| Christian Life and Doctrine | September 1967 |
The Return of Christ
“This we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” —I Thessalonians 4:15-18
“Comfort one another with these words,” Paul wrote, and the hope of Christ’s return was indeed very comforting to the brethren in the Early Church. They were in the difficult position of bearing witness to One who could not be seen. Their enemies would taunt them with the fact that their leader, their Messiah, had been put to death. To this they could counter that he had been raised from the dead, and that there were many “infallible proofs” of this. But still he was not in their midst, and they realized that this absence would continue until his promised return. So they earnestly looked for his coming, for they knew that when he returned he would receive them unto himself, that where he was, there they would be also.—John 14:3
The brethren in the Early Church believed that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the One whom the Creator had sent to deliver Israel from her yoke of bondage to Rome, and to set up a kingdom which would rule over the people of all nations. Through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit they knew that the messianic kingdom would not be set up in the earth until the Messiah returned. During his first visit to earth he gave himself in death as “a ransom for all,” and they believed that during his second presence this great truth of redemption through the blood would be “testified,” or made known, to all.—I Tim. 2:3-6
They would also doubtless have in mind the promise Jesus had made to his disciples while he was still in the flesh, that when he returned he would gird himself and serve his household with “meat in due season.” (Luke 12:35-37) They would know also from Jesus’ prophecy concerning the judgment day that when he came in his glory with all his holy angels, or messengers, he would sit upon the throne of his glory, and all nations would be judged by him and his associates.—Matt. 25:31,32
According to the prophecies there were also other things to be accomplished during the time of our Lord’s second presence, outstanding among these being what Peter described as the “restitution of all things.” This, Peter said, would be in fulfilment of the testimony given by God’s holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21) So the hope in which the brethren of the Early Church rejoiced was very comprehensive. All their expectations concerning the accomplishments of the Messiah were dependent upon his return. Jesus’ death and resurrection would have been in vain should he not return to reward his faithful followers and to bless all the families of the earth through the agencies of his kingdom—that thousand-year kingdom in which they believed that, if faithful, they would live and reign with their Master.
The Glorified Jesus
When we study the promises and prophecies of the Bible pertaining to Jesus’ second visit to earth it is important to realize that they apply not to a human, of flesh and blood, but to a divine being. The Scriptures teach that when Jesus was raised from the dead he was no longer human, but the very “image of the invisible God.” (Col. 1:15; II Cor. 5:16; I Pet. 3:18) Because of this, the fact of his return and second presence is revealed, not by seeing him with the literal eye, but by signs which are mentioned in the prophecies.
It is true that Jesus did appear in the form of a man to his disciples on several occasions following his resurrection, but this does not mean that by nature he was still a human. The circumstances of his few brief appearances prove to the contrary. For example, he always appeared in a different body, which would not have been the case had the human body in which he appeared been his real body. Jesus was present with his disciples for forty days between the time of his resurrection and his ascension; but only during a very small portion of this time were his disciples able to see him, and then only when he miraculously appeared to them. It is this Jesus, therefore, who is able to be present invisibly with humans, who, the Scriptures declare, was to return to earth for the purpose of establishing a kingdom of righteousness, by means of which the redeemed race is to be restored to life and happiness on the earth.
That Jesus still possesses the power to appear to humans, as he did to his disciples following his resurrection from the dead, we do not dispute; but the Scriptures do not say that his second presence will be revealed to the world in this manner. His appearances following his resurrection were evidently intended to establish in the hearts and minds of his disciples the fact that he had been raised from the dead; but this truth having been established, we have no reason to expect the repetition of such appearances.
In Romans 1:20 we read concerning God, “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead.” Here is a key which will help us to understand the significance of the prophecies pertaining to the second coming of Christ. Christ is now invisible to human eyes, even as our Heavenly Father is invisible; hence at his second advent he can be recognized only by the visible things which transpire, and which can be identified through the prophetic pages of the divine Word as the signs which were to mark his return.
Let us state the matter in another way: we believe in the existence of God, not because we have ever seen him, but because we see his works. With our limited abilities we survey the vast universe, and we conclude that a powerful, all-wise Creator must be responsible for what we observe. Similarly, in the Bible we find set forth an impressive array of events which were to take place in the world following the return of the divine Christ; hence, if we can recognize that many of these events are already taking place, the logical conclusion is that that which the Bible describes as the second coming of Christ must already have taken place.
We have another illustration of this principle in the presence and activity of Satan, the Devil. Satan is a person, but no human has ever seen him; but we have all seen the results of his wicked influence throughout the earth. The Apostle Paul informs us that Satan is “the god of this world,” the one who now “works in the children of disobedience.” (II Cor. 4:4) Paul also explains that Satan is a spirit who is “the prince of the power of the air.” (Eph. 2:2) Jesus speaks of Satan as “the prince of this world.” (John 12:31; 14:30; 16:11) If we believe the Bible, we must believe that this powerful, invisible being has, throughout the centuries, been exercising control over the affairs of men.
