The second coming will be different from the first. The second coming of Jesus Christ What will happen during the 2nd coming of Christ
John F. MacArthur
Jesus answered and said to them, “Beware that no one deceives you, for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will deceive many. You will also hear about wars and war rumors. See, do not be horrified, for all this must happen, but this is not the end yet: for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, pestilences and earthquakes in places; yet this is the beginning of illness. Then they will hand you over to torture and kill you; and you will be hated by all nations because of my name; and then many will be offended, and will betray one another, and will hate one another; and many false prophets will arise and deceive many; and because iniquity increases, the love of many will grow cold. He who endures to the end will be saved. And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" ( Matt. 24:4-14)
The actual Olivet Sermon begins in verse 4, which Jesus delivered in response to the disciples’ question: “Tell us, when will this be? And what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age? (v. 3). As stated in the previous chapter, the Twelve “thought that the kingdom of God was about to be opened” (Luke 19:11), and the events of the last few days had cemented this thought even more firmly in their minds. They had long believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that John the Baptist was His prophesied forerunner. The crowd's greeting at Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, the condemnation of the religious leaders, and His prediction of the destruction of the temple all led them to believe that the Lord would soon reveal His messianic glory, subdue the nations that rebelled against Him, and establish His eternal Kingdom. . They were unable to accept Jesus' numerous predictions that He would first suffer, die, and be resurrected.
The disciples thought that Jesus' preaching, healing, consolation, judgment, and restoration of Israel would all occur during the same period of time. Like the Old Testament prophets who spoke about the Messiah, the disciples imagined only one Coming, including a whole series of events (see, for example, Isa. 61: 1-11).
Perhaps the first key to understanding that the Coming of Christ would occur in two stages was Jesus’ reading of this passage from the book of the prophet Isaiah during a service in the synagogue of Nazareth. Jesus stopped short of reading verse 2, omitting the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God.” Then He explained, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:18-21). Jesus emphasized that at that time He did not come to judge, but to preach the Gospel and heal diseases.
But since the disciples did not understand His prompting, as well as many other specific teachings that He came to die for the sins of the people, they expected Jesus to complete His messianic mission then, perhaps in the next few days or so. weeks The students were expecting something dramatic. They felt that the Son in Isa. 9:6 was ready to place upon His shoulders the government of the Kingdom of God, and that the stone which was cut out of the mountain without hands (Dan. 2:34) was ready to destroy the power of wicked men. The Messiah, the Prince, was ready to put an end to sin, stop iniquity, bestow everlasting righteousness, and become the anointed King, the holiest of all kings. They looked forward to how the Son of Man would soon be given an eternal kingdom and glory. They were convinced that very soon Israel would turn to the Lord and call on His name, and that the Lord would say, “These are My people,” and they would say, “The Lord is my God!” (Zech. 13:9).
But in the Olivet Sermon, Jesus makes it clear that all this will happen in the future. Chapters 24-25 of the Gospel of Matthew are a prophetic sermon that tells the twelve disciples about a time that has not yet come, about a time in which they themselves will not live.
There are at least six indications in the sermon itself that it is talking about the distant future and that it cannot be applied to events associated with the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD, as many interpreters believe, or to the era Churches, as others suggest.
The first such sign is birth pangs, where false Christs (Matt. 24:5), wars between nations (vv. 6-7a), famines and earthquakes (v. 7 b) are only the “beginning” (v. 8). The figurative expression “birth pangs” was often used by ancient Jewish writers, especially in connection with the end times. The great modern Jewish scholar Alfred Edersheim writes: “The Jewish scriptures very often speak of the birth pangs of the Messiah.”
The pangs of birth do not occur at the time of conception or during pregnancy, but just before birth. Therefore, the figurative expression “birth pangs” could not personify either the destruction of Jerusalem that occurred at the beginning of the Church era, or the Church era itself as a whole.
Paul reminded the Thessalonians that Christ would come as a thief comes at night—unexpectedly, quietly, and suddenly. Using the same figurative expression that Jesus used in the Olivet Sermon, the Apostle said: “When they say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then destruction will suddenly come upon them, just as the pain of childbirth comes upon one who is pregnant, and they will not escape” (1 Thess. 5:1-3).
The pangs of birth begin just before labor, and contractions gradually become more frequent until the baby is born. In the same way, the events associated with the Lord's return will begin immediately before His Coming and will quickly increase and intensify until they turn into a series of catastrophes. This same period is depicted in the book of Revelation as the seals of judgment are broken and events unfold, probably over several years (see 6:1-8:6). Then the trumpet judgments occur in a much shorter period of time, probably weeks (see 8:7-9:21; 11:15-19), and the bowls of God's wrath are poured out on the earth, most likely over a period of days or even hours (see . 16:1-21).
The second indication that these events belong to the future is noted in Matt. 24:13-14, where Jesus talks about believers who will endure birth pangs to the end. Since the disciples clearly did not live to see the end of the age, the events of chapters 24-25 could not apply to them or to other believers, including those living today. All believers who will be alive at that time will be raptured immediately before the Great Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:17), so all these events will not affect them. These events can only apply to those who believe in Christ during the Great Tribulation, whose true faith will be confirmed by their perseverance to the end (Matt. 24:13).
The third sign is the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world (Matt. 24:14). This event completely excludes the apostolic era, when even the Roman Empire was not entirely evangelized. Nor can this event be applied to our time when, despite the spread of the Gospel through modern media throughout the world, there are still billions of people who have never heard the Gospel. In Matt. 24:14 is implied, and in Rev. 14:6-7 explains that the future proclamation of the gospel throughout the world that Jesus speaks of will happen miraculously and in an instant.
The fourth sign is “the abomination that makes desolate, [spoken] through the prophet Daniel” (Matt. 24:15). Daniel predicted that just before the Messiah would establish His Kingdom and judge the world, the Antichrist would “[stop] sacrifice and oblation, and the abomination that makes desolate will be upon the pinnacle of the sanctuary, and the final decreed destruction will come upon the desolator” (Dan. 9:27). This has yet to happen.
