JESUS PROMISED TO COME AGAIN
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself…” John 14:3. KJV.
A mere look at the above, one might think that the “come again” that Jesus talked about implies the popular “SECOND COMING” that is widely anticipated in the church today.
But was that what Jesus really had in mind when He said those words?
Two questions surfaces here: Was there a “first coming?”
And if there is going to be a “second” coming,” when was the first? Because if there is a “second,” then there must have been a “first.”
CHRIST “COMINGS” THROUGH THE AGES.
Christ “coming” is simply a revelation of Himself to mankind. It has been from time of creation.
In Micah 5:2 we read “But thou, Beth-lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings (Plural) forth have been from of old from everlasting” KJV
Here the “goings” are in the plural form because He, as the Everlasting Father and Mighty God, ( Isaiah 7:13-14; 9:6-7) has always being and has been coming.
Carefully viewed, that which we called “first coming” was only the creator manifesting Himself to mankind for the work of redemption.
1 Tim.3: 16 “And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory”.
1 Tim 3:16 “And great and important and weighty, we confess, is the hidden truth (the mystic secret) of godliness. He [God] was made visible in human flesh, justified and vindicated in the [Holy] Spirit, was seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, [and] taken up in glory”. AMP
(He became flesh and dwelt amongst men (John 1:14; 1 John 1:1-2) as Emmanuel-God with us) in order to restore us to the position Adam was before the fall.
Is this coming what you called a first coming?
Consider these questions:
Who came to Adam in (Gen. 3:8) God did!
Who came down to destroy the Tower of Babel? (Gen.11:1-9) God.
Who came to Abraham in Gen 18?
So God-Christ (I and my Father are one” (John 10:30) has been coming to mankind.
And for every coming there was and is a purpose tied to it.
CHRIST IN GOD THE FATHER
“SECOND COMING”?
God came to Abraham (Gen 17:1) and He returned unto Sarah-Abraham’s wife; leading to the conception of Isaac-the promised son, (Gen 17:19; 18:10; 21:1-2).
God came to Moses in the Burning bush to take to Himself the children of Israel “…God will surely visit you…” (Exodus. 13:15-16;)
God came to the children of Israel at Mount Sinai, (Exodus 19:9-18).
God also came to Shiloh in the days of Samuel.
Severally, he has been coming, and in a human form, was one of such comings. And so that can’t be his first coming if am right.
Now, in the NT we have various shades of his comings which I think the Church doesn’t take note of e.g. .
Math. 24:27 HE COMES as lightening
Math. 25:6 HE COMES as a Bridegroom
Math. 25:31-34 HE COMES as a King
Mark 13: 26 HE COMES with clouds
John 14:18 HE COMES to His saints
John 14:3 HE COMES to receive the saints unto Himself, a person
2 Thess.1:7-8 HE COMES as a flaming fire
2 Thess. 1:10 HE COMES in His saints
Phil. 3: 20-21 HE COMES in Resurrection power
James 5: 7-8 HE COMES as the Rain
James 5:9 HE COMES as the Judge
Jude 14 HE COMES with the saints
Rev.1:7 He comes in the CLOUDS
Rev .2:28 HE COMES as the Morning Star
Rev. 19:11, 14 HE COMES on a white horse
Rev. 16:15 HE COMES as a thief
And above all, in the book of Malachi 3:1-3, He comes as “the refiner’s fire”.
Which of this could be the “SECOND coming”?
Now, who came to your door (heart) to knock? (Rev. 3:20).
And did you open unto Him?
Will you call that a “Second Coming” or a “first”?
When Jesus told Judas that “If anyone love me, they will obey me, then my Father will love them, and we will COME to them and live in them” (John. 14:20-23). Is there a fulfillment of this coming in the life of His people now or not? And if so, which of the comings that you know is this?
For Him to make His abode in you, means you are His temple. (2 Cor. 6: 16; 13:5).
“COME AGAIN” is a fulfillment of a promise.
“I will come again” and receive you unto myself…” John.14:3 KJV.
Mind you there is no where “SECOND” and “COMING” are joined together in the Bible, this is the only scripture being alluded to.
The words, “I will come again” in the above Scripture is rendered: “I shall return” in the Jerusalem Bible Translation.
Note it , that when the word, “return” or “Again” surfaces in the Bible, it usually speaks of the fulfillment of a promise or in the context of a promise yet to be fulfilled. For example:
“…I will return unto thee, according to the time of life and Sarah shall have a son” (Gen.18:10-14 ) ,the promise to Abraham of the Birth of Isaac. That Sarah his wife would bear him a son, Isaac at a set time when He (God) would return.
Now, we never saw God physically came before Isaac was born, but as long as Isaac was born, the lord came.
The coming of the Holy Spirit was the Fulfillment of the Father’s Promise to;
“Return Again” in John 14:3.
John 14: 16 “A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father.
17 Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. = (The pains of Jesus leaving will turn to Joy when the Holy spirit is poured out )
21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
(The manchild born into the world, was the Church that was birthed in the upper room when the Holy Spirit came down upon the 120).
Christ is the same as the Holy Spirit.. See it..
for” – God hath made (promoted, exalted) that same Jesus (the human figure that you use to know) whom ye have crucified both LORD and CHRIST” (Acts 2:36),
“because I (Jesus) go to the father (who is Sprit. John. 4:24) and you see me no more (John 16:10) (as a human being).
2 Cor.3: 17 “Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty”
The Comforter, The Holy Spirit is Jesus.
Jonh 14:16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,(Nature) he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you”.(John 14:26)
“But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me”:( Joh 15:26)
“Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you”( John 16:7)
And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
9.Of sin, because they believe not on me; = (as the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world)
10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and YE SEE ME NO MORE; = (as a physical being) (John.16: 8-10)
Friends, I will “COME AGAIN” was a promise of the Holy Spirit fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, with the birthing of the new Testament Church .
It was NOT a RAPTURE promise.
But is Christ coming? why not, He is coming. Just follow on.
You need the, tape inbox me.
To be continued ….