Views of the Endtimes: Full Preterism

Various Passages.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 1, 2019.

Today we begin a series on important prophecies of the Bible and how different Christians have come to interpret them.  Our approach will be to ask a question regarding a particular aspect of prophecy, which will then serve as a filter that creates a clear separation between different views.

For those who think that prophecy is unimportant, or worse a wild, goose chase, I would give a caution.  Jesus and his apostles not only taught that prophecy was important, but they also gave more prophecies that aligned with the Old Testament ones that had not been fulfilled yet.  In fact, if you simply take the number of verses that have a prophecy in them, whether they are fulfilled or not, and divide it by the total number of verses in the Bible, you will find that around 27 to 28 percent of the Bible is prophecy.  So, prophecy is obviously important to our Lord. 

However, prophecy is not an attempt to tell us everything that will happen in the future.  We must remain humble and cautious in these matters.  If we are to take our Lord and his Apostles seriously for our salvation, and daily walk, then we should also take them seriously as they spoke on things that they said were to come in the future.

Is there a literal, physical return of Jesus from heaven in the future?

Our first question has to do with what is called the Second Coming of Christ.  Is it still in the future, and will it be a literal, physical return of Jesus from heaven?  There is a group of Christians who claim that this is not what the Bible says will happen.  We will talk more about how they get there in a bit.

We will focus on the main views, rather than on the multitude of individual interpretations that people hold.  Even these individual interpretations can be sorted into categories, which our filter questions will help us analyze.  I say this because it may appear as we go along that I am presenting these views as a monolithic or absolute scheme.  This is not so.  To give you an idea, this first category that we will look at has over sixteen unique approaches.  However, they all agree that the Bible does not say that Jesus is going to return to earth physically.

The group that answers the above question as, “no,” is called Full Preterism, or, as they like to call themselves, Consistent Preterism.  The name preterism uses the prefix preter, which comes from the Latin word for “past.”  It refers to how a person approaches Bible prophecy in general.  Preterists see Bible prophecy as being fulfilled in the past, as opposed to futurists, who see much of it to be fulfilled in the future.  Preterism is the view and preterist is the person who holds the view.  In fact, any time you read a prophecy in the Bible, you have to ask yourself what it is predicting and whether that has happened or not.  Thus, I would technically be a preterist regarding the prophecies of the First Coming of Jesus, but the word is not really used in that way.  There is a group that is usually called Partial Preterists or Moderate Preterists.  They would say that most of prophecy has been fulfilled in the past except for the Second Coming and the Resurrection.  We will talk about them at a later date.  So, how do full preterists come to believe that Jesus has already come back and fulfilled all the prophecies of the Bible?

Before we answer that question, let’s get a better feel for what all they believe.  If you think the Bible says something that hasn’t happened yet, it is only because you are ignorant of exactly what was meant and the historical events that fulfilled it.  According to this view, the Day of the Lord and the end times are references to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.  The reign of Jesus, or Messiah, over all of the earth is actually a spiritual reign, and not meant to be a physical reign on earth.  The Second Coming of Jesus is also a spiritual event in which Jesus came in wrath upon Israel in 70 AD.  They will typically add that, when a person first believes on Jesus, they have their own personal, spiritual, Second Coming at that point.  The Final Judgment scenes of Revelation have already occurred in 70 AD, as well as the resurrection.  Yes, according to this view, you missed the Resurrection that the Bible talks about, and Satan has been bound, metaphorically of course.  We are actually in the New Heavens and the New Earth already because they were never intended to be physically new, but rather, spiritually new.  So, what are we doing?  The goal of the Church is to help all humans discover and accept what Christ has done for them.  The whole world will eventually be converted and mankind will enter Utopia.

Now, this view has variations about exactly when all these things were accomplished, but they generally fall within the first century AD.

Before we go into the negatives about this view, let me just say up front that they say much that we can agree with.  Those who believe that Jesus will literally and physically return, also believe that he is already spiritually reigning in our hearts.  They also believe that Christians already participate in the Kingdom of God by the Holy Spirit.  In fact, believers are described as those who have judged themselves already, and thus will avoid the Final Judgment.  Lastly, they also believe that the works of Satan can be bound by believers who stand against him and trust God.  So, many aspects of this view can be embraced.  The problem is that they see these things as the only thing promised in Scripture.  Is everything promised only metaphor and none of it also literal?

This would be my up-front statement:  This view directly contradicts Scripture and offers unsatisfying reasoning for their “misinterpretations” of the prophetic passages.  Let’s deal with three main arguments from Scripture that Full Preterists use to substantiate their view.

In Matthew 24:34, we are told, “Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”  Immediately before this verse, and in all three of the Gospels, Jesus is telling about his Second Coming.  So far, it looks like a good case.  They believe that Jesus is pointing to his disciples as he says, “this generation…”  However, in verse 33, Jesus first refers to those who “see all these things,” and then states “this generation.”  This leaves the door open that it is just as possible that Jesus is referring to a later generation, i.e. the generation that sees all these things. 

