Pearls of the Word

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Jesus Christ coming in the flesh

by Jean-Louis Coraboeuf

"For many deceivers have gone out into the world who do not confess Jesus Christ as coming [erchomai] in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (2 John 1:7).

The Greek verb erchomai means 'to come' with a notion of movement. Here, it is conjugated at the present participle tense as in Revelation 1:8, "The Lord, who is and who was and who is to come (literally 'coming')" (Revelation 1:8), whereas in 1 John 4:2, it is conjugated at the past participle tense, "Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come (literally 'having come') in the flesh is of God".

At the Ascension of Jesus, two angels (men in white clothing) said to the disciples, "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). When Jesus returns for His Bride, He will come in the same way He left this earth, that is to say on a cloud, and with the same glorified body of flesh. Deceivers and the Antichrist deny the fact that Jesus will return in the same body of flesh in order to deprive us – since we're called to be part of the Bride – of our reward (2 John 1:8).