Saturday, November 28, 2020
Difficult Questions
Difficult Questions: Can A Believer Lose their Salvation?
Hebrews 6:1-12 Deceptively Close Or Definitely Converted?
1 Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we will do if God permits. 4 For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, 5 and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, 6 and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt. 7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
13 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, "Surely I will bless you and multiply you." 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited, obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. 17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
Many years ago I was driving along the road near Bombo Beach near Kiama when a sudden drenching cloudburst poured out so much rain.. and there was an elderly gentleman caught in the middle of it. I pulled over and offered him a ride (rather somewhere not to get drowned! When he got in a realised I had picked up a town drunk. He had a couple of whiskey bottles in his pockets. Well at least I thought, I had a captive audience. The rain was too heavy to drive anywhere so all we could do was sit and talk. I asked if he was a Christian. He answered "I most certainly am!" "You're not a Christian" I laughed. "Yes I am I have a card to prove it!" He reached into his wallet to show me a card that showed he had gone forward 20 years before at an evangelistic service held by John Ridley at Lakemba Baptist church! "You're a convert of Ridley's?" "I am." "Well you aren't a convert of Christ." I remembered how Evangelist DL Moody had been confronted with a similar situation.
"Mr. Moody, I'm one of your converts." To which Moody replied, "You must be, because you're certainly not one of the Lord's!"
This is the difficult passage of Hebrews. The difficult passages of Hebrews are those warning passages in chapter 2, chapter 3 chapter 6, 10 and 12. Some reformed folk I know have founded upon this rock and lost their faith. It is important to get to grips with this passage.
Move on to stronger stuff lest you fall away.
John Piper says that the foundational stuff is from their pre Christian jewish heritage. And by continually focussing only on these formularies, they are not going on to Christ, and so they are proving not to have been regenerate and so in danger of perishing.
Mohler writes "To whom does this warning belong? To Christians? To non-Christians? To both? We must understand that this passage comes in the context of a larger argument: we should not neglect so great a salvation. Instead of maturing in their understanding of the greater truths of God, many in this church were neglecting the great salvation offered in Christ. As a result, they were stalling out in their spiritual growth and abandoning the faith.
These Christians needed to move beyond the foundational things and the old covenant of their former Judaism. Foundations are good and necessary for building, but once they have been laid, they do not need to be laid again. The author exhorts his congregation to stop laying the same foundation repeatedly."
In fact continually laying these foundations indicates an addiction to works and ritual religion rather than to Christ Himself.
Now there are a few couplets here. Some think that the passage is from Jewish catechical teaching. Others from early Christian catechical teaching.
I guess the closest we would see is what used to happen in Anglican churches.
Kids would be baptised as infants then every kid would go to Confirmation classes. The confirmation classes would teach the teenager the early principles of the faith.
And then most of the kids in confirmation class would bail and stop going to church. They had been taught. But not converted.
New Testament scholarship is in general agreement that the six facets of "the elementary teachings about Christ" (v. 1) listed in verses 1-3 outline the primitive catechism used in Jewish churches to induct converts. Thus, we get an intimate glimpse of "the basics," the foundation you would have been taught before being baptized and accepted into a Jewish church 2,000 years ago.
First, you would have been instructed regarding "repentance from acts that lead to death" (v. 1b) — literally, "repentance from dead works," which primarily means, in this Jewish context, turning away from the dead works of the Law and one's doomed attempt at self-salvation. But the instruction would have also included turning away from personal sin itself, which works death, just as John the Baptist and then Jesus had called for (cf. Matthew 3:2; Mark 1:4, 15; Luke 3:8). A Jewish convert, then, had to engage in the sublimely negative act of repentance. Conversion meant a conscious turning away from the old way of life.
