The glorious Second Coming impacts our worldview in numerous ways.
First, the Second Coming exalts the victory of Christ in redemption.
- When Christ came in the incarnation, it was to suffer in humiliation by dying for the sins of his people: “being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8; cp. Matt. 1:21; Luke 19:10). But Scripture does not leave him on the cross or in the tomb; it teaches his consequent glorification through four steps: resurrection, ascension, session, and return.
- Christ’s return in glory is necessary to complete his redemptive victory, for then he returns as a All-conquering Redeemer-King. “Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:9-11). But as Hebrews notes: “Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him” (Heb. 2:8b). So then, Christ’s Second Coming is necessary to conclusively demonstrating his redemptive victory for all to see.
Second, the Second Coming completes the plan of God for history.
- Though Christ legally secured the defeat of sin, death, and the devil in the first century, all three evils remain with us (Rom. 7:18-25; 1 Peter 5:8-9). They have been vanquished legally before the judicial bar of God (Col. 1:13-14; 2:13-15). They are being vanquished historically through the continuing progress of the gospel (Acts 26:18; 1 Cor. 15:20-23). They will be vanquished eternally at the Second Advent of Christ (Rom. 8:18-25; Rev. 20:10-15).
- One of the tragic consequences of hyper-preterism is its leaving sin and death operating in the Universe so that God must endure their presence forever and ever. However, the Scriptures teach that history will be concluded with a final, permanent vanquishing of evil. “The last enemy to be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26).
- Thus, Christ’s Second Coming brings history to an appropriate conclusion.
Third, the Second Coming balances the theology of God in Scripture.
- This glorious doctrine not only finalizes Christ’s redemptive victory (pouring eternal glory on his redeeming love) and completes the plan of God (demonstrating divine wisdom in his creational plan). But it also provides us with a full-orbed system of doctrine balancing out majestic biblical truths.
- Were it not for the Second Advent:
• We would have a creation (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3) without a consummation (Acts 3:20-21; Rev. 20:11), resulting in an open-ended Universe (1 Cor. 15:23-24).• We would have a world eternally groaning (Rom. 8:22; 2 Cor. 5:1-4), without any glorious perfection (Rom. 8:21).
• We would have a Savior quietly departing (Luke 24:50-52; 1 Cor. 15:5-8), without any victorious demonstration of complete victory over sin (Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10-11).
• We would have a redemption spiritually focused (Rom. 8:10; Eph.1:3), without a physical dimension (Rom. 8:11; 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
• We would have a Redeemer bodily ascended (Acts 1:8-11; Col. 2:9), without any physical family (1 Cor. 15:20–28; Phil. 3:20-21).
• We would have a gospel continually necessary (Matt. 28:19; Acts 1:8), without any final completion (Matt. 28:20; 1 Cor. 15:24).
Truly, the Second Coming is a “blessed hope” upon which we must carefully focus.
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Jason Robertson is a husband and a father and a pastor. He is dedicated to leading and equipping his the Church with God’s word and biblical theology for life ministry, using a combination of pastoral, church planting and evangelism experience. He holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is experienced in church planting, evangelism, missions, and the training of pastors and Bible teachers.
Jason has been preaching the gospel since 1985, serving the first ten years of ministry as a Southern Baptist itinerant evangelist out of Milldale Baptist Church in Zachary, LA which ordained him in 1993. He has preached in hundreds of churches in over 30 States and 4 countries. He planted churches in Siberia, Russia in the summers of 1993 and 1994. He founded Murrieta Valley Church in California, which he planted in cooperation with the SBC NAMB in 2001. He also teaches ministry students at California Baptist University.
You can hear his sermons and read his manuscripts on sermonaudio.com. Just follow the link to "sermons" at the top of this page.
Question (this is like when you raised your hand at Sizzler) on 1 Cor 15: 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. I first asked:
1. When and to whom was he writing
2.How would of they understood Paul (boh Jews and gentiles received the letter)
3. Who were His enemies at that time??
4.How woud they understood the “last enemy” death?
Using the “analogy of faith” I want to concentrate on the last two questions. I have four cross references listed in my bible:
Psalm 110 (which is quoted posibbly up to 30 times in the NT as fulfilled in Christ) 1 The LORD said to my Lord,
“Sit at My right hand,
Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”
2 The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion.
Rule in the midst of Your enemies!
3 Your people shall be volunteers
In the day of Your power;
In the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning,
You have the dew of Your youth.
4 The LORD has sworn
And will not relent,
“You are a priest forever
According to the order of Melchizedek.”
5 The Lord is at Your right hand;
He shall execute kings in the day of His wrath.
6 He shall judge among the nations,
He shall fill the places with dead bodies,
He shall execute the heads of many countries.
7 He shall drink of the brook by the wayside;
Therefore He shall lift up the head.
2 Timothy 1:10 (New King James Version)
10 but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
Isaiah 25:8 (New King James Version)
8 He will swallow up death forever,
And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces;
The rebuke of His people
He will take away from all the earth;
For the LORD has spoken.
Revelation 20:14 (New King James Version)
14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.[a]
The enemies of the early church during the transition period were the Jews. I believe that is un contested. Paul makes this clear in many passages (I can list if need be) A good exegesis on Psalm 110 is all AD 70. If we need to go over that we can. THe rebuke of His people in Isa. 25:8 is AD 70. Using solid exegesis and the analogy of faith we can conclude that His enemies were the Jews at the time this was written. It was the Jews that persecuted the Thessalonians, Philippians, and in the book of Acts.
Now on to 2 Tim 1:10 Paul quotes that death was abolished (past tense) at the appearing of Jesus. and He brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Obviously people are still physcially dieing today so He s not refering to physical death (every man is appointed to die once then the judgment). In staying consistant with the old testament in Hosea 13, Isa 25,29; Deut 28-32 etc…death is a seperation from God it is not physical. Any good solid exegesis of these texts will reveal this. The Jews considered themselves dead when they were in bondage and they were resurrected when they came out of bondage. When we allow scripture to intrepret scripture we can see that 2tim 1:10 is a relational death and not physical.
It seems to me that we are forcing a view into the text here (postmil) and doing exegetical eisegesis and creating a conumdrum by not properly using the analogy of faith.
Your thoughts here?
Thank you,
Todd
Remember in Acts 3 that Peter says all the OT prophets spoke concerning of their day not ours!! Unless I am reading this incorrectly