BIBLE DOCTRINE II

LECTURE 12
CHRISTOLOGY – HIS FUTURE WORK

The following are excerpts from Robert Sargent’s ebook “Landmarks of Baptist Doctrine”. Pastor Warner’s comments are in [brackets].

There are a number of things the Lord Jesus Christ is yet to accomplish, the two most notable being: ‘His return’ and
‘His Kingdom’. [These topics will be covered in much more detail in the College course ‘Bible Prophecy’. The Person
of Jesus Christ is at the center of Bible Prophecy.]

Christ is Coming!
[There are two stages to Christ’s ‘Coming’ (or ‘Return’)]:
“Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ”- Titus 2:13.
These [two] stages will be separated by a seven-year period of time known as “Daniel’s 70TH Week.”
The first stage will be when Christ returns to the ‘air’ ‘for’ His saints — the “Rapture” [(the catching away)]. This is the
‘Blessed Hope’.
The second stage will be when Christ returns to the ‘earth’ ‘with’ His saints— the “Revelation”. This is the Glorious
Appearing.

[Some have said that the ‘Second Coming’ is really the ‘Third Coming’; it all matters how you define ‘coming’. The 3
Comings of Jesus Christ would be: His Incarnation; His catching away of the saints prior to the Tribulation; His return
to Earth at the end of the Tribulation. The Rapture is somewhat different in that Jesus does not actually ‘come to Earth’,
for He is in the ‘air’. There are 3 Comings of the Lord Jesus Christ, but only 2 Comings of the Lord to the Earth.]

[The ‘Day of the Lord’ is a period of time of approximately 1007 years that begins with the Rapture and ends with
destruction of the Heavens and the Earth. During this ‘day’ Jesus Christ is judging all souls… it is ‘His Day’. It is
important to clarify the Rapture from the Second Coming in passages that are dealing with this ‘day’; being careless in
this can cause one to swap these two around with each other and even with other events, which will greatly effect one’s
eschatology. (1 Th 5:2,3; 19; Heb 9:28; 2 Pe 3:10)

The Rapture
[This involves Christ coming to earth for His saints.]
The next great supernatural event set to occur according to God’s prophetic calendar is commonly referred to as the
“Rapture.” It is the “first resurrection,” and it involves all believers in Christ — living and dead.

[Jesus will receive us unto Himself]

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there
ye may be also.

[He will descend from Heaven]

1 Thess 4:14-17 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring
with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the
Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and
remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the
Lord.

[Jesus Himself will descend from the 3rd Heaven and will catch the saved all up to meet Him in the air and from then on
they will always be with the Lord! Hallelujah!]

For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change
our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to
subdue all things unto himself” — Philippians 3:20,21.
[Jesus Christ will change these ‘vile bodies’ that we have unto ‘glorious bodies’! Praise the Lord!]

Did/does Jesus know when the Rapture will take place?

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Mark 13:32 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but
the Father.

The Judgment Seat of Christ

Immediately after the Rapture every Christian will appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ to give account of his
[life while on earth].

Rom 14:10-12 But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand
before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every
tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his
body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

This is not a judgment for ‘salvation’, but for ‘service’ specifically built upon the foundation which has been laid for
every New Testament church (I Corinthians 3:9-15).
[Jesus Christ’s “Day” (The Day of the Lord) is all about judgment; and that judgment includes you and I.
Luke 3:16-17 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the
latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is
in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn
with fire unquenchable.]

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

[Rev 19:9 And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And
he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
It is the Lamb’s supper; the supper is for Jesus and His newlywed Bride. It is hosted by His Father.
Jewish custom had only a few invited to the actual wedding ceremony: the immediate families and very close friends.
However, many more were invited to the marriage feast, to celebrate the marriage of the son.]

[Mt 26:26-29 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and
said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For
this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say unto you, I will not drink
henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom.
The Lord’s Supper is actually instituted for us, the members of His churches, the Bride, to get excited and look forward
to this grand occasion in Heaven, the marriage supper of the Lamb!]
[Rev 19:9 Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.
The invited guests will be there: these most likely are made up of non-Bride NT saints that were not living carnal lives.]

Second Coming
“Christ coming with His saints!’
This event is commonly referred to as the “Revelation” or “Second Coming of Christ,” when every eye shall see Him.
Mt 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn,
and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
Acts 1:11 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.
Rv 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of him.
In contrast with the Rapture, this “Second Coming” event involves Jesus Christ actually setting foot on the earth.

Jesus Christ will set foot upon the Mount of Olives

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though
after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Zech 14:1 Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. 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
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shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 9 And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that
day shall there be one Lord, and his name one.

Jesus Christ will return in glory with the hosts of heaven to execute judgment upon all the ungodly that are on the earth
Jude 14,15 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten
thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their
ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken
against him.

[2 Thess 1:6 Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; 7 And to you who
are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:]

[Jesus will destroy the armies that are gathered at the battle of Armaggedon]
Rev 19:11 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many
crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white
horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite
the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LordS.
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat
on the horse, and against his army.

The Throne of His Glory

Matt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the
throne of his glory: 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a
shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34
Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world: 35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me
drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
[After the Battle of Armageddon, at the ‘Throne of His Glory’ Jesus chooses which nations will be the ‘righteous
nations’ that will continue their national existence into the Millennial kingdom; it is all based upon their treatment of
Israel.]

The Millennial Reign

They (all the saved, versus a select group) lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years
Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.
2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and
they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his
mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.

[During the Millenial reign, Jesus shall be called ‘THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS’
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. 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.]

[Jesus will be reigning upon the throne of David

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Isa 9:7 Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his
kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord
of hosts will perform this.]

[He rules with a rod of iron (solid, powerful judgment)

Rev 12:5 And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up
unto God, and to his throne.]

[He shall teach us of His ways

Mic 4:1 But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the
top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it. 2 And many nations shall
come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will
teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem.]

Great White Throne Judgment

[Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away;
and there was found no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which
were written in the books, according to their works. 13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell
delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14 And death and
hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. 15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire.
At the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus Christ will judge all the unsaved according to their works to determine the
severity of punishment that they will have in the Lake of Fire.]

After the Great White Throne Judgment, Jesus creates a new heaven and a new earth
Rev 21:1 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.
[Doesn’t mention six days of creation here; He probably simply spoke it into existence again, exactly as He had made it
the first time!]

The New Jerusalem

After He creates the New Heaven and the New Earth, Jesus will live in the New Jerusalem with His Bride for ever and
ever
John 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for
you.

Rev 21:2 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.
Rev 21:22 And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it. 23 And the city had
no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light
thereof.

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace
of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.