Chapter 3: The Kingdom of God and Christ's Return

IN THIS CHAPTER, you will discover:

· The nature of the kingdom of God.

· The return of Jesus Christ.

· Biblical language describing Christ’s return.

· Other comings of Christ.


AS A RESULT, you will be able to:

· Have a proper theological understanding of the kingdom.

· Experience the power of our “blessed hope” more deeply.

· Recognize the many dimensions of Christ’s appearing.

· Resolve perplexing scriptural questions about Christ’s return.

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 289-95.

Key Scripture: “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’ ” (Matt. 25:34).

Key Words: Dispensationalism, Realized Eschatology.

The phrase, “the kingdom of God,” appears about a hundred times in the Synoptic Gospels. It is arguably the central focus of Jesus’ teaching — and therefore of Christianity. Jesus’ announcement, “The time has come. . . . The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15), heralded the beginning of a new epoch in the relationship between God and humanity and also between human beings. The morality of the kingdom was a new ethic (Matt. 5:20) and the logic of kingdom living belonged to a different and higher order than worldly logic (19:21, 28-30). For the foundation of the kingdom of God was laid in eternity (see the Key Scripture) and extends beyond earth to heaven (Rev. 11:15).

The Greek phrase, “kingdom of God” (Gk. basileia tou theou), does not suggest a static institution, but an active and dynamic reality — the “reigning” of God. Israel, God’s covenant people, was called to be a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Ex. 19:6) and thus was a forerunner and type of the kingdom of God. The promised Messiah was to be a king whose rule would even more closely approximate God’s kingdom.

Jesus taught that God’s kingdom became present in His person and ministry: “But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt. 12:28; cf. 13:13, 16-17). He was the expected Messiah; the “Christ”; the “Anointed One.” In Jesus, God’s rule and authority were complete and manifest. God’s Spirit descended upon Jesus and remained with Him (John 1:33). Because Jesus was perfectly submitted to His Father He was a living expression of God’s will: “I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him” (8:28-29).

Many recognized that Jesus’ miracles and teachings indeed constituted a radical inbreaking of divine reality. This became increasingly true after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. But Israel as a whole rejected Jesus’ messiahship and His revelation of the nature of the kingdom of God. The coming kingdom was to be a restoration of the Davidic monarchy and an elevation of the nation of Israel to supreme political and religious power.

Jesus sharply contradicted this expectation. According to Him, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:20-21). In John’s gospel, Jesus unambiguously declared: “My kingdom is not of this world” (18:36).

Jesus’ issued scathing indictments against those who identified God’s rule with nationalism, religious elitism, or human-centered theories of righteousness. He blasted the political and religious leaders of the day, saying: “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to” (Matt. 23:13-14; cf. 21:31). According to Jesus, it is the “poor in spirit” who gain entrance to the kingdom (5:3). Jesus’ heart is evident in His passionate prayer: “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children” (11:25; cf. Luke 8:10).

In attempting to convey the grandeur of the coming “Day of the Lord” when God’s rule would become complete on earth, the prophets figuratively pictured Jerusalem as His earthly capital (Joel 3:17-21; Ezek. 37:24-28). However, Israel failed to live up to her covenant mandate and rejected both her messiah and the advent of His kingdom (Matt. 13:11-12; Acts 2:36). Jesus pronounced God’s judgment: “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit” (Matt. 21:43; cf. Acts 28:24-28). The kingdom was no longer to be identified with a particular race or nation, but with all who would spiritually enter through the door of regeneration (John 3:3-5; Col. 1:13-14). Likewise, the consummation of the kingdom could no longer be depicted in terms of an exclusive historical and political earthly empire.

Two Theologies of the Kingdom

Dispensationalism is a type of biblical interpretation associated with J. N. Darby (1800-1882). It is characterized by its insistence that all prophetic scripture should be interpreted literally and will be fulfilled literally. Dispensationalists believe that the word “Israel” in the Bible always refers to ethnic Israel. They assume that the church was unforeseen in the Old Testament and that God’s purpose for Israel and for the church are different. Therefore at the end of time we should expect to see God restore Israel politically and economically. The temple will be rebuilt, the priesthood will be reactivated, and the sacrificial system will be reinstituted.