The Apostle Peter writes concerning this invisible ruler of the present social order and declares that he goes about “as a roaring. lion,” seeking whom he may devour. (I Pet. 5:8) This clearly indicates again that Satan’s field of activity is right here on earth, and among humans; yet even those of us who realize this most fully have never literally heard him “roar.” Nor is Satan actually a lion, but the meaning of this language is easily understood by those who know the ways of lions in seeking out their prey.
Picture Language
Since the prophecies pertaining to our Lord’s return forecast the coming of a powerful divine being, invisible to human eyes, it requires the use of more than mere words to convey their meaning to us. In addition to words, it requires pictures, symbols, and illustrations. The Lord tells us, “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:9) In order for the Lord to convey his exalted thoughts to our finite and puny minds he has used many illustrations in his Word. We speak of these as figurative, or symbolic, language. In this symbology of the Bible essentially all the principle things of nature are employed, the things, that is, concerning which we humans have some knowledge.
In the firmament above there are the sun, the moon, and the stars. We know something of the functions of these creations of God, so the Lord uses them in his prophetic picture language. We know, for example, of the health that is engendered by the warming rays of the sun. The rays of the sun are likened in the Bible to the giant wings of a bird, and in a promise of the blessings of health which will be radiated throughout the earth under the administration of Christ’s kingdom, Jesus is referred to as “the Sun of Righteousness” which will arise “with healing in his wings.” (Mal. 4:2) What a meaningful illustration!
On the earth itself there are mountains, hills, rivers, oceans, islands, and deserts. We know the characteristics of all these, and the Lord uses them to help us understand the high thoughts of his plan, and this is particularly true in the prophecies pertaining to the return and second presence of Christ.
In the animal world there are horses, cattle, sheep, goats, and other domestic animals, in addition to the wild animals, many of which have been used by the Lord in his Word to help us understand his will and ways. David pictures himself as a sheep, and he writes, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” (Ps. 23:1) What a vivid assurance this is of our Heavenly Father’s care over his people!
The Prophet Isaiah, writing of the kingdom age, and picturing the people at that time as returning to God over a “way of holiness,” says concerning that way that “no lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon.” (Isa. 35:8,9) When we think of all the “beasts” which today are ever present to devour those who would serve God, how reassuring it is to know that these conditions will be changed by the establishment of Christ’s kingdom! How much more meaningful is this promise of kingdom blessings when thus so vividly and understandably illustrated.
Then there are the wheat, the tares, the grass, the flowers—and even the thorns—in the vegetable kingdom, which are incorporated in the picture language of the Bible. The psalmist, writing concerning the one whose delight is in the law of the Lord, says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps. 1:3) No one, in reading this beautiful text, has ever thought that a servant of God is literally like a tree.
We are also acquainted with the characteristics of wind, storms, earthquakes, fire, and so forth, and these the Lord has also employed to help us grasp the meaning of many of the Bible’s prophecies, particularly those pertaining to Christ’s second visit to earth. In this context, even the earth itself is used as a symbol. Misunderstanding the symbolic nature of some of these prophecies, many students have reached the erroneous conclusion that it is God’s intention, at the return of Christ, to destroy the literal earth by actual fire.
For example, Zephaniah 3:8 reads, “Wait ye upon me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured by the fire of my jealousy [Hebrew, zeal].” Here, both the earth and the fire are figurative, or pictorial. The “nations” and “kingdoms” of the prophecy make up a social order referred to as the “earth.” Fire is a very destructive element and is used to symbolize destructive trouble which comes upon man’s civilization to consume, or devour it.
In addition to God’s use of the works and phenomena of creation as pictures to help us grasp the meaning of his prophecies, there is another advantage in this sign language of the Bible, which is that it does not change in meaning. Through the centuries the meanings of many words have changed, but the creative works of God do not change. The characteristics of a sheep are the same today as when the Lord used sheep to illustrate certain important truths concerning his people and his dealings with them. The same is true of the sun, the moon, the stars, and the earth, with its mountains, valleys, rivers, and oceans. The characteristics of these are fixed, and so the lessons they teach can be relied upon.
As a Thief
The Apostle Paul wrote, “The day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.” (I Thess. 5:2) Here another symbol is employed—a “thief.” “The day of the Lord” is the day of his presence, the time of his second visit to earth. Obviously Jesus does not return to steal the possessions of others. The symbolism of a thief is used, rather, to illustrate the manner of his coming. A thief enters a building quietly and, if successful, without being observed. Thus the Lord would have us grasp this fundamental fact concerning Christ’s return and second presence. So far as the unbelieving world is concerned, it is unknown.
