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Chapter 200

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THE EFFECT OF JESUS' RETURN
Nations and Unsaved

200.054.000       Torrey: p211, T:V(4)
Topic 54:   The Return of Jesus Christ as Regards the Nations and Unregenerate Individuals.

200.054.010       Torrey: p211, T:V(4), P:1
POINT 10:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, all the tribes of the earth shall mourn over Him.

      Matthew 24:30 At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.

      Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

   The gladdest day of all for His people, the saddest day of all for those who are not His people.

200.054.020       Torrey: p211, T:V(4), P:2
POINT 20:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, all the nations shall be gathered before Him for judgment, and He shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from his goats, etc.

      Matthew 25:31-32 [31] When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

200.054.030       Torrey: p212, T:V(4), P:3
POINT 30:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the residue of men and all Gentiles (nations) upon whom His name is called will seek after the Lord. Peoples shall come and the inhabitants of many cities. Yes, many peoples and strong nations shall come to seek the Lord of Hosts in Jerusalem, and entreat the favor of the Lord.

      Acts 15:16-17 [16] "After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, [17] that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name," says the Lord, who does these things [18] that have been known for ages.

      Zechariah 8:20-23 [20] This is what the LORD Almighty says: "Many peoples and the inhabitants of many cities will yet come, [21] and the inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, `Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going.' [22] And many peoples and powerful nations will come to Jerusalem to seek the LORD Almighty and to entreat him." [23] This is what the LORD Almighty says: "In those days ten men from all languages and nations will take firm hold of one Jew by the hem of his robe and say, `Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you.'"

      Isaiah 2:2-3 [2] In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. [3] Many peoples will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths." The law will go out from Zion, the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

   QUESTION: How can this be if immediately upon His coming the nations are gathered before Him, judged, separated and assigned to their eternal destiny?

   ANSWER: It is not said that immediately upon His coming the nations will be gathered, etc. Our difficulties arise from the fact that we assume what the Bible never asserts or implies, that these things are all crowded into a day or a few days or a year. These events are connected with and result from His coming, but they take time for their development. I doubt if the prophecies are intended to give us a definite and detailed history is their order of all the events connected with the Lord's coming. The great important facts necessary to keep us watching and to cheer our hearts and fire us for our work are given in outline. But always remember that, while prophecy is exactly and literally true in every word, prophecy is not history.

200.054.040       Torrey: p213, T:V(4), P:4
POINT 40:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ and His glorious reign, rebels against Him will be shattered.

      Psalms 2:9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.

200.054.050       Torrey: p213, T:V(4), P:5
POINT 50:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, those who do not know God and those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ shall suffer punishment, even eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the Glory of His might.

      2 Thessalonians 1:7-9 [7] and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. [8] He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power

   As to what "destruction" means, compare the following:

      Revelation 17:11 The beast who once was, and now is not, is an eighth king. He belongs to the seven and is going to his destruction.

      Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

      Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.

   Also see the chapter on the future destiny of those who reject redemption in Jesus Christ.

200.054.060       Torrey: p213, T:V(4), P:6
POINT 60:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, everyone that is left of the nations, and kings and princes shall worship and serve Jesus Christ.

      Zechariah 14:16 Then the survivors from all the nations that have attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the LORD Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles.

      Isaiah 49:7 This is what the LORD says -- the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel -- to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the servant of rulers: "Kings will see you and rise up, princes will see and bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you."

      Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.

      Psalms 2:8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.

      Psalms 72:8-11 [8] He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth. [9] The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust. [10] The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts. [11] All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.

200.054.070       Torrey: p214, T:V(4), P:7
POINT 70:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the kingdom of this world shall become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ: and He shall reign forever and ever.

      Zechariah 9:10 I will take away the chariots from Ephraim and the war-horses from Jerusalem, and the battle bow will be broken. He will proclaim peace to the nations. His rule will extend from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.

      Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."

200.054.080       Torrey: p214, T:V(4), P:8
POINT 80:   At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, war shall cease, peace and plenty shall reign, and the righteous shall flourish.

      Isaiah 2:4 He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.

      Micah 4:3-4 [3] He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. [4] Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken.

      Psalms 72:7, 16 [7] In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more. [16] Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.

200.055.000       Torrey: p214, T:V(5)
Topic 55:   The Results of Christ's Coming as Regards Human Society as a Whole.

200.055.010       Torrey: p214, T:V(5), P:1
POINT 10:   The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the seas.

      Isaiah 11:9 They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the waters cover the sea.

   The day of Christ's Second Coming and reign will indeed be the golden age and well may we cry, "Amen, come Lord Jesus."

200.056.000       Torrey: p215, T:V(6)
Topic 56:   The Results of Christ's Second Coming as Regards the Anti-Christ and the Devil.

200.056.010       Torrey: p215, T:V(6), P:1
POINT 10:   The Anti-Christ shall be slain (or put out of the way) by the breath of His mouth and brought to naught by the manifestation of His coming.

      2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

200.056.020       Torrey: p215, T:V(6), P:2
POINT 20:   The Devil shall be chained and cast into the abyss for a thousand years, and then after a short period of freedom he shall be cast into the lake of fire where he will be tormented day and night forever.

      Revelation 20:1-3 [1] And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. [2] He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. [3] He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

      Revelation 20:10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

200.057.000       Torrey: p215, T:V(7)
Topic 57:   The Results of Christ's Second Coming as Regards the Physical Universe.

200.057.010       Torrey: p216, T:V(7), P:1
POINT 10:   In connection with Christ's Second Coming the creation itself shall be delivered from the corruption to which it is now subject into the liberty of the glory of the children of God. Thorns, briers and carnage shall be no more. The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad, and the desert shall blossom as the rose.

      Romans 8:19-21 [19] The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. [20] For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope [21] that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.

      Isaiah 55:13 Instead of the thornbush will grow the pine tree, and instead of briers the myrtle will grow. This will be for the LORD's renown, for an everlasting sign, which will not be destroyed.

      Isaiah 65:25 The wolf and the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but dust will be the serpent's food. They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain," says the LORD.

      Isaiah 32:15 till the Spirit is poured upon us from on high, and the desert becomes a fertile field, and the fertile field seems like a forest.

      Isaiah 35:1 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus,

200.057.020       Torrey: p216, T:V(7), P:2
POINT 20:   There shall be a new heaven and a new earth.

      2 Peter 3:12-13 [12] as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. [13] But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

      Revelation 21:1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

      Compare Revelation 21:2-27.

   As the result of Christ's coming there will be a new and glorious man, in a new and glorious body, in a new and glorious society, in a new and glorious universe.

   "Amen Come Lord Jesus."

200.060.000       Torrey: p216, T:VI
Topic 60:   The time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

200.060.010       Torrey: p216, T:VI, P:1
POINT 10:   The exact time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ is not revealed to us.

      Matthew 24:36, 42 [36] No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. [42] Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.

      Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

   NOTE. -- Calculations from the data given in Daniel by which some try to fix the exact date of Christ's return are utterly unreliable. They attempt the impossible. The statements were not intended to give us a clue to the exact date of Christ's return. It is a part of God's purpose and method in dealing with men to keep them in uncertainty on this point. The prophecies of Daniel were extant in the day when Christ uttered:

      Mark 13:32 No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

   And He doubtless understood the lessons those prophecies were intended to teach, but He distinctly declares that even He did not know the day or the hour of His coming again. Any teacher who attempts to fix the date of Christ's return is at once discredited, and it is entirely unnecessary to wade through his calculations. God does not desire us to know just when His Son will return.

      Acts 1:7 He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority."

   Let us leave the times when God has put them, "by own authority." He does desire that we shall be always ready for that return.

200.060.020       Torrey: p217, T:VI, P:2
POINT 20:   The Second Coming of Jesus Christ will be at a time that even His disciples will not expect. Even the faithful and wise servant will be taken unawares, but he will be found doing His Master's will.

      Matthew 24:44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

200.060.030       Torrey: p217, T:VI, P:3
POINT 30:   The time when the Son of Man is revealed will be a time when the world is absorbed in its usual occupations.

      Luke 17:26-30 [26] Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. [27] People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. [28] It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. [29] But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. [30] It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

200.060.040       Torrey: p217, T:VI, P:4
POINT 40:   The day of the Lord will not come until after the revelation of the man of sin, the son of perdition.

      2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 [1] Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, [2] not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. [3] Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. [4] He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

   Of course, the day of the Lord is the time of the Lord's coming to the earth. This is preceded by His coming in the air to receive His bride, the Church, to Himself. (1 Thessalonians 4:17) There is nothing to show that quite an interim may not occur between this coming of Christ for His saints in the air and His coming with His saints to the earth. There are indications that there must be such an interval:

   (a) Christ has much to do with His people before He comes to deal with the world.

   (b) It is distinctly taught that there is now a restraining power that hinders the manifestation of the man of sin. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7)

   It is natural to presume that this restraining power has something to do with the Church.

200.060.050       Torrey: p218, T:VI, P:5
POINT 50:   The last days, and the time of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, will be a time of apostasy, grievous times, and faith will be hard to find.

      1 Timothy 4:1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

    We clearly see this today in Mormonism, Jehovah's Witnesses, the various new religions based on Near Death Experiences which claim that "the Light" loves and accepts everyone, and the various religions being formed around the occultic practices, manifestations and "signs and wonders" of mediums, channelers, "Space Brothers", "alien abductors" and other New Age practices, and whatever other guises demons can use to lure men into false beliefs that will destroy their souls.

      2 Timothy 3:1-5 [1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

   The word "form" can have two distinct meanings: a "type" or "the appearance of." In verse 5, "a form of godliness" means the "appearance of godliness." It refers to those who claim to be just and righteous but in truth are not.

      Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

      Luke 21:26-28 [26] Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. [27] At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. [28] When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.

   2 Timothy 3:1-5 gives a very accurate picture of our own time. But we should bear in mind that earnest men of God and students of the Bible have often thought in times past that the coming of the Lord was very near. So it was and they were not mistaken, as were those who thought it was so far away that they let have no effect over their lives. The multiplying iniquities of our day, the apostasy of many professed Christians, preachers and professors of theology into damning error and unbelief, the increase of lawlessness on the part of great corporations on the one hand and the oppressed poor on the other -- these are all signs of His coming, which may be very near at hand. Men's hearts are "fainting for fear, and for expectation of the things which are coming on the world." (Luke 21:26) But when we see these things begin to come to pass we should then look up and lift up our heads because our redemption draws near. (Luke 21:28)

   Reviser's Note: We live in a very different world from the one in which R. A. Torrey lived. There is no doubt that we are living in the end times, most likely the final generation before the Rapture. Just compare 2 Timothy 3:1- 5 with common headlines and news stories:

   (a) More people have been killed in twentieth-century wars than in all previous wars combined.

   (b) For the first time in history, random violence is becoming commonplace. Although a just person does not approve of theft, murder out of jealousy or for financial gain, etc., even a just person can understand why someone might do such a thing. But since the 1980's, totally senseless crimes have become common, e.g., drive-by shootings into crowds, shootings between motorists on freeways, murders for a jacket, sneakers, hubcaps or a car stereo.

   (c) Annual salaries for major corporate managers have reached absurd levels, e.g., in excess of $25 million, even in excess of $200 million in one case, yet corporations lay off hundreds of thousand of workers and replace them with low-paid temporary workers who wind up in a permanent state of no job-security, no healthcare coverage, no savings or plan for retirement, and constant fear about whether they will have a job or a place to live next week or next month or next year.

   (d) Perpetrators of brutally violent rapes, assaults, robberies, incest, and murders are portrayed as "victims of social injustice" not responsible for their own actions or decisions.

   (e) Government forums founded to provide justice, i.e., the courts, dismiss solid claims supported by significant evidence, but allow ludicrous claims with no precedent, and supported only by testimony of "experts" who can provide nothing but their "opinions," with no objective evidence to support their opinions.

   (f) Systems founded to provide justice have become slow, expensive, complicated, time-consuming, and arbitrary, and have little or no authority to enforce decisions, once made. As a result, those who would seek justice have nowhere to go to vindicate the rights of the just and punish or discourage the unjust.

   (g) Rather than working together to improve their common interests, husbands and wives, and parents and children, compete with each other and try to subvert each other for their own selfish interests.

   (i) For many people, children are not seen as a gift from God, to be loved and treasured, but rather, as a burden that interferes with the person's ability to earn higher income and accumulate more money, power, prestige, and worldly possessions.

   (j) Many men have become servants to heartless, soul-less, mindless machines. They spend entire careers carrying and feeding raw materials to machines, pressing buttons and levers, and carrying processed materials and waste away from the machines, with no sense of dignity, self-worth, satisfaction, or security. They live in constant fear of losing their source of income when someone inevitably figures out how to have another machine feed and take care of the first machine.

   (k) For years, people are told to get a good education and develop good skills, yet when they do, they are told that they are "over-qualified" or "have too much education" or "don't have enough experience" or "have too much experience" or "don't have the right mix" of education, skills, and experience. They are ruined financially by burdensome educational expenditures demanded by society and then never given a chance to put their education and skills to use. Their skills become outdated or weak from lack of use, they forget what they studied, from lack of use, and the only thing they are left with is continuing financial burdens.

   (l) Many people spend years simply traveling back and forth to work a half-hour or more each way, often traveling at a snail's pace due to overcrowded highways.

   (m) Rather than fellowshipping with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers, many people spend most of their free time watching television or videos, listening to recorded music, playing video or computer games, or hooked up to a computer network pretending to be someone they're not, typing cocktail-party conversation to people they don't know who are also pretending to be someone they're not.

   (n) Sexual promiscuity, divorce, bisexuality, and homosexuality are not discouraged as immoral, they are encouraged and promoted as "alternative life-styles."

   (o) Many politicians do not view political office as a public trust and a position of moral leadership, but simply as a way of furthering their careers and increasing their personal power. They view voters as commodities to be bought with empty promises based on statistics and polls, not as people whose lives they will profoundly affect.

   (p) Honest labor, dedication, honesty, truthfulness, fairness, loyalty, trustworthiness, and other Christian values are no longer viewed as desirable qualities in workers and advisors. People who advocate them are vilified as "demagogues", "radicals", "bigots", "racists", "Bible-thumpers", "closed-minded", "intolerant", "living in the past" and outright anti-social. Rather, people are judged by the "current bottom line"; not "What have you done for me?" or even "What have you done for me lately?", but rather, "What have you done for me within the past month?" or the past quarter.

200.060.060       Torrey: p219, T:VI, P:6
POINT 60:   We are repeatedly exhorted to be watching, looking and ready for our Lord's return. It must, therefore, be an event that, as far as we know, may occur at any moment.

      Mark 13:34-36 [34] It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch. [35] "Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back -- whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. [36] If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping.

      Luke 12:35-36 [35] Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, [36] like men waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him.

      Matthew 25:13 Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

      Matthew 24:42, 44 [42] Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. [43] But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. [44] So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

   There is no event predicted in Scripture, or series of events, that must occur before Jesus comes to receive His own to Himself. There events that must occur before He comes to the earth with His saints. (2 Thessalonians, Chapter 2) He may come for us, as far as we know, at any moment, so it stands to reason that we should always be ready, for He will come at a time when we do not expect it. (Matthew 24:44)

=== DISCUSSION ===

   QUESTION: First. Isn't the world to be converted before Jesus Christ comes?

   ANSWER:

      Revelation 1:7 Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

      Matthew 25:31-32 [31] "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

      2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 8 [1] Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, [2] not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. [3] Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. [4] He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. [8] And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

      Luke 18:8 I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?

      Luke 21:35 For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.

      2 Timothy 3:1-5 [1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

   These passages show us a world anything but converted at the coming of Christ. The following passage shows us that when Jesus Christ is revealed from heaven two distinct groups will exist -- converted and unconverted:

      2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 [6] God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you [7] and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. [8] He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. [9] They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power [10] on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

   Second. How can we explain the following?

      Matthew 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

   ANSWER: (1) This verse tells us that the gospel is to be preached "for a testimony" to all nations, not that all nations will be converted.

   (2) In a sense, in a scriptural sense too, this has already been done:

      Romans 10:18 But I ask: Did they not hear? Of course they did: "Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world."

      Colossians 1:23 [22] But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation - - [23] if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven, and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.

   (3) It shall be preached "before the end comes." However, the coming of Jesus Christ to receive His own is not the end, but the beginning of the end.

   Third. How shall we explain the following:

      2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 [1] Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, [2] not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come. [3] Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. [4] He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

   ANSWER: It is true that the man of sin must be revealed before "the day of the Lord is present." But the day of the Lord is not the coming of Christ to receive His Church but that which follows it. How closely it follows is difficult to say. The Thessalonians were troubled by the doctrine that the Day of the Lord was, not at hand, as the Authorized Version reads, but had already begun. Paul showed them this could not be, for "the man of sin," who was to be especially dealt with in the Day of the Lord, had not yet been revealed. There is reason to think, as already said, that the taking away of the Church must precede this revelation of the man of sin.

   NOTE: There is a quite widely accepted theory that "the man of sin" has already been revealed: the Pope. However, this is clearly not supportable.

   Reviser's Note: In general, this theory is now accepted only by a few fringe groups, mainly a few fundamentalist congregations not affiliated with any mainstream Protestant denomination. The Pope has never claimed to be God. The Pope has never sought a one-world government; even in the Middle Ages separate nations continued to exist. The Pope has never declared that all men must carry a specific mark on their foreheads or hands or they will not be permitted to buy and sell.

   Fourth. Will the Church pass through the great tribulation?

   ANSWER: (Reviser's Note: This is a subject of great debate among theologians. For a comprehensive discussion on this issue see Kept from the Hour by Gerald B. Stanton, Th.D. and the works cited therein.)

   It is clear from the Bible that the Church will pass through a time of difficulty, i.e., a time of tribulation:

      Acts 14:22 strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

   (Reviser's Note: Of course, there is nothing to indicate that this passage refers specifically to end times. It could just as well apply to the early Christian era.)

   This does not prove that the Church will pass through "the great tribulation," when God deals with a Christ-rejecting world. There is much to indicate that the Church will be sheltered during this period. (Reviser's Note: This is referred to as a pre-tribulation Rapture.)

      Luke 21:36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able to stand before the Son of Man.

      Revelation 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.

   Also see Revelation; everything after Chapter 4, verse 1 has to do with the time after the Rapture of the Church.

   Reviser's Note:

   However, contrast the above with this:

      Revelation 7:14 [14] I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

      Matthew 24:21-22 [21] For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now -- and never to be equaled again. [22] If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. (The King James Version uses the words "great tribulation.")

   Those who believe the Church will have to endure the great tribulation argue as follows: (a) If the Church is raptured away, who will be around during the great tribulation to preach to those who remain? (b) If the Church is raptured before the tribulation, why is the tribulation shortened "for the sake of the elect?" Since the elect have already been removed, how can they benefit?

   Fifth. Is the world getting better?

   Unfortunately, in the century since Torrey's 17th Edition the answer has become so obvious that a responsive discourse is no longer necessary.

      2 Timothy 3:1-5 [1] But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. [2] People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, [3] without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, [4] treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God -- [5] having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.

200.060.072       Torrey: no
POINT 72:   There is no point in knowing the exact time of the Lord's return.

=== DISCUSSION ===

   In truth, what difference would it make to know exactly when the Lord will return? None of us knows the exact moment anyone will die. If we knew for an absolute certainty that Jesus would return one month from today at 2:32 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, how would any particular person know the he is still going to be alive at that time?

   It might be argued "I would make preparations to meet the Lord, to celebrate His return." However, since the Lord will descend with a shout the meet the Church in the air, no one would be left on the ground to celebrate!

   The only real reason for wanting to know the exact time of Jesus' return is so one can be prepared to ask for forgiveness a few minutes before and be saved. It's the same attitude as "My parent's aren't coming home until Sunday, so I can throw a party on Saturday, even though they said not to."

   Jesus taught that we should always do as He taught, i.e., as He commanded. Christian living is an attitude, a mindset, a world view. Jesus freed us from the Law, not from godly living. A true Christian seeks to love God, live a righteous life, and treat others fairly because he earnestly believes that is how one should live, i.e., it is righteous, not because a set of laws requires him to live that way. If that is how one lives, knowing when Jesus will return is irrelevant.

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