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Dr. Lars Larson
On the first Sunday of the month and I think we're going to need every minute of it
as we're addressing this subject because we arrive at it
here in the chapter before us dealing with the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Let's pray.
Father we ask that you would help us as we're dealing with a matter that is a rather complex
and one that is misunderstood in our opinion among many, one that
needs to be taught our Lord to our people and I just pray that you would help us our
God to proclaim and to teach your word in truth and so give us wisdom
our God help us our Lord to learn help us to unlearn also if that's necessary
as we broach this very important matter of the second coming of Jesus Christ for we pray in
our Savior's name Amen.
Now last time we were in 1 Thessalonians which was just two weeks ago.
Of course we're in chapter 4 we dealt with the teaching of the.
Paragraph.
Which is verses 9 -12 and it reads as follows.
You recall now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you for you
yourselves have been taught by God to love one another for that indeed is what
you're doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia but we urge you brothers to do this
more and more and to aspire to live quietly and to mind your own affairs and to work with your
hands as we instructed you so that you may walk properly before outsiders
and be dependent on no one.
Here the Apostle expressed his desire that these Christians in this church at Thessalonica would grow
in their love for one another more and more for although God himself had taught them
to love one another and we should understand that meaning he produced in each one of them a
true love for himself and a love for one another this is part and parcel of saving
grace.
This love for Christ, love for God, love for one another from the soul from the heart is a
result of God's saving grace in regeneration in the new birth nevertheless although
it's true of every Christian there is a need in every Christian to grow in the degree and quality of love
that we have for one another.
Well we did not address the other instructions that the Apostle included with this injunction to love more and.
More.
And they include instruction in three other areas of life other than growing in love.
They were first to aspire to live quietly.
That would be a wonderful thing wouldn't it?
To live quietly, a quiet life.
Secondly to mind their own affairs and thirdly to work with their own
hands.
Now we're gonna get into later the issue at the church at Thessalonica
some were actually idle not working at all because they thought the Lord Jesus was coming so soon
and in doing so they were dependent upon other people.
They were becoming a burden to other people in the church and so his concern about them
working with their own hands.
It would have been a probably a culture society where there was much you know in the matter of
artisans or craftsmen doing this kind of work.
And he's urging them basically to support themselves so that they would not be causing themselves to be
dependent on others and others wouldn't have to be underwriting them for that matter.
And we see that they were therefore to be content to be
self -sufficient that is before the Lord they were to live a simple ordered life
living for the Lord before the Lord with a clear conscience and with a credible profession of their faith.
And so the Christian is to be diligent in work and Paul says this will enhance that
Christian's witness in the community and it will keep him from personal need.
If we just apply those words to our own.
Culture.
It would be transformed wouldn't it?
Here are the words of Matthew Henry on these words of instruction by Paul.
Observe 1.
The Apostle exhorts to these duties that they should study to be quiet.
It is the most desirable thing to have a calm and quiet temper and to be of a peaceful and
quiet behavior through a sense of stability and calm that ought to emanate from
us.
When people are around us they ought to sense just a measure of stability.
That guy is stable and wherever he's at it brings stability wherever she's at
there's a calmness.
And to be of a peaceful and quiet behavior this tends much to our own and others happiness and Christians should study how to be
quiet.
We should be ambitious and industrious how to be calm and quiet in our minds in patience to
possess our own souls and to be quiet toward others or of a meek and mild
and a gentle and peaceable disposition not given to strife contention or
division.
Satan is very busy to disquiet us I love the old English and we
have that in our own hearts that disposes us to be disquiet and therefore let us study to
be quiet.
It follows do your own business.
When we go beyond this we expose ourselves to a great deal.
Of.
Inquietitude.
Those who are busy bodies meddling in other men's matters generally have a little quiet in their own minds
and they cause great disturbances among their neighbors.
At least they seldom mind the other exhortation to be diligent in their own calling to work with their own
hands and yet this is what the Apostle commanded them and what is required of us also.
Christianity does not discharge us from the work and duty of our particular callings but
teaches us to be diligent therein.
Amen.
Christian ought to be the best worker faithful stable as an example
and as a cause of encouragement to the brethren.
Now with verse 13 the Apostle begins to address a new subject.
Perhaps he wrote of this because he had heard perhaps from Timothy that they were confused and
had concern about these matters.
They were anxious.
Some of these Christians had been distressed concerning those Christians who had already died.
Paul explained to them that they would be reunited with their loved ones one day when Christ returned
that is with those of course who died in the Lord God will cause them to come with
the Lord Jesus at his second coming.
Now that sentence is a little awkward but it very accurately reflects what.
Paul wrote.
Those who are yet alive at that time those who are in Christ will be caught up to meet them in the air and
so we will forever be with one another and with the Lord.
