Apostles' Teachings on Jesus' Return

All the apostles who wrote inspired canon spoke in terms of Jesus coming back – in terms of believing that He was coming back soon. Many scholars today suggest that they were wrong. They were not wrong. He returned in that day when they expected. The question is what are believer gonna do with this information now?

CHRISTIANARCHYTODAY Show 8 – He Already Came Back – Part III December 19th, 2017 “If you think you understand Christianity you are probably wrong.” STEVE

Apostles' Words on Jesus' Return

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Okay, last weeks show was titled, “I trust the word of the Apostles and we got through the words that John the beloved wrote about the end of the ageThe close of the old covenant era, fulfilled in 70 A.D.—not the end of the world. and when Jesus was coming back. Let’s continue on and see what Peter had to say, and then Paul.

We’ll begin with a passage that is a little vague but from it we discover an interesting support for the fact that Jesus has already returned. In 1st Peter 5:4 he says:

“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.”

From this passage I think that we can see that Peter believed that many of the people reading his words would be alive when “the chief Shepherd would appear.” The Bible often speaks of believers receiving glory at Christ’s return and here, at his appearing, Peter tells those who were reading his words that they would receive a crown of glory at His appearing. What didn’t he say? He didn’t say they would be resurrected (which is often tied to Jesus return). Therefore, not speaking of their resurrection infers that they would be alive, and therefore his coming was eminent.

Instances of Imminent Return

Peter actually opens this chapter up by saying the following:

“The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.”

That the Greek word translated, “shall be revealed” is “mello,” and means “is about to be revealed.” This is another word that could not be used (unless Peter and God were wrong) if it was to be applied to our day and age. It means “about to,” and not cannot happen 2000 years later. With judgment being tied to Jesus return, Peter also wrote, speaking of Christ

1st Peter 4:5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.

Peter knew from the signs around him that the Lord was “ready” to judge. Which is why he used this term. Then of course 1st Peter 4:7 says:

“But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”

Obviously, the end of “all things” does not relate to the natural, material world as the frenetic futurists froth on about. The end of all things relative to the Nation of Israel was seen through the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. Remember now, Peter didn’t always teach that the “end of all things was at hand.”

The Concept of Restoration

In the book of Acts, right after Jesus ascended into the heavens Peter is preaching to a crowd that had gathered after he healed a lame man at the gate called Beautiful. This is what he said to those Jews gathered around:

Act 3:19-21 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

Peter tells us that the heavens would receive (or retain) Christ until this restoration was fulfilled. We can debate the “restitution of all things” phrase here until the cows come home. But when we take all the other explainable evidence, I am of the opinion that “the restitution of all things” that Peter says has to happen before Jesus leaves heaven to return had to occur prior to 70 AD because now in 1st Peter Peter is suggesting the end is near, at hand, and on it’s way. Therefore the restitution of all things had to have occurred and I suspect it has something to do with the Law of

Restitution and the Return of Jesus

Moses and justice for failing it, and possibly the Garden of Eden state being restored to the hearts of Men by and through the Holy Spirit. One final note on this passage from Peter where He was assuring his listeners that the time was NOT at hand – Remember this is what he said at that time, speaking of Jesus: “whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

Stay with me. According to Peter, all the prophets since the world began had spoken of the restitution. At this, we have to ask if all the prophecies of the Old Testament have been fulfilled? In Luke 21:22, Jesus, in describing the end of Jerusalem, says: “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” If all was fulfilled, then we can say that prophecies of the restitution of all things were fulfilled too. And since Jesus would return when the restitution of all things would occur, we can say that His return was at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Perspectives from Paul

Let’s now begin to look at Paul and what he had to say regarding the question, “When will Jesus return?” We need to get right to it because Paul wrote more than anyone else on the subject. Some of it very powerful and some simply persuasive. We’ll start at Romans but remember the “W” of a sound examination of scripture: Who was he writing to, Why was he writing to them, Where were they, What was going on around them, and when did this all take place?” This is the reasonable and responsible way to understand scripture. Or you could do something that God never tells us to do in the Bible – forget context and assign everything to our day and age. This is what millions of Christians do today – they read into everything as if Paul was writing to us here and now, forgetting that it is a literal book of historical significance, its contents are covering those people at that time, and realizing that believers ever since have the benefit of learning spiritual lessons from the content. Okay.

