Expert: Dr Don Howe - 8/15/2008

Question
When will Lord Christ come ?

within 50 years ?

Answer
Good Morning Nick. You ask “when will the Lord Christ come? Within 50 yrs?” When you speak of COMING OF THE LORD, you could be referring to the Rapture of the Church by the LORD JESUS, or the Second Coming. The Rapture will take place at the end of this dispensation of the Church age and the Second Coming of Christ is future which will occur after the tribulation period and Armageddon. No one knows when the Rapture will take place only the Father knows “But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only’ (Matt. 24:36), but Jesus tells always to be ready in Matt. 24:44 “Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” But first let us look at what the differences there are between the Rapture and the Second Coming, so we (the Born again believers) will have an understanding of which event we are in (the Rapture or Second Coming of the LORD) to look for HIS COMING.
    Remember Nick, the Rapture is when the Jesus comes for his Church and the Second Coming he comes with HIS CHURCH. In the Rapture, Jesus does not come to the earth, but during His Second Coming he does COME to the earth.

RAPTURE PASSAGES:
John 14:1-3; Romans 8:18; 1 Cor. 1:7-8, 15:51-53, 16:22; Philippians 3:20-21; Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 1:10, 2:19, 4:13-18, 5:9, 23; 2 Thess. 2:1; 1 Tim. 6:14; 2 Tim. 4:1; Titus 2:13; Heb. 9:28; James 5:7-9; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 1 John 2:28-3:2; Jude 21; Rev. 2:25; Rev. 3:10.

SECOND COMING PASSAGES:
Dan. 2:44-45, 7:9-14, 12:1-3; Zech. 14:1-15; Matt. 13:41, 24:15-31, 26:64; Mk. 13:14-27, 14:62; Lk. 21:25-28; Acts 1:9-11, 3:19-21; 1 Thess. 3:13; 2 Thess. 1:6-10, 2:8; 2 Pet. 3:1-14; Jude 14-15; Rev. 1:7, 19:11-20:6, 22:7, 12, 20.

CONTRAST BETWEEN THE RAPTURE AND THE SECOND RETURN OF CHRIST:

RAPTURE                                        

1.    Christ comes for His own:  Jn. 14:3, 1Thes. 14:17; 2 Thess.  
2.   He comes in the air: 1 Thess. 4:17.
3.   He CLAIMS His bride: 1 Thess. 4:16-14.
4.   Removal of believers: 1 Thess. 4:17.
5.   ONLY His own see Him: 1 Thess. 4:13-18.
6.   TRIBULATION begins: 2 Thess 1:6-9.
7.   Saved are delivered from wrath: 1 Thess. 1:10, 5:9.
8.   No signs precede rapture: 1 Thess. 5:1-3.

RETURN

1.   Christ comes WITH His own: 1 Thess. 3:13; Jude 14; Rev. 19:14.
2.   He comes TO THE EARTH: Zech. 14:4; Acts  1:11.
3.   He comes WITH HIS BRIDE: Rev. 19:6-14.
4.   Manifestation of CHRIST: Mal. 4:2.
5.   EVERY EY SHALL SEE HIM: Rev. 1:7.
6.   Millennial Kingdom begins: Rev. 20:1-7.
7.   Unsaved EXPERIENCE THE WRATH OF GOD: Rev. 6:12-17.
8.   SIGNS precede second coming: Luke 21:11, 15.

    Nick, if you will read and study these verses you will see and get a good understanding of  the difference between the Rapture and Second Coming. Preachers and Pastors are afraid to preach on these doctrinal truths because they are afraid they will offend someone or no one will understand. But the bigger question is Can they afford not to preach on them or they may cause some to stumble and fall.
   Problem is that Pastors themselves do not understand these truths. But Pastors really need to be preaching about the Rapture as it is the next great event to take place for the Church, it involves no one but the Church, and Jesus is coming for his Church. BE READY, BE READY, because your redemption draweth nigh. Nick, I know you know he is coming and I thank God for that.
    But we do not know when Jesus is coming for his Church. But his Word tells us of a great falling away from His Word, will take place before he comes for us. The writers of the New Testament used words like “latter days” (1 Tim. 4:1),  “last days” (2 Tim. 3:1; Hebrews 1:2; James 5:3; 2 Peter 3:3),  “last times” (1 Peter 1:20; Jude 18),  and “last time” (1 Peter 1:5; 1 John 2:18), which all are dealing with the CHURCH and these last days before Jesus comes for His church during the Rapture.

FEW EX. OF CHARACTERISITICS OF THE LAST DAYS OF THE CHURCH AGE, BEFORE THE RAPTURE,  THAT ARE TAKING PLACE NOW.

  1 Tim. 4:1-4 states “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God [is] good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.”  This Holy spirit was speaking very strongly to Paul (spirit speaketh expressly) to tell that in the latter times (speaking the end of the Church age) telling about the danger of deception of the apostasy of church (some shall depart from the faith), danger of deception (giving heed to seducing spirits), and danger of false teaching (giving heed to doctrines of devils).  Nick, you can pick up a newspaper and pick out everyone of these dangers that is going on now. The church is falling away in apostasy with believing in New Agism, Joel Osteenism, Ophrahism, Humanism, Liberalism, Secular Pop Psyhology, relativism, and anyother “isms” you can think of, and not preaching about the saving truth of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. The church is being deceived by these same evil spirits, and falling for false teaching (doctrines of devils). Isa. 5:20-21 has truly come true in the Church and America today “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! Woe unto [them that are] wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” Today we call evil (homosexuality for example) good, good (the church) evil (like they do in Canada and Holland), and the evil people in America think it they are wise in their own eyes.
  Verse 2-3 states “Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, [and commanding] to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.” This describes those who depart from the faith. This certainly means those who willingly embrace falsehood to justify their sin or pride; but it also refers to those who claim to be teaching the Bible, while just using it as a prop for their own ideas. David Gusiz states “Having their own conscience seared: Their conscience, which at one time would have convicted them of their departure from the truth, now doesn’t reply at all. It is as if the nerve endings of their conscience have been burnt over and are dead to feeling.” He goes on “Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods: This describes the legalistic teaching of those who have departed from the faith. They taught that it was by following this list of man-made rules that one was justified in God’s sight - that you would be more holy to God if you didn’t marry, and if you did not eat certain foods.”
  Now look at 1 Tim. 3:1-5 states “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” Every sorry degradation in our society today can be found in these verses. Nick, note “the last days” which refers to the age of the church we are in now. Man has become lovers of pleasure (here is homosexuality, bestiality, pornography, beer commercials promoting products through sex, adultery, etc) and not lovers of God. If people do believe in anything they are believing in a form of godliness (here is your false teaching, Ophraism, Joel Osteenism, Pantheism and Al Gore, all kinds of false religions, Warren Jeff, FLDS, atheism, agnosticism, Emergent Church movement, etc) but denying the power thereof because it has no power.
   But you can go through the other verses and see further transgressions that are taking place today in this present Church age.

  Nick, I gave you a large number of verses so you can “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15).
       
  No one knows when the Lord is coming for his Church, it could be 50
years (like you were asking) or another 100 years or more, only God the Father knows for sure. Nick, as long you are saved, born again, and have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ it does not matter when the Lord raptures us out of here; we are taking that Glory Train to HEAVEN.
   Study the Word of God, know what is going on in the Church and society today (as based on the Word) so you do not get fooled by false teaching (I gave you all the verses), and glorify the LORD JESUS in all that you do. And always “be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh” (Matt. 24:44).

Blessing to you today.

Dr. Don Howe, RN, PhD, ThD.