Second, repentance was to be coupled with a sublimely positive act of faith — "and of faith in God." Merely turning from dead works would accomplish nothing. Repentance must be joined with faith — a personal relationship of trust in God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. No doubt the necessity of faith was hammered home with an exposition of the faith principle from Old Testament Scriptures such as Genesis 15:6 ("Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness") and Habakkuk 2:4 ("but the righteous will live by his faith"). Salvation has always been by faith — sola fide. Thus the first two catechetical basics provided the essentials of soteriology, the doctrine of salvation.
Third and fourth, they were given "instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands . . ." (v. 2). The translation "baptisms" ought to be rendered "washings" or "cleansing rites" (NEB), because it is not the word normally used in the New Testament for baptism. The idea here is that the Hebrew church employed the customary Jewish cleansing rites, as well as the Old Testament customs of laying on of hands, to teach the deeper, ultimate significance of Christian baptism and laying on of hands — namely, the baptism of the Holy Spirit (cf. Matthew 3:11; Acts 1:5; 1 Corinthians 12:13) and also commissioning and empowering for Christian service (cf. Acts 13:1-3). These teachings together amounted to a primary pneumatology, the doctrine of the pneuma, the Spirit.
Fifth and sixth, the converts were given instruction regarding "the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment" (v. 2). Both doctrines were known in the Old Testament (for resurrection cf. Job 19:23-27; Daniel 12:13; for judgment cf. Genesis 18:25; Isaiah 33:22; Daniel 7). But in the New Testament these subjects take on massive significance, with Jesus Christ at their very center. Jesus is the resurrection — "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies" (John 11:25). Jesus is the judge — "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad" (2 Corinthians 5:10). The doctrines of resurrection and judgment served as an induction into the Christian doctrine of last things, eschatology.
Those who fall away are not true believers, but rather men and women who only appear so. They are people who have received a thorough exposure to the gospel — for example, the catechized Jewish believers of the preceding verses — and have made an ostensible profession of faith and have been received into the fellowship of God's people. However, at a later point they have abandoned their profession, even becoming opponents of Christ.
The reasons I hold to this interpretation are as follows: First, the participation in spiritual realities of those who "fall away," though they have been "enlightened" and "shared" and "tasted" the things of God, parallels the privileged experience of the children of Israel in the wilderness who fell away and died in unbelief. As part of the covenant community, the fallen Israelites had placed blood on the doorposts, eaten the Passover lamb, miraculously crossed the Red Sea, observed the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, tasted the miraculous waters at Marah, daily ate manna, and heard the voice of God at Sinai. But their hearts were hardened in unbelief, and they fell away from the living God.
1. The Proximity of the Deceptively Close
John 16: . 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.
Matthew 7: 21 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?' 23 And then will I declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
2. The Peril of the Deceptively Close
18 "Hear then the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown along the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. 23 As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."
These are sober words indeed. The statement "it is impossible" is unavoidable; indeed, as the first word in this whole passage it is greatly emphasized. This means that people in the church can "fall away" by repudiating Christ, and that "it is impossible to restore [them] again to repentance" (Heb. 6:4). Those who have come to a true knowledge of the gospel, who have experienced the phenomena of salvation by means of their participation in the church, but who ultimately turn their back on Jesus Christ, cannot afterward be restored to repentance. That is the unavoidable statement of this passage.
How do people "fall away"? They fall away by doing what the Israelites did in the desert: by removing their trust in the Lord, repudiating his authority and the salvation he offers, and denying him worship. The verb here is in the aorist tense, which in the Greek normally signifies a completed past action. So we have a decisive break that happened and is now accomplished. In the case of these Hebrew Christians, it is likely that apostasy would mean a return to Judaism and therefore a denial of the saving significance of Christ's life and death, an action that was ominous in its terrible finality.
We see why it is impossible to restore such a person: "They are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt" (Heb. 6:6). To reject Christ after having come to knowledge of the gospel is to say, as the Pharisees did, that he should be put away, that he is guilty as charged, a threat and enemy worthy of death. To repudiate Christ is, in effect, to take up hammer and nails and beat them into his hands and feet, to make common cause with those who crucified him, to mock him like the soldiers who laughed and sneered, "He saved others; he cannot save himself" (Mark 15:3 1).
