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How Does Christ Return?
There seems to be a lot of confusion about God's coming Kingdom, and especially how our
Lord Jesus Christ returns on the future second Advent of Messiah. This confusion about our
Savior's return should not be, because Christ's disciples understood the events. Are we to
think God didn't tell us? That we are to only have hope in Salvation, and not know what It
contains? Our Heavenly Father didn't leave us guessing. He told us in His Word. He wants
His People to know, and that's why there's so many examples to His People.
Let's begin with a study on Christ's return in Acts 1. We
ask a Word of Wisdom from our Father in Christ's Name, Amen.
Acts
1:6 When they therefore were come together, they asked of Him, saying, "Lord,
wilt Thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?"
Did
you notice that Christ's disciples ask if Jesus was going to restore the kingdom to
Israel 'again', meaning at that particular time? At this point in history, Jesus had
resurrected and was in His Glorious Body. So His disciples knew His coming Kingdom was the
next major event to expect. Why would they ask about Israel being restored? Because God
said He would, in The Old Testament, and Christ's disciples were familiar with It.
This Scripture about the future restoring of the twelve
tribes of Israel in Christ's future Kingdom, upon earth, is where many believers are
stumbling today. Paul's teaching in Romans Chapters 9 - 12, are specifically about how he
was sent by Christ to help fulfill His prophecy through the prophet Isaiah, about the
Gentiles who believe on Christ as Savior. The believers on Christ of the Gentiles will be
grafted in as part of the future Israel (see Isaiah 42; 49). That is the real meaning of
the listing given in Rev.7:1-8 about the 144,000, which are the 'chosen' of the twelve
tribes of Israel, and the next verse of Rev.7 are the Gentiles, believers on Christ Jesus,
also included with future Israel, with Christ as 'KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS':
"...a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and
kindreds, and peoples, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed
with white robes, and palms in their hands;" (Rev.7:9).
Jer
23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a
righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.
This 'righteous Branch' is Jesus Christ. He is our Righteous KING.
Jer 23:6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel
shall dwell safely: and this is His name whereby He shall be called, THE LORD OUR
RIGHTEOUSNESS.
7
Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that they shall no more say, 'The LORD
liveth, Which brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt;'
It will no longer be a saying about how God delivered His People
out of Egypt through Moses. That saying will be old after Christ returns on His second
coming to lead the 'restoring' of Israel. (Notice the distinction between 'Judah' and
'Israel' in verse 6.)
Again, Who is 'THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS', our True KING?
Jesus Christ. So this event is still yet future to us, for Jesus Christ, our KING, has not
returned yet, nor is His 'judgement' and 'justice' served on this earth.
Jer
23:8 But, 'The LORD liveth, Which brought up and Which led the seed of the house
of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries whither I had driven them;
and they shall dwell in their own land."
This
will be the new 'saying' when Christ returns to restore Israel back to the land God gave
them.
The future return of Christ and the gathering to Him, the
leading of the 'house of Israel' back to the land which God promised to Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob's children as an everlasting possession, is the subject of this verse.
Well, has Israel's return happened yet today? Many think
so, but they don't even know who the 'house of Israel' is. They think it means all Jews.
Not so, as the Ten Tribes of Israel who are still scattered among the various nations of
the world after their captivity to Assyria, never returned as a people to the land we call
Israel today. Those in the land of Israel today are the 'house of Judah', i.e. mainly from
the three tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levite. And they are only a small part of the
inhabitants of today's land of Israel. The 'house of Israel' are not Jews; but they are
Israelites, having Jacob as their father also (see the Ten Lost Tribes study).
This event is when the 'two sticks' of Ezekiel 37, one for
the 'house of Judah', and the other for the 'house of Israel', are put back together, to 'restore'
Israel again! That's when the events in this verse 8 will be said, after Christ's return.
Those two 'sticks' God told Ezekiel to label are not put together yet today.
This is why Christ's disciples asked Him if it was time to
'restore' Israel, meaning all twelve tribes under His reign in the land God promised to
them. The Gentiles who accept Jesus Christ as Savior are included also, as Isaiah 54 says
that the tent (symbolic for the new Jerusalem) will be enlarged to include them.
Ezek
37:15 The word of the LORD came again unto me, saying,
16 "Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and
write upon it, For Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions:
then take another stick, and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick
of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his companions:
Just to
make sure you know I'm not stretching the Truth, here's the 'two sticks' which make up all
twelve tribes of Israel.
