™
No subject has been more abused in evangelical Christianity
than the issue of Christ's return. Frequently world affairs have been
looked to for signs of the end, in expectation of guidance as to when
Christ will return, to the humiliation of the Church of Jesus. Yet, the
Lord gave clear guidance in His word. |
||||||||||||||||||
The Bible tells us that at Christ's Ascension God
the Father said to Him – |
||||||||||||||||||
| "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet" | Psalm 110:1. | |||||||||||||||||
This statement of God establishes a primary precondition
for Jesus' return to this earth. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
The New Testament reaffirms this precondition, in
saying that after Jesus had become the sacrifice for our sin –
|
||||||||||||||||||
| "He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from-that-time-onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet". | Hebrews 10:12-13. | |||||||||||||||||
|
But how will
God make Christ's enemies to be "a footstool for His feet"
for His Return?
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Well, the same root-Scripture in this context answers this question – | ||||||||||||||||||
| "Your people will offer themselves willingly in the day of Your power" | Psalm 110:3. | |||||||||||||||||
It is through Christ's own people, who are His physical
presence on this earth – His 'body', that God will subdue Christ's enemies
to Him in the day of His power. |
||||||||||||||||||
| So, when will this "day of Your power" begin? | ||||||||||||||||||
| It has already begun! | Matthew 26:64. (Note: this "and coming..." is the concluding climax of the revelation of Christ's power). |
|||||||||||||||||
|
When on trial just before His crucifixion, Jesus
answered the Jewish high priest by saying to him –
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
"From now [απ αρτι, ap arti, from-now-on]
you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of
Power
and coming on the clouds of Heaven." |
||||||||||||||||||
| Jesus had referred prophetically to the giving of His authority to His people as – | ||||||||||||||||||
|
"I have given
you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions,
and over all the power
of the enemy; and nothing shall hurt you"
|
Luke 10:19 | |||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
In presenting this teaching Christ attributed this
ministry of the church to the Holy Spirit, for the Spirit is the source
of any true spiritual ministry that the church has in this world; and
ministry without the Spirit of God is not Christian ministry.
|
||||||||||||||||||
| "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. And when He comes, He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: • concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; • concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see Me no longer; • concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take what is Mine and declare it to you." |
John 16:7-14. | |||||||||||||||||
|
So – Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would convict this world through Christ's
Church of –
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
These three words are not Christ's
summary of the Holy Spirit's ministry in general, as has so often been
taught, nor do these three words describe the Spirit's ministry to individual
believers! The Lord is very specific that these three words describe the Holy Spirit's ministry –
TO THE WORLD. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Not by a ministry independent
of the believers, for this world neither knows the Holy Spirit nor can
it receive the Spirit. It is the mission of the Spirit THROUGH Christ's
own disciples, the Church; that is, the disciples, who were at this stage
still to receive the Holy Spirit.
|
||||||||||||||||||
In other words, in this statement
the Lord Jesus summarized the WHOLE future history of the Christian Church's
ministry; summarized it as God sees Christ's Church (not as any historian
would describe Church history). |
||||||||||||||||||
|
This then is Christ's ministry in it's continuation through the believers simply because the Spirit is given
to them.
|
||||||||||||||||||
This ministry is defined under these three terms
as Christ Himself explained and gave content to the three words (and
not as preachers often speculate with these words). |
||||||||||||||||||
| It is for THIS reason that Jesus said – | ||||||||||||||||||
| "it is to YOUR ADVANTAGE that I go away" | ||||||||||||||||||
|
– for otherwise the Spirit would not come to them in
that relationship which He the Spirit had had with Jesus, for the continuance
in history of this unique ministry of the Lord Jesus (Jn.16:7).
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
OK. But, if Christ's "people" really are the channel of Christ's authority in this
world to subdue His "enemies", how will this affect the time of Christ's Return?
