"I Am Coming Soon"

by HYLAND, D. T. | Category: General | Sept 1981

The Lord had appointed the Twelve "that they might be with Him" (Mark 3:14), and His appreciation of their human companionship is confirmed by His assurance to them in the Upper Room: "I have earnestly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer" (Luke 22:15 RSV). The cross cast its ominous shadow over the gathering but the Lord's immediate concern was for those He was about to leave. Because the bonds of friendship between the Master and "His own" were close, He knew that what he had to say about His imminent departure would have a profound effect upon them. To reassure them He divulged the secret of His second coming and promised to send the Holy Spirit to indwell them.

The Upper Room ministry is direct and personal. There had been many occasions when the Lord had spoken of Himself in the third person; the Olivet discourse, which is very much in the language of Israel's prophets, is an example of this: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne" (Matt 25:31 RSV). But in the Upper Room message the Lord speaks of Himself in the first person. In tender affection He addressed the disciples with the term of endearment, "little children".

When Judas the traitor left the supper table, the Lord felt free to speak of the matters on His heart: "Little children, yet a little while I am with you... Where I am going you cannot come" (John 13:33 RSV). Peter voiced the question that arose in the minds of all, "Lord, whither goest Thou?" (John 13:36). The Master then assured the disciples that sooner or later each one of them would be able to follow Him where He was going. In His absence it would be vital for them to maintain their faith in God: "Believe in God, believe also in Me" (John 14:1 RSV). His departure was for the very purpose of preparing their reception.

"I go to prepare a place for you... I come again" (John 14:2,3), was spoken with eager anticipation and the cross has intervened to give the words added power. A promise depends for its fulfilment on the word and power of the promiser. The authority of Christ guarantees the certainty of fulfilment of this promise to His own.

It is clear from Paul's epistles that the truth of the Lord's second coming was a major theme of his preaching and teaching. Because Paul's visit to Thessalonica was short, he was unable to deal with the subject in detail. Many in the church in Thessalonica had oriented their lives towards the Lord's return. They "turned unto God from idols, to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven" (1 Thess. 1:9). But their knowledge of what will happen when the Lord comes was limited. Since Paul had moved on from Thessalonica some in the church had died. Many questions arose in the minds of those remaining. Had the bonds "in Christ" which unite believers been severed by death? Would the departed saints forfeit a share in Christ's second advent? Would they lose their rewards? It was to answer these and other questions that Paul placed such emphasis on the truth of the Lord's second coming in the two letters he wrote to the church of God in Thessalonica.

The Lord's second coming will be in two stages. He will come first to the air in fulfilment of His promise, "I come again" (John 14:3). After an interval the Lord will return to the earth as Son of Man to judge the nations and establish His Kingdom.

When the Son of God descends from heaven to the air, for whom is He

coming? He is coming for all who are "in Christ" whether they be alive or dead. All believers are joined to one another as fellow-members of the Church which is Christ's Body. They are all united to Christ, the Head of that Church. The believer's eternal relationship to fellow-believers "in Christ" and to the risen and glorified Head of the Body is not affected by death.

Attempts have been made to substantiate the view that only believers who are in a state of expectancy will be taken when the Lord comes to the air. Those who hold this view are of the opinion that backsliding believers will be left. It is sometimes stated that the writer to the Hebrews intends to convey that meaning in saying, "Christ... shall appear a second time, apart from sin, to them that wait for Him, unto salvation" (9:28). Certainly it is vital that believers should be watching and serving in view of meeting the Lord and the judgement seat of Christ which will follow. But the theory of the "selective rapture" of only certain believers has no basis in the New Testament Scriptures. Paul's words make it clear that no believers will be left behind when the Lord returns to the air, "We, that are alive... shall... be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17). This is corroborated by Paul's statement to the Corinthians, "We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed" (1 Cor. 15:51). When the Lord comes, living believers will not take precedence over the departed, on the contrary, "the dead in Christ shall rise first". The dead in Christ raised and changed, together with living believers changed, are "caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air" (1 Thess. 4:17). Moulton says of the word translated "to meet" as used in secular documents, "It seems that the special idea of the word was the official welcome of a newly arrived dignitary". The meaning conveyed is that this is no casual meeting; it is coming face to face by appointment Implicit in the meaning of the word is greeting as well as meeting.

The Lord had said, "I come again". Paul stresses the fact that this is a personal return: "The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven". God has sent angelic messengers on important assignments in the past and He will do so in the future. But the rapture of the Church the Body of Christ will be effected by the Lord. This mission will not be delegated. The word of assurance from the Victor of Calvary to the believers in the seven churches in Asia to encourage them to hold fast was, "lam coming soon, bringing My recompense, to repay every one for what he has done (Rev. 22:12 RSV).

The writer believes that three audible signals will announce the Lord's descent to the air, although some students of Scripture view these as three descriptions of the same sound. He comes "with a shout (loud command - NIV)... the voice of the archangel, and... the trump of God" (1 Thess. 4:16). The Lord descends with a shout of command. The word translated "shout" or "loud command" was used to describe the call of the ship's master to the rowers and the commander's order to his troops, it conveys authority and urgency. When the Lord commands He gives enabling power, so that all in Christ will respond to this clarion call to assemble in a reunion which will never be followed by separation. The joyous hope of reunion in resurrection is based on the truth "that Jesus died and rose again" (1 Thess. 4:14). This hope is the believer's great source of comfort; pagans, in contrast, face death in a state of utter hopelessness.

As believers we are waiting for "the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23), for there is much in our present experience in life which creates a longing for the deliverance that the Lord's quickening shout will bring. Aware of the spiritual conflict that raged within him, Paul called out, "Who shall deliver me out of the body of this death?" (Rom. 7:24). The Lord's advent will bring deliverance from the very presence and effects of sin. The change that takes place will be of split-second duration. It is a transformation from corruption to incorruption and from mortality to immortality. Then the body of our humiliation will be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3:21). Every believer will then have a body similar in nature to the Lord's own resurrection body. There will be likeness to the Lord, but there will still be individual differences to ensure personal recognition. The prospects which the Lord's coming opens up to the believer should stir the glad response: "Amen: come Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20).

HYLAND, D. T. | Sept 1981
General