So here's a paragraph 1 Thessalonians 4 13 -18 where this matter the second coming of Christ is
introduced and it's probably a passage that most of us are familiar with
but we do not want you to be uninformed brothers.
The King James said we do not want you to be ignorant comma brothers.
I know this is probably not seemly but I remember hearing about the pastor who left the church
under unfortunate circumstances and he stood up and preached without that comma in this
text.
I would not have you ignorant brethren.
And that was his parting sermon.
If you can imagine that punctuation is all important isn't it.
I want you to be informed is what he's saying
about those who are asleep that you may not grieve as others who have no hope.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so through Jesus God will bring
with him those who have fallen asleep.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord that we who are alive and are left until the coming of the Lord
will not precede those who have fallen asleep 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.
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 and therefore encourage one another with
these words.
Let's work through the passage and determine exactly what he's declaring.
Verse 13.
Paul expressed his concern.
These Christians were grieving to a degree that was not warranted by them as Christians.
We do not want you to be uninformed brothers about those.
Who.
Are asleep.
These Christians had been uninformed about these matters.
Not all Christians in those early days were uninformed in the way these Christians were at the church at Thessalonica.
Indeed yes the church at Corinth.
They were uninformed in fact even ignorant even errant regarding their understanding
of the future resurrection from the dead.
Paul had to teach the church at Corinth about the reality of the future resurrection of the body.
They were uninformed and they were in error.
But this was not the case.
Say with Martha close friend of the Lord Jesus the brother the sister of Lazarus who had died.
You recall she was well -informed about the future resurrection of the dead.
After Lazarus had died and was buried several days Jesus appeared
and Jesus sought to console Martha with the grief she had concerning her brother.
He said to her your brother will rise that is rise again from the dead.
And Martha responded to him this note of confidence this note of faith.
I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.
She was informed about these matters and she knew them and believe them.
She was knowledgeable and confident regarding the future bodily resurrection of the dead.
I know he will rise and that will take place on the last day.
But these Christians at Thessalonica were uninformed.
However Paul would not have them remain in this state of ignorance.
He would instruct them rightly for he had a word from the Lord about this matter.
Notice.
Paul described Christians who died as ones who were asleep.
This is a common description of those who have died in the.
Lord.
Now specifically we need to understand this.
This has to do with the bodies.
The physical bodies of Christians who died their bodies are as
though they were sleeping in their graves.
They're asleep.
The bodies of Christians there is ones who would one day be awakened from their sleep of death
coming forth unto eternal life.
Now we emphasize that this is a reference to the bodies of Christians of dead
believers being asleep.
For there are those that teach that this sleep is also the state of the souls of those who are
redeemed not just their bodies.
This doctrine is commonly referred to as soul sleep.
Seventh -day Adventists believe and teach this false doctrine as do Jehovah's Witnesses
and I would argue that there are true Christians in the Seventh -day Adventist.
Movement.
I wouldn't say all but there are certainly true Christians in the Seventh -day Adventist movement.
Not so in the Jehovah's Witness movement.
That's a cult.
Seventh -day Adventist has cult like things but I would not deny
salvation to them.
I could not do so biblically but I could with regard to Jehovah's Witnesses.
Because they.
Preach and believe in another Jesus who does not exist.
Well they believe.
They teach that when a Christian dies it's like when one falls asleep.
The one who is asleep is not mindful of the passing of time until he awakens in the morning rising to a new day.
So when Christians die they enter a state of unconsciousness.
They say only to come out of that soul sleep on the day of the resurrection.
But the scriptures do not teach this.
In fact the scriptures make it quite clear that when a Christian dies his soul is consciously in the
presence of the Lord and that's a certainty.
2nd Corinthians 5 .8 speaks about that even while his body is asleep in the.
Grave.
His soul is conscious before the Lord because death brings about a separation and that's what death
is a separation of the soul and body.
For example when the thief on his cross next to Jesus said to Jesus Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom
Jesus responded truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise.
How could he have said that if his soul was going to be asleep until the day of the resurrection
thousands of years into the future.
The thief died that day.
His body was no doubt buried that day but he was with the Lord Jesus in paradise.
His body was asleep in the grave until the day of the resurrection but his soul.
Was.
Consciously with the Lord and his people.
And by the way I mentioned that importance of commas earlier.
And this is where it's very important in translation isn't it.
Because this is what the Jehovah's Witnesses I don't know if the Adventists do.
But this is where I suspect the Adventists must do it too.
But this is where the Jehovah's Witnesses argue that the English translation should not read as we have it
there in your notes.
Truly I say to you comma today you will be with me in paradise.
But rather they remove the comma before the word today and put it after the word today.
Truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise pushing that way off into
the future.
But the Greek text will not allow for that.
