Things That Must "Come First"

“for these things must come to pass first, 

but the end will not come immediately.” 

(Luke 21: 9)

In keeping with the words of Christ from his sermon on the mount of Olives (called his "Olivet Discourse"), I affirm that there are certain things that must come to past first before the second coming (his parousia, epiphany, apocalypse). I certainly do believe that "the great tribulation" (Rev. 7: 14; See also Rev. 3: 10) will precede his second coming, will precede the rapture and resurrection of believers. I believe the second coming is described in Revelation chapter nineteen and it occurs after the seven seals have been opened and the seven trumpet angels have sounded their trumpets and this harmonizes with the above words of Jesus. Tribulation must come first, along with several other things. 

Elias Must First Come

"And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist." (Matt. 17: 10-13)

Just as the old testament on the surface seemed only to have spoken of a singular coming of the Messiah so it also seemed to speak of a singular coming of Elijah (Elias). However, as we see from new testament revelation, Christ has two comings (with an inter advent period). One has occurred and the second is yet to occur. Likewise, we also see from new testament revelation that the coming of Elijah has two comings. Further, in each case, Elijah comes before Christ.

The following are citations from an old posting of mine in the Baptist Gadfly (See here) in which I cited from J.A. Seiss and his work "The Apocalypse." 

"Here, then, we would seem to come upon solid Scriptural ground. If Elijah means Elijah, and the great and terrible day of the Lord is the day of Christ’s final coming in judicial majesty to crush out Satan and his seed, there is no alternative left to believers in God’s word, but to receive the doctrine that Elijah is to come again to prophesy and execute works of judgment upon earth, and just in that period of time to which the Apocalypse assigns these Two Witnesses. Whatever else may be compassed by the prediction, and in whatever narrower circles it may have been fulfilled, if words are not utterly deceitful, and certainty can at all be predicated of God’s very specific promises, this prophecy cannot be considered fulfilled or accomplished in the past, nor until Elijah the Tishbite, in propria persona, returns again to the earth."

"On the mount of Christ’s glorious Transfiguration Elijah appeared. The disciples saw him and knew him. And, as they were coming down from the mount, they asked the Master about this very point, alleging the doctrine of the scribes that “Elias must first come.” And He answered and said unto them: “ELIAS TRULY SHALL FIRST COME, AND RESTORE ALL THINGS.” (Matthew 17:11.) This passage is decisive. “The great Interpreter of prophecy gives right to that interpretation of the prophetic word which the scribes maintained,” says Trench. It cannot refer to John the Baptist, for John was then dead, while every part of it specifically relates to the future. “Elias truly shall come, and shall restore all things.” Besides, the restoration or “restitution of all things” (ἀποκαταστάσεως πάντων), in the which it is affirmed that the coming Elias is to take part, is specifically referred by the Apostle Peter to the time of Christ’s second coming. (Acts 3:19.) In all its terms and relations, therefore, we are compelled to accept this solemn declaration of the Saviour as looking to the future, and meant to set forth what yet awaited fulfilment. John the Baptist is here out of the question, unless indeed he is to come again. Dr. Stier has rightly said: “Whoever, in this answer of Christ, would explain away the manifest and striking confirmation of the fact that a coming of Elias was yet to take place, must do great violence to the words, and will never be able to restrain the future of their form and import so as to be applicable to John the Baptist.”

But, it may be asked, Did not Christ say in the same connection, that Elias had come already, leaving it to be understood that He spoke of John the Baptist? The answer is, Yes; but in a way entirely distinct from the declaration we have just been considering. Elsewhere also he says of John: “If ye will receive [it, him, or something else] this is Elias, which was for to come.” (Matthew 11:14.) This proves that there is a sense in which John the Baptist was Elias, but certainly not such a sense as that in which the Jews were expecting Elias, nor yet such a sense as that in which He declared, after John was dead: “Elias truly shall first come and restore all things.” John was not the literal Elias. This we are compelled to admit, or else he did not tell the truth; for when the priests and Levites asked him, “Art thou Elias? “he answered, “I AM NOT.” (John 1:21.) And this clear and positive denial is further sustained by the facts

(1) that he did not restore all things as was predicted of Elias, and
(2) that the great and terrible day, which was to be ushered in immediately upon the finishing of the Elijah ministry, did not succeed the ministry of John, but is even yet future."