Interestingly, the writer here shifts to the present tense ("are crucifying"); this represents a present and persistent state of affairs. What happened in the past has led to a present state of the heart analogous to the attitude of those who crucified Jesus in the first place, and that present state makes a future return impossible.
It is tempting to conclude that what is being said here is that people who are rejecting Christ cannot be saved because they are not repenting. But this is a point so obvious that it hardly bears emphasis. Instead, the point is that the people described here are not able to repent and return to faith in Jesus unto salvation because of the hardening effect of their apostasy.
The Greek text does not say, "It is impossible for those who ... fall away, to be brought back to repentance," as the New International Version reads. Rather, as the English Standard Version more accurately puts it, "It is impossible to restore again ... [those who] fall away." We are not able to restore them, but that doesn't mean that God cannot. My grandmother.. a church warden. But fell away particularly into gambling. She kept resisting the gospel. I gave her many books over many years. All unread. Until one day at the age of 93, the Lord led her to a true salvation in Christ.
3. The Picture of the Deceptively Close
7 For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. 8 But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.
What matters is not whether or not rain falls upon the ground, for God sends rain on the good and the evil (Matt. 5:45), just as he does his saving Word. It is the presence of fruit that ultimately tells the tale. Similarly, Jesus said, "A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits" (Matt. 7:18-20).
One class of people described by the statements in verses 4-5, people who have knowledge and an experience of spiritual reality, is children who grow up in the church. How easy it is for them to reproduce verses and slogans they have been hearing all their lives, either to keep their parents happy or to merit their praise. But we must look for fruit in their lives, fruit issuing forth from their profession of faith. We must challenge them to give evidence of a heart commitment, to grow and advance in the faith, which is their only safety. I have noticed that if an adult is a truly vile and blasphemous hater of Christ and Christianity, it is often someone who was raised in the church and whose rock-hard heart is described by this passage. Let us therefore pray diligently for our children and set an example not of spiritual hypocrisy but of real and attractive faith.
Our passage ought furthermore to cause us to reflect upon what passes for evangelism in our time, and especially upon revivalism. The goal, it often seems, is simply to place people's names on a list, to increase the size of the congregation in the name of eternal security, to pat ourselves on the back and move on to the next "convert." When such people later repudiate Christ, whom they have never really known, they are left far worse off than they were before.
Reasons why you cannot lose your salvation
The Fact of Your Assurance
9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation. 10 For God is not unjust so as to overlook your work and the love that you have shown for his name in serving the saints, as you still do. 11 And we desire each one of you to show the same earnestness to have the full assurance of hope until the end, 12 so that you may not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.
The Foundation Of Your Assurance
The Person Of God
He made the promise. He made the oath to save you.
The Purpose Of God
The Pledge of God
The Priest of God.
His Unique Authority to save 7:24
His Unchanging Ability to save 7:25
His Universal Adequacy to save
7:23 The former priests were many in number, because they were prevented by death from continuing in office, 24 but he holds his priesthood permanently, because he continues forever. 25 Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.
Like Matthew 13 Parable.
6:9 Though we speak in this way, yet in your case, beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.
3:14 . 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.
10: 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
13: 20 Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant, 21 equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in us that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
Ultimately, nonbelievers in the church will repudiate Christ and go back into the world. True believers, however, will be motivated to move forward in their faith and claim Christ as King until the end.
18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain.
When darkness veils His lovely face, |
His oath, His covenant, His blood, |
Wednesday, November 18, 2020
The Signs of The Coming of the Lord Luke 21:25-36
25 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
29 And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
34 "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
Last week we looked at the first 24 verses of Luke 21.
