The apostle Peter tells us in his second Epistle 3:3 “That there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of his coming?” for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.
Yes, we can see these scoffers all around us, the world is full of them, in fact there has always been scoffers and unbelievers in every age, since the Lord Jesus went into Heaven after his resurrection, saying both in word and action, “where is the promise of his coming?”
It is true a lot of people believe and teach the second coming of the Lord Jesus, to set up the Kingdom and reign on earth, however there is a vast majority that believe not and would fall under the heading of the later day scoffers, some teach the Lords return but hold on to their old beliefs of an immortal soul and reward at death, heaven or hell, all of which eliminates the need of his second coming if they were true. Why should we even need a resurrection from the dead if all rewards have already been handed out at death?
We Have Hundreds of Proofs of his Second Coming
Where is the promise of his coming? If we believe the Bible to be the true, inspired word of GOD, then we have literally hundreds of clear and precise proofs and promises of his second coming in the New Testament alone. And if we believe not the written word of GOD, then we have only the looking forward to of the judgment, as Christ told the people of his day, “he that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him, the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day, these words, it would appear, would take care of all the scoffers of all ages, who had the opportunity to take hold of the inspired word of GOD and of Christ, and rejected it.
Where is the promise of his coming? Jesus said in Matt. 24:37 in speaking of a sign or a promise, “but as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the son of man be,” so how was it in the days of Noah? In Gen. 6:5 we read, “the Earth was filled with violence, and GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually; and it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart,” and the LORD said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth.” However we read in verse 8 that Noah found grace in the eyes of GOD. And Jesus continues in verse 38, “for as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the son of man be.”
The prophet Amos wrote some 800 years before Christ, He said, “surely the LORD GOD will do nothing but He revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.”
Let’s Look at Some Fulfilled Prophecies of his First Coming
Before going on with the search for a promise of his coming, let us look first at some fulfilled prophecy concerning his first coming as it was recorded in the Old Testament scriptures, with out going into chapter and verse, we will recall just a few, and see how they were fulfilled, even down to the smallest details.
We know how it was foretold that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, and it came to pass, how that he would have to flee into Egypt to save his life from the wicked Herod, this also came to pass, and how at the death of Herod he was recalled out of the land of Egypt, fulfilling that prophecy “Out of Egypt have I called my Son,” and in Matt. 2:23 we read, “And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, he shall be called a Nazarene.”
It was also foretold how he would preach the Gospel to the poor, heal the sick, give sight to the blind, and even raise some of their dead, also that he would be betrayed by one of his own, and how that he would be given a mock trial and by the use of false witnesses, condemned to death on the cross, all of these things did come to pass. It was even foretold how they would cast lots for his garments to divide them among themselves. This was fulfilled in detail by the Roman soldiers. It was prophesied how he would be numbered among the transgressors, and this came to pass as he was crucified between the two thieves.
Paul seems to be Describing our Days in his Letter to Timothy
Where is the promise of his coming? We are told in II Tim. 3:2 that in the last days perilous times shall come.”, men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, unthankful, unholy, true breakers, false accusers, despises of those that are good, traitors, high minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of GOD, having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof. Does this sound like the people of the world in which we live? If so, then it is one more sign or promise of his coming, as we notice the writer tells us it is in the last days these conditions are found; also we might ask ourselves, do any, or if so, how many of these conditions in II Tim. 3 fit our own life style?
Jesus said, in speaking of signs in Matt. among other things, there would be wars and rumors of wars, of course there have been wars for nearly six thousand years, and they, like all other evils have grown worse and worse, however a lot of us who are living now, can recall the horrors and the sorrows coming out of world wars one and two, which were fought only twenty-five years apart. Now with atomic and hydrogen energy available to so many nations we know that in world war three, there should no flesh be saved, except for the elects sake we are told that those days shall be shortened.
Where is the promise of his coming? We read from the prophecy of Habakkuk in 2:14, “For all the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea,” has this happened yet? Quite the contrary, mortal man in his six thousand years of rule over the earth has filled it with nothing but violence, wickedness, lust and crime in his mad pursuit of pleasure, fame, wealth and power. We are told that none doeth good, no not one, man hath not yet attained to the knowledge and wisdom of how to govern himself and his fellowman, much less how to fill the earth with the glory and knowledge of GOD.
Israel is God’s Fig Tree
Of course one of the greatest signs or promises of this century is the sign of the Fig tree in the parable of Matt. 24: 32. We know that throughout scripture, Israel is likened to, or symbolized by the fig tree, and Jesus said, in speaking of the later day signs, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree: when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, this generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. What generation was he speaking of? The same generation that saw the fig tree put forth leaves in verse 32. When did Israel become a nation? In May 1948, they put forth leaves and became The nation of Israel again after nearly 1900 years of dispersion throughout the world and the desolation of the land. Could this, the people of our days be The generation he spoke of in verse 34?
As we look back at the days of Noah, do we see any resemblance between his times and our own? We believe this question is answered for us in Rev. 11:18 by the Master himself as he spoke through John, on Patmos, and we read, “And the nations were angry,” could any one sentence describe the state of the word today more accurately? It would be hard to name a nation anywhere on the face of the earth that is not full of unrest, strikes, crime, riots, civil war, inflation, problems of all sizes and shapes that defy solution, every one demanding their rights, Governments being toppled like ten-pins, every man’s hand against his brother, yes the nations Are angry, but let us continue with verse 18, “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give rewards unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy, or corrupt the earth.”
We have only to look around us each day and watch the greatest of all dramas unfold before our very eyes to know we are living in the end time. In the news of the world each day we see the peoples and nations all over the globe deeply engrossed in those very things that caused GOD to send the flood in the days of Noah: and Christ said: “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at his second coming.
Where is the promise of his coming? Should we become discouraged or impatient, just let us remember the words of Peter as he exhorted the brethren saying,” The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long suffering to us. ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But beloved be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
And now in closing we would like to quote a few lines from a couple of our Hymns;
Yes:
Our Lord will come, but not the same
As once in lowly form he came,
A silent lamb, to slaughter led
The bruised, the suffering, and the dead
No.
This time he will come as the Lion of
the tribe of Judah
King of the Jews and of the world.
So.
Saints, lift up your heads, the day is near
When your redeemer shall appear,
To take the Kingdom and the throne,
and make his ransomed bride his own.
The Origin of the Organic World – Part One