The Great Doctrines of the Bible Part 37

A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

B. THE RESURRECTION.

C. THE JUDGMENT.

D. THE DESTINY OF THE WICKED.

E. THE REWARD OF THE RIGHTEOUS.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE LAST THINGS.

Under this caption are treated such doctrines as the Second Coming of Christ, the Resurrection of both the righteous and wicked, the Judgments, Final Awards, and Eternal Destiny.

A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHEIST.

I. ITS IMPORTANCE.

1. PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES.

2. THE CHRISTIAN HOPE.

3. THE CHRISTIAN INCENTIVE.

4. THE CHRISTIAN COMFORT.

II. ITS NATURE.

1. PERSONAL AND VISIBLE COMING TO THE EARTH.

2. DIFFERENT VIEWS.

3. DISTINCTIONS.

III. ITS PURPOSE.

WITH REFERENCE TO-- 1. THE CHURCH.

2. THE UNREGENERATE.

3. THE JEWS.

4. THE ENEMIES OF G.o.d.

5. THE MILLENNIUM.

IV. ITS DATE.

1. DAY AND HOUR UNKNOWN.

2. RECOGNIZING THE "SIGNS."

3. IMMINENT.

A. THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

I. ITS IMPORTANCE.

1. ITS PROMINENCE IN THE SCRIPTURES.

It is claimed that one out of every thirty verses in the Bible mentions this doctrine; to every one mention of the first coming the second coming is mentioned eight times; 318 references to it are made in 216 chapters; whole books (1 and 2 Thess., e.g.) and chapters (Matt. 24; Mark 13; Luke 31, e.g.) are devoted to it.

It is the theme of the Old Testament prophets. Of course, they sometimes merge the two comings so that it is not at first sight apparent, yet the doctrine is there. (1 Pet. 1:11).

Jesus Christ bore constant testimony to His coming again (John 14:3; Matt. 24 and 25; Mark 13; Luke 21; John 21:22).

The angels, who bore such faithful testimony to Christ's first advent, bear testimony to His second coming (Acts 1:11; cf. Heb.

2:2, for the faithfulness of their testimony).

The apostles faithfully proclaimed this truth (Acts 3:19, 20; 1 Thess. 4:16, 17; Heb. 9:28; 1 John 2:28; Jude 14, 15).

2. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST IS BIDDEN TO LOOK FORWARD TO CHRIST'S SECOND COMING AS ITS GREAT HOPE.

t.i.tus 2:13--"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great G.o.d and our Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Pet. 3:12. The one great event, that which supersedes all others, towards which the Church is to look, and for which she is to ardently long, is the second coming of Christ.

G3. IT IS SET FORTH AS THE DOCTRINE WHICH WILL PROVE TO BE THE GREATEST INCENTIVE TO CONSISTENT LIVING.

Matt. 24:44-46; Luke 21:34-36--"And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. . . . Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pa.s.s, and to stand before the Son of man." 1 John 2:28; 3:3. The test which the church should apply to all questions of practice: Would I like to have Christ find me doing this when He comes?

4. IT IS A DOCTRINE OF THE GREATEST COMFORT TO THE BELIEVER.

1 Thess. 4:14-18. After stating that our loved ones who had fallen asleep in Christ should again meet with us at the coming of our Lord, the apostle says, "Wherefore comfort one another with these words."

Why then should such a comforting and helpful doctrine as this be spoken against? Many reasons may be suggested: the unreadiness of the church; preconceived views (2 Pet. 3:4); extravagant predictions as to time; lack of knowledge of the Scriptures. May not the guilt on our part for rejecting the second coming of Christ be as great if not greater than that of the Jews for rejecting His first coming?

II. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

1. A PERSONAL AND VISIBLE COMING.

Acts 1:11--"Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven?

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." 1 Thess.

4:16, 17--"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven." Rev.

1:7. From these scriptures we learn that by the second coming of Christ is meant the bodily, personal, and visible coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to this earth with His saints to reign.

2. ERRONEOUS VIEWS CONCERNING THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

a) That the Second Coming Means Christ's Coming at Death.

This cannot be the meaning, because--

Death is not attended by the events narrated in 1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17. Indeed the second coming is here set forth as the opposite of death for "the dead in Christ shall rise" from the dead when Christ comes again. According to John 14:3, Christ comes for us, and not we go to Him: "I will come again, and receive you unto myself."

John 21:21-23--"Peter seeing him (John) saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou me. Then went this saying abroad among the brethren, that that disciple should not die; yet Jesus said not unto him, He shall not die; but, if I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?"

1 Corinthians 15:50-57 declares that at the second coming of Christ we overcome, not succ.u.mb to, death. See John 8:51; Matt. 16:28.

The foolishness of such interpretation is seen if we subst.i.tute the word "death" for the second coming of Christ in such places where this coming is mentioned, e.g., Phil. 3:20; Matt. 16:28--"Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom."

b) That the Second Coming Means the Coming of the Holy Spirit.

There is no doubt but that the coming of the Holy Spirit is a coming (John 14:21-23), but it is by no means _the_ second coming, and for the following reasons: