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A VIDEO ABOUT THE SECOND COMING OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST

- Ignatius A le Roux

What do you know about the events that will occur when our Lord Jesus Christ returns to the earth? It is extraordinary how limited the knowledge of many Christians is about the events surrounding this Advent. All they seem to know is that the Lord will come again. Yet the Bible is literally packed with information concerning the events before, during and after the Advent. One would expect that this subject would constantly be on the lips of every preacher of the Word. Where does one begin to explain to one ignorant of these times about all the fascinating and illuminating facts concerning this important event?

The good news is that we now have a video available which sheds light on the events occuring during the Advent. The video is presented by Michael Utterback the International Director of the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, and is entitled The Significance of the Temple Mount.

In this video you will see both the Temple Mount and the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The portion of Scripture quoted above tells us how the Messiah will return to the same place from which He ascended into Heaven (Acts 1:11-12).

In a recent discussion I had with a minister about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, I was amazed to learn that, in spite of all the time he has been ministering the Word, he was still ignorant about the events pertaining to the Advent that the Bible so clearly describes. To him the Second Coming was a vague event which would take place somewhere in the future. He thought it would all be over in the blink of an eye. It is interesting to note that the First Coming of the Lord comprised a chain of differing events. So too will the Second Coming also consist of many different events. Before the First Coming an Angel appeared to the priest Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist. The virgin Mary was impregnated by the Holy Spirit and this was followed by the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. Later when He started His ministry He did many signs and wonders while proclaiming the gospel and the kingdom of God. He was persecuted and crucified. After His resurrection from the dead He appeared to many people and then He ascended into Heaven to take His place as High Priest at the right hand of God.

All these events are collectively known as the First Coming. The Second Coming will be much like it. It is almost as if you were gazing at a mountain from a distance. From far it appears as a single large mountain. As one gets closer, you notice that it consists of many different mountain peaks; one larger than the other, and some hidden behind yet more. Once you start scaling the mountain you notice that there are many more cliffs and valleys than you had previously noticed.

This is also true of the prophecies concerning the Second Coming of the Messiah. If we look back today at the Old Testament prophesies, it is clear that no distinction was made between the First and the Second Coming of the Messiah. These prophecies simply said that He would come. Because we know today which prophecies He fulfilled during His First Coming, we can clearly see which prophecies have yet to be fulfilled at His Second Coming.

The Old Testament prophets did not know how to differentiate between the First and the Second Coming of the Messiah. They just prophesied what He would do during His coming. That is why the people of Israel expected Him to come as the King to establish His kingdom on earth. All the prophecies concerning His reign as King are yet to be fulfilled. That is why after His resurrection, His disciples wanted to know from Him if He was now going to fulfil the remaining prophecies (see Acts 1:6). He answered them saying that He would fulfil the remaining prophecies but that it was not for them to know the time and epochs when He was going to do it (Acts 1:7).

Between the First and Second Comings of the Messiah is a lengthy period of which the Old Testament prophets were not aware. This is the time in which we are now living, namely the Church Dispensation. When this period comes to an end, the Second Coming will take place. The first time the Lord came as the suffering Servant to pay for our sins. This time He will return as King and Judge.

The prophecies of the Second Coming show the same pattern of different peaks of the mountain becoming more visible as the time draws closer. What looks like a single peak from far is in fact a whole series of different peaks. Michael Utterback lifts the veil on many of these prophecies in this video. We can not go into detail now, but know from our quoted text above (Zec. 14:4) that the Lord will return to the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives overlooks the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In the video you will see the threshing floor which David bought to build an altar to the Lord (2 Sam. 24, 1 & 2 Cron. 21). This too is where Abraham was prepared to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. The Lord chose this mount to be His home on earth. Although in Israel it is called a mountain, it is in reality more like a hill (much the same as the "Sea" of Galilee which is actually more like a lake than a sea). There are many similar hills that are called mountains.

The Bible states that mountains surround Jerusalem but we would rather refer to them as hills. Furthermore the Mount of Olives is made up of a chain of four hills. The threshing floor that David bought was also on a hill surrounded by other hills. His city, (the City of David) was located at the foot of such a hill. The palace was situated high up in the City and just beneath the threshing floor where Solomon later built the temple.

Solomon's temple is known today as the First Temple. After its destruction, the temple was rebuilt on the same spot when the Jews returned from exile. This is referred to today as the Second Temple. King Herod later added to this temple turning it into a massive complex. The base of this complex still exists today even though the main building at the centre of it, the temple, was destroyed in 70 AD. Today this spot is occupied by Islam's Golden Dome of the Rock! This of course is also in fulfilment of a prophesy made by the Lord Jesus Himself when He said that "Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles [non-Jews] until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Luke 21:24).

