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Ready for What’s Next? (Part 3)

January 18, 2009

Volume 3, Number 4

"The anger of the LORD will not turn back until He has performed and carried out the purposes of His heart; in the last days you will clearly understand it." (Jer 23:20)[1]

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. (2 Tim 3:1)

In the last two articles, we learned that Christ's first coming was accurately foretold by the prophets more than 400 years before the event. On closer examination, we also learned the incredible improbability that one man could perhaps fulfill just eight of those prophesies, much less 48. Yet Jesus fulfilled every one of the prophecies concerning His first coming. Based on the precision of biblical prophecy in regard to Jesus' first coming, we can place complete confidence in its forecast of His second coming. With one eye on the Bible and the other on recent history and current events, we were able to see that Christ's return is very near at hand. Jesus said, "… when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." (Luke 21:28)

Preparing for a Certain, Yet Uncertain Future

Most Christians believe that Christ is coming again, and many would agree that the time is very close at hand. However, there are varying views as to how this will transpire. The time when Christ will physically rule over all the nations of the earth is commonly referred to as the millennial kingdom or the millennial reign of Christ. This comes from the recurring reference to 1000 years in Revelation chapter 20. This is the only place in the Bible that Messiah's reign is given a definite number of years. The Old Testament speaks of Christ's earthly reign without reference to a specific amount of time.[2] There really is no conflict here when one remembers that Old Testament prophecy focused on the physical nation of Israel; in fact, all end-time prophecy does. To the prophets of the Old Testament, there was an unseen valley between the peaks of two great mountains. The first mountain was His First Advent and the second was His Second Advent. What the Old Testament prophets could not see was the valley between the two mountains that we call the Church Age. Beyond that, Messiah's reign, as viewed by the Old Testament prophets, coincides with the creation of "new heavens and a new earth;"[3] they are practically the same thing. What the book of Revelation does is present a clearer picture of King Jesus and His reign on earth and in the eternal "new heaven and new earth" – something that was not revealed to the prophets of the Old Testament. The common factor is that Christ will reign forever.

Among Christians, there are three major views concerning the millennial reign of Christ on earth and how that will take place: amillenial, post-millennial and pre-millennial. The amillennial view says that there is no thousand year reign of Christ on earth. They see the 1000 years described in Revelation, Chapter 20 as allegorical in describing the Church Age, the end of which will usher in eternity. The reign of Christ is seen as having begun in His life or following His resurrection and ascension.[4] Prophesies concerning Israel are attributed to the Church which replaces Israel as God's chosen people. One preacher jokingly said that upon Christ's return to reign on earth the amillenialists would be recognized as the ones standing around saying, "Ahhhh!"

The post-millennial view believes that Christians will evangelize the world until the world becomes a better place for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, Christ will return and eternity will begin. Obviously, hopes for such a thing are dismal as we see our world in a fast downhill slide toward depravity. Finally, the pre-millennial view accepts the 1000 years described in Revelation, Chapter 20 as the literal 1000-year reign of Christ on earth at His second coming. All the promises of Israel's rise to world prominence will be fulfilled. The nations of the world will come to worship Christ at His temple in Jerusalem,[5] and He will reign over all the nations[6] as foretold by the prophets of old.

Most evangelical Christians hold the pre-millennial view of end-time prophecy, but even here there are differences in opinion as to how it will all come to pass. There is this idea of the "rapture" of the church that supposedly takes place before Christ's return. The word "rapture" is never used in the Bible, but the concept is derived from a passage in 1 Thessalonians where Paul writes: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:16-17) The phrase "caught up" translates the Greek word harpazo, which means to seize. Translated to Latin, the word is raptura from which we get rapture. It is not the concept of rapture that is in question, because it is clear that a catching away will take place. The question comes in the timing of the rapture. When will it take place?