Romans 8:17-18 Paul writes: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory ‘which shall’ be revealed in us.” The King James as it does us a disservice because “which shall be revealed in us” ought to say something about expediency, like: “Is about to be revealed in us,” because the Greek word (again) is mello.

Prophets and Predictions

We just showed how Peter used the same word in 1st Peter 5:1 when he said: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.” Showing that Peter and Paul agreed – “the glory was about to come! To them! In that age!”

Moving on, Romans 13:11-12 says: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Here Paul gives his readers some direct insight. Almost all scholars agree that “the day” of which he speaks refers to the Judgment day. Referring to “the day,” he says (THEN) that the “night is far spent,” (if the night “before the day of Judgment” was far spent in Paul’s day, how could we have any night left today?) and he adds that the “day is at hand.” Now we could say to you this obviously means “was really close,” but that could just be an opinion, right?

Paul's Insight

So let’s take another example from another place where Paul uses the phrase. It’s in II Timothy 4:6 when Paul is getting ready to die. That time was approaching, and he knew it (and it happened too). Well, this is what he wrote: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.”

Understanding Paul's Perspective

"My departure is at hand.” If Paul didn’t die at that time and he is still living today, we know that the phrase, “at hand,” means way down the road. But Paul died – close to the time he wrote this. “At hand” means “near, close.” And this is what he meant in Romans 13:11-12. Now every futurist on earth has to say that Paul was wrong. Paul was not wrong. We have been wrong, but not Paul, not Peter, not James, not John, and not Jesus. They spoke truth. The Bible presents their truths to us.

Paul writes in 1st Corinthians 1:7-8: “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Paul knew that the Lord was coming back within a generation, and so he preached it to the people. He admits first that they were “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and then he says: “who shall also confirm you unto the end . . .” If these people were all going to die before Jesus' second comingChrist’s return, fulfilled in 70 A.D., ending the old covenant—not the world., then Paul was wrong in his assurances, and Jesus did not “confirm them (establish) them unto the end.”

Clarity in Paul's Message

In first Corinthians 16:22, Paul says: “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” Ever hear Christians use these words? The phrase means something to the effect of, “let him be accursed at his coming.” Anathema is set—we get the meaning—but “maranatha” is the one we’re interested in because several translations make the words say, “the Lord IS coming,” but the word comes from the Syriac, “moran-etho” and means, “the Lord Comes.” It’s a matter of “present tense versus future tense”—a clear indication that Paul was speaking of his time and his day. Let’s stop there and pick up a whole lot more Paul taught in His day about the coming of the Lord.

Insights from Peter

PETER We’ll begin with a passage that is a little vague but from it we discover interesting support. 1st Peter 5:4 says: “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” From this passage, I think that we can see that Peter believed that many of the people reading his words would be alive when “the chief Shepherd would appear.” The Bible often speaks of believers receiving glory at Christ’s return, and here, at his appearing, Peter tells those who were reading his words that they would receive a crown of glory at His appearing. What didn’t he say? He didn’t say they would be resurrected (which is often tied to Jesus' return). Therefore, not speaking of their resurrection infers that they would be alive, and therefore his coming was imminent.

Peter's Teachings

Peter actually opens this chapter up by saying the following: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.” Again, the Greek word translated “shall be revealed” is “mello,” and means is about to be revealed. This word could not be used (unless Peter and God were wrong) if applied to our day and age. It means “about to,” not will happen 2000 years later.

With judgment being tied to Jesus' return, Peter also wrote, speaking of Christ: 1st Peter 4:5 – Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. Peter knew from the signs around him that the Lord was “ready” to judge. Which is why he used this term. Of course, 1st Peter 4:7 says: “But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.” Obviously, the end of “all things” does not relate to the natural, material world as the frenetic futurists froth on about. The end of all things is relative to the Nation of Israel, typified by the coming judgment and destruction of Jerusalem. Remember now, Peter didn’t always teach that the “end of all things was at hand.” In the book of Acts, right after Jesus ascended into the heavens, Peter is preaching to a crowd that had gathered after he healed a lame man.

The Restitution of All Things

At the gate called Beautiful, this is what he said to those Jews gathered around:

Act 3:19-21 “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; and he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.”