Dispensationalism has been popularized in conservative circles through the explanatory notes contained in the Scofield Reference Bible. But there are serious tensions between this theory and a proper New Testament understanding of the kingdom. First, it is certain that God foresaw the sacrifice of Christ (and the subsequent existence of the church) as part of His scheme of salvation (Acts 2:22-23, 36; Rev. 13:8). Second, following Jesus’ announcement of the new covenant, Paul defined the church — those who become “new creations” through regeneration — as the “Israel of God” (Gal. 6:15-16; see also Rom. 9:6). Peter likewise described believers in terms of God’s covenant language with Israel: “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God” (1 Peter 2:9; cf. Ex. 19:6), and “Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” (v. 10; cf. Hos. 2:23). Finally, it would be superfluous to reinstate animal sacrifice in light of Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice (Heb. 9:11-14, 24-26). As for the temple, the church has become the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19). In the eschaton, God Himself will replace the temple (Rev. 21:22).

Realized eschatology emphasizes that the kingdom is a present reality; that “the age to come has come” (RT3, p. 293 fn. 13). Theologians often discuss the tension between the present (the “already”) and the future (the “not yet”) aspects of the kingdom presented in the New Testament. It is a good hermeneutical rule to keep the “already” and the “not yet” dimensions of the kingdom in balance when interpreting Scripture.

For example: Jesus proclaimed that “the time has come” and that “the kingdom of God has come upon you.” Yet He also taught His disciples to pray to their heavenly Father: “your kingdom come” (Matt. 6:10). God’s kingdom is omnipresent and its doors are open to all (22:1-14). Yet the kingdom is something hidden (13:44) and slowly growing to fruition (13:31-32). God’s love and sovereignty surrounds us and therefore His kingdom is “near” (4:17; cf. Mark 12:34) — even “within” us (Luke 17:21). Yet the full manifestation of the kingdom awaits the climactic coming of Christ (Matt. 13:40-43).

Paul spoke of the regenerate as those who are blessed with all spiritual blessings (Eph. 1:3), and John said that whoever believes “has crossed over from death to life” (5:24, emphasis added). And yet in the eschaton we shall all be changed (1 Cor. 15:42-57) and “we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2, emphasis added). Through Christ’s resurrection, sin, death, and Satan have been decisively defeated (Luke 10:18; Rom. 8:2). Yet only at the end of time will sin and death be finally destroyed and all powers in the universe hostile to God and His people be fully subjected (1 Cor. 15:24-28).

Key Concepts:

1. Christian faith affirms that all of history (moves to a definite goal, follows a series of endless cycles). [289]

2. True or False. The kingdom of God is both a present fact of history and yet to be established. [289-90]

3. Israel was called to be a of priests and a holy nation. [290]

4. The Old Testament pointed to the coming of a king, a , who would enable God’s rule to be established. [290]

5. True or False. The kingdom could not come until a radical change occurred in human nature. [291]

6. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus declared that the kingdom belongs to the “poor [or _____________] in spirit.” [291]

7. True or False. Distinction should be made between the meanings of the biblical expressions “kingdom of God” and “kingdom of heaven.” [291 fn. 6]

8. Entrance to and membership in the kingdom are only by a radical new birth: a ________________. [292]

9. The view holds that the church age is a parenthesis between the Old Testament promise of the kingdom to Israel and its fulfillment in a millennium to come. [292 fn. 9]

10. True or False. The kingdom of God cannot be identified with a particular race or nation. [292-93]

11. True or False. Though the reality of God’s kingdom is “not of this world,” it affects every relationship both with God and with man. [293]

12. According to “ eschatology,” the kingdom of God is a present reality. [293 fn. 13]

Further Study: Read “Kingdom of God,” NIDB, pp. 568-69; also review the scriptures under “Kingdom; C. Kingdom of God; 1. When and where is that kingdom?” NIVTSB Topical Index, pp. 96-97.

Life Application: By abandoning our self-will and coming to God in faith “like a little child,” we were able to perceive and enter the kingdom (Mark 10:15). But only through the self-abandonment of radical discipleship can the richness of the kingdom of heaven fully enter us. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus described the “higher righteousness” of the kingdom [RT3, p. 292]. Read Matthew 5-7 and allow yourself to be challenged by Christ’s call for purity of the heart.

