Some Thoughts About the Second Coming
Dr. Allen M. Barber
August 28, 2010

Revelation 19:11-16 NKJV

11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. 12 His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. 

INSIGHT

While the cross of the Lord Jesus is vitally important to the Christian faith (without it there is no Christianity), and apparently to several religions who wear crosses around their neck and give the "sign of the cross" as if that has some spiritual meaning; when the last generation arrives on earth - the one that will experience the tribulation and the second coming, believers should begin to look forward in anticipation of the Lord's return. I say without apology that we are generation that will witness these things. The beginning of sorrows Jesus mentions in Matthew 24:8 is already upon us and has been for some time. We just need to open our spiritual eyes to see that we are the people of the end generation.  As the sun cast its rays upon an object causing its shadow to appear in advance, so it is with Bible prophecy. The shadows of the approaching tribulation, which must precede the coming of the Lord, are covering the earth and it will not be long before the actual event appears.

Pretribbers love to quote Titus 2: 13 - "Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" as a text for the pretrib rapture. However, the verse has more to do with the second bodily return back to earth (I cover this in my book on prophecy). In addition, they leave out the verses before it - 11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 teaching us that denying ungodly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age. The grace of God enables us wait (have patience) for the glorious appearing of the Lord. The word patient or patience is mentioned six times in the book of Revelation and each time it is in the context of the second bodily return. Two examples are as follows:

Revelation 13:9-10 NKJV

9 If anyone has an ear, let him hear. 10 He who leads into captivity shall go into captivity; he who kills with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

Revelation 14:12-13 NKJV

12 Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. 
13 Then I heard a voice from heaven saying to me, "Write:' Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.'"
"Yes," says the Spirit, "that they may rest from their labors, and their works follow them."

We are to serve the Lord in all holiness and righteousness of the truth as we patiently wait for His return. Each time we break bread (take communion), it should remind us not only of our salvation in Christ, but of His return, for He told the disciples He would not drink of the cup with them again until the time of His return and kingdom. One day the body of Christ, the true Church, will become the Lord's bride. We are not yet the bride, but will be when the Lord returns. When the mystery plan of God is finished at the 7th Trumpet, the Church will be wed to Christ and her mission on earth complete. While we wait for the Lord to come back we are to keep our gaze toward heaven. We are to long for and anticipate His return as we see the prophetic Scriptures unfold before out eyes. This keeps us from becoming too earth bound. From my experience of teaching the prophetic Scriptures for over forty years, many saints are neither longing for nor anticipating the Lord's return. Our calling in Christ is a heavenly calling not an earthly one.

Our mission on earth is to preach the gospel of salvation to all men, and as we see the day approaching, we are to preach also the gospel of the kingdom, that is, that the kingdom of the Lord is coming upon the earth. There are some theologians who believe the kingdom of Christ is spiritual and not a literal physical kingdom on this earth. However, it is both spiritual and literal. It is spiritual in the sense that we must first become kingdom people by the new birth of the Spirit before we can quality entrance into the physical kingdom. Then again, only the overcomers are going to rule and reign with Christ in His kingdom. The kingdom is a privilege for the overcoming saints and is not promised to all believers (traditional dispensationalism teaches all the saints shall take part in the kingdom reign and I assure you there is not an ounce of truth in that doctrine).

Contrary to the doctrine of Rick Warren, the Church's mission is not to change the world rather we are called out to be those who allow Christ to change us into His image. As we become like Jesus in word and deed, we set the example for the world to see how glorious Jesus is and by our testimony unto Him, some will be saved. While Jesus died for the sins of the world, the majority are not going to accept Him. It is foolish to attempt to change the world or mankind by a social gospel. The power of the gospel is not in a social change, but in the changing of lives spiritually. Mankind has a much more serious problem than world hunger or poverty. He has a spiritual sickness that is eternal damning in its scope. This is our mandate from the Lord, as we wait for His return, we share the glorious gospel of repentance from sin and faith toward God as well as the kingdom is coming.

Jesus said in Matthew 24: 14 (the whole chapter is predictive of the end time generation) "this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all nations and then the end will come." The gospel of the kingdom is not a second gospel or something different from the gospel of salvation. They are two parts of one message, for only the saved will enter the kingdom when Jesus returns. However, and this is important, as we see the day approaching (the posttribulation Day of the Lord) we are to begin telling both the sleepy lazy and unprepared Church and the lost world that the kingdom of our Lord is soon to appear, warning them of the consequences of unpreparedness:

Matthew 24:45-51 NKJV

45 "Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his household, to give them food in due season? 46 Blessed is that servant whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. 47 Assuredly, I say to you that he will make him ruler over all his goods. 48 But if that evil servant says in his heart, 'My master is delaying his coming,' 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of, 51 and will cut him in two and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites. There shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Dr. Allen M. Barber, a Servant of the Lord Jesus