There is great debate as to what the restitution of all things spoken of the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began is talking about and when (or if) it occurred. For instance, the LDS say the restitution (or restoration of all things) occurred when Joseph Smith restored all things to the earth. But here Peter tells us that the heavens would receive (or retain) Christ until this restoration was fulfilled. We can debate the “restitution of all things” phrase here until the cows come home. But when we take all the other explainable evidence I am of the opinion that the restitution of all things Peter says has to happen before Jesus leaves heaven to return had to occur prior to 70 AD because now in 1st Peter Peter is suggesting the end is near, at hand, and on its way. Therefore the restitution of all things had to have occurred and I suspect it has something to do with the Law of Moses and justice for failing it, and possibly the Garden of Eden state being restored to the hearts of Men by and through the Holy Spirit.

One final note on this passage from Peter where He was assuring his listeners that the time was NOT at hand – Remember this is what he said at that time, speaking of Jesus: “whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” Stay with me. According to Peter all the prophets since the world began had spoken of the restitution. At this we have to ask if all the prophesy of the Old Testament have been fulfilled?

Fulfillment of Prophecy

In Luke 21:22 Jesus, in describing the end of Jerusalem says: “For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” If all was fulfilled, then we can say that prophesies of the restitution of all things were fulfilled too. And since Jesus would return when the restitution of all things would occur we can say that His return was at the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Before we get to Paul’s words in the next chapter there is one more question that always pops up when futurists speak on the subject of Jesus return in 70 AD. It comes in connection with the MillenniumA symbolic period of Christ’s reign—fulfilled by 70 A.D., not a future thousand-year timeline. More question we touched on in the previous chapter but this question is: “If Jesus came in 70 AD is Satan now bound?”

The Binding of Satan

Revelation 20:2 clearly says: “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years.” If you are right about all this McCraney, people will say, then Satan must be bound and obviously this is not so. It is frankly a great question. My mom used to describe the binding of Satan to me by telling me the day would come when God would come down and throw Satan in hell, and with a huge chain and lock shut the doors and chain them shut for a thousand years. The imagery was palpable and I took her explanation to heart, looking forward to the day.

The trouble is my Mom believed the fulfillment of Revelation 20 was literal and not spiritual. So again to the question – “If the millennium is the whole span of time and not a thousand literal years, and if this span of time began back in 70 AD, has Satan been bound? Looking around the world we would have to say, “No, Satan has definitely not been bound so therefore this whole thing is a façade.” But maybe we have not understood what scripture means when it says Satan would be bound? Let me explain.

In Isaiah 25:8 we are blessed with…

Christ's Victory Over Death

A prophecy that says: "He (meaning Jesus) will swallow up deathSeparation from God—now overcome. Physical death remains, but it no longer separates us from life with God. in victory; and the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the LORD hath spoken it."

Where did death come from and why? Going back to the garden of Eden there was no sinMissing the mark of faith and love—no punishment, just lost growth or peace. (partly because there was no law (but one) and there was no disease or death. Right? Was Satan there? Yep. What was He doing? Tempting Adam and Eve. Did Satan have any power over them? None whatsoever. But was Satan able to tempt them? Certainly. Then when Satan was able to get Adam and Eve to fall He obtained power and became (for lack of a better term) the author and finisher of physical and spiritual death which reigned until Christ.

The Triumph Over Satan

What did Jesus do on the cross and through resurrection? He conquered death – all death, both physical and spiritual. And listen – the power Satan had over death was bound! Since Christ and His victory Satan has absolutely no claim or power on Men. Sin has been utterly abolished except the sin of unbelief and failing to love. So Christ, the second Adam, had utter victory over Satan and His power over all human beings. And he is back to where he started – able to tempt. For this reason Jesus, well before going to the cross said in John 12:31: "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out."

Paul says in Colossians 2:15 And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

2nd Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Hebrews 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil.

1st Peter 3:22 Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.

Satan's Continued Temptations

And yet, we might note, Satan continues to tempt. To what end? In the Garden of Eden Satan was also able to tempt. What was he tempting Adam and Eve with? The fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil which they were told not to eat. So he was tempting them to do their own thing. To follow their will and not God’s will for them. What did Adam and Eve eating of the fruit symbolize? A number of things:

Self-will over God’s will
Succumbing to temptation of Satan rather than living by the promises of God
In the end, not believing God, not trusting in God, but trusting the promises or insights of Satan.
The fruit was the fruit of unbelief.

