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What Does the Bible Say About..The Second Coming?

Jesus always referred to himself in the second coming as "The Son of Man" ...this is the phrase used to describe men born of men…humans...leading me to wonder if his second coming will be in form of a full fledged human. Another reason I’m led to believe this is a passage I read about Him in his second coming. "He shall see as also he is seen," making me wonder if that means that he will see the world through the eyes of a man, not as he did in His 1st coming through the eyes of The Spirit of God so to speak

My third reason for wondering this, and probably most important, is the passage in Revelations "they are of one in mind with the beast, and shall make war with the Lamb, but The Lamb shall overcome them because He is the Lord of Lords and The King of Kings"

"They, " as I understand it, will be pretty much the entire world under the antichrist’s influence. But It wouldn’t seem plausible that (even in the world we live in) the world would be stupid enough to see Christ come back in ALL His glory and power and they would do what? Take up arms? Launch a nuclear strike at the face of Jesus in the sky? The world would have just as much luck with pitchforks. Not to mention it would seem that "they" would come to their senses if He were to come back in Power and Glory. Will He be human I wonder...and possibly the single most unpopular human on this planet surrounded by mockers that even if confronted with truth or reason would be so blinded by hatred and clouded by doubt He will once again be forced to suffer disgrace and be forced to overcome the nature of the world? Or am I just completely misinterpreting these things?

Answer

Please see What Does the Bible Say About..Son of Man? for an interpretation of the phrase, “son of man.” Jesus did not use it of himself only when talking of the second coming, but also about himself during his time on earth. “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.” (Matthew 8:20) “The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.” (Matthew 11:19) (This is just two of many examples. Most of the time he used that phrase he was referring to him as he was then.) His use of this phrase about the second coming only implies that the same Jesus will be coming again, rather than a different person. Since he is not likely to set foot on earth again, it would make no sense for him to be wholly human then.

I searched for the reference you mentioned, “he shall see as also he is seen.” I couldn’t find it in the Bible. I did a search at Blueletterbible.org and on my own electronic Bible and found no passage even similar to that. Please let me know where it can be found. [The questioner admits it was a misreading of 1 Corinthians 13:12.]

I would like to look in detail at the context of the passage you mentioned from the Revelation. The passage reads, “And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition. And the ten horns which thou sawest are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as kings one hour with the beast. These have one mind, and shall give their power and strength unto the beast. These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.” (Revelation 17:9-14)

In the part you mentioned, you said you interpreted “they” as being the whole world. The passage, though, says that the ones who will “have one mind, and shall give their power and strength to the beast” (as opposed to your quotation of being of one mind with the beast) are the ten kings. It is not talking about the whole world. Who are/were these ten kings, and the ones that preceded them? The passage gives a pretty clear answer. The beast, it says is a city with seven hills or mountains. Even today Rome is often called the city of seven hills. So the beast is probably Rome. The kings, then would be the Roman emperors. When John is writing the vision he says that there have been a number of emperors, some of whom had persecuted God’s people (the church), but the emperors to come would bring about a worse persecution (war) against Christ. We find historically that this indeed happened. The emperors from Nero onward until Constantine generally brought great persecution on the church. So what he is prophesying here is that the Roman empire will persecute the church, but Christianity would outlast the empire. Remember, everything in the Revelation was “soon to come to pass.” (Revelation 1:1) It was about things happening in John’s future, but they are things that are long in our past.

You said you believed “they” would be “pretty much the entire world under the antichrist’s influence.” The other problem I have with that statement is mention of “the antichrist.” The term is only used by John (and never in the Revelation), and he never refers to “the antichrist.” He says there are many antichrists and that they were in the world even as he was writing (1 John 2:18). Antichrist refers to anyone who denies the Father and the son, or who denies Jesus is the Messiah. (1 John 2:22) Since the first century we have always had, and always will have, antichrists. There is never any biblical reference to one having any more power than the others, or one leading anybody in war against Christ.

You are right that it would be ridiculous to take up arms against Jesus in all his glory. Therefore, this passage in Revelation 17 must not be talking about the second coming. Why not? Because when he comes again it will not to be to set foot on earth. When he comes again it will be in all his glory. He will “be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.” (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9) If he comes in glory and punishes those who don’t obey the gospel, then the war is over and not just beginning. So the war in Revelation 17 has to be something being fought from the first century onward, and not when Jesus returns.