The fifth sign that Jesus is talking about future events is “great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, nor will there be” (Matt. 24:21). The terrible events that Christ describes in this sermon will be the most tragic in the history of mankind, and they will occur at the end of the age, when the full and final judgment of God will be poured out on wicked people. Jesus speaks of the time prophesied by Daniel when “a time of trouble will come, such as never was since men existed until this time,” which will be accompanied by the resurrection of the righteous to eternal life and the wicked to eternal damnation (Dan. 12: 1-2).
The sixth sign is “after the tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven” (Matthew 24:29-30). These supernatural events have clearly not yet occurred.
The seventh and final sign that Jesus was talking about the distant future is illustrated by the fig tree (Matt. 24:32-35). Just as the budding leaves of the fig tree indicate the approach of summer, so the events that Christ mentions here will be a sign of His near Coming. “This generation will not pass away,” that is, the generation that will live at the end of the age, “after all these things have happened” (v. 34). The signs described in Matt. 24-25, will take place before the eyes of one generation - the generation that will witness the Coming of Jesus Christ.
Thus, everything that Christ said in the Olivet Sermon will be fulfilled in the future. This does not mean that most of the circumstances and events mentioned here have never occurred before. There have been wars and rumors of war practically since the time of the flood; Throughout history, humanity has suffered from famine, and earthquakes have occurred throughout history. But the events recounted in Matt. 24-25 will be unique and end-time, both in description and in consistency, scope and power. Some of them, such as the destruction of the physical universe (24:29), will be completely unique.
The fact that Jesus spoke in the second person, especially in chapter 24, is not proof that He spoke to the disciples about their generation. The Old Testament prophets also often addressed their words to distant descendants. God miraculously transported the prophet to the time about which he was to prophesy. And the prophet seemed to be directly addressing people of future generations (see, for example, Isa. 33:17-24; 66:10-14; Zech. 9:9). Jesus was essentially saying, “You who live at that time...”
Since Matt. 24:4, Jesus answers the disciples' questions: “When will this be? And what is the sign of Your coming and the end of the age? (v. 3). But He gives the answer in reverse order. Jesus does not address the question of “when” until 24:36, where he declares, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but only My Father.” In 24:4-14, Jesus answers the second question by naming the first six signs, the “birth pangs,” that will begin immediately before His Coming: the deception of false Christs (vv. 4-5), enmity between the nations of the world (vv. 6-7a) , widespread catastrophes (vv. 7b-8), the delivery of believers to suffering (vv. 9), the apostasy of professed believers (vv. 10-13) and the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world (v. 14).
John F. MacArthur, Interpretation of the Books of the New Testament, Gospel of Matthew, 24-28, Slavic Evangelical Society, 2008
“Watch therefore, for you do not know at what hour your Lord will come. But you know that if the owner of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for at an hour you do not think, the Son of Man will come.”
(Matthew 24:42-44)
Will Christ Come Secretly?
One day, a father gave his little son a wristwatch. He was so happy that in the evening he had difficulty falling asleep. The next morning the family was getting ready to go for a walk outside the city. Everyone got up quite early to finish some household chores and get ready. Sasha was still sleeping, clutching a gift in his hands.
His father was about to wake him up when he suddenly heard a desperate cry from the boy’s room. Excitedly, he rushed there. The son sat on the bed and looked at his watch. Seeing his father, he breathed a sigh of relief and an embarrassed smile appeared on his face.
What happened, Sasha? - asked the father.
What time is it, dad?
Half past nine,” he answered, looking at his watch, “what time is it on yours?”
Sasha handed his watch to his father in full confidence that he would deal with all these hands much better than he. It turns out that the new clock was not wound and stopped at half past two.
When the boy woke up, the house was quiet, the sun was high, and the clock showed afternoon. Sasha decided that everyone had left, leaving him alone, and he missed the country walk. In the evening he was so excited that he forgot to wind his watch.
Some believe that this is how the coming of Christ will happen: one day they will wake up and see that their loved ones have been taken alive to heaven. The basis for such assumptions are the texts of the Holy Scriptures, which say that Christ “will come like a thief in the night” (2 Peter 3:10; Matthew 24:43).
Christ will come unexpectedly for those who are not waiting for Him. The Son of God Himself says very clearly that the coming of the Savior will not be secret.
Knowing that Satan would try to fake His coming, Christ left us the exact details of His Second Coming in the Bible. He said, “For false Christs and false prophets will arise and show great signs and wonders...” (Matthew 24:24).
If we are unaware of the signs of the coming of Christ, if we are unable to detect a fake, we will find ourselves captive to the deception of this impostor, believing that Christ Himself is before us.
The Son of God was not talking about some clumsy forgeries. He meant incredible impostures - so carefully planned and carried out that almost the entire world would be deceived by them! These impostors will perform miracles, heal the sick, trying to validate their claims with the help of the supernatural.
Imagine that one evening you turn on the TV, the news program reports that “Christ” has returned - and is now in St. Petersburg, healing the sick, working miracles, preaching about love, peace and Christian unity. Thousands of people travel to see “him.” They begin to bow before “him” and receive “his” blessings.
What will you do? Buy a plane ticket and hurry to St. Petersburg to join those deceived thousands of gullible people?
This can happen to anyone who does not know what the Bible says about the coming of Christ. The Son of God warned: “So if they say to you, “Behold, He is in the wilderness,” do not go out; “Behold He is in the secret chambers,” do not believe” (Matthew 24:26).
Christ advised us not to go and look at the impostor. Why? His miracles and charm can deceive us. He can teach like Christ; to heal like Christ; speak like Christ, “so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).
We should not rely on our feelings, on what we see, hear or feel!
How can you recognize an impostor? The Bible is our only true guide. What does the Bible say about the Second Coming of Christ?
The Bible says the coming of Christ will be visible
“For as lightning comes from the east and is visible even to the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man” (Matthew 24:27).
