A Study By
Gary Ray Branscome
Lesson 20
Although Christ’s Second Coming is one historical
event that is yet in the future, we know that He will return, and that when He
returns He will come in power, and He will come to judge (Luke 21:27, Acts
1:11, Titus 2:13, Matthew 25:31-32, Matthew 24:36). However, because the Bible
tells us that no man knows when He will return, we need to shun those who claim
to know, and stick strictly to what God has revealed (Mark 13:32, Romans 1:22,
John 8:31, Isaiah 8:20, 2Peter 1:20, Psalm 19:13, Deuteronomy 18:20).
We know as a fact that the
resurrection will take place on the last day (John
The Book of Revelation gives us a
literal description of a vision (or series of visions) that John saw while on
the isle of
In order to understand what is
written, it is important to distinguish between what the words actually say,
and the meaning of the vision that they describe. For example, in one place the
words plainly tell us that John saw seven candlesticks, and in another place
they tell us that he saw a woman (Revelation
The symbolism found in John’s vision is actually very
similar to that used in parables. For example, like the parable of the wedding
feast, the book of Revelation portrays the righteousness that is ours in Christ
as a wedding garment (compare Matthew
Since the symbolism is clearly
evident, and the Bible often tells us what it means, those who cannot see it
are just as confused as the apostles were when they assumed that Christ’s reference to “the leaven of the
Pharisees” was a reference to literal bread (Matthew 16:6-12).
Furthermore, because John’s vision is highly symbolic, we need to pay
close attention to the explanations that are included in the text. We also need
to interpret what is said in the light of what the Bible explicitly says about
Christ's return (John
In order to understand what Christ
was talking about when He said “The hour is coming, in the which all that
are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have
done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto
the resurrection of damnation” (John 5:28-29). It is important to
understand that because those words are law rather than gospel, their purpose
is not to tell us how to be saved, but to make the unrepentant tremble in fear,
and so cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness.
Nevertheless that statement
sometimes troubles believers because they know that they are sinners who
deserve God’s condemnation and wrath. What they need to understand is
that because Christ took our sins upon Himself and died in our place, the
forgiveness that He obtained for us cleanses us so completely that it makes us
pure, perfect, and innocent in the sight of God (Hebrews 10:14). In fact, as
long as we walk by faith, no sin is imputed to us (Romans 4:1-8). Therefore,
those who have “done good” in the sight of
God, are not those who seek righteousness by the law, but those who have been
cleansed of all unrighteousness by the blood of Christ (1John 1:7).
Another passage that deals with the
day of judgment is Matthew 25:31-46 which says: “When the Son of man
shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and
he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth
his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the
goats on the left. Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come,
ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the
foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye
gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye
took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in
prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord,
when saw we thee an hungred,
and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When
saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked,
and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as
ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye
cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels… And
these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal”
(Matthew 25:31-46).
Since God is present everywhere, in
a certain sense everyone on earth is standing before God's throne at this very
moment. Therefore, seeing that the verses that I just quoted are somewhat
figurative (in that they speak of sheep and goats rather than people), the
judgment being described in those verses could take place in a moment, in a
twinkling of an eye, when Christ raptures the saints (1Thessalonians
Furthermore, because the verses quoted above are law rather
than gospel, their purpose is not to tell us how to be saved, but to make the
unrepentant tremble in fear, and so cry out to God for mercy and forgiveness
(Matthew 25:31-46). In fact, none of works that are mentioned (feeding Christ,
clothing Christ) have anything to do with the righteousness of the law, because
Christ wanted to make it perfectly clear that the righteousness of the law is
not enough (James
In order to distinguish between
truth and error, we need to distinguish between what the Bible actually
(explicitly) says, and what men conclude from its words. For example, Christ
plainly said that His kingdom is not of this world, and that He would raise up believers on the last day (John
1-
Does any man know when Christ will return?
2- In describing Christ's return, we must stick strictly to what?
3- What day will the resurrection take place on?
4- What literary form is the Book of Revelation an example of?
5- What is the symbolism found in John’s vision like?
6- Are those who let their imaginations run wild qualified to teach?
7- Are the Words of Christ in John 5:25-29 law or gospel?
8- What makes us pure, perfect, and innocent in the sight of God?
9- Who is standing before God’s throne at this very moment?
10- What should be gathered together “here a little, and there a
little”?