The Second Coming Of Christ

Home \| Foundation Truths \| Original Sin & Eternal Punishment \| C L Parker \| Bill Turner \| Bibliography \| Contact
< > Chapter Five Will the Church go through the Great Tribulation Can Christ come at any moment without any predicted signs preceding His Advent? The Scriptures teach that Jesus will not return until certain signs have come to pass, however, some teach that Christ can return at any moment without any prior signs taking place, we will now show why this view is not correct. Does "Coming as a thief," mean "an any moment coming?" Some take Christ's coming “as a thief in the night,” to mean that He will secretly return without any prior signs. However, Paul writes, in 1Thes.5v2., that Christ's coming “as a thief” will bring “sudden destruction” on the wicked, “and they shall not escape.” Peter also states, in 2Pet.3v10., that Christ's coming “as a thief” will be “with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up.” Hardly a secret coming! Christ's coming will be “as a thief” to the wicked, it will certainly be a fearful unexpected shock to them. In 1Thes.5v2-4., Paul tells us that the day of the Lord will come upon the world as a thief, but it will not overtake us as a thief. Christ's coming will surprise the world, but it will be no surprise to the watching informed Church. Lk.21v34-36. 2Pet.1v19. 3v2,10-15. Paul states that the Church will still be on earth, when Christ comes to destroy Antichrist, not taken to heaven years before in a secret rapture. 2Thes.1v5-11. 2v1-12. Jesus warns us that lack of watchfulness and prayer, ignorance of the Scriptures, and a carnal worldly life will have serious consequences in the last days, and can lead to apostasy. Lk.21v34. Mt.24v42-51. 25v1-30. Christ's second coming was a day only known to the Father. Some say that our Lord's words, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only,” teach that the coming of Christ can occur at any moment. Mk.13v32. Mt.24v36,42. They ignore the fact that these verses are in a context of signs, which specifically state that our Lord's coming is at a preordained time. Mt.24v32,33. Mk.13v28,29. Jesus said that when these signs come to pass, we shall know that his second coming “is near, even at the doors.” Mt.24v33. Jesus tells us that we will know the year of His coming by the fulfilment of certain specific signs, and mentions the prophecy of Daniel as a Scripture proof of this fact. We read in Dan.9v27., that Christ will return 3½ years after Antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel. During His humanity Jesus said that He did not know the day of His second coming; however, since His exaltation and glorification He undoubtedly knows the day and time of His return. The phrases, “must shortly come to pass,” and, “the time is at hand,” in Rev.1v1,3. and 22v10., must be interpreted in the light of God's eternal being, to whom a thousand years is as but a day, as Peter warns us in 2Pet.3v8. Ps.90v4. Watching for His coming does not mean an any-moment coming. Some would say that such exhortations as “look for,” “watch,” “wait for,” and “be ready,” which are addressed to the Christ's apostles, indicate that Christ taught them to expect His second coming at any moment in Church history. In fact the very opposite is true, Christ taught that some of the signs that He foretold would take a long time to come to pass. It is just as possible to eagerly look for, wait for, and be ready for events that are far off, as it is to be ready for events in the immediate future. In 2Pet.3v13., Peter exhorts us to look for a new heaven and a new earth, however, though both Heaven and Earth are renewed at our Lord's second coming, this does not occur in its fullness until the end of the Millennium. Is.65v17-25. Rev.21v1. The Scriptures clearly tell us that Christians are to look for the glorious appearing of Jesus, not a secret any-moment coming. Lk.12v36. 21v27,28. Phil.3v20,21. 1Thes.1v9,10. with 2Thes.1v7-10. Titus.2v13. Christ's sure coming, not His immediate coming, is our purifying hope. Some say that if you do away with an any moment return of Christ, you do away with a great incentive to holiness and comfort. However, going into the presence of God by death is an any moment possibility for every believer, and so we should live accordingly. It is not the immediate coming, but the sure coming of Christ that is a purifying hope, and the fact that we will have to give an account of all of our Christian life, not just our condition at His appearing. 2Cor.5v8-11,15. We do not live righteously just because Jesus might come at any time and catch us misbehaving, but because He loved us and died for us, and we love Him in return, and love to keep His commandments. Jn.14v21-24. If we love Jesus we want to please Him and not be ashamed of our life when He returns. 1Jn.2v28,29. The coming of Christ is a great comfort to believers, not because we will miss the great tribulation, but because we shall see our dear Lord Jesus face to face, and be with Him forever. The last days will be so dark, that Christ's coming will be an even greater comfort and hope, because we know our Son of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings and will destroy the world's gross darkness. Mal.4v1-3. Titus.2v13. The early Church did not expect Christ to come at any moment. We have already considered some of these facts, however, further consideration will help to engrave them on our memories. Our Lord prophesied and told Peter that he would die a martyr's death as an old man. Jn.21v18,19. In 1Pet.1v14,15., Peter reminded his hearers about our Lord’s prophecy of his death. Paul also told Timothy that he was expecting to die for the faith. 2Tim.4v6-8. So both Peter and Paul were expecting to die, and not be raptured before death. Jesus could not return until Peter and Paul had died, and the many other signs, which He predicted would precede His coming, had come to pass. Jerusalem and the Temple had to be destroyed and the Jews regathered as an independent nation. Their holy of holies had to be rebuilt to fulfil Lk.21v20-24. This would obviously take a considerable time. The parables of Christ inform us that His return would take place after a considerable interval. Jesus said in the parable of the talents that, “after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.” Mt.25v19. And in the parable of the pounds Jesus expressly gave this parable to correct the wrong idea “that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.” Lk.19v11. Our Lord also said that the wheat and the tares will be gathered at the harvest at “the end of the age,” He said the tares are gathered first and destroyed before the kingdom gathering of the saints. Mt.13v24-30,36-43. Jesus said “at the end of the age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire.” Mt.13v47-50. The commission to go and teach all nations obviously has not been fulfilled even today. Jesus tells us that this must occur before His coming. Mt.24v14. 28v18-20 Mk.16v15. Jesus cannot return at any moment, for the Scriptures state the very opposite, they say that specific signs like this must come to pass before He returns. Is the second coming of Christ a secret coming, and is the rapture secret? The amazing distortion of the Scriptures by the pretribulation rapture advocates. When commenting on Matthew 24, one of the leading pretribulation rapture writers, states that the Church has been raptured “possibly between the eighth and ninth verses of this chapter.” This is a truly amazing twisting of the facts, for in Mt.24v26,27., Christ emphatically warns His disciples against the teaching of a secret coming. The only kind of second coming of Christ revealed in the Scriptures is a coming in glory. Titus.2v13. There is no other kind of coming either suggested or stated. The doctrine of a secret coming and a secret rapture stands in direct contradiction to the Scriptures. S. P. Tregelles, in His "The Hope of Christ's Second Coming," writes on pages 63 to 65. “Our Lord has promised that He will return in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and that then He will send forth His angels to gather His elect. The secret advent doctrine teaches that He will come privately, and that then He will raise His sleeping saints and change the living, taking them up to Himself a good while before His manifestation. The Scripture warns the saints of perilous times, and of evils in the latter day before the coming of Christ. The secret advent theory maintains that no such events can be known as would interpose an interval between the present moment and the coming of the Lord. The Scripture speaks only of Christ's second coming, until which He remains at the right hand of God the Father. The secret advent is a notion entirely opposed to this; for it represents our Lord coming in a private manner to take the Church to meet Him, and then at a future period (according to some, a long interval) coming in glory; and this some call His third coming. The Scripture teaches the Church to wait for the manifestation of Christ. The secret theory bids us to expect a coming before any such manifestation. Our Lord says that the wheat and tares shall be together in the field until the harvest. The doctrine of the secret rapture affirms that at some time considerably before the harvest, all the wheat shall have been removed, leaving only tares. Our Lord bids us look for certain signs, and use them in our watching. The advocates of the secret advent contradict this, saying that the signs are not for us. The Scripture tells us that the 'first' resurrection of the saints will be when the Lord has come forth as the conqueror, and that those will share in this resurrection who have suffered under the final Antichrist. The teachers of the secret doctrine say that the resurrection of the present Church will take place long 'before the first resurrection,' and before the manifestation of Antichrist. Is it not surprising that men with their Bibles in their hands, can be led to adopt a theory of doctrine which not only adds to Scripture, but contradicts it at all points? This is just the simple and natural