tribulation

Christ’s Return

The Old Testament prophecies that predicted the birth of Jesus Christ also talked about a time when Christ would return to the earth and rule over all people and kingdoms. Differentiating between the events of Christ’s first and second coming is sometimes difficult because of an intersecting event that ties these two time periods together, what Jesus referred to as “the last day” (John 12:48) and also as, “the day of judgment” (Matthew 12:36). Matthew, John, Peter, and James, the brother of the Jesus, all referred to Christ’s return in their writings and linked the topic of judgment to this event. Jesus taught his disciples about his second coming in his Sermon on the Mount. This lesson was prompted by a question from his disciples. Matthew 24:3 states, “As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things be and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?’” Jesus’ response made is sound is if his second coming might happen within his disciples’ lifetime. Events that were going to take place over thousands of years were condensed into a short synopsis of the key indicators of Christ’s return. Jesus told them:

“See that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will lead many astray. And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for this must take place, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.

Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” (Matthew 4-14)

One of the key indicators that Jesus identified as a sign of his second coming was people being led astray. Jesus said, “See that no one leads you astray…they will lead many astray…And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray” (Matthew 24:4-11). False prophets will not only be a problem in the last days. There were many false prophets in the Old Testament who were trying to keep the people of Israel from realizing that they were going to be taken into captivity. The LORD told Jeremiah, “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds” (Jeremiah 14:14). Leading someone astray involves an intentional effort to misguide a person in the course that they are taking. The Greek word translated lead astray, planao (plan-ahˊ-o) is translated as deceive in the King James Version of the Bible. It means, “to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue)” (G4105).

Jeremiah’s message about the day of judgment had to do with the people’s refusal to repent. Jeremiah said, “They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent” (Jeremiahs 5:3). Repentance is associated with the process of conversion which requires one to turn away from sin and to turn toward God. “The process called conversion or turning to God is in reality a re-turning or a turning back again to Him from whom sin has separated us, but whose we are by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption” (H7725). Because the people refused to repent, Jeremiah warned them about the impending disaster for Jerusalem and included a warning about false prophets. Jeremiah said, “An appalling and horrible thing has happened in the land: the prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule at their direction: my people love to have it so, but what will you do when the end comes” (Jeremiah 5:30-31). The end that Jeremiah was referring to was not the people of Jerusalem going into captivity. God said, “But even in those days, declares the LORD, I will not make a full end of you” (Jeremiah 5:18). When the end does comes, Micah prophesied that Christ will gather the remnant of Israel and set them together like sheep in a fold, and their king will pass on before them, “the LORD at their head” (Micah 2:12-13).

Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians dealt with a concern that those believers who had already died would miss Christ’s return (Introduction to the First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians). Paul mentioned Christ’s return when he conveyed his longing to see the Thessalonians and also in his discussion of Timothy’s encouraging report. Paul asked, “For what is our hope or joy or crown of boasting before our Lord Jesus at his coming? Is it not you?” (1 Thessalonians 2:19). Paul wanted the Thessalonians to know, “the same Jesus who ascended to heaven will come again (Acts 1:11) at the end of the age (Matthew 24:3)” (note on 1 Thessalonians 2:19). Paul went on to say, “Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus, direct our way to you, and may the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, as we do for you, so that he may establish your hearts blameless in holiness before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his saints” (1 Thessalonians 3:11-13). Paul indicated that the Lord Jesus will bring all the saints who have died with him when he returns. The Greek word hagios (hagˊ-ee-os) is “spoken of those who are purified and sanctified by the influences of the Spirit, a saint. This is assumed of all who profess the Christian name” (G40).

