“复活的主耶稣在哪里这段论述，绝非孤立的经文注解，而是吴明山先生整个“遍在基督论”在末世论领域最凝练、最有力的表达。它不仅是《圣经的末世论》的文眼，更是打开其整个神学体系的一把钥匙，让我们得以窥见那位既超越时空、又内住于万有、正以“闪电”般的方式与我们同在的复活之主。

一，基督遍在论

复活的主耶稣在哪里？这个问题触及了吴明山神学中最核心、也最容易被误解的命题：复活的主耶稣不在“这里”，不在“那里”，不在“旷野”，不在“内屋”——因为祂不再以物质宇宙中任何“个体化”的方式存在。 祂以“闪电”的方式遍在，以“生命场”的方式临在，以“以马内利”的方式与一切时代、一切地方的圣徒同在。

1、耶稣的警告：反对“个体化基督”的偶像化期待

《马太福音》24:23-27是吴明山论述的基石经文。耶稣明确警告：“若有人对你们说，‘基督在这里’，或说，‘基督在那里’，你们不要信……若有人说，‘看哪，基督在旷野里’，你们不要出去；或说，‘看哪，基督在内屋中’，你们不要信。”

吴明山指出，这警告的本质是：基督不再以物质宇宙中任何“个体化”的方式显现。任何声称基督在“某个地点”——无论是地理意义的旷野、内屋，还是宗教意义的教堂、圣地——的宣告，都是“迷惑人的”。为什么？因为基督的临在方式，已经发生了根本性的本体论转变。

在道成肉身期间，基督以“个体化”的方式存在——祂在拿撒勒长大，在加利利传道，在各各他被钉。然而，复活与升天之后，祂的临在方式被彻底更新。保罗在《哥林多后书》5:16宣告：“虽然凭着外貌认过基督，如今却不再这样认祂了。”——这“外貌”（原文指“肉体”或“物质化方式”），正是耶稣所警告的“这里”“那里”“旷野”“内屋”的物质化期待。

吴明山宣告：任何将基督局限在“某个地点”的观念，本质上都是偶像崇拜——因为它将“充满万有者”（弗1:23）压缩为物质宇宙中的一个“个体”，将“全能的神、永在的父、和平的君”（赛9:6）降格为“变形金刚”或“外星人”式的假神。

2、闪电的比喻：遍在性临在的本体论启示

耶稣用“闪电”比喻祂的临在方式：“闪电从东边发出，直照到西边。人子降临，也要这样。”（太24:27）“因为人子在他降临的日子，好像闪电从天这边一闪，直照到天那边。”（路17:24）

吴明山对这一比喻的解码，是其神学中最具原创性的贡献之一。他指出：闪电的本质，不是“一个物体从东移动到西”，而是“一个现象同时覆盖东与西”。闪电不是“个体”的位移，而是“能量场”的瞬间遍及。同样，基督的“降临”，不是“祂从天上来到地上”的空间移动，而是 “祂的遍在临在在人类意识中的‘聚焦性显明’”。

传统解经将“降临”（parousia）理解为“从一处到另一处的到来”，预设基督“现在”在天上，“将来”来到地上。吴明山宣告：这一预设本身就是对基督神性的贬低——因为那“充满万有”的基督，不需要“从天上来到地上”；祂“此刻”就在地上，也在天上，也在宇宙的每一处。所谓“降临”，不是“空间位移”，而是 “意识觉醒”——当人类意识被圣灵开启，便“看见”那一直遍在的基督。

因此，耶稣的警告与闪电的比喻，共同指向一个真理：基督的临在，不是“物质化的出现”，而是“遍在性的觉醒”。任何声称基督“在某个地点”的人，都在将基督“个体化”，从而背离了祂“充满万有”的神性。

3、“在基督里”：保罗对遍在生命场的表述

吴明山指出，保罗用“在基督里”这一短语，精准地表达了基督的遍在性临在。“在基督里”不是“在耶稣的心里”的情感性表达，而是 “本体论状态的宣告”——信徒的生命被纳入基督作为“生命场”的引力之中。