"Whilst, therefore, there is a sense of much importance in which John was Elias, there is another, more literal, and equally important sense, in which he was not Elias, and in which Elias is still to be expected, according to the Saviour's own word."

"There was a twofold ministry embraced in the ancient promise to send Elijah, just as there was a twofold advent in the predictions concerning the Messiah. In neither case did the Old Testament clearly distinguish between these two, but viewed them both as if they were but one. And as the two Messiah-comings are widely separated in time, though belonging to one and the same work, so there are two Elijah-comings, equally separated in time, and equally comprehended in the predictions. Hence, John, as the forerunner of Christ in the first advent, was Elias, that is, he filled the Elijah place, operated in the Elijah spirit and energy, did for that occasion the Elijah work, and so far fulfilled the Elijah promise. As the angel said of him before he was born, he went before Christ “in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1:15-17); which implies that he was not Elias himself. The Saviour could, therefore, truly say of him while living, “If ye will receive it, this is Elias which was for to come, “and so likewise after he was dead,” Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed.” John the Baptist operated in the spirit and energy of Elias, and performed the Elijah mission for the first advent, and so far “was Elias,” but, according to the word of the angel, only the virtual, and not the literal Elias. He could accordingly answer the Jews, who had in mind the literal Elias, that he was not Elias, while yet, in another respect, he was Elias. In him the prediction in Malachi concerning the sending of Elijah had a true and real fulfilment, but only a partial, germinant, preliminary fulfilment, whilst the highest and ultimate fulfilment respects another advent of the Messiah, and the coming of the literal Elijah as the herald of it."

"Such also is the view which the fathers took of the matter, and so they held and taught on the subject with great unanimity.

Justin Martyr says, “If Scripture compels you to admit two advents, shall we not allow that the word of God has proclaimed that Elijah shall be the precursor of the great and terrible day, that is, of His second advent? Accordingly our Lord in His teachings proclaimed that this very thing would take place, saying, that Elijah would also come. And we know that this shall take place when our Lord Jesus Christ shall come in glory from heaven; whose first manifestation the Spirit of God who was in Elijah preceded as herald in John.”

So, who came first, John the Baptist or Christ? Answer: John. Who will come first when Christ comes the second time? Answer: Elijah (Rev. 11) 

I am excited to think that I might live to see the coming of Elijah as one of the two "witnesses" of Revelation chapter eleven. (See my post on the two witnesses, where I show that they are Elijah the prophet and John the Apostle are the two, here in the Old Baptist Blog and here, here, here, and here in The Baptist Gadfly Blog) 

Tribulation Must Come First

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory." (Matt. 24: 29-30)

Clearly this text shows that tribulation shall precede the coming again of the Lord.

Falling Away Must Come First

"Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God." (II Thess. 2: 3-4)

These verses destroy the idea that Christ will come before Antichrist, or before the great falling away and time of tribulation. 

Antichrist Must Come First

The above text says Antichrist (or "Man of lawlessness" and "son of perdition") will come before Christ comes. The verses following show this and they read as follows:

"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."  (II Thess. 2: 8-10)

By "that wicked" and "him whose coming is after the working of Satan" is the one mentioned in verses 3-4, the "man of lawlessness" (or sin, Greek anomia) and "son of perdition." If the Lord destroys him at his coming, then he must already be present on earth before the coming of the Lord to destroy him. This Antichrist is mentioned by the apostle John in his first epistle and is also the one described in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation). In fact he is seen in chapter eleven as killing the two witnesses after they have prophesied in sackcloth for 42 months. 

So, I am looking for the two prophets (John and Elijah) and for the Antichrist to come before Christ comes. This same truth is revealed in the Book of Daniel, who also spoke of the Antichrist as "the little horn."

"I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened...I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." (Dan. 7: 8-10, 13-14)

These verses also show that the little horn comes before Christ and that it is the coming of Christ "the Son of man," who destroys the little horn thereby.

Since Christ does not come till Revelation chapter nineteen, all the events of Revelation's first eighteen chapters comes before his coming. This chronology also puts the second coming at the sounding of the seventh and final trumpet of the Apocalypse and is in keeping with what Paul said about the time of the resurrection, it occurring at the sounding of "the LAST trumpet." (I Cor. 15: 52)