THE COMING (OR DAY) OF THE LORD |
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The Coming (or day) of the Lord would hardly be considered a controversial subject today. But is the consensus view that almost all mainstream Christians hold scriptural? The belief that every time the Bible mentions the coming (or day) of the Lord. That it is talking about a second advent of the Lord and the end of the world. Or perhaps a beginning of a visible reign of Christ sitting on a throne in the earthly City of Jerusalem. Does the scripture line up with this? That will be the subject of this article.
Starting with what must be a confusing scripture to those who hold the consensus view as noted above. John 21:18. (Jesus speaking to Peter) Truly, Truly, I say to you, When you were young, you dressed yourself, and walked where ever you desired: but when your old, you will stretch forth your hands, and another will dress you, and carry you where you do not want. 19. This he spoke, signifying by what death he (Peter) should glorify God. And when he had spoken this, he said to him, Follow me. 20. Then Peter, turning around, seeing the disciple whom Jesus loved (John) following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, who is it that betrays you? 21. Peter seeing him said to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? 22. Jesus answers him, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Follow me. 23. Then this saying abroad went out among the brothers, that this disciple (John) should not die: yet Jesus did not say to him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Apparently the subject of the coming of the Lord must have been just as mysterious to the early church as it is to believers today. It can be seen that they held the same view as believers today because they interpreted the coming of the Lord as being the end of the world. They thought the Apostle John would be caught away (raptured) and not experience death. It appears that John considered it necessary to point out their misunderstanding of scripture while writing his gospel, that: Jesus did not say to him, He shall not die; but, If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you? Now dear brothers and sisters. You are being presented with a dilemma. Either Johns gospel has a falsehood in it or your interpretation of the coming of the Lord is false. Jesus told Peter that John would remain until he comes. Yet if the coming of the Lord is the end of the world, the rapture or a time when Jesus reigns physically form the city of Jerusalem, (a millennial reign). That would make this a false prophecy. John is dead, its two thousand years latter and Jesus still hasn't come. Well, he hasn't come in the way pop eschatology has him come anyway. In the book of Revelation Jesus has the Apostle John write a letter to seven churches. These churches are literal, they existed at the time, but have long since disappeared. Jesus said he would come to six of them. To the church in Ephesus he wrote: [Revised Standard Version] Revelation 2:5 Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lamp stand from its place, unless you repent. To the church in Pergamos he wrote: [Revised Standard Version] Revelation 2:16 Repent then. If not, I will come to you soon and war against them with the sword of my mouth. To the church at Thyatira he wrote: Revelation 1:25. But that which you already have already hold fast till I come. To the church at Sardis he wrote: Revelation 2:3. Remember therefore how you received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore you will not stay awake, I will come to you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come to you. To the church at Philadelphia he wrote: Revelation 2:11. Behold, I come quickly: hold on to what you have, that no man take your crown. To the church at Laodicea he wrote: [Simple English Version] Revelation 3:20 Listen, I stand at the door. I am knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come inside with him. We will have dinner together. To put it simply, these churches do not exist anymore. The Lord did not come in the time that they did exist. At least he did not come in the way most understand his coming. If the Lord came once as a man 2000 years ago, and then only comes a second time at the end of the world. Then we have the same dilemma. Either these prophecies in Revelation are false. Or, there is a general misunderstanding about the coming of the Lord. We can proceed to a few scriptures where the coming (or day) of the Lord has a date attached to it. First though a scripture that says the day of the Lord and the coming of the Lord are the same thing Malachi 4:5. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: 6. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the earth with a curse. Jesus says this (Elijah) is John the Baptist in: Matthew 11:14. And if ye will receive it, this (John) is Elijah, which was to come. The angle Gabriel says this also: Luke 1:17. And he (John) shall go before him (Jesus) in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. In other words what is labeled in Malachi as the coming of great and dreadful day of the Lord is the future from John the Baptist. This day of the Lord as the Old Testament states it, and the coming of the Lord as the New Testament states it, describe the same things. What you see in the next few scriptures is that there are days of the Lord that have already come to pass.
Isaiah 13:1. The burden of Babylon, which Isaiah the son of Amoz saw......6. Wail ; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty......9. Behold, the day of the Lord comes, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners out of it.......17. Behold, I will stir up the Medes against them, which shall not regard silver; and as for gold, they shall not delight in it. 18. Their bows also shall dash the young men to pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children. 19. And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees' excellence, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. This prophecy has a date attached to it. To them it was the future, they did not know the date it would happen. To us it is history, therefore in hindsight we can attach a date to it. The Medo-Persian Empire conquered Babylon. This was recorded in the book of Daniel. Next are days of the Lord directed at other nations. Ezekiel 30: 1. The word of the Lord came again to me, saying, 2. Son of man, prophesy and say, Thus says the Lord God; Wail, Alas the day! 3. For the day is near, even the day of the Lord is near, a cloudy day; it shall be the time of the heathen. 4. And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down. 5. Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword....10. Thus says the Lord God; I will also make the multitude of Egypt to cease by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. 11. He and his people with him, the terrible of the nations, shall be brought to destroy the land: and they shall draw their swords against Egypt, and fill the land with the slain. The prophesy by Ezekiel was repeated many times in Ezekiel and in Jeremiah. Part of its fulfillment was recorded in Jeremiahs word below. Later Nebuchadnezzar conquered Egypt. Jeremiah 46:1. The word of the Lord which came to Jeremiah the prophet against the Gentiles; 2. Against Egypt, against the army of Pharaoh Necho king of Egypt, which was by the river Euphrates in Carchemish, which Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon struck in the fourth year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah......10. For this is the day of the Lord God of hosts, a day of vengeance, that he may avenge himself of his adversaries: and the sword shall devour, and it shall be satiate and made drunk with their blood: for the Lord God of hosts has a sacrifice in the north country by the river Euphrates......25. The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, says; Behold, I will punish the multitude of No, and Pharaoh, and Egypt, with their gods, and their kings; even Pharaoh, and all them that trust in him: 26. And I will deliver them into the hand of those that seek their lives, and into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into the hand of his servants: and afterward it shall be inhabited, as in the days of old, saith the Lord.
