Subject: RE: "immenint return" in first answer |
Bible Note: Two second comeings or one? For example, Christ is now in heaven from which the angel promised he would come again to this earth. The first phase of his coming is "in the air" for believers;it will be a great blessing to all who participate in it. This is called by some Bible believing scholars as " the Rapture," based on the Greek word harpaso, which means"to snatch away". The same word is used in Acts 8:39 and describes how the Holy spirit "cought Philip away" after he baptized the Ethiopian. Paul as so used this word to describe his experience of being caught up to the third heaven.(2Cor. 12:2-4) 1thess. 4:13-18 is a complete desceiption of the Rapture. phase of Crist coming. immediately after the Rapture the judgment of cristians will take place. The second phase of the Lords second coming is the public appearance of Christ to the earth, when he is accompanied wth power and great glory as well as the angels of heaven. At that tim he will set up his earthly kingdom.rev.1:7 Overwelming number of references to the second coming in both the old and new testaments have to do with this phase of the Lords coming, only a few referances describe his coming for his church, or the Rapture.So you see there are not two comings of Christ, but rather, there are two phases of his one coming. First phase for Christians, and the second phase is for the world of unbelievers. |