BASIC STUDIES IN BIBLICAL ESCHATOLOGY
OPENING
REMARKS IN THE WAY OF INTRODUCTION
The host of a West Coast radio program devoted to Bible
Prophecy opens each broadcast with the following challenge:
“Christians often use the ‘liar/lunatic or
Lord’ argument with non-believers in regard to statements that Jesus made about being the Son of God. We say that either Jesus is Lord like He claims, or He is a liar or a lunatic, which would make following
Him just as unwise. The same is true when it comes to His claims about His Second
Coming. Either He returned in that
generation over 1900 years ago as He and His disciples promised that He would, or He is a liar or a lunatic. Because He did not say that He might return then but He said He would return. So either He did return and fulfill everything He said He would fulfill at His Coming, or He lied. There is no other option. The very foundation
of the Gospel rests upon His Words. So we invite you for the next hour to join
us, grab your Bible, grab your pen and paper, and lets go through the Word of God and find out what the Bible really
says about these issues.”
This introduction to the program “Beyond the End
Times” is directed toward two groups of Christian people: 1) those who think that the study of eschatology is not important,
and 2) those who believe that the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is an event that is future-to-us in this 21st century.
So I ask all of you right now to step out of your 21st
century shoes, and step into sandals that you would wear if you were living at the time Jesus walked the earth. I ask you to think of yourself as being right there in person as you are listening to the inspired words
of Apostles Paul, Peter, James and John. You are the very people that these disciples
of Jesus were writing to. You were there…and these Apostles were speaking,
not to 21st century people, but to first century folks living back in that specially selected time in history. Thanks for seeking to place yourself as much as possible into the sandals of the people
to whom the N. T. was written! The Bible was not written directly to anyone except the people who were being addressed and
who were contemporaries with the biblical writers. So we can say, the Bible was
not written to us, but it was all written for us. In fact, it could
be said that “we are reading some else’s mail!”
I want to approach our study this evening in a somewhat
different manner than what Bible teachers usually do. I want to examine some
of the passages in the N.T. that teach that the Christians living in the first century were expecting something to happen
in their lifetime that they could not help but be ecstatically excited about; something
that would be the completion of their salvation and something that they, living in that first generation, were uniquely privileged
to witness in their lifetime. Notice how Peter in his First Epistle describes
these highly favored people, the very people he and the other Apostles were writing to.
Listen to 1 Pet. 1:8b-12:
“Though now you do not see Him, yet believing, you
rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, receiving the end of your faith – the salvation of your souls. Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied
of the grace that would come to you, searching what or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was
indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which
now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven –
things which angels desire to look into.”
It would be difficult to overstate just how highly favored
and blessed those first century believers really were! Even the prophets of old
had looked into these things and understood that it was not their generation that would be so blessed, but a future generation
instead. Peter tells his first century listeners that they were the ones,
his very own audience, whom the prophets had referred to and who turned
out to be that uniquely blessed generation – the generation of the incarnation and ministry of the long awaited Son
of God, Israel’s Messiah!
Yes, something extremely important was about to happen
to those first century believers. It was not just another event of life, but
something which the prophets of Israel
long ago had predicted that one day in their future those amazing events would unfold.
Indeed, the time was at hand!!
So now, are you ready to examine a few of these easily
overlooked verses?
Heb. 9:28
So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for
salvation.
Phil. 3:20
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus
Christ.
2 Cor. 5:2
For in this we groan , earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven
2 Tim. 4:8
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give
to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
1 Pet. 1:13
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that
is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Rev. 6:10
And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge
our blood on those who dwell on the earth?
(Comment about each of the above six verses)
The first century Christians were promised “rescue,”
“relief,” and “reward” at the time of Christ’s Second Coming.
Notice these verses:
1 Thess. 1:10
And to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus
who delivers us from the wrath to come.
2 Pet. 3:13-14
Nevertheless, we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness
dwells. Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent
to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless
2 Thess. 1:6-7
Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you
who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
James 5:7-9
Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See
how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter
rain. You also be patient. Establish
your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble
against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge
is standing at the door!
Rev. 22:12
And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with me, to give to every one according to his work.
