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FALSE THEORIES ABOUT THE SECOND COMING Those who reject the literal Second Coming have a number of “substitute” Second Comings with which we need to be familiar: Some teach that His Second Coming was “spiritually” fulfilled at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came. This cannot be for Jesus said, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” (John 16:7) The Holy Spirit isn’t Jesus. Jesus went away so he could SEND the Holy Spirit, and He couldn’t send Him until He first went away. The conversion of the sinner is taught by some to be a “personal” Second Coming of Christ. This would mean that Jesus comes every time a soul is saved, and it would mean that He is NOT returning in the same MANNER as he went away. Others believe that death is the Second Coming. That is, the Lord returns every time someone dies. Since people die at the rate of several per second, this would mean that Christ must remain on the earth all the time! Furthermore, Jesus is currently fulfilling His heavenly office as our High Priest (Heb. 9-10), which would be impossible if He had to remain on earth all the time. When a saint dies, he goes to be with the Lord (II Cor. 5:6-8; II Sam. 12:23) The Lord does not come to get him. John 21:21-23 also makes a clear distinction between death and the Second Coming. The Destruction of Jerusalem (70 A.D.) is also taught by some to be the Second Coming. This is a pretty far stretch, because Christ was not present at the Destruction of Jerusalem and when Jesus returns He RESTORES Jerusalem; he doesn’t destroy it. Make no mistake; the Second Coming of Christ is a literal, physical, visible and FUTURE event.