Let's go back to 33 A.D. to review some of Jesus' predictions. We saw that in 40 A.D. a time of terrible persecution against Christians began and lasted almost 300 years, just as Jesus had predicted. In 70 A.D. the beautiful Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, precisely as Jesus predicted. Then, as Jesus predicted, in 163 A.D. the Jews were scattered from Israel into all the other nations. Jesus also foresaw Jerusalem would be under the control of Gentiles until "the time of the Gentiles" was fulfilled. We learned on June 6, 1967 at the end of the Six Day War, the Jews regained control of old Jerusalem for the first time in almost 2,000 years. But Jesus didn't merely pronounce these mystical predictions; He also offered some practical advice about what our attitude should be when trouble comes. He told us, "Don't be afraid!" He also said, "Don't worry!" and we should "stand firm in our faith"
Driving down the road often we see lots of signs. Some are directional signs, giving information: 20km to Richmond, 5 km to Agnes Banks. Some are invitational: Best Burgers in the Hawkesbury. Now that's a sign I like. Others are warning signs "Your speed has just been monitored. You will be hearing from us shortly." Ouch.. well it doesn't say that last bit, but I always check the letter box with fear for the next two weeks.
Whether offered as information, invitation, or warning, each sign we encounter along the road is designed to help us move from where we are to where we want to be. God has placed some signs along the highway we call human history, pointing to our final destination. We often think of these signs as prophecies of Scripture.
Some of the signs we encounter in the Scriptures are informational, some are invitational, and many offer warnings about the road ahead—warnings that apply to both our present and our future. All of these signs are important, and none should be ignored.
There are over eighteen hundred prophecies in God's Word concerning the first and second coming of Jesus Christ alone!
Obviously, prophecy is important to God, and He desires for us to understand His plans. He has given us His signs for a reason.
This part of the Olivet discourse is truncated compared to Mark and Matthew's record. The discourse on the second coming recorded for us in Matthew Mark and Luke's Gospels a day before the crucifixion of our Lord, when the Lord is seated on the Mount of Olives overlooking Jerusalem with his disciples.
Luke concentrated on the things that would happen to believers prior to the immediate events of the Second Coming.
He briefly records the warning passages found in both Matthew's and Mark's gospels.
Matthew's gospel records Jesus' words:
Matthew 24:"29 "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
32 "From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 33 So also, when you see all these things, you know that he is near, at the very gates. 34 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. 35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
36 "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son,2 but the Father only. 37 For as were the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, 39 and they were unaware until the flood came and swept them all away, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left. 42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.
Mark records: Mark 13: 24 "But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, 25 and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. 26 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. 27 And then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.
The disciples, you'll remember, had asked the Lord three specific questions regarding future events. His answer in the passage above came in response to the last question: "Lord, when will these things happen?" Matthew records the three questions Jesus addressed: "As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will (1) this happen, [destruction of Temple] and (2) what will be the sign of your coming and (3) [the sign] of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3) Last week we looked at the signs addressing that first question: the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. and the developments towards the events of the second coming. Jesus is also giving signs of His return, and signs pointing to the end of the age. And the disciples were just as curious as we are. "When, Lord, when? When will all this take place?" The Lord answered them but didn't give them everything they wanted to know. Instead, He gave them what they needed to know.
It all starts with the Rapture of the church as described by the apostle Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16: "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God." Can you imagine how stunning, splendid, and sensational the sight of Christ descending from heaven will be?
But that's only the beginning. The Rapture will immediately encompass the resurrection of dead believers and the transformation of living believers, all of whom will be changed "in the twinkling of an eye." Jesus will then escort them to heaven—a heaven even more amazing than you and I could ever imagine. There, believers will experience the judgment seat of Christ where rewards for faithful service will be handed out and where a praise and worship celebration unlike anything witnessed on earth will begin.
After the rapture comes the time known as the Tribulation. The Tribulation is a future seven-year period during which unspeakable horrors will be unleashed upon this world by Satan, the Antichrist, and the False Prophet.
"Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour" (1 John 2:18).
There are over one hundred passages of Scripture that describe the Antichrist, and yet the word antichrist itself is mentioned in only four verses in the New Testament—each time by the apostle John (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John v. 7). As the word suggests, the Antichrist is a person who is against Christ. The prefix anti can also mean "instead of," and both meanings will apply to this coming world leader. He will overtly oppose Christ and at the same time pass himself off as Christ.
The Antichrist will aggressively live up to his terrible name. He will be Satan's superman, who persecutes, tortures, and kills the people of God, making Hitler, Stalin, and Mao seem weak and tame by comparison.
More than twenty-five different titles are given to the Antichrist, all of which help paint a picture of the most despicable man who will ever walk the earth. Some people think he is Satan incarnate. We know for certain that Satan gives him his power, his throne, and his authority.
Here are some of the Antichrist's aliases:
•a "fierce" king (Dan. 8:23)
•"a master of intrigue" (Dan. 8:23 NIV)
•"the prince who is to come" (Dan. 9:26)
•"a despicable man" (Dan. 11:21 NLT)
•a "worthless shepherd" (Zech. 11:16–17 NLT)
•"the one who brings destruction" (2 Thess. 2:3 NLT)
•"the lawless one" (2 Thess. 2:8)
•the "beast" (Rev. 13:1)
Everything will culminate in the Battle of Armageddon—earth's final great battle—when the rebellious nations of the earth are defeated.
The Lord Warns Against An Unprepared Attitude
25 "And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28 Now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near."
THE ANTICIPATION OF CHRIST
. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
It is the second coming that gets the most ink in the Bible. References to the second coming outnumber references to the first by a factor of eight to one. Christ's return is emphasized in no less than seventeen Old Testament books and seven out of every ten chapters in the New Testament. The Lord Himself referred to His return twenty-one times. The second coming is second only to faith as the most dominant subject in the New Testament.
THE ADVENT OF CHRIST
. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
He will be seen.
6 So when they had come together, they asked him, "Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?" 7 He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." 9 And when he had said these things, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight. 10 And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."
He will be seen by all
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Rev.1: 5 To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6 and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen. 8 "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."
He will appear for us
Hebrews 9:26, 27,28
But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. 27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, 28 so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.
THE AUTHORITY OF CHRIST
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
When the Lord returns to earth at the end of the Tribulation, the men and nations who have defied Him will no more be able to stand against Him than a spiderweb could stand against an eagle. His victory will be assured, and His authority undisputed. Here is how John described the finality of His judgment and the firmness of His rule: "And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:15–16).
This grand title, King of kings and Lord of lords, identifies our Lord at His second coming. It speaks of His unassailable authority. At this name every king on earth will bow, and every lord will kneel.
When Christ returns the second time, He will finally fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah that we often quote and hear choirs sing to Handel's lofty music at Christmastime: "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). At His first coming, Jesus fulfilled the first part of Isaiah's prophecy, the heartwarming Christmas part. At His second coming, He will fulfill the second part—the part that reveals His iron-hard power and authority over all the nations. The government of the world will at last be upon His shoulder!
THE ARMIES OF CHRIST . 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
While many of the Old Testament prophets wrote concerning the second coming of Christ, it is Zechariah who has given us the clearest and most concise prediction of it:
Then the LORD will go forth And fight against those nations,
As He fights in the day of battle. And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, Which faces Jerusalem on the east. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, From east to west, Making a very large valley; Half of the mountain shall move toward the north And half of it toward the south. (Zech. 14:3–4)
Notice how Zechariah deals in specifics, even pinpointing the geographic location to which Christ will return: "In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives" (14:4). Like Armageddon, the Mount of Olives is an explicitly identifiable place that retains its ancient name even today. The prophet's specificity gives us confidence that his prophecy is true and accurate.