If you study Matthew 24 and chart out what Jesus prophesies about the future, you come away with an outline that has two parts.  The first part he calls the “Beginning of Sorrows.”  He clearly states that it is a period that is not the end, but comes before the end.  He details many signs that will occur during this period in which the Gospel goes to the ends of the earth.  This becomes the tipping point to the second half of the discussion.  After the Gospel goes to the ends of the earth, then the end will come.  So, all the signs before this (false christs, wars, great earthquakes, famines and pestilence, persecution and martyrdom, false prophets, lawlessness, and the love of many growing cold) are not signs of the end times at all.  The Gospel would be preached to all the world under difficult circumstances, but believers were not to confuse that with the end.  Luke states that this period of difficulty that is not the end would last until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.  This period is not dated.  To say that the Gospel was preached in all the nations by 70 AD requires a very limited view of what Scriptures promise.  It really is a big stretch.  After Matthew states that the end will come, he describes the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ.  Some signs of these times were signs in the heavens and on earth, and false christs and prophets doing powerful signs to deceive.  All Christians before the end would see the first set of signs, but this second set would be seen by the generation that would also see the Second Coming of Christ.  Jesus is not predicting that he would come back during the first century.  He is stating that the generation that sees the second grouping of signs would see him come back.

In Matthew 16:27-28, we have another statement that at first glance appears to state that Jesus had to come back during the first century.  The problem is that this is not exactly what it says.  In verse 27, Jesus clearly speaks of his Second Coming “in the glory of His Father with His angels, and…reward each one…”  Then verse 28 states that some who were still alive at the time that he was speaking would not die before they saw the Son of Man coming “in his kingdom,” with no mention of angels and rewarding people for according to their works.

Mark 9:1 adds the phrase that they would see him “present with power.”  All three gospels follow this statement up with the account of the transfiguration of Jesus.  James, John, and Peter see Jesus transfigured before them.  What is that?  We are told, “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.  And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him.  Then Peter answered and said to Jesus, ‘Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, let us make here three tabernacles; one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’  While he was still speaking, behold a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.  Hear Him!’”  (NKJV).  These three disciples were allowed to see Jesus in his glory and kingdom power.  John sees this again in chapter one of the Revelation of Jesus Christ.  If only one of the Gospels had done this then we might still be speculative, but all three connect these two events directly.  The disciples themselves clearly saw the transfiguration as the fulfillment of what Jesus said, and not the Second Coming.

In Revelation 22:12 and 20, preterists emphasize the promises that Jesus is coming soon, which is the translation used by NIV, ESV, RSV, NLT, and some others.  The argument is that Jesus said he was coming soon, and 2,000 years is too long to qualify.  He had to come earlier.  This overlooks the reality that Old Testament passages often speak of things happening “soon” that are hundreds of years or more later.  The word that is translated “soon” in these passages is not a word about timing primarily, but of manner.  It is an adverb in these verses that speaks of how he will come, not when.  In other places it will use the noun form of this word in a prepositional phrase that similarly speaks of how it is done, not when.  Thus, Jesus is encouraging his followers that, when these things happen, they will happen quickly. 

We should also note that there are plenty of passages in the New Testament that speak of a delay of Christ’s Coming.  2 Peter 3:3-4 says, “Knowing this that scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their lusts, and saying, ‘Where is the promise of his coming?’  For since the fathers [patriarchs] fell asleep [died], all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.’”  Notice that things would take so long that scoffers would be using that as the foundation for their unbelief.  Also, Peter states that they forget about the judgment of the flood.  The Second Coming of Christ will be like the flood judgment, only this time it will be by fire.

Another passage regarding delay is Matthew 24:48-50.  There Jesus tells a parable that says, “But if that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with the drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he is not looking for him and at an hour that he is not aware of…”  Again, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that it will take long enough for believers to quit watching, abuse their position over other believers, and even embrace the ways of the world.

On top of this, the Revelation itself, during the 7^th Trumpet of Revelation 10:6, declares that “there should be no more delay.”  Up until then God has been restraining things and keeping the end at bay, but at some point, He ceases and allows things to quickly come to a head.

Dr. Ron Rhodes of Reasoning from the Scriptures Ministries (RonRhodes.org) has this to say about preterism.  “Against preterism, futurists note that key events described in the book of Revelation simply did not occur in A. D. 70.  For example, in A.D. 70 “a third of mankind” was not killed, as predicted in Revelation 9:18.  Nor has “every living creature in the sea died,” as predicted in Revelation 16:3.  In order to explain these texts, preterists must resort to an allegorical interpretation since they did not happen literally.”  I would add that these attempts to explain an allegorical fulfillment are often extremely stretched.  Now let’s quickly lay out several reasons why we know that Christ will come back literally, physically, and from heaven, which hasn’t happened yet.

First, the resurrection of Jesus and those who followed him was always considered physical and for every believer of all time.  In Matthew 10:28, Jesus warned us not to fear those who can kill the body, but to fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in the fires of Gehenna.  He clearly warns of a physical punishment within Gehenna.  This ties together with Revelation 20, where all the dead are resurrected (bodily), judged, and put in the Lake of Fire.  We can understand a person taking the book of Revelation as mere symbolism, but the words of Jesus are clearly more than symbolic.  He is clearly warning of the foolishness of such fear.

Paul, in 1 Corinthians 15:50-54, cannot be understood without terrible twisting of the text to mean anything but a literal, physical resurrection of the righteous. ^“50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. ⁵¹ Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— ⁵² in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. ⁵³ For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory.’” (NKJV). 