So I would suggest that Satan is allowed to continue in this very same work. To unbelievers it is to keep them in the chains of unbelief, to keep them blinded and in the dark, to cause them to love the darkness more than the light. Are they sinning? Only against the light in unbelief as all other sin has been wiped away. In other words Satan’s temptations to not believe is aimed at thwarting their salvation and to get as many as possible to experience continued separation from God here and after this life in hell and/or the lake of Fire.

But he also tempts believers, looking to render us ineffective, to re-direct us, get us off the path of faith, to darken the light around us with the ultimate aim is to stifle fruitfulness (fruits of love). I personally believe Satan seeks to snatch believers and bring them into captivity to the flesh, hoping to drag some into the dark after this life; working to give God as few true children as possible.

Will Satan in his efforts to either keep unbelievers in the dark or render believers unfruitful and ineffective, have victory? Never. He has already lost.

Paul's Teachings on Christ's Return

Physical or spiritual death are bound by the permanent victory of Christ who will, in the end, have total and utter victory, reconciling all, in the end, over to Himself.

Paul's Writings

Let’s now look at Paul and what he had to say regarding the question, “When will Jesus return?” We need to get right to it because Paul wrote more than anyone else on the subject. Some of it very powerful and some simply persuasive. We’ll start at Romans but remember the “W” of our examination: Who was he writing to, Why was he writing to them, Where were they, What was going on around them, and when did this all take place? This is the reasonable and responsible way to understand scripture. Or you could do something that God never tells us to do in the Bible – forget context and assign everything to our day and age. We can do what many Christians do today – they read into everything as if Paul was writing to us here and now forgetting that it is a literal book of historical significance and its contents are covering those people at that time. Believers ever since have the benefit of learning spiritual lessons from the content. Okay.

Romans 8:17-18 Paul writes: “And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory ‘which shall’ be revealed in us.” The King James as it does us a disservice because “which shall be revealed in us” ought to say something about expediency, like: “Is about to be revealed in us,” because the Greek word (again) is mello. Last week we showed how Peter used the same word in 1st Peter 5:1. “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed.” Showing that Peter and Paul agreed – “the glory was about to come!”

Imminence in Paul's Letters

Moving on, Romans 13:11-12 says: “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” Here Paul gives his readers some direct insight. Almost all scholars agree that “the day” of which he speaks refers to is the Judgment day. Referring to “the day” he says, the “night is far spent,” (if the night “before the day of Judgment” was far spent in Paul’s day how could we have any night left today?) and he adds that the “day is at hand.” Now we could say to you this obviously means was really close but that could just be an opinion, right?

So let’s take another example taking from another place where Paul uses the phrase. In II Timothy 4:6 Paul is getting ready to die. The time was approaching and he knew it and it happened. And this is what he wrote: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.” If Paul didn’t die at that time and he is still living today we know that the phrase, “at hand,” means way down the road. But Paul died – close to the time he wrote this. “At hand” means “near, close.”

And this is what he meant in Romans 13:11-12. Now every futurist on earth has to say that Paul was wrong. Paul was not wrong. We have been wrong, but not Paul, not Peter, not James, not John and not Jesus. They spoke truth. The Bible presents their truths to us.

1st Corinthians 1:7-8: “So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Paul knew that the Lord was coming back within a generation and so he preached it to the people.

Paul's Teachings on the Second Coming

Admits first that they were “waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and then he says: “who shall also confirm you unto the end . . .” If these people were all going to die before Jesus' second coming then Paul was wrong in his assurances, and Jesus did not “confirm them (establish) them unto the end.” In first Corinthians 16:22 Paul says, “If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” Ever hear Christians use these words? The phrase means something to the effect of, “let him be accursed at his coming.” Anathema is set – we get the meaning – but “maranatha” is the one we’re interested in because several translations make the words say, “the Lord IS coming,” but the word comes from the Syriac, “moran-etho” and means, “the Lord Comes.” Present tense versus future tense – a clear indication that Paul was speaking of his time and his day.

The Context of Paul's Writings

In Philippians 3 (20-21) Paul is talking about the Lord’s coming. Then in chapter four he uses the phrase we have already discussed, and says: Philippians 4:5 Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. This was not written to us, friends. It was written to people that Paul was personally leading and guiding and protecting.

In 1st Timothy 4:8 Paul writes: “For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Again mello – “which is about to come!”

