Unraveling the End A Biblical Synthesis of Competing Views

1
Unraveling the EndA Biblical Synthesis of
Competing Views

• The many comings of Jesus
• past, present, and future

2
Unraveling the EndA Biblical Synthesis of
Competing Views

• . . . it was needful for me to write unto you,
  and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend
  for the faith which was once for all delivered
  to the saints.
• (Jude 3)
• Heb. 912, 26 1010 1 Pet. 318

3
7 Reasons Why Your E/T View (or Non View) Is So
Vital

• How much of the Bible is involved?
• It has been argued that no less than two
• thirds of the content of the New Testament
• is concerned directly or indirectly with
  eschatology.
• R.C. Sproul, A Journey Back in Time,
  Tabletalk, January 1999, 5.

4
The Coming of Jesus

• Much more relevant, vital, and greater reality
  and hope than most of us have been led to
  believe.
• Why?
• Because weve been hamstrung by second coming
  terminology and a mindset.

5
The Second Coming / Return of Jesus Christ?

• The words return and second coming are not
  properly speaking Biblical words in that the two
  words do not represent any equivalent Greek
  words.
• George Eldon Ladd,
• The Blessed Hope, 69.

6
The Second Coming / Return of Jesus Christ?

• Authentic Christianity does not stand for a
  departed or absent Christabsent the entire
  length of the Christian age!
• A present and active Christ who never left.
• He said so!
• And surely I will be with you always, to until
  the very end of the age (Matt. 2820b)

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Comparative

• Lit. Greek KJV (correct)
• coming cometh
• again I come come again
• I come come again
• go to go to
• until I come till I come
• will come shall so come

• NIV (incorrect)
• Matt.2446 returns
• John 143 come back
• John 1428 coming back
• John 1628 going back
• John 2122-23 I return
• Acts 111 come back

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This Unraveling Mean?

• 3) If truth does not reside in a second
  coming or return of Jesus but in the many
  comings of Christpast, present, and futureas He
  remains with us?

9
Unraveling the EndA Biblical Synthesis of
Competing Views

• The many comings of Jesus
• past, present, and future

10
A Working Definition of a Coming of Jesus

• A personal and bodily intervention and/or
  manifestation of Jesus into the life of an
  individual, a group, or a nation on this earth.
  There are many different types of comings for
  different purposes, and they occur at different
  times and places. Some are visible appearances
  some are invisible interventions. Some are
  physical (seen, heard, felt) some are spiritual
  (an internal illumination or revelation) and
  some are combinations.

11
OT Comings of Jesus

• Theophanies ? An appearance, divine visitation,
  or vision of God.
• no one has ever seen God the Father, but God
  the only Son, who is at the Fathers side, has
  made him known (John 118)
• Also see 1 John 412 Matt. 66 and with the
  possible exception of Exod. 2410-11 3320
  Deut. 3410 Isa. 11 61 Heb. 1127.

12
OT Comings of Jesus

• You cannot see my face, for no one may see me
  and live (Exod. 3320).
• Nor was the Holy Spirit ever seen (John 1417).
• Comings of the preincarnate Son, Jesus.
• Non-prophesied comings.

13
OT Comings of Jesus

• 1) The angel of the Lord receives worship.
• Regular angels will not.
• Rev. 228-9 where John falls down to worship at
  the feet of the angel.
• Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you
  and with your brothers the prophets and of all
  who keep the words of this book. Worship God!
• 2) Is called Lord.

14
OT Comings of Jesus

• Exodus 31-15 Jesus came and appeared to Moses
  in the burning bush.
• whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut.
  3410)
• he Moses saw him who is
• invisible. (Heb. 1127).

15
OT Comings of Jesus

• Exodus 171-7 Jesus was the rock which Moses
  struck, and from which the life-giving water
  flowed.
• . . . that rock was Christ (1 Cor. 104)
• these things occurred as examples (1 Cor.
  106).
• Exodus. 249-11 The God of Israel appears to
  Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu and the seventy
  elders of Israel.

16
OT Comings of Jesus

• Judges 611-26 Jesus appears to Gideon
  twiceunder an oak and later that night.
• 2 Chronicles 711-22 Jesus came and appeared to
  Solomon at night.

17
OT Comings of Jesus

• Daniel 324-27 Jesus came and appeared in the
  fiery furnace with the three young Hebrew friends
  of Daniel.
• Daniel 101-21 111-2f Jesus appeared to Daniel
  and gave him the prophetic vision and message of
  his chapters 10-12.

18
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• The father of Church history,
• Second Lord after the Father.
• Gen.1924 Psa. 1101-4.
• The Lord says to my Lord Sit at my
  right hand until I make your enemies a
  footstool.
• See Rom. 834 Eph. 120 Col. 31 Heb. 113
  81 1221 Acts 233-36.
• Enemies placed under his feet (See 1 Cor.
  1525 Heb. 1013).

19
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• 1) Genesis 181-33
• Thus the Lord God is said to have appeared as
  an ordinary man to Abraham as he sat by the oak
  of Mamre, yet he worshiped him as God, saying, O
  Lord, judge of all the world, will you not do
  justice? Gen. 1825. Since reason would never
  permit that the immutable essence of the Almighty
  be changed into human form . . . who else could
  be so described as appearing in human form but
  the preexistent Word Jesus, since naming the
  First Cause of the universe God the Father
  would be inappropriate?

20
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• 2) Genesis 3228-29
• Then too Jacob called the name of that place
  the Vision of God, saying, For I saw God
  face-to-face, and my life was spared.

21
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• 3) Joshua 513-15
• Joshua too saw him only in human form. For it
  is written When Joshua was at Jericho, he
  looked up and saw a man standing before him with
  a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua approached him
  and said, Are you for us or for our enemies?
  He replied, It is as commander of the Lords
  army that I have come. Then Joshua fell to the
  ground, face downward, and asked, Master, what
  do you command your servant? The commander of
  the Lords army replied, Take off your shoes,
  for the place you stand is holy.

22
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• The words themselves will show you here too
  that this was none other than the one who spoke
  to Moses.

23
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• to suppose that these recorded theophanies were
  appearances of subordinate angles and ministers
  of God cannot be correct, for whenever these
  appear to people, Scripture distinctly declares
  in countless passages that they are called
  angels, not God or Lord.
• Eusebius, Eusebius The Church History, Book
  1.2, Paul L. Maier, trans. and comm., 24.

24
OT Comings of Jesus

• Eusebius 4th Century
• But clearly they knew the Christ of God, since
  he appeared to Abraham . . . spoke to Israel
  Jacob, and conversed with Moses and the later
  prophets as I have shown.
• Ibid., 31.

25
OT Comings of Jesus

• whose goings forth have been from of old, from
  everlasting (Mic. 52 KJV).
• Literal Hebrew is goings out.
• None were foretold in advance.

26
OT Comings of Jesus

• Jesus birth in Bethlehem of Judea.
• The exact location (Micah 52).
• And exact time (Dan. 924-27)
• when the time had fully come (Gal. 44).
• He died at just the right time (Rom. 56).
• the testimony given in its proper time
• (1 Tim. 26).
• Not his first coming, nor his last.

27
NT Comings of Jesus

• 1 Corinthians 155-8
• and that He Christ appeared to Peter, and
  then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to
  more than five hundred of the brothers at the
  same time, most of whom are still living, though
  some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to
  James, then to all the apostles, and last of all
  he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally
  born.

28
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 13
• After his suffering, he showed himself to these
  men and gave many convincing proofs that he was
  alive. He appeared to them over a period of
  forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

29
NT Comings of Jesus

• To the two on the road to Emmaus, Then their
  eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he
  disappeared from their sight (Luke 2413-32).
• To his disciples on the shore as they saw,
  talked, and ate with Him (Luke 2436-49 also
  John 214-14).
• To his disciples, and Thomas, in the upper room
  when Jesus came and stood among them and talked
  to them (John 2026-29).

30
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 755
• But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up
  to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus
  standing at the right hand of God.