When Jesus returns to this earth to put down the world's ultimate rebellion, the armies of heaven will accompany him. John described these armies as "clothed in fine linen, white and clean, [following] Him on white horses" (19:14).
In the short epistle that immediately precedes the book of Revelation, Jude described this epic event in verses 14 and 15: Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him."
THE AVENGING OF CHRIST
27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
2 Thess 1:5-10
5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering— 6 since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from2 the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.
The Lord Warns Against A Careless Attitude
29 And he told them a parable: "Look at the fig tree, and all the trees. 30 As soon as they come out in leaf, you see for yourselves and know that the summer is already near. 31 So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all has taken place. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
Jesus closed his prophecy with the declaration, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away" (v. 33). Jesus placed his words on equal footing with the Old Testament Scriptures. Therefore we must understand that as surely as every word spoken by Jesus concerning the destruction of Jerusalem came true—that Jerusalem would be surrounded by armies—that they must flee the dreadful days—that they would otherwise be deported—that Jerusalem would be trampled by the Gentiles—that one stone would not be left on another—as surely as all of this took place, just as sure is his second coming! Every word will be fulfilled!
The Lord Warns Against A Callous Attitude
34 "But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man."
What is Jesus saying? I believe the message is simply this: "Just because you don't see this taking place right under your nose, don't become careless in your attitude." Jesus warns against an approach that says, "I haven't been robbed this year, so I'm not taking out contents insurance. Nobody has ever robbed me. Nobody has ever robbed my neighbours. It won't happen to me." It did. The day after I didn't renew my contents insurance. The thing you thought would never happen, did happen.
That's what Jesus is saying. He is warning against a careless, reckless, self-deceptive attitude that keeps insisting, "It can't happen to me." Yes, it can! Jesus Christ will return without any announcement. One day God will say, "That's enough," and His judgment will fall upon the earth and upon all who have rejected His Son.
As Vance Havner has put it, "The Devil has chloroformed the atmosphere of this age." Therefore, in view of the sure promises of Christ's return, as believers, we are to do more than merely be ready; we are to be expectant. In our day of "anarchy, apostasy, and apathy," Havner suggests that expectant living means: "We need to take down our 'Do Not Disturb' signs . . . snap out of our stupor and come out of our coma and awake from our apathy." Havner reminds us that God's Word calls to us to awake out of our sleep and to walk in righteousness in the light Christ gives us (Rom. 13:11; 1 Cor. 15:34; Eph. 5:14).
When we have heard and understood the truth of Christ's promised return, we cannot just keep living our lives in the same old way. Future events have present implications that we cannot ignore. When we know that Christ is coming again to this earth, we cannot go on being the same people.
The prophets, the angels, and the apostle John all echo the words of promise from Jesus Himself that He will return. God's Word further amplifies the promise by giving us clues in prophecy to help us identify the signs that His return is close at hand. As we anticipate His return, we are not to foolishly set dates and leave our jobs and homes to wait for Him on some mountain. We are to remain busy doing the work set before us, living in love and serving in ministry, even when the days grow dark and the nights long. Be encouraged! Be anticipating! We are secure; we belong to Christ. And as the old gospel song says, "Soon and very soon, we are going to see the King!"
. William Barclay, one of the great historic commentators on the Scripture, relates a fable in which three of the devil's apprentices were coming to this earth to finish up their apprenticeships. They were talking to Satan, the chief of devils, about their plans to tempt and ruin man. The first devil said, "I know what I'll do. I'll tell them there is no God."
Satan said, "That won't delude anybody. They know there is a God."
The second one said, "I'll tell them there is no hell."
"You will deceive no one that way," Satan replied, "because men know deep down in their hearts that there is a place called hell and a punishment for sin."
The third said, "I know what I'll do. I'll tell them there is no hurry."
And Satan said, "You will ruin men by the thousands. The most dangerous of all delusions is that there is plenty of time."
Sources:
