Welcome to a firm foundation presented by Princeton ministries with Dr. Ken Smith. This is Carol Smith, Ken’s wife. Please enjoy.

Our God and our father. We ask now that the words of my mouth, the meditations of our hearts, would be acceptable in your sight, for we ask it in Jesus name. Amen. If you were to ask a Jehovah’s Witness, when will Christ return? His answer would be, why, Jesus Christ has already returned three times. He returned first according to the Jehovah’s Witness in 1874 when Jesus returned to the upper air. He returned a second time in 1914 when he was in as the king of heaven. And again he returned in 1918. And in that year Christ returned to dedicate the temple of Jehovah and to speak a word of judgment upon the world. If we lived in 1840 there was a man by the name of William Miller. William Miller was a farmer who turned into a Bible teacher.

He became the founder of the 7th day Adventist Church. William Miller, when you asked him the question, when will Jesus Christ return? Miller said he will return on March the 21st, 1843. And so Miller and all of his followers gathered waiting for that blessed day. And March 21 came and went, leaving behind a very disappointed William Miller. But do not be worried, for their enthusiasm for the return of Christ erupted very quickly following that disappointment. And the 7th day Adventist founder William Miller through his followers declared that there had been a slight miscalculation and we can look forward to the return of Jesus Christ on October 22, 1839. And undaunted, the followers of Miller gathered with greater excitement, anticipating the return of Jesus.

As a matter of fact, so great was their anticipation of the return of Christ that the Millerites gave up their occupations. Farmers left their crops in the fields. In Philadelphia, a sign on the door said, this shop is closed in Honor of the king of kings who will return about the 20 October. And there were some reports that the Millerites gathered in their white ascension robes expecting the second return of Jesus Christ. And that day came, passed. There was no second appearing. But instead there was a second disappointment for the Millerites. Five years later William Miller would die. And inscribed on his tombstone are these words at the time appointed the end shall be. In recent years we have found others who have attempted to tell us when Jesus Christ is going to return.

Hal Lindsay has written a book, a very popular book which has sold multiple millions of copies entitled the late great Planet Earth. Hal Lindsay predicts that Jesus Christ is going to certainly make his second coming no later than the year 2000. Well, there seems to be a great deal of confusion on the part of the church as to the return of Jesus Christ. When will it occur? There also seems to be a great deal of ignorance on the topic. All you have to do is announce that you’re going to recite a date, and large convention halls will be filled as people come to hear one prophet or another give his calculated time for the return of Christ. And I think one of the greatest questions that can occupy the mind of a Christian is the question, when will Jesus Christ return?

And that’s what I want to talk with you about today. There are several things that we must understand as a foundation for understanding when Christ will return. First, we want to understand that this has always been a teaching of the Christian church. This is not some new doctrine that has crept into the church in recent days. As a matter of fact, Gibbon, who himself was no follower of Christ, in writing about the decline and fall of the roman empire, said this, the ancient and popular doctrine of the return of Christ. The millennium, appears to have been the reigning sentiment of all orthodox believers. If were to trace the history of this doctrine from the first century church, we would find that it was believed by all of the church fathers.

And perhaps the statement of Tertullian summarizes the thought of the early church when he said, Christ will come again with glory. Now, I spent this week looking at all of the confessions of the church, regardless of denominational background, and found a very interesting truth, and that is that all of the creeds of all of the Christian denominations make reference to the return of Jesus Christ. And if you were to look also very closely at those creeds, you would find that not a single confession ever attempts to set a day by which Jesus Christ must return. If were to look at the apostles Creed, which we state each week, we state that Jesus Christ will return to judge the quick and the dead. We find in the Nicene Creed. This statement, he will come to judge the living and the dead.

In the Lutheran church, their confession is called the Augsburg Confession. And there this statement, our Lord Jesus Christ will return on the last day for judgment. Presbyterians and other reformed believers look to the Westminster confession of faith. And here we find this statement. As Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment, so will he have that day, unknown to men, that they may be always. It may surprise you to learn that the Baptists have a confession. Usually we think of the Baptist church as not having doctrinal ties. But if you look historically, you will find the New Hampshire confession adapted by the Baptist churches of 1833 said this, God hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Jesus Christ.