consequence of the acceptance of the one leading addition to Scripture, that there shall be a secret coming of the Lord, and a secret rapture of His Church. When Christ distinctly states a truth, it might have been expected that at least those who profess to be His believing people would receive those words as conclusive; and thus it might have been thought that those only who avowedly reject His authority would deny the force of what He said. Now our Lord has expressly taught us that His coming shall not be secret: He has told us this, not only by saying that it will be manifest, but also by warning against any supposition of secret coming as suits some of the 'Jewish' notions. After speaking of the unequalled tribulation, He says, 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or there, believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders: insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert, go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightening cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.' Mt.24v23-27. No man with these words in his Bible, ought to accept the doctrine of any secret coming without feeling that he is casting off, in so doing, the authority of the Lord; for this is done, virtually, when the warning of Christ is treated as if He had taught the very reverse, and as if He had charged us to believe what, in reality, He says shall never be, and against the supposition of which He warns us.” End of Tregelles quote. If Christ's coming is secret, how do we know that it has not happened? If the coming of Christ is a secret coming, what proof have the secret rapture advocates that it has not already taken place? Thanks be to God, we are not left to such uncertainties, Peter tells us that the Scriptures are a sure guide to the second coming of Christ. 2Pet.1v19. However, if someone substitutes a secret coming for the glorious appearing of Christ, the prophetic Word of God becomes no guide at all, and even Christians may well ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?” The correct interpretation of the Typology of Noah and Lot. Some teach that Enoch, Elijah and Lot prove that the Church will be saved from the great tribulation. Our Lord clearly teaches the very opposite of this in Lk.17v26-30.; the flood that destroyed the world and the fire that fell and consumed Sodom, are used as pictures, not of the tribulation, but of the day of the Lord that follows that great tribulation. Christ uses these Old Testament characters as illustrations of truth, not as types, they are used to illustrate known facts, not to produce supposed facts. Christ stresses in Lk.17v22-37., that the day the saints are raptured is the day of God's wrath on the wicked, “they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.---The same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed. In that day, --- in that night --- one shall be taken and the other shall be left.” The day that shall burn as an oven is the day that the Son of righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings. Mal.4v1-3. Paul corrects the confused Thessalonians. The Christians at Thessalonica were confused about the Lord's return, they thought that the rapture, “our gathering together unto Him,” and the day of the Lord were at hand. 2Thes.2v1-12. They feared that they were in the terrible last days because of the dreadful persecution they were suffering. 1Thes.2v2,14. If there was to be a pretribulation rapture, here was the time for Paul to state it; but Paul does not give the slightest hint of such a doctrine; in fact he says the very opposite. Paul gives specific signs that would show them that the day of the Lord was at hand; the great apostasy, the revelation of Antichrist and his desecration of the holy of holies, and his destruction by Christ at His coming. 2Thes.2v1-12. Paul only spent three weeks at Thessalonica during his first visit there, so extensive teaching was not possible, and this is perhaps why they went astray on the doctrine of Christ's second coming. Acts.17v1-10. N.B. v2. The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are the same event. Some people say that the day of Christ and the day of the Lord are two different events, the first being the coming of Christ for His people, and the other being the revelation of Christ to the world at later date in judgement. This theory is quite unfounded, as they are both speaking of the same event. The folly of laying such an emphasis upon the difference of these two phases is seen when one considers such phases as, “that ye may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Cor.1v7,8. 1Thes.3v13. 2Thes.2v1. In the epistles of Paul the words “Christ” and “Lord” are used interchangeably, as reference to any concordance will show. See Eph.1v3,10,12,20. 3v6,17. 4v15,20 with Eph.2v21. 4v17. 5v8. 6v1,10,21. In the Scriptures “the day of the Lord” refers to Christians standing before the judgement seat of Christ. 2Cor.1v14. 1Cor.5v5. See 2Cor.5v9-11. The day of the Lord, the day of Christ's glorious appearing, is the hope of the Church and the day when Christians are judged and rewarded. Titus.2v13. Mt.24v30. 