There are a number of other examples in the Old Testament where the day of the Lord against certain nations were fulfilled already. While we have these examples in this Old Testament history about the coming of the Lord. Amos actually teaches us exactly what the what the day (or the coming) of the Lord is. Amos 5:18. Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. 19. As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. 20. Shall not the day of the Lord be darkness, and not light? even very dark, and no brightness. Primarily, the coming of the Lord is a day of judgment. Salvation can, and many times does accompany it. How salvation accompanies it needs to studied. To do this what needs to be pointed out is the admonition God communicates through Amos: 5:18. Woe to you that desire the day of the Lord! to what end is it for you? the day of the Lord is darkness, and not light. We are admonished to not desire the coming of the Lord. It should be evident why to the true believer. Here is another example though, to point this out. Genesis 18:1. And Jehovah appeared to him (Abraham) in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;..... 17. And Jehovah said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;...... 20. And Jehovah said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous; 21. I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come to me; and if not, I will know. If you do not know this story well, please follow this hyperlink to read it. Jehovah the Word, the omnipresent God of the universe. Literally appears to Abraham and says to him He is going to Sodom and Gomorrah to see for himself if what he has heard is true. The question should be. "Why does the omnipresent one have to come down from heaven and see something he can already see." The answer to that is because the Lord comes in the day of judgment. This is his way, he literally comes down from heaven. It is called the day of the Lord, and it was the day of judgment for those cities. Later on in the story it says: Genesis 19: 24 And Jehovah (The Word) rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah, sulfur and fire from Jehovah (The Father) out of the heavens. The need here though is to look for the salvation in the story. To show those who seek salvation to not desire the day of the Lord; (except under extreme circumstances.) Lot and his two daughters were the only ones saved. Lots wife, all his in-laws, any friends he had, any business associates. They all perished in the judgment. The Bible says of Lot in 2 Peter 2:7. And (God) delivered Lot,( who was an equitable person,) but worn out with the filthy conduct of the wicked: 8. (For that righteous man dwelling among them, by seeing and hearing, tortured his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;) 9. The Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust for the day of judgment to be punished: What the author is trying to point out is that this was no picnic for Lot. It was such a horrible tragedy for him and everyone he was related to that it drove his daughters to do almost unspeakable things. This is what was meant by saying the issue of salvation in the day of the Lord needs to be studied. Almost every time in the scripture, (and there are dozens of times.) That the Lord came. The salvation that was wrought for the righteous was like Lots salvation. More often than not they escaped with only their lives. Everything they ever knew or had was gone forever. God even said to Jeremiah, about the day of the Lord for Jerusalem that Nebuchadnezzar had conquered, and would completely destroy 11 years later. Jeremiah 14:20. Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, says the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness.
In the New Testament there are many (separate and specific) comings (or days) of the Lord that are prophesied and taught about. Four of these are major as far as it relates to history in general. The one prophesied and taught about the most is the end of the first convent age and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70A.D. After this the destruction of Roman empire in 476 A.D. Then the day of judgment that ushers in the great gospel age: Which was the destruction of Eastern and Western Roman Empires that were the image of the Roman Empire. The last vestiges of these were militarily defeated in 1453 A.D. (Eastern) and 1806 A.D. (Western.) Then there are some prophesies such as in the letters to the churches previously mentioned. Some of those prophecies to the churches may have been associated with a one of the major prophecies. Aside from these specific days of judgment, specific in the sense that they are aimed at certain nations at certain times. There is a large body of scriptural teachings that are not prophetic, but that teach there will be a day of the Lord where he will come to judge our individual lives, our nations and our churches. The coming of the Lord as taught in this sense is just a fact of our individual lives that we have faced, or will face in our lifetimes, and the lifetimes of our nations or churches. This is, or one of the results of this is articulated by Jesus when he states: Luke 12:.2. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known.3. Therefore what ever you have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which you have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. A final day of the Lord, which is the one mentioned the least is the end of the World and it is inferred rather than prophesied about. Scripture about all this will be addressed in the order of this paragraph.
The Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is known as: " the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord" in Malachi 4:5. Or in Jeremiah 30:7 (New International Version) How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it. Also in Daniel chapter 9 verses 25-27.-- American Standard. 25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. 26. And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that makes desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate. Then in Daniel 12:1..... and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Peter quoting Joel 2:28-32 in Acts 2 declares Joel's prophesy to speak of the great outpouring of the Holy Spirit that they were experiencing to be followed shortly by this particular great day of judgment. Acts2:16. But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17. And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18. And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19. And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapor of smoke: 20. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. There are many more prophesies in the Old Testament that refer to this day and naturally the bulk of Jesus' prophecies spoke of this day. The article in Wordservice.org about Matthew 24, Mark 13 and Luke 21 is intended as a companion article with this one. It goes into great detail about the prophecies about the end of the First Covenant Age where Luke said in Chapter 21: 20. And when you shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation of it is near. 21. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter into it. 22. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. 23. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that are nursing in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.......27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh. 29. And he spoke to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; 30. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own selves that summer is now nigh at hand. 31. So likewise you, when you see these things come to pass, know that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32. truly I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. The salvation spoken of in Daniel 12:1 and Jeremiah 30:7 and Joel 2:32 and Luke 21:28 was of the type that Lot was saved with. The followers of the Messiah, those who survived the terrible persecutions did not perish in that greatest of days of judgment. They were able to flee to a places prepared for them, but took nothing with them. This was why the church seemed rather communal in the book of acts. Those who had lands and houses sold them and distribution was made. Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies told them what was coming in that generation. They were preparing for it, even if they did not totally understand why the Holy Spirit was leading them in the way he was. The first scripture mentioned in this article; John 21:18 where Peter was told by Jesus that John would remain alive until He (Jesus) came was a prophecy about the end of the first covenant age and the Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. It is not the least bit confusing if one can see what this article is implying. He certainly remained until Jesus "came. " So the prophecy was fulfilled just as Jesus said. John was the only one of the twelve Apostles left alive to witness the war; the only one to see Daniel 9:25-27: .......and the people of the prince (the Romans) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary (Jerusalem); and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined......and even unto the full end (of the first covenant age) , and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate (Jerusalem and her people). This was a time that will never be repeated again in history, nor will there be anything to ever compare with it. Jesus sorrowed over them saying in Matthew 21:43.....The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits of it. Then in Matthew 23:35. That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you slew between the temple and the altar. 36. Truly I say to you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that murder the prophets, and stone them which are sent to you, how often would I have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not! 38. Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Here are a few more off subject references to that particular great day of judgment. Off subject because while they reference that day only by implication, but author is trying to point out the chronological nature of these prophecies.. In Mark 14:61 ...Again the high priest asked him, Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? 