But Paul wrote, “Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” (I Thess. 5:4,5) This harmonizes with Jesus’ own prophecy concerning his return, a prophecy in which he also employs pictorial language. He said, “Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”—Matt. 24:42-44
Here Jesus’ clear implication is that those who would be watching, while not knowing in advance of the time of his return, would become aware of his presence after it became a reality. It also means that Jesus would be present invisibly, that none but the faithful watchers would know, and that only those who watched the fulfillment of the “sure word of prophecy” would be aware of his return. All others, as Paul states it, would be “in darkness” so far as this great development in the plan of God was concerned.
With a Shout
Thieves do not announce their presence with a shout. Since Jesus comes in the manner of a thief, that is, secretly, it is manifest that when Paul wrote in our text that Jesus would “descend from heaven with a shout,” he must have been using pictorial language. The Greek word here translated “shout” means literally to incite, or to urge. What is the import of this statement? Paul explained that in the day of the Lord the unbelieving world would say, “Peace and safety”; and that then “sudden destruction” would come upon them, “as travail upon a woman with child,” and that they would not escape. (I Thess. 5:3) Let us keep in mind that the main objective of our Lord’s return is the establishment of the messianic kingdom. This means that the kingdoms of this world, the social order established by man, must be set aside to make room for the kingdom. In this prophecy we are told that this destruction of man’s world will be as “travail upon a woman with child”—that is, in spasms, with periods of easement between.
This annihilation of man’s selfish social order is not brought about by destructive forces, such as fire tumbling down from the sky, but by an uprising of the people, in which there is a great struggle for human rights, real and fancied. In the Lord’s providence, the great increase of knowledge of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the enlightenment it has brought to the people world-wide has incited a clamoring for equality and rights. And how this symbolic “shout” has already ripped the fabric of the pre-1914 world, and shaken its very foundations!
Daniel foretold the increase of knowledge which brought about this clamoring for human rights. (Dan. 12:4) This increase of knowledge along all lines, which is arousing the people to throw off their age-old superstitions, has come about as a result of the fact that we are already in “the day of the Lord.” True, the foundation for this general dissemination of knowledge had already been laid through the use of the printing press and other latter-day devices of communication. Now the general diffusion of knowledge has gained sufficient momentum to stir up the masses to begin casting off their shackles of superstition and class rule, and it is creating within them a desire for that economic liberty, security, and happiness which they insist should be the heritage of every human.
Hence it is seen that a mighty “shout” has attended our Lord’s return, even as Paul predicted. The people have heard it and have taken it up, having been incited to clamor for the things which they now believe are rightfully theirs. By it the Lord is creating a state of mind in the masses of the oppressed and suffering millions of the world that will ultimately contribute to the complete overthrow of the present social order. This shout is also accomplishing a gradual preparation of the hearts and minds of the people for the blessings of the coming kingdom of Christ, blessings which will be dispensed to a dying world just beyond the final spasm of this great “time of trouble.”—Dan. 12:1
Voice of the Archangel
In our text Paul prophesied that the Lord would return “with the voice of the archangel.” There is only one archangel mentioned in the Bible, and his name is Michael. This name is symbolically applied to Jesus at the time of his return and second presence. In Daniel 12:1 we read of the time when “Michael” would “stand up,” and when as a result there would be “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” Jesus refers to this prophecy in Matthew 24:21,22, and indicates that it would be one of the signs of his second presence. He speaks of it as a time of great tribulation—tribulation so destructive that if it were not shortened, no flesh would be saved. We are now living in that time, and the wise of the world are freely admitting that the human race is now threatened with total destruction. How evident it is that the commanding voice, or authority, of the archangel, Michael, the divine Christ, is already causing the foundations of man’s world to tremble!
Throughout the history of man there have been wars and revolutions, but in some way the people have at least temporarily solved their disputes, even if, as in most cases, it has been upon the basis of one group yielding to the superior power of another. But Daniel said that the trouble resulting from the exercise of authority by the symbolic Michael would be such as never was since there was a nation. One of the ways in which the present trouble upon the world is different from all others is in the fact that no solutions can be found for the problems posed by human selfishness. We believe the reason for this is that the returned Lord, in ways unknown to us, is overruling in world affairs in preparation for the full establishment of his kingdom and authority, and thus all humanly constituted authority must be set aside.
“The Trump of God”
The “trump of God” is another meaningful symbol, or illustration, used in our text. In Joel 2:1,2 we read, “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand; a day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains.” Note that in this prophecy a trumpet is also associated with the coming of the day of the Lord. It symbolizes the proclaiming of a message, in this case a warning of trouble coming upon the earth, a symbolic day of darkness, when the people would tremble.