25v31. with 16v27 Lk.9v23-26. Rev.11v15,18. 1Cor.3v10-15. 4v1-5. 2Cor.5v8-11. See also 1Cor.1v8. 2Cor.1v14. 2Pet.3v12. Phil.1v6,10. Rev.1v7. Christ warned us not to believe in a secret advent and secret rapture, He tells us that He will not return until He comes in His power and glory. Mt.24v24-27. Lk.17v23,24. 21v8. Mk.13v21,22. Jesus sits at the right hand of His Father until He comes to destroy the wicked, there is no prior visitation years before for His saints. Ps.110v1. with Mt.22v41-45. Acts.3v20,21. In the light of these Scriptures, can anybody say that the day of the Lord and the day of Christ are different events? The proof is conclusive that they are interchangeable synonymous phrases speaking of the same event. The secret rapture doctrine is preparing the way for false prophets. Many Christian leaders have ignored the solemn warning of Christ that we must not look for a secret advent. Jesus warns us that it is false prophets who will teach that He will return secretly. Mt.24v23-27. The doctrine of a secret advent is a false doctrine that is preached by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and it is preparing the ground for even worse false prophets. Some false prophets of the last days will possess great satanic power, and show so many signs and wonders to substantiate their claims, that they will deceive many. Mt.24v23-31. Jesus tells us not to believe a secret coming because His coming will be as visible as a lightening flash, and His coming will be with power and great glory. Mt.24v23-31. The fulfilment of Acts.1v11., is a coming in glory. Rev.1v7-12. 14v14-20. Zech.14v4. We rise to meet Christ as He descends to set up His Kingdom and judge the earth. The Greek word for “meet” in 1Thes.4v17., is “apantesis,” it occurs in three places in the New Testament, in 1Thes.4v17. Mt.25v1,6. and Acts.28v15., and in all three cases the people concerned went out to meet someone, and then returned with the person they went out to meet. Christ taught that He would come in glory for His saints at the end of the great tribulation, when Antichrist's armies sack and surround Jerusalem like an evil brood of eagle vultures. Mt.24v27,28. Lk.17v22-24. 30-37. Rev.17v16 to 18v24. Our Lord Jesus gave His disciples the signs that would occur before His coming in glory, both He and His disciples only knew of one coming, as did Paul and the apostle John. 2Thes.2v1,8. 1Jn.2v28. 3v2. Rev1v7. Those who apply the teachings of Christ in Gospels on His second coming to the Jewish nation, leave the Church of Christ without any teaching from Christ as to what they may expect at the end of the age regarding His second coming. It is the utmost folly to say that Mt.24. Lk.17. and 21. and Mk.13. are accounts dealing with unconverted Jews. It is a tragic fact that many Christian leaders have readily accepted doctrine on Christ's second coming that is directly opposed to the Scriptures, and came into being through Margaret MacDonald's false prophecy. In 2Thes.2v1-8., Paul warns us that Antichrist must first be manifested and sit in God's Temple and claim that he is God before Christ can return, and that Christ will come for His own and destroy Antichrist at the same time, and warns us not to believe any teaching that tells us otherwise. 2Thes.1v5-11. How sad it is that many Christians have ignored Paul's warning and have been deceived by a false prophecy. N.B. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place after the day of the Lord. When is the marriage supper of the Lamb? Some confusion has arisen as to when the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place, however, Is.25v6-9. and Rev.19v1-9., tell us quite plainly that the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place after the wicked are destroyed on the day of the Lord and the Millennial kingdom is set up. The Scriptures make it quite plain that the day of the Lord is a day of judgement, at the end of the great tribulation, which ushers in the Millennial kingdom. Is.2v12. 13v6,9. 34v8. Joel.1v15. 3v14. Amos.5v18. Zeph.2v2,3. Zech.14v1-21. 2Pet.3v10. It is the time when the Lord comes for His people, and gives rewards to Christians. 2Thes.1v6-10. Rev.11v15,18. Mt.16v27. Lk.9v23-26. Paul says that it is at the day of Christ that he expects His reward. Phil.2v16. 1Cor.3v10-15. 2Cor.5v9-11. The day of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the hope of faithful Israel, as well as the hope of the Church. Oswald Smith, in his book, “God's future Program,” sums up the argument against an “any moment” rapture of the Church: “Then when I remembered that the death of Peter, his prediction of corruption and apostasy after his decease, the death of Paul, and many other events had to occur before the rapture, my “any moment” theory took wings and flew.” < >
The Disastrous Effects Of The Doctrine Of Original Sin \| By His Stripes We Are Healed \| The Book Of Revelation \| The Second Coming Of Christ \| The Baptism And Gifts Of The Holy Spirit \| The Comforter Is Come

