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Let's count. First, there was creation. That's obviously His first coming. He walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve. He was here as a part of His creation process. Then, He came in the form of the Old Testament "Angel of the Lord." The Angel of the Lord was worshipped when He appeared. Therefore, Bible teachers have always accepted the fact that this was the Lord Himself, again walking the earth. His Second Coming. His Third coming is what we celebrate at Christmas. He came to the manger as a baby. This was His first humble coming, with the most profound purpose in coming. His Third coming is when He set aside His Heavenly power and lived a perfect life, not deserving punishment for sin, because He did not sin. Then, as that perfect sacrifice, He died as our substitute. So, John's reference above is to the Lord's Fourth Coming, or is it? Before His resurrection, the Lord said He would send the Holy Spirit to live in us and to work through us. The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost is the Fourth Coming, and John refers to the Lord's Fifth Coming. He will come then for the purpose of raising the faithful dead to live with Him for eternity. Then will come His Sixth Coming, the coming in judgment. Finally, in His Seventh Coming, the Lord will come to reign. We do not know the details of what is ahead, but we can be certain that the same God of Word who has the power to speak this Universe into existence, to create us for His pleasure, to show us His love, will have a future for us more glorious than any earthy scenery. Are you looking forward to His Second Coming? Think again. After considering this issue, our son Professor Dr. Stephen Palmquist, at Hong Kong Baptist University wrote in an e-mail: There is another option. Rather than trying to "count the number", we could see all these references to the Lord's "coming" as a description of a basic attribute. That is, Jesus is ALWAYS "coming". That's why the 10 virgins (in the parable) must constantly keep watch. That's why 1John 2:28 says we should always live in such a way as to not be ashamed "at his coming" -- i.e., never to be ashamed, since he is ALWAYS "coming". And that's why the whole Bible ends with a repetition of the basic, most essential nature of God's human manifestation, with the testimony from Jesus' own mouth, "Yes, I am coming", followed by John's agreement: "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus." Then the whole Bible ends by affirming that this IS what Grace is all about: "The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God's people. Amen." Jesus is with us when we recognize what he is: he IS "coming". Dr. Stephen Palmquist's website is: www.hkbu.edu.hk/~ppp/bth. At that site you will find out about his book Biblical Theocracy, a challenging work about the Biblical view of government.
-- Richard Palmquist
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