We will not need to ask anyone if Christ has come - everyone will know about it! You will see His coming for yourselves, for the Bible says: “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him...” (Revelation 1:7).
Every eye will see Him. The eyes of old and young, the eyes of the blind and the seeing, the eyes of the saved and the sinners will see Him.
Christ said: “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30).
Christ will not appear secretly in some provincial town and will not emerge from a flying saucer. He will come on the clouds with power and great glory, and every eye will see Him!
The Bible says that everyone will hear about this event
Satan would have to call on all of nature to help him fake the coming of Christ. The picture of the Lord's return is given in the pages of Scripture:
It is impossible to hide an earthquake - especially one when mountains are leveled to the ground and islands are destroyed!
But that is not all. The coming of Christ will not only be visible, it will be heard. God's call and the sound of the trumpet will be so pervasive that the dead in Christ will awaken and rise from their graves. “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
Now you understand that Satan will not be able to depict the real coming. Until you see all this exactly happening, know that this is not Christ before you. Remember that it is not Christ if the graves are not opened and your loved ones who love God and believe in Him come out of them.
The following will happen to the living righteous at the Second Coming of Christ: “Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Faithful followers of Jesus Christ will be caught up with the resurrected dead to meet the Lord in the air. What joy of reunion many families will experience!
The Apostle Paul reports that something amazing will happen at the coming of Christ: “I tell you a secret: we will not all die, but we will all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we will be changed; For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:51-53).
The Lord grants life to every faithful follower. All other gifts lose their meaning without the gift of immortality. But this is not the only reward of God to His people: “... we are waiting for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body so that it will be like His glorious body” (Philippians 3:20-21).
Body like Christ! There will be no more illness, pain, suffering! What news could be more welcome?!
What will Christ look like when he returns to earth?
We need to know this! After the resurrection, the Lord spent some time with His disciples, giving them final instructions, assuring them of His love and presence with them “even to the end of the age.” The time had come for the Son of God to ascend to the throne of the Heavenly Father, and He, standing with arms outstretched for blessing, began to slowly rise from the ground. The disciples raised their eyes to the sky, trying to capture in their memory the image of their beloved Lord, and suddenly: “He rose up in their sight, and a cloud took Him out of their sight... During His ascent, two men in white clothes suddenly appeared to them and said : ...This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him going into heaven” (Acts 1:9-11).
The same Jesus Christ! Christ in flesh and blood. With the same pierced hands, with the same wound in the chest. The same Christ who spoke, traveled and prayed with the disciples. The same Christ who ascended into heaven on the clouds will return “in the same way”!
It will be difficult for an impostor to fake all this.
The Bible says this coming will be in glory
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31).
He will not come alone! He will appear with His angels - and the heavens will be filled with indescribable glory! When one single angel rolled away the stone from the tomb of Christ, the shocked Roman guard fell to the ground. So the glory of just one angel shone unbearably! Imagine the glory of “thousand thousand angels” who will accompany Jesus Christ.
The glory of Christ will be dazzling. Every eye will see the Son of God as He approaches the earth. It will no longer be the Man of Sorrows in a crown of thorns who will appear before people, but the mighty Conqueror in a crown of glory with all the armies of heaven, His holy angels! No pen is able to describe this picture, no mortal mind is able to comprehend such magnificence:
“On His robe and on His thigh is written His Name: King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 19:6).
The saber-rattling and wars are over. The wicked cry out to the mountains and stones for deliverance. They do not want to meet face to face with the One whom they rejected and did not want to recognize as their Creator and Savior: “And the kings of the earth and the nobles, and the rich, and the captains of thousands, and the mighty... hid themselves in caves and in the gorges of the mountains, and they speak to the mountains and stones: fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne... For the great day of His wrath has come, and who can stand?” (Revelation 6:14-17).
They are lost and they know it! What a sad picture, but everything could have been different! If we are deceived, if we are not ready for the coming of Christ, we will lose everything, there will be no second opportunity. There is nothing more important on earth than to be ready to meet Christ.
But the righteous will feel completely differently on that day. They will joyfully raise their eyes to heaven and exclaim with gratitude for their salvation: “Here is He, our God! We trusted in Him, and He saved us! This is the Lord; we trusted in Him; Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation!” (Isaiah 25:9).
Christ is coming! Just a little more
And every eye will see Him:
And those who now reject God
And those who crucified Him in anger.
Christ is coming! No, not in a crown of thorns,
To suffer for us again on Golgotha, -
He comes, crowned with eternal glory,
To gather the redeemed on earth.
Where will you and I be at that beautiful hour,
Day of triumph, victory over sin,
Day of meeting the winners, day of happiness
All those who followed only Christ?
Who, loving his neighbor, in self-forgetfulness
I revered the Law of the Creator with all my heart,
Who envy and enmity in holy humility,
How did you extinguish an alien flame with love?
Shall we not run to the mountains and stones,
To hide us from God's face,
Indulging in fear, forgetting about the main thing,
In the consciousness of a sad end?..
My friend! Hurry while you still have the right
Part with your sin in life!
And you will meet Jesus in wondrous glory
With a face beaming with joy!
That day is coming! Just a little more -
And everyone will see the coming of Christ!
And may your path be harsh, the road difficult -
Your lips will sing the victory anthem!
Thinking out loud:
The Bible speaks clearly and definitely about the glorious coming of Christ:
His coming will be visible: “Behold, he comes with clouds, and every eye will see him” (Revelation 1:7).
This event will be heard by all nations throughout the entire earth: “For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). “The dead in Christ will rise first, and the living will be caught up in the clouds” (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Christ will come in the glory of the angels: “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him” (Matthew 25:31).
The coming of Christ will divide people into two groups: “those waiting for His appearance: “Here is He our God!”: and those who do not want to meet Him: “saying to the mountains and stones: fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne!” - Christ wants to see us among the saved.