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 297-302.

Key Scripture: “Therefore, prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed” (1 Peter 1:13).

Key Words: Theological Virtues, Delayed Parousia.

Christian Dimensions of Hope

The Encyclopedia Britannica devotes many columns to the subjects of love and faith, but little is said about hope. Yet the Christian attitude is essentially one of hope. Christianity is a historical religion rooted in the belief that God acted in history through Jesus Christ. The Bible is a lens through which we look back at that event and reflect on its significance. In doing so, our vision is inevitably directed toward the future. Just as faith reaches back into the past and touches the promises of God and love reaches into eternity and touches God’s reality, hope reaches into the future and touches the fulfillment of God’s promises. Through hope, the future is made present and actual; hope is a “forward look to an assured occurrence” (RT3, p. 297 fn. 3) — most notably, Christ’s return.

Paul referred to Christ’s return as “the blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). Traditionally, faith, hope, and love are known as the principle theological virtues (cf. 1 Cor. 13:13). Their uniqueness as Christian virtues lies in the fact that they are grounded in the supernatural reality of God. Worldly hope rests upon foundations that are, by nature, incapable of sustaining our trust. Wealth, fame, beauty, physical strength, and human cleverness are all precarious and finite. Those who place their final hope in these are doomed to disappointment.

Unlike worldly hope, Christian hope is built upon what is sure and eternal. God says: “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (Isa. 49:23; cf. Rom. 5:5). In his volume The Sickness Unto Death, Danish theologian Søren Kierkegaard invited us to meditate on the deep significance surrounding Jesus’ raising of Lazarus from the dead. Told that “the one you love is sick,” Jesus replied, “This sickness will not end in death” (John 11:3-4). But later Jesus declared, “Lazarus is dead” (v. 14). True, Jesus went on to raise Lazarus from the dead “so that God’s Son may be glorified through it” (v. 4). But even if He had not, Lazarus’ sickness would not have been “unto death.” For the larger miracle is that He who is “the resurrection and the life” (v. 25) has come to us and will come again for us. We are all terminally ill with the sickness called mortality. But though death extinguishes all human hope, for the Christian, death is not an end. Kierkegaard observed:

[N]ot even death is “the sickness unto death”; even less so is everything that goes under the name of earthly and temporal suffering: need, illness, misery, hardship, adversities, torments, mental sufferings, cares, grief. And even if such things were so hard and painful that we human beings or at least the sufferer, would declare, “This is worse than death” — all those things, which, although not sickness, can be compared with a sickness, are still, Christianly understood, not the sickness unto death (p. 8).

Paul admitted with great candor that if Christ did not rise from the dead our faith is useless and “we are to be pitied more than all men” (1 Cor. 15:19). Without the confidence that we will be raised with Christ, we are “foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Eph. 2:12).

But Christ’s promise is: “Because I live, you also will live” (John 14:19). At His return we shall be changed into His glorious likeness (Phil. 3:20-21). Therefore our present relationship with Christ — “Christ in us” — is the sure seed of a boundless confidence: the “hope of glory” (Col. 1:27). If the divine power that conquered death in Christ will be poured fully through us at His coming, what an indestructible hope is ours! If God is for us, who (or what) can ultimately be against us (Rom. 8:31)? Whatever the circumstances, we are “more than conquerors” through him (v. 37). For “he who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (v. 32).

The Christian Attitude

Dr. Williams helps us understand the attitudes that properly accompany Christian hope. First, we should contemplate the coming of the Lord with eagerness and expectancy. When spiritual gifts are in operation this eagerness is usually evident, for such gifts are themselves a foretaste of the powers to be manifested in the age to come (Heb. 6:5).

Our eagerness to see Christ’s return is also grounded in our love of Christ, for it is He Himself who is our hope (1 Tim. 1:1). Our love of Christ’s appearing (2 Tim. 4:8) is as natural as the eagerness of the bride awaiting her bridegroom.

