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How to talk to other Christians about
The Object and Manner of Christ's Return “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning; And ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord ... that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately” (Luke 12:35-36). David Rice The object of our Lord’s return is to complete the work of the Gospel Age, and initiate the work of the Millennial Age. This is well understood by brethren who appreciate God’s Plan of the Ages, but not by many others. Most Christians do recognize that Christ returns to take the saints to glory. But the second part, initiating the work of the Millennial Age, is less well known to many. When addressing this issue with other Christians, we find Revelation 20:1-6 very helpful. It so clearly speaks of the binding of Satan for a thousand years, so “that he should deceive the nations no more” (verse 3) till the end of the Millennium, that most people see the point readily when it is brought to their attention. The passage makes clear that the Millennium is a time of opportunity for people, freed from Satan’s deceptions. The world thus favored is distinguished from the elect, for the elect reign with Christ in glory during the Millennium (verses 4 and 6). They would not be subject to Satan’s deceptions in any case, so his binding for the benefit of “the nations” must refer to the world rather than the elect. Verse six explains the role of the church during this period. “They shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Revelation 20:6). The work of priests is to reconcile people back to God, and this is the work the church will do for mankind during the Millennium. The saints will “reign” with Christ, so as rulers they will set the agenda and direct affairs for the world’s blessing. This is consistent with Daniel 7:27, “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.” It seems apparent to most Christians that this binding of Satan does not precede the return of Christ, for his authority and power, as the agent of Jehovah, is indispensable for such a mighty work. Thus this part of the object of Christ’s return — to establish his Kingdom — is relatively easy to explain to Christians. Manner of Christ’s Return The point which is more troublesome for many is the manner of Christ’s return. In Volume Two, “The Time is at Hand,” Bro. Russell devotes many pages to establishing that Jesus was raised as a glorious spirit being, no longer bound by the flesh, and that his post-resurrection appearances to his disciples were in bodies materialized for the purpose of proving his resurrection from the dead. The 70-page chapter on “The Manner of Our Lord’s Return and Appearing” is a meticulous and well reasoned presentation, giving excellent evidence. The challenge is to convey that information briefly, in a helpfully credible way, during what might be only a brief opportunity. If the hearer is receptive, it might be possible to do this. In this case we mention that Christ in glory is far superior to the angels, and is not encumbered with the limitations of a fleshly body. Then we compare the materialization of angels in past ages as an example of what Christ did for his disciples after his resurrection. That Jesus “vanished” after these appearances is helpful to mention (Luke 24:31). We may cite 1 Peter 3:18 from the New American Standard version, Jesus was “put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit.” Then we mention that the words “in the” are not in the Greek in either place. Thus the text simply says, “put to death flesh, but made alive spirit.” Also 1 Corinthians 15:50 is helpful, “Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.” However, the prevailing sense that Jesus took his flesh into heaven is an image so embedded in the minds of some, that if these texts are not well received, we do not press the matter, but pass to other facets of the subject. Two Parts to the Return of Christ
There are two parts to the return of Christ — the preliminary presence of Christ
during the Harvest period, and the subsequent climax at the close of the
harvest, when, as Paul says, Jesus is “revealed from heaven with his mighty
angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance” (2 Thessalonians 1:7,8). Some Bible
Students distinguish these two parts of the return of Christ with the terms
parousia and apokalupsis, “presence” and “revealment.” Matthew 13:39 is helpful here, “the harvest is the end of the age” (NAS). We explain that the Greek word translated “end” in this text is suntelia, which means an ending period, as distinct from telos, which can refer to the ending climax. Vine’s Expository Dictionary says of suntelia, “This word does not denote a termination, but the heading up of events to the appointed climax.” Response by the Saints During this harvest period, there is a work done among and for the saints, which takes time, activity, and action by the saints here, in response to the return of Christ. To illustrate this, three passages are helpful. (1) In John 4:35-38, Jesus described the harvest ending the Jewish age. The passage shows that the Jewish harvest involved a period of many years, with the disciples patiently gathering the fruitage of the Jewish Age by preaching Gospel truths to the Jews, bringing them into the Gospel Age and its high calling. Others had labored for centuries before to instill godly principles among the Israelites, and now the apostles were to “reap” the fruitage of those labors. “Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages ... I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour” (John 4:35-38). Likewise, the present harvest is a period of years. If we become reapers in this harvest, it involves a work among Christians using the “sickle” of truth, God’s Plan. Revelation 14:14 shows that Christ is present during the harvest