Jesus was declaring today you'll be with me in paradise.
It would be an obvious thing I'm declaring you today.
And to make that argument is grammatically incorrect in the light of the Greek
And it's theologically errant too.
So the thief died his body was buried but he was with the Lord Jesus.
His soul was now.
Christians alone may have assurance that when Jesus returns they will be reunited with their loved ones who also
died in faith.
Christians are not to regard the death of believing loved ones as others who have no hope.
A reference to non -Christians.
They have no hope.
Those who die in unbelief have no hope of salvation.
They have no hope for a happy reunion with loved ones when Jesus Christ returns at his
second coming.
And this has practical implications.
You know I trust that we assess we view the world and assess the world as we understand.
The scriptures had a rather sad event you know this past past
week Carrie Fisher dying and her mother Debbie Reynolds dying.
The next.
Day.
But by a stroke and what was the word that came out.
Well she wanted to be with.
Carrie.
Well if they're both Christians that is the case.
If they're not that's not the case.
They're not a happy reunion of loved ones who don't know the Lord.
Unbelievers die in their sins and they'll face the Lord Jesus on the day of judgment at which time he will damn
them in their sins.
This is serious business.
But Christians in contrast to them have the glorious hope of reunion with their believing
loved ones.
Their sound assurance is based upon God's Word and substantiated by the resurrection of their Lord
and Savior from the death on that first resurrection Sunday that first Easter Sunday long ago.
Now Paul became more direct in verse 14 on how this future event would transpire.
For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so through Jesus God will bring with
him as Jesus those who have fallen asleep again.
The wording we might read over rather casually or superficially but the wording is
rather interesting.
It declares that God is bringing with the Lord Jesus those who are asleep.
It's emphasizing that God perhaps a triune God or perhaps God the Father is the one who is you
know who is basically sending forth Jesus to gather his people.
And he's also sending the souls of Christians who have previously died with the Lord Jesus.
So God has decreed that all he would accomplish in the this age would be done through Jesus Christ.
God will bring back the souls of those who died in the Lord
along with the Lord Jesus.
As one wrote Jesus is God's agent in the final act commissioned to raise and muster the dead.
The same God that raised Jesus from the dead will raise from the dead those who are asleep in Jesus.
And so there's an emphasis here not just on Christ returning but the purpose of the Godhead in all of
this.
In verse 15 Paul said that Christians who are alive at the coming of the Lord Jesus would not be caught up to join
him prior to the gathering of those Christians who have fallen asleep.
Well the souls are already with the Lord.
Paul declares in verse 15.
For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord.
He got this directly from the Lord Jesus that we who are alive and who are left until the coming of the
Lord will not precede those who have fallen asleep.
And so Paul claims to have been given a word from the Lord.
Respecting this matter the Lord revealed this truth to the Apostle.
How or when God had given this word to Paul is not stated but he was confident
that this was from the Lord.
Paul declared that all believers will be caught up together though those who are asleep in Jesus will be summoned first
as we see in verse 16.
For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command with the voice of an archangel with the sound of the trumpet of God.
And the dead in Christ will rise first.
It's the Lord Jesus who calls his people to meet him and one another in the air.
He does so with a cry of command as the ESV puts it
he commanded one day Lazarus come forth out of that grave.
And on this occasion he's gonna command all of his people to come forth a cry
of command.
He'll issue a command first calling those who belong to him to come forth from the grave.
And those bodies will ascend and be reunited with their souls which he brings
with him from heaven.
And then his command will be given to Christians who are alive all over the.
World.
To be transformed in an instant their mortal bodies becoming immortal and
they ascend to meet the Lord in the air.
Paul wrote of this in first Corinthians 15.
Behold I tell you a mystery we shall not all sleep talking about Christians dying
but we all should be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the
last trumpet for the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised incorruptible
and we shall be changed that is we are alive.
Not only will the dead be raised.
But we.
Should be changed.
You know the last generation of Christians will not experience physical death
for this corruptible must put on incorruption this mortal must put on immortality.
These physical bodies are not suited for eternity.
They have to be renovated.
Not only does the Lord Jesus come with a cry of command but he also comes with the voice of an archangel.
That's interesting.
I thought I'd do a word search in my Bible program on my computer and just just see what the Bible says about
archangels.
You know it's only mentioned.
Twice.
In the Bible once here the voice of an archangel
Bible speaks much about angels but not much about archangels.
The only other place is found in Jude 9 which Jude wrote.
Yet Michael the archangel in contending with the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses dared not
bring accusation or bring against him a reviling accusation but said the Lord rebuked you.
Those are the only two places in the Bible.
An archangel is mentioned here in 1st Thessalonians 4 and there in Jude 9.
However if you go outside the Bible and you read Jewish literature and early Christian literature that are not that are not
canonical outside of the Bible you find numbers of things said about archangels.
