Doctrine of the Last Things (Part 1): The Second Coming of Christ

The Second Coming of Christ

Welcome to Defenders. I’m so glad you could join us today.

Today we begin our final locus, or theological topic, in this Defenders course, namely, the doctrine of the last things. I looked the other day at our website and discovered that we have been through over 250 previous Defenders podcasts up to this point. Many of you have been with us that entire time and now, at long last, we are coming into the home stretch and beginning our final locus. If you are a newcomer to Defenders and haven’t been with us all of those years, then I want you to know that transcripts as well as videos of all the lectures in Defenders 3 are available through our website ReasonableFaith.org. It’s a tremendous resource for your own personal theological education. It’s with a sense of accomplishment and gratitude to the Lord that at long last we are now completing our course.

Today we turn to the doctrine of the last things. The theological word for this locus is eschatology, from the Greek word eschatos meaning “last” or “final.” So this locus concerns the doctrine of the end of the world and the final state of man after death.

We want to talk first of all about the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ. It is the teaching of the New Testament that the eschaton – the final conclusion and culmination of human history – will come with the return of Christ to the earth.

To begin with, let’s look at some of the biblical data concerning the Second Coming of Christ.

First, let’s look at some Old Testament background material. In Old Testament Judaism there was a fervent hope of a glorious messianic kingdom that God would someday inaugurate upon the earth. In the Old Testament prophets, you have predictions of this coming messianic kingdom. For example, let’s look at Isaiah 9:6-7, some very familiar verses:

For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
    and his name will be called
“Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
Of the increase of his government and of peace
    there will be no end,
upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom,
    to establish it, and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
    from this time forth and for evermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

Here you see the prophecy of a Davidic king who would be in charge of the government of Israel and who would bring about a reign of peace and justice and righteousness that would endure forever.

Turn over to Isaiah 11:1-10. Here Isaiah says,

There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse,
    and a branch shall grow out of his roots.
And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him,
    the spirit of wisdom and understanding,
    the spirit of counsel and might,
    the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.
And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord.

He shall not judge by what his eyes see,
    or decide by what his ears hear;
but with righteousness he shall judge the poor,
    and decide with equity for the meek of the earth;
and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth,
    and with the breath of his lips he shall slay the wicked.
Righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist,
    and faithfulness the girdle of his loins.

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,
    and the leopard shall lie down with the kid,
and the calf and the lion and the fatling together,
    and a little child shall lead them.
The cow and the bear shall feed;
    their young shall lie down together;
    and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
The sucking child shall play over the hole of the asp,
    and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den.
They shall not hurt or destroy
    in all my holy mountain;
for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

In that day the root of Jesse shall stand as an ensign to the peoples; him shall the nations seek, and his dwellings shall be glorious.

This messianic king will reign over the world and bring peace among the nations with justice and righteousness. This was the hope for the Jewish people – a messianic kingdom that God would someday deliver.

In the prophecy of Daniel 7 we have a very significant description of the deliverance of this kingdom to a human person. Daniel 7:13-14. In the other visions that Daniel sees, he sees images of beasts or combinations of beasts, but now in verse 13 he sees a human figure. In verse 13 of chapter 7, Daniel writes,

I saw in the night visions,
and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion
    and glory and kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

Here we have this human person presented before God and to him God delivers the kingdom and all authority over the peoples of the earth. Jesus picked up on this description by Daniel to describe himself as “the Son of Man.” Not just “a” son of man, (notice, a human being) but rather “the” Son of Man, with the definite article, referring back to this prophecy in the seventh chapter of Daniel.

Turning to the New Testament, we find that the writings of the New Testament are pervaded with predictions of the Second Coming of Christ, when he will return to establish his Kingdom over the earth. There are some 250 references in the New Testament to the return of Christ. Let’s take a look at just a few of these, some of the most important of them.

Turn first to Mark 13, where we find Jesus’ so-called Olivet Discourse. He is seated with the disciples on the Mount of Olives, and they ask him about the end of the world and the judgment. Then he gives this discourse on the end times:

[blockquote]And as he came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!” And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down.”

[They then leave the Temple Mount, cross the Kidron Valley, and climb the Mount of Olives looking across at the Temple Mount with Herod’s beautiful temple at the summit.]

And as he sat on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign when these things are all to be accomplished?” And Jesus began to say to them, “Take heed that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. And when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places, there will be famines; this is but the beginning of the birth-pangs.

“But take heed to yourselves; for they will deliver you up to councils; and you will be beaten in synagogues; and you will stand before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them. And the gospel must first be preached to all nations. And when they bring you to trial and deliver you up, do not be anxious beforehand what you are to say; but say whatever is given you in that hour, for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death; and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

“But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down, nor enter his house, to take anything away; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle. And alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! Pray that it may not happen in winter. For in those days there will be such tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the creation which God created until now, and never will be. And if the Lord had not shortened the days, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect, whom he chose, he shortened the days. And then if any one says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘Look, there he is!’ do not believe it. False Christs and false prophets will arise and show signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, the elect. But take heed; I have told you all things beforehand.

“But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels, and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven.

“From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

“But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Take heed, watch; for you do not know when the time will come. It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to be on the watch. Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Watch.”[/blockquote]

In addition to this central passage in the Gospels on the return of Christ, we also find in the letters of Paul descriptions of this event which clearly echo the teachings of Jesus in the Olivet Discourse. Next week, we shall look together at those teachings of Paul. Until then, may God guide and bless you.^[1]