There is evidence that many in the early Christian community expected to see Christ return in their own lifetimes. The New Testament authors addressed the question of the delayed parousia by exhorting each other to have patience. God’s timing is not our timing (2 Peter 3:8) and the mercy “He extends in delaying His return allows others to repent (v. 9). Patience becomes a theological virtue too when it is a fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22).

The New Testament stresses that the interim period before the Lord’s coming should be a time of purifying ourselves. The Day of Christ will be a day of fire that both purifies and destroys. Even John, the “disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 13:23), was sensitive to the importance of being “confident and unashamed” before Jesus’ at His appearing (1 John 2:28). For “if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God” (3:21). Those who hope to become like Him when they meet Him face to face strive to purify themselves even now (3:2-3). For “the world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever” (2:17).

Jesus enjoined His followers to watchfulness concerning the time of His coming. Though no one except the Father knows the day and hour He will return, Jesus wanted His disciples to be alert and ever ready, for the day of the Lord will come “like a thief” (Rev. 16:15). The parables of the virgins (Matt. 25:1-13) and the talents (vv. 14-30) illustrate that we must exercise faithfulness and good stewardship until the Lord comes. God will judge Christians also — not to decide their eternal destiny, but to test their works and to mete out spiritual rewards according to their faithfulness.

Finally, we need to be proclaiming the gospel in light of the impending return of the Lord and contending for it in the face of a skeptical and critical world (1 Peter 3:15). This was Jesus’ final charge to His disciples (Matt. 28:19-20). When we have successfully fulfilled this mandate, it will be a sign that His coming is near (24:14).

Key Concepts:

1. The Christian attitude is essentially one of because it anticipates Christ’s return. [297]

2. According to the New Testament, our waiting for the return of the Lord is to be (passive, eager and active). [297]

3. True or False. The more that spiritual gifts are operating in a community of believers, the more expectation there is about the Lord’s return. [298]

4. At Christ’s coming we will be delivered from all that remains in our lives of sin and _______________________. [298]

5. The Lord’s seeming delay is not a failure in His promise to return, but so that “all should reach .” [298-99]

6. True or False. The Father has revealed to the church the day and hour of Christ’s return. [299]

7. True or False. We are to be watchful and alert, seeking to discern the signs of the Lord’s coming. [300]

8. The virtue commended by the parables of the talents and the pounds is . [300]

9. True or False. The loving Savior is also a stern Lord who will have little toleration for slothfulness. [301]

10. To truly fulfill the Lord’s intention and make ready for His return we must be His ________ “to the end of the earth.” [301-2]

Further Study: Review the scriptures under “Judge, Judgment; C. Judgment done by God; 3. The final judgment,” NIVTSB Topical Index, p. 93; also read “Eschatology,” NIDB, pp. 321-23.

Life Application: It has been said that we must understand two things to beat stress: (1) “Don’t sweat the small stuff,” and (2) “It’s all small stuff.” Only those things that have eternal significance need truly concern us (Matt. 25:21). If we are faithful to perform the “few things” God has given us, our prevailing attitude should be hope, not anxiety. Do you need to rethink your attitudes about the “small stuff” which worries you?

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 302-9.

Key Scripture: “For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matt. 24:27).

Key Words: Parousia, Phanerosis, Epiphaneia, Apokalypsis, Hemera, Erchomai.

Like the kingdom of God, the return of Christ is a multi-dimensional reality described with vivid and varied language in the Bible. In this lesson we will look at the terms used in Scripture to portray the climactic event of history.

Parousia is commonly translated into English as “coming.” However this translation fails to capture the fullness of the Greek meaning, so it is often left untranslated and simply used as a technical term. Parousia implies not only “coming” but also “presence”; specifically, an active or personal presence (cf. the presence of Paul in 2 Cor. 10:10). In classical usage, parousia often referred to a ruler or powerful king “becoming present.” It was also used to describe the invisible presence of the gods at sacrifices.

In the New Testament the word is used to speak of men (1 Cor. 16:17) and of the antichrist (2 Thess. 2:9). Its primary thrust, however, concerns the future coming of the Son of Man (see the Key Scripture). Matthew, Paul, James, Peter, and Jude referred to Christ’s parousia as an event Christians should look forward to with patience and great expectation. John also emphasized the “realized eschatological” elements of the parousia — the supernatural manifestation of Christ’s power and life in the present.