Promises to Timothy

In 1st Timothy 6:13-14 Paul is giving Timothy instructions, and says: “I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” It is more than apparent that Paul believed that Timothy would be around when Jesus returned. It is also believed that Paul wrote this epistle around 64 AD and the signs of His coming were not only evident, the forty years Jesus said His return would occur in were close to being fulfilled. If Paul thought that the Lord’s coming was going to be way out in the future, he would have said to Timothy “to keep these commandments” without spot “until the end of your life,” or “until you die!” But Paul doesn’t write this to Timothy, does he? He writes, “keep these commandments until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Why?

In Titus 2:13 Paul writes: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Taking the “W”s into account this is really a wonderful and encouraging passage of scripture to the early Saints, isn’t it? Again – “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” Reading it today, 2000 years later, and thinking it is still lingering out there can produce faithlessness, and disappointment, and disillusionment. But to read it as historical fact, and in context we are uplifted by the stories, just like Jewish children have been uplifted by the stories of David and Goliath today – stories that occurred many years ago, but contain great spiritual lessons to all who consider them now.

The Resurrection and the Coming of the Lord

In Paul’s infamous chapter on the resurrection – 1st Corinthians 15 – many people challenge the meanings contained therein but almost all agree that Paul was writing about the Second Coming of Jesus when the “saints who sleep” (are dead) will be resurrected to incorruptibility and the saints who are alive at that time will be “changed” in the “twinkling of an eye.” That is all in there, right? Paul was writing to the Christians at Corinth about resurrection and how it was tied to the coming of the Lord. The book was written around 56-57 AD. There were questions about what was the process and Paul says to them – TO THEM – the believers there at Corinth: 1st Corinthians 15:51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; “We shall not all sleep, (most agree this means die) We will not all die before the Lord’s return.” He promises this to them! He was literally reassuring them that some of them would be living when Jesus returned!

Understanding the Timing of Resurrection

Should they have believed him? Of course. Because he was right. Notice he wrote, “We” so he included himself in this. In other words he believed it possible that he might be around for His return. Then he uses or refers to the “we” twice in these passages, and says: “Behold I show you a mystery: we shall not all die (was he correct?), but we (those of us who do not) shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

If all of the Corinthian Saints died before Jesus came Paul was a fraud, and his promises to them were utterly deceitful! But he wasn’t. He was correct. And all the other men since who have promoted and promised Christ’s return were wrong. And are wrong. It’s done, folks. He reigns – spiritually – on high, over his kingdom.

Interpretations of Paul's Message

We learn something else from this passage in 1st Corinthians 15. Listen closely to it again: “Behold I show you a mystery: WE shall NOT all die, but WE (those of us who do not) shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, (when?) at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”

When does Paul say the resurrection of the dead will occur in this passage? He actually says that some of those saints at Corinth would live to hear the last trump and would see Jesus come. But the order is that before they would be changed the dead would be raised incorruptible. This places the resurrection right there in the first century too. Can you see that?

“Does this mean we won’t be resurrected?” Of course not. It just means the resurrection promised in scripture, and tied to Jesus coming, is done. All people now die and are immediately resurrected – probably in the twinkling of an eye – and prior to entering heaven. The only exception might be (might be) those who die and do not go to heaven. They may wait to be fitted with their resurrected body at another time.

Thessalonians Insight

Okay, into Thessalonians. Lots to discuss because Paul provides large chunks of information on the subject of the Second Coming in his writings here. Let’s read the first big chunk – 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18:

“But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”

Apparently, the saints at Thessalonica were under the impression that the Lord’s return was eminent and some of them, it appears, were upset or concerned because some of their brothers and sisters were dying before it happened. Maybe their deaths were due to persecution. And it seems they believed that these dead believers were going to miss out on everything the apostolic church was expecting would happen when He came back (in other words they would miss out on the Glory that was about to be revealed as both Paul and Peter have described). I would suggest that Paul was trying to comfort these believers here in the face of these concerns. What he tells them here is essentially the same thing he told the believers at Corinth (which we read in part in 1st Corinthians 15) saying: “We will not all sleep (die) but some will be changed in the twinkling of an eye.”

Understanding Paul's Promise to the Thessalonians

Here Paul is promising the church at Thessalonica the same thing and he says: Some of them would be alive and remain until the coming of the Lord and then regarding those who had died, he said, “The dead in Christ will rise first and then (like he said in 1st Corinthians) those who are living would be changed after.” In these passages the “W” s are really important to remember. If we do we will understand what Paul is saying far more clearly than if we just read and assume he is speaking to us today. Paul made these promises 2000 years ago!

