We believe…In the premillennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.Notice it plainly says “the premillennial second coming.” The tribulation period and the relation of the rapture to the tribulation period are not even mentioned in our DoF. All that is affirmed regarding the events surrounding the return of Christ is premillennialism. To be sure, the resurrection of the righteous and catching away/rapture of the saints is mentioned, but the catching away or rapture preceding the reign of Christ on earth is true of all the various premillennial views.
Prophecy is better understood after the fact, like on the day of Pentecost – this is that…..The reestablishment of the nation Israel is another good example, as prior to 1948 there were various positions taken. Even today I hear those who give dates concerning the end of the age of Church. It may sell books and get crowds, but only when God brings about fulfillment will we know without a doubt. There may be as many as 88 reasons why we can not predict the day and time of the Second Coming, but many will continue to do so.
Nice one________________
Then is it safe to say the CoG is Dispensational Premillinialist? I have yet to find a single CoG congregation that believes in the post tribulation second coming of Christ, as all seem to preach an imminent return________________“Hell will be filled with people that didn’t cuss, didn’t drink, and may even have been baptized. Why? Because none of those things makes someone a Christian.”
Could Jesus return at any moment?The New Testament is clear in saying that believers should be looking for Christ’s return. The inspired writers of the New Testament all emphasize the idea that believers should live holy, ready and earnestly watching for Christ’s return. Paul the Apostle, near the end of his earthly life, said, “Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:8NIV). The Greek word translated here, epiphaneia, does not refer to a secret, “any moment” rapture, however, but instead means “appearing, manifestation, glorious display.” This refers to the glorious appearing of Jesus to all the world which will occur when He returns to rule the world and judge the wicked. Paul says the same thing in every case in which he encourages believers to be looking ahead to Christ’s return. It is a public manifestation of Jesus Christ himself that is our blessed hope. Paul uses the same concept in one of the most well-known passages referring to Christ’s return:Titus 2:13(NIV) While we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, 14who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good.Some teach that Christ’s return is imminent, meaning He could come “at any moment,” and that this has been the case since the New Testament period itself. They base this idea on the many warnings in the New Testament to “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.” (Matthew 24:42NASB). While readiness, watchfulness, and holiness of heart and life are indeed emphasized by our Lord himself concerning His return, He also mentioned some specific things that must happen prior to His glorious return. If the New Testament teaches an “any moment” return of Christ to earth, it was just as true in the days in which the New Testament was written as it would be at any time since.In Matthew 24, the Lord Jesus stated several things which must occur prior to His return. First, He said that the Temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed. This occurred historically in the year 70 AD, within one generation of Christ saying this would happen. He then goes on to mention other things that must happen prior to His glorious return, including false Messiahs coming, wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes in various places, which He describes as “the beginning of birth pains;” that is, these signs that must happen prior to His coming are analogous to the signs which always must precede childbirth. He goes on to say to His disciples that they will be hated by all nations because of His name. From this, one can only logically conclude that the Christian faith had to spread into all nations before all nations could hate the disciples. Indeed, Christ says in Matthew 24:14that “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and THEN the end will come.”Jesus Christ, the absolutely perfect revealer of truth, could not contradict himself. He simply could not have come before the gospel had been spread into all nations, and before all nations would come to hate His disciples. Even in our day, experts in world missions say that we have yet to reach every people group (which is what a nation is biblically) in the world with the gospel, though we are well on our way to reaching the world for Christ. If it is true, as we have seen above, that Christ could not have come back “at any moment” before the gospel had gone out into all the world, it then necessarily follows that New Testament does not in fact teach an “any moment” rapture of the church from the earth. And if it was not true in the first century, it cannot be true in the 21st century. To be sure, we are to obey the scriptures which command us to be ready for His return, but the New Testament teaching is to be ever-ready by living a holy life, whether we live or die before He comes, not to expect an “any moment” rapture as such. We are to look for His glorious appearing, which will bring an end to this present age, which will usher in the fullness of the kingdom.How are Christians to live in this present age, then? Live 100% for Jesus Christ every day, longing and looking for His return, with His perfect, holy love ruling our hearts in such a way that we will have “confidence and not be ashamed before Him at his appearing” as 1 John 2:28