I. His Second Coming Will Be a Factual Event

II. The Events Which Are To Take Place Before His Coming

III. The Time of His Second Coming

IV. The Present Day and the Day of Jesus Christ, Viewed From the Synchronization Theory

V. Several Theories As to the Manner of His Coming

VI. The Place of the Second Coming

1. The Nation Should Establish the National Foundation According to the Principle of Indemnity and Restoration

2. The Nation Must Be God's Front Line and, At the Same Time, Satan's Front Line

3. The Nation Must Be the Objective Position of the Heart of God (Who Is the Subjective Position)

4. The Nation Should, As a Chosen Nation, Have Spiritual Proofs from God.

5. All Past Civilizations Must Culminate in the Chosen Nation

VII. What Are the Purposes of His Second Coming?

1. To Consummate God's Ideal Creation of Man and the Universe

2. To End the Dominion of Satan Over the Earth and the Spirit-World

3. To Complete and Fulfill the Prophecies of the Old and New Testaments

4. To Restore All Conditions and Important Individuals That Have Been Lost to Satan Since the Beginning of God's Restoration Providence

5. To Bring One Faith to Mankind by Uniting the Scattered Christian Denominations and All Major Religions

6. To Bring One Language on Earth

7. To Receive All Things as the Lord of the Universe and to be Received by All Mankind as Their Father

VIII. How Can We Be Ready For His Second Coming?

1. Our Hearts Must Not be Weighed Down with Dissipation and Drunkenness and the Cares of This Life

2. Our Daily Life Must be Godly, Sober and Righteous, and Ws Must Constantly Be Looking Forward to the Blessed Hope Described in the Bible

3. Our Hearts Must Be Ready for New Ideas and New Truths Which Will Change the Old Ideas

4. We Must Be Watchful

5. We Must Battle Satan by Constantly Praying and Searching for the Hidden Truth in the Bible

6. We Must Occupy 10 Pounds Till He Comes

That His Second Coming will be a factual event is known through the testimonies of Jesus, the Apostles, and heavenly beings and by the Lord's Supper. The references are as follows: The testimony of Jesus:

Matthew 16:27: "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.

Matthew 25:31-32: "When the Son of man shall come in his glory and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (32) And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:"

John 14:2-3: "In my Father's house are many-mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am there ye may be also."

John 21:22: "Jesus saith unto him 'If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me."

The testimony of the Apostles:

By Paul: Philippians 3:20-21: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: (21) Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

Titus 2:13: "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;"

Hebrews 9:28: "So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation."

By James: James 5:7: "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (8) Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.

By Peter: II Peter 1:16: "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty."

By Jude: Jude 14-15: "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him."

By John: Revelation 1:7: "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen."

The testimony of heavenly beings:

Acts 1:10:11: "And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."

The testimony in the Lord's Supper

I Corinthians 11:26: "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come."

Though there is no universal agreement among scholars and theologians as to what events will take place before His return, what is written about these events is to be interpreted. It is generally agreed that the following events will occur:

The calling of the gentiles and their participation in the Coming Kingdom according to:

Matthew 24:14
Matthew 13:31-32
Mark 13:10
Acts 15:14
Romans 11:25
Romans 9:24-26
Matthew 8:11
Ephesians 2:1.1,20

The conversion of Israel according to:

Zechariah 12:10
Zechariah 13:1
Romans 11:25-29
II Corinthians 3:15-16

The great apostasy and the great tribulation according to:

Matthew 24:9-12
Matthew 24:21-24
Mark 13:9-22
Luke 21:22-24

The appearance of the antichrist according to:

Daniel 7:8
I John 4:3
Daniel 7:23-26
II John 7
I John 2:18,22
Revelation 13:18

Many signs and wonders such as wars, rumors of war, famines, and earthquakes a according to:

Matthew 24:20-30
Mark 13:24-25
Luke 21:25-26

Let us discuss the above events in detail.

It is very difficult to interpret these scriptures so as to determine to which of the events that actually take place the scriptures refer. Since the beginning of the 19th century, many Christian missions have been established in many countries to bring the gospel of Jesus to non-Jewish peoples. Almost every part of the earth has received Christianity. So, in this sense, the calling of the gentiles is fulfilled I and now is the time of His Coming. But if we believe that Christians are the gentiles which have been called, then a great deal of confusion will be produced and it will be very difficult to determine which of the events that occur are the ones referred to in the Bible.