A portion of this complex of Herod forms the one corner of the old city of Jerusalem and you can still walk on the adjoining wall surrounding the Old City. The modern Jerusalem is of course much larger today and it occupies many of the hills that surround the Old City. In the video you will see the Old City from the Mount of Olives and also the Mount of Olives from the Old City. Michael Utterback explains what events will take place as the Lord Jesus returns and His feet stand on the Mount of Olives. Read about these events for yourself in Zec. 14 and Rev. 19:11-21. Are you prepared for the return of the Lord Jesus? Are you one of the people who are eagerly anticipating these events?

There are many events that will precede the Second Coming. We do not have the time to explain them all now. There are also many things that will happen after the return of the Lord Jesus. What is most important is that we should long for these events to take place. The Bible says in 2 Pet. 3:12 that we should be "looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God".

We can see the events in Israel unfolding before our eyes almost daily when we look at the news. Are you also excitedly awaiting the Lord Jesus to come and fulfil the prophesies concerning His coming as King and Judge?

Perhaps you will understand if you watch this video. We know that its spiritual message meant a lot to us and we want to share that with you too. It is a video which should be watched together with friends and family and shared with others. One person who watched The Significance of the Temple Mount said that she would usually only watch a video once but that she had seen this video three times already and she is ready to watch it again!

One thing we can be certain of, the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is close at hand.

-Naas le Roux

On Wednesday, 17 April the Western Province Zionist Council hired Ratanga Junction (a large family amusement park) to celebrate Yom Ha'atzmaut the restoration of the state of Israel in 1948. It was significant to see that the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem was invited to represent themselves at the festival.

The management of the Christian Embassy requested Kérugma to provide a TV and a video-player for the stand, and to show a promotional video on the Feast of Tabernacles held in Jerusalem in 2001 and highlights from Kérugma's video Highways to Zion.

We were also pleased to learn that they had invited a Christian to address the gathering. Dr. Johan Greeff, the chairman of the South African branch of the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, was given the opportunity to congratulate the Jews on the commemoration of the restoration of the state of Israel on behalf of all Christians.

What caught my attention the most was the overwhelming reaction to the videos. As people were walking past the stand, one woman reacted very negatively when she heard the Name Jesus Christ on the video. She made it clear to us that we who have faith in Jesus were not welcome at a gathering such as this, because she believed that Christians were the ones who tortured them in the gas chambers during World War 2.

Apart from this incident there was only positive reaction. It is not possible to describe in detail all the reactions we received. However we observed one woman standing and watching with her daughter. Time and again as they were about to continue on their way, something on the video caught their attention and they watched a bit longer. So they stood watching most of the video. In the end one asked me the price of the video Highways to Zion. She also wanted to know where she could order the video. It probably would have been an embarrassment to her to be seen with such a video in the present company. She asked whether they could take pamphlets from the Christian Embassy. The daughter excitedly took one of each pamphlet. They then turned to us saying: "I can not believe what we are seeing here today. We thought that Jews were rejected by all people. It is the first time we've met non-Jews who are positive about Israel and the Jewish people. It is too wonderful for words! You could never know how much this means to us."

A bit later another Jewish lady was standing watching as if transfixed. After watching through both videos, Mr. Jack Carstens one of the managers at the Christian Embassy, approached her. They talked for a while and he later told us that he had asked her if it would be an embarrassing situation for her if he gave her a copy of Highways to Zion as a present. She told him that he must please not do that as he had no idea what repercussions it would have for her if she arrived home with such a video. "No thank you," she said, "but I am overwhelmed with what I am seeing here. I cannot believe that there are other people who feel for us Jews. It is just too wonderful to believe." She left us with tears in her eyes.

Please join us in prayer for these people. They stand alone in this world. All that most of them know about Christendom is that Hitler was a so called Christian. He was a Roman Catholic and therefore a Christian. They don't know that there are Catholic and Protestant Christians. They have no conception that one must be born-again to be a true Christian, even though born of Christian parents. They are born Jews, so they regard all Christians as enemies, such as the Crusaders and the Nazis, who have participated in their persecution throughout the centuries.

That is why it is a revelation to them when they meet Christians who care about them, support them and want to help them.

This is where the presence and work of Christian organisations in Israel, such as the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, tear down the barriers and help to create a climate where Christians are accepted more and more and the gospel of Jesus Christ can find a path to their hearts. Have you seen the video Highways to Zion? It is good to have another look at it now and to meditate on the impact that such a video has on the Jews when they are brave enough to watch it.

Copyright © 1999 Kérugma^® Productions. All rights reserved.
PO/Box 1367, KUILS RIVER, 7579 SOUTH-AFRICA Tel: +27 (0)21 903-1901 Fax: +27 (0)21 906-2637
E-mail: info@kerugma.org.za; http://www.kerugma.org.za/