Sermon #810 The Second Coming of Christ Part 2

Transcription

1 Sermon #810 The Second Coming of Christ Part 2 by Brett Hickey Welcome to Let the Bible Speak. We pick up where we left off in discussing the Second Coming of Christ, by noticing three excerpts from books supposedly based on this great event. Excerpt #1: Cars, suddenly unmanned, careen out of control. Terrified people watch their loved ones vanish before their eyes. Some say it's an alien invasion, but Rayford Steele knows that his wife's warning has come true Christ has raptured his church and Rayford has been left behind in a world without God's people! Excerpt #2: God's people have vanished from Earth, and antichrist Nicolai Carpathia sits on the throne of power. The six seals prophesied in Revelation are being fulfilled one by one. The only hope for those left behind is the "Tribulation Force" Rayford Steele, Buck Williams, and other post-rapture believers committed to sharing the truth of Christ. Excerpt #3: With action spanning the entire globe and drama involving everyone on the planet, the fifth novel is a riveting thriller that chronicles the lives of those left behind after the rapture. As the book opens, the antichrist's mistress is in turmoil over her illegitimate pregnancy, Satan falls from heaven and opens the bottomless pit to release Apollyon and his plague of locusts, and the Tribulation Force travels to Israel for a Conference of Witnesses that leads to a showdown with Nicolae Carpathia! These excerpts are taken from the three of the sixteen novels in the Left Behind series by authors Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins. The books are supposedly based on Biblical prophecies from Isaiah, Ezekiel and Revelation that promote a certain doctrinal viewpoint on the end times involving the rapture, the Antichrist, the Tribulation and the Millennium. The series has been so popular that one book was a New York Times #1 Best seller the first week after its release; seven in the series have been on the #1 Best Seller lists for the New York Times, USA Today and Publisher s Weekly; and four different novels held the top four spots on the New York Times Best Seller list at the same time. Total book sales are well over sixty million and there have also been three Left Behind movies, video games, CD s, and a series of forty books for teens. The question, though, is: are these books a realistic portrayal of Biblical events or has this series left the truth behind as the money keeps rolling in? The major Premillennialist doctrines involve the rapture, the tribulation, the millennium, the Antichrist, the so-called Battle of Armageddon and the restoration of the Promised Land to Israel. This morning we will evaluate, in light of Scripture, as many of these as time will allow. But first, enjoy our song Maybe you have seen the bumper sticker that says, Warning: In case of the rapture, this car will be unmanned. Another reads, If this vehicle comes to a sudden stop and the driver disappears, you have been left behind. These summarize the theology behind the rapture; namely, at Jesus Second coming, He will beam up His followers to heaven and leave everyone else on earth. There are a number of variations on premillenialism (pretribulation, midtribulation, posttribulation, prewrath rapture and partial rapture), but we need not be an expert on any of these to see how the rapture fares in light of Bible teaching. 1

