Celebrating the Unveiled Mystery: The Surprising Truth About the Second Coming of Christ
The Second Coming of Christ is a topic that has captivated the hearts and minds of Christians throughout history. Many anticipate a future event where Jesus will return in glory, accompanied by angels and saints, to establish His kingdom on Earth. This belief is rooted in the expectation of signs and wonders, including wars, famines, earthquakes, and various other events.
However, there’s an alternative perspective that challenges this traditional understanding. It suggests that the Second Coming of Christ has already taken place, and all the prophecies related to the “end times” were fulfilled in the first century AD. According to this view, the pivotal moment marking the end of the old covenant age and the beginning of the new covenant age was the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.
This alternative perspective draws upon Biblical passages that suggest the imminence of Christ’s return. For example, Jesus Himself mentioned that some of His contemporaries would witness His coming, and the Book of Revelation contains statements like “Surely I am coming soon.” These time statements cannot easily be stretched to mean a distant future.
The understanding of this view is that Jesus’ Second Coming was not a physical, visible event but a spiritual and covenantal one. It was a judgment upon apostate Israel and a vindication of His faithful church. It fulfilled the types and shadows of the old covenant, consummating His union with His bride, the Church.
In discussing this perspective, it’s essential to recognize that the language used by Jesus and His apostles to describe His coming often employed figurative and hyperbolic elements. Terms like clouds, fire, trumpet, and celestial phenomena are not meant to be taken literally but symbolically, signifying God’s presence, power, judgment, and salvation.
These symbolic elements in the Bible have precedent in the Old Testament, where similar language was used to describe historical events involving God’s judgment upon various nations. For instance, the darkening of the sun and the falling of stars were used metaphorically to signify divine intervention in human affairs.
Therefore, when Jesus and His apostles used this symbolic language, they were conveying the idea of God’s judgment and salvation upon Jerusalem in AD 70. This was not a global, universal event but a local, historical one.
According to this perspective, we are now living in the “age to come,” in the new heavens and new earth, where righteousness prevails. It is believed that the kingdom of God is already established, and we are experiencing the resurrection life where spiritual death is defeated.
This alternative viewpoint challenges traditional beliefs about the Second Coming of Christ and offers a unique interpretation of Biblical prophecies. It’s a perspective that encourages believers to explore the Scriptures more deeply and consider the possibility that the long-anticipated event may has already occurred, living in a new covenant age. All Glory To God!
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Here are ten scriptures that support the alternative perspective discussed in the article:
1. Matthew 16:27-28: “For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done. Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming into his kingdom.”
2. Matthew 24:34: “Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.”
3. Matthew 26:64: “Jesus said to him [the high priest], ‘You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'”
4. James 5:8-9: “You also, be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.”
5. Revelation 1:1: “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John.”
6. Revelation 22:20: “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
7. Isaiah 13:9-10: “Behold, the day of the LORD comes, cruel with wrath and fierce anger, to make the land a desolation and to destroy its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light; the sun will be dark at its rising, and the moon will not shed its light.”
8. Isaiah 19:1: “An oracle concerning Egypt. Behold, the LORD is riding on a swift cloud and comes to Egypt, and the idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence, and the heart of the Egyptians will melt within them.”
9. Ezekiel 32:7-8: “When I blot you out, I will cover the heavens and make their stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, and the moon shall not give its light. All the bright lights of heaven will I make dark over you, and put darkness on your land, declares the Lord GOD.”
10. Revelation 21:1-2: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”
These scriptures are key references that align with the perspective presented in the article, highlighting the imminence and fulfillment of Christ’s Second Coming in the first century AD.