Tag Archives: Second Coming

BIBLE QUESTIONS

WERE CHRIST AND THE APOSTLES MISTAKEN ABOUT HIS RETURN? — BOB PRICHARD

The Lord’s second coming is one of the most often discussed subjects in the New Testament, teaching Christians to eagerly anticipate that return. In the very last section of scripture, the Lord says, “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20). Paul exhorted, “Knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Romans 13:11-12). James adds, “Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh” (James 5:8). Hearing these words, no doubt many Christians of the first century probably expected the Lord to return immediately. 

Balanced with these and similar passages, however, is the Lord’s assertion that “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:36-39). No one knows when He will return, and thus all should be prepared. Paul gave this warning: “For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape” (1 Thessalonians 5:2-3). How could Paul and Christ so clearly state that no one will know the time of the second coming, if they thought it would be “soon”?

The scriptures thus present the second coming as always imminent [about to happen], but also distant. People have always had difficulty understanding this. Luke tells us that Jesus told a parable of a nobleman giving ten pounds to ten servants, even as he went into a far country “to receive a kingdom,” because “he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear” (Luke 19:11-13). The Christian must always “watch and be sober” because the Lord may return any time (1 Thessalonians 5:6), but He may also delay His coming.

While “quickly,” or “at hand” may imply something is to occur in a brief period of time, these terms do not always mean this. When Jesus said “Surely I come quickly” (Revelation 22:20), He was emphasizing that His coming would be sudden. In the same way, indications of something being “at hand” often meant that it was sure to happen, not necessarily immediately. Speaking for the Lord, Moses warned about the fate of Israel: “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; their foot shall slide in due time: for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things that shall come upon them make haste” (Deuteronomy 32:35). This prophecy was not fulfilled for hundreds of years, because God’s standards of time are not the same as man’s. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8). Christ and the inspired writers were not mistaken. They were preparing the unprepared for His return. We also must be prepared.

CHRISTIAN LIVING

ARM OF STONEWALL JACKSON — BOB PRICHARD

One of the more unusual Civil War monuments is found in a yard next to an Antebellum house near Chancellorsville, Virginia. The small stone bears the words, “Arm of Stonewall Jackson May 3 1863.”

Thomas Jonathan Jackson, was a teacher at the Virginia Military Institute at the outbreak of the Civil War, and was well known as a man of faith, and one who was loved by the enslaved people of Lexington because of his kindness and unceasing efforts for their moral instruction. He entered the Confederate army as a major, and quickly promoted to brigadier general. Because of the rigid steadiness of his troops at critical moments in the first battle of Bull Run, he was given the nickname of “Stonewall.”

His last battle, at Chancellorsville, was his greatest victory. After the battle, on the night of May 2, 1863, he was surveying his troops, when he was mistaken for federal cavalry and shot by his own troops. His injuries required the amputation of his left arm, which ordinarily would have been cremated. Because of the Confederate general’s popularity, however, the surgeon decided to bury it there at Chancellorsville. Jackson died seven days later, and was buried at Lexington, Virginia. Robert E. Lee said that the loss of Jackson was like the loss of his right arm.

His unusual death and burial raises questions. What will happen in the resurrection? Paul promises Christians: “Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:51-54). God will take care of everything.

BIBLE, BIBLE QUESTIONS, REVELATION

WHY IS THERE SO MUCH CONFUSION ABOUT THE BOOK OF REVELATION? — BOB PRICHARD

There is probably no book of the Bible that is more often misunderstood, misapplied, or abused than the book of Revelation. It has been the “jumping-off” point for cults and wild religious speculation for centuries. Simply understanding the purpose of the book and its nature would end confusion. It begins, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John” (Revelation 1:1). John received the message of the book through the angel of God, and that message was a “Revelation of Jesus Christ” which God gave to show his servants “things which must shortly come to pass.”

Abusers of the book of Revelation often claim that its message has been hidden until now, and that they are the only ones who can explain its message. But the very nature of the book of Revelation, is that it reveals, or makes known the hidden things. Many would try to lead us to believe that no one until the twentieth century could understand what the book meant, and yet God intended for His followers from the beginning to understand and benefit from it. God did not hide His message to believers in Revelation, He disclosed it! God wanted His servants to understand these “things which must shortly come to pass.” If God has waited until the present to let us understand what the book means, then the words “shortly come to pass” have little meaning. The book would have had no meaning to the first readers.

The first century readers of the book of Revelation were literally in a fight for their lives. The rise of emperor worship in the Roman empire was making it harder and harder for Christians to live and maintain their commitment to the understanding that there is one Lord and that Lord was not the Roman emperor. “To us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him” (1 Corinthians 8:6). History shows that Christians were thrown to the lions, burned at the stake, crucified, and martyred for their faith. It even reached the point that “no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name” (Revelation 13:17). Only those who had worshipped “the beast,” the Roman emperor, could engage in commerce.

God planned the language of the book of Revelation, with its many symbols, to reveal the message to His people, but prevent the Roman authorities from understanding. The Christians who were working to maintain their faith in the midst of persecution could take strength from knowing that Satan and his followers must lose. Knowing that “the kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 11:15) comforted them. Revelation has comforted Christians down through the centuries with its message of hope in the darkest hour. The key is to see its over-all message, without demanding to explain every symbol.

