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NASB | Titus 2:13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Titus 2:13 awaiting and confidently expecting the [fulfillment of our] blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, |
Subject: A 2nd and 3rd coming of Christ? Intro |
Bible Note: A 2nd and 3rd coming of Christ? IV By Rev. Bill Lee-Warner '4. When the student of prophecy studies the writings of the early church fathers, he discovers an interesting phenomenon: the vast majority of the Ante-Nicene Fathers (living between the end of the Apostolic age and A.D. 325) who wrote on the subject of the 2nd coming understood that the church in the latter days would face the persecution of Antichrist, which commences 3 1/2 years after the beginning of the 70th Week of Daniel (cf. Daniel 9:27; Matt. 24:15). 'The implication then is that the believer's hope (which includes the anticipation of the rapture) will be realized sometime after the midpoint of the 70th Week and after the beginning of the great tribulation at the hands of Antichrist. If this is the case, and Scripture abundantly supports this view (cf. the sequence in Matt. 24:3-31), then the clear teaching of Scripture on the coming of Christ, both for His church, and with wrath (the Day of the Lord - Zeph 1:14-18, and described as beginning with the cosmic lights being extinguished ((Joel 2:31; Matt. 24:29; Rev. 6:12-17)), is that the Rapture and the Day of the Lord occur on the same day (cf. Luke 17:26-30). Therefore, there is no time separation between the Rapture and the Revelation of Christ. 'The believer on that day will lift his head knowing that his "redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28) but the world at the same time will be in "perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world, (in context - because of the extinguishing of the cosmic luminaries) for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then will THEY (emphasis added) [in context - the people of the world] see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory." (Luke 1:25-27) 'In light of what Scripture records, Robert Gundry has written, "Every Ante-Nicene writer who wrote in any detail upon the tribulation, resurrection, rapture, or second coming ...[understood] ... the church will undergo persecution at the hands of Antichrist". That means that the Rapture takes place sometime after the persecution starts (the midpoint of the 70th Week) and is not prior to the 70th Week as the pretribulationist insists. Mr. Gundry goes on to say that the only outstanding early fathers missing (that taught differently) were Clement of Alexandria and Origin, who used an allegorical method of interpretation.' ____________________ www.solagroup.org/ articles/faqs/faq_0011.html |