Second Coming of Jesus Christ
Orthodoxy professes another important doctrinal truth - the dogma of the second coming of Jesus Christ. This truth was communicated by the angels and Apostles to more than two thousand followers of the Lord at the moment when He ascended into heaven, in full view of those present. The angels said to the witnesses of Christ's ascension: “Men of Galilee (residents of Galilee, an area in Palestine), why are you standing and looking at heaven? Jesus will also come to earth just as He ascended.” Since then, humanity has been awaiting a new, Second Coming of Jesus. It will be fundamentally different from the first one. Christ will come to earth not as an ordinary, earthly person, but in the radiance and light of the divine. He will come as the king of a spiritual state, the Kingdom of God.
By this time, the spiritual harvest will be over - people will have already made a choice between good and evil, God and the devil. Everyone will make a choice in their soul, determining their place in the heavenly hierarchy; conscience will give everyone a final verdict on the spiritual height of the individual’s life. Before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, another global event will take place - the Resurrection of the dead and the transfiguration of the living. The souls of dead people will be reunited with their bodies again, but this will be a different connection - from the dust, according to spiritual memory, the soul will restore its bodily appearance. This event will affect all the dead. The people who will live on Earth at this time will also change, their bodies will undergo the same transformations as the bodies of the dead. The myriads of those who have come to life and who are living will form two worlds, the Kingdom of God and hell.
These events are preceded by the last incidents in the earthly history of mankind. A creature will be born on earth, in every way the opposite of Jesus, who received the name Antichrist in theology. The birth of the Antichrist was predicted by John the Theologian, the author of the Apocalypse.
Since the interpretation of the text has many variations, it is possible that there are inaccuracies and some passages of revelation still baffle interpreters. The generally accepted meaning is:
It is known that the Antichrist will be born from a Jewish woman, a woman of easy virtue, from the ancient Jewish family of Dan. The father of the Antichrist will be unknown, and he himself will remain in the shadows of history until he is thirty years old, the age of Jesus Christ at the time of his public preaching. Just as in Jesus two natures were united, divine and human, similarly in the Antichrist two essences will be united - demonic and human. He will be an inhuman. Just as in Christ, God-manhood was preceded by a long chain of human births of the righteous and saints, so the Antichrist will be preceded by a chain of wicked ancestors. The Antichrist will take part in public activities and will be known as a politician who will stop the bloody war and form a huge state in which he will be proclaimed the supreme ruler. He will promise people peace and prosperity. All people will hear it at the same time, says the Holy Scripture, pointing to modern means of communication. He will cancel cash, and each person's individual number will be applied to the forehead or right hand. With the help of this personal number, according to the Bible, it will be possible to make purchases.
All information about each person will be concentrated in a single center and encoded in an individual number. At first, the Antichrist will demonstrate his love of humanity and peacemaking in order to attract attention to himself and gain popularity. He will be considered a benefactor of humanity and will be worshiped as a deity. Later, the Antichrist will reveal his true nature to people. The land will stop producing crops, food will be distributed strictly rationed. Everyone will be faced with a choice - to be a subject of the Antichrist, or to remain faithful to Christ. Everyone's choice will be completely free and independent. The majority of humanity will choose the Antichrist and will destroy the last Christians, of whom there will be very few left.
Christianity is the only religion that claims its own defeat. At the end of human history, the followers of this, now the most widespread religion, will remain few. The hatred of the entire society will be directed at them, they will hide in inaccessible places. The people who followed the Antichrist cannot be said to have heard nothing about Jesus and Christianity. By the time the Antichrist acts, the whole world will know about the God-man, the Bible will be translated into all the languages of the peoples of the Earth. Everyone will be able to read the Holy Scriptures, but not everyone will want to follow it.
The state, which will be headed by the Antichrist, will last, according to the Bible, three and a half years. The Antichrist will be perceived by the Jews as their long-awaited messiah. He will even be crowned in a newly built Hebrew temple. He will fulfill most of the Jews' expectations, but after some time, the Jews will understand that the real Messiah is Christ, whom their ancestors crucified. The Jews will reunite with the remaining Christians and resist the Antichrist.
Or maybe what has been said applies not only to the Jewish people, but to all people, and the Temple in Jerusalem is the Christian Church? Some researchers think so.
After the appearance of the antipode of Jesus, a general resurrection of the dead and the Second Coming of Christ will occur on Earth. Angels, prophets, saints and Christians, led by the God-Man, will meet the army of the Antichrist; during the battle, he will be killed, and the army will be scattered. This will be the last battle in history, the entire planet will be “transformed by fire” and then a new era of humanity will begin on Earth. People will see God, they will receive immortality, the love of God, they will have new bodies and names. Everything evil and sinful will be expelled to places devoid of light, where fallen angels and sinful, unrepentant people will remain in the torment of inaction. John the Theologian writes about this more fully and in detail in the Apocalypse, which is an unusual book of humanity that contains the future destinies of the world.
For a long time, a number of fantastic theories were built on the fact of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Since this event is preceded by the appearance of the Antichrist, the attention of medieval theologians gradually shifted to his figure. Based on one passage from the book of the prophet Daniel, Western theologians of the Catholic Church created the theory of the “Restrainer”. According to this theory, there is a force that is holding back the coming of the Antichrist into the world. According to Western theology, the "Holder" is the Roman Empire.
This theory migrated to Byzantium, which was considered an unshakable force that held back evil. At one time, Byzantium was the most powerful state of the Middle Ages and seemed unshakable and eternal. With the fall of Constantinople, New Rome, as the Greeks called this city, the idea of the “Holder” was transferred to Russia, where it received the name “Moscow - the third Rome.” This was the state theory of the Russian Empire, which was actively implemented until 1917. “The Restrainer,” according to the Orthodox tradition of biblical interpretation, is the Holy Spirit, whose power restrains the appearance of evil on earth as a living, integral personality. God's love and grace, being in the souls and bodies of people, prevents the penetration of evil into people. Until evil has become permanent in the world of people, while they are fighting it, the coming of the Antichrist is impossible.
