No part of the world?
18 Jul '11 23:02Originally posted by SuzianneThanks for your comment, and I agree it's not all done. But is Jesus not capable of doing what needs to be completed from heaven?
Even you can see that His work on Earth is not finished, no?
Just because He currently sits at the right hand of the Father, that does not mean He is not coming back soon to fulfill the word of God.
But just think on a few scriptures here for a minute for me and see what you think about Jesus coming back to earth and what the bible says would be happening with his presence or the affects of his presence.
How would Jesus return?
Jesus who was received up from you into the sky will come thus in the same manner as you have beheld him going into the sky.” (Acts 1:11) How reassuring—Jesus’ ascension to heaven did not mean that he was finished with the earth and mankind! On the contrary, Jesus would be back. No doubt these words filled the apostles with hope. Millions of people today also attach great importance to the promise of Christ’s return. Some speak of it as the “Second Coming” or “Advent.” Most, though, seem confused about what Christ’s return really means. In what way does Christ return? When? And how does this affect our lives today?
According to the book An Evangelical Christology, “the second coming or return of Christ (parousia) establishes the kingdom of God, finally, openly, and for all eternity.” It is a widely held belief that Christ’s return will be openly visible, literally seen by everyone on the planet. To support this notion, many point to Revelation 1:7, which reads: “Look! He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, and those who pierced him.” But is this verse meant to be taken literally?
Remember, the book of Revelation is presented “in signs.” (Revelation 1:1) This passage, then, must be symbolic; after all, how could “those who pierced him” see Christ return? They have been dead nearly 20 centuries! Furthermore, the angels said that Christ would return “in the same manner” as he departed. Well, how did he leave? With millions watching? No, just a few faithful ones beheld the event. And when the angels spoke to them, were the apostles literally watching Christ’s journey all the way to heaven? No, a cloud cover had obscured Jesus from view. Sometime thereafter, he must have entered the spirit heavens as a spirit being, invisible to human eyes. (1 Corinthians 15:50) So, at most, the apostles saw only the beginning of Jesus’ journey; they could not watch its ending, his return to the heavenly presence of his Father, Jehovah. This they could only discern with their eyes of faith.—John 20:17.
The Bible teaches that Jesus returns in much the same way. Jesus himself said shortly before his death: “A little longer and the world will behold me no more.” (John 14:19) He also said that “the kingdom of God is not coming with striking observableness.” (Luke 17:20) In what sense, then, will ‘every eye see him’? To answer, we first need a clear understanding of the word Jesus and his followers used in connection with his return.
The fact is, Christ does much more than simply “return.” That word, like “coming,” “arrival,” or “advent,” implies a single event in a brief moment of time. But the Greek word that Jesus and his followers used means much more. The word is pa‧rou‧si′a, literally meaning a “being alongside” or a “presence.” Most scholars agree that this word incorporates not only an arrival but also a subsequent presence—as in a State visit from a royal personage. This presence is not a momentary event; it is a special era, a marked period of time. At Matthew 24:37-39, Jesus said that “the presence [pa‧rou‧si′a] of the Son of man” would be like “the days of Noah” which culminated in the Flood. Noah was building the ark and warning the wicked for decades before the Flood arrived and wiped out that corrupt world system. Likewise, then, Christ’s invisible presence lasts over a period of some decades before it too culminates in a great destruction.
Undoubtedly, the pa‧rou‧si′a is not literally visible to human eyes. If it were, why would Jesus spend so much time, as we shall see, giving his followers a sign to help them to discern this presence? However, when Christ comes to destroy Satan’s world system, the fact of his presence will be overwhelmingly manifest to all. It is then that “every eye will see him.” Even Jesus’ opponents will be able to discern, to their dismay, that Christ’s reign is real.—See Matthew 24:30; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; Revelation 1:5, 6.
The Messiah’s presence begins with an event that fulfills a recurring theme of the Messianic prophecies. He is crowned as King in heaven. (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Ezekiel 21:26, 27) Jesus himself showed that his presence would be tied to his kingship. In several illustrations, he likened himself to a master who leaves his household and slaves behind, traveling for a long time to a “distant land” where he receives “kingly power.” He gave one such illustration as part of his answer to his apostles’ question about when his pa‧rou‧si′a would begin; another he gave because “they were imagining that the kingdom of God was going to display itself instantly.” (Luke 19:11, 12, 15; Matthew 24:3; 25:14, 19) So during his time on earth as a man, his coronation was still a long time away, to occur in the “distant land” of heaven.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him: “What will be the sign of your presence and of the conclusion of the system of things?” Jesus responded by giving them a detailed description of that future time. (Matthew, chapter 24; Mark, chapter 13; Luke, chapter 21; see also 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Revelation, chapter 6.) This sign amounts to a detailed portrait of a troubled era. It is a time marked by international wars, rising crime, deteriorating family life, disease epidemics, famines, and earthquakes—not as localized problems but as globe-embracing crises.
Doesn't every passing day confirm that the last few decades fits Jesus’ description?
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