When Is Jesus Returning

Signs Of The Second Coming: 11 Reasons Jesus Will Return in Our Lifetime: Gillette, Britt: 9781500792787: Amazon.com: Books

The Rance Allen Group’s Something About the Name Jesus (featuring Kirk Franklin) – Producer’s Remix (featuring Kirk Franklin) is a song written by The Rance Allen Group, who also sang it. Young People, Hallejuah! Dancing for Jesus is perfectly acceptable, but we must never lose sight of our origins. Consequently, please allow me to conduct a little church service right now. It Has Something to Do With Jesus’s Name It Has Something to Do With Jesus’s Name To be honest, it’s the most adorable name I’ve ever heard.

Oh, How I Delight in the Name of Christ.

While others may think I’m insane, the power that I feel when I call your name is beyond description.

There is a movement of the Holy Spirit, and it will not be ignored.

  • Oh, How I Delight in the Name of Christ.
  • To be honest, it’s the most adorable name I’ve ever heard.
  • It Has Something to Do With Jesus’s Name The Name Jesus has a special meaning to me; it is the sweetest name I know.
  • Oh, how I adore the name Jesus; it is the most beautiful name I have ever heard.

From the Back Cover

The Rance Allen Group’s Something About the Name Jesus (featuring Kirk Franklin) – Producer’s Remix (featuring Kirk Franklin) is a song written by The Rance Allen Group. Youths of the Hallejuah Dancing for Jesus is perfectly OK, but we must never forget where we came from. So excuse me while we have a little church service right now. There Is Something Special About the Name Jesus There Is Something Special About the Name Jesus It’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard. Oh, How I Delight in the Name of Jesus!

  • It’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard.
  • The Holy Ghost is on the move, and it isn’t going to leave me alone.
  • Oh, How I Delight in the Name of Jesus!
  • It’s the most beautiful name I’ve ever heard.

There Is Something Special About the Name Jesus Something about the name Jesus It is the most beautiful name I have ever heard. Oh, How I Delight in the Name of Jesus! Oh, how I like the name Jesus. It is the sweetest name I have ever heard. Kirk Franklin is the author(s) of this piece.

5 Things The Bible Says About Jesus’ Return

When it comes to the end of the world and Jesus’ second coming, there appears to be considerable skepticism and ambiguity regarding what to expect when Jesus returns. Despite the fact that we will never fully understand God’s plan for the end times, He has made promises to us in His written Word regarding what will happen at that time. According to Billy Graham, the end “shall occur with the coming of Jesus Christ. It is for this reason that a Christian can be an optimist. That is why a Christian may have a positive attitude despite all that is going on.

Don’t trust anybody who tells you, “There He is, out in the wilderness,” or “Here He is, in the inner chambers,” or “There He is, in the inner rooms,” or “There He is,” or “There He is.” Because, just as lightning that comes from the east is seen even in the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be apparent even in the east.

  1. And there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity due to the roaring of the sea and the waves, and people will faint with fear and foreboding of what is about to befall the world.
  2. And then they will see the Son of Man appearing in a cloud, surrounded by tremendous power and glory.
  3. Luke 21:25-28 (KJV) (ESV) However, no one, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father, is aware of what day or hour it will be.
  4. Matthew 25:13 (NIV) As a result, Christ will visit a second time, this time not to deal with sin, but to save those who are anxiously awaiting His return.
  5. Even so, it’s a good thing.
  6. Revelation 1:7 (New International Version) (ESV)

Unsettling signs of Jesus’ return

Following up on what I shared with you last Friday, Jesus provided His people with indicators that would allow them to know when the time of his return was approaching. Take a look with me at Matthew 24 of God’s Word as we study the indications that He has given us. 4th and 5th verses “.be careful that no one deceives you. ” For many will come in My name, claiming to be Christ, and many will be deceived by their claims.” The following are citations from Wikipedia: List of Messiah Claimants and List of People Claimed to Be Jesus.

  1. 6th and 7th verses “Moreover, you will hear of wars and rumors of wars; take care that you are not alarmed: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” Because “country will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,” as the saying goes.
  2. This is the first and most crucial subject I want you to focus on completely and completely.
  3. Psalms 61:1-5 and 62:6-8 are other good verses to hold on to.
  4. “He alone is my rock and my salvation,” I declare.
  5. According to the facts and numbers – taken from the Wikipedia list of continuing armed conflicts – if you only consider conflicts that have resulted in at least 100 deaths in the last two years, there are now 32 wars involving 64 nations.
  6. And, according to verse 7, “famines, pestilences, and earthquakes will be experienced in many (other) locations.” adapted from Wikipedia – famines From 1980 until the present, around 3,000,000 people have died as a result of starvation.
  7. Pestilence is defined as “any virulent (deadly) sickness” according to Webster’s dictionary.

