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FREQUENTLY
ASKED QUESTIONS
If
Christ’s Second Coming has occurred, why are
we still living on earth?
| A common belief about
the Lord’s return is that this material
universe will be destroyed. This belief is
held largely because of the English rendering
of the word “world” in the Bible.
There are four different Greek words from
which our single word “world”
is translated, all of which have different
meanings. They are oikoumene, ge, aion and
kosmos. Even if
you do not speak Greek, you can see that
these words are different. Oikoumene means
inhabited earth. Ge, means land. Aion means
age or period of time and kosmos means an
orderly system or arrangement. Sometimes
they are used in the same context and verse
interchangeably but often they are not.
The most common misinterpretation
and misapplication of “world”
is found in Matthew 24:3 where the disciples
ask, ‘When shall these things be and
what shall be the sign of your coming and
of the end of the age?’ What is meant
is the end of the Jewish age, in the first
century, (1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 9:26),
not the end of the material universe. Jesus
contrasts “this age” versus
“the age to come” (Matthew 12:32)
and “this time” “age to
come” (Mark 10:30) .
This error is responsible
for much of the confusion on this subject.
One need only read 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3
to understand that New Testament Christians
did not associate the second coming of Christ
with the destruction of the material universe.
See also Ecclesiastes 1:4 where it is said
that generations will come and go but the
earth abides forever.
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What has changed since
Christ returned?
Everything
that was stated as a “hope”
of the Christians has now become a reality.
For example, we now have eternal life, resurrection
life, entrance into the New Heavens and
New earth, the destruction of Satan, death
and Hades. We live in the heavenly county
which Abraham hoped for (Hebrews 11:13-16;
12:22f).
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If Christ has come doesn’t this destroy all
hope?
| The scripture teaches
that ‘hope deferred makes the heart
sick, but when the desire comes it is a tree
of life.’ (Proverbs 13:12, 19) What
destroys hope is delay and non-fulfillment
of God’s promises. If Christ hasn’t
come, especially in the time He said He would,
that destroys hope. Fulfillment of a promise
confirms hope as it is realized and achieved,
thus is ‘sweet to the soul.’
When a child is promised
a gift and has his hope set on receiving
it, if the parent does not give the gift
to the child, is not the child’s hope
disappointed? On the other hand, if the
parent rewards the child as promised, what
is the response? It is excitement and joy
because the thing hoped for has been received.
We are the more blessed because Christ has
come.
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When did “every eye” see Him?
| “Every
eye” must be seen in the light of the
context. For example, a decree was passed
that the whole world should be taxed, (Luke
2:1) The bible says this taxing was done in
the days of Augustus Caesar in the first century.
(2:5). Does that
include people living today? Revelation
1:7 is quoted from Zechariah 12:10 and Daniel
7:13,14. It refers to the whole land of
Judah and Jerusalem "seeing" and
mourning over the destruction of their commonwealth.
Jesus quotes the passage in Matthew 24:30
applying it to the destruction of Jerusalem
in A.D. 70. For a complete discussion of
this subject read the entire article. “Every
Eye Saw Him”
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It is stated that the
gospel must be preached in all the world. Has this
happened?
The gospel was in fact
preached in all the world in the first century.
See Matthew 24:14, Romans 10:18; 16:26;
Colossians 1:6, 23. This was completed as
early as A.D. 60.
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Where is Satan?
| Satan is destroyed
having been banished to the lake of fire.
Paul wrote to the Romans stating that God
would crush Satan under their feet “shortly.”
The time was at hand for Satan’s demise
(Rev. 1:1-3) Satan knew that his time was
short, Revelation 12:12. According to the
book of Revelation he was cast into the lake
of fire, (Revelation 20:10; 22:6,10,12) an
event imminent in the first century.
Let us not claim
“the devil made me do it” and
accept the responsibility for our own actions.
Every man sins when he is tempted and drawn
away of his own lusts, (James 1:13-15).
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Why do we yet die. I thought we would live forever?
| This is a great question
especially for those who believe that 1 Corinthians
15 is yet unfulfilled. The bible says that
the sting of death is sin and the strength
of sin is the law, 1 Cor. 15:56. (The law
of Moses is what is referred to here). If
the law of Moses is fulfilled and has been
done away with, and if 1 Corinthians is about
physical or biological death, why then do
men still die biologically in the absence
or removal of the law and the putting away
of sin?
We die because physical
death is not and has never been our enemy.
It does not separate us from God, (Romans
8:38) and is affirmed as a blessing for
those who die in the Lord, Psalms 16:10;
Revelation 14:13. Jesus said “He who
keeps my sayings, shall never see death.
