Article 9 - The Return of Christ

1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 ESV

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Introduction:

Few elements of the Christian faith find as much debate among Christians as the study of Eschatology, that is end times. I want to here at the outset of the message acknowledge the controversial nature of discussions surrounding the end of days and the second coming of Christ.

Today, some people don't want to talk about the end times because they believe it to be too confusing or scary. They are happy simply avoiding any discussion of it. For some other believers, it feels like it is all they want to talk about. They lay out timelines and try to look for the signs and try to guess what and when.

The return of Christ was a central conviction of the apostles. The fact that Christ will return was their conviction. The Free Church statement of faith, and our statement of faith as a local body tries to line up with the apostles understanding and does not take specific positions on aspects of eschatology that are debatable yet allowable for well meaning Christians. You and I may differ on our understanding of something like the timing of the return in relation to the tribulation and millennium. But we just agree that Jesus is returning personally, gloriously, and bodily at a time only God knows. We must agree to be constantly expecting it. And it should motivate us to Christian living.

Our study of eschatology and reading of these texts, though we sometimes don't fully understand them, should encourage us and comfort us.

You'll notice the way that our statement is built on the very logical progression of the gospel message.

SUMMARY of progression of the gospel in the SOF

Past, Present, Future dimensions

Confession of Article 9

We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.

God's gospel is brought to fulfillment by the Lord Himself at the end of this age.

"The art of preaching is not to say everything, but to say something."

- There is no way for me to cover everyone's questions and particular views today and I do not intend to. My goal is that you will see from scripture where we stand and encourage you to read well as you study and develop you understanding of the various scriptures dealing with the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Theological Triage

Decide for

Debate for

Divide for

Die for

Not salvific where you stand on the rapture or the millenium...

I. God wants us to know that Jesus is returning.

Praise the Lord that we have these texts in I Thessalonians, Daniel, and the book of Revelation among others that tell us there is an end that has been decreed by our Sovereign God and we who love Him, who have been rescued from sin by the blood of Jesus can rejoice and find comfort in the fact that despite our lack of understanding everything, God still WINS.

He wants us to know these things. He wants us to know what happens to Christians who pass away before the second coming of Christ. He wants us to know that there is a blessed hope for those in Christ.

In our text from I Thessalonians verses 13 through 18, Paul is responding to a problem in the young church in Thessalonica. They were uninformed about what happens to believers after death. Paul didn’t have time to complete his teaching among them as he would have liked due to being forced to leave. (Acts 17:5-10) They didn’t yet have detailed knowlege about that which Paul would inform them in verses 14-17. They didn’t know how to cope with the deaths of members of their faith community. When we don’t have hope we tend to wander around in a state of bewildered hopelessness. Paul didn’t want this for them. He wanted them informed about what was coming. Take comfort in that. To help them Paul divides up those who die prior to the “coming of the Lord,” also called “parousia”, and those who are alive at Christ’s appearing. God wants us informed about what is to come, namely the final victorious return of Jesus Christ. Christians need to know where history is heading.

Many people approach this passage wanting to find in it an exact timeline for the events leading up to Christ’s return and beyond. This is not Paul’s main concern. He’s not written this to give them a means to make graphs and timelines. However, while he is communicating his point to them he does give a brief outline of what’s goign to happen. He doesn’t say everything.

Author David Chapman suggests 4 observations for us to keep in mind as we approach this text:

Paul is answering different questions than modern interpreters ask.

Paul had lived among the Thessalonians for a time and had taught them. He doesn’t cover in this letter things that they may have already been taught.

Paul displays his dependence on the teachings of Jesus. This should also be considered as we look to interpret his words.

Paul’s main concern was to encourage the church in his day. He wanted to reassure themin their grief and remind them to be ready for Christ to appear.

Verse 17 has been the subject of controversy over the last couple hundred years. What does it mean to be caught up into the air. Many use this passage as a biblical basis for a theology of the rapture of the church. This has only been around since about 1850. They suggest an analogy with those taken in the time of Noah referenced in Matthew 24:40-41.