62. And Jesus said, I am: and you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Or Matthew16: 27. For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.28. Truly I say to you, There are some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Matthew16: 28. Truly I say to you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom. Mark: 9: 1. And he said unto them, Truly I say to you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power. Luke 9: 26. For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.27. But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God. What needs to be noted in these verses is that he says some of those standing there, whom he is talking too. Will remain alive and see his coming, with great power in the clouds of heaven with his angels. Very confusing indeed if one has accepted a teaching (before studying the subject themselves;) that says there is one coming or second advent of the Lord that has not happened yet . That all references to the coming of the Lord refer to that second coming and to nothing else. Yet Christ told those people that many of them would live to see that day. The illustrative language of prophecy can be daunting if one is not schooled in it. To "see" the son of man coming, does not necessarily refer to seeing him visibly "riding on a rain cloud" so to speak. It means to see that day. In other words to see that day happen just as it was prophesied is to "see the son of man coming." If you cannot accept that the language about "seeing" is illustrative. Then you are stuck back in the original dilemma. That this did not come to pass as Christ said it would, in the lifetimes of those he was speaking to. It makes the prophecy false. Yet if it can be seen for what it is, it is truly an amazing thing. That Jesus knew and prophesied his coming for judgment at the end of that age, which would happen in the first century. The end of the First Covenant Age and the transition into the fullness of Second covenant Age is a huge subject. It has a large volume of Old and New Testament scripture dedicated to it. Actually it encompasses the whole Bible and is a main theme of the Wordservice.org website. What will be addressed here is the coming of the Lord or the various days of judgment in the book of Revelation. Previously in this article it was written that the coming of the Lord should not be desired except under extreme circumstances. The book of Daniel , Revelation and some others prophesy and teach about a circumstance that fits the description of extreme. This would be the repression of Gods saints by four Empires. They are named in Daniel as Babylonian, Medo\Persian, Greek and Roman. Daniel has four separate visions of these Empires. In each vision more details are revealed about them. In two of these visions it states that during the fourth Empire (Rome) the Kingdom of God would come and: Daniel 2:44 And in the days of these kings (the ten toes of the fourth empire) shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever. In Daniel 7 (during the ten horns of the Roman Empire:)18 But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever...... 22. Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.........27. And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. There are over one hundred chapters of the Bible that speak of a "great gospel age" that occurs after the fall of the Roman Empire. This age is clarified in Daniel using these words: The kingdom shall not be left to other people; judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom; and the kingdom is given to the people of the saints of the most High. Or as John the Baptist's Father prophesied: Luke 1:71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73. The oath which he swore to our father Abraham, 74. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, 75. In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. These scriptures typify the prophecies found in the many chapters of the gospel age that we are living out now. This was the great desire and hope of the saints living under the horrible repression of the 4th empire of a time period that the Gentiles ruled over Gods people. To give you an idea of what it was like to be a believer under Rome. First it must be understood that Christianity was illegal. To become a follower of Christ put you on the wrong side of the law which was punishable by the death penalty. The law was selectively enforced over those 3 1/2 centuries according to the disposition of the emperor or local officials. If the governor of your district had a wife who was a believer for instance. there would probably be no repression in your homeland. However if the governor had some interests that Christianity interfered with, such as his homosexuality. There could be purges with tens of thousands put to death by torture. The last two emperors before Constantine tried to exterminate Christianity from the face of the earth. Some estimates during the reign of those two are as high as ten million believers executed. This was the first empire wide purge. Now considering the promises and prophecies of God as noted of an age of justice and freedom. How could the coming of the Lord to judge Rome and free his people not be looked for and desired; in a time when your life was forfeit for doing what was right by getting right with God. The book of Revelation contains prophecies of a day when the Lord comes to judge six of the seven churches that were in Asia. Also prophesies of the great day of judgment against Jerusalem and it's people in 70 A.D. Then there are the prophecies of the Lord coming to the destroy the Roman empire. These are slightly intermixed, not particularly chronological, and were shown to John in highly illustrative picture form. Another way it could be stated is the prophecies overlap one another, and use symbolic wording to describe literal things that are coming. The first prophecy clearly mentioning the Roman Empire is found in chapter 13:1. And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. 2. And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority. The reason one can rest assured this is speaking about Rome is that it is the same as one of the four visions Daniel saw. The various animals represented Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome, as named beforehand by the angel in Daniel 2,7-8, 11-12. The lion was Babylon, the bear Medo-Persia, the leopard Greece and the ten horned beast was Rome. Then following these verses in chapter 13 a further illumination concerning Rome emerges. This exactly follows the method of Gods revelation to Daniel, as time went on God gave him different visions that added more detail to the first one. In chapter 13: 11. And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon. 12. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.13. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,14. And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. Rome split into two empires eastern and western as the two horns of the lamb signify. This was not pointed out in any of Daniel's prophecies, but indeed it was exactly what happened. As a note on Bible Prophecy; Daniels prophecies were almost hyper specific. They all stated that there were going to be four gentile empires that would rule over Gods people. Four and only four, and then the Gospel would begin to bear the fruit of freedom and justice as a result of changed hearts through the power and the knowledge of God. There were not going to be five, six or seven empires, only four. Any future prophecies in the scripture that would say different than those would falsify either Daniels, or the new prophecies or all of them. They do not specify that all of the good news prophecies would be fulfilled immediately after Rome finally fell, it just specifies a beginning or a gospel age as clarified in many chapters of Isaiah, Psalms, Genesis, ect. ect. This is why one can be certain the beast with two horns speaks of the Eastern and Western Roman empire that lasted well into the second millennia A.D. The Roman Empire voluntarily divided into two Empires with two Emperors before the Germans conquered Rome. There never ceased to be an Emperor on the throne of the Eastern Empire until the Ottoman Turks conquered it a millennia later. These two branches of the original empire were horrid persecutors of believers in the ten centuries they existed. They ruthlessly exterminated millions of believers whenever the Gospel of Christ broke through the darkness in great revivals throughout the empire, affecting whole people groups. They used the name of Christianity to justify this, setting up state authorized churches that were instruments of the empire. These state authorized churches "preached empire" demanding total submission to it. This is what the scripture meant that said: Revelation 13:11 And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, (a lamb indicating an outward ritualistic dressing with Christian names as symbols of the state), and he spoke as a dragon (preached empire, taught that Gods kingdom was the Roman Empire, the very entity oppressing Gods saints). 12. And he exercises all the power of the first beast before him, and causes the earth and them which dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed (The first beast is the beast at the beginning of the chapter as expressed by the Roman portion of it.) 13. And he does great wonders, so that he makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, 14. And deceives them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live. This "image" of the beast was the Roman Empire that emerged after the Germans conquered (wounded by the sword) the western leg of the empire in 476 A.D. This new branch of the western empire resurrected in it's place and was called the "Holy" Roman Empire. Beginning at chapter thirteen on through chapter 19 Johns revelation deals specifically with Rome and the coming of the Lord to take vengeance upon it for its suppression of the gospel and murder of the saints. God showed the Apostle John exactly where he was chronologically in the scheme of things in Chapter 17: 3. So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns. 4. And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet color, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her sexual immorality: 5. And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon the Great, The mother of harlots and abominations of the earth. 6. And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7. And the angel said to me, Wherefore did you marvel? I will tell you the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carries her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns........9. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sits. 10. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he comes, he must continue a short space. 11. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goes into perdition. 