Expert: Rev. Robert Woods - 11/13/2007

Question
When will Christ return?

Answer
Blessings and thank you for your question.

Short answer:  No one knows exactly.  Jesus said, Mt 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."   
So no one can say for certain when.

Long answer:  While we do not know the exact time of His return, we are told to be watchful.

Prophecies Concerning the Last Days

Increase of wars and rumors of war Joel 3:9-10; Matt. 24:6-7
Extreme Materialism   2 Tim 3:1-2; Rev 3:14-19
Lawlessness   Ps 78:8; Proverbs 30:11-14; 2 Tim 3:2-
Population Explosion   Genesis 6:1
Increase in speed and knowledge   Dan 12:4
Departure from Christian Faith   2 Thess 2:3; 1 Tim 4:1-4; 2 Tim 3:5, 4:3-4; 2 Peter 3:3-4
Intense Demonic Activity Gen 6:1-4; 1 Tim 4:1-3
Unification of the world's religious, political, and economic systems Rev 13:4-8, 16-17; 17:1-18, 18:1-24
Universal Drug Usage (the word    Rev 9:21
sorceries can refer to drugs)
Immoral & Abnormal Sexual Activity   Rom 1:17-32; 2 Pet. 2:10, 14, 3:3; Jude 18
Widespread Violence   Gen 6:11-13; Rev 9:21
Rejection of God's word   2 Tim 4:3-4, 2 Pet. 3:3-4, 16
Rejection of God   Ps 2:1-3
Blasphemy   2 Tim 3:2, 2 Pet. 3:3; Jude 18
Self-seeking and pleasure seeking   2 Tim 3:2-4
People minus a Conscience   1 Tim 4:2
Religious Hucksters   2 Pet. 2:3
Devil Worshipers   Rev 9:20, 13:11-14
Rise of false prophets and Antichrists   Matt 24:5, 11; 2 Pet. 2:1-2
False claims of Peace   1 Thess. 5:1-3
Great political and religious upheavals   
in the promise land Matt 24:32-34   

SCRIPTURE ON 2nd Coming
Matthew 24                  
Acts 1:11   This same Jesus
John 14:1 6   If I go away
2 Thessalonians 1:7 12   To you who are troubled
Titus 2:12 15   Looking for that blessed hope
Hebrews 9:27 29   He shall appear 2nd time
2 Peter 3:8 13   "“Day of Lord"” will come
1 John 3:1 2   When he shall appear, we shall be like
Rev. 1:7   Every eye shall see Him
Rev. 22:20   Amen, even so come, Lord Jesus
Philippians 3:2O,21   Who shall change this body
1 Thessalonians 1:10   Wait for His Son;
1 Thess 4:13 18   Caught up to meet the Lord

There are certain events that are clear and almost universally accepted by all Christians:  the visible and bodily return of Jesus Christ (called rapture by some);  the judgement of all people in the world (Matt 25:31-46); and the creation of the new heavens and the new earth where all the righteous will remain forever (Rev.. 21-22).

There are many different views, however on what order these events are to take place.  They occur because of the idea of the rapture.  Paul speaks of Christians being taken up into the air to meet Jesus Christ at his second coming.  They call this the rapture.  The word rapture is found no where in the Bible.  Many scholars argue over when this rapture will take place in the order of Revelation.:


A.  Christ's return:  there are many different views on when Christ will return.
  1.  Dispensationalists:  made popular by Dr. Scholfield and found in the Scholfield reference Bible, this view believes that there periods of time under which members of the human race are answerable to God for how they obeyed or disobeyed the divine relations they received.  They divide history into several dispensations (periods of time), and believe al history has been pointing toward the second coming of Christ, when salvation will be made complete.  They have seven periods of time:
        a.  Innocence:  from creation to the fall of man
        b.  Conscience:  the covenant with Adam, ending in the Flood
        c.  Human government:  from Noah to Abraham
        d.  Promise:  from Abraham's call to Moses
        e.  Law: from the giving of the law to Moses until the death of Jesus
        f.  Grace:  from the death and resurrection of Christ to the rapture (second                coming)
        g.  Kingdom:  the establishment of God's kingdom on earth and the                   millennium (1,000 year reign of Christ over the nations)
  
  2.  Pre-tribulationists:  Along with Dispensationalists, this group believes that the return of Christ will occur before the tribulation which is marked by the pouring out of the divine wrath upon a Christ-rejecting society, which is not intended for the church and is utterly unsuited to her, however much she may profit by the experience of tribulation in the general sense.
     Advocates of this view believe that God has promised to exempt the church from this period of trouble and judgement that is coming upon the world.  The Rapture is God' way of fulfilling his purpose.
  
  3.  Mid-tribulationists:  they hold that it is improper to speak of the great Tribulation as coextensive with the 70th week of Daniel 9:24, for both there and in the Revelation the period is conceived as divided.  Only the latter half is to be marked by Tribulation. It will be preceded by a period of peace and safety.  Since the saints will be spared the ordeal of the tribulation, the second coming will occur at the midway point.  In substance, this view does not differ from Pre-tribulationists, for both maintain the exemption of the church from the tribulation era.