In the pre-millennial camp there are three views of the rapture. The first and most popular view (for obvious reasons) is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture. This view holds the hope that the Church will be raptured before the seven-year tribulation period described by Daniel the Prophet, by Jesus Christ and by John the Apostle,[7] and we will be spared the horrors of that time. The second view is the Mid-Tribulation Rapture. In this view the Church will be raptured in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist reveals himself, and just before the beginning of Great Tribulation – the last (and worst) three and a half years of the seven-year Tribulation.[8] Finally, the Post-Tribulation Rapture view claims that the Church will endure the seven-year Tribulation and not be raptured until the moment just before Christ returns. Understandably, this is the least popular view.

Any of these three views could be right. Most of us would naturally favor a pre-Tribulation rapture view. Most of our favorite pastors favor this view. The authors of the great Left Behind series, Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, favor this view. Personally, I like it because it means we will not have to endure the suffering that will be brought upon the whole earth during that time. But, what if that view is not right? What if we, the Church, have to endure the Tribulation, either half or all the way through to the end? Are we prepared to face that? Are we strong enough in our faith to endure that?

What is the basis for a belief in a Pre-Tribulation rapture?

As quoted above, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 assures us that there will be a rapture: "the Lord Himself will descend with a shout … the dead in Christ will rise first … then we who are alive and remain will be caught up [raptured] together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air …" This provides for us a sequence of events: (1) the Lord will descend with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God (I believe this will be audible), (2) those that have died "in Christ" – Christians that have died in the past – will rise first, (3) then we who are alive and remain will be raptured together with them, (4) we will meet the Lord in the air, and (5) we will always be with the Lord. Nowhere does it give a clue as to the timing of this event. At what point in time does this happen? Does it occur before the Tribulation starts? Does it happen at the time that the Tribulation begins? Does it take place in the midst of Great tribulation or at the end when Christ returns? This verse cannot be used to substantiate a pre-Tribulation rapture. Later on, 1 Thessalonians 5:2 tells us that "the day of the Lord [referring to the Lord's judgment] so comes as a thief in the night." This verse could be used in support of a pre-Tribulation rapture because IF it is certain, Christians and the world in general will not be expecting it. Furthermore, the next verse (v.3) says, "For when they say, "Peace and safety!' then sudden destruction will come upon them …" "They" and "them" are not "us" Christians. This would not be true for Christians living in the Tribulation period, because the signs have been made very clear to us. Additionally, Paul says (v.4), "But you, brethren, are not in darkness so that this Day [the Day of the Lord] should overtake you as a thief." Why would this admonition matter, if the church is not present through the Tribulation? If we are in heaven, this would not apply to us, yet Paul speaks as if it does. As one reads on, one comes to 1 Thessalonians 5:9 telling us that "God did not appoint us for wrath …" but when read it in context, Paul exhorts the Thessalonians to be sober and watchful in this present world so that these things should not catch them (or us) by surprise. So, is the "wrath" spoken of the Tribulation or is it hell? The next part of that verse says, "but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." Ultimately our destiny is eternal life with Christ, not salvation from the trials and tribulations of this life, so this verse can hardly be used as an argument for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

In his second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul writes to these Christians to inform them as to how they will recognize the "day of the Lord."[9] Evidently these Christians interpreted the persecution they were experiencing as the time of Tribulation. Paul then tries to ease their minds and set their thinking straight concerning Christ's second coming. He tells them that first of all, there will be a falling away from (Greek: apostasía; English: apostasy), or leaving of the faith. We see this happening today in many of our major Christian denominations. Even in our strong Christian homes, our children are abandoning their faith (or perhaps in reality, our faith) and following after the ways of the world. What is frightening is that there seems to be no reversal of this trend. A second sign that Paul offers is the revelation of the "man of sin" or the Antichrist. This coming world ruler is prophesied in Daniel 11:36-37 and Revelation 13:1-10. The question is, why would Paul offer this second sign to Christians, if Christians will not be here to witness it?

Those who favor a pre-Tribulation rapture often point to the first four chapters of Revelation to garner support. They draw attention to the fact that in the first three chapters, Jesus is addressing churches that existed at the time of John's writing. Then suddenly in chapter four John says, After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things." Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. (Rev 4:1-2) Following this, the church on earth is never addressed again. John's visionary rapture is therefore equated to the rapture of the church, but this "coincidence" cannot be supported without involving a great deal of eisegesis – reading things into the text. Saints are spoken of by John in his vision, but often it is unclear if the saints are in heaven or on earth. In Revelation 13:7, 10 and 14:12, the saints spoken of are being martyred on earth. Pre-tribbers will argue that these are the Tribulations saints that were saved "after" the rapture, but we have yet to undeniably prove the pre-Tribulation rapture. Now, just because John is given this heavenly perspective of the seven-year Tribulation does not necessarily qualify him to be the representation of the raptured Church in heaven.

In his latest book, What in the World is Going On?, Dr. David Jeremiah affirms the pre-Tribulation rapture by citing John 14:1-3. "All true Christians will be caught up from the earth and raptured into the presence of the Lord before the seven-year period of evil, the Tribulation, breaks throughout the earth. This will fulfill the promise He made to His disciples in John 14:1-3. … Followers of Christ who are raptured will be spared the trauma of death and the coming disasters that will occur when the Tribulation breaks out upon the earth."[10] In the passage cited by Dr. Jeremiah, Jesus promises that He is going to prepare a place for us, and that He will return for us "that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:3) Again, this promises His return, but it does not specify "when" He will return. Furthermore, even though one might imply the rapture from this promise, the timing issue remains unknown.

Some who insist on a pre-Tribulation rapture rely upon God's past record in saving His people from judgment. They will often refer to Enoch who did not experience death, but was taken into the presence of God.[11] Noah and his family were saved from God's judgment upon the earth by the global flood.[12] Lot and his family were saved from God's judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.[13] Elijah did not see death, but was taken into heaven by a whirlwind.[14] As one examines these examples closely, they can hardly be used as models for a pre-Tribulation rapture. Enoch was taken up by God for his faithfulness in a sinful world, and he did not escape the judgment of God upon those around him, unless one considers death the judgment of God. In that case, one might have a valid point.[15] Noah and his family were saved, but they had to endure the hardships of the global flood. The ark was huge, but can you say "cabin fever?" Imagine being cooped up in that floating zoo for almost an entire year! That is tribulation! Lot was spared God's judgment, but that was mostly due to Abraham's pleading to the Lord on his behalf and not due to any merit on Lot's part.[16] Lot's family was scarcely the model of holiness. Lot did not want to get too far away from Sodom even though he knew of the coming judgment.[17] His wife was turned into a pillar of salt for looking back toward the city during their escape[18] and later both of Lot's daughters got him drunk and committed incest with him in order to produce children.[19] Lot was not exactly rapture material. His name never made it to the Hebrews 11 "Faith Hall of Fame," so he is indeed a poor example to support the pre-Tribulation rapture. Finally, Elijah was not taken up to save him from tribulation but simply because God decided that his work on earth was done – for that time. Some believe that Elijah will return to earth to finish his work as one of the two witnesses described in Revelation 11:1-13 during the Tribulation. If this is true, he will not escape the Tribulation.

Christ is coming soon. The scene for His appearance is rapidly being set. All of humanity is running to and fro, totally focused on their personal wants and desires, and completely oblivious to the perilous times in which we are living. Sadly, many so called Christians are caught in the same downward spiraling vortex of human depravity being sucked down into the very pit of hell. Their only hope is on this tenuous concept of a pre-Tribulation rapture. For all our sakes, I pray that it comes to pass. But Christian, if you have to walk through the coming test of fire known as the Tribulation, are you prepared to do battle with the enemy? Are you embarrassed or ashamed to stand for Christ in these days? Will you stand for Him when the real test comes? If you fear the loss of your job for sharing your faith, will you succumb to the mark of the beast in order to buy and sell?[20] Are you ready for what's next?

Notes:

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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quoted is from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE. (The Lockman Foundation, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995).
[2] Isaiah 11:4; Jeremiah 3:17; Zechariah 14:9
[3] Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; 2 Peter 3:13; Revelation 21:1-2
[4] Acts 2:33-36
[5] Isaiah 60
[6] Revelation 19:15
[7] Daniel 12; Matthew 24:4-26; Mark 13:5-23; Luke 21:8-24; Revelation 5-19
[8] Matthew 24:15-28; Mark 13:14-20; Luke 21: 20-24
[9] 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12
[10] Jeremiah, David, What in the World is Going On? (Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2008), pp. 98-99.
[11] Genesis 4:3-5; Hebrews 11:5
[12] Genesis 6:13-22; Hebrews 11:7; 1 Peter 3:20
[13] Genesis 19
[14] 2 Kings 2:11
[15] Genesis 3:19
[16] Genesis 18:16-27
[17] Genesis 19:18-22
[18] Genesis 19:26
[19] Genesis 19:30-38

[20] Revelation 13:16-18

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"If we cherish what is distinctive about Western civilization, then—whatever our religious convictions—we should respect rather than denigrate its Christian roots." From the article.

Ready for What’s Next? (Part 2)

Volume 3, Number 3
January 11, 2009

But with righteousness He will judge the poor, And decide with fairness for the afflicted of the earth; And He will strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He will slay the wicked. (Isa 11:4)[1]

And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. … From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” (Rev 19:11, 15-16)

Through His Word, God precisely pointed us to the first coming of Christ. Based on this past record, we can trust the biblical indicators for His second coming. With an eye on current events, let us examine what the Bible says about Christ’s Second Advent.

Signs of His Second Coming

The first and most significant sign is that of the rebirth of the nation of Israel. In 70 AD, the armies of Rome razed Jerusalem along with Herod’s Temple. The Jews were dispersed throughout the world never to return to their land again, and the land was trodden down by the gentiles.[2]

We need to understand that Bible prophesy is always centered on the nation of Israel. All prophecies concerning the reigning Messiah indicate that He will come to an established nation. In order for Christ to establish His earthly kingdom, the nation of Israel must be in place. So it is significant that on May 14, 1948, the nation of Israel was reborn. This was foretold by Old Testament prophets around 2500 years ago.[3]

On May 14, 2008, Israel celebrated the 60th anniversary of its rebirth. Although it is surrounded by hostile Muslim nations that have pledged its destruction, it survives under the watchful protection of God for He has promised never to permit its complete destruction again.[4] In speaking to the mountains (the land) of Israel, God makes this promise: “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD, ‘I have sworn that surely the nations which are around you will themselves endure their insults. … Yes, I will cause men — My people Israel — to walk on you and possess you, so that you will become their inheritance and never again bereave them of children.’” (Ezek 36:7, 12) The nations rage against Israel,[5] but they shall never again overcome her.

Another significant prophecy linked to the rebirth of Israel came from the words of our Lord Jesus. Likening Israel to a fig tree, Jesus compared the rebirth of Israel to the budding of a fig tree. We know that when a tree begins to bud, spring is just around the corner. In the same manner, Jesus said, when Israel is reborn, “This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled.”[6] The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, include this illustration. “Only Luke, however, indicates that ‘all the trees’ would simultaneously ‘shoot forth’ along with the fig tree. This seems to indicate that Israel’s neighboring nations, long dormant and of little consequence in world affairs, would again grow and become significant in the latter days. Witness the resurgence in recent decades of such ancient nations as Egypt, Syria, Iran (same as Persia), Iraq (same as Babylon) and others.”[7] Some have argued that “this generation” referred to the generation of Jesus’ time. After all, it is argued, it was that generation that witnessed the destruction of Jerusalem and the razing of the temple. They witnessed the terrible atrocities described by Jesus in His discourse. However, in the Greek text, “the word ‘this’ is the demonstrative adjective, and could better be translated ‘that generation.’ That is, the generation which sees all these signs (…) shall not have completely died away until all these things have taken place.”[8] My father, who is currently 82 years old, was 21 years old when Israel was reborn. Jesus promised that his generation would not pass away until all prophecy is fulfilled. This indicates that the time is very short.