12. And the ten horns which you saw are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. Here we have the same seven heads and ten horns of the Roman Empire spoken of in Daniel's and John's (chapter 13) revelations. It is called Babylon here because it was Babylon that was the first of the four empires. Babylon was the head of the statue in Daniel chapter 2 that completely destroyed Jerusalem. Then 666 years later in 70AD Rome did the same. Historians do not agree on any specific number of years between the first and the second destruction of Jerusalem. All of their dates are right around 666 years. The Word of God however can be relied upon as to the exact number of years 666. Rome sits on seven mountains as does Constantinople built as a model of Rome and the capitol of the eastern empire. The angel told John in verse 10 that the seven heads represent the first seven emperors of Rome. Jesus was born during the reign of the first Emperor Augustus. Augustus is counted as the first emperor because he annexed the last vestiges of the Greek empire that proceeded Rome. The Emperor that is, is the sixth, is Nero, so John now knows where he is chronologically. The war in Judea that resulted in Jerusalem's complete destruction in 70AD started under Nero. Nero eventually sent Vespian a general to conquer the region. Nero died and that year three generals sought the emperorship, but Vespian came to Rome and assumed the emperorship. His son Titus continued the campaign, and was the one to destroy Jerusalem. Then Titus became emperor. This is why Titus "is of the seven" because he is Vespian's son. He is the eighth emperor which is why he is called the eighth. He is the beast itself not because he is the "antichrist" or anything but because he leads the army of this four empire "beast" that destroys Jerusalem just as the first emperor of the first empire Nebuchadnezzar did. So God showed John the apostle who no doubt felt the oppression by the hand of Rome where he was in history. Surly he was crying out for deliverance for Gods people based on the promises of God in the scripture regarding a glorious age of freedom and justice. Then God in his mercy and wisdom showed him this great vision. Pointing out that Nero was the sixth head of the seven headed beast, the 4th empire in Daniel. The ten horns were out somewhere beyond the fist seven emperors. Johns cry for deliverance would not be fulfilled any time in the near future. The eastern branch of the empire
was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1453 AD. The 30 years war
was the beginning of final breakup of the western empire. Napoleon finished
off the last vestiges of it. The casualties, famines and plagues that
accompanied the destruction of this empire certainly numbered in the
tens of millions. This is not counting the judgments prophesied against
them in the centuries proceeding their final demise, nor when the
Germans conquered Rome in 476 AD. All of the judgments from
Revelation 13-19 lead up to and are against this "Babylon" of
scripture, this "time of the Gentiles," in which the Roman
Empire is the last of the four empires to rule over all of Gods people. Because of the general confusion in the last century about the topic of Bible prophecy. Some time will be taken in the next few paragraphs regarding it, so that the subject of the article can be seen in a clearer light. In 2 Peter 1:20 it teaches that: First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, (Revised Standard.) Meaning that mankind does not have the intellectual capacity to understand Bible prophecy. God for the most part will not give people any understanding of Bible prophecy unless he gives it to them by using other scriptures in the Bible. This is why the Word of God also says in Ephesians 2:20 That we are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.. The vast majority of Bible prophecy is already interpreted by other scriptures in the Bible. There was never a need for all of the current speculation as to the meaning of the prophecies. The verse in Ephesians clarifies that if a person's understanding does not rest on all the scriptures. The OT, the Gospels and the Apostolic writings, they will not have a firm foundation under them. As it relates to Bible prophecy, this means you cannot understand it because the meaning is revealed in other parts of the Bible. As an example, Johns Revelation cannot possibly be understood properly without the prophets of the Old Testament and the Gospels. The New Jerusalem is a perfect example of this. The New Jerusalem if read from the book of Revelation alone would be difficult to look upon as anything other than a literal heavenly city. However the verses in Revelation about the New Jerusalem come from other parts of the Bible. In fact there are a few dozen chapters worth of verses that with great clarity explain that the New Jerusalem is in fact a symbolic reference to Gods people in the second covenant age. The chronological timing of it's "appearance" on the earth in Johns' Revelation is immediately following the destruction of the eastern and western branches of the Roman Empire. You can read a partially completed article about all this in Wordservice.org by following this hyperlink. Briefly though, if all the scriptures in the Bible concerning the New Jerusalem are taken into account. It can be easily inferred that it is exactly what we have been living out the last four centuries. The freedoms, the liberties that a good portion of the world hold so dear never existed in the world as we have known it for centuries now. This was a direct result of the Word of God getting into the hands of common men in Europe, the printing press being the invention that propelled this. Previous to this the Bible which by law was banned from even being read in the language of the common European was now appearing everywhere. The empire had been able to deal with this situation before, even going to the extremes of genocide. Now though they could not contain it. Inquisition was tried once more but it resulted in the Thirty Years War and the breakup of the Empire. The Word of God was loosed to bear it's fruit. Mankind that had always yearned for liberty now found the power to win and retain it through the Gospels power to control their own desire and change their own hearts. Since then, the nations most influenced by the Word of God have been the nations that are dominate in the earth. They are the example to the world, they have brought a justice into the earth that had never before been realized. They are the example that other nations hold up to win and retain their own freedom. It has been an amazing feat, and if it can be received it is what Isaiah saw when he cried "the whole world is filled with the glory of God." People have a tendency to look at Bible prophecy as an event, then all they have too do is wait. They have not realized it is a process that requires their participation. They were not looking for a time when evil is in the midst of something God is at work at. As Psalm 110:2 says.....you will rule in the midst of your enemies. Nor can they wrap their minds around the ups and downs, the losing and gaining of ground in this great conflict of the ages. They are always expecting an event to take place that will render the earth one way or the other, totally under the power of good or evil. This is not nor has it ever been the way of God, his wisdom and benevolence dictating his actions. He is looking for something that is voluntary in mankind. His Word and the Gospel properly understood and preformed is the thing that will bring the results he desires and wills. As further note or warning about the subject of Bible prophecy. There are hundred of books and literally thousands of teachings that are devoted to the subject. For the most part they have in common a basis of interpretation that involves pure speculation with a claim of guidance through the Holy Spirit. How often it should be said and trumpeted through out the land that if indeed it is the Holy Spirits guidance. He will guide you to the other scriptures in the Bible that have already interpreted the prophecy in question. God is faithful. good and just. If there is a mystery that he holds in his hand the power of revealing. He will reveal it through his Word. If for instance the beast of John's revelation is already named in Daniel, then the debate was already settled before the debate ever happened. Their is another issue that has to be addressed if one is to ever really understand the prophetic teachings of the Bible. This has to do with Jesus' own apostles and their writings on the subject of specific prophecies about the coming of the Lord. This as opposed to their non-prophetic teachings on the subject. They did not as a matter of fact understand the times and the seasons of those specific prophecies. Jesus told them in Acts 1:6. When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7. And he said to them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Jesus could not be more plain than that. They would see visions and hear words from God about future events and yet in their teachings to the churches they would not be able to place those events in their proper time or season. This shows up in their letters to the churches. They seem to have no real discernment that distinguishes one future day of judgment from another. They seemed to think that some of these specific prophecies spoke about the end of the world coming upon them soon, when in fact it was the end of the first covenant age was upon them. Who could blame them in this? Jesus said these things were not knowable to them and they did not have history (hindsight) to look back on and say "now we see the obvious." Just how confusing is this to those who read their Bibles now? Obviously very. It is one of those mysterious things in the scripture that always brings us back to our dependency on the Holy Spirit and the council of all the scripture rather than just a few selected verses that seem to fit our idea's. Does that make the Bible false in certain area's? Certainly not! We can look back and see that those days of judgment happened just as they said. Yet we can understand they were mixing up the various words and visions they had as far as the dates were concerned. Furthermore, if one understands the subject. The coming of the Lord is always applicable as a teaching regarding our futures. Not at all in the sense of the end of the world, but in the sense of described in this article. That we should always be ready for him to show up in our lives or our church and even our nation. That when he comes we may escape the condemnation he might be bringing and find reward for our stand and suffering for his sake. Do you believe that reward and punishment is only for the next life dear brothers and sisters?