  4.  Post-tribulationists:  they maintain that the church will remain on the earth during the predicted time of the trouble and wrath, and will experience tribulation but not wrath.  God's wrath comes upon humanity and troubles, testing, and tribulation upon God's people.  Yet God will protect his own when his wrath is manifested.  For Post-tribulationists, no interval will occur between the rapture and the second coming.  In 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 where the effect of the coming upon both believers and unbelievers is sketched, there is no suggestion that the return has two phases.  


B.  The Millennium:  this is the 1000 year period mentioned in connection with the description of Christ's coming to reign with his saints over the earth (Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-9)  Several Old Testament passages refer to the Millennium ( Isa 11:4; Jer 3:17; Zech. 14:9).  These and many other OT passages are often taken to refer only to the 1000 year period itself.  However, it is difficult in these passage to see a clear dividing line between the earthly period of the Millennium and the eternal state of new heavens and earth.  Therefore, it is best to let teaching about the Millennium be drawn specifically from the words in revelation 20.
  The most important aspect of the Millennium is the reign of Christ.  Peter taught that Christ now rules from the right hand of God (Acts 2:33-36).  That rule will last until his enemies are made his footstool ( Ps 110:1).  Paul also understood Christ to be presently reigning in a period designed to bring all of God's enemies underfoot (1 Cor 15:25-27).  The impact of Christ's present rule over the earth from God's right hand must not be seen as unrelated to his future reign during the Millennium.  There are three viewpoints on the thousand year period:
  
  1.  Pre-Millennialism:  the view held by Dispensationalists.  This interpretation teaches that this age will lend in judgement at the return of to Jesus Christ.  However, the ultimate state will not occur them.  Instead, Jesus Christ will restore the kingdom of Israel and reign for at least 1000 years.  The millennium will be the last of the ordered ages of time.  eternity will dawn when the Millennium is complete.  The millennium will be characterized by the binding of Stan and the severe limitation of sin.  The perfect sinless state will take place after the Millennium.

  2.  Amillennialism or Nonmillennialism:  this group holds that the Millennium refers to Christ's spiritual rule today from Heaven.  They point out that if we take the six references to the word millennium in Rev. 20 literally (see v 2-7), no other portion of the NT speaks about a literal reign upon earth of 1000 years.  The rest of Rev 20 is filled with symbols that cannot be taken literally .  Further, a literal interpretation would be contrary to the usual use of the word thousand in the NT.  The reign of Christ on earth, amillennialists say, is taking place now and will continue until the return of Jesus Christ.  By taking a spiritualized interpretation of certain passages such as Rev 20, amillenialists claim that Zion does not refer to Israel but to the Christian church - the new Zion of God.  They make no distinction between the nation of Israel and the church and believe that the church is the true Israel of God.

  3.  Post-Millennialism:  held by relatively few, this position views Christ's spiritual rule as working though preaching  and teaching to bring a gradual world improvement that leads up to Christ's return.  

Events Occurring with the Tribulation

Formal organization of the harlot church
1 Tim. 4:1 3; 2 Tim. 3:1 5; Rev. 17

Appearance of the Antichrist and his prophet
Rev. 13

Revival of the Roman Empire
Dan. 2:41; 7:7; Rev. 13:1; 17:12

The Antichrist's seven year covenant with Israel
Isa. 28:18; Dan. 9:27

Pouring out of the first six seals
Matt. 24:4 8; Rev. 6

Mass return of the Jews to Palestine
Isa. 43:5 6; Ezek. 34:11 13; 36:24; 37:1 14
Conversion and call of the 144,000
Matt. 24:14; Rev. 7:1 4

Abomination of desolation
Dan. 9:27; 12:11; Matt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 11:2

Ministry of the two witnesses
Rev. 11:3 13

Gog and Magog invade Palestine
Ezek. 38—39

Martyrdom of the two witnesses
Rev. 11:7

Martyrdom of the 144,000
Rev.14:1 5

The casting out of Satan from heaven
Rev.12:3 15

The destruction of the false church
Rev.17:16

The full manifestation of Antichrist
Rev. 13:16 18

Worldwide persecution of Israel
Dan.12:1, Zech. 11:16; Matt. 24:21; Rev. 12:13

Pouring out of the last seal judgment
Rev. 8—9; 11:15 19

The messages of three special angels
Rev. 14:6 12

The pouring out of the seven vials of judgment
Rev. 16

The sudden destruction of economic and political Babylon
Rev. 18

The battle of Armageddon
Ps. 2:1 5, 9, Isa. 34:1 6, 63:3 4
6; Joel 3:2, 9 16; Zech. 12:2;
14:2 3,12; Rev. 14:14 20;
16.16; 19:11 21


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