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[Note: <\/strong>This MS is available in larger font on our Manuscripts<\/strong> page.]<\/span><\/p>\n Introduction<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The three great themes of the Bible may be stated as follows (allowing for some overlapping between the New Testament sections listed below):<\/span><\/p>\n The Second Coming of Christ is one of the most persistent themes of the New Testament, with scarcely a book thereof omitting it. In each of the Gospel accounts the Lord Himself plainly taught that following His return to the Father, He would at some time thereafter reappear to mankind. A good summary of what He taught in this regard is found in His words to the apostles:<\/span><\/p>\n I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I come again, and will receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also\u201d (John 14:2b-3).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Most men react in one of two extreme ways to this Biblical teaching:<\/span><\/p>\n Not only does the New Testament teach the fact of the Second Coming of Christ, but it also teaches what will occur when this glorious event transpires. We will first notice what the Lord will find among men when He returns, followed by consideration of the events that will transpire at His coming.<\/span><\/p>\n What Will the Lord Find in Mankind When He Returns?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Everyone Will Be Surprised at the Time of His Coming <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Even in the first century there were time-guessers and pseudo-prophets willing to predict the time. Paul addressed and (we assume) corrected this problem among the Thessalonians:<\/span><\/p>\n Now we beseech you, brethren, touching the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto him; to the end that ye be not quickly shaken from your mind, nor yet be troubled, either by spirit, or by word, or by epistle as from us, as that the day of the Lord is just at hand; let no man beguile you in any wise (2 The. 2:1-3a).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It appears from the foregoing statement that someone had decided he had figured precisely when the Lord would reappear and had sent such information to the brethren over a forged signature (as if from Paul). Whatever the exact circumstance, if the Thessalonians accepted the prognostications of this man, they would have allowed themselves to be \u201cbeguiled.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Church history is littered with the failed predictions of the time of Christ\u2019s Second Coming. There has been an especially steady stream of such in the past two centuries. Prominent among them have been the following:<\/span><\/p>\n Let me state it plainly: If the Son of God knew what He <\/strong>was talking about, none <\/strong>of the time-guessers about the Second Coming know what they <\/strong>are talking about! They know no more about when the Lord will return than their pet cats or dogs know about it. They all make many egregious exegetical errors in arriving at their conclusions, but one of the most pronounced is their mistake of misapplying Jesus\u2019 Olivet discourse concerning the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 (Mat. 24; Mark 13; Luke 21). None<\/strong>\u2014let me repeat\u2014none <\/strong>of the signs and warnings given to prepare and alert His people apply to His Second Coming!3<\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n Upon reading what some of these fellows write, one wonders if they are even aware of some of the clear statements of the Lord in the aforementioned chapters. Speaking of the time when He will return, Jesus said: \u201cBut of that day and hour knoweth no one<\/strong>, not even the angels of heaven, neither the Son<\/strong>, but the Father only\u201d (Mat.24:36; emph. DM). In verses 37\u201341 He taught that the world will be operating on a \u201cbusiness as usual\u201d basis and mentioned several ordinary daily activities in which men and women will be engaged when He comes without warning. Then He stated:<\/span><\/p>\n Watch therefore: for ye know not <\/strong>on what day your Lord cometh. But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief was coming, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken through. Therefore be ye also ready; for in an hour that ye think not the Son of man cometh <\/strong>(vv. 42-44; emph. DM).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n In effect, the time-guessers claim to know more than any other men, more than the angels, yea, more than the Lord Himself (at least at the time He issued these warnings). Now does it seem reasonable that God would withhold this information from His Son, from the angels, and from all others except Hal Lindsey or some of his fellow false prophets?