THE SECOND COMING VS. THE APPEARING

     Did the people in Christ's time expect Christ's second coming in their life time after the tribulation? I believe they did and there is scriptural evidence to prove this to be true.
     Many tell us today that they are waiting for the second coming. Many are sincerely waiting because for so many years they have been told this by churchanity.
     (1.) Now, has the prophecy of Matthew 24 been fulfilled? Matthew 24, Luke 19 and Mark 13 lend a lot of scriptural evidence on the second coming.
     (2.) Please turn to Matthew 24:3, they asked Christ "when will these things be and what shall be the sign of Thy coming and the end of the age." Christ proceeded to tell them that there would be many anti-Christs before the last time. 1 John 2:18 "even now there are many anti-Christs whereby we know it is the last time." John here is explaining that this is the last time and ripe for fulfillment of Matthew 24. From the sixth verse to the 15th deals with signs of the time.
     (3.) This 15TH verse gives us a definite sign before the second coming. This refers back to Daniel 9:26-27, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8 that the anti -Christ will go into the temple and say he is God before the second coming. If Christ was to come tomorrow ,what temple would the anti Christ go into and present himself as God? Now, many say that the temple can appear in a second. By comparing scripture with scripture, how long did it take to rebuild back the temple, did it appear in a second? According to the scripture, Solomon's temple took 49 years and the Jews said in John's gospel that it took forty six years to build Herod's temple, John 2:20. This literal physical temple will be built by Israel.
     (4.) The anti -Christ going into the temple in the middle of the 70th week of Daniel will be the start of the great tribulation, Matthew 24 :21-22 "and except those days be shortened no flesh should be saved." Here He is speaking to His disciples .This compares with Luke 21 and also Mark 13 where He spoke to the people. Maybe not in as much detail but the same account of tribulation and His coming.
     (5.) It seems to me that Matthew 24 verse 29 answers whether the second coming is after the tribulation. I believe it says after the tribulation and then in verse 30 it says "then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven and then shall all the tribes mourn, and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory".
     (6.) We need to remember this word they, is this referring to those people that Christ was speaking to or is He speaking to us. Verse 31 says "He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet". (Trumpet is another key word.) And He warns them in verse 33 and then verse 34 answers who they were in verse 30. "Verily ,I say unto you this generation shall not pass till all these things be fulfilled."
     (7.) Now, if we wanted to write this verse out of the Bible we might ask what generation and say nobody knows what generation. But if we apply this generation as meaning us then shouldn't we apply Matt 23:33 to us and what about Matt 23:36 and shouldn't we let this apply to us, isn't that being consistent with God's word? Luke 11:29 "This is an evil generation." Luke 9:41 ,17:25, Matt 17:17, Matt 16:3-4. It seems to me Christ is talking to that generation of people that was rejecting him.
     (8.) A valid question is, does the word generation mean people or a generation of truth? It seems to me by comparing scripture with scripture that the Lord means a literal generation of people, Israel. If it can be proven that some in that generation expected Him to come back before they died, then I think this is sufficient proof that the Lord meant the word generation to mean people in that day.
     (9.) Let us turn to 1 Corinthians 15:51- 52 where Paul says "behold I show you a mystery, we shall not all sleep but we shall all be changed." This mystery is not some calling away in the clouds, this mystery is that they shall be changed. Paul is saying that all won't be dead but all shall be changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye, (when?) at the last trump. Remember I said trumpet was a key word? Now, this says at the last trumpet. This is going to happen after the tribulation at the last trump at Rev 11:15.
     (10.) Turn to 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 and Paul says "that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep (dead)". This is proof that Paul and all these Thessalonians expected to be alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord and He says with the trump of God and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 says "at the last trump." This puts the second coming after the tribulation. Also how can it be explained that Michael the arch angel is the special angelic ruler for Israel? Daniel 10:21 ,12:1-2, Jude 1:9, Revelation 12:7 and 1 Thessalonians 4:16, according to churchanity they are supposedly including us Gentiles, the church the body of Christ, within these scriptures. This could not be because only Michael the archangel could call for Israel and the Gentiles converts associated with Israel. Daniel 12:1. The archangel Michael is only connected with Israel and not, The body of Christ Gentiles of Paul's last epistles. If the apostles didn't expect Christ to come back to their generation how can we explain the apostle Paul including himself with the ones that were going to be alive?
     (11.) How can it be explained that Christ said in Matthew 16:28 "There be some standing here ,which shall not taste of death till they see the son of man coming in His kingdom.". Some were going to see Him come back before they died. Christ said in Matthew 10:23 "Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel till the son of man be come.". Christ told the twelve disciples there was not time to take a trip around the cities of Israel till His second coming. Now it hasn't taken 1900 years to go over the cities of Israel. All the apostles agree that the time is short and it is at hand. Romans 13:11,16:20 ,I Corinthians 7:29, 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 2 Thessalonians 2:1,2, Hebrews 10:37, James 5:8, 1 Peter 4:7 ,1 John 2:18, Revelation 1:1 and Revelation 1:7.
     (12.) Now, it seems to me that this is sufficient scriptural evidence to answer the question ,did the people expect Christ to come back in their life time? John, Paul and all those people are dead and have been dead for over 1900 years. Why didn't he come back? Well, because Israel didn't repent and God took away Israel's salvation and sent it to the Gentiles at Acts 28:28. And God's salvation has not been with Israel for over 1900 years. God's prophetic clock has stopped. The second coming of Christ is also postponed until the clock of prophecy starts. Israel's hope of meeting Christ in the air is postponed. But the church ,the Gentile body of Christ, has a higher hope revealed through the apostle Paul of going to be with Christ in Glory.
     Colossians 3:4 -- When Christ Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in Glory –Psalms 8:1 ,148:13

Author: Thomas Worth 1968