Is anyone still remembering the Ebola outbreak in 2012?

As reported by the World Health Organization, the total number of fatalities due to malaria, cholera, measles, hepatitis B, influenza, and rotavirus in a single year totals 1,504,200.

I used the important earthquakes list on usgs.gov to do my study, focusing on earthquakes with magnitudes of 6.0 and above.

earthquakes have occurred five times more frequently in the first ten years of the twenty-first century than in the first ten years of the twentieth century!

According to Open Doors USA, the most recent available numbers reveal that there were 2,983 recorded Christian martyr killings in the year 2019.

(intentional homicide).

According to the FBI’s crime in the United States report, there were 1,203,808 instances of violent crime in the country in 2019.

Take into consideration the cold-blooded death of innocent infants as well.

God has not ceased counting, despite the fact that America has.

Please, don’t give up hope, my friends.

“Thou will maintain him in perfect peace, whose mind is remained on thee: because he trusts in thee,” reads Isaiah 26:3, in reference to a person whose attention is fixed on God.

Next week, I’ll share with you some encouraging news about “the excellent indicators.” God’s blessings and protection upon you as you pursue him. At Rocky Ford Christian Church in Cana, Virginia, George Randall Jr. serves as the minister to the young people.

Is Jesus Coming Soon?

The question, “Is Christ returning soon?” was posed to me early in the pandemic’s progression. In the wake of huge, catastrophic catastrophes – whether caused by humans (wars, anarchy, genocide, widespread human depravity, global economic recessions) or by “acts of God” – this is a genuine issue that is frequently raised by the public (earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, drought, blood moons, and yes, pandemics). What caught my attention was the word’soon’ that was put on at the end of the inquiry.

  • When Jesus appeared in the final book of the Bible, in the final chapter, He said: “Behold, I am coming shortly.
  • In these statements, and whenever the subject of His second coming was brought up, the Lord and the Scripture authors highlighted how we should live in light of the truth of His coming, rather than the time of His arrival.
  • His arrival will take place without undue delay and at the precise moment determined by the Lord.
  • The inquiry, “Is Jesus coming soon?” may indicate that a person is interested in knowing whether or not they should begin to take their connection with the Lord more seriously.
  • So, if He is not coming soon, we may probably relax and go about our business as if there is no pressing need to attend to.

In addition to providing us with some indications of what life will be like as we get closer to the end of history, Jesus also directed us away from fruitless speculation about when He would return and toward fruitful living in which we are prepared at all times to meet Him when He does come back again.

  • Christ’s return, regardless of when it occurs, offers us with the comfort that Satan will be defeated in the end.
  • Satan does not have the last say, and we are united with the Lord of Hosts in our pursuit of triumph.
  • The most important thing to remember about Jesus’ second coming is that we must be prepared.
  • Instead, they were to serve as His witnesses all across the globe, according to the Bible (Act 1:6-8).

2For people will be lovers of themselves and lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,3heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, lacking self-control, brutal, not loving good,4treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,5having the outward appearance of godliness but denying its power Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:1-5.

However, it is not our role to criticize or condemn the world, but rather to show witness to Christ via our gracious words and compassionate acts.

Yes!

9I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people—10not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, because then you would have to leave the world—because you would have to leave the world if you continued to associate with them.

  1. 1 Corinthians 5:9-11 is a biblical passage.
  2. If this is the case, then the sin must be dealt with in a kind and honest manner, as well.
  3. However, if the individual is a nonbeliever, we do not distance ourselves from them; rather, we become acquainted with them, love them, share with them, and minister to them!
  4. We are unable to cope with our own sins, but we are eager to point out the sins of the rest of the world to others.
  5. Christians are frequently obliged to maintain God’s righteousness by denouncing the sins of the world, and this is understandable.
  6. He wasn’t implying that adultery was okay; rather, he was demonstrating the power of mercy triumphing over the force of justice.

If we want to be salt in a decaying world and light in a darkening world, we must prepare ourselves by becoming salt and light in a world that is descending into darkness. Let us go and make disciples of all nations.

Jesus’ return – the Second Coming

According to Christian belief, Jesus Christ will return at some point in the future, and when this occurs, everyone will be informed of it. His reappearance is referred to as the Second Coming. It will be a remarkable and unparalleled event in history, in stark contrast to his first appearance in Bethlehem as a defenseless infant. There are hints in the Bible about what it could be like, but there is no indication as to when it will occur. In the days leading up to his crucifixion in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, Jesus talked of his return to the earth.