<\/span><\/p>\n These fellows all claim to use the Bible, which does not contradict itself because it is inspired of God (2 Tim. 3:16\u201317). However, these fellows all come up with contradictory computations about the time of the Lord\u2019s return. This fact is enough to prove that they are misinterpreting the Scriptures, even if the Lord had not plainly and repeatedly told us that no man can know the time. Jesus drove home His plain teachings that \u201cno man knows\u201d by telling the parable of the Faithful and Unfaithful Servants, followed by the parable of the Wise and Foolish Virgins (Mat. 24:45\u201351; 25:1\u201313).<\/span><\/p>\n Christ was addressing the apostles in the Olivet discourse. Obviously, they had no knowledge of when He would return at that time. Did He give them any inside information when He returned to Heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to guide them into all the Truth (John 16:13)? Evidently not. The apostle Peter wrote his two letters several years after the church was established. Some brethren had apparently begun to doubt that the Lord would return (2 Pet. 3:4). What a golden opportunity for the apostle to say, \u201cI not only know that He will <\/strong>return, but I can tell you the exact day<\/strong>. He will come back on ______________.\u201d Instead, he shamed them for their lack of faith and their forgetfulness of history and told them, \u201cBut the day of the Lord will come as a thief\u201d (2 Pet. 3:10a), that is, at a time when no one is expecting His return. Peter\u2019s statement is essentially a summary of some of the words he heard the Lord speak on the Mount of Olives, as previously quoted (Mat. 24:43\u201344).<\/span><\/p>\n What about Paul? Did he give any indication of the time of the Lord\u2019s return? Hardly! As noted above, he wrote to the Thessalonians that they should not be disturbed by some who were predicting the time of the Second Coming (2 The. 2:1\u20133a). In this context he in effect said he knew when the Lord would not <\/strong>come. Certain things had to take place first and those things had not occurred (v. 3b). Saying that he knew when the Lord would not <\/strong>come is hardly tantamount to saying when He would <\/strong>come! In fact, Paul gave the same warning the Lord gave in Matthew 24:43\u201344 and that Peter gave in 2 Peter 3:10a: \u201cFor yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. When they are saying, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall in no wise escape\u201d (1 The. 5:2\u20133).<\/span><\/p>\n Mark it down! If the angels, the apostles, and the Lord Himself did not know when He will return, Hal Lindsey, John Walvoord, Billy Graham, or any other man or woman most certainly do not\u2014nor can any mortal ever know.<\/span><\/p>\n When He Comes Most Will Not Be Ready <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n According to the Lord, most mortals will be traveling on the broad way that leads to destruction when He comes (Mat. 7:13). Atheists and infidels who have denied His existence and His Deity will suddenly (but to no avail) become believers. John may have been thinking of this very fact when he wrote, \u201cBehold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they that pierced him; and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over him. Even so, Amen\u201d (Rev. 1:7). For certain, at the time of the Judgment (which the Lord\u2019s return will usher in), there will be no infidels: \u201cFor it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, to me every knee shall bow, And every tongue shall confess to God\u201d (Rom. 14:11).<\/span><\/p>\n False prophets and teachers will be dumb struck in the realization that the Truth of God\u2019s Word mattered after all, and that God meant what He said. These blind guides with their blind followers will meet their doom in the pit of damnation (Mat. 15:14). Those who had intended to surrender their lives to Christ, but who never \u201cgot around\u201d to obeying the Gospel will beg for one more minute of time, one more verse of an invitation song, one more opportunity, but to no avail. When the Lord is revealed from Heaven with the angels of His power in flaming fire, He will render \u201cvengeance to them that know not God, and to them that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus: who shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might\u201d (2 The. 1:7\u20139).<\/span><\/p>\n Those once redeemed who became too busy, were unwilling to suffer for their Savior, or who felt that His demands were too restrictive and narrow will never be bothered with another plea for their return. When the Lord returns there will be no second chance or further opportunity. Mercy\u2019s door will be closed, never to be reopened, by Him who \u201cshutteth and none openeth\u201d (Rev. 3:7).