We have seen that the apostles’ teaching is concerning God’s New Testament economy from the incarnation of God to the consummation of the New Jerusalem. It is the entire teaching of the New Testament from the first page of Matthew to the last page of Revelation. The apostles’ teaching concerning God’s New Testament economy includes the incarnation of the Triune God; the all-inclusive death of Jesus Christ; the resurrection of Jesus Christ; the ascension of Christ; the outpouring of the Holy Spirit for the baptizing of all His believers into one Body; the ministry of Christ in His ascension; the rapture of the saints; the seven seals, the seven trumpets, and the seven bowls in relation to the rapture of the saints and the second coming of Christ; the second coming of Christ; the thousand-year kingdom; and the New Jerusalem. In this message we want to fellowship concerning the second coming of Christ. The second coming of Christ is a great subject. His first coming was in His incarnation, the incarnation of God. His second coming will bring His kingdom to the earth.
The second coming of Christ is the promised parousia (presence=coming) of Christ. Parousia is the Greek word for coming (Matt. 24:3, 27, 37, 39) and means presence. This word was used for the coming (presence) of a dignified person. Before the Lord Jesus ascended, He promised that He would come again. Christ’s second coming will be His presence with His people. The promised parousia is Christ’s complete presence with His believers.
Even today we enjoy the Lord’s presence, but it is not His complete presence. Today His presence is just in the Spirit, not physical. One day He will be with us not only in the Spirit but also physically. Today we can sense the Lord’s presence, but we cannot see Him physically (1 Pet. 1:8). But one day we will see Him physically in resurrection. His second coming will be His complete presence with us. In Matthew 28:20, the Lord promised that He would be with us all the days. The Lord is with us today, but the unbelievers do not believe this because His presence with us is unseen. The day will come, however, when Christ will come openly to the earth, and all will see Him because His presence with us will be visible.
Christ’s second coming, His parousia, begins from the rapture of the man-child and the firstfruit to the heavens (Rev. 12:5; 14:1-4) and ends with His appearing on the earth with His saints. His parousia will probably last about three and a half years. The Bible tells us that the end of this age will be a period of seven years, which is the last week of the seventy weeks mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27. The second half of these seven years, the last three and a half years of this age, will be the time of the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21). Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14 refer to these three and a half years as “a time, and times, and half a time.” Revelation 11:2 and 3 tell us that this tribulation lasts forty-two months, or a thousand two hundred and sixty days. This is about three and a half years. The Lord’s parousia will last about the same time.
The Lord’s parousia will begin from the rapture of the man-child mentioned in Revelation 12:5. The universal woman in Revelation 12 signifies the totality of God’s chosen people. She is clothed with the sun, the moon is underneath her feet, and on her head there is a crown of twelve stars. This means that although she is on the earth, she is a heavenly woman (see Rev. 12:1, note 1, Recovery Version). Out of God’s chosen people, typified by this woman, a man-child will be born. That child is actually a corporate child, signifying the stronger part of God’s people. The man-child is composed of the dead overcoming saints in both the Old and the New Testaments. Old Testament saints such as Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be included in that man-child which will be raptured to the throne of God. Revelation 12 reveals that this rapture takes place before the three and a half years of the great tribulation (vv. 5-6).
The rapture of the living overcomers also takes place before the great tribulation. This is the rapture of the firstfruit of the believers seen in Revelation 14:1-4. These living overcomers are raptured to the heavenly Mount Zion (Heb. 12:22). They will be the first ripe ones in God’s field. Hence, they will be reaped before the harvest as “firstfruit to God and to the Lamb” (Rev. 14:4). The Lord’s parousia begins from the rapture of the overcomers.
This parousia of the Lord will end with Christ’s appearing on the earth. Second Thessalonians 2:8 refers to the “appearing of His coming.” The appearing of the Lord’s coming will be with a kind of shining. The appearing of Christ’s coming is the shining of His parousia. Antichrist will be brought to nothing by the shining appearance of the Lord’s parousia. First, His parousia will be secret and hidden in the heavens. Then this parousia will be brought to the air on the way. Eventually, His parousia will have an appearing, and that shining appearing will bring the Antichrist to nothing.
The “appearing of His coming” is a particular term. This indicates that the Lord’s coming is hidden before it appears openly. This also indicates that the Lord’s coming involves a period of time. It will remain in secret, and then it will appear to the public. Matthew 24:27 says, “For as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.” The lightning coming forth from the east and shining to the west means that the Lord’s appearing will be around the globe. The lightning signifies the open aspect of the Lord’s coming. Christ will be clothed with a cloud (Rev. 10:1) in the air for a time and then will suddenly appear like a flash of lightning to the earth.
His appearing on the earth will be seen by all men. Revelation 1:7 says, “Behold, He comes with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, those also who pierced Him, and all the tribes of the land shall wail over Him. Yes, amen.” All the eyes on the earth shall see Him. The tribes mentioned here are the twelve tribes of the Holy Land who have pierced Him and who are referred to in Zechariah 12:10-14. These verses say that they shall look upon Him whom they have pierced and shall mourn for Him. When the Lord appears as lightning, coming with power and glory to be seen by all in the Holy Land, the twelve tribes will behold Him and weep. The Lord will appear as a flash of lightning and will set His feet upon the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4). He will descend to the very spot from which He ascended (Acts 1:11-12).