Torch, Spring 1985

8 mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (I Cor. 15 :51 -53) . The resurrection of the dead was no mystery. Old Testament saints fully expected to be raised in the last day (Job 19:25-27; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2,3). Concerning Lazarus, even Martha said, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day" (John 11:24). What then was the mystery? It was that believers could suddenly be caught up into the presence of God to receive an immortal, incorruptible body apart from physical death. It is true that Enoch and Elijah went into Heaven apart from death, but these were rare exceptions. Nowhere in the Old Testament did other believers expect this to happen to them. This truth was first revealed after the Lord's death and resurrection. Paul himself believed that Christ could come in his lifetime - in fact, at any moment. See how he used the word we in this passage. Christ did not come in Paul's generation, but He could have . It is very possible that our Lord could come in our generation, even today. I~ He does, than all living believers will cheat death and the undertaker. Paul commended the Thessalonian Christians for patiently waiting for Jesus who "delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thess. I: 10). At first glance, it appears that Paul is talking about the deliverance from the penalty of sin (Hell, lake of fire, wrath of God) that comes through receiving Christ as Savior. However, this is not the case. A literal translation of this phrase is: "Jesus, the one who is delivering us out of the wrath, the coming one." Both the italicized verbal forms are present participles, used in the futuristic sense again (cf. John 14:3). This is not a past deliverance; this is the possibility of a present deliverance from a wrath which could come at any moment. The wrath of God presently abides upon the unbeliever (John 3:36); the Christian has always been saved from that (John 5:24). What wrath then is coming, imminent? It is the wrath of God to be manifested in the great tribulation period. Later, in another eschatological passage, Paul wrote: "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thess . 5:9). This coming wrath is just as imminent as the delivering return of Jesus Christ. By turning to God from idols, the Thessalonians had been saved from the wrath of God, the penalty of sin; now, they were expectantly waiting for Christ to return from Heaven to take them into Heaven in order to escape the wrath of God to be poured out in the tribulation ( Rev. 6 - 16). James exhorted his readers to be patient unto. the coming of the Lord . He said that His coming had drawn near and that He, the Judge, was standing before the door (James 5:7-9). This is an interesting metaphor. Christ has taken up His position outside the door to earth. He has raised His hand. He is just about to knock and to open the door. Who knows when His hand will hit the door and we will be ushered into His presence? This is why James told them to "grudge not one against another ." If you knew that the pastor was going to visit your house, would you and your family be arguing at that time? Certainly not. Wouldn't it be ridiculous to be caught up into the presence of God while arguing over . . .patient expectation . .. one day faith will become sight. the kitchen table or in a church business meeting? There is no telephone warning before His coming either. The beloved John said this about His return: "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his corning" (I John 2:28). The phrase, "when he shall appear," also repeated later (3 :2), is literally translated "if he shall be manifested." The subjunctive mood, the mood of probability , is used with the conditional "if." John certainly was not wondering whether Christ might appear; that was a fact, not a probability . What was uncertain was the time of His coming. No one knows when that will take place , not even the angels in Heaven (Matt. 24:36). It could be today ; it could be tomorrow; and it could be one hundred years away . Who knows for sure? That is what John wanted to communicate . Christ can be expected at any time. The closing prophecy and prayer in the Bible reads: "He which testifieth these things saith, Surely, I come quickly . Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus" (Rev. 22:20). Christ again used the futuristic present tense which emphasizes the imminency of the event (cf. John 14:3) . He said that His return would not only be speedy ("in the twinkling of an eye") but also imminent. Remember that God does not reckon time as we do (2 Pet. 3:8). To Him a thousand years is as one day . And yet, the believer, even as John , should pray every day , "Even so , come, Lord Jesus ." May it be today! As we have seen , the Bible definitely teaches that the return of Christ for His own is imminent . In a sense, it is not correct to say that He is coming soon . Our concept of His appearing should be the same as that of the Biblical authors and of the early church. If His coming is soon, then they were mistaken, because two thousand years have elapsed. At Thanksgiving time, you could say that Christmas is coming soon, but you could not say that it is imminent. This difference should also be applied to His return. What then should be our attitude as Christians toward this great event in His life and in ours? First, it should create in us a quality of patient expectation . Don't be anxious or apprehensive. Wait, because one day faith will become sight . Continued on page 9