Come, Lord Jesus!

Description

æThe 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.Æ At the heart of this bold opening statement by Stephen Motyer is the conviction that Jesus Christ is the æcentreÆ 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 û and the climax of that work is the æsecond comingÆ of that same Jesus Christ. Jesus himself used the language of the Scriptures to promise his æcoming againÆ, the æcoming of the Son of ManÆ. 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 æCome, Lord Jesus!Æ (Revelation 22:20) is deeply appropriate. The second coming is the æendÆ of the biblical message, its æomega pointÆ, 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. MotyerÆs comprehensive, stimulating study is divided into two parts. Part One, æThe biblical frameÆ, examines three Old Testament passages and lays the foundation for Part Two, æNew Testament hopes and visionsÆ, which explores a series of key texts. He focuses on the second coming, rather than on millennialism or the æend timesÆ, in order to provide the fundamental biblical theology that must underlie our whole sense of GodÆs future for his world.