It’s Drawing Near

The day and the hour of our Lords return is fast approaching. I am referring to the Lords return for the church which is a completely different event than His return for Israel. Many know and understand that the Lords return for the church, which He promised in the Gospel of John, chapter fourteen, verse three, is at least seven biblical years prior to His return to redeem Israel, which was prophesied in Daniel, chapter nine, verse twenty four.

How can I be so sure that the Lords return for the church is so near especially when we have been waiting for so long? I can be sure that his return for us is so near because the word of God says it is near. If you are a man or woman of faith then you also must agree that Christ’s return for the faithful in Christ is near, in fact right at the door. What did the Lord’s step brother James have to say about his brother’s return? He said: “Be patient therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the eretz [earth], being patient over it, until it receives the early and late rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand” (James 5:7-8, HNV). I know that some who are not convinced are likely thinking, but this was written almost two thousand years ago so how can I say that it is near, right now, in the year 2011. Those of you who think like this may have a good point, but don’t start patting yourself on the back to quickly.

We should remember; the Holy Spirit is the person who inspired this servant of the Lord Jesus Christ to write his letter, so that he (meaning the Spirit himself) could teach the church from the earliest of days until the church is finally caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Don’t ever think that the word of the Lord is spoken carelessly. If the Holy Spirit inspired James to write that “the coming of the Lord is at hand” then the coming of the Lord is at hand. But why would the Holy Spirit say “the coming of the Lord is at hand” when almost two millennia have passed already? Maybe the answer can be found in the context of James’s discussion to the early church.

The Holy Spirit through James was initially speaking to the Christians, who were Jews, which were scattered to the reaches of Judea, Samaria and beyond (by the time James’s letter was written) because of the great persecution that broke out against the church carried out by Saul (See Acts 8:1-3). Although this letter was initially written to the dispersed Christian Jew, it has absolute significance to the Christian Gentile as well. James was born a Jew, and seemed to be the head of the Jerusalem Church, and we could say that he was the overseer of the Christian Jew until his death (See Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18; Galatians 2:12). So his letter may seem to have some bias toward the Christian Jew only, but that is in no way the intention of the Holy Spirit. The reason for the lack of Gentile content is likely because of: 1) This Epistle was written before the ministry to the Gentile began to explode, or 2) As said; because James was the overseer of the Jerusalem church, and the Jewish portion of the church, he was keeping in step with his calling, which was ministering to the Christian Jew.

As to the context of James’s statement “the coming of the Lord is at hand” the dispersed Christian Jew was most likely being oppressed by the rich and wealthy of the day, who did not give the Messiah any consideration (See 5:1-6). We also read in James, chapter one, that these dispersed ones were facing various trials not only from human oppressors, but from the many kinds of distractions that can lead the Christian away from their faith in Christ Jesus. Many of you can relate with these brothers when you begin to remember what has taken place in your life. But let me remind you what James wrote to the early brothers: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. Let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” (James 1:2-4, HNV).

James tells the brothers to be patient, because the Lord’s coming for them will be soon (See 5:7a). The early Church believed Christ’s promise to them that he would come back for them to take them to where he was going: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also” (John 14:3, KJV). They believed this was soon to happen, that is why James wrote “the coming of the Lord is at hand.” But even making this prediction two thousand years ago was not a lie or contradiction in Scripture as I will reveal.

The Holy Spirit knew exactly what to communicate to James, so he could write “the coming of the Lord is at hand” because when James wrote this it has been like two days to the Lord. What did the Apostle Peter say in reference to those who would come in the days just prior to the return of the Lord, and would mock this same return of Christ Jesus for his beloved church, implying that Christ’s return is a sham? (See 2 Peter 3:3-4). Peter gave this similarity: “But let not this one thing be hidden from you, beloved, that one day with [the] Lord [is] as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, Darby). So if we can relate to the kingdom of heaven years (one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years is as a day), it has been only two days since James wrote “the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

I need to remind everyone in this year of 2011, that Israel will be celebrating her sixty third year, as a reborn nation, this coming May. As I have previously written, Jesus prophesied with a prophet’s language (symbolic language) in Matthew 24:32-34, that the same people who witnessed Israel reestablished as a sovereign nation will also witness the second coming of the Lord to redeem Israel from her unrighteousness. Also remember that the coming of the Lord for his church is at least seven biblical years before the second coming.

Christ’s prophecy has to come to pass before all these people who witnessed Israel’s rebirth pass away. Those who witnessed ‘a nation born in a day’ (See Isaiah 66:8) were at least ten years old in 1948 for them to be able to comprehend the events of that day. That is what Jesus meant in his prophetic word when he predicted “So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, [even] at the doors” (Matthew 24:33, KJV). Can you hear what the Spirit is saying?

Do You Know The Difference?

            Recently I wrote an article on how soon the Lord’s coming is where I said how most of God's children are not ready for this event. Have you ever heard this familiar question: “But why do we have to be ready, we don’t even know when he is coming?” This common question is precisely the reason why we have to be ready for the coming of the Lord, because we don’t know the day and hour of his coming, and we have to be watching and be ready. We may not know the day or hour but we do know the season of his coming, which is in the same generation who witnessed Israel’s rebirth (1948).