The next part of this article will cover what is possibly the most important aspect of the coming of the Lord. Perhaps it could be stated better by saying it may be the most overlooked facet. This would be the coming of the Lord, or the day of the Lord in an individuals life, or his church and even his nation. The seven churches already listed in the beginning of the article demonstrate this. The Apostle Paul teaches about this in 1st Corinthians 4:1. Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and trustee's of the mysteries of God. 2. Moreover it is required in trustee's, that a man be found faithful. 3. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you, or of man's judgment: yes, I judge do not even judge my self. 4. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judges me is the Lord. 5. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. Paul is using this language to describe how we as Christians are to judge individuals behavior. That since we do not really have the ability, discernment and insight to accurately judge the heart. We have to give the Lord space to do this for us, so that we can walk before him blameless. He calls this time when the Lord exposes the heart for all to see "when the Lord comes." He further illuminates his practice of waiting for the Lord to come because of the difficulties in judging the heart in 1st Timothy 5: -- Revised Standard-- 24:The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later. 25 So also good deeds are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden. He is teaching that some peoples sins demonstrate clearly where their heart is really at. An example of this might be someone who is having sex outside of marriage. This is one of those "big" sins that declare plainly where the heart is really at. Or perhaps a brother or sister is doing this in secret or having an "affair" and others can sense something is amiss, but they reserve judgment on the matter until the "day" that the Lord reveals this hidden sin to all. Others may be doing things that are sinful to mature Christians yet they must give the Lord space for him to mature these believers or to expose them as hypocrites. It would work the same with good deeds. Some types of good deeds are obviously wrought in Christ, while others deeds wrought in Christ may be looked upon with suspicion, until the Lord comes to bring those deeds to light. This is not intended to cover the whole subject of this practice of waiting for the Lord for judgment. Just to point out the language used to describe it. "The Lord coming." Luke 21 is Luke's' version of Matthew
24 of which as already stated there is an entire article dedicated to
that prophecy about the coming of the Lord that ends the 1st
Covenant age. In three accounts of this prophecy Jesus starts to
tell them things that will happen to them before the Temple and the city
are destroyed. Near the end in all the accounts it seems that Christ
becomes very animated by the Sprit of prophecy through which he begins
to use highly illustrative prophetic\poetic language. Then, as he begins
to move back out of that prophetic spirit, near the end of his discourse in all
three accounts he emphatically states: "Truly I say to you, this
generation shall not pass away before all these things come to pass." From
there he begins to transition out of the prophetic and into teaching. Referencing
in this teaching not only that specific great and terrible day of the
Lord, but also a general teaching about the coming of the Lord that will
affect all future nations and generations of mankind. Luke 21:27. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud
with power and great glory. 28. And when these things begin to come to
pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draws nigh. 29. And he
spoke to them a parable; Behold the fig tree, and all
the trees; 30. When they now shoot forth, ye see and know of your own
selves that summer is now close at hand. 31. So likewise you, when you see
these things come to pass, you will know that the kingdom of God is
close at
hand. 32. Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass away,
till all be fulfilled. 33. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my
words shall not pass away. 34. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any
time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35. For as a
snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole
earth. 36. Watch therefore, and pray always, that you may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand
before the Son of man. Verses 34- 36 are the verses that reference
the coming of the Lord as a general teaching, even though he has been
giving a specific prophecy. Mark's account does a similar thing
where he winds down the specific prophecy for that generation to a final
teaching statement that says: 37. And what I say to you I say
to all, Watch. Matthews record spends allot more
time educating about different aspects of the coming of the Lord outside
of Christ's specific prophecy to Jerusalem and it's people, (although it
applied to that generation also.) 34.
Truly I say to you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.......42. Watch therefore: for
you know not
what hour your Lord does come. 43. But know this, that if the good man of
the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have
watched, and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. 44.