(Comment about each of the above five verses)
So the big question is:
How did Jesus’ disciples, Paul, Peter, James and John, come up with this idea that the Second Coming of Jesus
Christ was an event that would happen in that first century generation, the same generation in which Jesus lived?
Was this the result of “wishful thinking”? Something similar to what many evangelical Christians believe today, that the
Second Coming might be in our own lifetime? Did the disciples pick this idea
of a first century Parousia out of thin air?
No, the answer to the above question is that Jesus
Himself, during those three years that he was with His disciples, taught them that His Second Coming would happen in their
lifetime, before some of those very disciples He was teaching would die!! We
have all of this recorded for us – the inspired words of Jesus – in the Gospels.
Notice these imminency verses:
Matt. 10:23
When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly,
I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel
before the Son of Man comes.
Matt. 16:27-28
For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to
his works. Assuredly, I say to you, there are some standing here
who shall not taste death till they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.
Matt. 24:34
Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.
Matt. 26:64
It is as you said, Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right
hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.
(Comment about the above four verses)
So both Jesus and His disciples, taking Scripture at face
value, taught that His Second Coming (and related events) would occur within the time span of that first century generation.
But did you know that there is “typological evidence”
from the O.T. that the First Coming of Christ (The Incarnation) would be followed by His Second Coming (the Parousia) about
40 years later?
The following is taken from Pastor Tim Martin’s
and Dr. Jeffrey Vaughn’s new book BEYOND CREATION SCIENCE: New Covenant Creation from Genesis to Revelation, pg. 398-399.
Let’s look at the life of that great prophet Moses:
In Deut. 18:15 we read
where Moses said, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your
brethren. Him you shall hear.” Peter quotes this verse in Acts 3:22 as he preaches Christ.
The Bible makes a connection between Moses and Jesus at
many points. Moses is God’s prophet.
Jesus is a prophet like Moses. Moses is the mediator of the Old Covenant. Jesus is the mediator of the New Covenant. Moses
leads God’s people out of Egyptian bondage. Jesus leads God’s people
out of what Egypt symbolizes in the O.T., the bondage to sin and death. Moses
gave God’s people the Law on tablets of stone and Jesus writes God’s holy law on the minds and hearts of God’s
people. The shadow of Moses follows the perfect outline of the body which is Christ.
The life of Moses foreshadows the life of Jesus. The most obvious relates to their childhood experience. Just as Pharaoh tried to kill Moses by killing all the Hebrew male children, so Herod tried to kill Jesus
by killing all the male children of Bethlehem.
But there are more overlooked similarities between the
lives of Moses and Jesus. There are actually two comings in the life of
Moses. After Moses grew up he came to the aid of one of his Hebrews brothers
by killing the Egyptian who abused him. This event in the life of Moses is a picture of what Jesus did when he grew up. Jesus defeated death (which abused God’s people since they were in bondage to
sin and death) through his crucifixion, burial and resurrection. Notice also
that their brethren rejected both Moses and Jesus when they first appeared.
After Moses killed the Egyptian he disappeared from the
community of God’s people. Jesus also disappeared from the community of
God’s people after the crucifixion and resurrection. When did Moses return
a second time to God’s people? The Bible says he returned 40 years later. Moses was 40 years old when he left Egypt
and 80 years old when he encountered the burning bush and returned to stand before Pharaoh. The two comings of Moses, like
the two comings of Christ, were separated by 40 years!
The parallels are unmistakable. Just as Moses appeared a second time, 40 years after he disappeared, in order to complete the salvation
of God’s people from Egypt, so Jesus appeared a second time, 40 years after He disappeared, in order to finish the salvation
of God’s people. The second coming of Christ is not only promised to occur
within one generation (40 years) of the Olivet Discourse, it is also pre-figured in the life of Moses whose two comings are
separated by 40 years (one generation).
The Bible provides two witnesses to the fact that
the second coming took place 40 years after the ministry, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ: (1) the time statements teach the Lord’s coming would be within one generation, and (2) the life
of Moses foreshadows the fact that Jesus would appear a second time after 40 years.
The Second Coming of Christ took place in association with the destruction of Judea, Jerusalem,
and the temple in AD 70 as both the Old and New Testaments declare.
This concludes our first session in Basic Studies in Biblical
Eschatology. I will now open up the discussion for a period of questions related
to this study.
Walt Hibbard
May 2008
