Jesus’ First and Second Coming

When we look at the state of the church during the time of Jesus, we can understand what will happen to the church in the age of the Holy Spirit. It’s because what happened in the past is a prophetic foreshadowing of what is to take place in this age.

The Bible prophecies clearly show us that God is to come in human form to save humanity both at His first coming and His second coming. Nevertheless, ever since the time when Jesus Himself preached the gospel, the church has been persecuted by the world. This is something that all believers, who want to walk the true path of faith, must keep in mind. Let us see through the Bible what happened at Jesus’ first coming and what is to take place at His second coming.

Jesus was hated without a cause

The prophet Isaiah prophesied, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given . . . and he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father” (Isa 9:6). It was Jesus who fulfilled this prophecy; He was God who came in the flesh.

The Apostle John wrote that the Word—God, who was in the beginning, became flesh and made His dwelling among us. However, the Jews, who claimed to be God’s people, did not receive God who came to that which was His own (Jn 1:1–14).

Looking at his disciples, he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. . . . Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their ancestors treated the prophets.” Lk 6:20–23

Jesus gave words of comfort and encouragement to His disciples, telling them not to be surprised or afraid when people persecuted them, but to rejoice as they looked forward to the great rewards awaiting them in heaven. Through this teaching, we can guess how people back then hated and rejected Christ, instead of welcoming Him.

“This is my command: Love each other. If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. . . . But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.’ ” Jn 15:17–25

I am worn out calling for help; my throat is parched. My eyes fail, looking for my God. Those who hate me without reason outnumber the hairs of my head; many are my enemies without cause, those who seek to destroy me. I am forced to restore what I did not steal. Ps 69:3–4

As prophesied in the Psalms, Jesus was hated without reason; He did not do any evil or go against the social norm during His time. In His first coming, it was a frequent occurrence that the holy God, who came to this earth to save humanity, and those who followed Him fully, walking the true path of faith, were hated for no reason.

Those who considered God a heretic

The belief in Jesus was a new emerging religion for the Jews, who had kept the faith in the LORD God [Jehovah] for thousands of years. A young man named Jesus from the village of Nazareth appeared and rebuked them for their worldly greed and wrong practices, teaching them God’s word. Those who had held on to their traditions and religion could not accept Him favorably.

Moreover, many people joined this new religion, as the believers in Jesus set an example of true faith by loving one another according to His teachings. The Jewish religious leaders felt alarmed and entertained thoughts such as: “How can we execute Jesus?” and “What charge can we bring against him?” although they should not have harbored such evil thoughts as religious leaders.

“I and the Father are one.” Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?” “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.” Jn 10:30–33

They picked up stones to throw at Jesus, saying that He, a mere man, was claiming to be God. They did not know very much about God. They neither knew the Scriptures nor understood the prophecies of the prophets in them. Instead, they just focused on retaining their vested rights, being allied with the powerful.

Crucifixion was a punishment reserved for the worst of criminals. Jesus, who came with the sole purpose of saving humanity, did not commit any sin, but He was crucified. It was the religious leaders of that time—the chief priests, the teachers of the law, the elders, and the Pharisees—who actively joined hands with the powerful in crucifying Jesus by labelling Him as a heretic and branding the followers of Jesus Christ as abnormal and evil.

Five days later the high priest Ananias went down to Caesarea with some of the elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they brought their charges against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called in, Tertullus presented his case before Felix: “. . . We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” Ac 24:1–5

In the book of Acts, there is a scene where the high priest and elders bring charges against the Apostle Paul before the governor, calling him a “ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” The saints of the early Church did not stir up the people, but just told them to believe in God properly so that they could be saved and go to heaven together. However, the religious leaders branded the believers in Jesus as heretics and persecuted them.

The forces of darkness that hated and hindered the light

Everyone who does evil hates and rejects the light of truth. Since they turn away from God and set their minds only on worldly things, they reject God who has come as light and love the darkness more than the light. On the contrary, those who follow the truth come into the light (Jn 3:19–21). The reason they are hated by the world is that they do not belong to the world.

“I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. . . . They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth.” Jn 17:14–17

Those who received the light of truth and accepted Jesus’ words as the very words of God came to have faith in Him. Even after Jesus’ suffering on the cross and His ascension, the apostles continued to preach the gospel as witnesses of Christ in Jerusalem, all over Judea and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth, and the number of believers increased day by day.