Of course this is not the Word of God it's not truth but it does reflect or reveal what these people believe
perhaps or different people believe.
Early canonical Jewish books of the early Christian era identified others I say extra
canonical.
In other words outside the canon of scripture.
I'm using that word extra in a technical sense outside the canonical Jewish
books.
But the Word of God again only identifies Michael as an archangel and that's in Jude 9
we should probably see an archangel as a leading commander of angels.
Now that the Lord Jesus shouts with the voice of an archangel speaks of his great authority.
Perhaps even being the commander maybe the commander of the you know the army of hosts
he's calling out with this authoritative command.
We can look elsewhere and read about the employment of angels in the gathering of his
elect which may be a reference to this.
I don't know.
The third description of the manner in which he comes is with the sound of the trumpet of God.
William Hendrickson a good commentator good solid reformed guy.
All his commentaries are good.
He wrote these words.
The trumpet blast in this connection in the old dispensation talking about the Mosaic Covenant Israel
when God came down as it were to meet with his people this meeting was announced by a trumpet blast as at
Mount Sinai.
And the sound of a trumpet was exceeding loud as Moses recorded in Exodus 19.
And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God.
Hence when the marriage of the lamb with his bride reaches its culmination Revelation 19 this trumpet blast
is most appropriate.
And also the trumpet was used as a signal of Jehovah's coming to rescue people from hostile oppression.
It was a signal for their deliverance.
And also those final trumpet blast a signal for the dead to rise for the living to be changed and for
all the elect to be gathered from the four winds to meet the Lord may well be interpreted as being also the fulfillment
of the trumpet ordinance found in Leviticus 25.
And accordingly as proclaiming liberty throughout the universe for all the children of God their everlasting
jubilee every 50th year the ram's horn blew and slaves were set free people
set free of debt.
And this trumpet of the Lord were being set free from death and raised.
We read the dead in Christ will rise first.
The Lord causes the bodies of the dead in Christ to come forth from the graves.
Now Paul is only concerned here about the resurrection of believers.
He's not given a full or description or delineation of what goes on at the second coming of Christ.
He's only concerned about comforting these people at Thessalonica regarding their lost loved ones
who were believers.
And we should understand that.
And so he only speaks of the dead in Christ rising first.
Elsewhere however we can read the unconverted also rising from their graves.
Paul doesn't address it here but our Lord did in John 5 24 -25.
Now those that argue that this is a rapture of Christians only and the unconverted will not be raised
until long after well over a thousand years later they say they take the Bible literally.
But for some reason they don't take the.
Lord's.
Jesus' words.
Literally in John 5 28 -29 Jesus said do not marvel at this.
Right.
Afterwards he says basically you should marvel at this that God can cause spiritually dead people to be spiritually alive now.
That's a marvelous thing.
But he said don't marvel at this.
In other words it's no big thing for God.
Don't marvel at this.
The hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear his voice and come forth.
That seems to be a singular event doesn't it.
That hour is not a thousand and seven years old separating the resurrection of the just and the unjust as many claim
but the hour is coming when all who will hear his voice and they come forth.
And there's two groups come forth those that have done good as God defines it in the Bible
under the resurrection of life and those who have.
Done.
Evil under the resurrection of condemnation.
And we would argue because of our Lord's words here it's in a gospel setting a narrative setting that this should
be viewed as a really a authoritative paradigm an expression of
truth.
And so rather than interpreting everything that our Lord said like here in the light of an
apocalyptic vision that's found in the book of Revelation and argue for the
nature of the resurrection based on that is very I think simple to come to the Lord's words.
And we would argue as all Christians have done throughout church history until the end of the 19th
century and in the future there's going to be a general resurrection of the dead.
Believers and unbelievers called forth those on the salvation the others on to
damnation.
And so the Lord said he'll cause all to come forth in the graves in that hour.
But they'll be separated upon the rising from the dead those under the resurrection of condemnation.
All people are going to come forth from the grave.
Resurrection of condemnation will be separated from those on the resurrection of life.
But again Paul here in 1st Thessalonians 4 is only speaking about this group the resurrection of the righteous
because again he's pastorally comforting these people regarding their
dead loved ones who died in the Lord.
Well after the dead in Christ are raised Paul then declared in verse 17.
so will we always be with the.
So that's that same truth as we found in 1st Corinthians 15
the moment in which our bodies are changed this mortal body all of a sudden will be transformed if we're alive at the
coming of the Lord.
That would be wonderful wouldn't it.
And will be transformed and caught up.
Paul is not concerned here again about declaring what happens to these Christians upon their joining to Christ.
In other words he's only concerned about our coming to Christ in our regathering with the other people.
He doesn't say then they go back to heaven for seven years.