There is also a lot of speculation about the time of the “end of the world”. Many “theologians” tried to calculate the year of the “end of the world” and numerous “discoveries” of the date of this event appeared in the yellow press. But, this is only speculation, not a cheaper show, since the date is not indicated in the Holy Scriptures, the goal is for people to live ready for spiritual trials and not await the doomed arrival of the fateful year. The signs of the last times were not given to people by chance; they are a powerful incentive to spiritual wakefulness. In general, earlier, ancient Christians lived in anticipation of the imminent coming of the Lord. They had before their eyes not the terrible signs of the approach of the Antichrist, but the desire to see Christ. The first Christians saw the light of the approach of Jesus Christ. This feeling gave a completely different perception of Christianity as a religion. People were preparing for a meeting that could take place on any ordinary day.
Gradually, the living expectation of Christ was replaced by the expectation of the fulfillment of the signs of the coming of the Antichrist. Slowly, there has been a shift in priorities in the minds of most Christians. Instead of meeting Christ, believers are now preparing for the approach of Antichrist. From this premonition, Christianity acquired other, unusual features. However, the Orthodox confession of faith retained the purity of the theology of the early Christians. This difference can be called one of the main ones - Orthodox Christians wait for the Light, and do not live in fear of Darkness.
At present, it is no coincidence that Orthodoxy stands out as a separate independent religion. And, if in earlier times the traditions of other Christian denominations were close to the Orthodox, now the gap between Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism is quite large, so much so that it allows us to call Orthodoxy a religion. It has an individuality that sets it apart from other branches of Christianity. Protestantism split into many currents and directions, and religious societies called themselves Christians were formed in it. They are distinguished by their varied interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, their rejection of the Church as a divine-human organism, the denial of the Sacraments and the optionality of ancient rites and traditions, not to mention the lack of apostolic succession of ordination. The Catholic Church is a religious movement whose goal is to worship the pope as the vicar of God on earth and the successor of the Apostle Peter, who has the power to change the action of God's Providence.
Protestantism and Catholicism are developing in different directions. The first moves towards absolute freedom and independence in all forms of human relations, the second focuses the attention of believers on one figure, while the true Savior of mankind - Jesus Christ - is relegated to the background. Only Orthodoxy has preserved continuity, purity of doctrine and inviolability of the Sacraments. Having preserved many outdated rituals, Orthodoxy has managed to convey to modern humanity the faith of the apostolic times and the spiritual wealth of many generations of believers in Jesus. The Holy Spirit, sent by Christ and resting on the apostles, was transmitted in the Sacraments, and the right to forgive and resolve human sins has reached the present day in apostolic succession.
The Holy Spirit, acting in the world after the ascension of Jesus Christ, is really present in the saints and righteous people of whom the Orthodox Church is not lacking. Orthodoxy has preserved and selected everything that is most valuable in human culture. The achievements of the ancient world became firmly established in the traditional external forms of Orthodox Christianity. Orthodoxy, having entered various cultural layers, changed them, transforming and comprehending in them moral and spiritual values, ideals and ideas about good and evil.
It developed a special type of human relationship with God, thanks to which humanity received the opportunity in the Sacraments to find peace and peace of mind when meeting the Existing One. The joyful anticipation of the reappearance of Jesus has become the goal of Orthodoxy. In the depths of the Orthodox Church, the moral image of a believer has developed, the main value of which is love for God and people. It is love that gives birth to everything good and bright in people, gives them true happiness and the purpose of life. Orthodoxy has become the “salt of life” that protects the world from spiritual decay.
Standing out among Christian denominations, Orthodoxy differs even more from other world religions - Judaism, Islam and Buddhism. Orthodoxy is an optimistic and joyful religion, strict and severe at the same time. It requires increased attention to the spiritual baggage of each believer and moral asceticism. Believers are recognized to become saints here on earth. But, unlike other religions, holiness is not achieved through personal efforts and individual achievements. In Orthodoxy, sin cannot be atone for or compensated for with anything, as in Catholicism; it is impossible to forget about it, as in Protestantism, where all sins committed are already forgiven in advance. Sin can only be forgiven by the God-man – Jesus Christ. This is not simple mechanical forgiveness, but the result of painstaking inner work of “smart doing.”
Orthodoxy does not view the human body as a “vessel of sin” - everything created by God is harmonious and beautiful. Man is the totality of the spiritual and material, the crown of creation. In the teachings of the Church there is no chaotic attitude towards the union of a man and a woman; it is recognized as sacred and secured by the Sacrament. Only the unnatural and abnormal in human nature are condemned. The birth of children is holy and wonderful, it is the birth of new members of the Church. Human life is the greatest gift of God, which must be preserved and protected, treated as the best. According to the teachings of the Church, a person’s existence should be joyful and happy, he should see the good and beautiful in the world. However, we must fight the evil operating in the world. Orthodoxy does not propose the destruction of the carriers of evil, but the internal rebirth of each individual. Every person, without exception, is called by Christ here and now.
Christianity has overcome the Eastern perception of God as an all-powerful despot, a powerful monarch, before whose face one must tremble. Orthodoxy has developed a doctrine of man as a free, self-determining individual who cannot be subject to violence. Orthodoxy adopted the ancient Greek democratic principle of government - the Assembly or Council. At the Ecumenical Councils, the Orthodox Church developed dogmatic doctrine, defining the boundaries of human knowledge of the Divine. Conciliarity is the basis for the governance of the Church, and the Orthodox patriarchs are still first among equals. The Orthodox Church has created the current attitude towards a woman, equal in all respects to a man, diametrically opposed to the position of the powerless woman of the East.
