OUR BLESSED HOPE - THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS
There’s often an interesting background to what we read in Paul’s letters to the young churches he had founded. The verses we’ve just read (1 Thess 4:13-17) are his response to a misunderstanding that had caused grief to the new Christians at Thessalonica. Paul the apostle had personally taught his converts that the Lord Jesus was coming again to gather up His people, His church, to be with Him forever. What a wonderful truth that was! What comfort it gave to the little band of Christians living in a hostile world!
After some months Paul had to leave the city to return to Athens and then go on to Corinth in the south of Greece. It was then that a misunderstanding of the doctrine of the Second Coming caused the believers some grief. In the meantime a few of the church members had died. These deaths came as a great shock. "Oh dear," they thought, "what’s going to happen to our loved ones? Are they going to miss the Second Coming? They’ve died too soon!"
It’s clear that they’d misunderstood what Paul had taught that they should be ready for the Lord’s call or return at any time. But human nature being what it is, they worried themselves sick as to the fate of their friends who had died. Would they be at a disadvantage to those who were living when Christ returned. Would their loved ones be lost? Paul’s assistant, Timothy, relayed the story of their grief to Paul. You can imagine how Paul felt! He had a real pastor’s heart and that’s how the first letter to his friends at Thessalonica came to be written. He wanted them to know the full story, the whole truth, of the Second Coming of Jesus. Perhaps the Thessalonian Christians hadn’t been listening carefully when Paul was preaching and only got half the story with the result that they mislead themselves with unfortunate consequences.
A simple misunderstanding can cause great anxiety. Communication nowadays is so easy with e-mail and telephone, but until the 20th century it was very slow. Two hundred years ago messages were passed over long distances by signal stations on hills. When the Battle of Waterloo on the Continent was being fought England awaited the outcome with baited breath. At last the signals began to whirl, the message being spelt our letter by letter: "Wellington defeated …" The two words came through clearly and then fog covered the hillside. Quite understandably the people thought they’d lost! What a catastrophe for the nation! Quite understandably the people thought they’d lost! The people were plunged in gloom as they thought that was the end of the message - but it wasn’t because eventually another two words were added which made all the difference: "Wellington defeated … the enemy." Misunderstandings causing confusion and trouble often happen in daily life if we’re not careful. And that’s what happened in Thessalonica. It’s the work of the evil one to sow seeds of error, confusion and doubt between believers.
Paul responded to their doubts and concerns with words of reassurance. "Brothers," he wrote, "we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope" (4:13). Before the revelation of God in the Lord Jesus death in the pagan world was literally the end. A grim epitaph has been found on a tombstone of that time: "I was not; I became; I am not; I care not." There’s no comfort there for those who are left behind. There’s no answer to the question, "What’s the purpose of this life on Earth?" Of course, death, inevitable as it is, does bring grief through the parting of loved ones. It would be very unnatural, in fact, inhuman, not to mourn when we lose someone near and dear to us. Jesus did at the graveside of his friend Lazarus. What Paul is saying is that the Christian’s mourning isn’t hopeless grief.
Death for the Christian is entirely different from that of the unbeliever because we share in Christ’s victory over death. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German pastor and theologian was martyred for his faith by the Nazis days before the end of the Second World War in 1945, but before he was executed he wrote: "This is the end, but for me the beginning of life." Death is but the gateway into the very presence of God. Christians are inspired and comforted by "hope in our Lord Jesus Christ" (1:3). Yes, we may mourn for ourselves and our own sense of personal loss, but we don’t need to mourn over those who have died in Christ. When Roy Castle, the entertainer, but also a devoted believer, died, his widow, Fiona was able to say to her friends, "No flowers, no fuss, no mourning, just lot’s of joy!" He Roy was safe in the arms of Jesus.
Paul would agree. He launches out into one of the great fundamental truths of the Christian faith, the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. When Jesus died on the Cross, the vast majority of His countrymen thought they’d seen the last of Him, but those who’d witnessed His resurrection and ascension knew better. They recalled Jesus’ teaching of His coming kingdom and it became absolutely clear to them that the next event in God’s calendar was the Second Coming of Jesus in great glory. The angelic messenger had predicted when Jesus ascended, "This same Jesus … will come back in the same way you have seen go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). No wonder then that Paul writes authoritatively, "We believe … we tell you that …" There could be no doubt. It was a statement of fact although still to be realised. It was "the blessed hope" that sustained him in the many trials of life. Paul makes four positive affirmations concerning this great event for the Christian believer. The first is:
THE RETURN : "THE LORD HIMSELF WILL COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN." The word Paul uses for "coming" was that used for a visit of a person of high rank, especially of kings and emperors, visiting a province. The Second Coming will be of the Lord Himself, not one of His deputies or representatives. It will be a personal, dramatic, public and unmistakable coming, a visit in person, of "the Lord". His First Advent was in humility and weakness. Charles Wesley summarised it in memorable words: "Our God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man." Then His deity was concealed in His humanity but in the Second Advent it will be with the full glory of the Victor over death and evil. J B Phillips’ translation captures the drama: "One word of command, one shout from the archangel, one blast from the trumpet of God and the Lord himself will come down from Heaven." There’s some inspired poetry here!
