The Bible teaches that every eye will see Jesus when He returns in glory.  It also teaches that He will then put down His enemies, He will rule the nations with a rod of iron, and it teaches this will all be accompanied by the resurrection of the righteous dead who, along with the righteous who remain alive at that time, will be transformed into redeemed bodies then and reign over the nations with Him.  

We also clearly read in the Book of Revelation that this will all be preceded by the Antichrist’s reign over the nations, great tribulations for the righteous whom the Antichrist will kill and/or make life extremely hard for due to their refusal to worship him and take his mark that they might be allowed to participate in the Antichrist’s universal trade system.  

Though many professing Christians believe in a pre-tribulation rapture, the Bible teaches no such thing.  It rather teaches that Christ’s people will undergo much suffering and especially great temptation to fall away during the great tribulation before Christ returns.  

The Bible also teaches that there will be exceedingly great, supernaturally induced plagues from God during that tribulation period upon the Antichrist and those who worship him and take his mark.  There is no reason to believe that these direct plagues from God will be put upon the righteous.  Several statements in the Book of Revelation actually make it obvious that they will not be.  

Though I’m nearly sure that significantly more could yet be said about the conditions of the world before Christ’s second coming, this is sufficient to prove that He has not come back already and that those who claim that He has have a very long checklist to work through to sufficiently back up such a claim.  

The Bible does give warnings not to be seduced to worship a false christ who claims to be the return of Jesus.  The Bible warns not to be led astray going around and trying to find Jesus on earth.  It commands us to be diligent in preparing to meet the real Jesus who is still coming.  It is not a waste of time then to do a brief study proving that Jesus is not on earth now.  

One such warning that the Bible gives about this was addressed in our recent study on Matthew chapter 24.  Here is the part of that study which is directly related to our topic here.

(Beginning study clip): Matthew 24:23-25: “Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall show great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.  Behold, I have told you before.”

There were especially many false messiahs among the Jews in the first and second centuries, and there have been false messiahs throughout history.  Contrary to what many teach, it is possible to deceive the very elect (or chosen) ones.  Hence the need which Jesus saw to give these warnings and our need to take very careful, considerate heed to them.  (See also my message “The Five Points of Calvinism Crushed in Seven Minutes”).

Matthew 24:26-28: “Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.  For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.  For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together.”

Jesus will return again in person to condemn His enemies with the sword and deliver His faithful people.  He will not have a “secret coming” before that point.  He will not be walking around on the earth in disguise.  He did give a foretaste of His return when He judged Jerusalem in AD 70- and perhaps He has at other times given a similar foretaste of His return (and perhaps He yet will- you never know).  Yet AD 70 and other such times are not His second coming.  He will dwell at God’s right hand until that point and then He will return visibly to immediately assume His rightful authority over all things.  

Hebrews 10:12-13: “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool.”

Jesus has come once in person.  He died, He rose again, and He ascended to heaven. 

Acts 1:1-11: “The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen: To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.  For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.  When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?  And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power (my comment: the answer was of course no, the kingdom would not be restored to Israel at that time- it has still not been– and when the kingdom is restored Jesus will be its King reigning upon the throne of David- so much for then for Jews who reject Him having a part in that kingdom like the Dispensationalists teach).  But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.  And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.  And while they looked steadfastly 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.”

Jesus thus went away and the Holy Spirit was then sent very shortly afterwards on the Day of Pentecost.  He had made it clear to His Apostles that would happen on the very night before His crucifixion.

John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

John 16:7: “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.”

He thus distinguished between the Father, Himself, and the Holy Spirit while making it clear that they are in complete unity.  That is why it is proper to believe in the Trinity- one God in three persons.  

We know that the significance of Pentecost in Acts chapter two is that the sending of the Holy Spirit to Jesus’ disciples, which Jesus said would happen, then happened.

The Apostle Peter told the crowd on the Pentecost after Jesus had resurrected in Acts 2:32-36: ‘This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses (Peter is referring to himself and the other Apostles).  Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear.  For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy footstool (that’s a quote from 110).  Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

It is clear then that He has shed forth the Holy Spirit on earth, yet He will personally remain at God’s right hand until His second coming.  In the very next chapter of Acts we have Peter again preaching to the multitude in Jerusalem shortly after the events of Acts chapter 2.  Peter is again telling the multitude of Jews present to repent and get in line with the King before He returns so they will be in His grace then.  That will be the time of restitution of all things.  

Acts 3:19-26: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.  And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.  For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.  And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.  Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.  Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.  Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.”

Besides proving that natural Jews who do not turn to Jesus Christ and obediently follow Him, and also implying that gentiles who do so become partakers of the blessing of Abraham (which the Apostles would teach directly at other points- such as in Galatians chapter 3), this also proves that what happened in Acts chapter 2 was definitely was not Jesus’ second coming.  Jesus yet personally remained at the Father’s right hand in heaven and it was not the time of the restitution of all things.  That time has not happened yet.  Jesus is not on earth now.

2 Corinthians 5:16b: “yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more.”

1 Peter 3:22: “Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.”

Aaron’s email is: [email protected]

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR FRONT PAGE FOR ALL THE STUDIES

CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR 3RD WORLD MISSION TO THE IMPOVERISHED