He speaks of spiritual death. John says
those who obey the Lord are passed from
death into life and shall not come into
judgment. (John 5:24)
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Why is sin still in the world?
This question
applies equally to the time immediately
after Christ’s death as it does to
the A.D. 70 coming of Christ. The scripture
teaches that Jesus appeared once in the
end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice
of Himself. Hebrews 9:26. Why was sin yet
in the world after Christ’s death?
The realm in which sin is destroyed is in
the kingdom of God. Christ put away sin
for those who obey him.
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Are we living in the new heavens and new earth?
Answer:
Yes, see Revelation 1:1-3. The old heaven
and earth of Judaism was shaken, (Hebrews
12:26). We have received in its place the
kingdom which cannot be removed. Therefore
we live in the kingdom, our new heaven and
earth, (Hebrews 12:22, 29).
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When did Christ return?
According
to the Scriptures Christ returned within
the first century generation of those living
in His day. He promised to return in their
life time. “For the Son of Man shall
come in the glory of His Father with His
holy angels. Then he will reward every man
according to His works. There be some standing
here which shall not taste death till they
have seen the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom,”
(Matthew 16:27, 28). See also the Olivet
discourse in Matthew 24 where Jesus predicted
that His generation would not pass away
until all those things including his coming
would happen, (vv. 30, 34).
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What is preterism?
Answer:
Preterist comes from
a latin term, preter. It means past. It
generally is understood to mean that some
eschatological passages are fulfilled in
the past. Most of those who consider themselves
preterists are what is termed “partial
preterists though the term may be used by
"full preterists" as well. It’s
like being partially pregnant or “half
dead.” There is no such thing. Partial
preterists are actually futurists in that
they believe that the second coming of Christ
is yet unfulfilled and is therefore future.
They simply have an inconsistent dichotomized
view of the end time prophecies, placing
some in the past and some in the future.
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What is “hyper" preterism?”
| This a term which
“partial preterists” have given
to those who interpret all bible prophecy
as having been fulfilled in the past with
no application for today. “Hyper”
implies an “extreme” view of
fulfillment. Hyper preterist is also an
unfortunate and inadequate term in that
it focuses on the past.
While eschatology is the
fulfillment of the Old Covenant, its fulfillment
is also the beginning of the New Covenant,
(Hebrews 8:13). Since the focus is on both,
the past fulfillment of the Old and the
confirmation and application of the New
Covenant, preterism is an inadequate term.
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What is Eschatology?
Eschatology
is a Greek term. It is derived from “eschatos”
meaning last or end, and from “logos”
which means word or study. Hence it is the
study of last or end time things. Particularly
this is the study of the events of the last
days such as the second coming of Christ,
the resurrection, judgment and establishment
of the eternal kingdom.
Other terms used for this study is ‘Covenant
Eschatology’ or ‘Realized Eschatology.’
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Why is this important?
| This is a very broad
question, but can be answer somewhat briefly.
It is important because the fulfillment of
prophecy has a direct bearing on the inspiration
of Scripture and the establishing of the testimony
and credibility of the prophet. If the words
uttered by a prophet fail to come to pass,
that is a false prophet as described in Deuteronomy
18:19. If Jesus’
words failed to come to pass as he stated,
He would be a false prophet, the Bible’s
inspiration is impugned and thus Christianity
would be based on lies and falsehood, hence
invalidated as a Divine religion. Many scholars
rejected the Bible or called Jesus’
a liar because they could not reconcile
the imminent factor of His end-time predictions.
Most importantly,
Jesus’ coming was to provide salvation.
First, because as long as the Old Covenant
stood, the way into the Holiest of all was
not manifest or accessible (Hebrews 9:8).
Secondly, Jesus’ coming would bring
salvation, (9:28). If he has not come, not
only would He be a false prophet, but we
would not have salvation.
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Why do you take the Lord’s Supper? Didn’t
Christ say take the Lord’s supper until he
comes?
| No. Christ did not
say take the Lord’s supper till he comes.
He said as often as we partake of it, we do
show forth or proclaim his death till he comes.
He spoke primarily to the Corinthians thus
expressing that he would return in their day,
for the end of the ages had come in that generation,
1 Corinthians 10:11. For more information
see our 3 part study “Till He Comes.”
Jesus promised that He would no longer drink
of the cup until “that day” when
He drank it new in when the kingdom of God
came.
“That day”
was the second coming or “that day”
when I drink it new with you in my Father’s
kingdom, Matthew 26:29. Therefore, the second
coming of Christ is not when we cease partaking
of the Lord’s supper, but when its
full meaning of completed deliverance was
expressed in which the church began partaking
of it new with Christ, in fulfillment versus
in anticipation.
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