The Second Coming (4)

It is important that we do not use our imagination when thinking of the Lord’s coming for his own, or speculating on how it will happen. The Lord is not shut up to any one way of achieving his objects. To give a couple of examples:

(1) When the living are changed, will their clothes be changed as well ?

The answer is that we are not told. However we know that when Christ was transfigured on the mountain his garments were also affected (Matthew 17:2). On the other hand when He came out of the tomb his grave clothes were left behind (John 20:6/7), though he was undoubtedly wearing clothes when Mary saw Him, otherwise she would not have mistaken Him for the gardener (John 20:15). Lazarus however came out of the tomb with his graveclothes on and had to be released from them (John 11:44).

(2) Again, the Lord’s coming for his own is sometimes spoken of as the secret rapture of his people. There appears to be an element of truth in this because the changing will take place in the twinkling of an eye, that is, too fast for any observer to notice it (1 Corinthians 15:51/52). However, those left behind will be bound to realise that many people have disappeared. A warning to those left behind ! Think of the warning the Sodomites had when they were blinded (Genesis 19:11). However, this did not lead them to repent.

It may be said that Christ’s own translation to heaven was not sudden for his disciples saw Him carried up into heaven (Acts 1:9). The same was true of Elijah (2 Kings 2:9-12), though not, so far as we know, of Enoch (Genesis 5:24; Hebrews 11:5). However, so far as Christ is concerned, He will not be seen publicly again until the time specified in Matthew 23:39.

As to when the rapture of the Lord’s people will take place, it has been said that if we are living near the Lord He may intimate to us when it is imminent. We are told that “The secret of Jehovah is with them that fear him” (Psalm 25:14). See also Proverbs 3:32; Daniel 2:19 and Amos 3:7. God did not hide from Abraham what He was doing in relation to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18:16-21). It is not therefore unlikely that the Lord’s mind will be intimated to us if we are in a right state to receive it. Just because we are conscious of having had our conscience purged (perhaps many years ago) it does not necessarily mean that we are in a right state now. Consider 2 Peter 1:5-11.

A perusal of Scripture will I believe show that God always has some people here on earth. If there were none there would be no point in keeping the world in being. We know that before the flood God had at least Enoch and Noah. After the flood until the time of Abraham there was at least Job and the others mentioned in that book. Job was very likely the Jobab mentioned in Genesis 10:29. If we fast forward to 1 Kings 19:18 we find that God had left for himself in Israel seven thousand who had not bowed the knee to Baal. At the end of the Old Testament we find there were those that feared the Lord (Malachi 3:16/17). Such appear at the beginning of the New Testament in Luke 2:25-38. What this would tell us is that when the assembly is removed God will again take up Israel. This will be when the time is ripe. It will also be when the time is ripe for judgment on the world (Joel 3:13). Ripe would be a similar thought to that of fulness and would involve that God does not act in a judgmental way until iniquity is full (Genesis 15:16). There would also be the side that the Lord’s people must be ready for translation (see Matthew 25:1-13 and also Revelation 19:7/8 “The marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife has made herself ready”). I would suggest that the making ready takes place before the rapture as Paul says in Ephesians 5:25-27. Today the Gospel is going out to the remote parts of the earth; what Scripture calls the “ways and fences” (Luke 14:23). This would suggest that the end times are upon us.

It is a comfort to know that God will always have his tenth; Satan cannot deprive God of this (Isaiah 6:13). Further, God will always have the last word as He has had the first. He is the Alpha and the Omega (Revelation 21:6).

February 2009