<\/span><\/p>\n When He Comes Some Will Rejoice <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n By comparison, few will have entered the narrow gate and will be walking in the straitened road that leads to life (Mat. 7:14). These faithful saints are those who have listened to the Lord\u2019s warnings and have continued in a state of readiness and watchfulness. With great anticipation and joy, they will greet their coming Lord, having no cause for shame or fear. John typifies their attitude in his final words of the Bible: \u201cAmen: come, Lord Jesus\u201d (Rev. 22:20). They know what awaits them at the coming of the Lord:<\/span><\/p>\n For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord (1 The. 4:16\u201317).4<\/sup><\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n We should all carefully heed the words of the apostle John: \u201cAnd now, my little children, abide in him; that, if he shall be manifested, we may have boldness, and not be ashamed before him at his coming\u201d (1 John 2:28). When the Lord returns it will be a time of sweet fulfillment and consummation for those who are prepared. Whatever suffering and affliction they have endured for the Lord\u2019s sake will be forgotten in a moment as they are swallowed in eternal glory: \u201cFor I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward\u201d (Rom. 8:18).<\/span><\/p>\n What Events Will Transpire When the Lord Returns?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The New Testament sets forth the events that will accompany the Lord\u2019s return. These will occur in a certain order.<\/span><\/p>\n When the Lord Returns, He Will Raise All the Dead <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n First<\/strong>, note that the Lord taught clearly that when any <\/strong>of the dead are raised, all <\/strong>will be raised: \u201cMarvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment\u201d (John 5:28\u201329). Note that He specifies good and evil persons and says that they will all \u201chear his voice\u201d in the same hour. (This one passage is sufficient to utterly destroy the doctrine which says that only the righteous will be raised when a mythical \u201cRapture\u201d occurs, and the unrighteous dead will not be raised until after the alleged millennial reign of Christ\u20141,007 years later!)<\/span><\/p>\n Second<\/strong>, note that which will precipitate this great universal resurrection. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul provides some insight:<\/span><\/p>\n But now hath Christ been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of them that are asleep. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; then they that are Christ’s, at his coming (15:20\u201323).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Christ must first be resurrected (which occurred the third day after His death). At His coming <\/strong>He will raise those who belong to Him (v. 23). Paul makes the same connection between the Lord\u2019s return and the resurrection in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, a passage earlier quoted: \u201cFor the Lord himself shall descend from heaven, with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first\u201d (1 The. 4:16).<\/span><\/p>\n Unmistakably, Paul cites the Second Coming as the grand event that will precipitate the resurrection. Most modern Premillennial adherents claim that Paul is here describing their \u201cRapture\u201d claims which feature a limited Second Coming and the resurrection of none but saints. They argue as follows:<\/span><\/p>\n Both foregoing premises are true, but the conclusion is utterly false. Paul does not mention the unrighteous dead because the Thessalonians were not concerned with them. Their concerns were for their brethren alone who had died (v. 14). Apparently, they feared that the righteous dead would somehow miss the blessings Christ will bring His people at His coming. When Paul says, \u201cthe dead in Christ shall rise first,\u201d he is not saying \u201cfirst\u201d in relation to the unrighteous dead, as Premillennialists insist, but \u201cfirst\u201d before the Lord blesses the living saints by calling them up to be with Him forever. Only then will all the saints, both living and resurrected, together be called to glory (v. 17).<\/span><\/p>\n In a brief digression from the subject of the resurrection, please notice that the verse under present consideration says that the saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air<\/strong>. This is the nearest the Lord comes to the earth upon His return in all the New Testament accounts\u2014He does not set foot on earth but stays in the air. This destroys the Premillennial tenet that Christ will touch down on the Mount of Olives and set up a literal political Millennial Kingdom seated in Jerusalem. He can hardly reign in a physical earthly kingdom without being on earth. The Rapture devotees claim this context for their false doctrine, but it is not their friend! They like the part about the saints being caught up in the air to meet the Lord, but they fix the visit with Him at a mere seven years. However, Paul is not talking about any such temporary period, but about our going to be with Him in eternity: \u201cAnd so shall we ever <\/strong>be with the Lord\u201d (v. 17b, emph. DM). This parallels his teaching in 1 Corinthians 15. After speaking in verse 23 of the coming of Christ and the resurrection of the dead, he states: \u201cThen cometh the end, when he shall deliver up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have abolished all rule and all authority and power\u201d (v. 24). Obviously, when the Christ comes it will not be to set up <\/strong>His kingdom, to last a mere one thousand years, per Premillennialism. When He returns, He will deliver up <\/strong>to the Father His kingdom for all eternity. He has been reigning over this kingdom from Heaven ever since His ascension in the first century (Acts 2:33\u201336; Eph. 1:22\u201323; Heb. 1:1\u20134; et al.). That kingdom is His church (Mat. 16:18\u201319; Col. 1:13; Heb. 12:23, 28; et al.).