The Coming Of The Lord
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This is a broader view of the coming of the Lord Jesus to receive His bride and also His coming to vanquish His enemies and establish His Millenial reign. Some Christians use Old Testament prophecy to support a single return of the Lord, which is not applicable, because they did not understand about the church age, the bride of Christ, etc. and spoke only of that which pertains to Israel. The Translation of the church does not pertain to Israel, so we must view the N. T. to get a scriptural perspective. The following paper is quite instructive and should help sincere seekers. - BobL
THE COMING OF THE LORD
Translation Of The Church
WILL THE LORD POUR OUT JUDGMENT ON HIS BRIDE? Some Christians choose to believe that the church (the bride of Christ) must endure the wrath of God in judgment against this world during the tribulation period, saying: “The saints have always endured persecution”. The wrath of God against this world is not the same as worldly persecutions. The individual saints of God will be judged at the “judgment seat of Christ” in heaven concerning rewards, but I don’t see wrath on the bride. Some say the bride will be taken out as the judgment falls, but that doesn’t match the Scripture; and some say the bride is not the church, but a city. That is misapplying Revelation 21:2 & 9-10, and ignoring all other references, such as John 3:29; II Cor.11:2; Revelation 18:23; & 22:17; and even the Song of Solomon. Certainly the church is the bride and will dwell in the city–New Jerusalem. I will endeavor to show here what I believe the Word of God teaches.
- R. L. DeWitt , 12/00; rev. 6/06
In the Holy Scripture we find the “day of Christ” (I Cor.1:8; I Cor.15:51-52; Phil.1:6, 10; Phil.2:16; I Thess.4:13-18), which speaks of the translation (often called “rapture”) of the church out of the world; and there is the “day of the Lord” (I Thess.5:1-5; II Pet. 3:10; Jude 14-15), which tells of the second appearing of Christ at the end of the tribulation period (Matt. 24:29) to vanquish His enemies and reign; and there is the “day of God” (II Pet.3:12), which shows God’s final judgment after the millennial reign of Christ. If one is clear about this they will be able to see that the Lord is not going to pour out His judgment on His saints, as some suggest, but He will take His bride out before God’s wrath falls.
When the Lord returns in judgment, His saints will be with Him (Matt.24:30-31). One should also note Revelation 4:4,10-11, and chapter 5, verses 8-10 to see the saints are with the Lord in heaven before the seals of judgment (“day of the Lord”) commences. As the Scripture shows, the “day of Christ” is not the time of judgment, but the “day of the Lord” is God’s wrath on this world.
The following commentary from the Concise Bible Dictionary should help give one a good picture:
The Second Advent
“The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth, naturally implies that He has already been here once. “Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin (or apart from sin) unto salvation” (Heb.9:26-28). The ‘second advent’ therefore is clearly a scriptural expression. Scripture speaks of many momentous and solemn events connected with the second coming of Christ which will be found under the different headings connected with this subject.
“There are two aspects of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ which should never be confounded, namely, His coming FOR His saints, and His coming WITH His saints. These events may be thus illustrated. Suppose a large town or province revolted from allegiance to its sovereign, and refused to acknowledge his authority. After many warnings the sovereign raises an army to punish the rebels; but he knows that in that city there are many true subjects who loyally acknowledge his title and claims. When approaching the city he secretly calls out all those loyal ones, who gladly go out to meet him. He storms the city, and entering with those that have already joined him, he punishes the rebellious, and rewards those that had been faithful. Now, as the coming of the sovereign would be a day of joyful deliverance to one class, so it would be followed by judgment on the others. We find both these aspects of the coming of the Lord Jesus plainly revealed in the Scripture.
“I Thess.4:15-18 speaks of Christ coming for His saints to their everlasting joy; and Jude 14, 15 speaks of Christ coming to execute judgment on His enemies. Another distinction to be noticed is that when Christ comes for His saints, including both the living and the dead, He will not actually come to the earth for them. The above passage in I Thessalonians says that the saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is often called the ‘rapture’. It will be a meeting far too sacred for the eyes of the wicked to behold…it will be in the clouds. No separation will ever take place: those that are thus caught up will be for ever with the Lord. But the important aspect of the resurrection and rapture of the saints is, that it is God’s answer in those that believe to the all-glorious worth of His own Son.
“This is the bright hope of the Christian. There is no event revealed in scripture that must take place before the rapture of the saints. They should, therefore, be expecting the return of the Lord at any moment to fetch all His saints away together (John 14:1-3; I Thess.1:9-10).
“In other scriptures it is revealed that there will be an interval between the rapture (the catching away of the saints), and the Lord’s coming to the earth. For instance, in II Thess.2 we learn that the day of the Lord cannot come ‘til the antichrist is revealed, because the Lord is going to destroy that wicked one when He comes. Then in Rev.13 we find that the antichrist will co-operate with another ‘beast’, the head of the future Roman empire; and in Dan.9 that this latter power will make a covenant with Israel and will break the covenent in the midst of the week; all which intimates that this apparent triumph of wickedness will spread over at least seven years, otherwise spoken of as the last week of the seventy weeks of Daniel.
