The Manner of Jesus' Return

[RR144]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

 

[rwb]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

The phrase "shall see" is an interesting study in Matthew. Matthew writes "shall see" in these five verses, but interestingly "shall see" is defined from three different Greek words.

Shall see in this verse appears to say the pure in heart will literally see God with physical vision.

Mt 5:8 Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

optánomai - a (middle voice) prolonged form of the primary (middle voice) ὄπτομαι óptomai op'-tom-ahee; which is used for it in certain tenses; and both as alternate of G3708; to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; and thus differing from G991, which denotes simply voluntary observation; and from G1492, which expresses merely mechanical, passive or casual vision; while G2300, and still more emphatically its intensive G2334, signifies an earnest but more continued inspection; and G4648 a watching from a distance):—appear, look, see, shew self.

In this verse the seeing appears to be with our mind or understanding for those who see but shall not perceive.

Mt 13:14 And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:

blépō - a primary verb; to look at (literally or figuratively):—behold, beware, lie, look (on, to), perceive, regard, see, sight, take heed. Compare G3700

The understanding in this verse implies having knowledge of or understanding the abomination of desolation rather than actually seeing with physical sight.

Mt 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand

eídō - a primary verb; used only in certain past tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent G3700 and G3708; properly, to see (literally or figuratively); by implication, (in the perfect tense only) to know:—be aware, behold, × can (+ not tell), consider, (have) know(-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell, understand, wish, wot. Compare G3700

Here, the verse we hope to discern, Matthew again translated "shall see" from the Greek word optanomai. Which is the word used to express physical vision.

Mt 24:30 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 (optánomai) the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mt 24:33 So likewise ye, when ye shall see (eídō) all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors.

 

[RR144]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

According to Strongs, this is 3708 horáō – properly, see, often with metaphorical meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception).

 

[Jack]

Zechariah 14
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,

His feet? Yep, He will be here in person!

 

[rwb]

According to Strongs, this is 3708 horáō – properly, see, often with metaphorical meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception).

Strong's Greek Dictionary
3700. ὀπτάνομαι optanomai (optánomai)
Search for G3700 in KJVSL; in KJV.

ὀπτάνομαι optánomai, op-tan'-om-ahee

a (middle voice) prolonged form of the primary (middle voice) ὄπτομαι óptomai op'-tom-ahee; which is used for it in certain tenses; and both as alternate of G3708; to gaze (i.e. with wide-open eyes, as at something remarkable; and thus differing from G991, which denotes simply voluntary observation; and from G1492, which expresses merely mechanical, passive or casual vision; while G2300, and still more emphatically its intensive G2334, signifies an earnest but more continued inspection; and G4648 a watching from a distance):—appear, look, see, shew self

Matthew 24:30 (KJV) 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 (3700 optanomai) the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Strong's Greek Dictionary
3708. ὁράω horao (horáō)
Search for G3708 in KJVSL; in KJV.

ὁράω horáō, hor-ah'-o

properly, to stare at (compare G3700), i.e. (by implication) to discern clearly (physically or mentally); by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear:—behold, perceive, see, take heed.

 

[Taken]

The Manner of Jesus' Return​

OP^

The Son of Man Left Earth with Clouds...Returns With Clouds.
No Trump Signal.
Every eye ... Living mortal body’s on the face of the Earth...every Living soul...in heaven, with Him, on earth, in the earth...saved, Unsaved shall see Him.

 

[quietthinker]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

I suppose a virgin conceiving without a man is illogical and unreasonable also......and what about this that Jesus said, “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.” John 10:17-18 Is this also illogical and unreasonable?

 

[Truth7t7]

According to Strongs, this is 3708 horáō – properly, see, often with metaphorical meaning: "to see with the mind" (i.e. spiritually see), i.e. perceive (with inward spiritual perception).

"Literally Revealed"

1 Thessalonians 2:7-8KJV
7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8 In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Luke 17:29-30KJV
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.

 

[ChristisGod]

Zechariah 14
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,

His feet? Yep, He will be here in person!

Yes Jesus is still a man with a human physical body of flesh. He is forever the Godman both human and Divine. Jesus has all the fullness of Deity- Bodily. One verse is Jesus while on earth and the other in heaven which declares He is still human. Colossians 1:19 and Colossians 2:9 declare these fundamental truths of the Christian Faith. If Jesus is not risen( bodily ) from the dead then we are still dead in our sins without a Savior as per 1 Corinthians 15:14-17.

 

[GRACE ambassador]

The Manner of Jesus' Return​

OP^

The Son of Man Left Earth with Clouds...Returns With Clouds.
No Trump Signal.
Every eye ... Living mortal body’s on the face of the Earth...every Living soul...in heaven, with Him, on earth, IN the earth...saved, Unsaved shall see Him.

Amen! And Also:

Rev 1:7

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and EVERY eye Shall​

SEE Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds​

of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."​

From their current abode, the flames of torment, IN the center of the earth, Correct?

 

[Taken]

Amen! And Also:

Rev 1:7

"Behold, He cometh with clouds; and EVERY eye Shall​

SEE Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds​

of the earth shall wail because of Him. Even so, Amen."​

From their current abode, the flames of torment, IN the center of the earth, Correct?

Mortal body’s see with eyes... livings souls see with sight.
All shall see...mortals, all living souls. No living souls has of yet had Gods breath of life departed from them... all waiting to See and for Judgement day.

 

[RR144]

Zechariah 14
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,

His feet? Yep, He will be here in person!

Ever hear of symbolic language?

 

[Jack]

Ever hear of symbolic language?

Many times when "Christians" don't like what God said.

 

[Enoch111]

...it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes...

