The End Times & Prophecy: Jesus Second Coming Has Two Distinct Parts

Now we come to one final aspect of the end times that are the source of some confusion.

We must remember that Jesus is speaking of the end times and final judgment and that Israel is primarily in view, not the Church.

Prior to His sufferings, death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus mentioned the church once.

Matthew 16:16-18  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. 17  And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. 18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 

Jesus only mentioned the Church once when He told Peter that He would build His Church and Satan's attacks will not prevail against it.

Jesus began building His church on the day of Pentecost in Acts chapter two.

Right before Jesus ascended to heaven, His disciples still thought Israel would receive the long promised kingdom.

Acts 1:6-8  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power. 8  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. 

We must also remember the question Peter asked Jesus before He ascended to His Father in heaven.

"Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"

Peter reflected the Jewish perspective that Christ would come again in great power to establish the Messianic kingdom of God on earth.

Clearly, the church was going to be something new, something very different from God's plan for Israel.

Peter and the other disciples had no idea about the Church at this point in time.

When the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, thousands of people, mostly Jews, were born again and the age of Christ's Church began.

Acts 2:16-21  But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; 17  And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: 18  And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: 19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: 20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come: 21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. 

Peter was filled with the Holy Ghost and preached his first sermon.

With the phrase "this is that" Peter was guided to connect speaking the gospel in other languages with the prophecy of Joel.

As I previously pointed out, this is a prophecy that had a partial fulfillment in Acts 2, but will have a full realization when the day of the LORD comes.

We know this is true because the sun was not turned into darkness, the moon did not appear as blood red. 

There was no fire breaking out on the earth nor were there any earthquakes.

Thus, Peter's sermon and three thousand souls saved that day mark the beginning of Christ's church.

However, its doctrines and purpose was still a mystery that was not fully revealed until the apostle Paul's ministry.

Some churches have wrongly taught that the church replaced Israel, which is what the terms "supersessionism" or "replacement theology" refer to.

This is simply not true and there are a large number of prophecies concerning the end times and Israel that have yet to be fulfilled.

In addition, Paul spent three chapters in the book of Romans demonstrating that God is not done with Israel (See Romans 9-11).

At this point in the book of Acts, the gospel has gone exclusively to the Jewish people but a mighty turn of events took place in Acts 10.

Peter was directed by the Spirit of God to go visit a Gentile, a Roman centurion who resided at Caesarea.

When Cornelius and all his household heard the gospel of Christ and the Spirit of God fell upon all who heard the message, just as He fell upon the 120 disciples at Pentecost.

The same gospel that the Jews responded to is the same gospel Peter shared with Gentiles, and the results were the same. 

Those Gentiles spoke of the things of God in foreign languages just as the Jews in Jerusalem did at Pentecost.

Ephesians 3:1-7  For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2  If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3  How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4  Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5  Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6  That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7  Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 

Jesus chose Paul to reveal this great mystery about the church that was hid in God in eternity past.

Thus, we rejoice and marvel at the wisdom of God to hide His plan of salvation so that His enemy the Devil was powerless to stop it.

God gave Paul the revelation of this great mystery which was hidden to the extent that the Old Testament prophets did not even know that there would be a church.

We live in the age of the church of Jesus Christ and the time of preaching the gospel, sowing the good seed of God's Word into other people's lives.

Ephesians 3:8-10  Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9  And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10  To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, 11  According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord: 

The apostle continues extolling the wisdom of God that ordained these things.

This saving gospel of Christ was being preached to Jews and Gentiles alike, and the Jews were stunned to discover that God planned to save Gentiles.

Both Jew an Gentile often had a deep seated prejudice against each other, that frequently ended in threats and confrontations.

The duty of every pastor, parent and church leader is to labor to make all men hear the glorious gospel of salvation through faith in Christ.

Notice, Paul tells us that this gospel was indeed, a mystery "hid in God" before creation, in eternity past.

I take time to share these truths with you, because there is confusion around the second coming of Christ.

Some say the church will go through the seven year tribulation period and others say not.

The confusion is a result of taking something that speaks about Israel's future, and applying it to Christians and Christ's church.

Luke 21:25-28  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27  And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. 28  And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh. 

Jesus will speak about the signs that accompany His second coming in Matthew's gospel.

Luke's gospel tells us that there will be signs such as the sun being darkened and the moon refusing to shine.

There will be earthquakes and powerful waves will roil the oceans.

Men's hearts shall be filled with fear and the powers of heaven will be shaken, because the Devil's rebellion against God will be crushed.

There will be other signs, but this coming of Christ is marked by Jesus bring final judgment upon all evil people and those who reject the gospel message.

Paul tells us Christ will come in flaming fire, taking vengeance upon those who do not know God and who rejected the gospel of His Son.

This is a fiery return of Christ such that all sinners will cry out to the mountains to bury them because they cannot abide the fierce countenance of the King and Judge, Jesus Christ.

Is the Church going through the wrath of God being poured out on a Christ rejecting, antichrist following world?

1 Thessalonians 1:10  And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

The Holy Spirit, speaking through Paul, specifically says the Church, those who are in Christ, are delivered from the wrath to come.

The wrath to come is that final judgment of God often called the Day of the LORD.

Christ's Church composed of all individual Christians alive at that time, have been delivered.

The past tense is used to show us that this deliverance is already accomplished for us.

1 Thessalonians 5:8-10  But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. 9  For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, 10  Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. 

Paul continues by reminding Christians that we must be sober and put on the gospel armor God provided (See Ephesians 6:10-20).

We are to live for Christ each day that He gives us breath.

We are to be of the mind that if Christ calls us home to heaven through death, then all is well with our soul.

If He grants us more days then we have more opportunities to love and serve Him, and it is well with our soul.

Take note of the apostle's words: "God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by repentant faith in Jesus Christ."

We are delivered from the wrath to come because God has not appointed us to wrath.

Yet, there will be those who are alive when Jesus comes in flaming fire to judge the wicked, and they are instructed to look upward because their redemption draws nigh.

These are not the wicked ones who will experience the flaming judgment fires of Christ.

These will be mostly Jewish people, a faithful remnant who did not take the mark of the beast and who did not worship antichrist.

The second coming of Christ has two distinct phases, separated by about seven years.

Jesus will come back at the rapture of His Church and the resurrection of life (See 1 Corinthians 15:50-58; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18).

The dead in Christ shall rise first, and then all living Christians will be caught up in the air with Christ and the resurrected saints, and He will take us home to heaven.

There is no fire, no judgment, no darkened sun or moon, no powerful earthquakes or raging seas because the second coming of Christ for His Church is different that His coming for Israel and the Jewish people.

May these truths open our understanding of the end times and last days that Jesus is teaching us about.

Bob