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The Second Coming (2)

            Scripture does not give us a date for the second coming of Christ. The time of his first coming could be arrived at by calculating a number of weeks from a certain event (Daniel 9), but Christ’s second coming cannot be arrived at by making a similar calculation. Christ Himself said he did not know the date of his coming (Matthew 24:36; Mark 13:32) and said that it was a matter that was in his Father’s authority (Acts 1:7). This is in accord with Psalm 110:1. The book of Revelation gives no date for the second coming.

            How will the time of the second coming be determined ? Scripture gives certain indications. When God’s house is full (Matthew 22:10; Luke 14:23), that is, when the last person is gathered in. From another aspect, it will be when the Lord’s people on earth are in a state of readiness. Peter speaks of hastening the coming of the day of God (2 Peter 3:12&14). This implies that we could be the cause of delay ! God has long patience and it is because he is waiting for all to come to repentance that Christ has not yet come (2 Peter 3: 9). When the Lord’s people are removed then judgment can begin. As was said to Lot:”I cannot do anything until thou art come there” (Genesis 19:22). Lot had to be well away from Sodom before judgement could come on the cities of the plain. It was the same with Noah. The flood did not begin until seven days (Genesis 7:4&10) after Noah and his family were shut in the ark (Genesis 7:16).

            If one thinks about the matter the wisdom of God is involved in not giving us a date for the second coming of Christ. To those of us who are living at the time of this writing, had a date been given us which was two hundred years from now, there would be no incentive for us to be ready for his coming as we would not still be living then. “Be ye ready” (Matthew 24:44; Luke 12:40) would lose its force. On the other hand, if the date was fixed for a time only months away, there would be problems. Should we continue our studies for exams which would take place after the known date of his coming ? What about marriage arrangements ? The historians tell us that people thought the Lord would come circa the year 1,000 A.D. Because of this they let their fields lie fallow: they did not bother to plant their crops and that sort of thing. When it was found that the Lord hadn’t come they settled down and started to build imposing churches and suchlike buildings. Most of the existing church buildings date from after the year 1,000 A.D.

            The sceptic will use the Lord’s absence for 2,000 years to scoff at the idea that he will ever return (2 Peter 3:3/4). This was the attitude of the Israelites in Exodus. They said: “ for this Moses... we do not know what is become of him !” (Exodus 32:1). When they said this he had not been gone 40 days! Christians are to have patience (James 5:7/8 ). The word to us is to wait for our own Lord (Luke 12:35-38).

November 2007