When Christ shone the light of the knowledge of God’s glory, the saints of the early Church obeyed and followed His teachings. However, the forces of darkness hindered the light of the gospel from shining forth.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. . . . For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. 2 Co 4:4–6

As the number of believers in Jesus rapidly increased—three thousand or five thousand in a single day, the religious leaders of that time feared that Judaism would be destroyed. So, they joined hands with those in power and tried to suppress Christianity. They were not the ones who truly served God; they used God for the interests of their own group.

Lies and lawlessness they created to preserve their vested rights

They did not hesitate to spread lies in order to maintain their power.

While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day. Mt 28:11–15

The soldiers, who had been guarding Jesus’ tomb, witnessed His resurrection and reported it to the chief priests. However, instead of admitting their wrongdoing and accepting Christ, the religious leaders bribed the soldiers to spread a malicious lie and rumor to hide the truth of Jesus’ resurrection.

The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number. . . . Then the high priest and all his associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. Ac 5:12–18

They imprisoned the apostles for testifying about Jesus. They feared that if they left the apostles alone, all Israel would turn away from Judaism and come to believe in Jesus. When God came to save them, they condemned Him as a heretic and put Him to death, and also tried to execute His followers without mercy.

. . . When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” At this they covered their ears and, yelling at the top of their voices, they all rushed at him, dragged him out of the city and began to stone him. Meanwhile, the witnesses laid their coats at the feet of a young man named Saul. While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep. Ac 7:51–60

They even stoned Stephen to death because he preached God’s word faithfully and pointed out their wrongdoings. The book of Acts vividly shows how the religious groups in those days treated the believers in Jesus. Through this fact, we can see how much suffering the Church of God experienced to spread the faith and awaken the world 2,000 years ago.

The victory and glory that God’s people will receive in the end

The saints of the early Church were falsely accused and even deprived of their possessions while preaching the holy words of Jesus. Many of them were imprisoned, thrown to lions in the Roman coliseum or burned at the stake. However, any kind of threat or persecution could not destroy their faith. It’s because the path they walked was the right path—the path of truth.

The apostles were brought in and made to appear before the Sanhedrin to be questioned by the high priest. “We gave you strict orders not to teach in this name,” he said. “Yet you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” Ac 5:27–29

As the saints of the early Church preached the gospel zealously, relying on God’s promises, they were able to fill all Jerusalem with believers in Jesus soon. The gospel spread not only in Jerusalem, but throughout Israel, and even to Europe. With God’s help, the gospel work was accomplished quickly.

The Bible prophesied that Christ would come again for the salvation of mankind and restore the truth (Heb 9:28; Mic 4:1–2). Like the saints of the early Church, we believe in God who has come in the flesh to save humanity and are spreading the light of the gospel of the new covenant throughout the world. There is no difference in behavior between today’s religious organizations and the religions of the past. The saints of the early Church were labelled as heretics and suffered persecution. The same thing is happening even today. The act of spreading lies and committing lawlessness to hinder the true church is also done today; we see it now, as those who have received Christ who has come a second time.

Can those who rejected God, who came to this earth to save mankind, and were obsessed with maintaining their own social status truly be called religious? The saints of the early Church, who revered God with all their heart and mind, are the true models of faith for all believers to follow. Through the acts of the apostles and prophets at Jesus’ first coming, we need to think about which direction all religions should take in this age. Although the saints of the early Church were hated by the world, they faithfully followed the words of Jesus to the end and received compliments from God. They believed in Christ, yearning for the words of eternal life. Indeed, they had the most upright and beautiful faith.

In this age, let us also have full, pure faith in Christ Ahnsahnghong and New Jerusalem our Heavenly Mother—the Spirit and the Bride, and go to all nations and teach them the truth of the new covenant that Father and Mother have taught us. Only then can we lead many souls from hell to heaven. God said, “Take heart! I have overcome the world” (Jn 16:33).

On the last day, God will appear as the Lord of victory and glory (Rev 17:14; 2 Th 1:5–10). The Bible says that the world hates us because we do not belong to it. So, even if we suffer disadvantages or hardships for the sake of the truth, let us stand firm in faith to the end. Knowing about our suffering in advance, God says that great is our reward in heaven when we are persecuted for the sake of His name. All our members in Zion! I earnestly ask you to make a positive impact in the world and proclaim God’s glory to Samaria and even to the ends of the earth, just as the saints of the early Church did, so you can all enter the eternal kingdom of heaven.