 |  |
"Who is about to be judging living and dead, both as to His forthshining and His kingdom,"
or is there something even more important that cries out for an hearing. Can we translate
this passage:
"Who is about to judge living and dead, BOTH at His appearing and at His Kingdom."
If this is allowable, then the question that has arisen in many hearts is answered.
There will be some members of the One Body living in the flesh, when the hope of the
mystery is realized. The translation however of "both at" is questionable, most
translators who have accepted the reading kai render, as the Revised Version, "and by His
appearing".
There is however one other point that appears to have been overlooked by many. If
the Apostle knew that there would be none of the members of the One Body left alive at
the time of the epiphany, there does not seem to be any good purpose served by using the
terms "the quick and the dead", which terms however are just what the apostle does
employ.
The hope of the church during the Acts is explicitly stated to include those which "are
alive and remain", who together with those raised from the dead shall be caught up
together (I Thess. 4: 15, 17). With this the Apostle had associated himself, before the
great dispensational change, using the personal pronoun "we" which are alive.
Writing now in this second epistle to Timothy, he knows that he is about to be offered,
and that the time of his departure had come. He looked forward to the "heavenly
kingdom" (II Tim. 4: 18) and knew that he would enter it "in that day" (8). This
however does not preclude the possibility that some believers who belong to the
present calling, will be "alive and remain", and for their encouragement the Apostle
employs the terms "the quick and the dead", as something as truly applicable to them as it
is in I Thess. 4:
There is no scriptural evidence that such living members of the church will be visibly
"raptured" or "caught up"; the manner of their departure is veiled, all we know is that
whether living or dead, they will all be manifested with the Lord "in glory" (Col. 3: 1-4).
We can well believe that Gestapo methods and concentration camps will mark the rule
of "The Beast" and sudden disappearances of individuals will again recur, so that the
taking away of a few living members of the Body would cause little or no comment in the
great trouble that would be experienced at the time of the end. Again, while "The
Ascension" of Christ was visible, and took place after forty days, it seems evident that
there was an ascension immediately after the resurrection, that was seen of no man
(John 20: 17), and it may be in this manner that "the quick" will be taken. Nothing
explicit however can be said, we know Whom we have believed, and are content to leave
the outworking of His purposes to His own wisdom and grace, thankfully acknowledging