Matthew 24:40–41 ESV

40 Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and one left. 41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one left.

But there is a major problem with using that passage as a proof text for rapture. Those taken in the days of Noah were taken to drowning and death and judgement. So that doesn’t work well for proving their theology.

Other difficulties with rapture theology:

Rapture theology was spread widely by John Darby and the Scofield Bible, gaining much popularity around the time of the world wars and into the 50s and 60s. This is one of the main emphasis of dispensational futurism, which is one way that people interpret the book of Revelation and the events surrounding the end times. It is the plotline of very popular books, The Left Behind series. But does the Bible teach this event?

The Greek word for “meet” here appears two other times in the New Testament. In both Matthew 25 and Acts 28, the action of the word means going out and meeting an honored person and then promptly returning with the honored guest. The picture there would therefore be the dead in Christ rising and those alive meeting in the air to greet the returning Christ and coming with Him in celebration.

We see a similar patter in the Old Testament and even in secular Greek writings of the time that use the word to reference when a civic delegation would go out to welcome a visiting dignitary and then return to the city in celebration of the visit.

Bob Thune points out: Only dispensational futurists believe that the rapture and the return of Christ are two different events. All other interpretive approaches see one coming of Christ at the end of history when God will reward his saints and pour out his wrath on the unrepentant.

To their credit: they do a good job at focusing on being ready even if I believe they have some of the facts not quite right. There is more we could say but that will have to wait. Let’s turn now to looking at the nature of Christ’s return.

II. The nature of Christ’s return.

A. Personal

It’s going to be Him. He’s coming Himself. Truthfully. I am reminded of one of my students at Iowa Christian Academy. He was a hockey player from England. I mentioned that Jesus came as a suffering servant the first time but the next time it would be much different. He looked at me suprised and exclaimed, “He’s coming back?!?!”

1 Thessalonians 4:16 ESV

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

B. Bodily

No only will Jesus come personally for His church but He will come bodily. Acts 1:11 “and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”” It’s the same Jesus. He ascended in His glorified resurrection body and will return in that glorified body. We’ll see him and will become like him. Philippians 3:20–21 “But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

You may have already understood this but there are some in history who have not. Some have falsely believed that the return of Christ was only spiritual and not bodily. The Jehovah’s Witness cult believes that Christ came to reign over the earth on October 1, 1914.

When Christ Jesus returns He will be visible to our eyes.

C. Glorious

On the Mount of Transfiguration, three of the disciples got a little glimpse of this. Matthew 17:2 “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light.” Of course, in Revelation we read how it was revealed to John when he was on the island of Patmos.

Know this: when Jesus returns, His high and exalted status will be known to everyone. Whereas right now, not all acknowledge His rule and reign, then they will all know. There will be no ignoring it.

i. As King

Crucified Messiah/suffering servant - to Jews scandalous, to Romans it was foolishness

But this was the Lord and King. Jesus the promised Messiah… King David’s greater Son who would assume the royal throne

Though there are varying views of the roads that history will travel to get us to the final destination, all orthodox (right believing) Christians can agree that the end destination is Jesus Christ ruling over His Kingdom. Most of the disagreement surrounding whether it’s a single event or a course of events that happens comes down to how people have interpreted Revelation 20:1–10.

Revelation 20:1–10 ESV

1 Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain. 2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, 3 and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. After that he must be released for a little while. 4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. 5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years. 7 And when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will come out to deceive the nations that are at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them for battle; their number is like the sand of the sea. 9 And they marched up over the broad plain of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city, but fire came down from heaven and consumed them, 10 and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

Now, while I’m not preaching this message on the book of Revelation, I thought it pertinent to run through the three main views of the Millennium and how it relates to these verses in particular. This is one instance where I think a graphic is helpful so that you can compare and contrast the views with scripture.