Peter talked in detail about the day of judgment in his second letter. Peter introduced the topic by making reference to the predictions of the Old Testament prophets (2 Peter 3:2) and the commandment of Jesus in which he stated that it was not for the apostles “to know the times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority” (Acts 1:7). Peter said, “The heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly” (2 Peter 3:7), and then, explained that the delay of Christ’s return is to allow more time for people to be saved. Second Peter 3:8-10 states:

But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

Jesus’ second coming will ignite a series of events that will conclude with God creating a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 21). Peter argued that because this was how everything is going to end, we should be living lives of holiness and godliness, eagerly awaiting Christ’s return (2 Peter 3:11-12). Although Christ’s “authority is not readily discerned by the world at the present time, it will be made visible by his apokalypsis (G602), or ‘revelation’ (2 Thessalonians 1:7). The power and glory that Christ possesses will then be unveiled and disclosed to the world” (note on 1 Thessalonians 2:19).

The worthless shepherd

Jesus described himself as the good shepherd and said, “The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John10:11). Along with himself, Jesus identified another character who would interact with God’s people whom he likened to helpless sheep. Jesus said of this other shepherd, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber” (John 10:1). Jesus indicated that the other shepherd would gain access to God’s people by climbing into the sheep pen by another way rather than using the door. Jesus said of himself, “I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture” (John 10:9). This comment suggests that the other shepherd will not be concerned with the salvation of people’s souls but will steal and kill and destroy by replacing Jesus’ gospel message with another form or means of godliness. Jesus told his followers to “beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). Jesus alluded to the other shepherd being a wolf when he said, “He who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them” (John 10:12).

The other shepherd that Jesus warned his followers about is mentioned in the book of Zechariah in the context of the Messiah, the coming King of Zion. Zechariah 9:9-17 predicts Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (cf. Matthew 21:4-7; John 12:14, 15). “Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem and the people’s rejection of him marked the end of Daniel’s sixty-ninth ‘week.’ Zechariah’s prophecy then continues with a discussion of the period of God’s dealing with Israel in the seventieth ‘week’ of Daniel. In the end times, Israel will no longer rely on military power but on the ‘Prince of Peace’ who will exercise worldwide dominion” (note on Zechariah 9:9-17). Zechariah’s prophecy concerning the other shepherd is recorded in Zechariah 11:15-17. It states:

Then the Lord said to me, “Take once more the equipment of a foolish shepherd. For behold, I am raising up in the land a shepherd who does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs.

“Woe to my worthless shepherd,
    who deserts the flock!
May the sword strike his arm
    and his right eye!
Let his arm be wholly withered,
    his right eye utterly blinded!”

Zechariah identified the other shepherd as God’s “worthless shepherd.” The worthless shepherd is raised up by God to show the people of Israel the error of their ways. Zechariah 11:15-17 “is a description of the Antichrist that will come (cf. Revelation 13:1-10). The prophecy does not end, however, without revealing the doom of the Antichrist (v. 17)” (note on Zechariah 11:15-17). The Antichrist is referred to in Revelation 13:1-10 as “the beast.” It says in verses 5-8, “And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to exercise authority for forty-two months. It opened its mouth to utter blasphemies against God, blaspheming his name and his dwelling, that is, those who dwell in heaven. Also it was allowed to make war on the saints and to conquer them. And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation, and all who dwell on earth will worship it, everyone whose name has not been written before the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who was slain.”

Daniel’s vision of the end times (Daniel 9:24-27) took place during the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the return of God’s people to the Promised Land after they had been in exile in Babylon for 70 years. “Daniel had been praying about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the return of his people. God gave Daniel a time frame for all his dealings with Israel. The prophecy pertains to Daniel’s people and the holy city (Daniel 9:24), and the beginning of the prophecy’s fulfillment was marked by the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25). The seventy ‘weeks’ (Daniel 9:24) refer to years. Some biblical scholars suggest that the sixty-nine ‘weeks’ until the Messiah would come (Daniel 9:25) began with the decree that was issued to Nehemiah in 445 BC and ended 483 years later on Palm Sunday (based on 360-day years; see Revelation 11:3; 12:6; 13:5). The phrase ‘an anointed one shall be cut off’ (Daniel 9:28) is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ. There is likely a gap, a feature that is characteristic of some prophesies, between the sixty-ninth and seventieth ‘week.’ If this is the case, then the ‘prince who is to come’ (Daniel 9:26) refers to the Antichrist, who will make a treaty with the Jews and then break it (Daniel 9:27). Jesus stated that the ‘abomination of desolation’ (referring to Daniel 9:27) would take place at the end of the age (Matthew 24:15)” (note on Daniel 9:24-27).

