The Blessed Hope
The fact that Jesus Christ
promised His disciples, (at the Last Supper), that He would return for them is
where the church gets her hop of the imminent return of Jesus Christ.
Therefore, when they had come together, they
asked Him, saying, "Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"
And He said to them, "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the
Father has put in His own authority. "But you shall receive power when the Holy
Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Now when He had spoken
these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out
of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up,
behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, "Men of Galilee,
why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up
from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."
(Acts 1:6-11)
This hope was restated to
Titus by the Apostle Paul:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation
has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,
looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior
Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every
lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good
works. Speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one
despise you." (Titus 2:11-15)
The return of Jesus (His
parousia) is no further away in time than the hour of our death.
"For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we
have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation
which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found
naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want
to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by
life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who also has given
us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident, knowing that while we
are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord. For we walk by faith, not
by sight. We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body
and to be present with the Lord. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present
or absent, to be well pleasing to Him." (2 Corinthians 5:1-9)
Differences between The
Rapture and The 2nd Coming
|
The Rapture (parousia) |
The 2nd Coming (epiphaneia) |
|
Christ comes for His own 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 |
Christ return with His
own Revelation 19:14 |
|
Believers taken to
Father's House John 14:3 |
Believers come to Earth Matthew 24:30 |
|
Seen only by believers 1 Corinthians 15:52, 19:11-16; |
Every eye will see Him Revelation 1:7 Matthew 24:30 |
|
No reference to Satan |
Satan bound Revelation 20:1-3 |
|
Earth not judged |
Earth judged Revelation 20:4-5 |
|
A Mystery 1 Corinthians 15:51 |
Foretold in Old
Testament Dan. 12:1-3; Zech. 12:10; 14:4 |