The 'children of Israel' included with the stick of Judah
are those under the northern kingdom lands which left Ephraim during the split of both
houses (see 1 Kings 12:17). They refused the calf idol which the king Jeroboam of the
'house of Israel' setup in northern Israel. But the majority of the ten tribes, with
Ephraim being the largest, separated from Judah who dwelt in the south around Jerusalem,
i.e. Judea.
Ezek 37:17 And join them one to another into one
stick; and they shall become one in thine hand.
Remember, these two sticks represent the two 'houses' of all Israel which are still
separate today. Both 'houses' make up the twelve tribes.
Ezek 37:18 And when the children of thy People shall
speak unto thee, saying, 'Wilt thou not shew us what thou meanest by these?'
19 Say unto them, 'Thus saith the Lord GOD; 'Behold, I will take the
stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and
the tribes of Israel his fellows, and will put them with him, even
with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they shall be
one in Mine hand.' '
This has not happened yet, as those ten tribes are represented by Ephraim, son of Joseph,
who the Birthright Blessing Promise went to (1 Chron.5). As they were scattered from the
Assyrian captivity, they went over the Caucasus Mountains, became known as Caucasians, and
settled in the lands where they are now, Europe and the Americas.
Many would still rather listen to the world's lies about
the land of Israel being fully established with all twelve tribes today. These verses are
linked to Christ as KING, which obviously is not yet fulfilled today on earth. On the
contrary, the land of Israel is being chopped up by the United Nations and their false
allies. They refuse to even recognize Jerusalem as the Capitol of Israel!
Let's now go back to Acts 1:
Acts 1:7 And He said unto them, "It is not for you
to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the
Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in
all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."
9 And when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken
up; and a cloud received Him out of their sight.
Christ answered His disciples' question about the restoring of
Israel as if they were never to know. At least that's what some teach today. However,
verse 8 ties with it, so don't leave it out. In that next verse 8, Christ is telling them
they will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (always 'spirit' in the Manuscripts). Christ
meant that the Holy Spirit would teach them the answer to their question.
Then in verse 9 our Lord and Savior is taken up in a
cloud. That's where many stop, but we're not going to.
Acts 1:10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven
as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel;
11 Which also said, 'Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come
in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.'
These 'two men' in 'white apparel' were no doubt angels. Angels
have the 'image' of man, as that's the Image of our Father, as He created us in His
Likeness, even man in the flesh. That's also how Satan and his fallen angels look. They
have the 'image' of man also. The idea of monsters in God's universe is a big joke!
Verse 11 tells us that Jesus will return back to earth,
'in like manner' as He ascended into Heaven. It's very plain and simple. A first
grader can understand it.
So where was Jesus and His disciples when this event took
place?
Acts 1:12 Then returned they unto Jerusalem from
the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath day's journey.
The word 'Olivet' is 'elaion' in the Greek,
meaning 'an olive-orchard, i.e. (specially) the Mt. of Olives' (Strong's
no.1638).
Is there another witness in The Word to this event of
Christ's return upon the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem? Turn with me to Zechariah 14 in The
Old Testament minor prophets:
Zech 14:1 Behold, the day of the LORD
cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee.
2 For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and
the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the
city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the People shall not be cut off
from the city.
We are very near that 'day of the LORD' in my opinion based on
Scripture and the state of world affairs. All nations are being gathered against Jerusalem
as we speak. And their leaders are chopping up the land trying to appease the false peace
process being pushed on them. The Palestinians are set to declare a Palestine state all
around Jerusalem. Three villages very close to Jerusalem were given away just recently;
just like that, and around 70,000 Israeli protested publicly. This 'day of the LORD' is
God's thousand year reign of His Son Jesus Christ, on earth. We are still waiting for it.
Zech 14:3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight
against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle.
God is going to fight this future battle. Christ's enemies won't
even have a chance. This event is the coming of Jesus Christ at the second Advent to
earth.
When did God fight this other battle He's comparing the
'day of the LORD' to? You should know if you've been studying with me in the Book of
Isaiah, for that other battle our LORD fought was against Lucifer in that time 'of
old'. That means at Lucifer's first rebellion against our Heavenly Father. That old
dragon didn't win then, and he's not going to win this time in our near future either.
Zech 14:4 And His feet shall stand in
that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east,
and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the
west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall
remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south.
Here's our other witness to Acts 1:9-12 and Christ's return to
earth, specifically where He ascended to Heaven from. Acts 1 stated that He would 'so
come in like manner' as the disciples saw Him go into Heaven, there on the Mount of
Olives. Then notice what happens next here in Zech 14:4; a big trembling and a 'great
valley' appears. This isn't in the clouds friend. It happens on earth! So what's that
'great valley' for?
Zech 14:5 And ye shall flee to the
valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal:
yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of
Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints
with Thee.
