Only One Future Coming Of Christ*
By Theologue
Are there two different
returns of Christ in the future! Did Christ and the Apostles teach
different end-time events?
The dispensationalist
pretrib rapture theory espoused by the likes of Hal Lindsey and
Tim LaHaye insist that their are 2 future comings of Christ, one event
"for"
his saints and one event seven years later "with" his saints. This
logically would require us to speak of a 2nd Coming and a 3rd Coming if
they are separate events! Proponents of
this theory have gone to great lengths to say that the 2 comings are
just 2 phases of the 2nd Coming. However the Greek NT text does not
allow for this novel interpretation!
The pretribs also teach that Jesus taught only about His Second Coming
in glory 'for' his saints and Paul taught a different scenario - a
prior secret coming. The chart below shows that the teaching of Jesus
about his 2nd Coming is the same as taught by Paul and the other NT
writers! If you study the Biblical references you will see that the
Second Coming and the gathering together of the elect (the 'rapture')
happen at the Second Coming - the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ!
The Gospels and Epistles do not teach two different end-time
sequence of events!!!
* Chart from an article at: GospelPedlar