Paul categorically states in verse 50 that, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God,” which the preterist view point contradicts.  So, what was God’s solution to this problem?  Paul explains that God will change our mortal flesh and blood into a glorified body that cannot perish.  Paul’s argument does not make sense without a literal resurrection and one that encompasses every believer, even those today.  To say that this is a spiritual resurrection truly stretches the argument because in the argument our flesh itself is the part of the problem that the resurrection solves.  Paul also states, in Philippians 3:20-21, “²⁰ For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, ²¹ who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.” (NKJV).  Over and over again, the resurrection is connected to a bodily transformation, from an earthly body to a heavenly body (which is never meant to mean a spirit).

If there is still any question, Acts 1:9-11 should put the argument to rest.  ⁹ Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. ¹⁰ And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, ¹¹ who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (NKJV). 

Here we see that the apostles were told that Jesus would return in like manner as they saw him go.  This would be from heaven, supernaturally on the clouds of the sky, and in a glorified body that is physical, yet immortal.  Of course, this perfectly matches up with the scene described in Revelation 19.

¹¹ Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. ¹² His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head weremany crowns. He ^[e]had a name written that no one knew except Himself. ¹³ He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. ¹⁴ And the armies in heaven, clothed in ^[f]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. ¹⁵ Now out of His mouth goes a ^[g]sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. ¹⁶ And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.  ¹⁷ Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the ^[h]supper of the great God, ¹⁸ that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people,^[i]free and slave, both small and great.” ¹⁹ And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. ²⁰ Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. “

In countless places throughout the New Testament, believers are encouraged to be faithful and the hope placed in front of them is the Second Coming of Christ and the Resurrection of the body.  These promises often make little sense in the original context if we treat them only as spiritual metaphors. 

Let me just remind us again that I do not have a problem with recognizing spiritual fulfillments of these prophecies.  Yes, for many, the day they die is basically the Second Coming of Jesus.  We are also spiritually raised up to new life in order to live for Jesus.  However, it is a travesty to surrender the greatest promises that the Lord Jesus and his prophets have given us.

In fact, these arguments are the same arguments that unbelievers use to prove that Jesus failed.  Preterists appear to be trying to cut these arguments out from under unbelievers, and yet then they come across as many cults do when their prophecies fail.  How many Christian cults and false teachers have proclaimed that Jesus was returning on a certain day, only to be proven as liars?  The answer is many, and growing every day.  If they don’t flat out say that they were wrong, they often declare that they were correct, only Jesus came back spiritually.  You just can’t see it.  This doesn’t cause people to marvel at the power and wisdom of God.  Rather, it causes them to shake their head and blaspheme God.

Jesus is coming back, and all who have embraced him in faith will enter into his promised kingdom over all the earth, where the swords will be pounded down to ploughshares and their spears into pruning hooks (Isaiah 2:4, Micah 4:3).  As Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him.  Even so, Amen.”  It won’t be just Israel seeing him in 70 A.D., and they won’t just metaphorically see him.  He will be seen by all the nations in the flesh.

As we look at the world today, it is becoming clearer and clearer that mankind will not save itself.  Our leaders will not solve the problems of the world because the problems of the world are rooted in the sin of mankind.  Only Jesus can save us from our sins, and only Jesus has been given authority from God to rule the whole earth physically from Jerusalem.  Amen!

Endtimes audio

Your Personal End Times- The Millennium Part I

Various Passages.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 7, 2018.

Last week we established from Revelation 20 that Christ will rule with the resurrected saints over the earth for 1,000 years.  However, that passage gave us practically no description of what the millennium would look like.  This is most likely because the rest of the Bible is full of descriptions of what the millennium will entail.  Today we are going to go back into the Old Testament and fill in some of the picture of what we will experience as resurrected saints during this 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ upon this earth.

Of course, the real question is this.  Where do you start?  It is like swimming in the ocean.  There is no way we can do justice to the multitude of passages that speak of the coming kingdom of God.  So let me briefly summarize a few passages in this light.  We could go back to Genesis 3 and see God’s promise to Eve that one of her seed would crush the serpent’s head.  The idea is that the one who deceived them and tricked them out of paradise would eventually get his from a particular human.  We could also look at Genesis 11 and 15, where God makes a covenant with Abraham.  Basically God tells Abraham that all the nations of the earth will be blessed by what God does through Abraham’s offspring.  There is also 2 Samuel 7 where God makes a covenant with David, promising that one of his offspring would sit on the throne of David forever.  There is also Psalm 2 where God states that He has anointed a king who is to rule over the whole earth.  Also, it is stated that the world will rebel against this choice and challenges people to put their trust in God’s king.  Thus we see that God has a vested interest in helping mankind against Satan, our spiritual enemy.  He has promised to bless the whole world by anointing a particular individual to be a righteous king over all the earth and crush the serpents head.  This will be a king and a kingdom that lasts forever.

However, today we are going to start in the book of Isaiah, while keeping in mind this backdrop of promises that God has made to mankind.  Here we will see that the Millennial rule of Christ is the promised hope that has been given to the saints of every century and will be established at His Second Coming.