SHOW: ILLUSTRATION from VISUAL THEOLOGY

3 Views of the Millennium

Premillennialism

Dispensational Premillennialism

Historic Premillennialism

Summary

Features and Strengths

Weaknesses

Postmillennialism

Amillennialism

So which one is the correct position?

All three positions have a history in the church at large and are supported by scholarship. None of them are wildly inconsistent with evangelical orthodoxy. This is an open handed issue that Christians can come to their own personal convictions at through careful study. So you can have your position on this within the framework of our confession and your position might differ from mine. You have that privilege. And I have the privilege to think you’re wrong. :) And you can think I’m wrong. It is vital that we each maintain charity and Christian love and approach each of these issues with great HUMILITY.

If you want to read Revelation well:

Kenneth Kantzer, who was a leader in the Free Church in the twentieth century explained,

“Some doctrines—the Trinity and the Incarnation, for example—are more integrally related to the person of Christ or to the gospel. Yet other doctrines, such as baptism or the nature of the elect, may be very important, but do not demand universal allegiance. One can possess an enduring and consistent Christian faith and differ with another believer over this kind of doctrine. Explanations about the second coming of Christ fit this description. It is an important slice of biblical theology, but it does not require a single interpretation among Christians.” - Kenneth Kantzer

Evangelical Convictions: A Theological Exposition of the Statement of Faith of the Evangelical Free Church of America (2nd Edition) 1. Christ Will Come as King.

In light of our distinctive ethos in the EFCA of uniting around the central doctrines of the faith, we chose in 2019 to eliminate premillennialism as a required doctrinal position within our movement. We welcome those with various positions on this issue who also affirm the entire truthfulness of Scripture and share our central theological convictions. We affirm simply and confidently that Christ will bring his kingdom to fulfillment when he comes personally, bodily, and in glory.429

ii. As Judge

We will get into the idea of judgement more next week.

v. 16-17 - Angel cries, trumpet blasts, and clouds of glory frequently happing the bible in the context of God’s judgement.

Christ will judge the nations according to God’s law.

1 Corinthians 4:5 ESV

5 Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.

III. The time and effect of Christ’s return.

The first Christians waited for the Christ eagerly, expecting that it could happen at any moment.

Known only to God.

It is a constant temptation for Christians to speculate about the timing of the return of Christ. No prediction has been proven true, though many have been made. Scripture very clearly warns us against this.

Yes, in Matthew 24, Jesus spoke about signs of the end, however, none of these can be used to zero in on a specific moment of time when Christ will return.

Matthew 24:42 ESV

42 Therefore, stay awake, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming.

Demands constant expectancy.

The Rapture Question

Our Blessed Hope

1 Thessalonians 4:14 ESV

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

The basis for our hope as Christians is that Jesus died and rose again. Jesus’ resurrection is proof that believers in Him will also be raised. This is the hope we cling to.

2 Peter 3:8–9 ESV

8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

Motivation for the Believer

1 John 2:28 ESV

28 And now, little children, abide in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink from him in shame at his coming.

Romans 13:12 ESV

12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.

Titus 2:13 ESV

13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,

Conclusion:

Jump back to I Thessalonians 4 and look at verse 18.

1 Thessalonians 4:18 ESV

Therefore encourage one another with these words.

Spurgeon:

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 4

“Then we who are still alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” It is a great truth that you will rise again. It is a sweeter truth that you will “always be with the Lord.” Whatever else you draw comfort from, neglect not this deep, clear, and over-flowing well of delight. There are other sources of good cheer in connection with the glory to be revealed, for heaven is a many-sided joy, but still none can excel the glory of communion with Jesus Christ, wherefore comfort one another in the first place and most constantly, with these words, “So we will always be with the Lord.”

Application for our lives:

Jesus is coming back. What do you need to be busy doing to be prepared and prepare as many as possible, whatever that timeline may be?

Be charitable and humble in any discussions and debates regarding the eschatology.

List of recommended resources for further study:

Bob Thune - Intro PDF booklet and sermon series from 2011

Four views

Andrew Naselli - The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer

Evangelical Convictions