Therefore be also ready: for in such an hour as you think not the Son
of man comes. 45. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his
lord has made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due
season? 46. Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall
find so doing. 47. Truly I say to you, That he shall make him ruler
over all his goods. 48. But and if that evil servant shall say in his
heart, My lord delays his coming; 49. And shall begin to abuse his
fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; 50. The lord of
that servant shall come in a day when he looks not for him, and in an
hour that he is not aware of, 51. And shall cut him down, and appoint
him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing
of teeth. I would like to remind the reader once more about the impossibility the apostles had in accurately placing dates or seasons on future prophecies. They knew that Jesus stated he will come in their generation. Yet to them this day of judgment sometimes seemed to be interpreted as predicting the end of the world. Regardless, their teachings based upon their understanding however inaccurate time and season wise are still entirely applicable. What was coming to the region might as well had been the end of the world. Even so, if Jesus had never taught that the end of the first covenant age would occur in the first century. Their teachings would have still remained highly applicable to the believers lives and the nations they lived in. Christ would indeed would have come to measure the lives of individual believers, to see if they were remaining faithful to him. Likewise their churches would have been subject to Gods judgment. Certainly the pagan nations they lived in had a future day of judgment ahead of them. This needs to be kept in mind when reading the many passages of scripture declaring the coming of the Lord.. Some of them may seem to be speaking about the end of the world when in reality it is not applicable in that sense at all. If they were they would be false prophecy because they were warning believers of that generation that they would see that day. If they misunderstood those times and seasons, and even the way things would play out in the world with the gospel in the ages that lay ahead of them. We can do the same ourselves. This has become the dilemma that western Christianity is facing today. Taking specific prophecies that were clearly predicting events that lay in our past and putting them in our future. Teaching and believing that the end of the world has come upon us in the 21st century. Then totally missing the applicability of this oft mentioned biblical doctrine of the coming of the Lord in our own day. He comes, certainly he comes, yet most never realize he came. He came as a thief in the night, and the church he came too never knew what happened to them, but sin now reigns supreme in their fellowship. He came to judge a nation or people and Gods people never perceived what role the government of God had in the upheaval. He came to an individual and that person never understood that was his last chance to get it right. Or to another who was then given much more because he was faithful with that which he had. The warning, the clarion call that the Lord is coming soon is applicable to ever person on the face of the earth. He is coming, maybe a year from now, maybe eight. Perhaps fifty years for the nation you live in. Yet the world as we know it may go on for thousands more. In this light, lets look at some more of these passages. 1 John 2:28 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. This verse and the next verse communicate the same idea.-- American Standard--1 Corinthians 1:7 so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ; 8 who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye be unreproveable (blameless) in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. In the King James Bible I Co. 1:7 the word "revelation" is translated "coming." That is a mistranslation. The proper translation is revelation. The Greek word is not used in the New Testament to illustrate the coming of the Lord. Another passage to clearly show it's proper usage is Galatians 1:11. But I make known to you, brothers, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man.12. For I did not receive it through men, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Paul is saying that he got saved, taught and trained through the revelation of Jesus Christ. What he is saying in 1st Corinthians 1:7 is that we are to seek and wait for further divine illumination from God. The reason? Obviously, we need it. Then he attaches the Lords promise of salvation to this saying: God will stabilize you, he will be a father to you, guide you, ect. That, when the day of the Lord does occur. You will be found blameless. Remember a promise of salvation is just as applicable to being saved from that day of trouble as it is of going to heaven. This is so that you do not suffer the same things the world does. There is to be a difference between those who are faithful and those who are not. This is shown in the next verse also. 1st Corinthians 11:26. For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death till he come. 27. Therefore who ever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep. 31. For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. 32. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world. In a strictly evangelical sense the Lords supper is an event to remind participants of their responsibility to walk before the Lord according to the light they have, and to steer away from sin. It is as much also, or is supposed to be anyway, a reminder of what should have been a solemn "vow" to keep oneself pure for the sake of the church. (The body) they are part of. There should be some kind of understanding and commitment up front about this. Not only for the sake of the Lord but for the sake of your brothers and sisters. A little yeast (sin) in a believers life can eventually cause a whole church to be full of sin. In these verses the results of sin are sickness, weakness and death in that church. The author has been privileged to be associated long term with churches where no one died, young or old. He has also been associated with churches where both young and old are dropping like flies. There is to be a difference. The apostle is stating clearly that we should examine ourselves and the effects of our beliefs and practices. That we should be waiting and seeking the revelation of Christ in our lives. That when we "see" him (when he is revealed); we may become like him. (1st John 3:2.) All of this, so that if and when the day of the Lord comes. We should not be condemned with the "world." As stated before this is evidently the process of the seven churches in the book of Revelation fell into. To one extent or another sin had entered into six of the seven churches. Jesus warns them of the possibility of being condemned along with the world. He promises the churches themselves if they overcome the sin that is being listed. They will find various aspects of salvation. In light of the distinct possibility that the church as a whole fails to heed, individuals are promised various aspects of salvation from the judgment that will fall upon that church. The church in Philadelphia however was walking in the light as He is in the light. Jesus warns them specifically not to let any individual rob them of their reward. (By causing them to fall into sin through teaching or example.) He makes them many promises of salvation but the one that so verifies this article is that: "he will keep them from the hour of trial that is about to come on all the "habitable world." As the Wordservice.org article on Matthew 24 demonstrates. The Greek word translated world or earth in all the modern translations is not a proper reflection of this Greek word. It is used under a dozen times in the New Testament verses hundreds of times for the other words translated world or earth. This word is used specifically to describe the Roman Empire in the New Testament. The church in Philadelphia was being promised salvation from the greatest of upheavals that would destroy Judea, but also other days of judgment that were to come upon the Roman Empire in the near future. As a matter of fact the city of Philadelphia was the last city in Asia minor to be conquered by the Ottoman Turks over a millennia later. The church in Philadelphia is an example of the yearning of true ministers of the gospel as expressed in this verse. 1 Thessalonians 2:19 For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? The apostle describes the coming of the Lord to prove the work of men in the Lord in these next verses. 1st Corinthians 3:9. For we are laborers together with God: you are God's flock, you are God's building. 10. According to the grace of God which is given to me, as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and others build upon it. But let every man take heed how he builds on it. 11. For a different foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; 13. Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. 14. If any man's work abide which he hath built upon it, he shall receive a reward. 15. If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire. 16.Don't you know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17. If any man defile the temple of God, that man shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are. Paul's hope, his joy, yes even his reward for his labor and suffering was that the churches he helped found became like the church in Philadelphia. The possibility of the opposite occurring weighed heavily on his mind. He understood that a day would come, whether it would be accompanied by some cataclysmic national upheaval or not. That the Lord would come to judge these churches. He warned those who labor in the field of the Lord to be careful what they were doing. So that when the Lord comes; (the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.) The church (which is the work of the laborers) might stand. 1 Timothy 6:17. Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy;18. That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate;19. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. This verse, although not mentioning the coming of the Lord was certainly indicative of it. There were many apostles and prophets prophesying the things that lay ahead of them. Paul even went so far as to say it is okay to get married and have kids but not wise because of what was going on at the time in 1st Corinthians 7. Hebrews 10:35-39 reveals the hopeful aspect of the coming of the Lord, and the gaining of promise. 39. Cast not away therefore your confidence, which has great recompense of reward. 36. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. 37. For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. 38. Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. 39. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. James 5:7. Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.8. You should also be patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draws nigh. James reiterates the same; what could almost be called a principle. That we all need seek to be ready. Not for the end of the world, but for a day of judgment that we as individuals will surely face while alive on this earth. One can see how out of place this would be indeed if it were referring to the end of the world. Why be patient and wait for that? There has been and may be hundreds of generations more, that this has and will in no way apply to them. After all it would only happen to one generation. The Word of the living God is not so absurd as to give such irrational advice. It (the Word) brings us out of a fantasy world that declares to every generation that the world is about to come to an end, (be ready!) Then brings us into clear, practical and applicable reality that Christ will indeed come to our generation also, just as he has come to every generation in the past. It is not something we will see with our eyes, but hopefully be something we will perceive with our hearts and therefore be ready. In this verse in Luke. Jesus, in
response to an erroneous belief that the the Kingdom (or government) of
God will physically appear on earth some day; states that their
theology\eschatology is in error. The kingdom of God does not come
with observation, physical sight, or physically. He then declares
the way it does come, in the hearts of men. (Changed hearts by their
very nature will bring change to the world, for the better.) It is
amazing that almost all Christians believe exactly the same is the
religious folks of Jesus day. Continually asking, "when is the end
of the world, when will Jesus come down to earth and physically reign.