The reign of the Messiah- Jesus

Let’s start in Isaiah 2:1-4.  Though the Old Testament does not explicitly state the name of the Messiah, we now know that it is Jesus.  Of course Jesus is an anglicized transliteration of a Latin/Greek transliteration of a name that is either Hebrew or Aramaic in form.  It would be something like Yeshua or Yoshua, but let’s not get sidetracked.  All these prophecies are pointing towards Him.  He is the one whom God has anointed King of all kings, Lord of all lords. 

In our passage Isaiah describes this coming kingdom and states that it will be a global kingdom.  The language is very clear with phrases like: “established on top of the mountains,” “exalted above the hills,” and “all nations shall flow to it.”  Mountains and hills were often used as symbolic descriptions of kingdoms and empires.  Powerful kingdoms were like mountains towering over the surrounding area, dominating it on every level.  Later in Daniel 2, God gives Nebuchadnezzar a dream in which all the kingdoms of the world are crushed and smashed to pieces by a kingdom that is sent from God.  This kingdom is described as a stone that is cut by God (without human hands) and grows to become a mountain that fills the whole earth.

Now, we are going to see throughout this study that a person can give everything in these passages a spiritual meaning and say that it is already fulfilled or still being fulfilled.  Thus a person can say that Isaiah 2 and Daniel 2 are just talking about a spiritual kingdom, which is the Church today.  Clearly the Church has spread to fill the whole earth, hasn’t it?  I would say that there is a clear spiritual fulfillment of these passages, but that does not mean they will not be physically true as well.  The same God who made humans composite beings of spirit and body, also works among us both spiritually and physically.  When Jesus says in Luke 13:28, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out,” he clearly envisions a day when this will happen.  The plain sense of the passage is that Abraham and the others will be just as physical as those listening to Jesus (that is, a resurrection will have occurred).  Also in Acts 1:6, the disciples ask Jesus if he will restore the kingdom to Israel at this time.  Jesus does not tell them that the kingdom is only spiritual and will never be physical again.  Rather, he tells them it is not for them “to know times and seasons which the Father has put in His own authority.”  Thus, there is going to be a day when Israel and Jerusalem will be the hub of the world and all the nations will flow to this place on earth where Jesus will be physically reigning.

Verse 4 makes it clear that it will involve a judgment of the nations.  Of course, we saw this in Revelation 19 and chapter 20.  However, Jesus does not just judge the nations.  He also judges between them.  Think of all the disputes that have built up through the years between many different ethnic groups.  Those who miraculously survive the Great Tribulation and the Second Coming of Christ will come before Christ.  There he will separate the sheep from the goats.  Those who are allowed to come into the millennial kingdom will also have long standing disputes with other settled by Jesus.  In fact, it is said that he will rebuke many nations.  Often our bloody feuds with others are nothing but pride masquerading as piety.  Jesus will put an end to these disputes.

He will be so effective that we are told that there will be no more war.  The nations of the world will “beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”  It is clear that the United Nations will not stop war in its present condition.  It also beggars belief that it could be reformed in any way that would get rid of war.  However, God promises that Messiah will be able to cause war to cease, and not just for a few years.  The only hope for a world that rejects the One Anointed by God is to put a “superman” in power who will represent the greatest wisdom of man.    Whether this is some kind of artificial intelligence or a combined link with “ascended masters,” we cannot know.  Yet, that really is the only path forward for a world in rebellion that refuses to repent.  This man who will supposedly have all the answers will pretend to want peace, but in the end the God of heaven describes him as a beast.  Mankind cannot force peace upon the world.  Only the Spirit of God can bring it.  I find it interesting that the United Nations has a sculpture given to it by Russia in which a naked man is hammering a sword into a plowshare.  It seems to give tribute to the Bible, but in truth it represents a humanistic rebellion.  Yes, mankind has no problem with the goal of no war.  However, they will attempt to accomplish it through humanist means, not divine.  Thus the naked man represents the Greek ideal of mankind doing in the flesh the wisdom of its mind.

It is also easy to get stuck on the terminology used.  Yes, we do not typically use swords anymore (or not nearly as much).  However, the point is clear.  During the millennium mankind will recycle all the weapons of war (tanks, missiles, guns, etc.) and use them to make farming equipment.

The wisdom of Jesus the Messiah

Next let’s go to Isaiah 11:1-2, 6-9.  Here we see the wisdom of the Messiah on display.  In verses 1-2 the image of a menorah (the seven-branched candlestick in the temple) is brought to mind.  The seven lights were a picture of God’s complete wisdom giving complete light to the world.  Each of these seven lights is given a name which makes even clearer that the source of the light (knowledge/truth) is the Spirit of God Himself.  No matter how wise mankind becomes or how great an artificial intelligence we create, when we cast off God’s word and forge a path of our own, we have become fools and our path is folly.  Jesus was and will be successful because He operates from a wisdom that has its source in God.  Notice that verses 3-4 highlight his judgment.  He will not judge by the sight of his eyes or the hearing of his ears.  No one will be able to manipulate him, and he does not have an ulterior motive.  Rather, He judges with righteousness and equity, which is bad news for the wicked and great news for the righteous.