31
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 94-5
• He Saul fell to the ground and heard a voice
  say to him, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute
  me? Who are you, Lord? Saul asked. I am
  Jesus, whom you are persecuting. (also see Acts
  2612-16)

32
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 1013-15
• Then a voice told him, Get up, Peter. Kill
  and eat. Surely not, Lord! Peter replied. I
  have never eaten anything impure or unclean.
  The voice spoke to him a second time, Do not
  call anything impure that God has made clean.

33
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 2217-18
• When I Paul returned to Jerusalem and was
  praying at the temple, I fell into a trance and
  saw the Lord speaking. Quick! He said to me.
  Leave Jerusalem immediately, because they will
  not accept your testimony about me.

34
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 99-16
• Lord appeared to Ananias in a vision and gave
  him instructions to go to Saul.
• Acts 189-11
• The Lord also spoke to Paul in a vision.

35
NT Comings of Jesus

• Acts 2311
• The following night the Lord stood near Paul
  and said, Take courage! As you have testified
  about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify
  in Rome!

36
NT Comings of Jesus

• Matthew 171-3
• After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James
  and John the brother of James, and led them up a
  high mountain by themselves. There he was
  transfigured before them. His face shone like
  the sun, and his clothes became as white as the
  light. Just then there appeared before them
  Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

37
NT Comings of Jesus

• Revelation 117
• When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though
  dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and
  said Do not be afraid. I am the First and the
  Last.

38
NT Comings of Jesus

• To Philip (Acts 826).
• To Cornelius (Acts 101-6).
• Again to Peter (Acts 127).

39
NT Comings of Jesus

• None of these NT comings were specifically
  prophesied in terms of time, place, or recipient.
  
• Only generally prophesied . . .
• In a little while you will see me no more, and
  then after a little while you will see me (John
  1616).

40
The Many Comings of Jesus

• How many so far
• OT and NT?

41
Many Promised Comings

• John 141-3
• Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in
  God trust also in me. In my Fathers house are
  many rooms, if it were not so, I would have told
  you. I am going there to prepare a place for
  you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I
  will come erchomai again not back and take
  you to be with me that you also may be where I
  am.

42
Many Promised Comings

• John 1418-19
• I will not leave you as orphans I will come
  erchomai to you. Before long, the world will
  not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because
  I live, you also will live.

43
Many Promised Comings

• John 1420-21
• On that day the day I come to you you will
  realize that I am in my Father, and you are in
  me, and I am in you in the spirit.
• Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is
  the one who loves me. He who loves me will be
  loved by my Father, and I too will love him and
  show or manifest, emphanizo myself to him.

44
Many Promised Comings

• John 1423
• . . . If anyone loves me, he will obey my
  teaching. My Father will love him, and we will
  come erchomai to him and make our home with
  him.
• Also see John 2019-31.

45
Many Promised Comings

• Acts 19,11
• After he had said this, he was taken up before
  their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their
  sight . . . . Men of Galilee, they said, why
  do you stand here looking into the sky? This
  same Jesus, who has been taken from you into
  heaven, will come erchomai in the same way you
  have seen him go into heaven.

46
Many Promised Comings

• Operative phrase is in the same way or in
  like manner.
• How far do we press this similarity?
• The emphasis is on the manner of his coming.
• On how He comes.
• Erchomaimeans comes or (and) goes
• It is the general, overall manner.

47
Many Promised Comings

• You also must be ready, because the Son of Man
  will come at an hour when you do not expect him
  (Luke 1340).

48
Unraveling the EndA Biblical Synthesis of
Competing Views

• The many comings of Jesus
• past, present, and future

49
Jesus Most Dramatic Prophecy

• Longest and most problematic teaching.
• Biggest, baddest, and best coming of all.
• Not call it Second Coming or Return.
• Scripture doesnt.
• On the clouds in judgment within the lifetime
  of his contemporariessupposedly.

50
Jesus Most Dramatic Prophecy

• Four Versions
• Matthew 24-25
• Luke 21
• Mark 13
• ???
• Book of Revelation

51
Jesus Most Dramatic Prophecy

• A blatant example of bias interpreting.

52
Jesus Most Dramatic Prophecy

• Next Week
• Unpack more, much more,
• of this troublesome prophecy.
• In Two Weeks
• The Book of Revelation