Another sign pointing to the Second Coming of Christ is the global importance of oil and its impact on the global economy. “Few would question the fact that oil has become the new basis for our world economy. … Surely the world’s fascination with oil – a hot commodity with a source in lands hostile … to Israel and to us – qualifies as a sign”[9] Israel’s hostile neighbors wield a heavy club with which to beat the world into economic submission. Yet with all of that oil, not a drop has been discovered on Israeli soil. However, God’s promise to Israel upon their return to the land, is that He will treat them better than before.[10] “While little oil has ever been found in Israel, today there is a growing belief that there may be significant oil deposits under its surface. Two major oil companies have been formed to explore oblique references to oil found in the Bible. … John Brown, an evangelical Christian and founder and chairman of Zion Oil and Gas, believes that there is indeed oil in Israel. He is certain that several biblical passages indicate where rich deposits might be found.”[11] Brown is referring to Deuteronomy 33:24 “More blessed than sons is Asher; May he be favored by his brothers, And may he dip his foot in oil,” and Genesis 49:22-26 “Joseph is a fruitful bough, A fruitful bough by a spring [well] … From the God of your father who helps you, And by the Almighty who blesses you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath … May they be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head.” Where the toe of Asher and the crown of Joseph meet, there be oil! The significance of oil in the last days and the economic collapse is prophesied in Revelation 6:6, “And I heard something like a voice in the center of the four living creatures saying, ‘A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine.’” It would be interesting to see how the discovery of oil in Israel will play out in these last days.

Another sign that we see developing and gaining strength in these days is the revival of the Roman Empire known to us by its pseudonym, the European Union (EU). Daniel, in his prophetic book, told of four great kingdoms that were to come on earth.[12] The first and second existed in his day and took the form of the Babylonian and the Persian empires. The Greek and Roman empires followed after that. Of the four empires foretold by Daniel, three were conquered by the subsequent empires, except for Rome. Rome sort of just fizzled out. Daniel describes a fourth empire as the legs of iron on the colossus that Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. The iron legs, representing strength and power, were supported on feet with made of a mixture of potter’s clay and iron. The ten toes representing ten kingdoms and the mixture of clay and iron represents the fragmented nature of the latter kingdom.[13] So we see Rome sort of crumble on its own and now in these latter days, it is attempting to reunite like a phoenix rising out of the ashes.

This perfectly describes what we see today in the EU which is comprised of nations having once belonging to the old Roman Empire.[14] This revived Roman Empire will be on earth when God sets up His earthly kingdom. “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed, and that kingdom will not be left for another people; it will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, but it will itself endure forever.” (Daniel 2:44-45) The EU is currently composed of 25 member nations. Twelve of those are within the original, boundaries of the old Roman Empire. Israel is not part of the current “Roman Empire,” but “It has been proposed, however, that if Israel would sign a peace treaty with its hostile neighbors, it would be offered membership in the EU.”[15]

Europe is more integrated today than at any time since the days of ancient Rome. The iron and clay toes described in Daniel 2, speak of weakness and instability. The best interpretation of this unstable mix is that the combination of clay and iron represents the diverse racial, religious, and political elements that will comprise this final form of the Roman Empire. … While the EU has great economic and political clout, the cultures and languages of its various countries are so incredibly diverse that it cannot hold together any more than iron and clay, unless unity is imposed and enforced by an extremely powerful leader.[16] “Paul-Henri Spaak, the first president of the UN General Assembly, first president of the European Parliament, and onetime secretary general of NATO is credited with making this stunning statement: ‘We do not need another committee. We have too many already. What we want is a man of sufficient stature to hold the allegiance of all people, and to lift us out of the economic morass into which we are sinking. Send us such a man and be he god or devil, will receive him.’”[17]

Any thinking person, armed with the Word of God, can look upon our global economic meltdown, and see the puzzle falling into place. Along with this, Jesus promised that there would be wars and rumors of wars.[18] Of course, there are those that will readily remind us that the world has always been at war in one place or another. The Bible also warns us about those naysayers that will come in the last days.[19] By way of reminder, end time prophecy is centered on the nation of Israel, not the world in general; so the wars and rumors of wars are those that concern Israel and not the fighting that goes on in South America or Africa or anywhere else. Israel should be our focus when we look at end-time prophecy.

Jesus also spoke of earthquakes in various places.[20] Government sources that gather this kind of data indicate that there has been a considerable rise in number and intensity of earthquakes around the world in just the last decade. Some of this is attributed to more (in number) and more (in quality) sophisticated methods of gathering data. That may be true. The point is that we are certainly more aware of such things than ever before. Only a few months ago, a small earthquake was experienced in Irving, Texas, which is nowhere near the “ring of fire” that normally experiences earthquakes. The tremor was insignificant yet unprecedented.

Jesus told his followers, which includes modern Christians, that in the end days, we would be hated for His name’s sake.[21] There have been more Christians throughout the world martyred in this last century than at any other time in Christian history. Even in our beloved United States of America, founded on the Word of God, Christians, especially evangelical Christians are awarded the same status as Islamic terrorists. What used to be subtle discrimination is becoming more and more blatant, and it only promises to get worse. Jesus also said that lawlessness would abound and that the love of many would grow cold.[22] Crime in the streets of our cities is growing steadily worse. There is even corruption at our highest levels. Our school boards embezzle monies that should be directed toward the education of our children. We have state governors putting vacated US Senate seats up for sale to the highest bidder. Even our future president must have something to hide because he refuses to produce documentation proving his eligibility to hold the office. And with all of this, we show more concern for the spotted owl than for the unborn child.

Are your ready for what’s next? The fig tree has already budded. It has put forth its bloom, and its fruit is ripening on the branch. Jesus is at the portals of heaven just waiting for His marching orders. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus! Maranatha!

Look, ye saints! the sight is glorious:
See the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight return victorious,
Ev’ry knee to Him shall bow;
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crowns become the Victor’s brow.

Crown the Savior! angels, crown Him;
Rich the trophies Jesus brings;
In the seat of pow’r enthrone Him,
While the vault of heaven rings:
Crown Him, crown Him,
Crown the Savior King of kings.

Sinners in derision crowned Him,
Mocking thus the Savior’s claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him,
Own His title, praise His name:
Crown Him, crown Him,
Spread abroad the Victor’s fame.

Hark, those burst of acclamation!
Hark, those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station;
O what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him, crown Him,
King of kings, and Lord of lords![23]

Notes:

________________
[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quoted is from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE. (The Lockman Foundation, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995).
[2] Isaiah 63:18
[3] Isaiah 66:8; Ezekiel 36:24
[4] Isaiah 10:20; Isaiah 62:8; Ezekiel 36:1-12; Joel 2:19
[5] Psalm 2:1-9
[6] Matthew 24:32-34; Mark13:28-30; Luke 21:29-32
[7] Morris, Henry M. The New Defender’s Study Bible, (World Publishing, Nashville, 2006), p. 1551.
[8] Ibid., p. 1441.
[9] Jeremiah, David, What in the World is Going On? (Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2008), p. 27.
[10] Ezekiel 36:11
[11] Jeremiah, pp. 37-38.
[12] Daniel 2:41-43; 7:7, 24
[13] Daniel 2:41-43;
[14] Daniel 7:7, 24; Revelation 13:1-10
[15] Jeremiah, p. 60.
[16] Ibid., pp. 63-64.
[17] Ibid., p. 65.
[18] Matthew 24:6; Mark 13:7; Luke 21:9
[19] 2 Peter 3:3-4
[20] Matthew 24:7; Mark 13:8; Luke 21:11
[21] Matthew 24:9; Mark 13:13; Luke 21:17
[22] Matthew 24:12
[23] Kelly, Thomas (1769-1855), “Look, Ye Saints! The Sight is Glorious,” The Baptist Hymnal, (Convention Press, Nashville, 1991), Hymn 169.

Ready for What’s Next? (Part 1)

Volume 3, Number 2

January 3, 2009

The LORD has bared His holy arm in the sight of all the nations, that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God. (Isa 52:10)[1]

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thess 4:16-17)

We have just celebrated the first advent of the Messiah, and we now look forward to His second advent when He comes to reign on earth as KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. Just as His first coming was precisely foretold by the prophets of old, so His second coming has been predicted. Since the prophecies about His first coming were fulfilled with accuracy, we can trust that the prophecies about His second coming will also come to pass with equal accuracy.

With the prospect of the most liberal government in the history of our nation, one that for all practical purposes is anti-God and especially anti-Christ, we can start setting our eyes to the eastern sky in propitious anticipation of our Lord’s return.

In this series of articles, we will briefly cover some of the prophecies of His first coming. Next we will look at some of the prophecies of His second coming. Finally, we will analyze our own preparedness for a certain yet uncertain future.

Signs of His First Coming

Before time began, God has had a plan in place for the redemption of His creation. That immediately raises the question as to why God would create something that He would have to redeem in the first place. Why did He not make it so that there would be no opportunity for sin? We might have to ask Him that when we meet Him in heaven, but part of the reason was that He might manifest His glory. Referring to His bringing Israel back to her land after many years of dispersion, God declares, “Bring My sons from afar and My daughters from the ends of the earth, everyone who is called by My name, and whom I have created for My glory, whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” (Isa 43:6b-7). Why would He do this? “For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; for how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.” (Isa 48:11) Jesus made a similar statement in His High Priestly prayer: “Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.” (John 17:24) There is no religion on earth whose god makes such claims. It is inconceivable that any god would love or even care enough for its creation to condescend to their lowly estate, and pay the price for their redemption. On the contrary, all other gods demand that their worshipers tow the line and comply to their every whim otherwise severe punishment will ensue. That is how they get their glory. So when the true God does all He has done for His creation, we are awestruck. We are dumbfounded. We can do no less than fall before His presence in praise, adoration and worship. He is glorious, and He deserves all the glory we can give.

Another reason God planned for redemption was that He wanted a reciprocal love from His creation. Therefore, He created mankind in His own image and in His likeness (Genesis 1:26-27). In doing this, he gave man a free will to choose right from wrong, to obey or disobey, to love God or not to love Him, to accept Him or to reject Him. Though the concept is inexplicable, God wants a genuine relationship with His creation. Even the hardest of hearts recognizes that a relationship between two people cannot be forced upon an individual. A relationship has to be by the mutual consent of the participating parties. Knowing this, and knowing that man would rend the relationship, God devised a plan to set things right again through His own sacrifice.