Zechariah’s prophecy about the coming King of Zion preceded a prediction about the restoration of Judah and Israel and a discussion of God’s flock being doomed to slaughter. God said:

My anger is hot against the shepherds,
    and I will punish the leaders;
for the Lord of hosts cares for his flock, the house of Judah,
    and will make them like his majestic steed in battle.
From him shall come the cornerstone,
    from him the tent peg,
from him the battle bow,
    from him every ruler—all of them together.
They shall be like mighty men in battle,
    trampling the foe in the mud of the streets;
they shall fight because the Lord is with them,
    and they shall put to shame the riders on horses. (Zechariah 10:3-5)

God’s reference to the shepherds in this passage has to do with the lack of spiritual leadership among his people. Ezekiel’s prophecy expanded on God’s condemnation of the shepherds of Israel (Ezekiel 34:1-10) and talked about Jesus’ ministry of seeking the lost, bringing back the strayed, binding up the injured, and strengthening the weak (Ezekiel 34:14-16). Ezekiel went on to talk about the LORD’s covenant of peace that would be established during the millennial reign of Christ. Ezekiel said, “They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them. They shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid. And I will provide for them renowned plantations so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the reproach of the nations. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, declares the Lord God. And you are my sheep, human sheep of my pasture, and I am your God, declares the Lord God” (Ezekiel 34:28-31).

Zechariah’s prophecy about the worthless shepherd indicated that Antichrist “does not care for those being destroyed, or seek the young or heal the maimed or nourish the healthy, but devours the flesh of the fat ones, tearing off even their hoofs” (Zechariah 11:16). This suggests that the ones who are most vulnerable to Antichrist’s attacks are believers who are spiritually fat or rather, well-versed in the Scriptures. This was true of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day, they knew the Scriptures backward and forward, and yet, they did not see their own hypocrisy in condemning Jesus’ disciples for not washing their hands when they ate (Matthew 15:1-6). Jesus said to these men:

“You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” (Matthew 15:7-9)

Jesus explained to a woman he met at a well in Samaria that worship is not about where you are worshiping, but about who you are worshiping. Jesus said, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:21-24).

Revelation 13:8 indicates there will be believers on the earth during the reign of Antichrist, but they will not worship the worthless shepherd even though he has been given authority over every tribe and people and language and nation (Revelation 13:7). It’s not clear whether these believers are among the 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel (Revelation 7:4) or are non-Jewish believers who are converted during the tribulation. It says in Revelation 20:4 that those who had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands were beheaded for their testimony of Jesus and for the word of God. At the end of the tribulation, these faithful worshipers of God will be resurrected and will reign with Christ for a thousand years. It says in Revelation 20:5-6, “The rest of dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.”

Suffering

Paul opened his second letter to the Corinthians with an explanation of why he hadn’t returned to visit them. Rather than sharing the details of what had happened to him , Paul talked about believers suffering. Paul told the Corinthians that God was their primary resource during difficult times and stated, “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3). The Greek word translated mercies, oiktirmos means pity (G3628). Oiktirmos has to do with the emotions of the heart and typically signifies compassion, a feeling of distress about the unfortunate circumstances of others.

Paul went on to explain that God comforts us in our suffering so that we can comfort others. The two Greek words Paul used that are translated comfort in 2 Corinthians 1:4 are parkaleo and paraklesis. These words mean, “to call to ones side” (G3870) or “a calling to one’s side (G3874). The idea Paul was conveying was togetherness. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that God was by their sides when they went through difficult circumstances and he also stated that God comforts us “so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God” (1 Corinthians 1:4, ESV).

Paul didn’t state it specifically, but he somewhat implied by his use of the word comfort that he was talking about the Holy Spirit when he said “the God of all comfort” (1 Corinthians 1:3). Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Comforter” (John 15:26). The Greek word translated Comforter, “parakletos is the one summoned, called to one’s side, especially called to one’s aid and is used of Christ in his exaltation at God’s right hand” (G3875). The Holy Spirit gives us divine strength so that we are able to undergo trials and persecutions on behalf of God’s kingdom.

