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Appendix One
The Second Coming of Christ
Christ
Will Come Again.
There
are two significant prophecies in the Scriptures. The first is the coming of
Christ upon the earth, and the other is the second coming of Christ. Scriptures
concerning the former one have already all fulfilled respectively. Therefore,
all the scriptures about the latter one will also be fulfilled.
Misconceptions
about the Second Coming of Christ
There
were many Christians in the past generations who had misunderstood the second
coming of Christ:
1.
Christ
has come to believers through the fulfillment of the promise of the coming of
the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16; 16:7; Acts 1:8; 2:1-4).
2.
Christ
has gathered Christians unto Him through their physical death to fulfill the
promise of His second coming (see Phil. 1:23).
3.
Christ
will come to the world again through the fulfillment of the promise of the
destruction of
4.
Christ
will come to the world again through the wide-spread of the gospel and the
repentance of sinners, namely, the Christianization of the whole world (see
Matt. 24:14; 28:20).
Significances
of the Second Coming of Christ
There are five words in the
Scriptures that describe the second coming of Christ. However, they are not
clear in English and can be distinguished according to the numbers of the
original:
1.
Descend
(katabaino): which refers to His descending from the heaven (1Thess. 4:16);
2.
Coming/presence
(parousia): which refers to His coming to us (1Thess. 5:23);
3.
Revelation
(apokalupsis): which refers to His manifestation without any concealment
(2Thess. 1:7);
4.
Manifestation
(epiphaneia): which refers to His glorious manifestation (2Thess. 2:8);
5.
Come
(erchomai): which refers to His coming (Acts. 1:11);
Purposes
of the Second Coming of Christ
Christ
shall come to fulfill things as below:
1.
Fulfill
the perfect salvation of Christ:
a.
Deliver
believers from afflictions (2Thess. 1:7; Heb. 9:28);
b.
Transform
our body of humiliation into conformity to his body of glory (Phil. 3:20-21;
c.
Make
the spirit and soul and body of believers wholly sanctified (1Thess. 5:23);
2.
Fulfill
the promise to His elect:
a.
Deliver
the
b.
All
c.
Restore
the
3.
Deal
with the chaos of the whole world:
a.
Execute
judgment, punish evil and preach good (Matt. 25:31-46; Joel 3:1-2, 9-13; Zech.
14:2-5, 12-13; Rev. 14:17-20; 19:11-21).
b.
Deal
with the devil and resolve the evil source (Rev. 20:2-3);
c.
Establish
His kingdom on the earth (Rev. 11:15; Zech. 14:9);
Time
of the Second Coming of Christ
There
are also men that like to figure out and predict the date of His coming.
However, the revelation of the Scriptures is:
1.
The
Lord’s coming is the end of the world (Matt. 24:3-14);
2.
No
one is able to predict the date of the Lord’s second coming (Matt. 24:36, 42;
25:13);
Types
for the Second Coming of Christ
No one is able to predict when the
Lord comes. However, it is also openly told us that:
1.
When
the branch of the fig-tree becomes tender and produces leaves ---- the
restoration of
2.
The
gospel shall be preached in the whole habitable earth, and the fullness of the
nations shall be come in (Matt. 24:14;
3.
War,
famines and earthquakes grow increasingly heavy (Matt. 24:7-8);
4.
The
condition of man’s loving the world becomes more and more severe and
lawlessness and sins are also seriously increasing (2Tim. 3:1-5; James 5:3;
Matt. 24:12);
5.
There
will be apostasy (2Thess. 2:3; Matt. 24:10-11, 23-26; 1Tim. 4:1; 2Tim. 4:3-4);
6.
The
faith of believers increases and love grows cold (Luke 18:8; Matt. 24:12);
7.
The
man of sin shall be revealed (2Thess. 2:3; Matt. 24:15);
Two
Phrases of the Second Coming of Christ
The situations of the Lord’s second
coming in the scriptures are different and seemingly paradoxical, including
time, places, manners of revelation etc. Therefore, it is inferred that the
Lord’s coming shall be fulfilled in a certain period containing two phrases:
1.
Time
(at least three years and a half):
a.
The
first is the hidden coming that on one is able to predict (Matt. 43-44; Rev.
3:3; 16:15; 1Thess. 5:2);
b.
The
second is the public revelation, which can be calculated according to the
Tribulation caused by the man of sin (2Thess. 2:3, 8; Rev. 13:5);
2.
Location:
a.
Firstly,
from the heaven to the clouds in the air (1Thess. 4:16-17);
b.
Then,
from the air to the earth (Zech. 14:4);
3.
Manner:
a.
As
the thief by night (1Thess. 5:2; 2Pet. 3:10);
b.
He
comes with the clouds and every eye shall see Him (Matt. 24:27, 30; 2Thess.
1:7; Acts 1:11; Rev. 1:7);
Attitudes
and Preparations that Believers Shall Have Towards the Second Coming of Christ
God is righteous. He will
not ignore the condition of believers after being saved. It is not as what many
Christians think now that all Christians will automatically be with the Lord
for ever as long as Christ comes. No matter how we spend our days on the earth
after we are saved, or the condition of the growth of our spiritual life, or
how we serve and build it the church, we shall give account to the Lord, which
concerns whether we shall reign with the Lord (Rev. 20:4, 6; 2Tim. 2:12), and
the Lord’s reward to everyone as his work shall be (Matt. 16:27; Rev. 22:12),
and the trial for the building of everyone (1Cor. 3:13-15). Therefore,
Christians shall have right views upon, attitudes toward and preparations for
the Lord’s coming:
1.
Serve
a living and true God and wait for the coming of the Lord (1Thess. 1:10) ----
the purpose of Christians’ life is waiting for and greeting the Lord;
2.
Walk
worthily of God and stand firm when the Lord comes again (1Thess. 2:12, 19);
3.
Faith
and love increase and abound. And the hearts are confirmed in holiness and
blamelessness when the Lord comes (1Thess. 3:10, 12-13);
4.
Believers
shall abstain from fornication and love one another and work with one’s own
hands so as to be caught up when the Lord comes (1Thess. 4:3, 9, 11, 17);
5.
Believers
shall watch and be sober and seek good so as to be preserved blameless when the
Lord comes (1Thess. 5:6, 15, 23);
6.
Believers
shall keep endurance and faith in tribulations so as to be glorified when the
Lord comes (2Thess. 1:4, 10, 12);
7.
Believers
shall cling to the teachings of the truth and stand firm and obtain the glory
of the Lord when He comes (2Thess. 2:14-15);
8.
Believers
shall purify themselves and desire the appearing of the Lord (1John 3:3; 2Tim.
4:8; Rev. 22:20);
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Mary Zhou