This 'Azal' means 'proximity: he has reserved'
(Brown-Driver & Briggs; Strong's no.682). Currently, its location is not known today.
It represents the 'new Jerusalem' of Christ's Kingdom upon earth in our future.
The days of Uzziah refers to Amos 1:1 about an earthquake
which happened in Israel (aprox.687 B.C.). When Christ returns, there's going to be
another earthquake similar to the one during Uzziah's day. That event will 'cleave' that
area in Jerusalem. Remember in Matthew 24:2 that "There shall not be left here
one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down."
Just as God paved the way for His People Israel to cross
the Red Sea at the time of Moses, this 'great valley' is for the 'gathering' of God's
People to the land He promised them. Those 'saints' who are now with Christ in Paradise
(heaven), our Lord and Savior brings with Him there. And those yet alive today at this
future event, who are in Christ, will flee through that 'great valley' also, to be with
our KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS, on earth!
That 'Highway' for God's People to return, which means all
those known by His Name (Christ man, or Christian), will pass over It as all Israel did
coming out of Egypt in the time of Moses. See my Isaiah Chapter 11 study for even more.
Also see Isaiah 19, as Israel shall be a third in inheritance with Egypt and Assyria.
Zech 14:6 And it shall come to pass in that day, that
the light shall not be clear, nor dark:
7 But it shall be one day which shall be known to the LORD, not day, nor
night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light.
It's true no one knows the day or the hour, but Christ did give
us the season, and His seven signs to watch for. I covered those 'seven signs' and the
'parable of the fig tree' in two studies in my Archive. They fit this subject nicely here.
These references to 'that at evening time it shall be
light' are of Christ's Glorious Light, which overshadows all other light in
brightness. We are in Christ's Millennium age at this verse.
Zech 14:8 And it shall be in that day, that
living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of
them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be.
9 And the LORD shall be King over all the earth: in that
day shall there be one LORD, and His name one.
This 'living waters' is that River mentioned in Rev.22:1
which proceeds from the Throne of God and of The Lamb. Now where does this verse say those
'living waters' go out from? From Jerusalem. The 'new Jerusalem' of Rev.3. Some who stay
in The New Testament only think that 'new Jerusalem' is up in the clouds somewhere, and
there is no more earth. It's clear they haven't been here and read Zechariah.
Where is The LORD going to be KING over? 'Over all
the earth'. It just doesn't get any easier than this friends.
Zech 14:10 All the land shall be turned as a plain from
Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem: and it shall be lifted up, and inhabited in her place,
from Benjamin's gate unto the place of the first gate, unto the corner gate, and from
the tower of Hananeel unto the king's winepresses.
11 And men shall dwell in it, and there shall be no more utter
destruction; but Jerusalem shall be safely inhabited.
Revelation 20-22 gives more information on The Holy City coming
down out of heaven to the earth. Ezekiel 39-48 are about the thousand year reign of Christ
and His elect, to God's Eternity, on earth. But a regenerated and cleansed earth.
The word 'men' is 'yashab' in the
Hebrew, meaning 'to sit down; by implication, to dwell, to remain' (Strong's
no.3427). So it's talking about people in general, not just men as in males.
I could go on and on, giving Scripture examples of this
event from both Old and New Testaments. That Holy City with paths of pure gold, like
transparent glass (Rev.21:21), will be reality, and from natural materials which God
created. Places that are barren and desert are going to be changed, with flowing rivers
from One source, our Father and His Son. God is coming to dwell with us, on this beautiful
earth He made.
Rev 21:1-3
1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first
heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from
God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, "Behold,
the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them,
and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be
their God.
With this event we should come to understand, that God is not angry with the beautiful
earth which He created for His pleasure, and for His children. He is angry at those who
intentionally do evil to His children and to His creation. The flesh is sin, and as I said
elsewhere, Satan's rebellion during the first earth age is the cause for God bringing this
flesh age into existence. And this Yehovah did so that each could make a choice who they
would follow and worship, God through His Son, or the fallen angel Satan. So that's why
the earth's state today is polluted. Flesh man cannot keep from polluting it, because of
man's flesh nature and flesh needs. That's why God's Eternity will not be a flesh
existence. And our Father is going to cleanse this polluted state of His earth, as it has
become a 'ruin' again because of Satan and his followers.
Peace be with you in Christ
Jesus.
Dave Ramey.
Footnotes:
All references to "Strong's nos." are from Strong's Exhaustive
Concordance, PC Study Bible, Biblesoft, 1993-1996.
Reference to 'Brown Driver
& Briggs' from The Online Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon And Brown
Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario Canada, 1993.
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