Blog

WHO WILL HEAR? — BOB PRICHARD

“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up” (2 Peter 3:10).

In the World Trade Center rubble after 9/11, President Bush rallied the people: “I can hear you! The rest of the world hears you! And the people … who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon.”  

“The heavens shall pass away with a great noise.” That great noise, literally “a roar,” will come as the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works are burned up. 

Jeremiah prophesied, “At the noise of the taking of Babylon the earth is moved, and the cry is heard among the nations” (50:46). After marching quietly around Jericho, on the seventh time, “Joshua said unto the people, Shout; for the LORD hath given you the city” (Joshua 6:10), a fearful noise as the walls fell.

At the day of the Lord, those who were deaf to the will of God will hear and understand that God was serious about His commands and promises. Will we hear?

CHRISTIAN LIVING

DISAPPOINTMENT OR REST? — BOB PRICHARD

A popular old hymn stresses our longing for our heavenly rest, but also our commitment to keep working until Jesus comes. It begins, “O land of rest, for thee I sigh! When will the moment come, When I shall lay my armor by, And dwell in peace at home?” The refrain repeats “We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, We’ll work till Jesus comes, And we’ll be gathered home.” The words, by Elizabeth K. Mills, who died at 24 or 25, were first published in 1837. The tune, attributed to William Miller, was added in 1859.

I have been unable to verify if this is the same William Miller who twice set a date for the return of the Lord, but if it is the same man, it is ironic. William Miller (1742-1849), was a Baptist preacher who through his study of the book of Daniel determined that the return of the Lord was very near, and he traveled throughout the United States preaching a message of the need to be prepared for the Lord’s return. As his followers, known as Millerites, pressed him for a date, he announced in January 1843, that the date would be March 21, 1844. When that date passed, he and his followers recalculated, and set the date for October 22, 1844.

Despite the words of the hymn, many of Miller’s followers did not “work till Jesus comes.” They left farms untended, debts unpaid and took it easy. When the second date failed, these people were very upset with Miller, and he died disillusioned and forgotten in 1849, still thinking the Lord would return in his lifetime. Some of his followers pressed on, organizing the Seventh Day Adventist church. In their history they refer to the Miller failure as the “Great Disappointment.”

The hymn is consistent with the warnings of the Lord. He likened the kingdom of heaven to ten virgins waiting for the bridegroom to come. Five were wise, but five were foolish, and “took their lamps, and took no oil with them: But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.” All were in the same situation waiting for the bridegroom, but the foolish were not ready to serve when the cry came, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.” They all arose, but the foolish were unprepared, and missed their chance. “Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh” (Matthew 25:1-13).

Disappointment awaits those who are not working until Jesus comes. “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them” (Revelation 14:13).

BIBLE QUESTIONS

ARE WE LIVING IN THE LAST DAYS? — BOB PRICHARD

Leave a comment

Yes, we are living in the “last days.” It should not be a cause for alarm, however, because we have been living in the last days for almost two thousand years! The ‘last days’ refer to the last great period of history, the Christian Age. There have been three great dispensations or ages of God dealing with mankind. The first was the Patriarchal Age, when God dealt directly with the heads of families (from Adam to Moses). This period ended with the beginning of the Mosaic Age, when God gave the Law of Moses to Israel. The Mosaic Age (the age under which Jesus lived) ended with the advent of the Christian Age, ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel and the establishment of the first century church.

On the Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ, Peter rose up with the rest of the apostles to speak and said, concerning the things that were happening, ‘This is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; and it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams’ (Acts 2:16-17). Peter said that the events of that day were the fulfillment of Joel’s prophecy concerning what would happen ‘in these last days.’

Succeeding verses describe dramatic events: ‘…wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood and fire and vapour of smoke: the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come’ (Acts 2:19-20). This ‘apocalyptic’ language describes cataclysmic events that man could hardly imagine. Some have suggested that these events refer to the crucifixion of Christ or the coming destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies.

The Spirit was poured out on ‘all flesh,’ as the Gospel message was to go from Jerusalem to all the nations of the world, a message of salvation: ‘And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved’ (Acts 2:21). To the Jews it was almost unbelievable that the Gospel could be for the whole world, including Gentiles, but Peter promised such: ‘For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call’ (Acts 2:39). He called all present to respond: ‘Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins’ (Acts 2:38).

Later Peter wrote that Christ ‘was manifest in these last times’ (1 Peter 1:20). Time may be drawing to an end.  Today may be the last day. Or, the Lord may delay His coming for a thousand years so more can ‘come to repentance’ (1 Peter 3:9). Look for no special ‘last days’ signs in present events. Do not listen to false teachers who set dates for the second coming or the end of the world. Do not be lulled into thinking you have plenty of time to make your life right with God, either. We should prepare to meet Christ-the angel may be getting his trumpet ready (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). Now is the time to obey Christ (2 Corinthians 6:2). – Bob Prichard