  1. ‘ This same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will return in the exact same way that you have witnessed him ascend into heaven.’ The final hours of Jesus’ earthly life also provide a hint concerning the Second Coming.
  2. During that time period, he was seen by more than 500 individuals.
  3. The ascension of Jesus is the name given to this occurrence.
  4. According to the book of Acts, they assured the disciples that ‘this same Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven would come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’ would return in the same manner.
  5. Continue reading below.
  6. Jesus had warned his disciples that no one, other than God, could predict the exact moment of his return, but he also instructed them to make certain that they were always prepared in case it did.
  7. Christian scholars have examined passages of the Bible that talk about the future during the centuries that have followed to attempt to determine the conditions under which Jesus would return.
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It is a description of a complicated, lyrical vision that John has received.

It talks not only of the present, but also of the future – including a time when the existing heavens and earth will be destroyed and replaced by a new heaven and a new earth – as well as of the present and past.

Because the old order of things has gone away, there will be no more death, sorrow, weeping, or suffering.

Others believe that all believers, even those who have died, will be immediately evacuated from the world and will join God in heaven, where they will be joined by all other Christians.

According to some interpretations, the allusion to a period of 1,000 years refers to a period of just and peaceful world leadership by the Christian church, which will be followed by a horrific apocalypse involving evil.

There is a third school of thought that holds that the symbolic events described in Revelation do not foreshadow concrete occurrences.

There are several variants on these views, but the Bible instructs Christians not to get obsessed with these events and their timing, but rather to take comfort in the confidence that Jesus will return to make all things new.

‘He will wipe away every tear from their eyes,’ says the Bible, which is virtually its final words. Because the old order of things has gone away, there will be no more death, sorrow, weeping, or suffering.

Why Christians Stopped Talking About Jesus’ Second Coming

This past Sunday marked the beginning of the season of Advent. However, while the season is widely seen as a period of preparation for the celebration of Christ’s birth on Christmas, traditionally, the emphasis has been on the Second Coming of Christ. In Christian theology, the notion of Jesus’ Second Coming has historically been a primary focal point: it has served as a motivating factor for missions, a source of hope for Christians who are suffering, and a framework for Christian worship. Christians, particularly evangelical Christians in the United States, have been affected by discussions of Jesus’ return.

Beginning with Hal Lindsey’sLate Great Planet Earth in the 1970s and continuing through the Left Behind novels of the 1990s, Baby Boomer evangelicalism has been particularly fixated on the End Times.

Quick to Listen this week focused on why that would be the case and how having a firm grasp of the Second Coming might be beneficial as we manage the pandemic and other crises.

Vince Bacote is an assistant professor of theology at Wheaton College, where he also serves as the director of the Center for Applied Christian Ethics.

To talk about why Christians aren’t talking about the Second Coming as much these days, Bacote sat down with global media manager Morgan Lee and editorial director Ted Olsen to discuss how these conversations can benefit us during the pandemic, and what it means to talk about the End Times responsibly.

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When Is Christ Coming?; The Twenty Signs Of the Bible Give Us a Clue (Published 1970)

The New York Times Archives is credited with this image. See the article in its original context from October 2, 1970, on page 34 of the New York Times. Purchase Reprints It is only available to home delivery and digital customers who have access to the TimesMachine. Concerning the Archive This is a scanned version of a story from The Times’s print archive, which was published before the publication of the newspaper’s online edition in 1996. The Times does not modify, edit, or update these stories in order to preserve the integrity of the original publication.

  1. Millions of Americans are engulfed in a frantic quest to predict the future that has taken many by surprise.
  2. I had brunch with Walter Reuther a few of years ago, and it was a great conversation.
  3. “There is one fault,” I pointed out.
  4. There is no evidence in the Bible that a world of progressive development toward a materialistic paradise is in store for mankind.
  5. The term “the end days” or “that day” or “the day” or “the day of the Lord” appears often throughout the Bible, denoting in most cases a “X” time in history during which dramatic events would take place.
  6. The Bible does not teach that the planet or the human race will come to an end at any point in the future.
  7. This fire will consume all that is bad and will prepare the earth for the coming of the Kingdom of God.
  8. Social injustice, war, poverty, sickness, and racism will all be abolished, as will all forms of discrimination.

“Do you believe His return is imminent?” According to Marcel Lin Berthelot, a French scientist who lived in 1860, “Within a hundred years of physical and chemical study, man will understand what the atom is.” “I believe that when science reaches this point, God will descend to the planet with His large ring of keys and announce to humanity, “Gentlemen, it is closing time.'” On one particular morning on the Mount of Olives, while the disciples were alone with Jesus, they both posed the same question: “Tell us, when will these things take place?

  1. What will be the sign of Thy arrival, as well as the indication of the end of the world?” On at least two times, Jesus cautioned them against establishing dates for important events.
  2. Over twenty separate signs left by the prophets, Jesus, and the apostles are to be looked for by those who follow the path laid out for us by God.
  3. To give an example, Jesus described the mental state of the world just preceding His coming.
  4. To be distressed is to be under strain; to be perplexed means to be perplexed and bewildered.
  5. It is also possible that the moral situation of the globe is another example.
  6. In Luke 17:26–27 we read that “they did eat, they drank, they wedded women, and they were given in marriage.” This indicates a collapse in the family unit as well as highly lax morality.
  7. The prophet said that there would be battles and rumors of warfare, since “country would rise up against nation” (Matthew 24:67).

Ultimately, all of these battles will culminate in what is referred to as “the battle of Armageddon.” In addition, the term “peace” is given a tremendous deal of prominence.

Never before has there been so much discussion about peace.

For the first time in history, the Gospel is being broadcasted over the world through radio, television, and the printed page.

In the Bible, it has been predicted that the last events of history and the Second Coming of Christ will be centered around the country of Israel for more than three thousand years.

In Luke 21:24, Jesus predicted that “Jerusalem shall be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles have been fully accomplished.” Numerous passages in the Bible imply that Israel will reclaim the center stage in international events at some point in the future.

It is incorrect and unbiblical to attempt to predict the date of Christ’s second coming.

Nonetheless, the Bible states that He will return to our planet.

So communism does not have a future in the modern day! Capitalism does not have a future in this century! God is in charge of the future!

The Second Coming of Christ

It is our belief that Christ will return a second time; Our Lord’s return from the heavenly realm will be personal, visible, and spectacular; it is a joyful hope for which we should keep vigilant and pray continuously. Prior to establishing His reign on earth, Jesus will return to gather His Church, an event known as the “Rapture” in the Christian community. At that point, the dead in Christ will be resurrected to life, and those who are alive will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and be with Him for all ever.

  • Those who have died in Christ will be raised from the dead in a body that will be comparable to Christ’s glorified body, with their redeemed souls and spirits being joined with the body of Christ.
  • 3This anticipation serves as a source of inspiration for leading a holy life as well as a source of consolation.
  • Five years after the Church has been caught up in the Rapture, Christians will be hauled before the judgment seat of Christ.
  • 6This is not a judgment in which their salvation is determined, but rather a recompense for their effort on Christ’s behalf.
  • 8Israel, as well as all nations, will be affected by this period of exceptional struggle.
  • 9At the conclusion of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ, accompanied by the armies of heaven and the Church, will come to earth to establish the Messianic Kingdom.
  • When Christ returns, Satan will be chained for a thousand years in the Lake of Fire, and the Antichrist will be tossed into the Lake of Fire.

13Israel will be returned to her country, and she will never be driven from it again.

15Because the curse that has been placed upon the world will be lifted, his dominion will be defined by material and spiritual benefits.

Seventeenth, God will put an end to this revolt in the last battle of all time, and Satan will be cast into the lake of fire.

19They will be judged by Christ and hurled into the lake of fire, where they will endure ultimate and eternal torment, as well as the suffering of the living.

A new Jerusalem will be built, as will the everlasting presence of God among all those who have repented.

Scripture references: Revelation 6:17; 7:14; Jeremiah 30:79 The book of Zechariah (12:2, 3; 14:1–310) In addition to Revelation 19:7–9, 14; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Zechariah 14:9; Revelation 19:15, 1611; and 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Revelation 20:2, 4–612Revelation 19:20; 20:1–313Revelation 19:20; 20:1–313 3:3; Matthew 2514; Joel 3:3 Amos 9:15; Ezekiel 34:2815; Hosea 6:15 (See also Psalm 2:9 and Isaiah 11:416.) Romans 8:19–2117 (KJV) The book of Revelation 20:7–918 Revelation 20:1019 is a verse from the Bible.

Revelation 20:11–1320 (also known as the Book of Revelation) The Book of Revelation 20:14-15; Mark 9:48212; Peter 3:1322 Revelation 21:2, 3; 2:3–5; 21:2, 3; 2:3–5

When Will Jesus Return?

When asked which millennial position they hold, certain Reformed Christians, particularly the more cynical among them, will occasionally respond: “I’m a panmillennialist.” “I have faith that everything will work out in the end.” A large part of this cynicism stems from annoyance with the apparently never-ending fights about the most insignificant of matters. Exasperation with the never-ending stream of false prophecies of the rapture and/or the second coming of Christ may also be a contributing factor in some instances.

  1. It’s not hard to see that Napoleon Bonaparte was the Antichrist and that his exile was a portent that the end of the world was close at hand, is it?
  2. Their generation was not the first to fall prey to the trap of date-setting, and it was surely not the last to do so either.
  3. As a result, many people were under the impression that the end of the world was approaching.
  4. As a result of Harold Camping’s forecast of a May 21, 2011, judgment day, that message was painted all over billboards and the sides of buses around the country.
  5. However, that day too came and went without a trace.
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What occurs is this: As a result, you make a mockery of Scripture, bring disgrace upon the name of Jesus Christ, and give doubters with even more reasons to reject the Bible’s teachings, Whenever you claim in the public arena that the Bible “guarantees” something and it doesn’t happen, the public assumes that the Bible is incorrect and hence not the Word of God, which is untrue.

  • Many Christians, if they even bother to read biblical prophecy at all, fall into one of two types of traps.
  • Others interpreted it as though it were a paraphrase of Nostradamus’s works, which it was not.
  • Most of the time, this second, more gnostic method incorporates some type of numerology in some form or another.
  • With perfect confidence, we can inform you that the final judgment will take place on May 21, 2011.
  • There is an issue with hermeneutical techniques of this nature.
  • In reading the newspaper as though it were poetry, or reading a poem as though it were a financial report, we lose the entire essence of a work.
  • We are all aware that in order to accurately comprehend any book, we must first grasp its genre.

The fact that we don’t know what these writings are means that we can’t hope to understand them.

The majority of the oracles directed to the northern kingdom and afterwards the southern kingdom are oracles of judgment in the preexilic prophetic literature (e.g., Amos, Hosea, Micah, Isaiah, Nahum, Zephaniah, Habakkuk, and Jeremiah).

However, as the approaching exile draws nearer, the prophetic warnings of imminent judgment grow more certain, but we also come across more and more oracles of blessing, which hint to a time of restoration following the approaching exile.

From Zephaniah 1:1–2:3, we find some of the most powerful prophecies of impending doom found in all of the prophetic scriptures.

Zephaniah 3:9–20, on the other hand, is one of the most beautiful oracles of redemption to be found in the prophetic books, and it is a must-read for anybody who loves the Bible.

When we come to the book of Revelation, we see that John refers to his book as a prophecy on several occasions (Rev.

Because of this awareness of the genre, we should approach it with caution.

Millennialists,” as I like to refer to individuals who have finally realized that the book of Revelation is written in metaphorical language.

When we begin to read the Book of Revelation in the manner in which the original author intended it to be read, we may begin to grasp the meaning intended by the author.

We will not be able to grasp Revelation if we read the newspaper. Knowing the Old Testament as well as the remainder of the New Testament will aid us in our understanding of the Bible. Note from the editor: This piece was first published on December 10, 2018.

2 Peter: The Delay of Jesus’ Return & the Crisis of Patience

Whitney Woollard contributed to this article. 4 years ago today Second Peter is a small novel that is filled with a great deal of enthusiasm. While writing his final words, the apostolic pillar of the early church experiences great emotions, which is to be anticipated. The apostle Peter is well aware that he is soon to die, so he carefully constructs this farewell message to the network of churches in Asia Minor (2 Pet. 1:12-15). Specifically, he wishes for his final exhortations and cautions to be documented and kept in order to serve as a memory of his teaching for future generations, which includes our own age.

What’s 2 Peter All About?

As Peter confronts Christians in chapter one, they are urged to never cease developing in holiness and Christlike attributes. Then, in chapters two and three, he turns his attention to the corrupt professors who, in order to defend their immoral behavior, were rejecting the return of Jesus and the last judgment. All of this was too comfortable for them, given their combined pessimism about Jesus’ coming and their enjoyment of immorality with no repercussions. They may reject biblical authority, make easy money by spreading a false gospel of Christian “freedom,” and engage in a large amount of casual sex without fear of being held accountable or being punished.

  1. The second chapter criticizes them, reminding his readers of God’s unavoidable retribution on those who commit evil.
  2. It works like this: if A is true, imagine how much more true it is that B is true.
  3. Considering that (A) God did not spare the fallen angels, the ancient civilisation of Noah’s day, or the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Pet.
  4. 9-10)?
  5. Wow.
  6. Peter, on the other hand, does not stop there.
  7. Yes.

In any case, they happened to be in the midst of the first wave of systematic persecution against Christians that occurred under the reign of Nero, a despicable Roman emperor.

Why did Jesus take so long when such blatant evil was in control of the situation?

Take a glance at the environment around you.

Violence, mass shootings, and terror are all on the rise.

The innocent are subjected to oppression, while the wicked enjoy success.

High-rise developers get wealthy, but those who have been abused are ignored. We can’t help but find ourselves grappling with the same question. What is it that is taking Jesus so long to come and redeem all of humanity’s wrongs?

The Central Crisis: What’s Taking Jesus SO Long?

Second Peter 3 actually contains the most explicit treatment of the delay of theparousia(a Greek word that refers to Jesus’ second coming at the end of human history) in the entire New Testament, making it particularly important if you’re trying to make sense of this wait for Jesus’ second coming in human history. As Peter opens his letter, he reminds his readers that the Scriptures forewarned them that there would be scoffers in the end days who would turn away from the truth and pursue immoral desires.

They deliberately ignore the fact that God had interfered in the past, both in the story of creation and in the account of the flood.

3:1-7).

It is not the Lord’s intention that any should perish, but rather that everyone should come to repentance, that he is slow to fulfill his word, as some consider slowness, but he is patient with you.”

Hit Pause!

When we reach this point, we need to take a moment to reflect on the fact that there are several schools of thought on how to interpret Peter’s argument in verse 8 (“one day is like a thousand years”). With the goal of not boring you, I’ll quickly discuss two widely held beliefs in order to discredit both in favor of a more balanced and biblical alternative that, I believe, would better assist us in understanding the significance of the delay. (Please note that I am following in the footsteps of Richard Bauckham’s superb work on 2 Peter.) It is taught by one school of thought that you need to understand the passage in the context of parallels found in current Jewish and Christian literature, and that you should use a chronological formulation in which a “day” represents a thousand years in human terms.

  • However, in light of the context of 2 Peter 3, this does not make sense.
  • It just doesn’t stack up in the end.
  • They don’t recognize Peter as drawing on any materials from current Jewish or Christian literature, as he claims.
  • As recorded in the Apocalypse of Baruch, a contemporary of Peter muses on Psalm 90:4, drawing a contrast between God’s eternal existence and man’s finite period of existence.

The idea that Peter, writing as a genuinely Jewish Christian, was completely uninformed of this material while also employing Psalm 90:4 in the same manner is difficult to swallow. It’s not going to fly. Having stated that, how should we interpret Peter’s reasoning in verses 8 and 9 of his letter?

Hit Play Again—What’s Taking Jesus SO Long?

We should view these passages in the context of their genre (apocalyptic eschatology), keeping in mind that Peter is a Jewish Christian who has been influenced by apocalyptic visionaries throughout history. It is likely that he was well aware with writers like as Habakkukor and Danielelor Baruch, men who experienced what it was like to cry out in sorrow, “How long, O Lord,” while keeping faith in God’s sovereign designs, even while he delayed his plans. It is likely that he would have gained confidence from their unwavering faith in the face of adversity that God’s timeline was not his own and that God’s delay was an integral part of the plan.

His ingenious approach is to dive into a lengthy line of eschatological tradition soaked with eschatological delay in order to develop arguments regarding theparousia that were already acquainted to his readers’ thoughts.

Take a look at his two main points:

One: God’s timetable is different than ours (verse 8).

Ah. In the face of all the evil that we witness, it’s difficult to grasp this concept, but apocalyptic writers were quick to point out that God operates on an entirely different eschatological clock than we do. His timeless, never-ending perspective of time frees him from the problems of the human race. Because of our own brief existence and our desire to experience complete redemption, our human expectations of the “situation” as we perceive it are bound by our own limited perspective. As the martyrs of Revelation 6 cry out, “How long, O Lord?” we are impatient to see our broken lives restored in their fullness and wholeness.

(The Delay of the Parousia, Richard Bauckham).

Consequently, what appears to be a significant amount of time from our perspective may not be so significant when viewed through the eyes of an eternal God who surveys and rules over all of human history.

Two: God is patient, wanting all to come to repentance (verse 9).

If we believe God operates on his own timetable, we will lose sight of the urgency with which evil and suffering confront us. Peter’s second argument, which comes from Jewish apocalyptic writing, is that God delays not because he is slow, but because he is patient with sinners, allowing them all the opportunity to repent. “.The Lord, the Lord, a God kind and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in steadfast love and faithfulness, retaining steadfast love for thousands of years, forgiving sin and wickedness, but who will by no means clear the guilty.” This is God’s description of himself in Exodus 34:6-7.

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God has permitted these last days to continue in order for more people to come to trust in Jesus and the defeat of all evil, despite our longing for his return and the annihilation of evil.

However, as long as the parousia continues to be postponed, there is still opportunity for people to repent and place their faith in Jesus as their personal Savior. This knowledge should actually serve to increase our patience and zeal as we anticipate the coming of our Lord.

So How Do We Live Right NOW?

With perseverance and determination! As we await and work to accelerate the arrival of the day of God, Peter says we should be marked by purity and godliness in our lives (2 Pet. 3:11-12). The apocalyptic visionaries of old were required to patiently trust in the flawless designs of God, and we are invited to do the same. The passage, however, also argues that Christian life can really have an impact on God’s timeline (we can “haste” the coming of the Lord if we live out the truths of the new covenant as they are revealed in Scripture).

When we believe that the eschatological promises have been fulfilled through the work of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we do not wait idly for Jesus’ return, nor do we live in the manner of the corrupt teachers who saw Jesus’ delay as an opportunity to indulge their own fleshly desires.

Every day, we live out our lives offering testimony to Jesus, carrying on his mission, resisting the forces of darkness, and working to accelerate the day when those purposes will be completely realized.

But we wait patiently, knowing that God is arranging all of human history in order to bring it all to a magnificent conclusion.

Jesus is Coming Back When?

What type of person are you if you believe Jesus will return within the next forty years? Are you an optimist or a pessimist, in your opinion? In 2010, the Pew Research Center published the results of a study that asked people about the events they predict will unfold over the next forty years. Regarding the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, one fascinating issue was posed: Predictions concerning whether Jesus Christ would return to the planet in the next 40 years are divided along religious lines, as was predicted by many.

  • One-third of Catholics (32 percent), and even fewer white mainstream Protestants (27 percent) and the religiously unaffiliated (20 percent) believe in the return of Jesus Christ to earth.
  • People in the South (52 percent) are the most inclined to foresee a Second Coming by 2050, according to the results of a regional survey.
  • What role does this play in the general worldview of Christians in the United States?
  • Which is more accurate: a literal or figurative interpretation of the Book of Revelation?
  • With regard to eschatology, evangelicalism is divided into four general areas of agreement and four general perspectives on the future.
  • Jesus Christ will physically return to the world at some point in the future.
  • There will be a bodily resurrection of every person who has ever lived on the face of the earth.
  • Satan will be vanquished and confined for all time in the Lake of Fire.
  • There will be a final judgment in which believers will be united with Christ for all eternity, whilst nonbelievers will be removed from God’s presence.
  • One of the most contentious problems is the millennium, the thousand-year era during which Christ is expected to reign over the whole planet.
  • (Please keep in mind that hundreds (thousands?) of books have been published on each of these points of view.

What follows is intended to be simply the beginning of a comprehensive assessment of the beliefs held by evangelicals for those who are perplexed by the disparities in their positions.)

Dispensational Premillenialism

According to Dispensational Premillenialiem, Jesus will return to take the church out of the earth in an event known as the rapture, which will take place in the future. Theories dispute on whether the rapture will take place before, during, or after a seven-year period known as the tribulation period (pre-trib, mid-trib, post-trib). These events will culminate in a literal thousand-year reign of Christ, during which time peace will reign, the natural world will no longer be cursed, and evil will be subdued by the power of God.

Dispensational premillenialism is characterized by the views that are listed below:

  • During the first century, Christ offered the Jews the Davidic kingdom as a gift. They rejected it, and the meeting was postponed until a later date. According to the Old Testament prophets, the current church era is a “parenthesis”
  • God has different programs for the church and Israel
  • And God has separate programs for the church and Israel. With time and progress, the church will lose its sphere of influence in the world and will become corrupt or apostate at the end of the church age
  • Christ will return in secret to rapture his believers before the great tribulation
  • Jesus Christ will return to the planet once the tribulation period is over to oversee a Jewish political kingdom based in Jerusalem for one thousand years. As a result of Satan’s imprisonment, the temple will be restored and the sacrificial system will be re-established. We’re getting close to the end of the millennium. As a result of Satan’s release, Christ will be assailed in Jerusalem
  • Christ will call down wrath from heaven and destroy his adversaries. The (second) resurrection, as well as the judgment of the wicked, will take place, marking the beginning of the everlasting order.**

The Dallas Theological Seminary, Tim LaHaye (author of theLeft Behindseries), and Cyrus I. Scofield are all well-known proponents of this viewpoint, as are others (editor of theScofield Reference Bible).

Historical Premillenialism

Historical Premillenialism is the belief that Christ will return “before the millennium” in order to resurrect the saints (the “first resurrection”), establish his rule from Jerusalem over the rebellious nations (the battle of Armageddon), and usher in a thousand-year period of material peace and prosperity; at the end of this period, the nations (still in their natural bodies and still fighting against Christ and the resurrected saints) will rebel and wage war against Christ and the The following characteristics of historical premillennialism can be identified:

  • The time period of the New Testament Christ’s kingdom is in its beginning stages, as predicted by the Old Testament prophets
  • The New Testament Church may win occasional victories in history, but she will ultimately fail in her mission, lose influence, and become corrupt as worldwide evil increases toward the end of the Church Age
  • The church will go through a future, worldwide, unprecedented time of tribulation
  • Christ will return at the end of the Tribulation to rapture His Church, resurrect deceased saints, and administer the judgment of the righteous in the “twinkling of an eye.” He will then descend to the earth with His glorified saints, fight the Battle of Armageddon, bind Satan, and establish a worldwide, political kingdom, which will be personally administered by Him for 12,000 years. This era is known as the Great Tribulation, and it will mark the end of contemporary At the conclusion of Christ’s millennial reign, Satan will be set loose, causing a tremendous revolt against the kingdom as well as a ferocious assault on Christ and His saints
  • God will intervene with fire judgment to save Christ and His people. The resurrection of the dead and the judgment of the wicked will take place, and the beginning of the eternal order will be signaled. the pages 199-200 of the book

The late theologian George Eldon Ladd, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and the early church fathers are all well-known proponents of the doctrine of the Trinity (e.g., Ireneaus, Polycarp, Justin Martyr).

Amillenialism

Amillenialism is the concept that the millennial reign will last an undetermined amount of time and that it will be completed by Christ, who is now ruling in the heavens. At the conclusion of this reign, Christ will return to collect the church and to judge the nations of the world. Amillennialism is characterized by the following characteristics:

  • The church age corresponds to the kingdom era predicted in the Old Testament, in which the New Testament church assumes the function that had previously been allocated to the nation of Israel. As part of Jesus’ earthly mission, Satan was restrained, preventing him from interfering with the spread of the Gospel across the world. While Christians are living out their faith, they will have some effect on society insofar as Christ is now ruling in their hearts. The rise of evil will speed toward the end, culminating in the great tribulation and the appearance of a human antichrist. Christ will come to bring history to a close, revive and judge all of mankind, and create the everlasting order, among other things. Both heaven and a completely restored new earth are possible destinations for the saved in their everlasting destiny.

Others who believe in amillennialism also believe in preterists, who believe that many prophesies (including those concerning the antichrist) have already been fulfilled (usually arounda.d.70). Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin are just a few of the well-known proponents of this viewpoint.

Postmillenialism

Following the century, postmillenialism holds that Christ’s second coming will occur, which will be heralded by the spiritual and moral influence of Christian preaching and teaching across the globe. Postmillennialism is characterized by the following characteristics:

  • It was during Christ’s earthly mission that the Messianic kingdom was established on the earth, bringing Old Testament prophecy to fruition and transforming the New Testament church into a changed Israel. The kingdom is primarily redemptive and spiritual in nature, rather than political and physical in nature
  • Throughout history, the kingdom will have a profound impact on society and culture. As a result of Christ’s regal authority as King, who reigns in heaven rather than on earth, the kingdom of Christ will progressively spread throughout time and on earth. In order to bring about a virtual Christianization of the nations, the Great Commission will be successful.

Postmillennialists can be divided into two categories at present stage. Pietistic postmillennialists reject the notion that the advancement of the kingdom in the postmillennial period entails the complete change of culture via the application of biblical law. This is supported by theonomic postmillennialists (for example, Christian Reconstructionists). For millennia, the world may experience an extended period of great spiritual prosperity, after which history will be brought to a close by the personal, visible, bodily return of Jesus Christ, accompanied by a literal resurrection and a general judgment, which ushers in the final and eternal form of the kingdom.

This perspective of eschatology, on the other hand, is held by just a small number of evangelicals.

* This summary may be found in Boyd and Eddy’s Across the Spectrum. Unless otherwise noted, all points mentioned as characteristics are taken from R.C. Sproul’s The Last Days According to Jesus.

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