In verses 6-9 we are told that the animal kingdom will no longer be deadly either.  Just as humans were not created to kill one another, so animals were not originally made to destroy one another.  When sin entered the world, it brought a curse and drastic changes to the world itself.  Scripture tells us that the whole of creation groans in expectation for the manifestation of the Sons of God.  The wisdom of Christ will turn back the effects of sin and the curse.  Isaiah gives a list of things that we would not leave alone together in this world because one of them would kill the other: a wolf with a lamb, a leopard with a young goat, a calf with a young lion, a child near a cobra’s hole, or sticking its hand in a viper’s den.  All of these things would strike fear into the owner or parent’s heart.  Yet, they will lie down in peace together.  Their nature will have been changed.  How Jesus will accomplish this is not described, but it seems that, if these things were a judgment of God upon wicked mankind, such judgments are simply being lifted by God Himself.  We are also told that the lion will eat hay like an ox.  Whether such is possible in today’s conditions is irrelevant.  The whole point is that the nature of things is going to change.  The statement may be just as much about the hay itself as it is about the lion.

Now let’s go to Isaiah 35:1-7.  Here we see descriptions of the desert places blooming with life.  Again, we could spiritualize this whole passage to be a blooming of a spiritual desert.  When Jesus came to Israel, it was spiritually a desert, but he caused it to bloom with spiritual life.  The gospel has the ability to bring life into the most spiritually dead of lives.  Again, this would be true, but there is also a natural aspect to this as well.  Through his knowledge and divine power we will see the curse upon Adam turned back.  There will be an increase in the fertility of the earth and an increase in places where water will “burst forth in the wilderness.”  Amos 9:13 says it this way, “’Behold the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when the plowman shall overtake the reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it.”  Many skeptics have scoffed over the years at the idea of Israel being a “land flowing with milk and honey.”  However, it looks like it does because the land is under a curse, much like the whole earth is under a curse.  In that day, the curse on the land and on the earth will be lifted and we will know fruitfulness as we have never known.

Verses 3 through 6 speak to the condition of mankind that has struggled under the heavy load of disease and poverty.  These things will become a memory as Messiah heals.  Some think that this only points to the miracles that Jesus did when he walked on the earth in the past.  However, the miracles he did then were so that we could recognize that he really is the Messiah.  When he comes again, he will have just as much healing power as he did before. 

Just think that the saints of every age will be resurrected so that they can participate in this exciting period of humanity’s existence.  I will close our time today by giving a reminder.  This is just a small part of the plan and hope that God has put before us.  We will take some more time next week to keep looking at this amazing period called the millennial reign of Christ.  However, even then what can we say about the New Heavens and the New Earth that lay beyond it?  Christians are to be those who live today in the light of this coming kingdom because its king is already living in our hearts.  Is Christ living within you by the Holy Spirit of God?  Turn from any wickedness, turn towards Christ, and put your trust in Him.  Then you will be blessed by God with all these things.

Millennium part 1 audio

Your Personal End Times: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Various.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 23, 2018.

We have established earlier that the Bible tells us there is one of two places a person will end up, depending upon our faith in Jesus.  Believers continue in a conscious state as spirits and are in the presence of Jesus at the right hand of the Father in heaven.  However, those who are not in relationship with Jesus continue in a conscious state as spirits, but are in torments in the grave (Hebrew- She’ol, Greek- Hades).  They are held in this spiritual holding place until The Judgment Day.  Thus people are living their lives and going into these two different experiences every day.  Yet, we are told that this will not continue forever.  What happens next?

The Scriptures refer to two very distinct yet related events that will happen next.  The first is that Jesus is going to come back to earth physically, visibly, and from the clouds of the sky (see Acts 1:9-11).  The second is that Jesus will resurrect righteous believers in what is called the Resurrection of Life.  Later we will talk about different views on the timing of these two events.  This resurrection is contrasted with a later Resurrection of Condemnation for the wicked spirits in Hades [note: John 5:29 and Revelation 20].  Most of the views, at least those that take the Bible seriously, agree that the next event on the docket for those spirits in Heaven is the resurrection of the righteous.  In this event believers, both those who have died and those who are still alive on earth, will be instantly transformed into a glorified, physical being.  Those who are spirits will “clothed” with a new body, and those who are still in mortal bodies will have their bodies changed into immortal bodies.

Coming in the air to take believers to heaven
versus Coming to the earth to become its King

Though the Bible continually points to a Second Coming of Jesus, in which the world is judged, and the righteous are resurrected and inherit the government of the earth, we run into passages that give two different pictures.  One picture focuses on Jesus coming in the air to take believers to heaven, whereas the other picture focuses on Jesus coming to the earth to judge the wicked and take governmental control.

This is similar to the way that the Old Testament prophecies of the coming of the Messiah had two distinct pictures of a Messiah, one who would come as a suffering servant to deal with our sins, and one who would come as a conquering king to take up dominion.  The believers of the centuries leading up to the First Coming of Jesus had many different views on how to interpret these passages and make sense of them.  Of course, now we know that Jesus came the first time to deal with sin as mankind’s greatest enemy, and He will come the second time to deal with Satan and the wicked rulers of this earth.  These two events are separated by a long period of grace, in which God give the nations opportunity to join His side through Jesus.  So, we should approach these issues with some humble caution, recognizing that there is most likely some information that we have not been told.  Let’s look at some of these passages.