Genuine Bereans do not use humanistic thinking to contradict Scripture. So what is unreasonable to you is perfectly reasonable to God and Christ.

Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. (Rev 1:7)

Also, the Bible does not call the body of Jesus a "spirit body". He already told his apostles after His resurrection that He was NOT a spirit. So the body of Christ is His resurrected body, which is also glorious (radiating light).

 

[Earburner]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

"Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent."

Really??
How about this:
1 Cor. 2
[5] That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.

Anyone can preach and teach about the historical Jesus from the Bible. However, very few are able to preach and teach about the Spiritual Jesus of the Bible.

 

[Ronald Nolette]

ACCORDING to the creeds, Jesus is to return visibly to the physical eyes of mankind, riding upon a literal cloud, blowing a literal trumpet, shining with a dazzling literal light and blasting the literal universe into atoms. Usually this view of the manner of His Return, His Second Advent, is presented to frighten people into repentance, but upon a close examination in the light of scripture and reason, it is found in many respects to contradict these. So far as a Scriptural basis for this view is concerned, it rests entirely upon erroneous principles of interpretation; for it is drawn from a literal interpretation of figurative passages, such as parables, symbols and dark sayings, which according to the rules of language must, of course, be interpreted figuratively. Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent. For example, in view of the roundness of the earth, how could the people at the antipodes of the place of His arrival see Him coming? Even if, as has been suggested, He would after His coming remain stationary at a certain place in the sky during 24 hours for the rotation of the earth on its axis to make Him visible around the earth eastward and westward, the rotundity of the earth would nevertheless make Him invisible beyond a few hundred miles northward and southward. Clouds forming within the earth's atmosphere, and the earth's rotundity, as well as its size, would make Him invisible at no great distance. A literal trumpet, blowing loud enough to be heard all over the earth, would burst the eardrums of all within at least 12,000 miles of it. And even if these difficulties would be overcome in some manner so that all on earth would e.g., by television, see Jesus in His Second Advent simultaneously with their physical sight and hear the literal trumpet without injury to their ears, it would still be unreasonable to expect Jesus in His glorious spirit body to appear to mankind's physical eyes; for if the light from the glorious spirit body of Christ would appear to the physical eyes of mankind, they would be instantly blinded, as was Saul of Tarsus on the way to Damascus (Acts 9:3-18); but if they should see that body itself, they would instantly drop dead, as no human can see God and/or Christ and live (Ex. 33:20; Heb. 1:3; 1 Tim. 6:16). And if the literal universe were meant in the Bible passage that speaks of the heavens and earth passing from His face (Rev. 20:11), it would have passed away long ago, yes, at the instant of its creation, for He faces all things. Thus proper methods of interpreting the Bible, as well as reason and facts, contradict the idea that our Lord Jesus in His Return, His Second Advent, appears to mankind's natural sight in a visible manner. In recent years many Evangelical and Fundamentalist Bible scholars, among others, have given up the abovementioned creedal view of Jesus' arrival in His Second Advent. Instead, they agree that at Jesus' arrival and for some time afterward, He will not be visible to mankind's physical eyes. This is commendable, but they do not go far enough, for a candid, reverent and careful study of the Scriptures reveals the fact that our Lord in His entire Second Advent is to be invisible to mankind's physical sight, but visible to their mental sight, their eyes of understanding (Matt. 13:13-17).

You did well until you added logic and reason to your argument.

A literal hermeneutic is the best hermeneutic- it keeps man from toying with the Scriptures for the most part unlike the allegorical hermeneutic.

Literal hermeneutics allows foe the use of symbolic and parabolic language- but it also shows that Scripture defines its own symbols and we need not look anywhere or rely on fallen human logic and reason to deduce what a passage of scripture means.

Ex.: The story of Jonah. It is a real, literal, historical event! We may learn many applications from it, but there is only "one interpretation"- God sent a big fish to deliver Jonah to Nineveh.

And those who can't help but wish to tinker with Gods Word to leave their imprint on the Scriptures love to point to the many symbols used in REvelation to point out the false superiority of the allegoric hermeneutic. the simple fact of the matter is we do not know what will be literal or symbolic until it happens.

I do not expect Jesus to have a literal sword in His mouth, but to utter the very Word which He is! Which is the sword! Jesus has no trumpet, but angels do and I expect they will blow them! You can only speculate with your opinions as to what things mean. We may agree on many, but disagree on many more.

 

[RR144]

"Not only does this view rest upon a wrong method of interpretation, but upon logical analysis its unreasonableness becomes apparent."

And not one scripture to counter what was stated

 

[ScottA]

Zechariah 14
4 And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives,

His feet? Yep, He will be here in person!

Who are is feet then...since His body is the Church?

 

[RR144]

The Bible directly teaches that Jesus will no more be seen by the physical eyes of human beings. "Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more" (John 14:19). This statement of our Lord is clearly to the point. While the connection shows that the Lord's Church would see our Lord when changed with Him (1 John 3:2), John 14:19 clearly teaches that no others of mankind would see Him. Of course Jesus there referred to Himself as being forever invisible to mankind's physical eyes in His glorious resurrection body.

This is clearly shown to be the case by the language of the Apostle Paul with reference to Jesus since He ascended to be with God in glory: "who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom [in His glorious condition] no man hath seen, nor can see" (1 Tim. 6:16). Very clearly do these passages show that our Lord since His glorification has been and forever will be invisible to mankind's physical sight. Therefore at our Lord's Return, He is invisible to their physical eyes.

 

[ScottA]

It is a biblical fact that "the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual."

But the natural man always leaves out something in order to hold tight to the flesh. They don't want to go there. The truth is we all hold to what we love [most]. But God is spirit. God is what is literal. Reality.