Chapter Five

Will the Church go through the Great Tribulation

Can Christ come at any moment without any predicted signs preceding His Advent?
The Scriptures teach that Jesus will not return until certain signs have come to pass, however, some teach that Christ can return at any moment without any prior signs taking place, we will now show why this view is not correct.

Does "Coming as a thief," mean "an any moment coming?"
Some take Christ's coming “as a thief in the night,” to mean that He will secretly return without any prior signs. However, Paul writes, in 1Thes.5v2., that Christ's coming “as a thief” will bring “sudden destruction” on the wicked, “and they shall not escape.” Peter also states, in 2Pet.3v10., that Christ's coming “as a thief” will be “with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up.” Hardly a secret coming! Christ's coming will be “as a thief” to the wicked, it will certainly be a fearful unexpected shock to them. In 1Thes.5v2-4., Paul tells us that the day of the Lord will come upon the world as a thief, but it will not overtake us as a thief. Christ's coming will surprise the world, but it will be no surprise to the watching informed Church. Lk.21v34-36. 2Pet.1v19. 3v2,10-15. Paul states that the Church will still be on earth, when Christ comes to destroy Antichrist, not taken to heaven years before in a secret rapture. 2Thes.1v5-11. 2v1-12. Jesus warns us that lack of watchfulness and prayer, ignorance of the Scriptures, and a carnal worldly life will have serious consequences in the last days, and can lead to apostasy. Lk.21v34. Mt.24v42-51. 25v1-30.

Christ's second coming was a day only known to the Father.
Some say that our Lord's words, “But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only,” teach that the coming of Christ can occur at any moment. Mk.13v32. Mt.24v36,42. They ignore the fact that these verses are in a context of signs, which specifically state that our Lord's coming is at a preordained time. Mt.24v32,33. Mk.13v28,29. Jesus said that when these signs come to pass, we shall know that his second coming “is near, even at the doors.” Mt.24v33. Jesus tells us that we will know the year of His coming by the fulfilment of certain specific signs, and mentions the prophecy of Daniel as a Scripture proof of this fact. We read in Dan.9v27., that Christ will return 3½ years after Antichrist breaks his treaty with Israel. During His humanity Jesus said that He did not know the day of His second coming; however, since His exaltation and glorification He undoubtedly knows the day and time of His return. The phrases, “must shortly come to pass,” and, “the time is at hand,” in Rev.1v1,3. and 22v10., must be interpreted in the light of God's eternal being, to whom a thousand years is as but a day, as Peter warns us in 2Pet.3v8. Ps.90v4.

Watching for His coming does not mean an any-moment coming.
Some would say that such exhortations as “look for,” “watch,” “wait for,” and “be ready,” which are addressed to the Christ's apostles, indicate that Christ taught them to expect His second coming at any moment in Church history. In fact the very opposite is true, Christ taught that some of the signs that He foretold would take a long time to come to pass. It is just as possible to eagerly look for, wait for, and be ready for events that are far off, as it is to be ready for events in the immediate future. In 2Pet.3v13., Peter exhorts us to look for a new heaven and a new earth, however, though both Heaven and Earth are renewed at our Lord's second coming, this does not occur in its fullness until the end of the Millennium. Is.65v17-25. Rev.21v1. The Scriptures clearly tell us that Christians are to look for the glorious appearing of Jesus, not a secret any-moment coming. Lk.12v36. 21v27,28. Phil.3v20,21. 1Thes.1v9,10. with 2Thes.1v7-10. Titus.2v13.

Christ's sure coming, not His immediate coming, is our purifying hope.
Some say that if you do away with an any moment return of Christ, you do away with a great incentive to holiness and comfort. However, going into the presence of God by death is an any moment possibility for every believer, and so we should live accordingly. It is not the immediate coming, but the sure coming of Christ that is a purifying hope, and the fact that we will have to give an account of all of our Christian life, not just our condition at His appearing. 2Cor.5v8-11,15. We do not live righteously just because Jesus might come at any time and catch us misbehaving, but because He loved us and died for us, and we love Him in return, and love to keep His commandments. Jn.14v21-24. If we love Jesus we want to please Him and not be ashamed of our life when He returns. 1Jn.2v28,29. The coming of Christ is a great comfort to believers, not because we will miss the great tribulation, but because we shall see our dear Lord Jesus face to face, and be with Him forever. The last days will be so dark, that Christ's coming will be an even greater comfort and hope, because we know our Son of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings and will destroy the world's gross darkness. Mal.4v1-3. Titus.2v13.