He doesn't say they come to the earth although we would argue elsewhere.
He does teach that that the Lord caught up all his people to himself as he's coming the second
coming and then they proceed with the Lord Jesus to the earth to bring judgment the final
judgment upon the world.
He's bringing them out before he brings his destruction upon them in the same way he caused his
disciples to flee out of Jerusalem when you see the city surrounded by the armies flee to the mountains.
He's taking his people out and then he's bringing them with him and the second coming will
be fully realized.
So he does not say that he turned around and returned with his people to.
Heaven.
Only return after a seven -year tribulation period as so many people commonly believe and assume will occur.
The point that Paul was stressing was that from this occasion of the rapture even unto eternity so we'll always
be with the Lord.
That was his point of emphasis his concern here teaching this
word of our future translation.
To be with the Lord and his people is to be an encouragement to Christians.
Paul concluded this paragraph by writing in verse 18.
Therefore encourage one another with these words and it is encouraging isn't.
It.
I mean it's a wonderful thing.
I've done about 91 funerals now in the 19 years almost I've been here and I would
say maybe 10 of them were Christian.
And it sure is a lot easier to stand at the graveside of a Christian and talk about a future
reuniting of loved ones in the Lord rather than standing before a grave and knowing that
they have no hope because they're not Christian.
You know it's a difficult situation.
You try to be gracious and kind and merciful and yet true but it's a difficult setting.
But we are to encourage one another with these words.
Now this great prophetic event is commonly referred to as the rapture.
The rapture as a word of course is not found in the Bible.
It's actually not even derived from a Greek word the Greek language of the.
Bible.
But rather it's taken from the Latin language raptura meaning to
catch up or take away and it's close also to an old French term as
well.
I don't know French but I've read that and so this idea the rapture has
been viewed throughout history as one aspect.
Of that great.
End time event the second coming of Jesus Christ.
Now when people hear say my understanding of you know the end times which
is very simple the Lord Jesus is going to come.
Back.
He's going to raise the dead.
He's going to separate the righteous from the unrighteous.
There's going to be a general judgment of all mankind.
Eternity will be ushered in Christians into eternal life new heavens new earth and the damned into
everlasting punishment.
That's a pretty simple view of the end times.
But when people hear say someone like me teaching that they
have difficulties they have trouble and they say oh he doesn't believe in the rapture.
I've heard that so many times.
He doesn't believe in the rapture.
Oh that church there first baptist church in Lemaitre.
They don't believe in the rapture.
We believe in the rapture.
Bible talks about it first Corinthians 4.
But we believe it to be the same as the second coming of Christ.
The catching up of Christians to be with the Lord forever with the Lord is at the second
coming of Christ.
It's one aspect of the second coming and so don't assume that we don't believe in the rapture.
We believe in the rapture even though that term is not a biblical term.
We believe what it says here what it teaches here.
Let's understand a little better this future event.
As we try and sort through these matters the Greek word most commonly used to refer to the return of
Christ is the word parousia and it's commonly translated
simply by the English word coming.
It's in our text in first Thessalonians 4 .15 which reads.
For this we declare it to you by a word from the Lord that we who are alive who are left until the
parousia the coming of the Lord will not precede those who have fallen
asleep.
But this word parousia is found in many other places as well.
In fact I've included every verse in the New Testament in your notes where the Greek word
parousia is used that's referencing the coming of the Lord.
Okay there are uses of the other of the word speaking of Paul spoke about one of his companions appearing
coming on the scene.
And it's obviously not a reference to the second coming.
But here are all the verses.
And and so if you just you know if we just read through these quickly we've got a little bit of time to do so
by the time we get to the end of these verses you get an idea of what this appearance or this coming of the Lord Jesus
entails.
And so we have Matthew 24 .3.
Now as he sat on the Mount of Olives the disciples came to Jesus privately saying tell us when will these things be.
He's talking about not one stone standing upon another here in the city they'll all be cast down.
When will these things be.
And what will be the sign of your coming in the end of the age.
They're asking about the fall of Jerusalem as well as the end of the age the coming of Christ.
Matthew 24 .27.
As the lightning comes from the east flashes to the west so also so also will be the the
perusea the coming of the Son of Man be.
Matthew 24 .36 and following.
But if that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven but my father only.
But as the days of Noah were so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
For as in the days before the flood they were eating and drinking marrying giving and marriage.
In other words life was going on as usual until the day that Noah entered the ark did not know until the flood came took them all
away.
So also will the coming of the Son of Man be first
Corinthians 15 .23.
Each in his own order.
Christ the first fruits afterwards.
Those were Christ at his coming.
Talking about the second coming.
Of course first Thessalonians 2 .19.
We've already seen it in first Thessalonians.
For what is our hope or joy or crown of rejoicing.
Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming.
