Extracted from The Great Tribulation Part V, by Dr. Stanford E. Murrell*
1. Doctrine Of The Coming Of Christ
1. Jesus said that there would be some standing before Him who would
not taste
of death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom. (Matt
16:28; Luke
21:27)
2. On the Mount of Olives the disciples asked the Lord for the sign of
His
coming. (Matt 24:3)
3. Jesus likened His coming (parousia, advent, physical aspect or
presence) to
the lightning which cometh out of the east and shineth unto the east.
(Matt
24:27)
4. Jesus said there would be days of tribulation in which the sun would
be
darkened and the moon would not give her light and the powers of the
heavens
would be shaken and people would see the Son of Man coming
(kataggeleus, a
proclaimer, setter forth) in the clouds of heaven with power and great
glory.
(Matt 24:30; Mark 13:26; Luke 21:26, 27)
5. The coming of the Son of Man would be like the days of Noah. (Matt
24:37,
39; Mark 13:36)
6. Only evil servants would say, My lord delayeth his coming. (Matt
24:37,39;
Mark 13:36)
7. Faithful servants are rewarded when the Lord cometh. (Matt 24:26)
8. In a parable Jesus told what He would expect at His coming. (Matt
26:64;
Mark 14:62)
9. Jesus told the high priest that he would see the Son of Man sitting
on the
right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. (Matt 26:64;
Mark
14:62)
10. Peter referred to the coming of the Just One (Acts 7:52),
associating the
prophetic reference to the First Advent.
11. Paul speaks of the saints waiting for the coming (apokalupsis,
revelation,
manifestation) of the Lord. (1 Cor 1: 7)
12. At the coming, parousia of Christ there will be the resurrection
from the
dead. (1 Cor 15:23)
13. Paul wanted others to be present at the coming of Christ so he
could
rejoice. (1 Thess 2:19)
14. When Christ comes the saints will be sanctified. (1 Thess 3:13)
15. At the coming of Christ there will be a generation of saints who
will meet
Him in the air. (1 Thess 4:15)
16. Sanctification must characterize the life of every Christian until
the
coming of Christ. (1 Thess 5:23)
17. The hope of the coming of Christ becomes a motivating force for
faithful
service. (2 Thess 2: 1)
18. At the coming of Christ the Wicked One will be destroyed. (2 Thess
2:8)
19. Christians are to be patient in the hardships of life until the
coming of
the Lord. (Jas 5:7)
20. The coming, parousia is near. (Jas 5:8)
21. Skeptics mock that Jesus is coming again. (2
Pet 3:4)
22. When Jesus comes the heavens shall be set on
fire and
dissolved and the elements shall melt. (2 Pet 3:12)
23. The Christian is to live in such a manner as
not to be
ashamed before Christ as His coming. (1 John 2:28)
Of the sixty six times that the word coming is used in the New
Testament,
fourteen times the word is directly associated without question to the
Second
Advent of Christ (Heb 9:28 cp. 1 Cor 1:7; 15:23; 1 Thess 2:19; 3:13;
4:15;
5:23; 2 Thess 2:1; 2:8; Jas 5:7;
5:8; 2 Pet 1:16; 3:4; 3:12; 1 John 2:28).
24. In four other passages there is a parabolic application. (Matt
24:48;
25:27; Luke 12:45; 19:23)
25. The passages in Matthew (16:28; 24:27; 24:30;
24:37, 38,
39; 25:27) Mark (13:26, 36; 14:62), and Luke (21:27) may better refer
to the
coming of Christ in special judgment upon national Israel in AD 70.
26. In the Old Testament the word coming is used 33 times.
27. Only in Malachi 3:2 and 4:5 is the word coming associated with the
Messiah.
28. Malachi 3:2, which speaks of the Lord coming suddenly to His
Temple, is
fulfilled in Matthew 3:1, 3. (Rev 6:17 cp. Heb 12:29)
Malachi 4:5 refers to the prophet Elijah coming before the great and
dreadful
day of the Lord. This coming is associated with the First Advent.
Matthew 11:14
plainly teaches the fulfillment of this prophetic utterance in the life
of John
the Baptist.
What About Escaping Tribulation?
Since so much has been made within the Christian community about the
possibility of God's people escaping some future great tribulation
period by
removal, it would be good to remember that God has never promised that
the
Church as a whole would ever be excluded from the trails of life.
Consider the
Doctrine of Tribulation under several points.
2. Doctrine Of Tribulation
1. The word tribulation is found 22 times in the Authorized Version.
The word
tribulations is found 4 times.
2. To suffer tribulation (Greek, thlipsis) is to suffer affliction, to
be
troubled, to suffer due to the pressure of circumstances, or the
antagonism of
persons.
3. In examining the passages that speak of tribulation it becomes
evident that
all God's people in all ages have known emotional, spiritual, and
physical
affliction. (Deut 4:30; Judges 10:14; 1 Sam 26:24; 1 Sam 10:19; Matt
13:21)
4. Tribulation also comes to those who are not God's people in the form
of
Divine discipline. (Matt 24:21, 29; Mark 13:24; 2 Thess 1:6; Rom 2:9,
22)
5. Of particular concern is the Christian and tribulation. The Bible
clearly
makes the following statements:
A. The Disciples of Christ, for as long as they are in the world
shall
have tribulation. (John 16:33)
B. Only through much tribulation will the saints enter into the
kingdom.
(Acts 14:22)
C. The value of tribulation is that it works patience. (Rom 5:3;
12:12)
D. To endure tribulation is not to be loved less by Christ (Rom
8:35)
for nothing shall separate us from His faithful love.
E. God finds a special way to comfort the saints who suffer. (2
Cor 1:4)
F. Paul could find reasons to rejoice in the very midst of
tribulation (2
Cor 7:4; Rom 5:3; 2 Thess 1:4) and therefore did not want anyone else
to worry
on his behalf. (Eph 3:13)
G. When believers at Thessalonica were surprised at the
suffering they
had to endure, Paul reminded them he had taught that Christians must
suffer. (1
Thess 3:4)
H. John on the isle of Patmos does not divorce himself from
tribulation
nor does he ever say of himself that he represent those who shall not
suffer
tribulation. On the contrary, John considers himself at the moment of
his
writing to be a companion in suffering. (Rev 1:9)
I. The tribulation of the saints is well known to the Lord (Rev
2:9, 10)
and is for a stated purpose.
J. Always, God's people emerge victorious out of tribulation no
matter
how great. (Rev 7:14)
6. In all the Biblical passages there is not a single word that God
will spare
His people from the purifying effects of tribulation. Just the opposite
is
stated and demonstrated time and again.
7. The story of the Old Testament, the writing of the New Testament,
the
documentation of 2,000 years of history testify to the blood of the
saints in
the Church.
8. Any teaching which seeks to exempt God's people from
tribulation
during any period of human history will not find support from the 26
passages
which uses this word.
Dr. Murrells materials on this website used with his kind permission.