The early Church did not expect Christ to come at any moment.
We have already considered some of these facts, however, further consideration will help to engrave them on our memories.
Our Lord prophesied and told Peter that he would die a martyr's death as an old man. Jn.21v18,19.
In 1Pet.1v14,15., Peter reminded his hearers about our Lord’s prophecy of his death. Paul also told Timothy that he was expecting to die for the faith. 2Tim.4v6-8. So both Peter and Paul were expecting to die, and not be raptured before death. Jesus could not return until Peter and Paul had died, and the many other signs, which He predicted would precede His coming, had come to pass.

Jerusalem and the Temple had to be destroyed and the Jews regathered as an independent nation.
Their holy of holies had to be rebuilt to fulfil Lk.21v20-24. This would obviously take a considerable time.

The parables of Christ inform us that His return would take place after a considerable interval.
Jesus said in the parable of the talents that, “after a long time the Lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them.” Mt.25v19. And in the parable of the pounds Jesus expressly gave this parable to correct the wrong idea “that the kingdom of God should immediately appear.” Lk.19v11. Our Lord also said that the wheat and the tares will be gathered at the harvest at “the end of the age,” He said the tares are gathered first and destroyed before the kingdom gathering of the saints. Mt.13v24-30,36-43. Jesus said “at the end of the age: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, and shall cast them into a furnace of fire.” Mt.13v47-50.

The commission to go and teach all nations obviously has not been fulfilled even today.
Jesus tells us that this must occur before His coming. Mt.24v14. 28v18-20 Mk.16v15. Jesus cannot return at any moment, for the Scriptures state the very opposite, they say that specific signs like this must come to pass before He returns.

Is the second coming of Christ a secret coming, and is the rapture secret?
The amazing distortion of the Scriptures by the pretribulation rapture advocates.
When commenting on Matthew 24, one of the leading pretribulation rapture writers, states that the Church has been raptured “possibly between the eighth and ninth verses of this chapter.” This is a truly amazing twisting of the facts, for in Mt.24v26,27., Christ emphatically warns His disciples against the teaching of a secret coming. The only kind of second coming of Christ revealed in the Scriptures is a coming in glory. Titus.2v13. There is no other kind of coming either suggested or stated. The doctrine of a secret coming and a secret rapture stands in direct contradiction to the Scriptures.

S. P. Tregelles, in His "The Hope of Christ's Second Coming," writes on pages 63 to 65.
“Our Lord has promised that He will return in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory, and that then He will send forth His angels to gather His elect. The secret advent doctrine teaches that He will come privately, and that then He will raise His sleeping saints and change the living, taking them up to Himself a good while before His manifestation.

The Scripture warns the saints of perilous times, and of evils in the latter day before the coming of Christ. The secret advent theory maintains that no such events can be known as would interpose an interval between the present moment and the coming of the Lord.

The Scripture speaks only of Christ's second coming, until which He remains at the right hand of God the Father. The secret advent is a notion entirely opposed to this; for it represents our Lord coming in a private manner to take the Church to meet Him, and then at a future period (according to some, a long interval) coming in glory; and this some call His third coming.

The Scripture teaches the Church to wait for the manifestation of Christ. The secret theory bids us to expect a coming before any such manifestation. Our Lord says that the wheat and tares shall be together in the field until the harvest. The doctrine of the secret rapture affirms that at some time considerably before the harvest, all the wheat shall have been removed, leaving only tares. Our Lord bids us look for certain signs, and use them in our watching. The advocates of the secret advent contradict this, saying that the signs are not for us.

The Scripture tells us that the 'first' resurrection of the saints will be when the Lord has come forth as the conqueror, and that those will share in this resurrection who have suffered under the final Antichrist. The teachers of the secret doctrine say that the resurrection of the present Church will take place long 'before the first resurrection,' and before the manifestation of Antichrist.

Is it not surprising that men with their Bibles in their hands, can be led to adopt a theory of doctrine which not only adds to Scripture, but contradicts it at all points? This is just the simple and natural consequence of the acceptance of the one leading addition to Scripture, that there shall be a secret coming of the Lord, and a secret rapture of His Church.

