The Signs of His Second Coming
P. Dixon 12/27/09
Many believe the Lord’s second coming could be at any time, that is, that there are no prophetic events which must be fulfilled before His coming. Hence, He could come in the next minute, day, week, month, year, decade, our lifetime, or yet sometime after our days here on the earth. This view is quite popular these days, largely because of the writings of Hal Lyndsey (“Late Great Planet Earth”) and Tim LaHaye’s “Left Behind” series. In 1830 when J. N. Darby came up with the pretrib rapture theory, associated with it was this notion that Christ could return at any moment for the rapture of the church. This is called the imminent return of Christ. But, it is false.
Actually, this view can be traced back to the early church. On his second missionary journey Paul had established the church in Thessalonica. He was able to stay there only 2-3 weeks before being driven away by the Judaizers. Sometime later he followed up his teaching with his first epistle to them. In First Thessalonians he teaches about the return of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him. In the 4th chapter he assuages their fears about what happens to believers who die. There he refers to Christians who die as “those who have fallen sleep.“ This refers to the physical bodies which await a future resurrection. But, their spirit goes home to be with the Lord. And, as surely as Christ died and rose again, then so also those who have fallen asleep in Christ will be raised. When He returns they will be the first to get their resurrection bodies, then we who are alive at His return will join them in the air and so thereafter always be with them and the Lord. These are words of great encouragement to believers and should be. He then goes on to explain in the 5th chapter that the Lord’s coming will be “as a thief in the night“ upon those who are in darkness. They will be caught suddenly, unexpectedly with destruction and judgment. But, this pertains only to those who are in darkness. It does not pertain to those in the light. In verse 4 he says, but you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are children of light, children of the day. Because Christians are in the light and are children of the day, they will be watching and waiting. They will see the signs of the times, of His near return, and not be caught off guard.
This is an important truth which is commonly misunderstood even to this day, as many Christians continue to erroneously believe that the Lord’s return will be as a thief in the night upon everybody and therefore it could be at any moment. It is somewhat comforting to know that even the Thessalonians misunderstood Paul’s teaching here, for he has to write 2 Thessalonians to correct the error. But, we have the advantage of both epistles, so there is hardly an excuse for our getting it wrong. Lets look at what he says in response to them in the 2nd letter:
2:1 Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, 2 not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come (better, is at hand, KJ). 3 Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, 4 who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
1. The 7 years of tribulation come before the return of the Lord, 2 Thess. 2:1-4.The Thessalonians had misunderstood what Paul said and were being lead astray by an evil spirit, by some letter supposedly written by Paul, or by some spoken word by a false teacher. They were thinking the Lord’s return was about to occur at any time. In fact, some had quit their jobs and were sponging off others because of this belief. This was a serious problem, so Paul writes 2nd Thessalonians to correct this false teaching. The King James translation is better here where instead of “has come” (v. 2) they have it “is at hand.” The Greek word can go either way, but the King James translators realized it was better rendered “is at hand,” because had it been they thought the day had already come, this would reduce to nonsense. For then Paul would only have to have something like, ‘hey, it hasn’t come, because we are still here.’ But, he doesn’t say this. It makes better sense to see them as thinking it was at hand, about to happen. But, the translation doesn’t really matter in the argument. It works either way.Paul’s point is that the Lord would not return until sometime after certain events had taken place, namely, the rebellion and the revelation of the Man of Lawlessness. These are tribulational events of which Daniel had prophesied and which the Lord had taught (Mt. 24). Paul’s point here is that the Lord’s return and our gathering together unto Him, that day would not occur until sometime after these events occur first. The order of events is crucial here. What Paul says contradicts the order of the pre-tribulational scheme which says the rapture takes place first, then comes the rebellion and revelation of the man of lawlessness in the tribulation period.
So, the first event which precedes the Lord’s Coming for the rapture of the church is the period of time of the rebellion and the revelation of the man of lawlessness. This occurs during the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27) when the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel (the apostasy), then 3 ½ years later is revealed as the man of lawlessness when he goes into the temple of God and commits the abomination of desolation and opposes all that is called God.
2. Immediately after the Tribulation period the sun is darkened, the moon turned to blood, and the stars fall from heaven, Mt. 24:29.
