THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST – Instructor
There
is much in Beth Moore’s study on Daniel that is universal regarding the
character of God, characteristics of the world system, and applications we can
make in our lives. However, she also uses
the lessons as a platform to present her Dispensational premillennial view of eschatology. This study sets up a fair comparison between
the amillennial (Gospel-age millennial) view with
Beth’s view in a non-adversarial way that doesn’t destroy the atmosphere of the
meetings and the “blessings.” [see
RPCD – Apdx.F http://pop.eradman.com]
The
two models of eschatology are charted below.
Look at the evidence and see which model fits best.
Begin
by examining the contents of the two millennial charts. As you consider the following passages and
your answers to the questions, compare them with the charts.
A. The Blessed Hope/His Appearing/That
Day
Tit.2:13
- waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our God and
Savior Jesus Christ
Heb.9:28
- So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a
second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for
him
2
Tim.4:8 - there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord,
the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also
to all who have loved his appearing
1
Jn.3:2 - we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall
see him as he is
1. What event (blessed
hope) are we to be anticipating and preparing for? Christ’s appearing
2. What are some things
that happen when he appears?
rewarded with righteousness/stand before Christ the
judge/made like Christ/saved
B. The Revelation
1
Pt.1:3-5, 7, 13 - he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is
imperishable, undefiled, and unfading…a salvation ready to be revealed in the
last time. (Dan.12:13 – you will rest and then at the end of the days you will
rise to receive your allotted inheritance)…so that the tested genuineness of
your faith…may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the
revelation of Jesus Christ…set your hope fully on the grace that will be
brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ
3. When will the
revelation of Christ occur? In the last time/end
of the days
4. What are some
additional “hopes” to look forward to?
receive an undefiled, etc. inheritance
my salvation/my faith will be shown to be genuine/I will
receive God’s grace to the fullest extent
·
Read 2 Thes.1:6-10; 2:1-2
5. What other phrases
are used to describe the revelation of Christ in 2:1-2?
The
Coming of Christ/the Day of the Lord
6. List more related
events in 1:6-10, and 2:1.
1:6
– repay those who afflict/grant relief to the afflicted
1:8
– inflict vengeance on the disobedient
1:9
– eternal punishment
1:10
– Christ is glorified in his saints/marveled at
2:1
– gathered together to Him
C. The Coming of Christ
Mt.24:30-31 - Then will
appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the
earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory. And he
will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his
elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
1 Thes.4: 15-17 - we who
are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those
who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will
descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and
with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the
clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.
7. List, underline,
circle, or highlight the parallel words or phrases in these two passages.
Trumpet,
clouds, coming, caught up/gathered together, appear in heaven/descend from
heaven, His elect/in Christ, the son of man/the Lord
8. In 1 Thes.4:16 what
suggests that this is a public event? In
Mt.24:30 what is the world’s reaction?
Cry
of command, sound of the trumpet, voice of an archangel; They
mourn
·
Read 1 Cor.15:21-28, 50-55
9. Again, make a list of
all the events associated with Christ’s Coming?
v.22
– made alive (resurrected)
v.24
– end comes, Christ destroys every other rule, authority, and power, Christ
delivers the kingdom to God
v.25
– Christ puts all his enemies under his feet
v.28
– Christ subjects himself and all things to God
v.51-54 – the trumpet sounds, we are changed, made
imperishable/immortal, death (and sin) is swallowed up
10. What is Christ doing
until all his enemies are defeated (v.25)?
Reigning
11. What is the last
enemy to be destroyed (vs.26)? Death
12. What announces the
resurrection (v.52)? The sounding of the
trumpet
D. The Day of Wrath/ Day of the Lord
·
Read Rom.2:5-11; 1 Thes.5:2-3, 9;
and Jn.5:25-29
13. What two contrasting
events happen on this Day?
Resurrection
to eternal life, salvation/resurrection to judgment, wrath and fury, sudden
destruction
·
Read 2 Pt.3:10-13
14. What happens to the
heavens and earth on the Day of the Lord (v.10)? Note: v.4 calls it His coming
They
are burned up/new heavens and new earth
15. In v.10, what else is
brought into judgment? The works of human beings
16. For what are we to be
waiting in v.12-13; 1 Cor.1:7; and Tit.2:13?
What future event have you been waiting for? The coming of the day of God/new heavens and a
new earth; Christ’s appearing; the revelation of Christ
·
Read about our
inheritance and future glory in Rom.8:11-25
17. What happens to the
earth when we are resurrected (v.11, 23), glorified (v.17), revealed to the
world (v.19), our adoption finalized (v.23) and our hope is fully realized
(v.24)? See v.19-21
The
earth is released from the curse of sin
18. What do your answers
to questions 11, 14, and 17 tell you about the age which follows the
resurrection? (Can it contain sin and
death?) No
Conclusion: Are these passages descriptions of the Second Coming of
Christ or do they refer to different events spread out over 1000 years?
FURTHER STUDY - see Messiah
- Son of Man, Son of God http://pop.eradman.com
AMILLENNIALISM - CHRIST’S HEAVENLY REIGN
DISPENSATIONAL PREMILLENNIALISM
Page
numbers refer to Beth Moore’s Daniel workbook
END NOTES – Some other pertinent questions
may be asked about the thousand year reign of Christ on the earth.
Since the people who repopulate the
earth during the millennium can only be those saved during the tribulation, how
do they pass through the judgment at the second coming without receiving
resurrected bodies?
If Christ’s earthly reign is the
kingdom prophesied that we are waiting for (to reign with Him), what does 1
Cor.15:50 mean (Flesh and blood cannot inherit the
Where does all the rebellion that
breaks out at the end of Christ’s reign “with a rod of iron” come from?
How does its buildup escape His
judgment during the millennium?
Does Christ only require outward
conformity during His earthly reign?
See A Case for Amillennialism
(Understanding the End Times), by Kim Riddlebarger,
2003.