When Christ distinctly states a truth, it might have been expected that at least those who profess to be His believing people would receive those words as conclusive; and thus it might have been thought that those only who avowedly reject His authority would deny the force of what He said. Now our Lord has expressly taught us that His coming shall not be secret: He has told us this, not only by saying that it will be manifest, but also by warning against any supposition of secret coming as suits some of the 'Jewish' notions. After speaking of the unequalled tribulation, He says, 'Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo here is Christ, or there, believe it not. For there shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders: insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Behold, I have told you before. Wherefore, if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert, go not forth; behold, He is in the secret chambers, believe it not. For as the lightening cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.' Mt.24v23-27. No man with these words in his Bible, ought to accept the doctrine of any secret coming without feeling that he is casting off, in so doing, the authority of the Lord; for this is done, virtually, when the warning of Christ is treated as if He had taught the very reverse, and as if He had charged us to believe what, in reality, He says shall never be, and against the supposition of which He warns us.” End of Tregelles quote.

If Christ's coming is secret, how do we know that it has not happened?
If the coming of Christ is a secret coming, what proof have the secret rapture advocates that it has not already taken place? Thanks be to God, we are not left to such uncertainties, Peter tells us that the Scriptures are a sure guide to the second coming of Christ. 2Pet.1v19. However, if someone substitutes a secret coming for the glorious appearing of Christ, the prophetic Word of God becomes no guide at all, and even Christians may well ask, “Where is the promise of His coming?”

The correct interpretation of the Typology of Noah and Lot.
Some teach that Enoch, Elijah and Lot prove that the Church will be saved from the great tribulation. Our Lord clearly teaches the very opposite of this in Lk.17v26-30.; the flood that destroyed the world and the fire that fell and consumed Sodom, are used as pictures, not of the tribulation, but of the day of the Lord that follows that great tribulation. Christ uses these Old Testament characters as illustrations of truth, not as types, they are used to illustrate known facts, not to produce supposed facts. Christ stresses in Lk.17v22-37., that the day the saints are raptured is the day of God's wrath on the wicked, “they did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.---The same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. even thus shall it be in the day when the son of man is revealed. In that day, --- in that night --- one shall be taken and the other shall be left.” The day that shall burn as an oven is the day that the Son of righteousness shall rise with healing in His wings. Mal.4v1-3.

Paul corrects the confused Thessalonians.
The Christians at Thessalonica were confused about the Lord's return, they thought that the rapture, “our gathering together unto Him,” and the day of the Lord were at hand. 2Thes.2v1-12. They feared that they were in the terrible last days because of the dreadful persecution they were suffering. 1Thes.2v2,14. If there was to be a pretribulation rapture, here was the time for Paul to state it; but Paul does not give the slightest hint of such a doctrine; in fact he says the very opposite. Paul gives specific signs that would show them that the day of the Lord was at hand; the great apostasy, the revelation of Antichrist and his desecration of the holy of holies, and his destruction by Christ at His coming. 2Thes.2v1-12. Paul only spent three weeks at Thessalonica during his first visit there, so extensive teaching was not possible, and this is perhaps why they went astray on the doctrine of Christ's second coming. Acts.17v1-10. N.B. v2.

The day of Christ and the day of the Lord are the same event.
Some people say that the day of Christ and the day of the Lord are two different events, the first being the coming of Christ for His people, and the other being the revelation of Christ to the world at later date in judgement. This theory is quite unfounded, as they are both speaking of the same event. The folly of laying such an emphasis upon the difference of these two phases is seen when one considers such phases as, “that ye may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus Christ.” 1Cor.1v7,8. 1Thes.3v13. 2Thes.2v1. In the epistles of Paul the words “Christ” and “Lord” are used interchangeably, as reference to any concordance will show. See Eph.1v3,10,12,20. 3v6,17. 4v15,20 with Eph.2v21. 4v17. 5v8. 6v1,10,21. In the Scriptures “the day of the Lord” refers to Christians standing before the judgement seat of Christ. 2Cor.1v14. 1Cor.5v5. See 2Cor.5v9-11. The day of the Lord, the day of Christ's glorious appearing, is the hope of the Church and the day when Christians are judged and rewarded. Titus.2v13. Mt.24v30. 25v31. with 16v27 Lk.9v23-26. Rev.11v15,18. 1Cor.3v10-15. 4v1-5. 2Cor.5v8-11. See also 1Cor.1v8. 2Cor.1v14. 2Pet.3v12. Phil.1v6,10. Rev.1v7.

