Second Advent, where will Christ come again?

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 III

Where will Christ come again?

If Christ is to be born as a man in flesh on this earth, and not to come again in a spiritual body, he will surely be born in a certain nation of God's elect, some place of God's predestination.

Where, then, would the place of predestination be, and which nation would be God's elect?

1. Would Christ come again among the Jewish people?

Some Christians believe that Christ will come again among the Jewish people, based on the following Biblical records: at the time of the Second Advent, the number of the sealed would be a hundred and forty-four thousand out of every tribe of the sons of Israel (Rev. 7:4); Jesus said to his disciples, "...truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of man comes." (Matt. 10:23). Jesus said to those listening to him, "Truly I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of man coming in his Kingdom." (Matt. 16:28). However, in order to know the truth of the matter, Christians must know the fundamental providence of God.

On another occasion (Matt. 21:33-43), Jesus clearly indicated, in his parable of the vineyard, that the Lord would not come again to the nation that would persecute and kill him, but take the Kingdom of God (the heritage) from them and give it to the nation producing the fruits of it (at the time of the Second Advent). In this parable, Jesus meant God, by the owner of the vineyard; God's heritage, by the vineyard; the chosen nation of Israel in charge of God's heritage, by the tenants; His prophets, by the servants; the Lord, by the owner's son; and a certain other nation which will be able to fulfill God's will in receiving and serving the Lord of the Second Advent, by another nation producing the fruits.

Why, then, did Jesus say that the Lord was going to come again to the sons of Israel? In order to elucidate this question, let us first study what the word "Israel" really means.

Israel is a name meaning "he prevailed", which Jacob received from the angel of the Lord after he had prevailed in wrestling with the angel at the ford of Jabbok, which he did in order to establish Abel's position for the substantial offering (Gen. 32:28). Jacob, by succeeding in the substantial offering after thus establishing Abel's position, could lay the family-level foundation for the Messiah. Therefore, his offspring who succeeded this will on that foundation are called "Israel". God's elect, Israel, thus means the people of God who have triumphed in faith, and does not necessarily mean the lineal descendants of Jacob.

This is why John the Baptist said to the Jews, "Do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham." (Matt. 3:9). Paul said, "For he is not a real Jew who is one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical. He is a Jew who is one inwardly and real circumcision is a matter of the heart, spiritual and not literal." (Rom. 2:28-29). Again, he testified, saying, "not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel." (Rom. 9:6). These were Paul's words to reproach the Jews who were proud of being the chosen nation just because they were lineal descendants of Abraham, even though they did not live in accordance with the will of God.

Therefore, it can be said that Jacob's descendants had been the chosen people of Israel at the time of their departure from Egypt, but they were no longer "Israel" when they rebelled against God in the wilderness. Therefore, God abandoned all of them to perish in the wilderness, and led into Canaan only their descendants who followed Moses, as the real Israel.

Of the descendants who went into the land of Canaan, those of the Northern Kingdom, which consisted of the ten tribes that rebelled against God, perished because it was no longer the chosen nation of Israel; only the Southern Kingdom of Judah, which consisted of the two tribes which followed God's will, could, as the true chosen people of Israel, receive Jesus. Nevertheless, these Jewish people, too, completely lost their qualification as the chosen people when they crucified Jesus.

Who, then, would be the chosen people of Israel after Jesus' death on the cross? They are the devout Christians who, taking up the faith of Abraham, have succeeded to the mission which his lineal descendants have failed to carry out. Therefore, the Bible clarified that the center of God's providence of restoration has been shifted form the Israelites to the Gentiles (Acts 13:46), by saying, "Through their [the Jews] trespass, salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous." (Rom. 11:11). Therefore, we may understand that the chosen people of Israel, who are to establish the foundation for the Messiah of the Second Advent, are not the lineal descendants of Abraham, but the devout Christians who have taken up the faith of Abraham.