The Second Coming of Christ

While we're on the subject I'm just going to throw this out there. When people see crazy stuff like the bizarre opening ceremony at the Olympics and the insane Balenciaga ad promoting pedophilia, they start talking about the last days and the signs of the times.

Today at work someone made a reference to the second coming of Christ in the lunchroom and a co worker who is an atheist said oh, was there a first coming of Christ? They said yeah, and responded with something very witty and very inappropriate. I laughed out loud.

Before I mention the second coming of Christ I will cite the first coming of Christ since our modern calendar revolves around it. I saw a comment that said Christ's life was insignificant. Then someone responded, yeah, what year is it? 2024 years from what? That's kind of significant.

I think it's pretty obvious there was a first coming of Christ. Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem to the house of David. His teachings were recorded by his apostles. Josh McDowell was a journalist that set out to disprove the resurrection. He put out a book, Evidence Demands a Verdict. He was convinced of the reality of Christ. Christ did exist. He taught many things and he was indeed crucified. Josephus recorded that. So that part is history.

Whether or not he rose from the dead is arguable but the reality of his existence is not. His 12 apostles were witnesses of his resurrection. We remember the story of doubting Thomas. Mary had told the Apostles that the tomb was empty and she saw the resurrected Christ. Thomas said I do not believe it and will not believe it until I feel the prints in his hand for myself. Then Christ appeared to the Apostles in the upper room and Christ said Thomas here I am. Fell the prints in my hands. Be not faithless but be believing. Judas wasn't there but after Judas killed himself they called another apostle to take his place. All of the apostles were witnesses of his resurrection.

Did they all lie? Did they all die for that lie? That's for you to decide. My point is Christ's birth, life and death are a part of history. Before Christ was crucified he said that he would return not as a their in the night but in power and glory. Like the sun rises in the eastern sky.

The Bible claims that after Christ rose from the dead he taught the Apostles for 40 days. He told them to stay in Jerusalem until they received the baptism of fire which was the gift of the holy ghost. Then he departed and "while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Christ will return in the same manner he left.

But here's the kicker. A lot of things have to happen first. I'd even go so far as to say a lot of scary things. Abomination desolation doesn't sound like fun. Yet we are told, if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear. So the signs of the times are before us. I'm not going to list them. I'm not going to debate whether or not there will be a second coming of Christ and I'm not going to debate the manner of his coming. None of that really matters. What matters is preparing to meet God.

Is there anything in our life we need to repair? Do we really want to waste our whole life obsessing over things that don't matter? Although I believe in the divinity of Christ, there are a whole lot of Christians out there I don't like. When I was young there was a guy on the radio called the Bible Answer Man. He was the most intolerant unchristian man I had ever heard.

I'm not a religious man but I do like the simple truths of Buddha. A man who left the ivory tower to see suffering in the world and when he saw that suffering he was moved. Know ye not that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God. Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these, ye have done it unto me. So mote it be.