period. “Upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle.” Thus the work involved in the present harvest period, by and among the saints, necessarily follows the return of Christ. (2) The second text helpful here is the lead text of our article, Luke 12:36. There Jesus says that his followers should be attentive, alert to his return, listening for the “knock” of prophecy, because something is expected of them when they discern that he has returned. Namely, “that ... they may open unto him immediately.” If it were merely a matter of Christ returning and supernaturally gathering his saints in a moment, then we would not be advised to attentively discern the “knock” and thereafter “open” unto him. To those who thus “open” to Christ, a special benefit is promised. “Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching ... he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them” (Luke 12:37). This is a blessing we receive here as disciples, not whisking away the saints into glory in a moment. The blessing is spiritual nourishment, understanding. This comes through applying ourselves to reading, studying, and learning the Plan of God presented in the Scriptures. Revelation 3:20 says something very similar, to the last of the seven churches of Revelation. “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” We must hear, and then respond, in order to have this blessing. The verse following, Revelation 3:21, adds a promise to the overcomers about their reward in glory. The message to each church includes such a closing promise. In this case the promise is to sit with Christ in his throne. But verse 20 is different. It refers to our present privilege of feasting on present truth after our Lord’s return. The entire seventh phase of the Church has this privilege, which shows that there is a considerable period of years, after the return of Christ, during which saints remain in the flesh, while learning truth, appreciating it, and distributing it to others. (3) There is a sequence in the messages to churches 4, 5, 6, and 7 which indicates the same point. To church four, Thyatira, a time during the dark ages, Jesus says “I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come” (Revelation 2:24, 25). To church five, Sardis, more is expected. “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain ... and repent [reform]. If ... thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief ” (Revelation 3:2,3). To church six, Philadelphia, Jesus says, “Behold, I come quickly”! (Revelation 3:11). But to us, church seven, Laodicea, Jesus says, “I stand at the door, and knock!” (Revelation 3:20). In other words, the entire history of the last phase of the church is during the Harvest period, following the second advent of Christ. To these three points we can add two other lines of reason. They are prophetic, and interpretive, but may help one discussing the subject. (a) Song of Solomon 2:8-17 depicts the return of Jesus as “the voice of my beloved! ... he cometh, leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills.” In verse 10 he beckons to his bride to be, “Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.” This shows that a response from the saints is required; they are not merely whisked away. Verse 14 (ASV margin) also calls for a response from the saints, “Let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice.” Verse seven suggests the same: “I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem ... that you will not arouse or awaken my love, Until she pleases” (NAS). Much depends on the response of the saints to the return of Christ. (b) Matthew 24:31, speaking of our Lord’s return, says “And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The saints will be raised to glory above angels and seated with Christ on his throne (Revelation 3:21). So it is not feasible for angels to raise the saints — they cannot give to others a life greater than they themselves possess. Thus the “gathering” of this text refers to a work among the saints here, on Earth, by the “sickle” of Truth. Our ascent to glory follows our individual death here. Then we are raised to glory by Christ. The Period is Now If the return of Christ initiates a period of years that ends the present age, then the question becomes, are we in that period now? Most Christians readily agree that we are in the end times of the present age. The signs are all about us. (a) We have an increased appreciation of the Word of God, fitting Jesus’ description about a rich spiritual repast if we hear the “knock” of his return. (b) We see Israel restored as a nation among others in fulfillment of prophecy. This is tied to the Lord’s return in Acts 3:21. (c) We see a time of trouble at least since World War I, with Armageddon impending. This time of trouble is tied to the Lord’s return in Daniel 12:1. These points are relatively easy to see. If the one with whom we discuss this can appreciate that the Lord’s return, whenever it is, initiates an ending period, or a “harvest” enduring for decades, during which Christ brings the work of one age to a close and opens the work of the next, then it is relatively easy in that context to see that such a time has arrived. This can be done without recourse to time prophecy. However, time prophecy, such as the 1335 years of Daniel 12:12, allows us to identify the opening of the harvest at 1874. The seven “times” of Daniel chapter four and Leviticus chapter 26 help mark the year 1914. The forty years from 1874 to 1914 stand in parallel to the forty years from Christ’s first advent in 29 AD, until 69 AD, after which Roman legions took Jerusalem and burned the temple. The detail incident to these subjects may not be vital to our hearer, but it can be engaging. If the one to whom we speak finds it interesting, then at least a mention that time prophecy gives us useful information about the subject, may be helpful. |