Concerning the conversion of Israel, it is true that many Jews have been converted to Christianity and that there was a restoration of a nation in the Holy Land during 1948, as the Pre-millennialists, who believe that this must take place immediately before or during the Millennial reign of Christ, insist. But other scholars doubt that Israel will be re-established as a nation and turn to the Lord. Further, they argue that while some Old Testament prophecies seem to predict that this will happen, they insist that these scriptures should be interpreted in the light of the New Testament. They maintain that the New Testament does not justify the expectation of a future restoration and conversion of the Jews. Jesus spoke plainly of the opposition of the Jews to His Coming Kingdom and of the certainty that the Jews would lose their place in the Coming Kingdom, even though in a sense they could be said to be "of the Kingdom" (see Matthew 9:11-12, 21:26-27, 22:1-14, and Luke 13:1-9). He, Himself, informed the Jews that the Kingdom would be taken from them and given to "a nation bringing forth the fruit thereof." But He did not even hint that there would be a restoration or conversion of Israel. The fact that He is silent on this subject is very significant. So He will not come to the Jews and another nation will be chosen. Paul's discussion in Romans 9:11 and Romans 10 shows clearly that the promises of God to Israel do not apply to Israel according to the flesh, but to spiritual Israel. Thus, according to the statements of Jesus and Paul, the conversion and restoration of Israel are doubtful and there is a possibility that some nation other than Israel will be chosen.

The great apostasy and the great tribulation are interwoven at the end of the world. Paul speaks of the great apostasy and saw signs of it even in his own day, but he emphasized that it would reach much greater proportions during the last days. But again, even orthodox scholars disagree with each other. Present Dispensationalists do not regard the great tribulation as a precursor of His Second Coming, but believe rather that it will follow His Coming, and that, therefore, the church will not pass through the great tribulation. However, Jesus mentions the great tribulation as one of the signs of His Coming at the end of the world and warned that it will affect even the elect so that they will be in danger of being led astray, (Matthew 24:3-24).

At the present time we see that everywhere there is apostasy from churches, tribulation of believers under persecutions, famine, rumors of war, political confusion and poverty. It appears to be the fulfillment of the prophecies about the great tribulation, though there is no way to determine the exact fulfillment.

Historically, there have been many different opinions concerning the appearance of the antichrist. In ancient times, the antichrist was expected to be a Jew who would pretend to be the Messiah, though Paul and some others thought that one of the Roman emperors who persecuted Christians would be the antichrist. John, himself, described the Emperor Nero by the number 666 in Revelation 13:18. Since the Reformation, many reformed scholars have looked upon some particular pope as the antichrist. John, in his Epistles, used the term "antichrist" to mean "instead of Christ" or "against Christ." In his Book of Revelation, he described the antichrist as a Power or Principality by means of the two beasts, one of which came out of the sea and the other from the earth (Revelation 13). This opposing power or principle is what John refers to by the term, "antichrist" in both his Epistles and the Book of Revelation.

Does the antichrist have any realization at the present time? Many organizations, religions and some philosophies have elements of antichrist. If we follow this line of reasoning, then we are in the time of the Second Coming. Some people point out that antichrist was at work in the days of Paul and John, according to their own testimony, and they believe that antichrist will reach its greatest power toward the end of the world and just before His Coming, when the power will be concentrated in a single individual, the embodiment of all wickedness. But this is a big subject and allows a great deal of room for argument.

The signs and wonders which will precede His Coming such as: wars, rumors of wars, famines, and earthquakes, of which the Bible speaks are not necessarily to be interpreted literally, though many such events have taken place since the early days of the Church. But it is quite difficult to determine whether or not some particular event is a fulfillment of scriptural verses. Scripture also says that false prophets and false christs will show great signs and lead many astray. This is not necessarily to be interpreted literally, either. Again, scripture says that the sun, moon and stars will fall from the sky. Nor can this be taken literally. Many of these various signs and wonders have occurred often in the natural order of events. So it is very difficult to recognize which events point to the Second Coming.

Earnest, well-meaning Christians and many fundamental scholars believe that the Bible teaches that the time of His Coming is unknown (see Matthew 24:36), and so all attempts to compute the date of His Coming are erroneous. The most, they say, that can be known is that He will return at the end of the world when the earth will be destroyed. Their belief that these two events will coincide is based on:

Matthew 24:3, "What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?"

Other scholars, such as Thayers, Cremer, Korgal, Welker, Selmond, and Zaker, while agreeing that the time of His Coming is unknown, say that His Coming will bring the Day of Consummation which involves the Restoration of All Things and not the destruction of all things.

Some devoted Christian groups in the United States and in other countries claim that they have received the exact date of His Coming so that they can prepare themselves for His Coming Kingdom. This is possible, even though Jesus said to His disciples that He does not have authority to determine the time of His Coming.

Matthew 24:36 states, "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only."

In other words, the time of His Coming is a Divine Secret, but when the time comes, the Father will reveal the secret to His chosen children on earth. Amos says clearly that God does not do anything without revealing it to His children on earth.

Amos 3:7, "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets.".

Now the time of His Coming is near, so God will reveal His secrets to His chosen people. God actually showed us that He reveals His important secrets to His children in the course of the Restoration Providence. In Abraham's day, as in Noah's day, God revealed His judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah so that Abraham or his servant could escape from it. In Jesus' day, God, the Father revealed the birth of the Messiah to His servants: Zacharis, the father of John the Baptist, received the Divine Secret as did the three wise men, Simon, Anna, and the shepherds. These people were in the Light and received the Divine Secret while others like the high priest, the scribes, and the Pharisees were in Darkness and could not receive the Divine Secret. Jesus said that to those who are in Darkness, His Second Coming will be like the coming of a thief, but that it will not be thus for those who are in the Light. (Revelation 3:3, I Thess. 5:4.)