            To be ready for the Lord at his coming is a command Jesus gave to his followers when he was teaching the disciples on the Mount of Olives. Jesus said to the disciples in Matthew, chapter twenty four: “Therefore also be ready, for in an hour that you don't expect, the Son of Man will come” (Matthew 24:44, HNV). Though Jesus commands his followers to be ready for him he also insists that we be watching for him to come also: “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42, HNV). The Lord again repeats himself in the parabolic teaching of the Ten Virgins: “Watch therefore, for you don't know the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming” (Matthew 25:13, HNV). Are you watching for your Lord to come, are you ready for him?

            When the Lord makes this command 'to watch and be ready’ which event do you think he is referring to? Do you think he is referring to the event known as his Second Coming, or do you think he is referring to the ‘harpazō’? The ‘harpazō’ (Greek for: catching up) may be better known to many as the ‘rapture’. The word rapture is our English equivalent of the Latin word ‘raptus’ or ‘rapiemur’ as the Latin Vulgate translates it from the Greek. If you thought the Lord was referring to the Catching Away — the rapture of the Church — in these particular verses above, than you are correct.

            Why would I ask you which of the two events the Lord is referring to in these verses, am I trying to insult your knowledge of the Scriptures? No, I would not do that to you, but the reason for my question is because there are many who do not know the difference between the Second Coming of Christ and the Catching Away. When a person does not know the difference between these two events it opens the door for confusion, and we know our God is not the creator of confusion. So we must understand that confusion comes from another source, and that source has as its objective to keep the child of God mystified to the word of God. The god of this world (Satan) is a master at keeping the sons and daughters of God confused to what the Holy Spirit is revealing, especially the mysteries that our God has chosen to reveal.

            Have you ever heard somebody say, “Who can know the mind of the Lord?” Why do you think they say this especially when God reveals his ways to us in his word? Of course most of God’s ways were hidden to the Old Testament saints, but we are now under a new covenant where we have access to the mind of God: “"For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct him?" But we have Messiah's mind (1 Corinthians 2:16, HNV; Also see John 16:13).

            Why would the god of this world work so hard at confusing the Church between the Second Coming and the Catching Away? Could it be so those who have been made the righteousness of God will not take any interest in either of these events — it seems he has been doing a good job at it so far? I challenge you to question most preachers and teachers and you will find that they may be somewhat confused about these two events, to the point where they don’t even attempt to feed the household of God anything on these topics. Maybe I should correct myself and say that some do teach a little about the coming of the Lord, they teach that since we do not know the day or hour of the Catching Away we should neither give it thought nor be concerned about it, when it happens it will happen; so just eat, drink and be merry. If the enemy can keep the Church from being interested in the Catching Away of the Church, and the Second Coming of Christ for Israel, than there will be no way the Body of Christ we will be watching so we can be ready for the coming of the Son of Man — remember we have been commanded to do these two things (Matthew 24:42, 44; 25:13).

            The difference between the Catching Away and the Second Coming is the difference between the Church of Jesus Christ and the nation of Israel, and there is a distinct difference for they are indeed two separate entities. Unfortunately some sects of Christianity think the Church is spiritual Israel, this is where the devilish replacement theology has evolved from. In the plan of God he created Israel to be his chosen earthly people: "Which [covenant] he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; And confirmed the same unto Jacob for a law, [and] to Israel [for] an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance" (Psalms 105: 9-11, KJV). In God's plan he also created the Church, which is his new creation, as his chosen heavenly people: "The first man [is] of the earth, earthy: the second man [is] the Lord from heaven. As [is] the earthy, such [are] they also that are earthy: and as [is] the heavenly, such [are] they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Corinthians 15: 47-49, KJV).

            The Second Coming is the day when Christ will come back to the earth to redeem Israel from her unbelief and unrighteousness, and on that day Israel will finally anoint Jesus as their Messiah King (See Daniel 9:24). From that day forth Israel will dwell on the earth in the land of Canaan until the new heaven and new earth appear, as is recorded in Revelation chapter twenty one; and in peace as promised. The day of the Catching Away of the Church is the day when those who received Christ Jesus as Lord, whether they be former Jews or former Gentiles, will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, KJV). At this hour the Church of God will be made heavenly people through a miraculous transformation from the physical to the spiritual: "Behold, I shew you a 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" (1 Corinthians 15:51-53, KJV).

            As believers in Christ our sites should be on the Catching Away of the Church because this is the day our God has planned to complete the salvation process in us, and finally make us like Christ Jesus: "For our citizenship is in heaven, from where we also wait for a Savior, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah; who will change the body of our humiliation to be conformed to the body of his glory, according to the working by which he is able even to subject all things to himself" (Philippians 3:20-21, HNV; Also See: 1 John 3:2). We should also be praying for the Second Coming because we have the knowledge that Israel will finally receive our Jesus as their Messiah on that particular day: "Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy" (Daniel 9:24, HNV).

(KJV) King James Version: Public Domain

(HNV) Hebrew Names Version: Public Domain