Jesus' Day and today from the standpoint of Time-Identity

Chapter Second Advent

Jesus clearly spoke about the Second Advent (Matt. 16:27). But he said that no one knew of that day and hour, not even the angels of heaven (Matt. 24:36). Therefore, up to the present, it has been thought reckless even to try to know when, where and how the Lord would come.

By examining the words of Jesus, "Only the Father knows." (Matt 24:36), and the verse, "Surely the Lord God does nothing without revealing his secret to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3:7), we can understand that God, who knows of the day and hour, will surely let His prophets know all the secrets concerning the Second Advent of the Lord before actualizing it.

Therefore, Jesus said that Lord would come like a thief (Rev. 3:3), while, on another occasion, he said that, for those in the light, the Lord would not come as a thief (I. Thess. 5:4). It was true that Jesus came as thief to the chief priests and scribes, who were in darkness, but, to the home of John the Baptist, which was in light, God revealed Jesus' birth beforehand. At the time of his birth He revealed the fact to the wise men of the east, Simon, Anna, and the shepherds. Again, Jesus warned the people, telling them to watch at all times, praying that they might have the strength to escape all those things that would take place, because the day of the Second Advent would come upon them suddenly like a snare; so, it is evident that He will reveal it beforehand to the saints who are in the light, so that they may prepare for the coming day of the Lord.

From the examples appearing in the course of the providence of restoration, we can see that God always did things after having revealed the facts to His prophets beforehand; for example: the judgment in Noah's time, His destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, and the Messiah's coming. Therefore, it is evident that, at the Second Coming of the Lord, God will speak to those who have ears to hear and eyes to see so that they may be enlightened by the saints about what would take place, as He promised that in the Last Days He would pour out His Spirit (Acts 2:17).

Section IV

Jesus' Day and today from the standpoint of Time-Identity

The period of the First Advent and that of the Second Advent are the periods of providential time-identity. Therefore, all the situations developing centering on the Christianity of today are similar to those which developed centering on the Judaism of Jesus' day.

To take examples: first, there is the point that today's Christianity, like Judaism, is attached to the authority and rites of the church, while the inner contents are corrupt. The leading class of people, the chief priests and rabbis of Jesus' day, enslaved by the conventional principles of the Mosaic law, were all corrupt in their spiritual lives. Therefore, the more conscientious the people were in their faith, the more they desired to relieve their spiritual thirst by following Jesus, who was at that time branded as a heretic. In like manner, the leading class of today's Christianity, including the priests and ministers, is captive to the traditional church rites and authority and is becoming spiritually darker every day. Therefore, it is the actual situation today that devout Christians are wandering in the spiritual mountains and plains in search of new leaders and true ways to experience the inner light of faith, apart from external circumstances.

Next, as previously discussed in detail, Christians of today will be the first to persecute the Messiah at the time of the Second Advent, as did the followers of Judaism at the First Advent. Jesus, who came to fulfill the Old Testament words according to the prophets, and on that foundation to establish a new age, did not merely repeat the Old Testament words, but had to necessarily give new words for the new age. The chief priests and rabbis, who criticized Jesus' words and conduct, according to the limits of what was allowed by the Old Testament words, ended by delivering Jesus to the cross because of their mistaken standard of judgment.

Likewise, the purpose of Christ's Second Coming is to establish the new heaven and new earth (Rev. 21:1-4), on the foundation of the spiritual salvation belonging to the new Testament Age, laid by the Christians. Therefore, at the time of the Second Advent, the Lord will surely not simply repeat the New Testament words, given 2000 years ago, but will give the new words necessary to establish the new heaven and earth. However, the Christians of today, who are captives to scriptural words, will surely criticize the words and conduct of the Lord of the Second Advent, according to the limits of what the New Testament words literally state. So, it is only too clear that they can be expected to persecute him and brand him a heretic. This is the very reason Jesus said that, at the Second Coming, the Lord would first suffer many things (Luke 17:25).

On the other hand, the same manner of things will happen, just as at the time of Jesus, in our reception of the revelations concerning the Second Advent, or the words the Lord will give us at the Second Advent. At the time of Jesus' coming, God did not give the message of the Messiah's arrival to the chief priests and rabbis, but to the gentile astrologers and innocent shepherds. This is like the case of the father who, due to the ignorance of his own child, has to confide in his step-child. God may not reveal the message of the Second Advent to the Christians of today, who are blindly keeping the conventional attitude of faith, but rather to the laymen, to the heathens who are thought of as gentiles, or to men without any religious faith, but who are very conscientious.

Those who accepted the Gospel of Jesus were not the leading class of Judaism, who called themselves God's elect, but people of lower classes, and gentiles. Similarly, at the Second Advent, the laymen or the non-Christians may be the first to accept the Lord's words, rather than the leading class of Christianity who consider themselves the "chosen people". That is why Jesus in lamentation said that those who would enjoy the marriage feast which he would prepare may not be those invited, but those called in at random from the street (Matt. 22:8-10).

Next, at the time of the Second Advent, as at the time of Jesus, there will be many believers who will be going to Hell in place of Heaven, for which they headed at the start. The chief priests and rabbis, who had the mission of leading the people of God's elect, should have been the first to know of the Messiah's arrival and should have taken the initiative in leading the chosen people before him. In order to make them fulfill this mission, Jesus visited the temple first and taught them the Gospel. Due to their disregard for this teaching, he was forced to wander about the seashore of Galilee, making the fishermen his disciples and dealing mainly with the people of a lower standard, such as sinners, tax-collectors, and harlots. Finally, the chief priests and rabbis delivered Jesus to the crucifixion.

Then, they continued, believing that they had done a righteous thing by punishing the traitor of God, to devote their loyalty to the sacred office, to recite scriptural passages, to contribute tithes and to offer sacrifices for the rest of their lives. They never imagined themselves headed for the place they went after their physical death, which was, most unexpectedly, Hell. Unfortunately, they deviated into Hell through the path which they believed would lead them to the Kingdom of heaven.

When we truly understand the fact that these are the phenomena that could happen in the vary same manner in the Last Days, each and every one of us should contemplate the matter most seriously. Innumerable Christians of today are dashing on the way which they think will lead them to the Kingdom of Heaven. Nevertheless, this very road is apt to lead them into Hell. Therefore, Jesus once said that the Lord would be compelled in the Last Days to reproach many saints who had faith strong enough to cast out demons and do almighty works in his name, by saying, "I never knew you, depart from me, you evildoers." (Matt. 7:23). To reflect on the matter with a deep understanding, no one else is placed in a more dangerous position than the saints living in such a transitional period of history as today. If they, like the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day, should take the wrong direction in their faith, everything will end in naught, no matter how devout their life in faith may have been. That is why Daniel said, "...those who are wise shall understand." (Dan. 12:10).