Another Jesus (Part 5) - His Future Plans

For a master copy of the outline, click here: Another Jesus 10. His future plans: A. The other "Jesus'" plans for the future are quite different from those of the real Jesus. i. The other "Jesus" is going to return for the second time secretly and silently and he is going to "rapture" all of his people from earth and resurrect the righteous and take them to heaven with him for seven years. ii. Then after the seven year tribulation, he is going to come again for a third time to set up his kingdom on earth and reign for 1000 years. iii. Finally, after the 1000 years are finished, Satan will be loosed for a little season and will deceive the nations and take them to battle against the saints. This other Jesus will then return a fourth time to put down Satan cast him into the lake of fire. iv. Here are some examples of the future plans of the other "Jesus": a. "We affirm that the return of Christ for all believers is imminent. It will be followed by seven years of great tribulation, and then the coming of Christ to establish His earthly kingdom for a thousand years." (Liberty University Doctrinal Statement) b. "Article XVIII—The Blessed Hope "We believe that, according to the Word of God, the next great event in the fulfillment of prophecy will be the coming of the Lord in the air to receive to Himself into heaven both His own who are alive and remain unto His coming, and also all who have fallen asleep in Jesus, and that this event is the blessed hope set before us in the Scripture, and for this we should be constantly looking (John 14:1–3; 1 Cor. 15:51–52; Phil. 3:20; 1 Thess. 4:13–18; Titus 2:11–14). "Article XIX—The Tribulation "We believe that the translation of the church will be followed by the fulfillment of Israel’s seventieth week (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 6:1–19:21) during which the church, the body of Christ, will be in heaven. The whole period of Israel’s seventieth week will be a time of judgment on the whole earth, at the end of which the times of the Gentiles will be brought to a close. The latter half of this period will be the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jer. 30:7), which our Lord called the great tribulation (Matt. 24:15–21). We believe that universal righteousness will not be realized previous to the second coming of Christ, but that the world is day by day ripening for judgment and that the age will end with a fearful apostasy. "Article XX—The Second Coming of Christ "We believe that the period of great tribulation in the earth will be climaxed by the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to the earth as He went, in person on the clouds of heaven, and with power and great glory to introduce the millennial age, to bind Satan and place him in the abyss, to lift the curse which now rests upon the whole creation, to restore Israel to her own land and to give her the realization of God’s covenant promises, and to bring the whole world to the knowledge of God..." (DTS Doctrinal Statement, Dallas Theological Seminary) B. The real Jesus' future plans. i. The Bible speaks only of a second coming of Christ (Heb 9:28). ii. The Bible says nothing of a third or fourth coming, neither does it teach a second coming in two stages. iii. Jesus' return is going to be "in like manner" as he went into heaven (Act 1:11). a. Like adj. - 1. Having the same characteristics or qualities as some other person or thing; of approximately identical shape, size, colour, character, etc., with something else; similar; resembling; analogous. b. Manner n. - 1. a. The way in which something is done or takes place; method of action; mode of procedure. b. in (†on) like manner, also †like manner: in a similar way, similarly. iv. The method in which Jesus went into heaven was: a. Bodily - (Luk 24:39-40; Act 1:9) b. Visibly - ...they beheld...(Act 1:9) c. Behold v. - I. To hold by, keep, observe, regard, look. d. Audibly - ....He had spoken...He was taken up...(Act 1:9) e. Tangibly - (Luk 24:41-43) v. Jesus' return is described in just such a way: a. He will come bodily himself (1Th 4:16). b. Far from being secret and invisible, Jesus' coming will be visible to all, for they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds (Mat 24:30). c. His coming will be with a great sound of a trumpet (Mat 24:31) and with a shout and the voice of an archangel and the trump of God (1Th 4:16). (i) Shout n. - A loud, vehement cry expressing joy, grief or pain, fear, triumph, warning, encouragement, etc.; a loud cry to attract attention at a distance; a tumultuous uproar by a large body of people. (ii) The trump and voice of God is extremely LOUD (Heb 12:18-21 c/w Exo 19:16-19). (iii) Trumpet n.- 1. a. A musical wind-instrument (or one of a class of such) of bright, powerful, and penetrating tone, used from ancient times, especially for military or other signals..... d. Jesus' coming will be tangible, especially for the wicked who will feel it (1Th 5:3-4; 2Th 1:7-9; 2Th 2:8). vi. There is only one second coming of Christ spoken of in the Bible, which will occur on the last day, and which will include the following: a. Christ appearing in the sky (Mat 24:30-31; 1Th 4:16; 2Th 1:7-9; Rev 19:11-16). b. The trumpet shall sound (Mat 24:30-31; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16). c. The resurrection at the last day (Job 14:12-15; Joh 6:39,40,44,54; Joh 11:24; 1Co 15:52; 1Th 4:16). (i) There will only be one resurrection (Act 24:15). (ii) The righteous and the wicked will be resurrected at the same time (Joh 5:28-29). d. The gathering of the elect (Mat 24:30-31). e. The destruction of the earth (2Pe 3:10-12). f. The judgment of the wicked (Joh 12:48; 2Th 1:7-9; 2Ti 4:1; Rev 19:11-16; Rev 20:11-15). vii. Jesus likened His second coming to two significant events in history to show that the righteous and the wicked would dwell together until the day of judgment. a. Jesus said that His coming would be like the days Noah (Luk 17:26-27 c/w 30). (i) In the days of Noah the righteous and the wicked lived side by side until the day that Noah entered the ark. (ii) On the day that the righteous were saved, the wicked were destroyed. (iii) Jesus' coming will be in like manner: on the day that He returns to save the righteous, the wicked will be destroyed. b. Jesus said that the day that He would be revealed would be like the day that God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah (Luk 17:28-30). (i) Lot lived side by side the sinners of Sodom until the day that God destroyed that city. (ii) The righteous man Lot was saved and the wicked sinners of Sodom were destroyed on the same day. c. Jesus said that His second coming would be "Even thus" how it was in the days of Noah and Lot. d. Even - II. 6. Exactly, precisely, ‘just’. Now chiefly arch. after Bible use, and suggesting some notion of 9. a. of manner; often followed by as, thus, so. e. During neither of these times was salvation of the just and the destruction of the wicked separated by 7, 1000, or 1007 years as it is in the premillennial and dispensational systems. viii. Jesus spoke two parables that taught that at His second coming He would destroy the wicked and save the just. a. The parable of the wheat and the tares shows that the righteous and the wicked will live together until the time of the harvest/destruction of the world (Mat 13:24-30 c/w Mat 13:37-43). b. The parable of the net shows that the wicked and the just shall dwell together until the end of the world at which time the angels shall sever the two and cast the wicked into the furnace of fire (Mat 13:47-50). c. Neither of these parables teach that the salvation of the just and the destruction of the wicked were separated by 7, 1000, or 1007 years as it is in the premillennial and dispensational systems. ix. The "rapture" of the church will happen at the last day and not before. a. Jesus did not say that believers would be taken out of the world to be spared the tribulation, but rather the opposite (Joh 17:15,20; Joh 16:33). b. The church will be here until the end of the world, not 1007 years before the end of the world (Mat 28:19-20; Eph 3:21). V. As has been shown, the other "Jesus" is the opposite of the real Jesus in nearly every respect, including: his nature, his birth, his death, his appearance, his works, his ability, in saving his people, in setting up his kingdom, in preserving his church, in preserving his word, his attitude, his emotions, his character, and his future plans. VI. Take heed that you bear not with anyone who preacheth another Jesus. For a master copy of the outline, click here: Another Jesus