SPECIAL TOPIC: VIEWS OF THE SECOND COMING

1. History of the Earth is analogous to 7 days of Creation (Epistle of Barnabas, Irenaeus, Methodius)
2. Each day represents 1000 years (II Pet. 3:8; Ps. 90:4)

1. Papias Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Hipplytus, Methodius
   
   
2. George Ladd (Historical Premillennial)

1. Certain events must occur before Parousia
   1. Gospel to all nations (Matt. 24:14)
   2. Conversion of Israel (Rom. 11:25ff)
   3. Great Apostasy (Matt.24:10; II Thess. 2:3)
   4. Great Tribulation (Matt. 24:21)
   5. Revealing of Man of Sin - Antichrist
      (II Thess. 2:3)
2. A visible, universal Rapture and Coming

1. The Church is Spiritual Israel
   (Rom. 2:5,9,28-29; 9:6; Gal.
   3:9,29; 6:16; Rev. 1:6; 1 Pet. 3:6)
2. One Covenant (Old and New,
   Rom. 4 - Abraham is Paul's example
   for justification by faith)
3. Christ's Kingdom is not temporal
   (John 18:36)
4. One Second Coming
   One Resurrection
   One Judgment
   The Eternal Kingdom

1. Some Early Church
   Fathers
   
   
2. Augustine
   
   
   
3. Zwingli
   
   
4. Calvin (Presbyterianism)
5. Ray Summers (Baptist)
6. Jay Adams (Reformed)
7. Most Churches of Christ

1. Victory won at Calvary,
   not Millennium
   
   
2. Satan bound now
   
   
   
3. Unity of God's plan of redemption

1. Jesus defeated Satan which allows His followers to free people from the Kingdom of Darkness
2. Church's preaching of the gospel will bring in the Kingdom (2 Pet. 3:12; Matt. 6:10)
3. The gospel of Jesus is spreading with unstopable power and effect

1. Jonathan Edwards
2. A. H. Strong
3. W. T. Conner
4. Most 19^th Century Scholars

1. Takes temporal judgment coming of Jesus seriously (cf. Matt. 24; Rev. 1:7)
2. Believers have a part in God's plan
3. Optimistic about contemporary culture
4. Believers should be active in culture and government

¹ There are 3 views of this Secret Coming:
 1) Pre-tribulationist
 2) Mid-tribulationist
 3) Post-tribulationist
² Judgment of Believers (II Cor. 5:10)
³ Judgment of Nations (Matt. 25)

1. The Bible is divided into seven distinct dispensations
2. Literal fulfillment of every OT prophecy to Israel
3. Church and Israel totally separate.
4. The Church is God's Plan B when the Jews rejected Jesus as the Messiah
5. The Church will be secretly raptured,before the Tribulation. The book of Revelation, after chapter 5, is Jewish.
6. NT interpreted in light of OT prophecy

1. John Darby
   Plymouth Brethren)
2. Clarence Larkin
3. D. L. Moody
4. C. I. Scofield (Reference Bible)
5. Dallas Seminary (Pentecost, Ryrie, Walvoord)
6. W. A. Criswell (Southern Baptist)
7. Hal Lindsey
8. Tim LaHaye
9. Bible Churches (Dallas Seminary)

1. Takes Bible prophecy literally
   (especially Daniel)
2. Any-moment return (Matt. 24:40-42)

1. One Plan (Gen. 3:15)
2. Unity of the people of God (Rom. 2:28-29;4; Gal. 3:29; 6:16; Eph. 2:11-3:13)
3. Apocalyptic nature of Daniel, Ezekiel, and Revelation (literary genre)
4. OT saw one coming (Two Ages), one visible coming
5. One visible coming (Matt. 24:27)
   One Rapture ( I Thess. 4:13-18)
   One Resurrection
   One Judgment (Matt. 25; Rev. 20)
   The Eternal Kingdom

1. between Old Covenant prophetic models and New Covenant apostolic models
2. between the Bible's monotheism (one God for all) and the election of Israel
3. between the conditional aspect of biblical covenants and promises ("if...then") and the unconditional faithfulness of God to fallen mankind's redemption
4. between Near Eastern literary genres and modern western literary models
5. between the Kingdom of God as present, yet future
6. between belief in the imminent return of Christ and the belief that some events must happen first