Then in verse 15 he says something interesting. He says:

15 For this we say unto you “by the word of the Lord,” that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Notice first there are no if, ands or buts here used by Paul. He doesn’t say “And we that might be here,” or “we are could be alive,” or “and if some of us are alive then.” He says “We which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord,” clearly indicating that he believed the second coming was . . . coming.

Interpretations of "The Word of the Lord"

Additionally, Paul says in verse 15: “For this we say unto you “by the word of the Lord,” Now, to Paul the Word of the Lord could mean one, two or three things. First, it could mean the Old Testament – not in this case. The Old Testament did not give Paul these insights. Or, the Word of the Lord Paul mentions could mean direct revelation he received either by the Spirit OR when he was tutored by Christ Himself in the Arabian desert. That’s possible. But I think the fact lies in the third option – that it is by the Lord’s very words He spoke when He was on earth. In other words if you read Matthew 24 you will discover that Paul echoes 10 statements of the LORD in His writings to the believers of Thessalonica. Due to time I’ll let you make the comparisons. They are not overwhelming but clearly show that “the word of the Lord” Paul was citing were the Lord’s very words spoken in Matthew 24.

In these next passages listen to what Paul writes: (remember the W’s”)

The Reassurance of Being Awake

1st Thessalonians 5:1 But of the times and the seasons (which, by the way was the title of the LDS owned newspaper back in the day when they too were sure the end was near – anyway, Paul writes to the believers of that day) “But of the times and the seasons brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. (in other words, Paul says to them, I don’t need to detail to you the signs of the times – you are aware of them – and he adds (verse 2)

2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. (And then at verse four)

4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.”

These are reassuring passages given by Paul to these believers reiterating to them that they were not ignorant but were alive and awake and informed of His return. If the LORD was not coming for thousands of years later why did he write like this to them? I mean why did the early church need to be reminded of these things if He wasn’t going to return for thousands of years later? The evidence is beyond clear – the Apostles believed He was on His way and taught it. If wrong, why do we trust the rest of the things they write? If right, why are still looking for His return today?

Then continuing on in this same chapter Paul writes:

1st Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does this passage tell us about Paul’s views of the Lord’s coming? He prays that the Saints in His care would be kept blameless until they died? Nope? But "until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

The Anticipation of Christ's Return in Thessalonians

The coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is a central theme in the Book of Thessalonians. All five chapters of 1st Thessalonians end with a reference to this highly anticipated event, suggesting its imminent nature during the Apostle's era. However, if the coming of the Lord was considered imminent then, it might not necessarily be considered so now.

Let's delve into 2nd Thessalonians, specifically 1:3-10. These passages demonstrate that Paul was promising the Saints of that time that Christ was coming to comfort and reward them for their suffering. Here’s what is said in the King James version: “We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth; so that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure: (did you catch that? That is context.) Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of GodGod’s spiritual reign—fulfilled and present, not political or future., for which ye also suffer: Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulationA real historical event fulfilled in 70 A.D.—not a future apocalyptic crisis. More to them that trouble you; (so Paul is promising recompense to them for their suffering) And to you who are troubled rest with us (Got that – He is speaking of them right then and there – to those who are troubled with US, he says) when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; when he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.”

Paul's Encouragement to the Thessalonians

Paul's message was clear. He was writing to encourage and strengthen their perseverance by appealing to the Lord’s coming. This raises the question of whether Paul was divinely inspired or akin to other less credible predictors. The encouragement served its purpose to reassure the early Christians amidst their trials.

2nd Thessalonians 2:1-8 continues this theme. In a previous discussion, it was noted how Peter predicted the end but clarified that a restitution of all things would occur first. Similarly, Paul highlights that certain events must precede the second coming. He writes:

“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

Context of The Second Coming

These passages contribute significantly to Christian perspectives on the second coming, warranting careful consideration. Despite the King James Version's complex language, it remains the preferred text for in-depth study. The anticipation of Christ's return and the associated events outlined by Paul offer a profound insight into early Christian theology and eschatological beliefs.

The Return of Jesus According to the Bible

initial question which we posed at the start was: “When does the Bible say that Jesus will return?” That was our query. And so this is what I will try and speak to from these verses. The first verse lays this out for us, saying: “Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to Him.” Then in the next verse he addresses an apparent misunderstanding about the Lord’s second coming. Apparently there was a rumor that the Lord had already come. (verse 2) The King James puts it this way: “That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.” But the New King James translates it as, “That the day of Christ HAD come,” and the NASB reads, “that the Day of the Lord has come,” and the ESV reads, “the day of the Lord has come.”