“That the Lord Jesus will actually come to the earth is plainly revealed in Acts 1:11: ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven’. ‘His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east’ (Zech.14:4). ‘The Lord, whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple….but who may abide the day of His coming?’ (Mal.3:1-2).”
The following paper by H.E.Hayhoe gives ten scriptural reasons by which we know the church will not go through the tribulation:
Ten Scriptural Reasons
1. The church’s blessings are heavenly (Col.1:15) and she is promised deliverance out of this “hour of temptation” (Rev.3:10).
2. The tribulation is spoken of as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer.30:7)–not the church’s trouble.
3. The company who will flee during this “great tribulation” are Jews from Judea (Matt.24:16-21).
4. They are told to pray that their flight from Jerusalem will not be on the Sabbath day
(Matt.24:20), whereas the first day of the week is the day which belongs to the church (Acts 20:7).
5. They will pray for the peace of Jerusalem on earth (Isa.62:7), whereas the church’s home is the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev.21:2, 10).
6. In this present church period “the middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile has been broken down (Eph.2:14-16) but during the tribulation it is up again (Rev.7:4-9).
7. The church must be in heaven for the marriage of the Lamb, which takes place in heaven before the armies come out of heaven with Christ at the end of the tribulation (Rev.19:7-21).
8. If the church were to go through the tribulation, and then all the saints were caught up to heaven at the end of it, there would be no saints left on earth for the millennial reign (Rev.7).
9. There must be a company of earthly saints whose home is on earth, for they marry, and children play in the streets of the earthly Jerusalem (Zech.8:4-5), whereas the heavenly saints do not marry (Luke 20:35).
10. There will be a temple on earth for the earthly saints (Rev.7:15), but none in heaven where the heavenly saints dwell (Rev.21:22).
In summary, let us prayerfully consider also these thoughts: In John 3:29, John, the baptizer, knew the church is the bride and he was not part of the church, being before it was established. In II Cor. 11:2 Paul speaks of the church as the bride. We can see in Revelation 18:23 that Christ and the church (bridegroom and bride) will cease to be a testimony. Finally, in Revelation 22:17 we see the bride (the church) longing for the return of Christ. I don’t know why some saints allow the enemy to steal away this precious truth of God’s love and care for us. - RLD
THE COMING OF THE LORD
Translation Of The Church
WILL THE LORD POUR OUT JUDGMENT ON HIS BRIDE? Some Christians choose to believe that the church (the bride of Christ) must endure the wrath of God in judgment against this world during the tribulation period, saying: “The saints have always endured persecution”. The wrath of God against this world is not the same as worldly persecutions. The individual saints of God will be judged at the “judgment seat of Christ” in heaven concerning rewards, but I don’t see wrath on the bride. Some say the bride will be taken out as the judgment falls, but that doesn’t match the Scripture; and some say the bride is not the church, but a city. That is misapplying Revelation 21:2 & 9-10, and ignoring all other references, such as John 3:29; II Cor.11:2; Revelation 18:23; & 22:17; and even the Song of Solomon. Certainly the church is the bride and will dwell in the city–New Jerusalem. I will endeavor to show here what I believe the Word of God teaches.
- R. L. DeWitt , 12/00; rev. 6/06
In the Holy Scripture we find the “day of Christ” (I Cor.1:8; I Cor.15:51-52; Phil.1:6, 10; Phil.2:16; I Thess.4:13-18), which speaks of the translation (often called “rapture”) of the church out of the world; and there is the “day of the Lord” (I Thess.5:1-5; II Pet. 3:10; Jude 14-15), which tells of the second appearing of Christ at the end of the tribulation period (Matt. 24:29) to vanquish His enemies and reign; and there is the “day of God” (II Pet.3:12), which shows God’s final judgment after the millennial reign of Christ. If one is clear about this they will be able to see that the Lord is not going to pour out His judgment on His saints, as some suggest, but He will take His bride out before God’s wrath falls.
When the Lord returns in judgment, His saints will be with Him (Matt.24:30-31). One should also note Revelation 4:4,10-11, and chapter 5, verses 8-10 to see the saints are with the Lord in heaven before the seals of judgment (“day of the Lord”) commences. As the Scripture shows, the “day of Christ” is not the time of judgment, but the “day of the Lord” is God’s wrath on this world.
The following commentary from the Concise Bible Dictionary should help give one a good picture:
The Second Advent
“The second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth, naturally implies that He has already been here once. “Now once in the end of the world hath He appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself…and unto them that look for Him shall He appear the second time without sin (or apart from sin) unto salvation” (Heb.9:26-28). The ‘second advent’ therefore is clearly a scriptural expression. Scripture speaks of many momentous and solemn events connected with the second coming of Christ which will be found under the different headings connected with this subject.
