The Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming of Christ
By Tommy Franks, Ph.D.

Eschatology is literally a "discourse about the last things or future things”…doctrine concerning life after death and the final stage of the world.

“It shall come, that I will gather all nations and tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory” (Is.66:18).
“Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan.12:2).”

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him” (Mat.25:31-32).

“Then the wicked will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life” (Mat.25:46).

The Second Coming of Christ: As prophesied both in the Old and New Testament, will be the most spectacular and most incredible event in human history…The gathering of the Messiah with all nations and tongues, since Adam…and with all the angels... you and I will be there…Peter and John…all Christians from the beginning of time…every person of all nations and tongues of the history of humankind! (Is.66:18, Dan.12:2, Mat.25:31-46).

It will indeed be spectacular for the Christian, but horrible for the sinner. It will be GLORIOUS for those who are saved and have eternal life. They will go to Heaven for ever and ever...

But the sinner will go to eternal suffering and Hell for ever and ever (Dan.12:2, Mat.25:46).
RAPTURE: Rapture of the Church is a phrase used by pre-millennialists to refer to the church being united with Christ at his second coming ("caught up").
The main scriptural passage upon which the teaching is based is I Thes. 4:15-17: "For this we declare to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up (raptured) together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we shall always be with the Lord."The Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 describes a miraculous event when Christ will descend from the heavens. Conservative Protestants believe that faithful "born again" Christians who have previously died will be resurrected, rise from their graves, and ascend to meet Jesus in the sky. Immediately afterwards, "born again" Christians who had not died will also ascend into the air.

They will abandon cars, airplanes, factory jobs, homes, families, friends etc. Since the vast majority of humans are not "born again," most people will remain behind on earth.Pre-tribulationists: Teach that the church will be removed before the seven-year tribulation period and the revelation of the antichrist. Many believe the rapture will take place prior to the great tribulation which marks the end of the age. The millennium is a future, literal thousand years on earth, and the great tribulation a chaotic period toward which history is now moving. Some dispensational pre-millennialists connect it to the seventieth week of Dan. 9:27, a period of seven years whose latter half pertains strictly to the great tribulation. They believe the church will be raptured prior to the seventieth week.Mid-tribulationists: Believe that the church will be raptured during the tribulation after the antichrist's rise to power…but before the severe judgments that prepare the way for Christ's return and His Kingdom on earth during the millennium reign… raptured at the middle of the seventieth week.Post-tribulationists: Believe that the church will continue to exist in the world throughout the entire tribulation and be removed at the end of the period when Christ returns in power.
What does the Bible say?
The Bible says that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this “coming” that Christ promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4, NIV).
Matthew 24:36 (NIV) "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”Matthew 24:42-44 (NIV) "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.”1 Thessalonians 5:1-4 (NIV) “Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief.”Matthew 24:31 (NIV) And He will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NIV) For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.The Bible also says: Hosea 4:6 (NIV) my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.Proverbs 29:18a (KJV) Where there is no vision, the people perish.1 Corinthians 15:50-57 (NIV) I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed…in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye (1/1000 of a second) at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" …But thanks be to God…Who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”Job 19:25-26 (NIV) I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end He will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God.Polycarp (70-155 AD) was denounced by the government, arrested, and tried on the charge of being a Christian. When the proconsul urged him to save his life by cursing Christ, he replied: "Eighty-six years I have served him, and He never did me any wrong. How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?" The magistrate was reluctant to kill a gentle old man, but he had no choice because of the people!Polycarp was sentenced to be burned.

As he waited for the fire to be lit, he prayed:Lord God Almighty, Father of your blessed and beloved child Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, God of angels and hosts and all creation, and of the whole race of the upright who live in your presence: I bless you that you have thought me worthy of this day and hour, to be numbered among the martyrs and share in the cup of Christ, for resurrection to eternal life, for soul and body in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit. Among them may I be accepted before you today, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, just as you, the faithful and true God, have prepared and foreshown and brought about. For this reason and for all things I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal heavenly high priest Jesus Christ, your beloved child, through whom be glory to you, with him and the Holy Spirit, now and for the ages to come. Amen.