Part of His plan to redeem His creation was to make His plan clear to mankind, and so He laid it all out in His Word, the Bible. He would send (actually, He Himself would come as) a redeemer to take the penalty of mankind’s sin upon Himself. This Redeemer would be the seed of a woman (Genesis 3:15) not the seed of a man. We see this prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 1:18. The Savior would be born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14). This was fulfilled in Matthew 1:20 and Luke 1:26-27, 34. He would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and David (Genesis 18:18, 22:18, 28:14; 49:10). Jesus’ genealogy is listed Matthew 1:1-16 and Luke 3:23-38. God told us that His Son would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). His birth is recorded in Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-5, 7. The prophet Jeremiah predicted an effort to exterminate Messiah by killing children of Bethlehem (Jeremiah 31:15), and this came to pass and was recorded by Matthew (Matthew 2:16-18). In order to save the Christ child, His parents had to flee to Egypt. This was foreseen in Hosea 11:1 and recorded in Matthew 2:14-15. David declared that He would be called the Son of God (Psalm 2:7) and Matthew testified to it in Matthew 3:17; 17:5. Isaiah said he would be rejected by His own people (Isaiah 53:3), and the fact was recorded in Luke 23:18 and John 1:11. Zechariah foresaw His public declaration to the throne of Israel and His Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9:9) and all four Gospel writers record the event (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-38; John 12:12-15). David said the Lord would be betrayed by a close friend (Psalm 41:9) and we find in Luke 22:47-53 that Judas turned Him over to the Jewish authorities. Zechariah prophesied that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12) and his prophecy was fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-15; Mark 14:10-11 and Luke 22:3-6. Isaiah told us that He would be killed along with common criminals (Isaiah 53:12) and we read about this in Mark 15:27-28. He would be pierced (Zechariah 12:10, fulfilled in John 19:34; 20:27). The soldiers would gamble for his clothes (Psalm 22:18, fulfilled Matthew 27:35-36). David told us that none of His bones would be broken (Psalm 34:20). When the soldiers came to break Jesus’ legs in order to expedite His death on the cross, they found that He was already dead, so they did not break His legs (John 19:32-33, 36). Isaiah foretold that He would be buried among the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Matthew reports that Joseph of Arimathea (a rich man) requested Jesus’ body and placed Him in his own tomb (Matthew 27:57-60). His resurrection was foreseen by David (Psalm 16:10) and testified by all four Gospel writers (Mark 16:6-7).

Listed above are just 21 of over 300 prophecies concerning Jesus’ First and Second Advent. Josh McDowell in his book More Than a Carpenter quotes from Peter W. Stoner’s book Science Speaks “who says that by using the modern science of probability in reference to eight prophecies, ‘we find that the chance that any man might have lived down to the present time and fulfilled all eight of the prophecies is 1 in 10 to the 17th power.’ That would be 1 in 100,000,000,000,000,000”[2] or one in one hundred quadrillion. In his message of December 21, 2008, God in a Stable, Fact or Fable?, Dr. Robert Jeffress stated that the probability of Jesus fulfilling 48 of those prophecies was 1 in 10 to the 157th power; that would 1 in 1 followed by 157 zeros. Yet, Jesus fulfilled them all, and not one was omitted.

If God so precisely pointed us to Jesus’ first coming, we can trust the biblical indicators for His second coming. Are you ready for what’s next?

O come! O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here
Until the Son of God appear.

O come, Thou, Dayspring, come and cheer
Our spirits by Thine advent here;
Disperse the gloomy clouds of night,
And death’s dark shadows put to flight.

O come, Thou Wisdom from on high,
And order all things far and nigh;
To us the path of knowledge show,
And cause us in her ways to go.

O come, Desire of Nations, bind
All peoples in one heart and mind;
Bid envy, strife, and quarrels cease;
Fill the whole world with heaven’s peace.

Rejoice! Rejoice! Emanuel
Shall come to thee O Israel![3]

Notes:

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[1] Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quoted is taken from THE NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE UPDATE, (The Lockman Foundation, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995)
All rights reserved.
[2] McDowell, Josh, More Than a Carpenter, (Tyndale House Publishers, Wheaton, 1977), pp. 107-108.
[3] Neal, John Mason and Henry Sloane Coffin translation of a Latin Hymn, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” The Baptist Hymnal, (Convention Press, Nashville, 1991), Hymn 76.