First Thessalonians 3 .13 in the previous chapter so that he may establish your hearts blameless and holiness before
God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints will be looking at that expression.
Maybe next Lord's Day.
In more detail.
First Thessalonians 4 .15.
This is the verse in our passage.
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means
precede those who are asleep.
First Thessalonians 5 .23.
Second Thessalonians 2 .1
that's the rapture.
Clearly we ask you not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled either by spirit or by word or by letter
as if from us as though the day of Christ had come.
Some thought that the second coming was only a spiritual coming and they missed out on it.
He says.
Don't don't think that.
Second Thessalonians 2 .8.
And then the lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his mouth and destroy with the
brightness of his coming.
That would be the man of sin that we'll deal with in second Thessalonians 2 James 5 .7
-8.
Therefore be patient brethren until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth waiting patiently for it until it receives the early latter rain.
You also be patient.
Establish your hearts.
For the coming of the Lord is at.
Hand.
Second Peter 1 .16.
We did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ but were eyewitnesses of his majesty an allusion to the
transfiguration.
Second Peter 3 knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their own
lusts and saying where is the promise of his coming.
For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were in the beginning of creation.
Second Peter 3.
This verse alone devastates the dispensational position.
Therefore since all these things will be dissolved he's talking about everything.
Physical.
The earth.
What manner persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness looking for and hastening the coming of the
day of God because of which the heavens will be dissolved.
Being on fire elements will melt with fervent heat.
We would argue at the coming of Christ the new heavens and the new earth will be
fashioned before us.
1st John 2 .28.
Now little children abide in him.
When he appears we may have confidence not be ashamed before him that is coming.
In other words we will not be ashamed and condemned at the judgment will be exonerated.
We're gonna be held forth as wonderful people of faith that endured through great
trial and difficulty in our lives.
We will not be ashamed.
It is coming because we will be found to be in Christ thankfully in his righteousness.
It's quite clear I would argue that each of these references to the parousia speaks to one event at the end of the
age even the second coming of Jesus.
Christ.
And from the verses that we read or consider we make include that when the coming of Jesus Christ takes place the
following events occur.
One when Jesus Christ comes he'll raise his people from the dead gathering unto him that they will
dwell with him through eternity from that point on.
Second the lawless one will be destroyed it is coming.
Third when the coming of the Lord Jesus occurs he will defeat his enemies and judge all the inhabitants of the world.
For when the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ takes place this present universe will be
dissolved and he will create a new heavens and.
Earth.
All these things will take place at the coming of the Lord and so the Holy
Scriptures we would argue set forth the future coming of Jesus Christ as a single future event
that will bring an end to human history in this present.
It will be a day in which he will judge the world saving his people from their.
Sin.
And damning all others to their just condemnation I would argue that the rapture described here in
1st Thessalonians 4 is but one aspect of that one second.
Coming in asserting this some would again falsely accuse us of not believing in the
rapture but this is not true.
The scripture certainly foretells the future rapture of those redeemed by.
But the word event but the Word of God declares that this rapture is the same event as the
second coming of Christ not a separate one not a different event from his second coming.
Nor is the rapture to be understood as the first stage of the second coming and the second stage of the
second coming is at the end of the seven years.
Many teach that.
My old friend Doug who's with the Lord now I always quote him as one of the most quotable guys I've ever known
homie guy from Arkansas and when he'd get into discussions with the brethren
about this matter who differed from him he'd interrupt.
Now are you talking about the first second coming or the second second coming.
And you know and the foolishness of their argument was immediately apparent to them.
You know there's one second coming not two second comings, not two stages of the second coming
there's one event and it's all expressed through this Greek word the poesia.
Now in order for us not to be uninformed about this matter it's necessary that we addressed I believe the errant view
of the pre -tribulation rapture and this is what we're all taught.
This is what I was taught as a young Christian.
First book I read was the late great planet earth by Hal Lindsay in 1970 and it taught this
pre -tribulation rapture.
Please understand what this this position is and most evangelicals believe it.
The who's who of evangelicals teach this.
In my mind one of the greatest servants of the Lord in America is John MacArthur but he teaches this view of the second coming two
stages.
Charles Stanley does, David Jeremiah does Chuck Swindoll does,
J. Vernon McGee I have great regard for they all do except for R .C. Sproul and
I think maybe Alistair Bigg I would suspect doesn't.
But for the most part the big names the big boys all teach this because this is what's been taught.
But on the other hand although I'm standing up here presenting a position that only R .C. maybe
espouses as a big name please understand before 1900 before the 20th
century the majority of the vast majority of Christians
affirmed a position that I'm affirming here and it was a vast majority and
before 1830 there were no Christians that advocated this two -stage coming of
Jesus Christ and so I would argue that all the Puritans, all the Reformers, all of the Christians
up until the 19th century particularly the end of the 19th century really with the onset of Schofield the
early 20th.