And in 1925 they added this phrase, the time of his coming is not revealed. The Church of England, the Anglican church, says, he ascended into heaven, and there sixtieth until he returns. Well, when will Christ return? Theologians have tried to give various answers to this question, and in a broad stroke you’ll find that all of these attempts to answer when Christ will return focus on a chapter of scripture that is very important. And that chapter is the book of Revelations, chapter 20. Because in revelation chapter 20 there is a phrase that occurs. It occurs only six times in the Bible, and all of those times it occurs in revelation chapter 20. And that phrase is the word millennium. The word millennium is a Latin word which means 1000 years.

And it is the 20th chapter of revelation that has called untold discussion about when Jesus Christ will return. Before we look at the various interpretations of Revelation 21st, we need to understand what the millennium is. And according to revelation 20, we know that the millennium is a period of 1000 years. It begins with the binding of Satan and Jesus Christ, reigning with authority over his creation. Now, the millennium, according to this same chapter, ends with the destruction of Satan, who is then cast into the lake of fire with all of those who would be of his family. It is also at the end of the millennium we read that the resurrection of both the dead and the living will occur. And it is at the end of the millennium that the men and women will stand before the judgment seat of Jesus Christ.

It is also at the close of the millennium, this thousand year period, that there will be brought into this creation a new heaven and a new earth. Now, all of that is agreed to by various interpretations of Revelation chapter 20. But there are three distinct interpretations of that chapter. One is called the premillennialist view and the pre millennialist. Taking the prefix pre meaning before, we would then assume that Christ is going to return before the millennium, before the thousand years of the reign of Christ. And so in the premillennialist interpretation of Revelation chapter 20, they declare that the millennium has not yet occurred, for there must be a tribulation that the church must endure. And some say that the church will not be there for that tribulation. And at the close, Christ will return, bringing in the thousand years of his reign.

And then, according to the premillennialists interpretation, then what will happen is at the end of that thousand years, Satan, who was bound for a thousand years and not able to exercise any authority, will be loosed for a brief time and ultimately destroyed. Now, there is a second interpretation of the millennium, and that is the post millennialist view here, post meaning after that, Christ is going to appear after the millennium. Now you say, but where will he be in the meantime? Well, the belief of the post millennialists is that the ministry of the church, through the preaching of the word, is going to make the world better and better, until finally the world has reached a point that we can declare, this is the millennium, all is perfect. And after that thousand years, Christ returns.

According to the post millennialist, this was a very popular view at the turn of the 20th century. And the reason it was popular is that there seemed to be, for a period of 510, 1520 years, a sense in which the world was getting better, many new inventions, many new exciting things happening. But then World War one came, and that destroyed the belief in the post millennial view that the world is going to get better and better. And if you were to read books around that time, you’ll find many theologians who were post millennialists. But there is a third interpretation of this chapter that is called the millennialist view. The word means no.

And so the amillennialist believes that there will be no literal 1000 year period of the millennium, but rather that the word millennium is a symbolic word that means a very long time where Christ shall reign and be in control of Satan. And you ask, well, when does the amillennial millennialist believe that Christ will do that? Well, the amillennialist believes that occurred when Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and is now seated at the right hand of his father, and because he is sitting in power and authority, that the church now is in the millennium, that Christ spiritually is in control of his creation, that Satan does not bother man nor woman without the direct intervention of God, who controls Satan’s activity through Jesus Christ.

And the belief of the amillennialist is that Christ is reigning and that there is coming a day when this world shall end and we will all stay stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Well, what does the Bible teach about the return of Christ? Well, first we want to see that Jesus Christ has promised to return. When he spoke to his servant John, he said, surely, I come quickly. It was Jesus who declared, the son of man shall come in the glory of his father with his angels. It was Jesus who declared, I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again. It was Paul who taught that we are to judge nothing before the time until the Lord comes. And when we take the Lord’s supper.

We are told in scripture, as often as we eat this bread and drink this cup, we do show the Lord’s death till he comes. The apostle John declared, behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him, and they also, which pierced him, and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him in the closing book of revelation. In the closing verses of that book, we read, even so, come, Lord Jesus. The very heartbeat of the scripture is the return of Christ. There are many who say that you cannot read a single book from Genesis to revelation without finding either a veiled reference or a direct reference to the return of the Son of man. And you cannot read the words of Jesus without understanding his promise that he is going to return. Well, how then, will he come?

Well, let me first say how he will not come. He will not come spiritually. For we live in the age where Christ is here spiritually, and that he makes his gift of eternal life open to all who would receive him by faith, by putting our trust in the crucified Christ. When Jesus comes the next time, it will not be a spiritual presence, as he is present here spiritually with us. But he will come physically. He will come in his full body. He will come in the flesh. We read in revelation one seven, behold, he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him. Charles Spurgeon said, if this were talking about a spiritual return, then it would have said, every eye shall perceive him. But that’s not what the text says. It says that every eye shall see Jesus Christ.

