THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
Matthew 24:49-31
Mark 12:26-27Luke 21:24-28
Upon completion of the great tribulation the Son of Man will
return to earth in all His Glory. This is the climax of prophecy, as well as
history. This passage is rooted in the Old Testament. The expression “in those
days,” used in Mark’s gospel, “is an Old Testament stereotype associated with
eschatological events.”[1] It
must be interpreted in that context of end-time events.
Certain events are associated with the second coming of
Christ. Christ now draws them to our attention. Although there are a number of
events, they all happen “immediately” upon His return to earth to set up His
kingdom here on earth.
CELESTIAL DISTURBANCES
Celestial disturbances have always had a prophetic
significance in Scripture. The Old Testament is full of predictions of these
types of disturbances, especially in connection with the Day of the Lord
(Isaiah 13:10; Ezekiel 32:7; Joel 2:10, 31; 3:15-16). The celestial
disturbances cause the sun, moon and stars to fail to give light to the earth.
The New Testament continues these predictions concerning the end-time events
(Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12-13; 8:12). These disturbances take place at the second
coming of Christ, “immediately after the
tribulation of those days.”
Luke reveals the impact these commotions will have on earth.
They will cause great dismay or distress (Luke 21:25). The Greek word is sunoche, meaning anguish. Marshall
say the word was used in connection with Greek astrological signs, indicating
“dismay caused by unfavorable omens.”[2]
Anguish is acute mental or physical suffering. In case of these heavenly
commotions it will be both mental and physical. In the book of Revelation, such
commotion is described in the context of great physical suffering (Revelation
8:10-12; 16:9). In Matthew 24 the anguish is from the sudden realization by
those who are lost that they had rejected and fought against truth and the true
Messiah. This anguish is accompanied by perplexity. The word in the Greek, aporia, means to be without
resources; to be at a loss; to be at wits end. They will be in great anguish
and at a loss for a solution, for there will be no solution for them because
they have rejected the only resource and solution for their salvation:
acceptance by faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:16-18).
These events will be so distressing that there will be “men fainting from fear and the expectation
of the things which are coming upon the earth” (Luke 21:26). They will be
scared to death. The Greek word for “fainting
from fear” is apopsucho,
literally meaning “to stop breathing” thus to faint.[3] It
is vital that we remember that these are signs “of God’s power and overruling
providence…are a terror only to the faithless.”[4]
The believing remnant will have no reason to fear, but to rejoice in the coming
of Christ. To them it will be a day of glory. The redeemed will be excited
because these signs will signal their final and physical redemption.
THE SIGN OF THE SON OF MAN
Matthew 24:30 says “then
the sign of the Son of Man will appear.” Neither Mark nor Luke refers to
this sign. The exact identification of the sign is not clearly given, but is
simply stated in the text. There have been many suggestions given about the
identification of this sign. Some suggest it is the sign of the cross in the
heavens; others suggest it is the Shekinah glory; while others take it to be
the appearing of Christ Himself. The best interpretation is that it is the
appearing of Christ Himself. There are two main reasons for this: First, this
verse alludes to Daniel 7:13, the context of which is the coming of Christ.
Second, there is no distinction between the sign and the coming. These things
happen together. Plus, the grammar suggests there is no distinction between the
sign and His appearance. Lenski says: “Why seek for a distinction? In v.3, ‘the
sign of thy Parousia and the complete finish of the eon’ as the two genitives
indicate, refer to the comprehensive signs that foretell that Parousia and the
end. In ‘the sign of the son of man’ the genitive is subjective; the sign by
which he shows his presence; not objective; the sign which points to him as
being about to come. The stress is on the verbs, all of them are placed forward
for this reason…. And the first and the last are correlative: ‘there shall
appear,’ and, of course, at once all the tribes of the earth ‘shall see these.’
No sign, say a glowing, dazzling light shall hang over the earth for a shorter
or a longer period after which the Son shall arrive. All will be one grand act:
the Son’s manifestation in glory will be what the tribes see.”[5]
THE COMING OF CHRIST AS DELIVERER
The coming of Christ will be visible, powerful, and with
great splendor. Acts 1:11 tell us that when Christ returns it will be in the
same manner as He left this earth. He left from the Mount of Olives in the
clouds and He returns there in the clouds. Although only the disciples saw Him
leave, all men will see His return. In the age of telecommunication we have a
better understanding of how this can happen. Events can be seen instantly from
around the world today. The word “coming”
suggests a physical and visible event. The Greek word is parousia. The word is used of the coming
of Christ not only in Matthew 24, but 1 Corinthians 2:19; 3:13; 4:15; 5:23; 2
Thessalonians 2:1, 8; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 1:16; and 1 John 2:28. Braumann says
the word denotes presence on one hand, and on the other hand, arrival. He says
“the noun is used for the arrival of a ruler, a king, emperor, or even troops.”[6]
The word however is not unique nor a technical term for the
second coming. C.F. baker points out that it can be used of the rapture: “…it
is not a technical term in Scripture for a singular coming of Christ. Since
Christ will come for the Body and be present with the Body, and since He will
come to earth and be present on earth, the word parousia can be used with equal
fitness for either event.”[7] It
is a mistake to take the term exclusively for the second coming of Christ.
Likewise it is a mistake to combine the truth of the rapture with the second
coming of Christ. The second coming has special reference to the nation Israel.
The rapture applies to the Church, the Body of Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 4:13-18).
The rapture happens before the tribulation.
What happens at the end of the tribulation almost
exclusively deals with Israel and the setting up of the Kingdom on earth. The
second coming is the physical, visible coming of Christ to rule and reign for
1000 years on earth. Christ is described as coming to earth “in a cloud with
power and great glory” (Luke 21:27). Clouds are a common motif for divine
presence. The word “power” is evident from the events described as Christ
returns (Mark 13:24-27; Revelation 20:11).
There are some that claim that the parousia somehow took
place in 70 A.D. Tasker claims: “The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple was
indeed a divine visitation, which one familiar with the language of Jewish
prophecy could describe as the coming of the Son of man on the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory.”[8]
This seems to me to be a disregard for the normal, customary usage of language. In response Marshall denotes: “…the cosmic signs cannot be interpreted as purely political events, there is no evidence that Daniel 7:13 was applied to different stages of the vindication of the Son of man, and nothing in the context leads us to believe that an unusual sense is to be found here, in fact the clear temporal sequence (Mark 13:24, 26) suggests that an event after the fall of Jerusalem is in mind.”[9]
THE GATHERING OF THE ELECT
At the second coming of Christ, the tribulation will end, and the Messianic Kingdom will be ushered in on the earth. It will begin with the gathering together of God’s people from the four corner of the earth (Matthew 24:31). The elect referred to here is the faithful remnant of Israel as promised by the covenants and the prophets (Leviticus 26:44-45; Isaiah 11:11-16; Jeremiah 16:14-15). The Scripture suggests that Israel has a future scattering because of the anger of Satan and the desolation of the temple (cf. Matthew 24:15-16). Many of Israel will not have returned to the land because of theses events. But at this time all will be regathered as fulfillment of Old Testament promises (Deuteronomy 30:3-4; Ezekiel 20:37-38; 37:1-14).
[1] C.E.B. Cranfield, “St. Mark 13,” SCOTTISH
JOURNAL OF THEOLOGY 7: 301.
[2] I. Howard Marshall, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, 775.
[3] Ibid, 775.
[4] W.F. Albright and C.S. Mann, MATTHEW, 258.
[5] R.C.H. Lenski, MATTHEW, 948.
[6] G. Braumann, “Present,” THE NEW INTERNATIONAL
DICTIONARY OF NEW TESTAMENT THEOLOGY, 2:898.
[7] C.F. Baker, A DISPENSATIONAL THEOLOGY, 614.
[8] R.V.G. Tasker, TNTC:MATTHEW, 226-227.
[9] Marshall, 776-777.
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