Justin Martyr (100 to 167 A.D.) lived near the time of the apostle John (died 100 A.D.); Justin taught the resurrection and rapture of believers would occur at the beginning of the millennium (Christ's 1000-year reign, which starts just after the Second Coming). Justin also wrote, "the man of apostasy [Antichrist] ...shall venture to do unlawful deeds on earth against us the Christians". Irenaeus (130 to 200 A.D.) who said he held the actual apostles' teaching, wrote, "they [the ten kings of Rev. 17:1-13] shall ...give their kingdom to the beast [Antichrist], and put the Church to flight" (Against Heresies V, 26, 1). Irenaeus also said : "but he [John] indicates the number of the name [666 of Antichrist] now, that when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware who he is". Tertullian (150 to 220 A.D.) attached the rapture of 1 Thessalonians 4, to the start of Christ's millennial kingdom on earth. Tertullian said the tribulation situation will be such "that the beast Antichrist with his false prophet may wage war on the Church of God". Cyprian (200 to 260 A.D.) writes, "Nor let any of you, beloved brethren, be terrified by the fear of future persecution, by the coming of the threatening Antichrist". The Roman Catholics (as a whole) generally follow the teachings of St. Augustine (354-430 AD) and the Protestant reformers, and accept Amillennialism. However, they do not normally use the term. They anticipate Jesus coming to Earth and gathering the Church together. As a rule, they do not use the term "rapture". With respect to the rapture, Catholics certainly believe that the event of our gathering together to be with Christ will take place; however, they do not usually use the term "rapture" to refer to this event.Amillennialism: The view interprets Revelation 20 symbolically and sees the millennium not as an earthly golden age in which the world will be totally Christianized, but as the present period of Christ’s rule in heaven and on the earth through his Church. This was the view of the Protestant Reformers & is still the most common view among traditional Protestants…though not among most of the recent Evangelical and Fundamentalist groups. They also believe in the coexistence of good and evil on earth until the end. The tension that exists on earth between the righteous and the wicked will be resolved only by Christ’s return at the end of time.Postmillennialism: The view of last things which holds that the kingdom of God is now being extended in the world through the preaching of the gospel and the saving work of the Holy Spirit…that the world eventually is to be Christianized…and that the return of Christ will occur at the close of a long period of righteousness and peace, commonly called the millennium." Today, this view is not very popular among Christians. At the millennium’s end will come the Second Coming…the general resurrection of the dead, and the last judgment.Pre-millennialism: This is currently the most popular view among Fundamentalists and Evangelicals…However, a century ago, it was amillennialism). Most of the books written about the End Times are written from a premillennial perspective.Like postmillennialists, pre-millennialists believe that the thousand years is an earthly golden age during which the world will be thoroughly Christianized. Unlike postmillennialists, they believe that it will occur after the Second Coming rather than before…so that Christ reigns physically on earth during the millennium. They believe that the Final Judgment will occur only after the millennium is over (which many interpret to be exactly one thousand years).The Great Tribulation: (Matt. 24:21; Rev. 2:22, 3:10; 7:14) serves to identify the eschatological form of tribulation. These words are Jesus' caption for a worldwide, unprecedented time of trouble that will usher in Jesus' return (parousia) to earth in great glory.In the last days, we will have an intensity of world wide calamities.The Rapture: The "caught up!"…The word "Rapture" means to be taken away, to be caught up, to seize or carry away, to snatch away…not mentioned in Scripture.This word "Rapture" is not in the Bible. It is taken from 1 Thessalonians 4 when Paul describes those still alive as "caught up" together with the dead in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and from Matthew 24 when the Lord mentions that "one will be taken and one will be left". “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18Therefore encourage each other with these words. (1Thes.4:16:18).The Rapture is an important doctrine for many Christians including Baptists, Adventists, some Evangelicals and Pentecostals. They see themselves going up to the clouds, millions of them…to meet the Lord, while others stay on earth, left behind. The "signs" of the coming of the End of the World: Jesus said, "Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near” (Mat.24:32). In Matthew 24 & Luke 21, the Lord teaches about the End Times:Many "false prophets" that will deceive many."Wars and rumors of wars".Nation against nation"Famines" in v.7."Earthquakes", in v.7."Persecutions and tortures to the Christian"."Many will fall away... lawlessness... the love of many will grow cold", v.10-12.Wickedness world wide will increase."This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world"…then the end will come!Unequaled great distress and tribulations, not equaled since the beginning of the world nor will ever be equaled again, will be poured out on this earth.The sun and moon will be darkened, stars will fall from the heavens and heavenly bodies will be shaken.
Terminologies:Eschatology: Study of future things.The Millennium: Revelation describes an important interval lasting for 1000 years when Christ rules. This is a golden era…a time of universal peace.The Tribulation: This is a 7 year interval when a world religious…political leader called the Antichrist takes power.Armageddon: A terrible war provoked by the Antichrist. Most people on earth will die. God's anger, hatred, and wrath are poured out over mankind and the earth at this time. A series of violent events as prophesied in Daniel 9, Matthew 24, and Revelation 4-19 will occur.
Jerusalem: The eyes of God and the eyes of the world are focused on the city of Jerusalem. Why is this city so important? Because every prophet in the Old Testament prophesized that Jerusalem would be the stumbling stone of the nations. Whoever solves the Jerusalem dilemma will be recognized as the new Caesar of the world.
The battle for Jerusalem began a long time ago. God the Father wants Jerusalem for the throne of His Son Jesus Christ to rule the earth during the millennial reign.
Satan wants Jerusalem as the throne for his messiah…the Antichrist.The stage is set for the Antichrist’s appearing and he will solve the Jerusalem dilemma. The urgency for every believer is this: Be ready!