In John 14:1-6, Jesus explains that He will be going away to prepare a place for His disciples; verse six makes it clear that this will be in heaven where the Father is.  Yet, Jesus also tells them that He is going to come back in order to take them to this place.  It would be easy to dismiss this as symbolic because we do not see an event in which Jesus literally came back and took his disciples to heaven.  Some feel that they are forced to interpret this as symbolic.  Thus the Lord symbolically comes back to receive each believer to Himself at their physical death.  It is definitely true that each believer is received into heaven with Christ at their death.  Yet, Jesus often spoke to his immediate disciples, who were later called apostles, as representatives of those believers who would later believe.  Also, there are too many other places where Jesus taught His disciples that He was literally coming back, and of course there is the testimony of the angels at His ascension mentioned earlier (Acts 1:9-11).

Some believers don’t see this as symbolic.  Rather, they believe that Jesus was wrong.  He and His disciples thought He was going to come back literally and yet, it didn’t happen.  They have to go through great intellectual gymnastics in order to say on one hand that Jesus was wrong, and yet on the other hand worthy of our devotion.  Most believers have chosen to believe that Jesus was correct that He would come back, but He also made it clear that no one knew when that would be (i.e. how long it would be.  See Matthew 24:36-37.  It was important for those first believers and the believers of every generation that followed to live lives that were expectant of Christ’s return.  This is not a lie.  It is a very clear statement that we do not know when He will return and thus we should always be ready.

Let me summarize this passage by pointing out that it is focused on Jesus coming back for believers to take them to heaven.  Let’s look at another passage.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 we again see language regarding Jesus coming back.  Yet, the focus is upon believers being caught up into the air to be with Jesus.  This passage lacks any sense of coming to earth.  We can allow for that by looking at the context.  The main concern is to assuage the fears of those believers who thought Christians who had passed away were going to miss out on Christ’s coming kingdom.  However, we will keep running into passages that focus on one aspect versus the other.  Let’s look at a passage that is clearly about Christ’s physical return to earth to become its king.

In Revelation 19:11-21 we see Jesus returning from the sky and then capturing the Beast (the earth’s political leader) and his False Prophet (his religious leader).  Next we see that the kings of the earth and their armies, who apparently are trying to oppose His return, will be destroyed and wiped out.  It is important to note that verse 8 of this chapter defines the white linen clothing as symbolic of the righteous acts of the saints.  Also, Jude 1:14 reminds us that the Lord will return with His saints.  This is important in regard to verse 14.  The armies of Christ are described as being clothed in fine linen.  Our first thought would be to see the armies as angelic in nature.  However, from the previous two points I made, we must also include glorified believers in this mix.  In fact, Jesus said that humans in their glorified bodies would be “like the angels in heaven.”  Mark 12:25.  So we have Jesus returning in a powerful way with an immortal army at His back taking over.  His saints are with Him already and ready to rule with Him.  The Beast and his False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire.  The next chapter describes Satan being locked up in the Bottomless Pit while the earth goes on to enjoy 1,000 years (a Millennium) of peace under the rule of Christ.  There is no sense in this passage of believers being caught up to meet Christ in the air and go to heaven.

We could go on and on through all the passages of the Bible that refer to the Second Coming of Christ, and the Resurrection of the Righteous, and we will find this continual tension between meeting Him in the air to go to heaven, and coming with Him to the earth to rule.  Many theologians and lay people have struggled with these passages trying to make sense of these events.  In fact, it has become popular within some Christian circles to toss the prophecies aside as irrelevant to our life because they are so hard to harmonize.  However, this is the position of skeptical unbelievers.  When we realize that believers had similar trouble understanding all the prophecies of the first coming, we can see that God does not give us prophecies so that we will have perfect clarity.  He has clearly left a lot of information out on purpose.  Yes we lack an ability to perfectly know how all these things tie together, but we have enough to encourage our faith in Christ no matter what comes against us and no matter how long it takes for Christ to come back.

Here is a list of some important differences that we commonly see in these passages.

• Meeting in the air to go to heaven, versus Coming to earth with Jesus to rule.
• Believers are delivered, versus the Wicked are judged.
• Jesus comes for the Church, versus Jesus comes with the Church.
• His coming is an imminent event that could happen at any time, versus His coming will come after some very specific events that must happen first.

The timing of the resurrection of believers has some difficulties that have led to various views.  Let’s summarize those different views.

Views on the timing of the resurrection of the righteous

Before we get into these, I would say that it is more important that we believe in the resurrection of believers and the physical return of Christ to earth than it is that we have the timing all figured out.  The timing of prophecy is important, but it is not necessary for our salvation.  Salvation is about a relationship with Christ and His people.  That said, let’s take a look at the main views regarding the timing of the Resurrection and the Second Coming of Christ.

The Pre-Tribulation View.  Some people believe that the resurrection of believers happens some time before the 7 year period of difficulty that happens at the end of the age.  God removes believers from the earth through resurrection and ascension into heaven as immortal beings with glorified, or heavenly, bodies.  Typically the term “rapture” is applied to this view.  However, we really are talking about the resurrection of the righteous.  Now it is important to note that just because two people agree about the timing of the resurrection of the righteous, it is not guaranteed that they will agree on all other aspects of biblical prophecy.  Thus there are many variations of the “pre-trib” view.