What we’re meant to understand is that this authoritative, divine proclamation announces the end of the age. God, in His mercy, has allowed the world to run in time for almost 2,000 years following the ascension of Jesus. Mankind has made tremendous progress in terms of knowledge but its flawed nature has become ever increasingly apparent. All the advances made seem to be one step forwards and two backwards, in morality, selfishness and exploitation. Millions are dying of AIDS in Africa, there’s a great movement of refugees from the east to the west, both political and economic, as a result of man’s inhumanity to man. It’s clear we can’t save ourselves.
It’s been put like this: "This present world is doomed. The scent of death is upon it. It’s committing suicide and nothing can save it until the coming of Jesus Christ. All the noble efforts of law-abiding citizens to slam the brakes on a sick society and the feverish activity of politicians, sociologists and ’do-gooders’ fail to usher in paradise." Studdert Kennedy, the 1st World War Army chaplain and poet wrote: "After two thousand years of saying Mass, we’ve got as far as poison gas!" 90 years on, the only "progress" that’s been made is that terrorists, in the name of their god, hijack airliners and crash them into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, with the loss of thousands of lives! Suicide bombers almost daily continue the appalling atrocities in cities around the world
Only the Gospel of Jesus has the message of salvation and its fulfilment will be in the personal return of our Lord. When is Jesus coming? It’s entirely appropriate and reverent to say that only God the Father knows. Regrettably, that hasn’t stopped many having a try at date fixing, but the predicted dates have all come and gone, leaving many a red face of embarrassment! Paul wrote to the same believers: "About times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night" (5:1). He was echoing the words of Jesus that nobody knows the day of the Second Coming. Amazingly, not even the Lord Jesus as the Son of God knows the day of His coming (Matt 24:36), so there’s no point in mere mortals trying to work it out.
God’s timetable of events, hidden to us, means that the Return of Jesus will come as a surprise to an unbelieving and sceptical world. Paul refers to the analogy that Jesus used of His coming "like a thief in the night" (Matt 24:43). The trouble with burglars is that they don’t tell us when they’re coming. They don’t make an advance announcement of their arrival; there’s no warning postcard! The same unexpectedness will characterise the day of the Lord: "While people are saying, ’Peace and safety’" (imagining they’re entirely secure behind their nuclear shields and the prosperity of their bank balance), "destruction will come on them suddenly … and they will not escape" (5:3). Paul has dealt with the Return of Jesus and he then tells of the implications for Christians who have died prior to the Lord’s Return. For them it’s:
THE RESURRECTION : "AND THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST."
Christianity is essentially a religion of resurrection. When a Christian dies, it’s not the end. It’s true the body is laid to rest in the grave, but the soul and spirit live on. The dying but repentant thief crucified with Jesus was assured of being with the Lord immediately his life ended: "Today you will be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43). Death is the gateway into the very presence of God. Paul himself testified: "For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain" (Phil 1:21). For him, passing through death would bring him a closer, richer, fuller, experience of Christ than he was already enjoying on earth. This is the Christian hope, in stark contrast to pagan hopelessness. But there’s more for the believer in Jesus: "the dead in Christ will rise."
Here was real hope for the relations and friends of those who have died as Christians. They weren’t to miss out. In fact they were getting priority treatment in the order of events in the Second Coming. The apostle had already told his readers that since the Christ who comes is He who had "died and rose again," so those who had died in Him would now rise with Him. Paul tells us that: "God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him." Christ and His people belong to each other inseparably and forever. Their spirits will be joined to their resurrected bodies, now free from the frailties and pains of their earthly existence. None of us know if our earthly life will end before Christ comes again, but if that’s the case, we have the wonderful assurance that Paul wrote to the believers in Corinth: "The dead will be raised imperishable … for the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality" (1 Cor 15:52,53).