So the Father's promise in Amos 3:7 and Jesus' warning to us show that the Father will reveal the exact time and place of His Coming to His children on earth. In the time of His Coming, He will pour out His Spirit on His children so that they prophecy and see visions (Acts 2:17-18). Those who have ears will hear the Time of His Coming, and those who have eyes will see Him when He comes.

In the lecture on Chapter 12, Section IV in Part II, it is indicated that the actual appearance of the Lord of the Second Coming took place in 1920, immediately after the Communist revolution of 1919.

At this point, we cannot continue without referring briefly to the Millennial Kingdom arguments as to the time of His Coming. Many fundamentalists believe that His Coming will be Pre-millennial, that is, that it will take place before the thousand-year period mentioned in Revelation 20:1-6. This thousand-year period is spoken of in other scriptures as "The Kingdom" and "A Time of Righteousness." On the other hand, some fundamentalists believe that His Coming will be Post-millennial, which means that it will take place after the thousand-year period. Also, there are many who do not believe that there will be a Millennium. Their views on this are purely negative and are called A-Millennial.

There are some variations among Pre-millennialist views. While some believe in a coming visible Kingdom, others believe in a spiritual Kingdom, and do not look for the physical presence of Christ on earth. Other disagreements concern the actual length of the thousand-year period, the order of the Jews' conversion, the place where mankind will dwell during the millennial reign (that is, will it be in heaven or on earth?), and the propagation or non-propagation of the human race during the millennial reign.

There are several objections to Pre-millennialism. First, Fairbain, Reihm, Davidson, Brown, and others point out that Pre-millennialism is based on a literal interpretation of the prophetic descriptions of the future of Israel and the Kingdom of God. Second, the postponement theory has no scriptural basis and breaks up the unity of the Scriptures. Third, Pre-millennialism is based solely on Revelation 20:1-6 which is a very insubstantial basis for the following reasons:

One This passage is highly symbolic and very obscure so that many different interpretations are possible.

Two The literal interpretation of this passage which is used by the Pre-Millennialists has no support elsewhere in the Scriptures and is, in fact, contradicted by other parts of the New Testament.

Three There is no indication in these verses that Christ and His saints are to rule on earth.

Four This passage mentions neither Palestine, Jerusalem, the Temple, the Jews, nor the national character of the Millennial Kingdom, and there is no hint whatsoever, that these are in any way connected with the thousand-year reign.

Detailed interpretations of this same passage from the A-Millennial point of view can be found in the works of Kuyper, Bavink, De Moor, Dijk, Greydanus, Vos, and Handerikson.

The fundamental ideas of Post-Millennialism can be summarized as follows: The whole world will gradually be won for Christ, the life of all nations will be transformed by the Gospel, righteousness and peace will reign supreme, the blessings of the Spirit will be poured out in richer abundance than before, and the Church will experience a season of unexpected prosperity just before the Coming of the Lord. The present age will not end in a great cataclysmic change, but will pass almost imperceptibly into the coming age. The modern ideas of natural evolution, education, social reform, and legislation will gradually bring the perfect reign of the Christian spirit.

Objections have been raised by some people who say that these ideas are unscriptural and that they even conflict with the Word of God on some points.

Before concluding this section, we shall also briefly consider the views hold by the Russellites or Millennial Darwinists concerning the time of the Second Coming. The Russellites maintain that the return of Christ and the inauguration of the Millennium took place invisibly in 1874, and that Christ came to power in 1914 in order to remove the church and overthrow the Kingdom of the world. However, when the year 1914 had passed and there had been no visible return of Christ, they insisted that Christ had come invisibly because people did not show sufficient repentance.

Though there has been much criticism and ridicule of these revelations which were received by members of the Russellite group, we can not disregard these spiritual phenomena. There is meaning in the revelations of His Coming in 1874 and 1914, but the Russellites received the revelations not knowing how to interpret them so as to find out what they should mean to receivers.

The author uses the term "Discrepancy of Revelations" when contradictory revelations concerning the same subject are received. As explained in previous chapters, there are many spiritual laws involved. Some kind of tool must be used to determine from what level in the spirit-world the revelations come, whether from God directly or from some lower level. This is not the place to go into details on "Discrepancy of Revelations." Still, it must be realized that throughout the world differing revelations are received by various groups, and that these bring confusion and even cause groups to split. In extreme cases, people commit adultery, believing that God revealed to them that they should do so. All spiritual revelations must be checked according to spiritual laws based on the Word of God. If this is not done, the same great mistakes that have been made by various emotional and Pentecostal groups will be repeated. These groups, not understanding the spirit-world and its activities, think that all the messages that they receive are directly from God, and so they accept them as true without questioning them. This provides an opportunity for Satan to invade and destroy their faith. If anyone studies the materials in this book, he will at least learn how to handle "Discrepancy of Revelation."

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