“There are two aspects of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ which should never be confounded, namely, His coming FOR His saints, and His coming WITH His saints. These events may be thus illustrated. Suppose a large town or province revolted from allegiance to its sovereign, and refused to acknowledge his authority. After many warnings the sovereign raises an army to punish the rebels; but he knows that in that city there are many true subjects who loyally acknowledge his title and claims. When approaching the city he secretly calls out all those loyal ones, who gladly go out to meet him. He storms the city, and entering with those that have already joined him, he punishes the rebellious, and rewards those that had been faithful. Now, as the coming of the sovereign would be a day of joyful deliverance to one class, so it would be followed by judgment on the others. We find both these aspects of the coming of the Lord Jesus plainly revealed in the Scripture.
“I Thess.4:15-18 speaks of Christ coming for His saints to their everlasting joy; and Jude 14, 15 speaks of Christ coming to execute judgment on His enemies. Another distinction to be noticed is that when Christ comes for His saints, including both the living and the dead, He will not actually come to the earth for them. The above passage in I Thessalonians says that the saints will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This is often called the ‘rapture’. It will be a meeting far too sacred for the eyes of the wicked to behold…it will be in the clouds. No separation will ever take place: those that are thus caught up will be for ever with the Lord. But the important aspect of the resurrection and rapture of the saints is, that it is God’s answer in those that believe to the all-glorious worth of His own Son.
“This is the bright hope of the Christian. There is no event revealed in scripture that must take place before the rapture of the saints. They should, therefore, be expecting the return of the Lord at any moment to fetch all His saints away together (John 14:1-3; I Thess.1:9-10).
“In other scriptures it is revealed that there will be an interval between the rapture (the catching away of the saints), and the Lord’s coming to the earth. For instance, in II Thess.2 we learn that the day of the Lord cannot come ‘til the antichrist is revealed, because the Lord is going to destroy that wicked one when He comes. Then in Rev.13 we find that the antichrist will co-operate with another ‘beast’, the head of the future Roman empire; and in Dan.9 that this latter power will make a covenant with Israel and will break the covenent in the midst of the week; all which intimates that this apparent triumph of wickedness will spread over at least seven years, otherwise spoken of as the last week of the seventy weeks of Daniel.
“That the Lord Jesus will actually come to the earth is plainly revealed in Acts 1:11: ‘This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven’. ‘His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east’ (Zech.14:4). ‘The Lord, whom ye seek shall suddenly come to His temple….but who may abide the day of His coming?’ (Mal.3:1-2).”
The following paper by H.E.Hayhoe gives ten scriptural reasons by which we know the church will not go through the tribulation:
Ten Scriptural Reasons
1. The church’s blessings are heavenly (Col.1:15) and she is promised deliverance out of this “hour of temptation” (Rev.3:10).
2. The tribulation is spoken of as “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jer.30:7)–not the church’s trouble.
3. The company who will flee during this “great tribulation” are Jews from Judea (Matt.24:16-21).
4. They are told to pray that their flight from Jerusalem will not be on the Sabbath day
(Matt.24:20), whereas the first day of the week is the day which belongs to the church (Acts 20:7).
5. They will pray for the peace of Jerusalem on earth (Isa.62:7), whereas the church’s home is the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev.21:2, 10).
6. In this present church period “the middle wall of partition” between Jew and Gentile has been broken down (Eph.2:14-16) but during the tribulation it is up again (Rev.7:4-9).
7. The church must be in heaven for the marriage of the Lamb, which takes place in heaven before the armies come out of heaven with Christ at the end of the tribulation (Rev.19:7-21).
8. If the church were to go through the tribulation, and then all the saints were caught up to heaven at the end of it, there would be no saints left on earth for the millennial reign (Rev.7).
9. There must be a company of earthly saints whose home is on earth, for they marry, and children play in the streets of the earthly Jerusalem (Zech.8:4-5), whereas the heavenly saints do not marry (Luke 20:35).
10. There will be a temple on earth for the earthly saints (Rev.7:15), but none in heaven where the heavenly saints dwell (Rev.21:22).
In summary, let us prayerfully consider also these thoughts: In John 3:29, John, the baptizer, knew the church is the bride and he was not part of the church, being before it was established. In II Cor. 11:2 Paul speaks of the church as the bride. We can see in Revelation 18:23 that Christ and the church (bridegroom and bride) will cease to be a testimony. Finally, in Revelation 22:17 we see the bride (the church) longing for the return of Christ. I don’t know why some saints allow the enemy to steal away this precious truth of God’s love and care for us. - RLD
- 1 view
Romans 5:9,Why does this promise not apply to the following believers?
Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
“… These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” — Revelation 7:14?
“… Blessed [are] the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: …” — Revelation 14:13?
“… And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. …” — Revelation 20:4, 5?
The only true God is, who is, the only self evident truth not contingent on any thing else. "[There is] no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the LORD." -- Proverbs 21:30.
There is no clear reason to distinguish the Day of the Lord, God, and Jesus except theological predetermination.
1 Kings 8:60 - so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the LORD is God and that there is no other.
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