Many of the prophecies associate these events with the return of Christ and the ushering in of his “day of the Lord.” The Lord’s own people fulfil this prophecy of trumpet-blowing, at least in part, for it is our privilege now to call attention to the testimony of God’s Word which explains the meaning of present world events. Actually we think that this trump of God will continue to sound throughout the entire period of Christ’s kingdom, announcing the pertinent events which the Lord will want the subjects of that kingdom to know.
This symbolic trumpet is styled “the trump of God” because it sounds during the day of the Lord, and its message pertains, not to what man is accomplishing, but to what the Lord is doing in preparation for the establishment of the messianic kingdom. It is not a literal trumpet, any more than “the shout” and “the voice of the archangel” are literal. While much has already been accomplished throughout the earth as a result of these three manifestations of divine intervention, only those of the Lord’s people who are watching the “signs” of his presence understand the significance of what is taking place.
Sleeping Saints Awakened
Describing a further work of the Lord at the time of Jesus’ return, the Apostle Paul said, “The dead in Christ shall rise first.” Jesus promised his disciples that when he came he would receive them unto himself, and here Paul is explaining to some extent the manner in which this promise is fulfilled. The faithful followers of the Master throughout the age did not receive their heavenly reward with Jesus immediately upon their death. Paul wrote that there was “a crown of righteousness” laid up for him, which the Lord would give him “at that day,” and not to him only, he added, “but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (II Tim. 4:6-8) Paul was among “the dead in Christ” who were awakened from death and highly exalted to be with the invisible, glorified Jesus when he returned.
Paul further explains that those who are alive and remain “shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” Here is the further use of pictorial language—“clouds” and “air.” Clouds, in the prophecies, denote trouble—the “storm clouds of trouble”—and we have already seen that as a result of our Lord’s return there is “a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.” The faithful followers of Jesus receive their exaltation—being “caught up”—amidst, or during, this trouble. The “air” is simply a symbol of spiritual power or control, and the saints are exalted to live and reign with Christ a thousand years for the blessing of mankind with “restitution.”
Thereafter
The King James Version reads, “Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with” the “dead in Christ” who rise “first.” The Greek word here translated “then” means, according to Prof. Strong, “thereafter.” Prof. Rotherham translates it, “after that.” It is clear from the passage, therefore, that after the faithful ones who fell asleep in death throughout the age are awakened and are with the Lord, those alive at the time of his return would remain for a time, “thereafter” to be “caught up,” or exalted, to be together with the awakened sleeping saints.
The Greek word translated “together,” in the expression “caught up together with,” is the same one also translated “together” in I Thessalonians 5:10, where, in speaking of Christ, Paul says “whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.” Obviously, the thought here is “close association,” as indicated by Prof. Strong as being one of the meanings freely attached to this Greek word. All the true followers of Jesus will ultimately be together—closely associated—with Jesus by virtue of their exaltation to the divine nature; but, as Paul explains, the sleeping saints are first raised and afterward those “who are alive and remain.”
In I Corinthians 15:50-52 Paul gives us further information concerning the resurrection and exaltation of Jesus’ followers. We quote, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the [rulership phase of] the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.”
Paul here speaks of a “mystery” concerning the resurrection and exaltation of the body members of Christ. True, the resurrection is always a mystery to our finite minds, but Paul is calling attention to a special mystery, a mystery connected with the time when the “last trump,” “the trump of God,” would sound, or, in other words, in “the day of the Lord.” He said that all the saints would not sleep in death. Paul is one who did sleep, and so did the saints who died down through the centuries of the Gospel Age. But he explains that in the time of the sounding of the trump of God it would no longer be necessary to sleep in death, meaning simply, in harmony with his statement in our text, that those who would be “alive and remain,” while they would need to finish their covenant of sacrifice by being faithful unto death, would not need to sleep in death, but would, at the moment of dying, receive their share in “the first resurrection.”
This is the class referred to in Revelation 14:13, where we read, “Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them.” It is clear from this that at a certain time, mentioned as “from henceforth,” those who would die in the Lord would not need to remain asleep in death. The time indicated in the context of this promise is the “harvest,” which Jesus said would be “the end of the age.” (Matt. 13:39) These participate in the “harvest” work while they “remain” in the flesh, and they join with their Lord in the same work when they finish their course in death. How clear this precious truth becomes when we put together all the scriptures bearing on it, and what a blessing it is to be living in this wonderful time in the outworking of the divine plan!
Paul said that we should “comfort one another with these words,” and truly they are comforting words. They should be comforting words to all who have an ear to hear and believe the promises of God. They assure us of the glorious progress of events in the plan of God—events which lead not only to the “first resurrection” of those who will live and reign “with Christ a thousand years,” (Rev. 20:4) but also, and soon thereafter, to the general resurrection of all the dead. May we endeavor to be faithful witnesses to this glorious Gospel of the kingdom.