2 The Second Coming Part 2, by Brett Hickey, sermon #810 2 of 6 Proponents of the rapture suggest that Jesus will come back and stealthily take away all of God s people (that would be the second coming of Christ). Following the rapture will be seven years of great tribulation and then Jesus will come back again (that would be His third coming!) to put an end to the Battle of Armageddon. The wicked will be punished and Jesus will establish His kingdom on earth to reign for a thousand years. The fundamental problem with this theory is that it allows for far too many comings of Christ. Jesus came to earth, born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, performed great miracles, inspired awe with authoritative teaching, fulfilled hundreds of Messianic prophecies, humbly submitted to the abuse of His Jewish brethren (especially the religious leaders), received a merciless beating from the Roman soldiers and ultimately endured six hours of torture on the cross until He died. On the third day, He defeated death and the grave, was seen for forty days by His disciples (Acts 1:3) including over five hundred brethren at once (I Cor. 15:6) and ascended into heaven (Acts 1:9). Afterwards, the Bible says in Acts 1:10-11: And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven. " 1 So, there is no question that the Bible teaches the Second Coming of Christ many Bible passages articulate this doctrine but where are we to find all of these other comings? Premillennialists have Jesus coming for His saints at the beginning of the rapture. Later, they have Jesus coming again with His saints at the end of the rapture when Jesus will reign as King on earth at Jerusalem for a thousand years before judging the wicked. There are too many comings of Christ in this belief system and too much time separating events that the Bible says will take place at the same time. One of the fundamental rules of Biblical interpretation is that the teachings of the more difficult and obscure Scriptures must be brought into harmony with the more simple, straightforward teachings of Scripture. A similar rule involves determining, first of all, the clear messages of the gospels, Acts and the Epistles and using them to illuminate the Old Testament and the book of Revelation. Whenever this approach is turned on its head, confusion ensues. That s what we have in Premillennialism. Consider some of the clear Scriptures that can help us see what the Second Coming of Christ will be like. Hebrews 9:27-28 reads, And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. This passage clearly refers to His Second Coming, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. In the same context, the Holy Spirit tells us that men die once, but after this the judgment. Secondly, we learn in 2 Peter 3:10 that the Second Coming includes the burning up of the earth and will come without warning: But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. There will be no precise 1 All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version. Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

3 The Second Coming Part 2, by Brett Hickey, sermon #810 3 of 6 warning of seven years, one thousand years or one thousand seven years. But, when the Lord comes the heavens will pass away with a great noise everybody will know that it is a major catastrophe. This noisy conclusion is further borne out by the apostle Paul in I Thessalonians 4:16, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Not only will everyone hear that something major is going on, but, according to Acts 1:11, Jesus return will be just as visible as was His ascension. We learn from Revelation 1:7, Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. (italics mine) So much for a secretive second coming and, when He comes back, it will not be the beginning of anything on earth, it will be the end. As we read in 2 Peter 3:10, the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Heaven and earth will pass away. (2 Peter 3:12). Jesus himself offers insight on what it will be like when He returns in John 5:28-29, Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. While Premillennialists tell us that the righteous (the dead in Christ) will be raptured seven years before the wicked are judged, Jesus tells us that both will be resurrected in the same hour. Jesus sheds further light on the issue in the next chapter John 6:40, [E]veryone who sees the Son and believes in Him I will raise him up at the last day." Tim LaHaye and those of his persuasion attempt to squeeze in seven years where the Holy Spirit only allows in one day. Notice also the use of this phrase last day in John 11:24 and John 12:48, Martha said to Him, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. " Jesus says, He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. This is too important to miss; the resurrection and the judgment will both be at the last day. The lost will be judged and the saved will be raised at the last day. These great events will take place simultaneously; there is no room for seven years, much less a thousand years for all the Premillennialist theories to play out. On top of all this, look at the picture of judgment at Jesus coming provided in Matthew 25: There we find all nations, righteous and wicked, gathered before Jesus who will separate them in judgment as sheep from goats for heaven or hell. No room here for a rapture, tribulation or thousand year reign on the earth. Another Scripture that refutes the idea of a rapture, tribulation, multiple comings of Christ and a thousand year reign on earth is 2 Timothy 4:1, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom (italics mine) Jesus will judge the living and dead at His Coming. Speaking of kingdom, we must hasten on to address more directly the question of the thousand year reign of Revelation 20. Keeping in mind that the book of Revelation is a highly figurative book, Revelation 20:4 reads, And I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was committed to them. Then I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for their witness to Jesus and for the word of God, who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received his mark on their foreheads or on their hands. And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