The second sign is the fulfillment of the Joel 2:28-32 prophecy which identifies certain catastrophic celestial disturbances signally the imminent return of the Lord. Since Paul’s discussion in 1 and 2 Thessalonians focused on the Day of the Lord, let’s look at a that Old Testament prophesy, then look at how Christ applied the prophecy in Mt. 24:15-31.
28 “And it shall come to pass afterward,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
29 Even on the male and female servants
in those days I will pour out my Spirit.
30 “And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. 31 The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. 32 And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.Christ shows that this prophecy is fulfilled after the great tribulation has run its course. He says: 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Verse 29 says Immediately after the tribulation of those days the catastrophic celestial disturbances will take place. The tribulation refers back to the immediately preceding discussion of the great tribulation which will be the worse the world has ever seen or will see. Some have taken this to refer to the tribulation of Israel that resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, but this will not work, for that could hardly be construed as the worse time of tribulation that will ever occur. Furthermore, while the first 69 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy terminated in the cutting off of Christ when he rode into Jerusalem at the beginning of the last week, the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy did not continue unto another 7 years. That wouldn’t make any sense. Rather, that week is still future and describes a time of severe tribulation and persecution not only of the nation Israel, but of the church, as well. These verses, typical of biblical prophecy, probably had a partial fulfillment in the 1st century, but not a full and final fulfillment which results in the coming of Christ (v. 31). These verses certainly have a future and final fulfillment.31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
3. The Lord returns shortly after the sun is darkened, the moon turned to blood, and the stars fall from heaven, Mt. 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:13-5:10, 2 Thess. 2:1-4.
Verse 31 describes the return of the Lord. The description parallels the return of the Lord in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Both passages are talking about the coming of the Day of the Lord and our being gathered together unto him. In both we see necessary events preceding that return: the great tribulation and the catastrophic disturbances of Joel 2:28-31. In both the have angels coming, a shout and loud trumpet blast, and the gathering together of the elect.
In summary, here are the necessary events as they unfold in the future:
1. The 7 years of tribulation come before the return of the Lord, 2 Thess. 2:1-4.
2. Immediately after the Tribulation period the sun is darkened, the moon turned to blood, and the stars fall from heaven, Mt. 24:29.
3. The Lord returns shortly after the sun is darkened, the moon turned to blood, and the stars fall from heaven, Mt. 24:31, 1 Thess. 4:13-5:10, 2 Thess. 2:1-4.
Applications:
First, we can learn from the failure of so many regarding the first coming of Christ. The OT scriptures foretell clearly two aspects of the Lord’s coming into the world. The first advent describes a suffering and dying Messiah; the second advent, a glorious triumphant Messiah. Israel did not like the notion of a suffering Messiah, so the nation did not believe. The result was Israel turned away from Him and was severely judged for it in A.D. 70. Even the disciples, ever slow to learn, refused to believe Jesus would suffer and die, even when He told them repeatedly. And, as you recall after His resurrection the Lord rebuked them for the failure to believe the scriptures. So, we must learn not to let our feelings, likes or fears, determine what we believe. Rather, it must be the Word of God, no matter how it makes us feel.
Second, we must learn from the Thessalonian error. We must be warned against anyone trying to deceive us. The Evil One hates the truth and works to keep us from believing it. Paul said to the Thessalonians, Let no one deceive you. That had been deceived somehow, either by an evil spirit directly, by a false letter perhaps written in Paul’s name, or be some false teacher in their midst. And, we must be aware the Evil One works today in churches to keep the truth from being believed, and guiding people to belief a lie.
Third, we must learn that the purpose of eschatology is our personal holiness and sanctification. Peter’s exhortation regarding the coming of the Day of the Lord is important to note. He says:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
14 Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. 15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation.The study of eschatology properly done issues in the call to holiness and godliness. God’s elect know how things will end, including our future sanctification and glorification. If that is where we are headed, then it follows we should seek here and now after those things, by God’s grace.
When Peter says, hastening the coming of the day of God, he does not mean that by doing so, we actually bring the coming of the Lord closer. The meaning of the term is “eagerly desiring” its arrival. Believers ought to look forward to with keen anticipation and hope that day when the Lord returns and we become like him in holiness and sanctification. John’s words in 1 Jn. 3:2 echo Peter’s meaning:2 Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. 3 And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.
Let us pray.
