Unanswered Questions Part 2
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Unanswered Questions Part 2
Unanswered Questions Part 2
Let me first of all compliment you all on how these messages about the second coming of Christ have been handled.
There may be some conversations happening that are not so positive that I am simply not aware of but I have have to tell you ALL the feedback I have been getting is positive.
Some of you have been fired up to study more, others are making sure they are not missing sermons and church because they want to know more and others are coming to Christ and surrendering to his Lordship through this.
With all this happening, I must continue to press on and with that I want to look at some more unanswered questions. I want to keep bringing some of these questions to the table.
I repeat again that
Primary: We are willing to die for
Examples: Jesus was God in the Flesh
Saved by grace through faith alone
Secondary: Baptism of infants
Third: Christian brothers and sisters in the same church disagree about the interpretation of scripture.
Some of these third doctrines you might disagree with me on but we can disagree on these third doctrines and still be friends.
I also realize that you might have your opinions on these questions that are unanswered and I would encourage you to listen with humility.
We start this morning with
The salvation of Israel
The salvation of Israel
Some believe this will happen before the return of Christ.
Others believe during the millennial rain of Christ.
Romans 11 speaks of a massive end gathering of the Jewish people who will believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
Let me bring some clarity about Jews. Jews who do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah are not Christ followers or Christians. Amy and I had the opportunity to go to Israel and it was not at all a Christian country. As a matter of fact, it was like 3% born again believers.
I saw many Jews in Israel and they were lost without Christ.
So the question is when will this salvation take place of Israel that the Bible speaks of.
Romans 11 seems to indicate a massive end gathering of Jewish people.
I ask, then, have they stumbled in order to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their stumbling, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
Now if their stumbling brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full number bring!
So that you will not be conceited, brothers, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery: A partial hardening has come to Israel until the full number of the Gentiles has come in.
And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written: The Liberator will come from Zion; He will turn away godlessness from Jacob.
And this will be My covenant with them when I take away their sins.
When it comes to the second coming of Jesus there is a lot of questions about who Israel is and what role does Israel play in the second coming?
We are not going to go in depth on this so let me summarize some of this for you.
All Christians believe in a future for Israel
So these promises in the Old Testament and specifically the New Testament who are they referring to when they speak of Christ.
Many Christians disagree on the identity of Israel.
An Ethnic people?
Is this the Jews who are scattered all around the world
A national state?
Israel’s independence was declared in 1948. This fueled speculation about the end times and this also effected political views.
The Church?
Some people believe the Church is the true Israel.
The Christ?
Is Israel simply a reference to Christ. Have all of God’s promises to and about Israel been fulfilled in Christ.
What we believe about Israel relates to the return of Christ. We could go more in depth on this and spend many Sunday’s trying to get the bottom of this but we are not going to do that.
So here are some conclusions.
We as Christians are heirs of a Jewish promise.
We as Christians are heirs of a Jewish promise.
This is why the promise is by faith, so that it may be according to grace, to guarantee it to all the descendants —not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of Abraham’s faith. He is the father of us all
in God’s sight. As it is written: I have made you the father of many nations. He believed in God, who gives life to the dead and calls things into existence that do not exist.
He believed, hoping against hope, so that he became the father of many nations according to what had been spoken: So will your descendants be.
He considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about 100 years old) and also considered the deadness of Sarah’s womb, without weakening in the faith.
He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
because he was fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.
Therefore, it was credited to him for righteousness.
Now it was credited to him was not written for Abraham alone,
but also for us. It will be credited to us who believe in Him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
He was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.
We are heirs of a Jewish promise.
Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say “and to seeds,” as though referring to many, but referring to one, and to your seed, who is Christ.
But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian,
for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.
For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment.
There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise.
We are heirs of a Jewish promise.
You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah.
Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.
In Christ there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all.
We are heirs of a Jewish promise.
We are saved by a Jewish Messiah.
We are saved by a Jewish Messiah.
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vineyard keeper.
For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.
Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us.
He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts.
We are saved by a Jewish Messiah.
We are passionate about Jewish mission.
We are passionate about Jewish mission.
I speak the truth in Christ —I am not lying; my conscience is testifying to me with the Holy Spirit —
that I have intense sorrow and continual anguish in my heart.
For I could almost wish to be cursed and cut off from the Messiah for the benefit of my brothers, my own flesh and blood.
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the temple service, and the promises.
The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God over all, praised forever. Amen.
We desire that all people from all nations, tribes, and races come to know Christ as the Messiah. This includes the Jewish people that they would come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.
I think again about our trip to Israel and all the lostness we experienced among Jews and Muslims.
I then contrast with some of the fundraisers or commercials I have seen on tv about supporting bringing Jews back to Israel. This is not the Jewish mission we need to be passionate about. We need to be passionate about sharing the Gospel with Jews that they would believe that Jesus is the Messiah and be passionate about this.
Is the second coming of Christ one event or two events?
Is the second coming of Christ one event or two events?
Two events
First, a secret coming for His church before the tribulation.
This is what is referred to as the rapture. Jesus does not actually touch down on earth but he comes and raptures the church before the tribulation.
Second, a public coming with His church after the tribulation.
One thing I do find interesting is that this rapture theory was not taught or spoken of until 1830 by John Nelson Darby. So this two events coming or the rapture of the church was not taught, wrote about or spoken of until 1830. That is a lot of years without any person interpreting scripture in this way.
I would say this belief has exploded in my life time among the church and particularly among southern baptist thanks to Tim Lahaye and Left Behind books.
Contrast to this position, there are others who believe that the second coming of Christ is one event.
A single moment when Jesus returns for his church.
Could Jesus come back at any moment?
Could Jesus come back at any moment?
Certainly how you respond to these “unanswered questions” will help you to understand weather or not you believe Jesus could come back at any moment.
Regardless of what you might believe about these questions scripture seems to teach that Christ could come back at anytime.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Let your graciousness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
For the grace of God has appeared with salvation for all people,
instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,
while we wait for the blessed hope and appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to cleanse for Himself a people for His own possession, eager to do good works.
Therefore, brothers, be patient until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth and is patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.
You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, because the Lord’s coming is near.
Brothers, do not complain about one another, so that you will not be judged. Look, the judge stands at the door!
But you, dear friends, as you build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit,
keep yourselves in the love of God, expecting the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ for eternal life.
The Bible talks about the second coming in such a way that fills the hearts of believers of every generation with anticipation for the second Coming of Christ.
“ The prophets were little interested in chronology, and the future was always viewed as imminent .... e Old Testament prophets blended the near and the distant perspectives so as to form a single canvas. Biblical prophecy is not primarily three-dimensional but two; it has height and breadth but is little concerned about depth, i.e., the chronology of future events .... e distant is viewed through the transparency of the immediate. It is true that the early church lived in expectancy of the return of the Lord, and it is the nature of biblical prophecy to make it possible for every generation to live in expectancy of the end.” George Ladd