4 The Second Coming Part 2, by Brett Hickey, sermon #810 4 of 6 This passage is missing many of the ingredients needed by the Premillennialist to sustain their position. There is nothing in this passage about Jesus reigning on earth, much less in Jerusalem. Neither is there anything about the second coming of Christ, a literal throne of David (or) of a bodily resurrection...only souls. This passage teaches that they both lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. If this verse limits Christ s reign to a literal thousand years, it also limits their living to a thousand years; they stop living when they stop reigning. You should be seeing the highly figurative nature of this passage. Further indications of the figurative nature of this passage can be seen when John speaks of the same martyrs who are reigning with Christ and sitting on thrones in Revelation 20 as being under the altar in Revelation 6:9. You cannot read the book of Revelation in the same way that you read the gospel of John or the Ephesian letter. People get hung up on the phrase a thousand years. They insist that something significant must take place for precisely ten centuries. It is imperative, though, that we remember that, according to 2 Peter 3:8, with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. It is even more important to understand that the word thousand is used to represent a large complete number without necessarily indicating a specific numerical value. In Deuteronomy 7:9, the Scriptures teach that God keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments Again, in Psalm 50:10, the Bible says that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills. To woodenly interpret these scriptures as indicating more than nine hundred and ninety-nine hills and less than one thousand and one generations would be to miss the point entirely. In a similar way, when we read of the thousand years of Revelation 20, we should not be locked on a definite amount of years, but on a very lengthy period of time that indicates completeness. While those who advance the millennial reign of Christ think the kingdom will be established when Jesus returns, I Corinthians 15:24-25 states the kingdom ends when Jesus returns: Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. (italics mine) People today have the same fundamental misunderstanding about the Kingdom of Christ that the Jews had when Jesus came the first time. The Jewish leaders rejected Jesus because they were looking for an impressive earthly ruler to come with the kind of glory that accompanied David s reign. Others thought that the way to honor Jesus was to make Him king. The apostle tells us in John 6:15, Therefore when Jesus perceived that they were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king, He departed again to the mountain by Himself alone. Jesus Himself taught to the contrary in John 18:36, My kingdom is not of this world. Much of Jesus teaching centered upon His kingdom, though. This was the primary thrust of the parables. In Matthew 4:23, we learn that Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom Jesus first tells Peter in Matthew 16:18 (and later the other apostles in Matthew 18:18) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." This was not something that people would have to wait on for two thousand years or more. Jesus taught, in fact, in Mark 9:1, there are some standing here who will not taste death till they see the kingdom of God present with power." (italics mine) Do not miss this!

5 The Second Coming Part 2, by Brett Hickey, sermon #810 5 of 6 Jesus tells His audience on this day that within their lifetime some of them would see the kingdom. After His resurrection, Jesus revisited the topic in Luke 24:47 and 49, saying that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Behold, I send the promise of my father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." (italics mine) In Acts 1:4, Luke speaks again of the promise of the Father. In Acts 1:8, Jesus adds shortly before His ascension, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." (italics mine) This prophecy was then fulfilled in Acts 2 and the apostles used the keys of the kingdom to open salvation to their Jewish audience in verse 38: "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins... (italics mine) Men and women who were baptized that day were ushered into the kingdom when they were added to the church (Acts 2:41, 47). That men and women were in the Kingdom, of course, is substantiated in a number of passages. Jesus, of course, was the King in this Kingdom. We see in Colossians 1:13, for example, He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son John writes in Revelation 1:9, that He was in the tribulation and kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ This is reiterated in Revelation 3:21 when Jesus says, To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on my throne, as I also overcame and sat down [past tense BH] with My Father on his throne. (italics mine) Well, I wish we had more time. Stay with us until after our song, and we ll tell you how you can get a copy of this message Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. If you d like a free transcript or DVD of this sermon, #810, The Second Coming Part 2, please write the address to follow. We also offer our free Bible study course to complete at home. Join our group page on Facebook for updates on the sermon airing each week. We always welcome your comments and questions. Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, the churches of Christ salute you. Until next week, good bye and God bless. Sermon delivered by evangelist Brett Hickey over Let the Bible Speak May 11, 2011 Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies. We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament. For manuscripts of other sermons visit: or call LTBS (5827).

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