Paul argues that "The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable … it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body" (42,44). How can we be sure that this is true? We can see the promise of resurrection in nature. Winter is a season of death for much of plant life, but come Springtime it bursts into life again. Our Creator God has written into nature the principle of resurrection. But the best reason of all for believing in the resurrection of the dead is the fact that "Christ has been raised from the dead" (20). He is the firstfruits of the resurrection. Death is a 100% certainty: "As in Adam all die" but if we are Christians, "so in Christ all will be made alive" (22). C S Lewis wrote: "Jesus has forced open a door that had been locked since the death of the first man. He has met, fought and beaten the King of Death. Everything is different because he has done so." The Resurrection of the dead in Christ at his coming is a certainty, but what of those still living? For them it will be:
THE RAPTURE : "WE WHO ARE STILL ALIVE … WILL BE CAUGHT UP."
The word "Rapture" isn’t found in Scripture but is derived from the words that Paul uses for "caught up". It expresses suddenness and violence, as when Paul was seized by force by the Roman centurion at the time he was in danger of being lynched by a mob. Paul explains to the believers in Corinth: "We are all going to be changed. You hear a blast … from a trumpet, and in the time you look up and blink your eyes - it’s over" (1 Cor 15:52 The Message). Each Christian is given his or her imperishable, immortal resurrection-body.
This is all amazing and supernatural. It’s incredible apart from faith. Questions spring to mind. How is it possible? Why is it only the Christians who will be "caught up" and the unbelievers left behind? We have to realise that the power of the resurrected Christ is at work. It was God who raised Him from the dead and, if we believe in the literal resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we’ll have no difficulty in believing that the Rapture will take place. There’s the objection that it’s impossible for a body to rise against the law of gravitation but this overlooks the fact that in the resurrection body of Christ higher laws was in operation.
Think of an aircraft standing on an airport runway. It weighs many tons and is firmly clamped to the ground by the force of gravity. It can’t possibly fly! That is until the power of the jet engines are turned on and the laws of aerodynamics come into their own, proving that there is a force which can overcome gravity. So it was with the Lord Jesus. Just as death and the grave could not hold him when His Father raised Him from the dead in a glorified body, so the Earth could not hold Him when the time came for Him to return to His Father. And so it will be when Christians world wide "hear the voice of the archangel … and the trumpet call of God". Those who have been "born of the Spirit" (John 3:8) have within them a magnetic attraction which will respond to the coming of Christ. Just as iron filings are seemingly miraculously caught up by a magnet, so will Christians be "caught up"!
Paul goes on to say that this earth-shattering event will take place "in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." Again questions arise: what’s the meaning of "the clouds … the air"? It’s helpful to recall that there are many Bible references to "clouds" - at the Exodus and Mount Sinai when God revealed Himself in clouds, and in the life of Jesus, at His transfiguration and ascension. The reference to "the air" was thought of as the dwelling-place of the devil so the fact the Lord chooses to meet His saints there speaks of His complete mastery over them. But whatever imagery or symbolism is used by Paul, there can be no doubt as to the reality that’s being portrayed. It’s the personal, visible appearing of Jesus Christ and the gathering to Him of all His people, whether dead or alive at the time.
Paul has clarified his previous teaching to the believers at Thessalonica on the Return of Christ, the Resurrection of the believing dead and the Rapture of the living Christians. This is the framework of the world’s next great event. Detailed aspects such as: the Tribulation - when and for whom?; the Antichrist - who is it?; the Millennial Age – is it literal or symbolic, pre- or post- the Return?; the Final Judgement - these are given or hinted at in other Scriptures, but they are secondary to the main programme of the Return, the Resurrection and the Rapture. So Paul turns with joyful anticipation to:
THE REUNION : "AND SO WE WILL BE WITH THE LORD FOR EVER."
This is surely the climax of the ages - the descending Lord, the ascending saints, in heaven and earth, will be united. This is the heart of the Christian hope. This earth is frequently the scene of sad separations but for the Christian it will be a thing of the past, never to happen again. There, in the presence of the Lord, we will be beyond the reach of evil, pain and suffering. Heaven will be the place of the greatest reunion of all time, with people "from every tribe and language and people and nation" (Rev 5:9). That’s the glorious prospect for the future but we don’t know when it will be, so back to the present!
What does the Return, the Resurrection, the Rapture and the Reunion mean to us in the here and now? It’s true that "our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Saviour from there" (Phil 3:20) but that’s not that "we should be so heavenly minded that we’re no earthly good!" We are called upon to live our daily lives in constant readiness for our Lord’s return and certainly for his call. No one but God knows if it will be in our lifetime. Our present task is to work for the kingdom of God as if the Return of Jesus will be delayed until the next century but be ready if He should return tonight! But what a prospect! What more can be said but the final words of Revelation? "Come, Lord Jesus."