Christ warned us not to believe in a secret advent and secret rapture, He tells us that He will not return until He comes in His power and glory. Mt.24v24-27. Lk.17v23,24. 21v8. Mk.13v21,22. Jesus sits at the right hand of His Father until He comes to destroy the wicked, there is no prior visitation years before for His saints. Ps.110v1. with Mt.22v41-45. Acts.3v20,21.
In the light of these Scriptures, can anybody say that the day of the Lord and the day of Christ are different events? The proof is conclusive that they are interchangeable synonymous phrases speaking of the same event.

The secret rapture doctrine is preparing the way for false prophets.
Many Christian leaders have ignored the solemn warning of Christ that we must not look for a secret advent. Jesus warns us that it is false prophets who will teach that He will return secretly. Mt.24v23-27. The doctrine of a secret advent is a false doctrine that is preached by the Jehovah's Witnesses, and it is preparing the ground for even worse false prophets. Some false prophets of the last days will possess great satanic power, and show so many signs and wonders to substantiate their claims, that they will deceive many. Mt.24v23-31. Jesus tells us not to believe a secret coming because His coming will be as visible as a lightening flash, and His coming will be with power and great glory. Mt.24v23-31. The fulfilment of Acts.1v11., is a coming in glory. Rev.1v7-12. 14v14-20. Zech.14v4. We rise to meet Christ as He descends to set up His Kingdom and judge the earth. The Greek word for “meet” in 1Thes.4v17., is “apantesis,” it occurs in three places in the New Testament, in 1Thes.4v17. Mt.25v1,6. and Acts.28v15., and in all three cases the people concerned went out to meet someone, and then returned with the person they went out to meet.

Christ taught that He would come in glory for His saints at the end of the great tribulation, when Antichrist's armies sack and surround Jerusalem like an evil brood of eagle vultures. Mt.24v27,28. Lk.17v22-24. 30-37. Rev.17v16 to 18v24. Our Lord Jesus gave His disciples the signs that would occur before His coming in glory, both He and His disciples only knew of one coming, as did Paul and the apostle John. 2Thes.2v1,8. 1Jn.2v28. 3v2. Rev1v7. Those who apply the teachings of Christ in Gospels on His second coming to the Jewish nation, leave the Church of Christ without any teaching from Christ as to what they may expect at the end of the age regarding His second coming. It is the utmost folly to say that Mt.24. Lk.17. and 21. and Mk.13. are accounts dealing with unconverted Jews.

It is a tragic fact that many Christian leaders have readily accepted doctrine on Christ's second coming that is directly opposed to the Scriptures, and came into being through Margaret MacDonald's false prophecy. In 2Thes.2v1-8., Paul warns us that Antichrist must first be manifested and sit in God's Temple and claim that he is God before Christ can return, and that Christ will come for His own and destroy Antichrist at the same time, and warns us not to believe any teaching that tells us otherwise. 2Thes.1v5-11. How sad it is that many Christians have ignored Paul's warning and have been deceived by a false prophecy.

N.B. The Marriage Supper of the Lamb takes place after the day of the Lord.
When is the marriage supper of the Lamb? Some confusion has arisen as to when the marriage supper of the Lamb will take place, however, Is.25v6-9. and Rev.19v1-9., tell us quite plainly that the marriage supper of the Lamb takes place after the wicked are destroyed on the day of the Lord and the Millennial kingdom is set up. The Scriptures make it quite plain that the day of the Lord is a day of judgement, at the end of the great tribulation, which ushers in the Millennial kingdom. Is.2v12. 13v6,9. 34v8. Joel.1v15. 3v14. Amos.5v18. Zeph.2v2,3. Zech.14v1-21. 2Pet.3v10. It is the time when the Lord comes for His people, and gives rewards to Christians. 2Thes.1v6-10. Rev.11v15,18. Mt.16v27. Lk.9v23-26. Paul says that it is at the day of Christ that he expects His reward. Phil.2v16. 1Cor.3v10-15. 2Cor.5v9-11. The day of Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is the hope of faithful Israel, as well as the hope of the Church.

Oswald Smith, in his book, “God's future Program,” sums up the argument against an “any moment” rapture of the Church: “Then when I remembered that the death of Peter, his prediction of corruption and apostasy after his decease, the death of Paul, and many other events had to occur before the rapture, my “any moment” theory took wings and flew.”

< >