Century.
Believed what we are espousing here so I would argue actually we've got the majority position.
And I would further argue that all the historic confessions of faith all the Protestant confessions of faith
prior to the 20th century set forth a view of the coming of Christ in the manner that we
are asserting and so I know what it is.
You've never heard anything like it before.
I was that way when I first heard it.
In fact I knew a fellow who first encouraged me going to seminary and all I knew about him as
he was a strange bird because he was a Calvinist and he had this.
He didn't believe in the rapture but he had a great influence and impact on me going further in my
education.
So I think back fondly on O .C. Harris now who's with the Lord.
By the way I carry around his New Testament that he gave me when I graduated from my master divinity degree
and he wrote in the cover he says remember Lars anything old has the
possibility of being true.
Anything that is new is not true without a doubt.
And I thought that was good counsel that he gave.
Now let's consider the beliefs of those who hold a pre -tribulation rapture.
People don't think through these issues.
If they did they would understand that there's some glaring difficulties.
Again we're asserting the Holy Scriptures foretell a single future event of the second coming of Christ.
Most believers however have embraced a different understanding of our passage.
They believe the second coming of Jesus Christ will occur in two stages.
The first stage of the second coming they believe is the rapture of the church.
I emphasize the church.
Our understanding of the rapture is all redeemed people throughout all of history.
That is not what those who espouse a pre -tribulation rapture teach.
It's only those Christians since the day of Pentecost until the rapture of the church at the
end of the church age.
They argue that this rapture is an event that is imminent that it will take place suddenly.
And there is no event foretold in the scriptures that will occur between now and the rapture of the church.
They say that Jesus will return therefore at any moment to rapture his church to be with him.
They then assert that a period of seven years of tribulation will occur on the earth after the church is
removed only after this seven -year tribulation.
They say the fulfillment which they say is the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel.
We'll have to address that maybe in two Sundays from now.
Then the second coming of Jesus Christ will take place.
It should be understood.
They teach the rapture will not include all people through history who are redeemed through Jesus Christ.
In other words they do not teach that the rapture will include all New Testament believers and all Old Testament saints.
Rather they teach the rapture will only include New Testament believers which they regard as the
church.
They believe that the Old Testament believers will not be raised from the dead until the end of the seven years
after the tribulation after the rapture of the church seven years before at the onset of a future Jewish
millennium which will occur the second second coming of Jesus Christ.
Second stage of the second coming.
And that's when all the believers of the Old Testament are raised because they are going to populate the earth
during the Jewish millennium.
I would argue the pre -tribulation rapture teaching requires multiple future
resurrections from the dead not just one.
Many would not affirm this but if you think it through this is what the pre -tribulation rapture
results in.
First they say only those members of the true church those who become Christians between Pentecost and the rapture of the
church will be resurrected at the rapture Lord takes his bride to be with
them.
Second they say that Jewish believers will be raised from the dead seven years later at the second coming who will then populate an
earthly Jewish millennium.
Jesus sitting on David's throne they argue.
Third there will be those who become Christians during the millennium in the.
Future.
Who were born in the millennium grow up they become Christians.
When are they going to be raised from the dead.
You'd have to conclude they're going to be raised upon death and resurrected upon death throughout the millennium
whole series of resurrections.
And then fourth.
They say that the unconverted of all human history will come forth from their graves at the end of the future thousand year millennium in
order to be judged at the great white throne judgment.
They do not believe in a general resurrection of the dead as we have espoused and again as
I would argue our Lord taught in John 5 28 and 29.
They do not believe in a one -time and general judgment of all mankind which is taught in numerous places in the
scriptures.
They believe the Bible teaches a number of future resurrections and a number of future judgments.
There's a judgment of Christians after the rapture there's a judgment at the second coming determining who will be
allowed to continue in the millennium.
And then there'll be a judgment at the end of the thousand years.
And then again you have to have these judgments throughout the millennium of Christians that die and then are raised.
It's convoluted when you when you think about this scheme and all that's
entailed.
And again I was taught this I believe this.
I showed the men and men's group yesterday the first book I bought as a Christian entitled dispensational truth by
Clarence Larkin.
I showed all the charts I ingested this thing when I was a young Christian
and knew them all do all the charts knew all the arguments and it took a while to unlearn those things
but I was forced to do so through the studying and preaching of the Holy Scriptures over the course of a number of years.
