediately clear:
That the Gentiles are not in focus.
That, except an extra provision is made, the period between Daniel’s day and the Millennium would be devoted to a purely Jewish focus.
However, God, in His mercy, made provision for a Gentile focus; and this He did by breaking the time link between the 69th and 70th weeks. During this special period, He causes partial blindness to come upon the Jews, while He brings in the fulness of the Gentiles.
 As we have identified, the sign that heralds the commencement of the 70th week is the signing of a treaty by the Antichrist. This is confirmed by Paul, who teaches that the day of the Lord will not come until a rebellion takes place and the man of sin (the Antichrist) is revealed (2 Thes.2:1-4). The implication is that, while many believing Gentiles, and some Jews, will be caught up to meet the Lord, most Jews will be on earth during the tribulation.
 This explains Paul’s focus on the taking away of the saints while addressing the predominantly Gentile Church and Jesus’ focus on the wisdom of surviving the great tribulation while addressing His predominantly Jewish audience. This leads us to revisit the second appearance (popularly referred to as “the rapture”).
 The Rapture
We are returning to consider the subject of the second appearance for two reasons:
It is the closer and more immediately relevant of the remaining two. It was for this same reason that the early Church placed emphasis on it.
We need to consider some important details.
 Paul, in addressing those who did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, stipulates the order of resurrection: “Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end…” (see 1 Cor.15:22-24). The implication is that the righteous and the unrighteous will be raised at different times (see Rev.20:5-6, 11-14). As for the saints who will be met alive by Christ, this is what he has to say: “Behold I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed…” (see vs.51-54). He goes on to establish that the dead saints will rise, the living saints will be transformed and both groups of saints will be caught up to meet the Lord (see 1 Thes.4:15-18).
 As touching the timing of this great event, no man should be specific. But in terms of the order of events, we can place the rapture first, followed by the tribulation and then the millennium (the 1000-year reign of Christ on the earth). Thus, contrary to the beliefs of some, we locate the rapture as an event that takes place before the tribulation. The following reasons can be given for this assertion:
 
The types of the day of the Lord mentioned in the Scriptures establish a pattern: the evacuation of the righteous before the revelation of the judgement of God. Two such examples are given by Jesus: “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man…Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot…Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (see Lk.17:26-36). Noah and his family were secured in the ark before the rains came down. Likewise, Lot and his daughters were safely out of the way when the destruction began. So shall it be in the days of the Son of man.
The Scriptures teach that the Antichrist will not be revealed until “he who now letteth…be taken out of the way” (2 Thes.2:7). We will immediately rule out the speculation that the Holy Spirit is the restraining force, and that He will be taken out of the way in order for the Antichrist to operate fully. The fact that the righteous are taken away does not bring to an end the earthly ministry of the Holy Spirit. At every point of the unravelling of God’s programme on the earth, the door of salvation remains open, for “whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved” (see Ac.2:17-21). Even though specific individuals are capable of closing the door of salvation against themselves, for the generality of men living upon the earth, the door remains open until the final judgement. The Holy Spirit will continue to fulfil His ministry towards the unbeliever until the name of the last penitent man on earth is written in the book of life.
In conclusion, the restraining force that must be taken away is the glorious Church of Jesus Christ, also known as the light of the world and the salt of the earth. By the time the Church is caught up, the vision of the “perfect man” in Ephesians 4:13 would have been fulfilled. The restraining force is that body of men or the one man that the Lord is perfecting.
Finally, we will consider Scriptures that confirm this position. Jesus says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man” (Lk.31:36). Paul says, “But let us, who are of the day be sober…For God has not appointed to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thes.5:6-8). Again, Jesus says (to the Church in Philadelphia and faithful saints everywhere), “Because thou hast kept the word of My patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev.3:10). This leads us to the concluding part.
 What Manner of Men
Peter, while considering the fleeting nature of the things that seem to be all-important (in the eyes of men), asked an important question: “Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be…?” (2 Pet.3:11). As we consider the question, let us try and supply some answers. What manner of persons ought we to be?
Men who have chosen the way of the Lord and are committed to it (see Mat.7:13-14, 16:24-26).
Men who continually purify themselves, knowing that He is pure (1 Jn.3:2-3, 2 Pet.3:11).
Men who live and walk with an expectation of His return (2 Pet.3:12, Heb.9:28, Phil.3:20-21).
Men who are watchful and prayerful (1 Thes.5:4-8, Mk.13:33&37, Lk.21:34-36).
Men who are diligent and faithful in the things that the Lord has committed to them (Mat.24:45, 25:21, 23&26, Lk.16:10