The Mid-Tribulation View.  Other people believe that the resurrection does not happen until the middle of the tribulation.  This would be right before the world enters the final 3.5 year period called “The Great Tribulation.”  Several passages state that believers will be delivered from the wrath of God.  Here are a couple of them.  1 Thessalonians 1:14, “[we] wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.”  Also, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, “For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  Lastly, Revelation 3:10, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.”  It is clear that the beast’s rise to power starts out peaceful and seductive.  However, at some point, he turns his colors and become extremely despotic.  It is in this 2^nd half of the tribulation that we see God’s wrath being poured out.  Thus the mid-trib view focuses on believers being removed right before God’s wrath is poured out.

The Pre-Wrath View. Some people have made a further distinction that the resurrection occurs much closer to the end of the tribulation.  They don’t see the wrath of God beginning until the 7 bowl judgments are poured out.  Views vary, but involve a time period that is well past the middle of the tribulation.  All of these three views involve a period of time in which believers have glorified bodies and stay in heaven with Christ for a period of time.  The next view does not accept that there is a time interval.

The Post-tribulation View.  Some people believe that the resurrection happens at the same time that Christ is coming back.  Thus believers are caught up to Christ in the air, but instead of going to heaven, they come back down to earth with Christ to help set up a millennial kingdom.

If you take time to work through the passages of the Bible in light of each view, you will find that they all have their strengths and weaknesses along with the many variations under each view.  However, regardless of what view you hold, your experience will still be the same.  After being with Christ in spirit form, the day will come when your spirit is united with a glorified body.  Either the resurrection will occur at an amount of time before the Second Coming or at the same time as it.  Yes, these views do make a difference in whether one will go through the Great Tribulation or not.  However, Christians have always faced tribulation in this world.  Too many times people who hole to one view will ridicule those who hold another.  People will chide the pre-tribulation view for trying to avoid persecution.  This is an utterly ridiculous slam.  However, it is easy to ridicule the post-tribulation view by stating that it is ludicrous for us to fly up into the sky only to come back down again.  These slights do no good for convincing people and have nothing to do with what the Bible actually says.  Many sincere and smart theologians have disagreed through the years.  Regardless of which of these views you gravitate towards, the real questions are these.  Are you ready for your physical death?  Have you made your peace with God and put your faith in His Son Jesus?  If you haven’t then do so today before it becomes too late.

Personal End Times Second Coming Audio

Seeking the Things that are Above

Colossians 3:1-11.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on July 8, 2018.

Last week we talked about not turning to legalism as a legitimate expression of Christianity.  Yes, there are certain things that Christians should not do and others that they should do.  But lists of things we shouldn’t eat or drink, and special days we should observe in order to be holy has nothing to do with Christ. 

In our passage today we will see that we need to turn to Jesus rather than a list of regulations.  He needs to become our life, to become everything.  When it comes to the Christian life, we must never forget that Christ is everything to us.  He is the foundation on which we stand, the image towards which we are being transformed, the power by which it is all done, and the hope that lies before us.

So as we look at this passage, let us hear the words of life that teach us how to truly live.

We have died with Christ and been made alive with Christ

Back in chapter 2 Paul had reminded us that the fact that we have died to the world with Christ should refute the regulations of legalism.  Here in verses 1-4 of chapter 3 he continues to the other side of this truth.  We have been made alive with Christ.  Thus our life and how it is lived must be connected to Christ and not this world.  This means our focus or concern should be towards heaven where Christ is.  Christ is seated at the right hand of the Father.  His perspective and commands will be quite different from a person who is here on earth.  Ultimately it is the things of heaven, the things of Christ, that should concern Christians.

Now this could give rise to the phrase that a person is “So heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.”  However, this is not what Paul is getting at.  He is not talking about ignoring the earth, but rather about looking to Christ for our directions on how to operate in this world.  God is deeply concerned with this earth and the people on it.  That is why Jesus came and died on the cross.  When we look at life with His concerns and walk in His purposes and direction, then it does much good for this earth.  Thus to be heavenly minded as Paul means it, is to live in this life directed by the leadership of Christ.

In verse 3 he mentions that the things that make for our life are hidden from the world.  Christ cannot be seen by the world and His instructions to us cannot be seen either.  His connection to us through the Word of God and the Holy Spirit is not something that can be touched or seen.  Sure they should see how we live and the effects of these things in our lives, but they cannot actually see the influence.  Thus the world will not understand the reasons and motivations, which come from heaven.

In verse 4 we are told that when Christ is revealed from heaven in glory, it will suddenly become clear what we were living for.  In fact the glory of Christ will be our glory too!  It takes faith and trust in God’s Word.  We must believe that He will do what He has said He will do.  Christians are those who walk in the faith that though our life may not make sense to the world around us, it is directed by God Himself and will be rewarded in due time.

We put off the old man

Starting in verse 5 Paul uses several metaphors for the Christian life.  One of these is that of the old man.  It is a metaphor for our old life of listening to our flesh (body, mind, and heart) and following its desires.  We are told to put it off like we would do with the clothes that we sleep in at night, in order to then put on the right clothes to go about our day.