When will we see the kingdom of God with our eyes." The answer is
the same: It does not come the way you think. Changing hearts is the key
to changing your world, God has no other plan. He will be with a changed
heart to bring change to the world. Revelation 1:3. Blessed is he that reads, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. 4. John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne; 5. And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, 6. And has made us kings and priests to God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. 7. Behold, he comes with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all families of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. 8. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, says the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. This word is generic if looked upon in light of this article. If it were talking about a one time event at the end of the world, again we would be back to the dilemma of false prophecy. It addresses the seven churches in Asia as well as the rest of the world. Like the admonitions to those churches he says he will come to each of them soon. For this to be true those churches have to exist at the time of his coming. Scripture does not throw out logic and reason, it is the epitome of logic and reason. This word simply declares in illustrative prophetic language that all mankind of all generations will face times of judgment. The coming of the Lord as it relates to the end of the world will be addressed in this section. This will be the most difficult section for many to accept because all of their questions about all Bible prophecy cannot be addressed in this article. In the future though, Wordservice.org does plan to address those questions in a Bible prophecy section. Unfortunately though, the subject of the nature of prophecy will need to be addressed further before we can go on. God has many different reasons that he reveals the future in code, (so to speak.) One of these is to keep it hidden. He may in his benevolence find it necessary to hide the future from one generation but reveal it to another. Or to hide it from some people while at the same time revealing it to others. Peters vision in the book of Acts is a perfect example of the nature of prophesy. Imagine if there was no interpretation of this vision offered. Imagine if it were placed somewhere in the book of revelation. The absolutely wild interpretations and speculations would be never ending. Would Peter himself have ever understood it if alls he had was the vision and that was it? As we see though Peter lived this vision out. He already got it by the time he was at Cornelius's house. Was this vision even necessary? Could not the Holy Spirit have just told Peter go with these men doubting nothing, and preach the gospel to them? Do you think he would not have obeyed the word? The Samaritans who were gentiles had already received the Gospel, Peter had already preached to them. This is the point though, Peter had hindsight to interpret this vision with, as do we. Had he not had this experience at Cornelius's house or something similar he would have had no hindsight and probably would not have understood the vision correctly. Regardless, would those who read the Bible understand it? Well... this is the problem faced by the writers of the Bible and those who read their words when it comes to prophecies that lay in their futures they have no hindsight into. Compounding this almost insurmountable problem. They actually have a word from God that says; Acts 1:7...It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. Being redundant: How could believers of the first century understand.....for instance: What the gospel might produce say... in the 21st century. They understood that God would change the world for the better. The Old and New Testament are full of prophecies about this. Because of the judgments prophesied though they seemed to assume that the old world would be destroyed physically, then a new world would be created. How could they understand visions of physical destruction that were actually prophesies about the demise of the practices of the ancient world? When those visions just like Peter's were of physical things that had little relation to their meanings? Peters vision of eating certain animals that Judaism declares impure had no relation visually speaking to certain human beings hearing the gospel. Likewise visions of the physical destruction of the planet had no relation to the practices of the ancient world being forsaken by mankind. Nor does the creation of a new planet in a vision have any relation to the cultures of the world being changed through the Gospel into something more conducive to righteousness. This though is the reality that is faced by the writers of the New Testament and those who read their words. Without hindsight and God given revelation, there can be no understanding of these visions and words that bear no relation physically to their meanings. The first scripture covered will be
Peters letters. This is because Peter uses Greek words that would fit
the physical destruction of the planet, if that is what he was really
shown by God. In the use of the scriptures of this section, inconsistencies
will be pointed out through some logic and reason showing their lack of understanding
of the future and therefore prophecies about the future. This will not
be done in the spirit of the world, to discredit the unalterable, inerrancy
of the scripture. Simply put though, the Word of God from the very
beginning to it's end never tries to hide the sin and ignorance of Gods
saints, or the writers of his word. Sin could hardly be imputed to the
writers of the NT concerning their ignorance of the future. What they
saw and heard and wrote down came from God. The inspiration behind their
words came from the Almighty. And the Almighty has kept in his hands the
proper interpretation of what they saw, heard and wrote for a generation
that was to come. A generation that has some hindsight and a God that
would reveal his coded message when he sees fit. Their imperfect
understanding of all things future is but a tool for God to reveal his
Word, according to his perfect timing and wisdom. Next up are some of the Apostle Paul's
writings and Jude's quote. First a word of caution needs to be
spoken in regards to zealotry about this subject. Some who may see the
realities of what is written here may couple them together with a few
scriptures that state the world will never end. The original language in
those scriptures do not say the world will not end. That is not a Biblical
or even scientific doctrine. However, whether the apostles wrote or saw
end of the world circumstances or not, doesn't have any practical consequences
about the life, faith or duties of the Christian walk. The reasons for
this are thus: It is not reasonable nor Biblical for all generations of believers
to wait for, guide any of their actions or put any of their faith
in a scenario that will happen to only one generation. As an example. If
the Bible taught that every generation were to expect the end of the
world. Why on earth would a believer spend 8-12 years in higher
education? One could think of a thousand different circumstances in
which it would not be logical to do certain things that advance a
purpose for the future if there is in fact no future. Things like
"making disciples of all nations, Matthew 28:19-20" are
centuries even millennia long goals. The effects of believing that
they are living in the last days of the earth has robbed the last two
and one half generations of Christians of their vision. The nations of
the world have suffered much more than they would have because of this.
Rationally, if one wants to have a Biblical outlook on the future. One
has to be attentive to the probability of thousands of years that
lay ahead of mankind. In a practical sense Christians need to behave and
believe as if the world is never going to end. There are in fact ages to
come, and in spite of all the vision that comes straight from the pit of
hell, portrayed so well by Hollywood. The future that lays ahead is not apocalyptic.