Orthodoxy formed the Eastern European civilization, which included the states of the Balkan Peninsula and Russia. This territory has developed a special material and spiritual culture, expressed in choral singing, icon painting, unique architecture, a special type of social relations and statehood. As a system of religious views, Orthodoxy is a fairly harmonious and integral doctrine. Orthodox theology comprehensively covers worldview and ethical issues of a general and specific nature. The basic provisions of the Orthodox faith sufficiently fully respond to the moral and philosophical needs of the human mind. Orthodoxy gave birth to a whole direction of the art of words - spiritual literature. For a long time, this cultural layer was the only source of education for our ancestors.
The adoption of Orthodoxy in Rus' produced a cultural revolution that brought the Russian people closer to other Christian countries. The creation of a universal common Slavic language gave rise to a rapprochement of Slavic peoples. In general, Orthodoxy in the history of Rus' was a state-forming force; it is enough to recall the Time of Troubles, the period of the Golden Horde yoke and the process of gathering lands around the Moscow Principality. The transfer of the capital to Moscow and the move of the metropolitan there was one of the reasons for the rise of the city. The religious and political idea of “Moscow – the Third Rome” became the state ideology of the most powerful state – the Russian Empire.
Orthodoxy has created a uniquely beautiful culture of worship, which includes all the richness of church hymnography and eorthology. Every action of the clergy is sacred and deeply symbolic. A special type of theology developed - in movements and symbolic actions. Orthodoxy captured in the divine service the circumstances and meaning of Jesus' life, the fact of crucifixion and resurrection from the dead. The Church's worship centers on faith in the second coming of the Lord. Special types and types of church services were developed, intended for both laity and monastics. A special religious direction was created in the Church - monasticism, associated with spiritual achievement and personal asceticism. Monasteries became spiritual lamps of unshakable faith and moral purity. There they received reading and writing skills, spiritual instructions and prayers. The main goal of the Orthodox monks was to pray for their people, for their native country, believers and equally for everyone who requires help and support.
The thousand-year stay of the Orthodox Church on Russian soil has developed a number of customs, traditions and rituals among the people, softened morals, and destroyed pagan stereotypes and ideas. The people began to value the ideals of justice, kindness and selflessness. Russian folklore was filled with images and heroes that were Christian in spirit. The culture of holding religious holidays has become an important part of Orthodox traditional rituals. Orthodoxy has created a unique time cycle, regulated by the Julian calendar, which includes a special place for each day. For a long time, the population of Russia used the old calendar, creating their own way of life.
Traditions, rituals, customs were a means of preserving the Holy Tradition among the people. The Russian people, brought up in Orthodox values, created their own culture, which carries within itself Christian moral ideals. Russian culture entered the European tradition. Russian writers, composers and artists are especially highly appreciated by the world community. They introduced into European civilization the high ideals of sacrificial love and beauty characteristic of Orthodoxy. The works of Gogol, Dostoevsky, Nabokov, Tolstoy have been translated into all European and most world languages.
Orthodoxy is not only a religion, or a collection of mandatory moral rules and rituals, it is a lifestyle, a special sense of one’s personality in the Universe. It is the hope of eternal life with Christ. In relation to world religions, Orthodoxy offers its own way of comprehending God and achieving unity with Him. Orthodoxy is a religion that has no national, age, cultural or other restrictions. It is quite versatile and flexible. Having many cultural inclusions, Orthodoxy retains its own appearance.
Orthodoxy includes a sense of the living presence of Jesus Christ. The charm of the Theanthropic personality is felt when reading the Gospel, a book in which the words spoken by the Lord are preserved in prayer, as a means of communication with the Son of Man during worship. The Divine Liturgy reenacts the Last Supper, a global event, the memories of which were bequeathed to people by Jesus Himself. In the heart of every person seeking God, there arises a feeling of sincere and devoted love for Christ and a desire to always be with Him. The Sacrament of Communion connects a believer with the object of his faith, hope and love. This sacred act gives those waiting to meet God a joyful feeling of the presence of the breath of the Divine in their body, soul and mind.
Thus, the goal of religion is achieved - the union of God and man. Orthodoxy offers people proven means of spiritual union, which was once destroyed by the ancestors of the human race. A new union between God and people arises in the form of the mystical Body of Christ - the Church. The understanding of the structure of society as a single organism arose in the ancient world, however, the true development of this idea was realized by the Apostle Paul, who depicts the harmonious unity and integrity of the body of the Church. One of the Doctors of the Church, Saint Ignatius the God-Bearer, formulated the doctrine of the Christian Church. In this teaching lies the solution to the deep doctrinal truth about the organization of the religious community of people who believe in Christ. In the Sacrament of the Eucharist, a person enters into deep moral unity with Jesus and becomes one flesh with Him. Based on this, the entire Christian community is a synthesis of a coherent unity.
In the Orthodox understanding, the Liturgy is a work of community. In ancient times, people brought bread and wine to the temple. And these offerings were perceived as a symbol of unity, just as bread is created from many grains, and wine is created from many berries. So, from many people, individuals, a new substance is created - the mystical Body of Christ. In their gifts, people brought themselves to the temple, so that everyone would be drawn into the mystical unity when the bread and wine became the flesh and blood of Christ. This union with Christ creates the union of people with each other.
The unity of the body of the Church is also determined in relation to the Holy Spirit living in the Church. He acts as a source of unity. The Church is not only one body, but also one Spirit, which is not only like-mindedness, but also the Spirit of God, permeating the whole body, just as the spirit of life in a person permeates his entire being. It is by the Spirit of God that various spiritual gifts are given to all members of the Body of Christ, and He makes new life possible for a person. He unites all Christians into one body, pouring love into their hearts.
The Orthodox consciousness called the Church Cathedral. The famous theologian of the Russian Orthodox Church I.A. Bulgakov says “The Incarnation of the Lord is the perception of all Adam, and Christ’s humanity is the inner humanity of every person. All people belong to the humanity of Christ, and if this humanity is the Church, as the Body of Christ, then in this sense all humanity belongs to the Church.” A person united with Christ is no longer what he was, he is not a lonely person, his life becomes part of a higher life. The Church is perceived by an Orthodox person as something that lives within him. The Church is a body where each individual person is a cell. A person lives by the Church, and she lives in him. By this teaching about the Church as the body of Jesus Christ, Orthodoxy calls all people to itself, since all living, past and future generations have been redeemed by the suffering and death of the Lord, and through His resurrection they have received a place in the future wonderful life, the prototype of which is the life of righteous people. The main connecting force given to man by God is love. “And therefore, as you have love for each other, everyone will know that you are My disciples,” said Jesus Christ.