Even those who have unspiritual eyes are going to see him on that day. Those who in this life gazed upon Christ with contempt, with disbelief. There is coming a day when even those unspiritual eyes will see Jesus Christ bodily. This same Jesus who ate a piece of broiled fish with his disciples, this Jesus who said, handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as you see I have. So first, that Christ will return bodily in the flesh. Secondly, that he will be seen by all, both the living and the dead. Every eye is going to see Jesus when he returns. There will be no one who can say, I can’t see him. It will not be like taking your child to a parade. And they keep jumping, saying, I can’t see the parade.

The scriptures say, no, that every eye will see Jesus Christ when he returns. And the scripture teaches also that both the living and the dead will see him. The sea will give up the dead. Those who have laid long in the grave. The scriptures say that even those cemeteries will be opened and the dead shall rise. Kings and peasants will see him. Scholars and simpletons will see him. Those mummies that were wrapped ages ago will be revealed to see him. Those who rest under slabs in cemeteries and even Westminster Abbey will see him. Those untold thousands, millions who were buried in the catacombs of Rome they shall see him. Judas shall see him. Herod shall see him. Pilate shall see him. The crowd shall see him. You shall see him also. We should see that when Christ returns, he will come unexpectedly.

Listen to the words of Jesus who said, watch, therefore, for you know not what hour your Lord will come. Watch, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour when the son of man will come. But of that day and of that hour knoweth no man, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the son, but the Father. Let me ask did you wake up this morning thinking that today you might see Jesus Christ? That this might be the day when Christ would return? Or did you wake up this morning bleary eyed wondering what you were going to have for breakfast? Don’t wear that tie. It doesn’t match. And what about tomorrow? Is that a day when Christ might return? Or is tomorrow the beginning of the work week? You must return to your labour. And what about next month?

Is that a good time for Christ to return, you say? No, I’ve got a vacation planned. I’m planning on that advancement at work. Let me ask you, what day would be a good day for Jesus to return if you think that today is an unlikely candidate for the return of Christ. And remember, he will come as a thief in the night. He will come when you least expect him. Do you expect him to come in the next minute? Then that minute is the precise moment that we should be expecting his return. There are many who say, well, Jesus Christ hasn’t returned yet and I don’t think he ever will. It’s been 2000 years and I certainly don’t expect him to come today or ever. Well, the scripture speaks about that problem. We read in two Peter, chapter three.

Where is the promise of Christ’s coming? For since the fathers fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. But the Lord will come as a thief in the night. I was introduced recently to a poem written by Archibald McGleesh who himself was no Christian. But he does speak about that last day. And he puts it in the context of a group of people who are at a circus. A strange place to be on the last day. But McGleesh says the armless ambidextrous was lighting a match between his great and second toe. And Ralph the lion was engaged in biting the neck of Madame Sussman while the drum pointed. And tiny was about to cough in waltz time, swinging Jocko by the thumb. Quite unexpectedly, the top blew off.

And there overhead, there hung over those thousands of white faces, those dazed eyes. There in the starless dark, the poise, the hover. There with vast wings across the cancelled skies, there in the sudden blackness, the black Paul. And what was it that McLeish said that they all saw as they looked up? He says there was nothing. Nothing, nothing at all. But you and I know better. For on that day when the top is blown off of this creation, we will not look up into the face of nothing. We shall look into the face of Jesus Christ. When will Jesus Christ return? I know the answer. There is a precise time when Christ will return. And the scriptures tell us, the Lord shall descend from heaven with a shout, and all shall end. And we shall know at that moment that Jesus Christ has returned.

Let us pray. Our God and our Father, we thank you for the blessed hope of the return of Jesus Christ. And Father, we pray that you would cause us to look at that day with great anticipation, that even this next moment there may be a shout. And Christ shall return. Help us to be wise. Help us not to be fools. Help us to live our days in the light of the return of Christ, for we ask it in his name. Amen.

Thank you for listening to a firm foundation presented by Princeton Ministries. This programming is supported by you, the listener. You may go to our website, princetonministries.org, or send your donation to Princeton Ministries Post Office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. That’s Princeton Ministries, post office box 2171, Princeton, New Jersey 08543. The Lord bless you. And Dr. Smith looks forward to hearing from you.