It will not be a godless world. To insure this, Christians need to have
a Biblical vision and faith. In this last section I would like to close with commentary about some different aspects of the subject not addressed yet. First of all is how this subject confirms when the New Testament was written. The authors of the New Testament along with the apostles (except John) were all dead by the time the prophesied war started in Judea and ended in 70A.D. John is the only writer to not address the prophesies of the end of the age. If the writers of these letters and gospels had lived to see the war would this not be reflected in their understanding of the prophesies they wrote down? If so many (very foolish and vain) "scholars" insist that the N.T. was written after 70AD. Doesn't common sense dictate that what was written "after the fact" show some accuracy in understanding? This was the most catastrophic event in the history of Israel. Shouldn't the Israelis who wrote all these things even mention it is passing? No! Instead we see exactly what you would expect to see written by men decades before the event. Almost a total misunderstanding of Christ's and the O.T. prophesies. We see men as men with all their frailty and ignorance un-able to peer into the eternal. We do not see is any hindsight at all about what they were saying was going to come to pass in the lifetimes of those they were ministering too. This in the simplest of fashion is one of the many proofs that the New Testament was written in the decades prior to the "greatest tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." Next, some remarks as to where in the scripture the idea of a "second" (and final) coming of the Lord comes from. It should seem strange to everyone that goes through all these verses about the coming of the Lord to not find the word "second" in front of any of them. Especially in the light of what the majority of Christian leaders say is an "essential doctrine" of the Christian faith. What they mean by that is if one does not believe in a second (and final) coming of Christ they are not a genuine believer, they have no promise of eternal life from the Lord. One would think (and correctly so) if that were true the word "second" would be in front of "coming of the Lord" all over the Bible. As it is the word second appears only one time in the New Testament in front of something that can be construed as the coming of the Lord. Hebrews 9:28. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and to them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin to salvation. The problem with this is that the word appear is not the word coming. Again one might assume that since the doctrine of a second (and final) coming of the Lord is "essential" to the Christian faith. The word second would at least in this one scripture be used with the Greek word for coming that is used in the rest of the scriptures listed. Actually it is a little more convoluted than that when one looks at the sentence structure in the Greek and at the words use in another verse. Hebrews 9:28 So Christ once having been offered to carry many sins, a second time without sin will be seen by those expecting him for salvation. This word "appear or seen" is used and translated in 1st John 3:2 as see. Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it is not manifested what we shall be: but we know that, when he is manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. It seems obvious that the writers are addressing a perception of Christ as he is now. As opposed to our perception of him when he walked this earth as a man. Or to put it more accurately our imperfect perception of him now verses a more perfect perception when we see him as he is. The chapters in Hebrews that contain this verse are making comparisons of the First Covenant verses the Second. Of earthly things that came first verses heavenly things that came second. It has nothing to do with prophecy or the end of the world. To then transpose this word "second" on to all the prophecies and teachings about the coming of the Lord is...well, a "stretch" to say the least. In fairness though, with all the pressure to conform. It is easy to see how a verse like Acts 1: 11 could be taken (out of the context of all the scripture on the subject,) to mean a single one time event in the future or a second advent. Acts 1:11. Which also said, You men of Galilee, why are you standing gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you have seen him go into heaven. This is why the Bible tells us to study and seek God though. Our knowledge of spiritual things does not come through casual readings and teachings. Finally a few observations about
how this plays out with manifestations or as some call them
"gifts" of the Spirit. There was a great movement or revival
centered in North America yet world wide in the
1970's-1980's. Tens of millions came to Christ through it, there were
great miracles, signs and wonders. As with real spiritual awakening or
revival excesses, false teachings and sin accompanied it. At it's
end many of the leading figures publicly and on national TV began to
prophesy that Jesus would return at a specific date. These dates though
independently spoken were all within month or two of each other.
When the time came, the whole movement came to a sudden stop. Ministers
that were involved in sin were exposed on national television. Some
others were charged with fraud. The money that funded the whole
movement whether the ministries were faithful or not dropped to a trickle.
This was the time that the term "televangelist" began to be
used in disrepute by the public. These prophecies about the coming of
the Lord were not known to the general public, only in the Christian
community. They in and of themselves had nothing to do with any
scandal. Those who had opposed the whole movement though seized upon
them to declare "false prophets" to further discredit the
revival. Those who prophesied these dates never mentioned them
again and just continued on with their ministries. Hopefully those who
have read this article through can see what happened already before it
is explained. The prophesies were not false but entirely accurate.
It happened just as they said. Unfortunately, even exasperatingly, neither
those who prophesied, those who believed them nor their detractors had
the slightest clue as to what the Holy Spirit of God meant when he
inspired those words and dates. I have never heard anyone since
then retrospectively analyze the episode in any way to give any glory to
God. There were books written by detractors that included the episode
since. Yet they were only written in such a way as to try to divide and
conquer. These prided themselves on their supposed knowledge of the
scripture yet their ignorance has caused much more sin than what Christ
came to judge. One would think these paragons of virtue and knowledge
would know enough to be able to gloat at Christ's coming and judgment.
Since they were the ones screaming about the excesses and false
teachings in the first place. Apparently they had nothing intelligent to
add to the story. All with one accord, because of their misunderstanding
of scripture, have erred significantly in their Christian walk. What if
those who prophesied these things understood the subject? What if on
national TV they began to instruct about what was to shortly take place?
What if it actually caused a little repentance? Maybe today
the word televangelist might not be a four letter word. What if
the detractors understood the subject? Wouldn't they be deemed hero's
for pointing out that Jesus was coming to judge the movement (as even
their own prophets are saying?) Could there not have been some
reconciliation between disparate groups of Christians over the whole
episode? Basically though what ended up happening, was real prophecy
through mans ignorance was turned into false prophecy. What God intends
though the manifestation of his Spirit to be helpful, for guidance and
for salvation was useless. Instead it was used to bring disrepute and
division. Even though the prophecies came to pass with a vengeance. The war between the states is an example of the coming of the Lord in the great gospel age. The abominable practices of the ancient world were being replaced by the principles found in Gods Word. The dangerous fallacy of kings, empowers and dictators and lords and the practical consequences of these practices, human slavery were being swept away by the tide of history. Americans and Europeans that had known nothing but slavery had finally won their freedoms. Yet some of them desired slavery to continue, just as long as it was not them that were the slaves. The God ordained republican form of government that the nation was founded on was in mortal danger of collapse. Some of the founders of the nation had prophesied the war that would come as a result of compromise about slavery. It came, and it came just as if the the Bibles words were re written just for it. "In the last days men will be......." The Battle Hymn of the Republic not only shows the spirit of that day. It also shows that generations understanding of this subject as opposed to this present generations. May the generations to come understand what the coming of the Lord is and therefore be able to heed.
(Chorus)
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© 2009 Daniel Martinovich |
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