SECOND COMING- in Christian doctrine, the second appearance of Christ (the Savior) on Earth at the “end of the world” (the end of the world) after the end of humanity’s earthly existence. The promise of the coming is one of the powerful arguments in the educational influence of the church on the flock (believers), for along with the second coming the Last Judgment of sinners is also expected.
Waiting for the next appearance of the Savior for 2 thousand years gave rise to many unfulfilled predictions and disappointments in prophecies and prophets.
Will Christ return a second time? Christ himself was the first to answer this question (of course, positively). Later, not a single mortal (with the exception of notorious blasphemers and ordinary atheists) doubted the second coming. The dates for which were always given were different, and each time they were quite close.
Not one of the numerous true predictions came true, with the only caveat being that all mental hospitals are filled with false Jesuses. However, we must admit that if the real Christ were to appear now, alas, in a world mired in sin, he, with his “out-of-date views,” would also run a great risk of ending up in a mental hospital.
In 1917, knowledge of the place of the second coming was established in the Catholic Church immediately after the appearance before a crowd of thousands of witnesses of the Mother of God in the village of Fatima, near Lisbon in Portugal. This phenomenon is called the “third secret of Fatima.” The only girl (out of three children) who lived longer than her friends was forever imprisoned in the dungeons of a monastery, without the right to communicate with journalists.
What Fatima’s secret was has not yet been openly disclosed (a deliberate leak of information allegedly read: there was “a command from above that Russia should be converted to Catholicism”). Rumors also claim that the Catholic Church allegedly hides the time of the Second Coming reported in 1917. Whether this is true or not is unknown.
On August 11, 1999 (the day when many predicted the end of the world), according to astrologer N.N. Glazkova, most likely, was supposed to give birth to some great man. She explains her guess by saying that the planets of the solar system were lined up in a cross - just as it was at the birth of Alexander the Great: Earth and Mercury “on top of the cross”, Jupiter and Saturn “on the right”, Uranus and Neptune “below”, Pluto and Mars “ left".
Themes of Christ and the dates of his appearance have remained popular throughout Christendom for two thousand years. And at different times, clairvoyants pointed to such dates for the appearance of Christ.
In the 1st - 11th centuries AD; in 1042; 19 October 1814 (I. Southcott); 1928 ["Atlantis" 1995, No. 1, p. 3]; May and June 1990; early 1991; 1992; October 28, 1992; 1993; November 24, 1993 (“White Brotherhood”); 1994 (F. Bonjean); March 31, 1996; 1998 (reincarnation of God according to X. Chen); 1999; August 11, 1999 (N. Glazkova); November 12, 1999 (R. Jeffries); 2000; late 2000 (cloning of Christ); 2001; and other years.
Where will the Savior appear? There were a lot of predictions for the year the 20th century ended. Many Russian clairvoyants almost unanimously asserted that “He will appear, of course, in Russia.” Hollywood films always placed Jesus in San Francisco, the French in Paris, and so on in almost every Christian country. The Americans claimed that “one of the new messiahs already lives in London.” Only a few, however, remembered Jerusalem, the place of Christ’s execution.
In the texts of the Bible, Jesus Christ himself and the apostles not only do not specifically indicate the day and hour of the second coming, but even directly speak about the impossibility for a person to know this (Matthew 24:36; Acts 1:6-7; 2 Pet. 3:10 and etc.). However, they pointed out some signs of this time, such as: the appearance of many false Christs (Matthew 24:5; 1 John 2:18), the spread of the gospel preaching throughout the world, to all nations (Matthew 24:14), the impoverishment of faith and love in people (Matt. 24:12; Luke 18:8), fear of the disasters that are about to befall the Earth (Luke 21:26) and the appearance of the lawless one (Greek ὁ ἄνομος) (2 Thess. 2:8), then there is Antichrist.
In the parable of the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-33; Luke 21:29-31), Jesus Christ indicated a way to determine the approach of the Day of the Lord: when the trees bloom, summer is near. When the “coming of the Son of Man” is “at hand, at the door,” the disciples will be able to recognize it (Matthew 24:33). Christ asks the disciples to see the approach of the Kingdom of God and to be excited (Luke 21:28; Luke 21:31).
As in the prophecies of the Old Testament, the prophecies of the New Testament say that the second coming will be preceded by many cataclysms (earthquakes) and signs in the sky (the darkening of the sun and moon, the falling of stars from the sky).
“And suddenly, after the tribulation of those days, the sun will darken, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven; and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory
(Matt. 24:29,30)"
According to the texts of the New Testament, the Second Coming of Christ to judge the world will be visible to all people on Earth.
Rev. 1:7 - “and every eye will see Him”;
Mf. 24:30 - “and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory”;
Mr. 13:26 - “Then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with much power and glory”;
OK. 21:26,27 - “people will faint from fear and anticipation of [the disasters] coming on the world, for the powers of heaven will be shaken, and then they will see the Son of Man coming on a cloud with power and great glory.”
The following historical events were considered by some 19th century theologians (Joseph Wolff, Edward Irving, William Miller, Joseph Smith, Leonard Kelber, Mason, Winthrop) as the possible beginning of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Jesus Christ about his second coming:
Lisbon earthquake of November 1, 1755
Solar eclipse May 19, 1780
Two-day starfall from November 12 to 13, 1833
Edict of Toleration in the Holy Land, March 21, 1844
Religious revival at the end of the 18th and first half of the 19th centuries in England and the USA
The following people currently claim or have previously claimed to be the second-coming Jesus Christ, and enjoy the trust of a number of followers (the country and year in which they claim to be the second coming are indicated in parentheses):
Fyodor Rybalin (Russia, approximately 1920) - enjoyed the trust of about 7 thousand people, sent to a psychiatric hospital.
