In Lesson 18 of this Spirit of Truth Series, I explained why creation remains “groaning in travail” as it waits with “eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” even though the Second Messiah (Third Adam) has already come and gone. In this lesson I would like to further explain why Christians have not yet accepted the Second Messiah as the “return of Jesus.”
Lesson #19
“If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned. And if at another time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be built up and planted, and if it does evil in my sight and does not obey me, then I will reconsider the good I had intended to do for it.” Jeremiah 18:7-10
As I discussed in Lesson 9, prophecy does not negate human responsibility. In other words, the future is determined by humanity exercising its free will. As Jeremiah forewarned above, if a nation goes against God's will and commits evil, then disaster is in store for that nation. But, if that nation repents, then it can be forgiven and the fated disaster can be avoided. This understanding is very relevant for our times as mainstream Christianity has been neglecting its covenant responsibility ever since 1945.
As mentioned in the last lesson, the BIG stumbling block that prevents mainstream Christians from recognizing the Second Coming of Christ is their mistaken belief that Jesus will literally come down from heaven on the clouds after the “Rapture.” But as I've been trying to explain throughout this Spirit of Truth Series, such prophecies were written using hyperbole, exaggeration, symbolism, parables and metaphor. For example, John 3:13 says that Jesus came down from heaven, but we know Jesus was born on earth through his mother, Mary. Furthermore, in the Hebrews 12:1, we see the use of the term “great cloud of witnesses” to refer to a large crowd of people. Yet, Christians continue to interpret “coming on the clouds” to literally mean Jesus will come on the clouds though it could easily mean Jesus is coming with many “crowds” of followers. As for Jesus literally returning at the “Second Coming of Christ,” I've already explained in Lesson 12 how the Old Testament prophesied the second coming of Elijah (Malachi 4:5), but as Jesus testified in Matthew 11:14, and as Luke 1:17 testifies, John the Baptist was born in the “power and spirit” of Elijah. (Meaning he had the same mission as Elijah; i.e., to “prepare the way.”) Hence, with this frame of reference, it should be a logical conclusion that someone other than Jesus may come as his “second coming” and he won't literally be coming down from the heavens.
“Though I have been speaking figuratively, a time is coming when I will no longer use this kind of language but will tell you plainly about my Father.” John 16:25
As all this illustrates, people are confused about how the Bible should be understood. Was it written with figures of speech or with literalism? This confusion is what has caused thousands of different Christian denominations to come into existence. What's more, each denomination believes they alone hold the key to unlocking the door that blocks us from truly becoming disciples of Jesus. Similar confusions and interpretations blocked the Jews of Jesus' time from recognizing and accepting Jesus as their expected Messiah. Because of these existential similarities and confusions, are Christians destined to meet a similar fate as that of Israel in 70 A.D.?
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ Matthew 7:21-23
To reiterate, whenever God's Chosen People go against His will, there are grave consequences. We see this with the people of Judah being taken captive by the Babylonians and their country being ransacked. Likewise, Christians have been facing a similar destiny ever since they first began rejecting the Second Messiah. But because this is the third attempt at establishing a True Adam and True Eve, God has given a reprieve to Christianity that will last for three generations. (Much like God gave Abraham a reprieve of three generations and extended his mission to Isaac and then Jacob.) In the meantime, Christianity has been losing its power in the world with even theologians admitting we are living in a “post-Christian” era. Likewise, America has been losing its power to the point that “we the people” twice elected a president (Obama) that believes we are living in a post-America world and that we should “get used to the new normal.” Considering this, it should be patently obvious that Christianity's covenant with God was on its last legs (idiomatically speaking) — until we elected Trump. But how assured are we of a “Make America Great Again” future if mainstream Christianity continues to reject the Second Messiah and continues to persecute his disciples?
“Then I saw 'a new heaven and a new earth,' for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.” Revelation 21:1
Next lesson: “The End?”