In other words, in this case, the question was not, “Is the day of the Lord at hand,” but was, “has the Lord come already?” Again, Paul was addressing the notion in the church “that the Lord had already come.” Note something important here – Paul and others (including Jesus) taught what all the signs would be like to the believers in the early church right? They had been told that Jesus would appear on a white horse, and that the earth would be consumed by fire, and the dead would rise to life, etc. right? They knew these things! So how on earth could they have believed that Jesus had come. Because they understood these statements properly and very differently than we understand and read them today! Isn’t that interesting? From this alone I think we can see that our understanding of Jesus apocalyptic words must be faulty because these believers thought Jesus had come, so therefore the signs we look for must truly have presented themselves in a manner far different than what we have been looking for. Anyway . . .

The Man of Sin

There was a belief that Jesus had come and at verse three Paul says:

• “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition.”

At verse four Paul describes the nature of this “man of sin, and says he:

• (Who) . . . opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Then down in verse 8 Paul says that this man of Sin (or lawlessness) would be “destroyed at Jesus second coming.”

Interpretations of "The Falling Away"

The “falling away” that would have to first come has been interpreted by many in a number of ways. The LDS leaders and missionaries love this line, and suggest the “falling away” was the loss of what they call “priesthood authority” and the principle elements of Christ’s church – which they claim were restored by Joseph Smith in 1830. I would suggest that the falling away was the Saints who fell back into the Law (which the writer of Hebrews so strongly fought against) and that this is a much better contextual definition of it than the LDS contrivance. Yet the real focus Christians make of this passage is the part where Paul speaks of “the man of sin being revealed the Son of Perdition.” Of course this guy has been suggested a thousand ways to Sunday but nothing has materialized – except for who he really was back in the day. Paul gives us a little more information on this Man of Sin and says in II Thessalonians 2:4 that he would “set himself up in God’s temple proclaiming himself to be God,” but the problem is today there is no temple for which to set himself up in? Hmmmmmmm. What to do?

The Futurist Perspective

The futurists have fixed this by saying that another temple will be built but NOWHERE does scripture say this – nowhere. Additionally, we find that in the

The Man of Sin

Church that the Man of sin is called, the anti-Christ. They typically infer that the antichrist is mentioned in Revelation. Not so. The only place the term is used is in John’s epistles and there John tells us that antichrist has already come! All that is hodge-podge make-believe rhetoric employed by the Schofield futurists to take this literal history and to apply it to our day. Look at verse five of our text, where Paul says:

• Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you “these things?”

Obviously Paul had given them instructions before and maybe they had forgotten or been misled – but he had told them about this “man of sin” and about the falling away.” But he was not fully operational or in place, in verse 6 Paul reminds these believers again, and says:

• And now ye know what withholdeth that he might be revealed in his time.

In other words, they knew who this Man of Sin was – they could identify him and they KNEW what stood in His way (at that time) from exalting himself over “everything that is called God or was worshipped.” Then Paul says (to them) that this man of Sin was already at work or in play. He puts it this way:

• For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way.

Historical Context

In other words the Man of Sin was already at work in Paul’s day! Did you miss this? Then Paul tells them:

• “And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.”

In our day and age, there are all sorts of opinions on who this man of sin was. Vespasian. Nero. But opinions are irrelevant. What we do know is the Man of Sin is history, and He was destroyed at His coming, and the whole thing is yesterday’s news. These are the proofs we can take from these passages:

Verse 5-6: Paul knew who the man was.
Verse 6: He knew who was hindering his power. Since he knew the identities of these two men we also know he did NOT reveal their names – probably to avoid persecution.
Verse 6: Not only did Paul know his name the believers at Thessalonica knew it too!
Verse 5: We know he was a contemporary figure to Paul and that Paul had already addressed this person to them.
Verse 7: Tells us the activities of this lawless one were already at work at THAT time, with them.
Verse 4: Let’s us know he was going to desecrate the temple. That makes sense. Not for us now – especially where there is no temple.

Timeline

The second epistle to the Thessalonians was written around 57 AD. The temple was destroyed at 70 AD. So we know that whatever occurred during these 13 years was speaking to this man of sin. All of this proves that the Man of Sin was a contemporary of Paul.