Phanerosis may be translated “revelation,” “appearance,” or “manifestation.” The use of this term in texts such as Colossians 3:4, 1 Peter 5:4, and 1 John 2:28, 3:2 is arresting in that it links Christ’s coming with the future full manifestation of divine power in the believer. The dynamic power revealed at Christ’s appearing is pictured as transforming the believer into His likeness. This perspective is interestingly paralleled in Paul’s discussion of spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, where the gifts are spoken of as the phanerosis of the Spirit.

Epiphaneia comes from a Greek verb root that means “shining,” “brightness,” “radiance,” even “splendor.” In classical Greek the term often denoted the renown of famous people or the appearance of the gods to render divine help and assistance. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8 the “lawless one” is destroyed by the “splendor” of Jesus’ appearance — an event that Titus 2:13 describes as “glorious” (cf. Acts 2:20). The verbal form of epiphaneia is used in Titus 2:11 and 3:4 to describe the appearance of Jesus Christ as an expression of the grace, kindness, and love of God.

Apokalypsis is generally translated “revelation.” It literally means “uncovering,” a compound of the preposition apo, “away from,” “off,” and the verb kalyptein, “to cover” or “to hide.” Apokalypsis then means the revelation of what is secret, covered, or hidden; “the removal of the veil.” Paul spoke of Christ’s second coming as a time of sudden revelation. Among the things that will be revealed are the blamelessness of the faithful (1 Cor. 1:7-8), the retribution awaiting the wicked (2 Thess. 1:6-10), and the praise, glory, and honor due Christ (1 Peter 1:7).

At the apocalypse, the veil between the worlds will be removed, and truth and falsehood will stand separated and unambiguous. The moral chaos of the present world system will be suddenly and swiftly set in order by the justice of God and the judgment of Christ. Many who are first shall be last and the last shall be first (Matt. 19:30). The meek shall inherit the earth and those who have been persecuted for righteousness shall inherit the kingdom of heaven (5:5, 10). “There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known” (10:26). Every person’s work “will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work” (1 Cor. 3:13).

Hemera, always translated “day,” is used to refer to the eschatological “day of God,” “day of the Lord,” or “day of Christ.” This “day” is an event that will precipitate fearsome judgment for the wicked (Rev. 16:14), perfection for the righteous (Phil. 1:6), destruction for the present world order (2 Peter 3:12), and the commencement of a new epoch of existence involving a new heaven and earth (vv. 11-13). Thus, in the New International Version, “Day” is sometimes capitalized, as in 1 Corinthians 3:13 above.

The word erchomai means “coming” and is often used in the New Testament to speak of the return of Christ. In classical Greek erchomai was often used when inviting deities to be worshiped (cf. Rev. 22:20). In the Septuagint erchomai is used to describe coming to God’s house, the coming of prayer to God, and the coming of God’s mercy. In the Synoptic Gospels erchomai is used to reflect Jesus’ messianic self-consciousness. “I come,” He says, to proclaim the kingdom; to call sinners to repentance; to save the lost; etc. We are to pray that the kingdom will come. And it will come fully when the Son of Man comes in glory (Matt. 16:27-28).

The parables of the banquet, the marriage feast, and the prodigal son have “coming to” God or accepting God’s invitation to come into the kingdom as their central themes. In the gospel of John, the persons Jesus invites to “come” become His disciples. Coming to Jesus equals salvation, and only those whom the Father draws can come to Him (6:65). Those who come will never be driven away (v. 37). The coming of the Spirit (Acts 2) shows that the time of salvation has arrived (cf. vv. 17-18) and that the second coming of Christ (1:11) — which shall herald “the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (2:20) — is imminent.