<\/span><\/p>\n As in 1 Thessalonians 4, also in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul mentions only the resurrection of the righteous dead (\u201cthey that are Christ\u2019s,\u201d v. 23) upon the Lord\u2019s return. He does so because he is writing to Christians and discussing the resurrection as it pertained to them, rather than to all men in general. It is a gross misuse of Scripture to conclude that Paul\u2019s omission of the unrighteous dead in his discussion of the resurrection is proof that these two classes will be raised separately. Jesus has already and forever settled this issue\u2014for all who respect Him\u2014in His statement earlier quoted from John 5:28\u201329. Whenever the righteous are raised, the unrighteous will also be raised. Therefore, if the righteous dead are raised at the Lord\u2019s coming, it is evident that the unrighteous dead will be raised at the same time, whether or not both groups are specifically mentioned in the context! <\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Another incidental falsification of Premillennial doctrine is seen in Paul\u2019s 1 Thessalonians description of the Lord\u2019s return cited above. As previously indicated, Charles T. Russell, founder of the Jehovah\u2019s Witnesses cult, claimed a \u201csecret\u201d coming of Christ (both in 1874 and 1914!), seen by only a few. The Rapture cult also teaches that the coming of Christ described in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 is at least limited, if not secret, known only to the righteous. However, Paul\u2019s description allows for no such idea. The Lord\u2019s coming will be accompanied by \u201ca shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.\u201d How could such be secret? In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul says that the resurrection will take place \u201cat the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised…\u201d (v. 52). There is more:<\/span><\/p>\n But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up\u201d (2 Pet. 3:10).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u00a0The \u201cday of the Lord\u201d in this context is the time of His coming (v. 4). Notice this will not only be accompanied by a \u201cgreat noise,\u201d but by the utter dissolution of the material universe! Does this sound like a \u201csecret\u201d coming? There is still more: \u201cBehold, he cometh with the clouds; and every eye shall see him…\u201d (Rev. 1:7).<\/span><\/p>\n The New Testament knows nothing of any \u201csecret\u201d, \u201climited,\u201d \u201cfirst,\u201d \u201csecond,\u201d or \u201cthird\u201d Second Coming of our Lord, which Dispensational Premillennial theology demands. Rather, Scripture consistently describes only one return of Christ at which all the dead will be simultaneously raised so that all who have ever lived will be utterly aware of this grand event!<\/span><\/p>\n When the Lord Returns, He Will Change Everyone <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n In the context of discussing the resurrection, Paul wrote the following:<\/span><\/p>\n Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not 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 (1 Cor. 15:50\u201453).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n All human beings have mortal bodies that are subject to disease, decay, and death\u2014 \u201ccorruption.\u201d The Heavenly state of God\u2019s kingdom is an eternal realm where death and corruption are forbidden. Thus, for humans to inhabit Heaven (or the eternal realm of Hell, for that matter) they must somehow \u201cput on immortality.\u201d Obviously, only the Lord can accomplish this change. When will the Lord thus change us? In verse 52 of the passage just cited, the dead shall be raised, and we shall be <\/em>changed, Paul distinguishes between (1) the resurrected dead (2) and those who are alive at His coming. Earlier in 1 Corinthians 15 Paul wrote concerning the death of one\u2019s physical body and its subsequent resurrection:<\/span><\/p>\n It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body….<\/span><\/p>\n And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly (vv. 44, 49).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n It is apparent from these statements, therefore, that the Lord will accomplish this mortal-to-immortal <\/em>change in the \u201cprocess\u201d of raising the dead. Since they will have already been changed in their resurrection, we shall be changed <\/em>can hardly refer\/apply to them. Rather, this phrase only applies only to those who are alive at the Lord\u2019s coming. These He will instantaneously change their mortal bodies into immortal ones.