____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ September 14, 1997 ____________________________________________________ The Second Coming of Christ & The Judgment by David A. Cox The second coming of Christ is one of the central themes in the New Testament. According to statistics, the second coming is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters in the New Testament. The first coming of Christ (the Messiah) was prophesied in the Old Testament (Isaiah 7:14), and the fulfillment is seen in the New Testament (Luke 1:2-27; 30-31). This is evidence to the fact that as the New Testament foretells of Christ coming again (Acts 1:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:17), then we can rest assured that He is coming again. The second coming of Christ sparks many questions in the minds of people. As we think about some of the questions, let us look to the Word of God and see what is revealed to us about the second coming. When Will The Time Be? This question has intrigued some to the point that predictions have been made as to when the return of Christ would be. Dates such as 1833, 1843, 1914, 1919 and 1988 have been predicted, and this list is not a complete one at all. Of course, these years have come and gone and Christ has not returned; but as we have already noticed this does not diminish from the fact of the certainty of His return. Notice what the Bible says about the time of the second coming of Christ: ``For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night'' (1 Thessalonians 5:2). ``But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night...'' (2 Peter 3:10). ``But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of heaven, but my Father only'' (Matthew 24:36). It is clear from the scriptures that the second coming of Christ will be unannounced, so it is needless for anyone to try to predict the time or an approximation of Christ's return. We should not put our faith in any prediction that comes from man. The Glorious Appearing of the Great God When Christ returns, the Bible tells us that it will be glorious. As Paul tells Titus about the grace of God that teaches us how we should live, he says, ``Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). The appearing will be glorious because he will return in the clouds and everyone will see Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, describing the events of the second coming of Christ, ``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.'' Notice this glorious appearing will be announced with a shout, the voice of the archangel and the trump of God, but also the Lord will return in the clouds. The clouds have always been symbolic of nobility and grandeur. This is pointed out again in Revelation 1:7 as we read, ``Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.'' This glorious return of Christ will be known to all. He will not come back to this earth without it being observed by all. This glorious second coming does not included Christ setting His foot back on earth. As 1 Thessalonians 4 and Revelation 1 mentions, Christ's return will be in the clouds. We are also told that we will be ``caught up...in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air'' (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Therefore, the second coming is not glorious because of an earthly reign of Christ, but it is the hope that Paul mentions to Titus that Christians should be looking for. At the second coming of Christ, the dead will be raised and given bodies of immortality (1 Corinthians 15:50-53). Our hope is that there is life beyond the grave. This earthly life is not all there is. As Peter was writing concerning the second coming, he refers to the glorious hope of the resurrection as he says, ``Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat! Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness'' (2 Peter 3:12-13). A reason of the great hope is based on the desire and expectation of our eternal home. The Judgment Our entrance in the eternal home will occur after the resurrection and the judgment. Christ taught this as he said, ``Marvel not at this for the hour is coming, in which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice. And shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation'' (John 5:28-29). Jesus pictures this again in Matthew 25 when he mentions His coming in glory, ``and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from his goats'' (vs. 24-25). Jesus goes on to describe the separation as being based on obeying the commandments of God. We have this same thought expressed in the sermon on the mount as Christ said, ``Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity'' (Matthew 7:21-23). Yes, there will be a judgment of all (2 Corinthians 5:10) and ``God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ'' (Romans 2:16). We do not know when Christ will return, but it will be a glorious day if we are prepared. How awesome and fearful will the return of Christ be for those outside of Christ. Knowing this, it should move each one of us to look at our life and compare it to the word of God. If we find that we have not obeyed the gospel of Christ according to the scriptures, then we are still in our sins and outside of Christ. We would not enjoy the hope of Christ coming again, but would hear ``depart from