Come Lord Jesus! A Biblical Theology of the Second Coming of Christ
Digital Logos Edition
Overview
The second coming of Jesus Christ is the core of the biblical worldview, the climax of the biblical message, the cornerstone of biblical theology, and the centrepiece of authentic biblical faith for the twenty-first century.”
At the heart of this bold opening statement by Stephen Motyer is the conviction that Jesus Christ is the “centre” of the Scriptures, even though he only appears at the end. For the New Testament writers, Jesus Christ revolutionized their understanding of the Scriptures and gave them a new centre around which to interpret the work of God in the world—and the climax of that work is the “second coming” of that same Jesus Christ.
Jesus himself used the language of the Scriptures to promise his “coming again”, the “coming of the Son of Man”. Hence we need the whole of Scripture to understand what the second coming means for us today. The fact that the Bible ends with the prayer “Come, Lord Jesus!” (Revelation 22:20) is deeply appropriate. The second coming is the “end” of the biblical message, its “omega point”, its grand finale, the denouement when all the players in the drama of earth history, both human and angelic, are gathered in the drawing room to hear the Master unpack the plot and give the verdict.
Motyer’s comprehensive, stimulating study is divided into two parts. Part One, “The biblical frame”, examines three Old Testament passages and lays the foundation for Part Two, “New Testament hopes and vision”, which explores a series of key texts. He focuses on the second coming, rather than on millennialism or the “end times”, in order to provide the fundamental biblical theology that must underlie our whole sense of God’s future for his world.
- Focuses specifically on the second coming and not on general eschatology
- Analyzes key passages in both Testaments to develop an overall biblical understanding of the second coming
- Relates the second coming to the themes of Christology, judgment, redemption, re-creation, and power
Part 1: The Biblical Frame
- History and time (Psalms 89 – 90)
- Presence in power (Psalm 18)
- The coming of ‘one like a Son of Man’ (Daniel 7)
- En route to the New
Part 2: New Testament Hopes and Visions
- The coming of the Son of Man (Mark 13)
- ‘Will he find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 17:20 – 18:8)
- At home with the Lord ( John 14:1–31)
- Refreshments to follow (Acts 1:6–11; 3:11–26)
- The deliverer from Zion (Romans 11:25–36)
- ‘He must reign until . . . ’ (1 Corinthians 15:20–28)
- The coming of the Lord – part one (1 Thessalonians 4:13 – 5:11)
- The coming of the Lord – part two (2 Thessalonians 2:1–12)
- The High Priest reappears (Hebrews 9:23–28)
- Be prepared! (2 Peter 3:1–18)
- ‘See, I am coming soon!’ (Revelation 19:11–16)
Dr. Motyer rightly urges in his Preface the vital importance of this too-often neglected subject. He has produced a very readable, clear, vivid, non-technical response to this need. He handles Mark 13, Mark 9:1, and First and Second Thessalonians with competence and common sense. I commend this book for study.
—Anthony C. Thiselton, FBA, Emeritus Professor of Christian Theology, University of Nottingham
Stephen Motyer is lecturer in New Testament and hermeneutics and the leader of theology and counseling programme at the London School of Theology. He is the author of numerous books, including Your Father the Devil?, Israel in the Plan of God, Discovering Hebrews, Discovering Ephesians, Antisemitism and the New Testament, and Unlock the Bible.
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