Sun Myung Moon (Republic of Korea, circa 1960) - leader of the Unification Church sect
Konstantin Rudnev - leader of the totalitarian sect Ashram of Shambhala (USSR, 1989)
“Maria Devi Christos” (USSR, 1990) - leader of the destructive sect “White Brotherhood”
Vissarion (USSR, 1991) - leader of the “Church of the Last Testament” sect
Shoko Asahara (Japan, early 1990s) - leader of the terrorist totalitarian sect "Aum Shinrikyo"
Grigory Grabovoy (Russia, 2004) - convicted of fraud on an especially large scale, spent several years in prison
Mehmet Ali Agca, Türkiye, 2010.
And at the end, the latest prediction about the second coming.
Rabbi Yosef Berger claims that 2022 will be the fulfillment of biblical prophecy. The Great Coming of Jesus Christ will take place in 2022 and will be preceded by the birth of a new star, announced by scientists.
In 2022, a new star will appear in the night sky. Its occurrence is the result of the collision of two other celestial bodies. For six months, this star will be the brightest in the sky - to the naked eye.
Considering that this is the first time that people will be able to observe such a moment without resorting to complex technology, then this is an important event in human history in itself, however, it may turn out to be even more important than we think.
The rabbi claims that the new star directly points to the coming of the Messiah. He suggested that this star would be the fulfillment of a biblical prophecy from the Book of Numbers, according to which the star precedes the emergence of a strong military leader.
Good day, dear friends! A pressing question for all Christians and not only Christians was asked by a regular reader of our site, Igor: do you believe that there will be a second coming of Jesus Christ? Will the coming of Christ happen soon? Will this happen and how do you think it will happen?
I’ll make a reservation right away: I won’t give any forecasts or forecasts, but I’ll tell you a lot of what I know, including studies of some. Also, let's try to answer a few very important questions in order to shed light and get closer to some kind of adequacy in this topic. The answer will lie mainly in the esoteric and analytical plane, and not religious, but this will not prevent anyone, even the most fanatical Christian, from clarifying the understanding of this issue...
So, the second coming of the mission of Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ is a high god (52 levels of development) incarnated on Earth more than 2000 years ago. Christ was incarnate for the great mission of bringing the Law of Love, a New Faith and the corresponding commandments, creating a new Teaching, a new Religion of Christianity, helping to save millions of human souls, etc.
Jesus completed the most important task for and for that moment here on Earth. And after his departure from Earth, millions of Christians are waiting for his second coming. Many prophets predicted the coming of the mission at the turn of the millennium. One of the predictions is a revelation from John the Theologian (Apocalypse), I recommend it.
You need to understand that messiahs have been incarnated at all times and each messiah has his own special mission. The founders of all world religions were messiahs - incarnate gods of different levels of development, different statuses in the world. Christ was one of the highest gods in the entire history of mankind. To understand that God is One, but there are many gods, read the article about.
By the way, practically none of the predictions say that the second coming, the coming of the mission, will be the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the same god. It's interesting, isn't it?
Now let's try to ask questions that will help us understand the phenomenon of the so-called second coming more deeply.
Several important questions about the second coming of the Lord
Many are waiting for the second coming of Christ. How will you know that it is Christ who has come? Will you believe him if he tells you “I am Christ!” Trust me!”?
Would Christ, after 2,000 years, really begin to do the same thing he did more than 2,000 years ago? After all, everyone knows that you cannot enter the same water twice. But humanity, society, people have changed a lot in 2000 years. Knowledge has changed, priorities, methods and mechanisms of influence have also changed dramatically. The Internet and television have appeared, society is now ruled by science, it is science that is the measure of truth, and religion is outside the state, its influence and values are weakening.
Would Christ, if he had incarnated in the modern world, have chosen the same form of carrying his Teaching? Preaching, allegorical transfer of knowledge in the form of parables from person to person, the creation of miracles that can no longer surprise modern people, and thus cannot instill faith...
By the way, judging by the fact that it is now 2014, God Christ or some other mission god has long been incarnated and is working for the benefit of humanity. Just a question – will people recognize him as a mission, a living god embodied in a human body? Or do modern people, including Christians, now trust nothing so much that they will doubt everything?
And what will happen if such a person appears, comes to representatives of the Church and says “I am the mission, Christ, His second coming, accept me and submit to me and I will lead you”? The church that will accept him? Or is it much more likely that the Holy Church will immediately declare such a person a heretic and false prophet, no matter what miracles he shows? I think it's the latter.
Let's talk!
The world has changed, in modern society people are different, less moral, but more intellectually developed. It is obvious that for a modern person with a higher education, beautiful parables and axioms-commandments will not be enough for him to even believe in something.
Now Knowledge is needed an order of magnitude deeper and more powerful than 2000 years ago, when very few people even knew how to read and write. Therefore, with a high degree of probability, we can say that the second coming will bring to the world not religion, but the Teaching, which will be the Science of the Spiritual, about God, about and, about the disclosure of potential. And it is unlikely that the person who brings this Teaching will walk the earth in a long robe, girded, with a staff in his hand :)
That is, we can assume that the Knowledge itself and the form of presenting this Knowledge for modern society will be completely different than 2000 years ago.
And since there are a lot of different religions on our planet now and almost every day another messiah appears who creates another religion or sect, it is unlikely that the true missionary will again take the Religion test, or again, he will come and say “2000 years ago I created Christianity, now I will develop it further”. There are only 1/3 of Christians on Earth, 2/3 - more than 4 billion, these are all other religions, movements, atheists, Satanists, etc. It is unlikely that the new mission will enter into competition with other religions, trying to convert their representatives to their faith. Most likely, the Teaching that the new mission will bring will be over the religious, eliminating all the main contradictions and enmity between existing religions.