|
||||||||||||||||||
| The apostle Paul expressed a holy principle of God when he wrote – | ||||||||||||||||||
|
"We are ready
to punish ALL disobedience
WHEN YOUR OBEDIENCE IS COMPLETE"
|
2 Corinthians 10:6. | |||||||||||||||||
|
In other words, Christ's Return
in judgment will not happen before the completed obedience of Christ's
people. And this "obedience" very specially includes Christ's
command to spread His good news. Therefore Jesus said –
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
"THIS Gospel
shall be preached to ALL the world to EVERY nation
and THEN the End will come"
|
Matthew 24:14. | |||||||||||||||||
| The completion of this holy task sets the time of Christ's Return! | ||||||||||||||||||
| Yes, "then" and only "then" will our blessed Lord return! So – the 'when?' is therefore the 'then!' | ||||||||||||||||||
| The Apostle Paul affirmed the vital need for a spiritually mature Church in order to complete this task when he wrote that the Spirit-gifted leadership of the Christian Church must continue – | ||||||||||||||||||
| "UNTIL – WE –
ALL attain to the unity of the Faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" |
Ephesians 4:13. | |||||||||||||||||
A spiritually mature people of God will not be intimidated
and will confront the kingdom of Antichrist in Christian victory. Jesus
taught His apocalyptic minded disciples this principle in the model prayer
–
|
||||||||||||||||||
| "Thy Kingdom COME, Thy will be done ON EARTH as it is in Heaven" | Matthew 6:10. | |||||||||||||||||
The second clause of this sentence simply applies
the first. This is more than a pious wish! It means that His Kingdom will
NOT come without God's will being done on earth by God's people! |
||||||||||||||||||
Thus – it is not we who are
kept waiting by Christ, it is He who awaits our obedience! |
||||||||||||||||||
| Accordingly, the Apostle Peter describes Christian obedience as – | ||||||||||||||||||
|
"HASTENING THE COMING
of the Day of God"
|
2 Peter 3:12. | |||||||||||||||||
|
Christ's ascension to the right hand of the Father,
(referred to Psalm 110:1 quoted above) established a position for EVERY
Christian in God's relationship to us. So in principle, as far as God
is concerned (and that means in EVERY effective prayer before the Throne), we were –
|
||||||||||||||||||
| "seated in Christ in the heavenlies, that, in the coming ages [of human history], He might SHOW FORTH the immeasurable riches of His grace toward US in Christ Jesus" | Ephesians 2:6,7. | |||||||||||||||||
|
Satanic activity (including its climax in Antichrist's
world rule) is always accountable before the Throne of the Most High,
in whom all authority resides. Satan's only role before the Throne is
as the 'Accuser of the Brethren'. For this reason Jesus instructed that
the critical need for Christian workers MUST be dealt with before the
Throne in prayer –
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
"When He saw the
crowds, He had compassion for them ...Then He said to His disciples
'The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers
are few;
PRAY therefore the LORD of the harvest to send out labourers into HIS harvest'."
|
Matthew 9:36-38; Luke 10:1,2. |
|||||||||||||||||
| The Sign of the End | ||||||||||||||||||
How will we know when this has all been done and
the "full number of the Gentiles has come in"? (Rom.11:25).
How will we know? |
||||||||||||||||||
|
Jesus described this sign as the action of Satan.
He used Israel's experience of Antiochus Epiphanes defiling the temple
sanctuary in Jerusalem (prophesied by Daniel) as the pointer to this final
sacrilege –
|
||||||||||||||||||
| "So when you see the abomination of desolation spoken about by Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)" | Matthew 24:15. | |||||||||||||||||
|
What did Matthew mean that the reader should understand
in Christ's reference? Simply Israel's historical experience with Antiochus
IV! Jesus had just prophesied a little earlier the total destruction of
Israel's temple (Mat.24:2), and here He describes its yet future defilement
as being the sign of the end and visible coming of His kingdom.
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
Two days before this, Jesus had publicly mourned
Jerusalem's unbelief and declared that He would not come to them again,
until –
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
"Look, your house
is left to you desolate!
For I tell you, you will not see Me from now until you say,
'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!' "
|
Matthew 23:38-39. | |||||||||||||||||
This would require radical spiritual change in Israel
as a nation – a national yearning for the true messiah. What shock could
bring this about that had not worked nationally during Christ's own ministry
among them? |
||||||||||||||||||
When Satan has finally failed in his effort to prevent
Christ's people coming to spiritual maturity and completing their mission,
because he can no longer do anything effective against them he turns in
anger to the root of Christianity, its Jewish roots, to claim status for
his deception at its heart – the Jerusalem temple sanctuary. |
||||||||||||||||||
|
The Apostle Paul also made reference to the same
sign. Concerning the future rapture of all believers at Christ's coming,
he writes –
|
||||||||||||||||||
"Let no one deceive
you in any way. For that day will not arrive until the rebellion
comes and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction.
He opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object
of worship, and as a result he takes his seat in God's temple, displaying
himself as God." |
2 Thess.2:3-4. | |||||||||||||||||
| Therefore – | ||||||||||||||||||
| “you are NOT in
darkness, brethren, for that Day to surprise you like a thief.
For you are all children of Light, children of the Day.
...So then let us NOT sleep” |
1 Thess.5:4,5 | |||||||||||||||||
