If you are familiar with the New Testament, you know that its writers expected the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in their day. Over and over, as they made reference to “the Lord’s Coming,” or “the coming of the kingdom of God,” or “the day of the Lord,” any reference they made to its timing was to an imminent event – one that would occur in their generation. This is because the prophets of the Old Testament, and Jesus Himself, had led them to this expectation. The apostles, and the churches who believed them, knew that while every single one of them might not live to see the day of their Lord’s return, some of them surely would. They had been promised that their generation would not pass away until Jesus had come in His Father’s kingdom.
If Jesus did not come again according to the timetable the prophets and apostles – and He Himself – laid out, then they all have a credibility problem. Moses had said long before that if anyone speaking in the name of the Lord called for something to happen, and it did not happen as described, then that person should be considered a false prophet and disregarded. Even if Moses had not said this, does not common sense tell us not to believe someone who cries “Wolf” when there is no wolf? (And if the excuse was, “Well, a wolf could still come at some indeterminate time in the future,” who would accept such an excuse?)
What then is the explanation? Simple: Jesus Christ had come the first time in the flesh as a man; He came the second time in the spirit as God. Even though Jesus had said that His kingdom was not coming with signs to be observed, some people still expected a physical manifestation. How foolish we can be!
Ironically, some churches will chide the Jews for missing Christ’s first coming when these same churches missed His second coming. And for what reason is either coming
missed? Unbelief. The bulk of Christians and Jews do not believe the very Lord in whom they hope! Nevertheless, some do believe…and the Lord knows who you are.
Think of it this way: Jesus came the first time as the Son; He came the second time as the Father. We could see the Son because He became flesh and blood…like us. We cannot see the Father because God is spirit. That is to say, He is invisible to flesh and blood. The prophet Isaiah who said hundreds of years before Christ (and whose words were echoed in Handel’s Messiah) that a Son would be given to us (Isaiah 9:6), in that same breath said that one of this Son’s names would be “the Everlasting Father.” Thus, the Son is the Father. And we should not be surprised at this because it is the destiny of sons to become fathers. And could it ever be fitting for the greatest heir of Abraham to be childless?
Jesus came again just when He said He would. Though no man knows the day or hour, we can know it had to have been in the late 1st Century A.D. because that is within a generation of His crucifixion and resurrection – and that is what He promised.
The prophets of Israel – including Jesus and His apostles – can be trusted. The kingdom of God has come just as they said it would. God is among us. This gives His name “Immanuel” more meaning than ever. Worship Him! He delights in the praises of His people and He delivers them from all evil. Receive and rejoice in your “everlasting Father.”
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For a thorough explanation of when and how the Second Coming of Christ already occurred, you can read this book:
The Biblical Case for the Second Coming as Accomplished Fact
Description: Contrary to many opinions, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is not something future and physical – rather it is something past and spiritual. Extensive explanation of the relevant Bible passages will demonstrate that the Second Coming of Christ occurred just when Jesus and His apostles said it would – in the 1st Century A.D. Jesus Christ is God, and the Second Coming is an outworking of that reality.