me'' if Christ were to return now. Prepare for the coming of Christ and the judgment so that it will be a blessing for you. -- Via Gospel Power ___________________________________________ The Ethiopian Eunuch by David Padfield In the eighth chapter of the book of Acts we find one of the many cases of conversion in the New Testament. These examples have been recorded for us to demonstrate how men enter the kingdom of God. Like every other case of conversion in Acts, God used the ``foolishness of preaching'' (1 Corinthians 1:21) to reach the alien sinner. An angel of the Lord sent a preacher named Philip to teach an Ethiopian nobleman (Acts 8:26). Little is known about the Ethiopian. In all likelihood, he was a black man who had turned to Judaism. We know he was a sincere individual, for he had traveled over 1,000 miles, from Ethiopia to Jerusalem, to worship God (Acts 8:27). It would be hard to believe a man would travel that far across the desert by chariot just for ``show.'' I know folks who claim to love God but won't drive fifteen minutes in a new car to assemble with the saints. His dedication to God is further shown in Acts 8:28, where we find him ``reading Isaiah the prophet'' as he traveled. The Ethiopian was a very humble man. When Philip drew near the chariot he asked the Ethiopian if he understood what he was reading. He replied, ``How can I, unless someone guides me?'' (Acts 8:31). After this, Philip got up into the chariot and ``preached Jesus to him'' (Acts 8:35). In the course of preaching Jesus, Philip spoke of water baptism. We know this because the Ethiopian said, ``See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?'' (Acts 8:36). Philip responded ``If you believe with all your heart, you may'' (Acts 9:37). The man then confessed, ``I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.'' His confession was an acknowledgment of the Lordship of Christ. In Romans 10:10 we read, ``For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.'' This confession, as noble as it is, will not bring salvation by itself. ``Even the demons believe -- and tremble'' (James 2:19). After his confession, ``he commanded the chariot to stand still. And both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water, and he baptized him'' (Acts 8:38). New Testament baptism was always by immersion in water. It is referred to as a ``burial'' (Romans 6:1-4). Sprinkling or pouring instead of immersion was introduced by men centuries after the completion of the New Testament. I am certain Philip was not a Baptist preacher, for you will notice that no church voted on the Ethiopian before he was baptized. When a man is saved, the Lord adds him to His church (Acts 2:47). Furthermore, Bible baptism is ``for the remission of sins'' (Acts 2:38). We are baptized in order to obtain salvation. Some people have changed the divine order of things by teaching salvation comes at the point of faith, before and without water baptism. This doctrine is out of harmony with the word of God (Mark 16:16; Acts 22:16; 1 Peter 3:21). After his baptism, the Ethiopian ``went on his way rejoicing'' (Acts 8:39). He had good reason to rejoice, for he was now a child of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ. He was now a ``new creation'' (2 Cor. 5:17). If you would like to know more about baptism and the church Jesus built, please contact us. If you do not have a Bible, we will be happy to give you one. -- Via Reflections On Truth ___________________________________________ NEWS & NOTES Robert Carr requests prayer for the following brethren in Long Island, New York: ``Patrick Calderon who is HIV+ and has 2 tumors in his brain (recently baptized). A sister named ``Amanda'' who was told she may need a brain operation (she too is a recent convert). A sister by the name of Carmen Mendez has a sister who has a cancerous brain tumor. She is undergoing chemotherapy. Please pray for her spiritual healing as well as physical.'' David McDougall mentions that his mother ''...has been battling cancer for about a year and has taken a turn for the worse.'' Let us remember her in our prayers, too. ``Mark Copeland here, forwarding along a request by Judy Minks for prayers in behalf of her daughter, Jill Grushon. Preliminary tests indicate the possibility of cancer and Jill is undergoing further tests to determine her actual condition.'' Her mother requests that we pray it will not be malignant. Steve Willis posted this message to ``Mars-list'' from his uncle, Dwight King: ``Steve, as you sometimes list those who are gravely ill as someone for whom the prayers of brethren should be made, Brother Ray Carlile (a godly man -- an elder at Brown Street in Akron) went back into the hospital to reverse a colostomy. However, for some reason (doctors haven't been able to determine exactly why - and have voiced concern) things haven't gone well. He's being fed intravenously, can't keep anything down and growing weaker (doctors fear a blockage that may require more major surgery). If you would please, place this good man on your list that he may recover and get back to his shepherding if it be God's will.'' A free Bible correspondence course will be sent upon request. Why not contact us today? ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 713 13th Street, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________