In fact, in verse 5 he opens with an even harsher metaphor- “put to death.”  The terminology can be a bit foreign to us.  The term “members” refers to the parts of us that are centered upon the things of the world.  These are expressed in certain sinful activities and conditions of our heart.  They need to be sacrificed on the altar to God by dying to their pull on us.  Paul lists several things.  Fornication is any sex outside of a committed marriage between one man and one woman.  Uncleanness is any impure desire or motive.  Passion is those afflictions of our mind and heart that push us towards sin.  Yes, passion can be a positive thing, but it is clearly about sinful things in this list.  Evil desire speaks for itself.  Covetousness is called idolatry because we allow ourselves to become a slave to the thing we covet rather than a slave of God.  It becomes god in our lives.  All of these things need to be put to death in our life.  This is something that has to be done daily, as they surface in our hearts and minds.  Like weeds we will not be able to completely remove all traces of them in this life.  But we can keep them from growing and bearing evil fruit in our life.  If we follow these things they will not bring us true life, no matter how alive one may feel when they first give in to them.  In the end these things will leave you empty and hopeless regardless of what Ashley Madison has to say.

In fact in verse 6 Paul reminds us that these are the things that are bringing the wrath of God.  Just in case we thought these were nice suggestions on how to have a better life, we are reminded that those who practice such things are in jeopardy.  This world may be progressing in technology, which gives it the allusion that we are somehow becoming better.  But, morally we are not progressing.  We are wallowing in the same muck and mire that mankind has always wallowed in.  The message of the Gospel is this, “Save yourself from this wicked and perverse generation by fleeing to Jesus before it is too late!”  We will all face the wrath of God one way or another.  We will either be alive when it is poured out at the end of the age or we will face it when we die and come before God.  Believers can face both situations with confidence because Jesus has taken the wrath of God that should fall on us, upon Himself.  We can stand in His presence with confidence because of Jesus and Him alone.

In verse 7 he reminds us that these things should be a part of our past.  It is how we used to live, before Christ.  This is the old life, but now Christ is our Master and Savior.  His Spirit has taken up residence within us.  Let us not fool ourselves.  We cannot continue to follow the ways of the world and the ways of our flesh and find life.  They can only lead us to destruction.  Like Joshua of old we must choose today whom we are going to serve, and may it be Jesus that we chose to serve.

In verses 8 to 9 Paul continues with a list of deeds that many would think of as “little sins.”  We are tempted to coddle them and allow them to remain in our life.  We can justify them in our heart more easily.  But Paul warns against such deeds of the old man.  Anger- I used to get angry about things, but Christ is calling me to leave anger behind.  I am to be directed by heaven, not my anger.  Wrath- My flesh is focused on justice and getting people back, but heaven reminds us that this is not our job and that we must let it go lest we fall under the wrath of God ourselves.  Malice- This is typically a deeper-seated, festering ill-will towards others.  Christians are to root this out and reject its seductive logic.  Blasphemy- It is not just untrue things we say of God.  It basically means to slander or say untrue things about any other.  Filthy language- Our old life learned all manner of crude and vulgar ways to express ourselves.  Such talk should be left in the dust.  We must let the Lord purify our speech.  Lying- How easy it is to lie to one another in order to get what we want or to protect ourselves.  Whether it is active lying where we state untruths or passive lying where we mislead people so that they make the wrong conclusions, lying is a form of manipulation that brings destruction into our life and the lives of those around us.

Jesus was none of these things.  If we have truly rejected the world with Him and are living only for Him, then these things should change.  There is no way around this truth.  Yes, it doesn’t just happen in an instant.  But it does happen nonetheless.

We put on the new man

We will talk more about this next week.  But let’s end on the positive.  If we are to take off the old man then clearly we must put on the new man.  Paul points out in verses 10-11 that the new man is renewed in knowledge.  Knowledge is key to our transformation.  We know that these things hold nothing but God’s wrath for us.  So why would we then hold on to them?  We also know that Jesus is not like these things.  So why would we continue in them?  We also know that Christ died to set us free from these things.  So let’s be renewed in body, mind, and heart.

He also mentions that we are renewed according to the image of Christ.  The renewal is not just a “new me.”  It really is a taking on the image of Jesus.  We are taking Him on and being transformed.  In that sense, Jesus is the new man.  We are all taking on the One New Man, Jesus.  WE are the students becoming like the master, as His Holy Spirit works within us to enable the transformation.

He ends this section by pointing out that the old distinctions are irrelevant when Christ is our everything.  It doesn’t matter what race or station of life a person is or comes from.  A believer in Jesus sees one thing.  Is Christ living within that person as well as me?  Christ is everything and all those distinctions are nothing.  How we interact with people, both believers and the lost, should have nothing to do with race, economic station, gender or what else.  It has only to do with Christ.  What does He think and what does He want.  The power of Christ has come to break all of these distinctions down so that Christ indwells every kind of person on the earth, and we can receive another believer as a brother or a sister in Christ, not because of earthly things, but because of the heavenly reality that Jesus dwells within us both.  Does Jesus dwell within you today?  Pray and ask Him to forgive you of your sins and become your Lord and Savior.  Let us put off the old man and put on the New Man!

Seek the Things Above audio