Key Concepts:

1. , the Greek word most often used to refer to the return of Christ, contains the aspects of both arrival and presence. [302]

2. The Greek term phanerosis is best translated “ .” [303]

3. Literally, epiphaneia means “ upon.” [304]

4. At the return of Jesus, the “lawless one” will be destroyed by “the of his [Christ’s] coming.” [304]

5. Apokalypsis, usually translated “ ,” means literally “an uncovering.” [304]

6. literature is a type of religious writing that purports to reveal secret information about God and His kingdom. [304-5]

7. The hemera, or “ ” of Christ’s return, refers to the inauguration of the age to come. [305]

8. The “day of the Lord” for believers is a day of (blessedness, fear). [306]

9. True or False. Christ’s future coming for believers and His coming in judgment on the world are two events. [308-9]

Further Study: Look up important scripture passages connected with the key terms discussed above in your IBC.

Life Application: Read Isaiah chapters 11-12 aloud. What elements of the prophecy do you find most impressive? What verses of praise from chapter 12 move you to praise as well? How can you “make known among the nations” the glory and hope of these promises?

Reading: Renewal Theology 3, pp. 309-16.

Key Scripture: “I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28).

Key Words: Demythologization, Consistent Eschatology, Apocalyptic Language.

In this lesson Dr. Williams focuses not on Jesus’ future coming, but on other comings of Christ — events that have happened in the past. He calls these “erchomai comings” because this Greek verb is often used to describe these secondary comings.

Two such references are found in Matthew. In the first — the Key Scripture — the clear implication is that Christ will come in glory within the lifetime of His listeners. Jesus even prefaces this statement with the strong qualifier “I tell you the truth” (Gk. amen, which the King James Version translates as “verily I say unto you”).

In the second — 10:23 — Jesus addresses the twelve disciples before sending them out to spread the gospel, saying: “I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” Here, as in the preceding passage, Jesus seems to be describing an event that would occur in the near future for His listeners but which, to us, is past.

Did these secondary comings occur? And how did they occur? Two twentieth-century theological attempts to address this question are found in Rudolph Bultmann’s system of demythologization and Albert Schweitzer’s view of consistent eschatology.

For Bultmann, biblical eschatological language dealing with miracles, heaven, resurrection, ascension, etc. is mythological and historically unreliable. But Bultmann does not suggest that we dispose of the Bible on that account. We should seek to reinterpret such language so that it speaks to us existentially (RT3, p. 315 fn. 58). If we were interpreting a teaching of Jesus, we would not focus on its historical accuracy but on its meaning. In the same way, the important thing is not whether the Resurrection occurred, but what the Resurrection signifies about faith and the psychology of transcendence.

While Bultmann was a brilliant scholar, his use of Scripture to substantiate his theory is not sufficiently inclusive. Some eschatological passages clearly refer to future historical events, not inner spiritual experiences. It is also questionable whether the realms of historical truth, the supernatural, and spirituality can be divorced so easily. The authors of the New Testament clearly seemed to feel otherwise and took pains to emphasize the historical trustworthiness of their accounts (Luke 1:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:5-8; 1 John 1:1).

Schweitzer is much more forthright about allowing Scripture to speak for itself. He underscores the urgency in Jesus’ language about the imminent arrival of the kingdom of God. Everything else must be forsaken to realize God’s kingdom on earth and in our hearts (Matt. 13:44-46). But, according to Schweitzer, Jesus failed in His attempt to initiate the kingdom on earth. So He attempted to “bring all ordinary history to a close” and usher in the parousia by sacrificing Himself on the cross (RT3, p. 315 fn. 59). Schweitzer says this stratagem was ineffective. Thus, Jesus’ predictions of His imminent return as the Son of Man are simply the unrealized dreams of a failed visionary.

Schweitzer’s theories fail to account for the unprecedented success of Christianity in the decades and centuries after the “delayed parousia.” How then should we solve the riddle posed by passages such as those we have examined? Modern biblical scholarship recognizes that the answers lie in the nature of biblical language, especially apocalyptic language.

To begin to understand the nature of apocalyptic language, we must examine the passage from Joel quoted by Peter in his sermon at Pentecost (Acts 2:16-21). Peter did not hesitate to identify “the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord” (v. 20) with the pentecostal phenomenon of glossolalia (speaking in tongues). It did not occur to Peter’s audience to look about for “blood and fire and billows of smoke” (v. 19) for confirmation of his claim, nor to object that the moon had not turned to “blood” (v. 20). The power of God had clearly manifested itself, with all its attendant awe and mystery! (It should be noted, however, that the apostles had recently experienced the sun turning to darkness when Jesus was crucified [Matt. 27:45].) The celestial occurrences borrowed from Joel 2:30-31 were typical of apocalyptic language and appropriate to depict the “preliminary fulfillment of the final fulfillment” that did, in fact, occur when the Holy Spirit fell upon the disciples (RT3, p. 310 fn. 42).