So I was converted in 1972 became a preacher and associate
pastor 1974 a full -time pastor head pastor in December of 1979 and
it says I after I became a pastor and preaching to the Bible week after week book
after book I came to realize that's not consistent with what we've been taught what I believe this isn't
consistent and after a while I realized this whole thing is convoluted
and then after I concluded that I came across God bless him Ralph Woodrow's books that we have down on our
book table that set forth that what I had come to conclude was indeed
biblical and then I realized the recent invention of all this that
prior to Schofield's Bible in the early 20th century nobody believed these things except for a small group of
Plymouth brethren through the 19th century influenced by JN Darby and a
charismatic guy in London Edward Irving and that they basically because they came into
a situation of vacuum at the beginning of the 20th century with all these sincere true Christians coming
out of these liberal Christ -denying mainline denominations and forming their
own Bible -believing churches and own Bible schools and and getting starting their own
publishing house and Schofield's Bible came right down within that vacuum and came to be understood
as the Bible believers Bible and his notes were accepted and he had great influence on
Lewis Schaefer who founded Dallas Seminary you know and I could go on and on
about that was really the only voice that was heard throughout the 20th century.
Arthur Pink was a dispensationalist early on and spoke widely to groups
of 2 ,000 people until he stopped being a dispensationalist and they stopped being asked to preach and he
lost his ability to have influence.
There are a few guys here and there, G. Gresham Machen was a faithful Presbyterian back to the 30s and 40s
and there were others but they were largely marginalized because there was not a
book, an evangelical book publisher that would publish anything except the
line of the Schofield understanding and teaching.
But things have changed.
People came to understand differently.
George Ladd wrote a wonderful book dispensing the rapture of the church and
showing it to be the second coming of Christ.
There were other books written in the 70s and 80s and even some of the classic dispensationalists began to correct
some of the earlier errant teachings MacArthur did to his credit regarding the kingdom of God.
That's why so many evangelicals don't preach about the kingdom of God because they think the kingdom was postponed.
They don't believe I pulled off two dozen books off my shelves in preparation for this
morning and so many of them believe that the offer of the kingdom that Jesus gave and John the Baptist
gave to the Jews was the millennial kingdom.
If they would have embraced Jesus as their king, the millennium would have begun.
A thousand years in which Israel would have ascended over the earth.
But because Israel rejected Jesus as king, the offer of the kingdom was withdrawn.
And so the church age is a parenthesis.
But after the rapture of the church, during the tribulation, the gospel of the kingdom will once again be the
preeminent message and the gospel of the kingdom will be realized at the second coming of Christ.
And so the classical dispensationalists argue Jesus is priest and prophet now but he will not be king until the
second coming of Jesus.
I would say that's near blasphemy.
And so they deny the present reality of the kingdom.
And I would argue that even though a lot of evangelicals don't go so far to say that, there's an absence in
kingdom preaching and teaching because of their dispensational background
and the influence of dispensationalism.
And one of my, well my theme down in South Africa before perhaps 200 pastors
is the kingdom of God.
And I know what they've been taught.
They've been taught by American evangelicals.
And one of my purposes down there is to show that the present reality of the kingdom and
what that entails.
And that the gospel of the kingdom
is not just the good news of how you can have your sins forgiven through faith in Jesus.
The gospel of the kingdom is the announcement that King Jesus has come into the world and through his
life and his death upon the cross.
He basically was given all authority in heaven and earth.
And he is bringing back this world, this creation, into a willing submission to his father throughout this church age.
And that's going to be accomplished finally and fully at the second coming when every knee will bow and every tongue
confess Jesus is King to the glory of God the Father.
And that's what we are to believe now and to proclaim now.
And there are not a lot of people that are doing it in today's world.
We're way off base here, I know.
I get circulars from Vision New England, you know, the big evangelical promotion where they have, you know,
a conference every year with 10 ,000 evangelicals coming.
And they forfeited any longer any doctrinal or biblical
exposition.
All it is is a conference telling pastors, it doesn't matter what denomination you're from, whatever you believe,
this is how you build a church.
This is how you do ministry.
It's the nuts and bolts.
But they no longer are proclaiming the Word of God as the Word of God.
The voices are few.
And some of you know that, don't you?
You've ended up here because you've, you know, and you've driven dozens and dozens
of miles because you can't find anything in between.
And I would say that the state of things in which we find ourselves today is very dire,
very serious.
But thanks be to God, we've got his Word, and Lord willing, he's going to help us.
And I pray, and I hope we pray, that as a church we'll stay true to him.
And the Lord will bless in these days.
Amen?
Father, we know these are difficult matters, and we know that there are good men who
hold a different view, and we do not in any way disrespect or
denigrate them.
But we want to know the truth, our Lord, and we pray that you would help us to be true to you and true to
your Word.
And so help us, our Lord, in our study.
Help us, our Lord, to embrace these matters and incorporate them into our verbal witness.
For we desire, Lord, to bear faithful witness to the teaching of your Word, a message that you
can bless, our God, to the saving of souls.
For we do pray in Jesus' name.