One of the goals of a Christian’s life is to maintain peace and harmony (G4991). As we go through our daily routines, things can happen that interfere with our peaceful existence. Paul identified three kinds of suffering that Christians have to deal with in his explanation of why he hadn’t made it back to Corinth. First, Paul talked about tribulation (2 Corinthians 1:4) which can be anything that burdens our spirit (G2347). Paul also referred to this as trouble and said, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life” (2 Corinthians 1:8).

Paul also talked about the sufferings of Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5). At the heart Christ’s suffering were emotions that were caused by external influences on his mind (G3804). Most likely Paul was referring to spiritual warfare, but this kind of suffering can also be caused by people who are abusing us, those who try to manipulate us into doing things we don’t want to do. Another scenario Paul mentioned was being afflicted (2 Corinthians 1:6). Affliction is the pressure of circumstances (G2346). According to Paul, affliction is what bonds us with other believers. Out of affliction comes the notion that we are in this together. Paul was essentially trying to tell the Corinthians, I feel your pain and I wish I could be there with you.

Even though he was unable to visit them in person, Paul wanted the Corinthians to know they were very important to him. Paul took his ministry responsibility seriously and didn’t intend to just leave the Corinthians hanging. In order to assure them of his commitment to return, Paul reminded the Corinthians that God had called him to minister to them and said, “I call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you I came not as yet unto Corinth” (2 Corinthians 1:23). Paul had intended to encourage the Corinthians when he returned for a second visit, but because of his own suffering, Paul decided to write to them rather than talk to the Corinthians face to face.

A spiritual revolution (part two)

Paul’s first missionary journey changed the course of history in that it turned the tide toward non-Jewish conversions to Christianity. After they were expelled from Antioch in Pisidia, Paul and Barnabas traveled east to Iconium where the multitude of the city became divided between loyalty to the traditional teaching of the Jews and Paul’s gospel message (Acts 14:4). The problem Paul and Barnabas faced in Iconium was that things turned violent. A plot to stone them to death caused the two missionaries to flee to Lystra and Derbe, “and unto the region that lieth round about” (Acts 14:6). While they were in Lystra, Paul healed a man that had been crippled from birth (Acts 14:8-10). This miracle caused the people of Lystra to associate Paul and Barnabas with the Greek gods Zeus and Hermes. It says in Acts 14:11, “And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lift up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.”

The people of Lystra seemed to be ignorant of or perhaps, chose to ignore the existence of the god that created the universe. In his argument against worshipping false deities, Paul encouraged the people of Lystra to turn from their false religion to the living God, “which made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all things therein: who in times past suffered the nations to walk in their own ways.” (Acts 14:15-16). Even though he was able to convince the people of Lystra that he was an ordinary man like them, Paul’s accomplishment backfired when Jews from Antioch and Iconium arrived and persuaded the people of Lystra to stone him. Luke’s description of this incident (Acts 14:19-20) suggests that Paul’s death was never verified, but Paul’s account in 2 Corinthians 12:2-4 of a man that was caught up to the third heaven and heard words that could not be repeated is thought to be a personal testimony of what happened to him after he was stoned to death in Lystra.

In spite of the dangerous situations they faced in the cities they had already preached in, Paul and Barnabas returned to Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (Acts 14:20-21) in order to further establish and strengthen the churches started there. Luke tells us Paul and Barnabas were “confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). The Greek word translated tribulation, thlipsis means “‘a pressing, pressure’, anything which burdens the spirit” (G2347). Thlipsis is used in Revelation 7:14 to refer to the great tribulation that is expected to take place just before the millennial reign of Christ. Paul’s statement “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” seems to suggest that satanic attacks or spiritual warfare are a normal part of Christian life and must be endured by every believer. Paul and Barnabas’ example of courageous perseverance made their first missionary journey a tough act to follow.