<\/span><\/p>\n Sober minds are naturally curious about this changed state. The Scriptures, however, never pander to man\u2019s mere curiosity (a compelling argument for their inspiration, incidentally!). They tell us, according to the wisdom of Omniscient Deity, just what men need to know, not necessarily what men would like to know. The subject of our immortal state is given only sparse treatment in the New Testament.<\/span><\/p>\n There is a brief statement in the Philippian letter on the nature of our changed state. Paul wrote that the Lord \u201c…shall fashion anew the body of our humiliation, that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working whereby he is able even to subject all things unto himself\u201d (Phi. 3:21). This change will give us a body comparable to the \u201cbody of his glory,\u201d which seems to suggest that it will be like the body our Lord was given after His resurrection and in which He was able to ascend into Heaven.5<\/sup> A brief statement from John is almost an echo of Paul\u2019s statement to the Philippians: \u201cBeloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him<\/strong>; for we shall see him even as he is\u201d (1 John 3:2; emph. DM). Thus far we have seen the following order of events:<\/span><\/p>\n When the Lord Returns, He Will Dissolve the Material Universe <\/em><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Earlier, in connection with the fact that the Lord\u2019s coming will not be secret or even limited to only certain ones, we mentioned the destruction of the universe. Now we turn our attention more fully to this New Testament doctrine. The apostle Peter sets it forth in clear, literal language:<\/span><\/p>\n But the day of the Lord will come as a thief; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall be dissolved with fervent heat, and the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing that these things are thus all to be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of God, by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? (2 Pet. 3:10\u201312).<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n We remind the reader (as emphasized earlier) that there is only one <\/strong>Second Coming. This is obviously the same return \u201cas a thief\u201d the Lord described (Mat. 24:42\u201344) and Paul described (1 The. 5:2\u20133). Peter leaves no maneuvering room for anyone who would like to deny that all of God\u2019s material creation will be brought to nonexistence. Some might even argue that material things are indestructible\u2014that they can only be converted to a different material state (e.g., wood that burns appears to no longer exist, but it actually is changed into smoke, gases, and ashes). If those who thus argue claim to believe in God, have they forgotten that He, through the preincarnate Word, created all material things out of nothing (Gen. 1:1; John 1:1\u20132; Col. 1:16\u201317; Heb. 1:1\u20132; et al.)? The same God who can make something out of nothing through His Son can just as surely make nothing out of something through Him. If Peter is not describing the utter annihilation of all material things in his statement quoted above, what further or better words could the Holy Spirit have given him by which to do so? Peter\u2019s three-fold itemization covers every ingredient of the material existence:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The implications of Peter\u2019s statement are devastating to Premillennial theology. If what Peter teaches in the passage above is true, there is no time for a millennial reign of Christ in His \u201cSecond Coming Program.\u201d There would be little point in warning people to be watchful and ready for His coming at any moment (as He did in Mat. 24:36\u201351; 25:1\u201313) if they were going to have a millennium to get ready after <\/strong>He comes! No! The whole idea is that there will be not be even one minute, much less one thousand years, to repent and obey the Lord when He appears. There is simply no time <\/strong>for a millennial kingdom on earth after the Lord appears. Another crucial blow to Premillennial dogma in 2 Peter 3:10\u201312 is that there will be no place <\/strong>for such a kingdom because the entire material universe, the earth included, will be snuffed out of existence at the Lord\u2019s return.<\/span><\/p>\n No one will miss, fail to see, or be able to ignore that great and terrible Day! Imagine the sound and fury of galactic upheavals and collisions of the heavenly bodies. The heavens themselves will be on fire in the ultimate fireworks exhibit. Try to conceive of heat so intense that the very base elements of our universe melt, dissolve, disintegrate, and finally vaporize and vanish. The earth and all that men have built will cease to exist. Then, if not before, men will forget their mad striving for carnal pleasures and mere material baubles as they are all utterly destroyed. Only eternal, spiritual verities and realities will remain. Then will men understand the teaching of the Bible that the only true and lasting treasures are those that are laid up in Heaven by faithful service to God and His Son (Mat. 6:19\u201321; 1 Tim. 6:9\u201310, 17\u201319).<\/span><\/p>\n The schedule of events of the Second Coming now includes:<\/span><\/p>\n\n
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