Biblical Studies Online
28
Jan/120
Jan/120
How Close are we to the Second Coming of Jesus? by David Sell
Every generation has had the privilege to believe that they would be the ones alive to see Jesusâ return. This belief was particularly strong during the 1980s. As the church world approached 1988, 40 years (a generation) had expired since Israel had become a nation. Didnât Jesus say in Mt. 24:34, âAssuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place? One author even wrote a best seller, entitled, â88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Come In 1988.â Well, the year came and went and there was no second edition of this fanciful study.
âSecond Coming Feverâ again hit as we approached the new millennium. Surely Jesus will come in the year 2000! But He didnât. During the past decade the church world has remained rather quiet over this subject. No one seems to know of His return because the popular clues have all been exhausted. Or have they?
A forgotten clue to His return is that fact that the church age must finish an approximate 2000 year run. Then Jesus can return. Why do we suggest that the church age would continue for about 2000 years? Though not completely obvious, we do have some possible clues that point toward an approximate 2000 year church age. Consider the following points:
1. 7000 years of Biblical History
2 Pet. 3:8 says, "...one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day."
According to Bishop Usher, the early Christian chronologist, Adamâs sin dates back to approximately 4004 B.C. Bishop Usher was able to calculate this date by tracing the years of the reign of Israelâs kings and the ages of the patriarchs before they passed on. If we begin at 4004 B.C., approximately 4000 years later brings us to the ministry of Jesus, followed by the Day of Pentecost, which began the early church. Three more thousand years would give us approximately 7000 years of biblical historyâ"seven is the number of completion. If we consider the millennium to last 1000 years, that leaves an approximate 2000 year church age leading up to the millennium.
2. Consider the dimensions of the three areas of the Tabernacle of Moses which prophetically represent the periods of the Law, the Church Age, and the Millennium:
The Law: The outside wall surrounding the tabernacle was 300 cubits in length and five cubits high (300 x 5 = 1500); the approximate span of the Old Testament Law from Moses until the cross was about 1500 years (1446 B.C + 30 A.D., or 1477 years). Therefore the Outer Court represents the period of the Law which preceded the Church Age.
The Church Age: The dimensions of the Holy Place, which was the larger part of the Tent found in the middle of the Outer Court, was 20 cubits x 10 cubits x 10 cubits. 20 x 10 x 10 = 2000. The Holy Place represents the Church Age.
The Millennium: The dimensions of the Most Holy Place, which was the smaller side of the tent found in the middle of the Outer Court, was 10 cubits x 10 cubits x 10 cubits. 10 x 10 x 10 = 1000. The Most Holy Place represents the Millennium when we will be in the actual presence of Jesus.
The purpose of this analogy is to again show that the Church Age will be approximately 2000 years in length.
3. Next, consider the approximate 2000 cubit separation between the Ark of the Covenant and the Israelites when they crossed the Jordan during the days of Joshua.
Joshua 3:4 reads, âYet there shall be a space between you and it, about two thousand cubits by measure. Do not come near it, that you may know the way by which you must go, for you have not passed this way before.â Just as Israel crossed into the Promised Land on this glorious day, when Jesus returns we will also cross into our glorious promised land.
4. Finally, consider Jesusâ two-day delay in coming to Lazarus:
Another possible confirmation to the church age being about two thousand years might be found in the âtwo more daysâ that Jesus remained where He was before coming to raise Lazarus from the dead. These two days possibly create a type of an approximate 2000 year space of time between Jesusâ first and second comings (2 Pet. 3:8).
Jn. 11:6 reads, âSo when He (Jesus) heard that he (Lazarus) was sick, He (Jesus) stayed two more days in the place where He was.â When Jesus did come, His purpose was to resurrect the dead. When Jesus comes again at the end of the church age, He will also come to resurrect the dead in Christ. Martha makes an actual reference to that event in John 11:23-25, where she says to Jesus, âI know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.â Jesusâ response was, âI am the resurrection and the life.â
This climatic episode ends by Jesus saying with a loud voice, âLazarus come forth.â When Jesus returns 1 Thes. 4:16 says, âFor the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.â Jn. 5:28 also refers of the voice of Jesus which will raise the dead at His return: âDo not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice.â
If the raising of Lazarus is in fact an authentic type of the resurrection of the dead at the coming of Christ, then the mention of the âtwo daysâ delay of Jesus could hint toward a possible two thousand year church ageâ"âa day in the Lord is as a 1000 yearsâ (2 Pet. 3:8).
Hos. 6:2 provides a final use of the words âtwo daysâ: âAfter two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live in His sight.â If âtwo daysâ means after an approximate two thousand year church age, then the âthird dayâ would refer to an additional âraising upâ of some form following the millennium.
Conclusion:
The overview of the âPlan of the Ages,â the dimensions of the Holy Place, the distance between Israel and the ark of the covenant, and the âtwo day delay of Jesus coming to Lazarusâ combine to support the possibility that the time between Jesusâ first coming and His second coming could be about 2000 years. If the church age began at approximately 30 AD, the end of a 2000 year period would be somewhere about the year 2030. This is an observation rather than a prediction.
In the next article on eschatology we will examine the correlation between the 6th Trumpet and the emergence of the infamous Antichrist. Stay tuned!
This particular study comes out of a course entitled, âUnderstanding End-Times,â offered at Northern California Bible College. The entire course is available in a textbook written by Dean David Sell, entitled, âUnderstanding End-Times,â and is available for purchase. For more information write your request to info@ncbc.net
The study of end times is conducted by many different Bible Colleges in states like Texas, Michigan, Alabama, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado that also teach various approaches to studies on eschatology.
Northern California Bible College (NCBC) believes that each serious Bible student needs to develop their own personal belief on eschatology. The purpose of this school is to offer advanced biblical instruction to those of us who are pastors, lay-leaders, or common parishionersâ"to those of us who simply want to know the Bible at a level that currently is not being offered in our adult Bible study class in Sunday School. Some of the courses available include: The Life of Jesus, the Book of Acts, Romans, Revelation, Genesis, the Books of Moses, the Life of David, The Christianâs Mental Health, Hermeneutics, Old and New Testament Survey, and the list goes on.
Classes can be taken for full college credit if we want to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biblical Studies. Or, if we want we can take classes at the Certificate Level which allows us to earn a one-year Bible diploma. This is not an official college degree, but a systematic survey of the important books of the Bible. If we only wish to attend and receive the information we can also take classes on the Audit basis.
Graduates from Northern California Bible College are scattered over the globe pastoring churches, serving as staff ministers, or becoming strong contributors at their local church. What each student from Northern California Bible College has in common is a love for the Bible and a better understanding of what it actually says.
Classes are offering on-line, or through distance learning by listening to CDs of actual recorded lectures. For those who learn best by sitting in a live classroom, each quarter live classes are offered in San Jose or Dublin, California. For those who prefer studying in the comfort of our own home, or while driving in the car, the same courses are offered through on-line or distance learning. Each live class is recorded in the classroom (DVD, CDs, Audio Cassettes, MP3) and made available to students. Student from all over the United States are currently enrolled in this user-friendly programâ"from Florida to New York to Arizona to Oregon, and of course California.
If you would like a free information packet on how you might benefit from courses offered at Northern California Bible College, you can call 925 846-6464 or find the school on the web at NCBC.net
Article Source: http://www.earticlesonline.com/Article/How-Close-are-we-to-the-Second-Coming-of-Jesus-/707397
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