Two other secondary comings occurred at the Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-8) and at the destruction of Jerusalem in a.d. 70. The glory manifested at the Transfiguration may best explain such passages as Matthew 10:23 and 16:28. The apocalyptic discourses of the Synoptics — Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 — are linked to the preliminary “coming in judgment” that occurred at the destruction of the Jerusalem temple (Matt. 23:35-38; cf. 26:64). In all three Gospels Jesus’ main apocalyptic discourse begins with His prediction of the destruction of the temple (Matt. 24:1-2; Mark 13:1-2; Luke 21:5-6) and continues in reply to the disciples’ question, “When will this happen?” (Matt. 24:3; Mark 13:3-4; Luke 21:7). Note that in Matthew’s account this question is followed immediately with: “and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” (v. 3). In all three accounts Jesus’ statements deal explicitly with His “coming in judgment” upon the temple and implicitly with the signs of the final, climactic Day of the Lord (RT3, p. 311 fn. 45).

The annals of the Jewish historian Josephus contain a detailed record of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem that occurred forty years after Jesus’ prophecy. It is clear from his writings that the carnage, horror, and devastation of that event were truly apocalyptic in scale (RT3, p. 313 fn. 53). Josephus even reports the appearance of apocalyptic signs, portents, and prophecies preceding the event that are consistent with Jesus’ predictions in the Gospels (RT3, p. 313 fn. 54). Some of these signs were also noted by the Roman historians Tacitus and Suetonius.

In this lesson you have learned the key to interpreting some of the most difficult passages in Scripture. In closing, however, Dr. Williams warns us against removing all futurist element in favor of an “over-realized” eschatology. Although there have been secondary comings of Christ — and in a real sense each experience of salvation represents a “coming” of Christ and of God’s kingdom into the human spirit — the final coming of Christ in power has yet to occur (Acts 1:11). Christianity is intrinsically oriented toward the future. It looks forward to the “blessed hope” of Christ’s coming in glory and power to effect God’s final, ultimately transformative manifestation on the plane of human history.

Key Concepts:

1. A number of comings relate clearly to the period of Christ’s life and death, his __________, and possibly Pentecost. [309]

2. Jesus’ prophecy that some of His disciples would not taste death until they saw the Son of Man come in power may have referred to the destruction of Jerusalem or to the . [309 fn. 39]

3. True or False. Jesus told the Sanhedrin at His trial that they would see the Son of man “coming on the clouds of heaven.” [310]

4. True or False. The destruction of the temple in a.d. 70 was a preliminary fulfillment of the final fulfillment yet to come. [310 fn. 42]

5. The primary focus of “all these things” in Matthew 24 is the destruction of the . [311]

6. Scripture that speaks of the sun being darkened, the moon not giving light, the stars falling, etc. is language. [312]

7. Jesus’ declaration that “this generation” would not pass away until He returned (Matt. 24:34) may refer to the race. [312 fn. 48]

8. True or False. The Jewish historian Josephus recorded a number of supernatural warning signs observed prior to the destruction of Jerusalem. [313]

9. More than (97,000, 1,100,000) Jews were killed in and around Jerusalem during the terrible siege of a.d. 70. [313 fn. 53]

10. The book of Revelation speaks of the judgment of “Babylon the Great,” referring to the city of . [314 fn. 55]

11. The “demythologizing” view regards all language of a literal return of Christ as being (fulfilled, mythical). [315]

12. The view of “ eschatology” claims that the New Testament authors were simply wrong in predicting an imminent return of Christ. [315]

Further Study: Research problematic passages such as Matthew 10:23; 16:28; 24:34; and 26:63-64 in the IBC.

Life Application: Read Luke 12:46-48. How you do feel about the Master coming when He is not expected? What things can you do to be ready? Name some things the Master has demanded of you and gifts He has entrusted you with.