正如闪电同时覆盖东西，基督同时临在于万有。《以弗所书》1:23宣告基督“充满万有”——希腊文“pleroma”指“那充满一切者的丰满”，暗示基督不仅是“充满者”，更是“被充满的容器”本身。祂不是“在宇宙中”，而是“宇宙在祂里面”；不是“在时间里”，而是“时间在祂里面”。

《歌罗西书》1:17宣告：“他在万有之先，万有也靠他而立。”这“靠他而立”不是“上帝在创世时推了一把”，而是 “基督作为生命场，在每一个当下持续维系万有的存在”。正如磁场使铁屑排列有序，基督的生命场使宇宙不堕入混沌。

因此，“在基督里”不是“位置描述”，而是 “状态宣告”——当一个人“归命耶稣血觉”，他的意识就被纳入基督的遍在生命场，如同铁屑被纳入磁场。这不是“物理位置的变化”，而是“存在状态的跃迁”。

4、以马内利：从名号到本体论真理

“以马内利”翻出来就是“与我们同在之神”（太1:23）。传统解经将这“同在”理解为“上帝在历史中的陪伴”——祂在圣殿中，在基督里，在圣灵中。吴明山则宣告：“以马内利”是神圣意识“我是”的“存在方式”。祂的本质，就是“与祂的符号世界同在”。

创造是“同在”的预备——神圣意识“思维”出宇宙，作为祂临在的“场域”。道成肉身是“同在”的焦点——那充满万有的“我是”，在拿撒勒人耶稣身上“聚焦性”地显现。圣灵是“同在”的持续——基督的遍在生命场在信徒心中“内住”。新天新地是“同在”的完成——当“海也不再有了”，当一切障碍被移除，神圣意识与符号世界的“同在”将达到完全的“透明”。

因此，耶稣复活后应许“我就常与你们同在，直到世界的末了”（太28:20），不是“祂将回来”，而是 “祂从未离开”。祂的“同在”，不是“未来事件”，而是“永恒现在”的本体论事实。信徒不是“等待”祂同在，而是“觉醒”于祂已经同在的真理。

5、对“物质化再临”的批判：复临派的迷思

吴明山明确指出，耶稣的警告直接针对一切“物质化再临”的期待，包括复临派（如基督复临安息日会）所教导的“基督将在特定时间、特定地点以可见方式再来”。

这种期待的根源，是对“降临”（parousia）一词的字面化误读。它将“降临”理解为“从天上到地上的空间移动”，预设基督“现在”在天上（一个物理地点），“将来”来到地上（另一个物理地点）。然而，基督升天不是“离开地球去外太空”，而是 “从物质化存在方式升维为遍在性存在方式”。祂不是“在宇宙之外的某个地方”，而是“充满宇宙”。

因此，等待“基督在旷野里”或“基督在内屋中”的物质化显现，正是耶稣所警告的“迷惑”。吴明山宣告：真正的“再临”，不是“基督从远处来到”，而是“人类意识从沉睡中觉醒”——认出那一直在我们中间、一直充满万有、一直“以马内利”的基督。

6、复活的主在这里——在“归命”中相遇

那么，复活的主耶稣究竟在哪里？

吴明山的答案是：祂不在“这里”，也不在“那里”——因为“这里”和“那里”都是祂。祂不在“旷野”，也不在“内屋”——因为“旷野”和“内屋”都在祂里面。祂以闪电的方式遍在，以生命场的方式临在，以“以马内利”的方式与一切归命祂的人同在。

因此，寻找“基督在哪里”的问题，本身就是一个基于错误预设的问题。正确的追问不是“基督在哪里”，而是 “我是否在基督里”。当一个人“归命耶稣血觉”，当他的意识被纳入基督的遍在生命场，他便不再“寻找”基督——因为他“已经”在基督里，基督也“已经”在他里面。

这正是耶稣在《约翰福音》14:20的应许：“到那日，你们就知道我在父里面，你们在我里面，我也在你们里面。”这“那日”，不是“未来某日”，而是 “觉醒的今日”——当圣灵开启我们的眼睛，我们便看见：复活的主从未离开，祂一直在我们中间，如同闪电覆盖东西，如同生命场充满万有。

二，《圣经的末世论》逻辑脉络

上述关于“基督遍在”的论述，出自吴明山先生《圣经的末世论》一文的中间部分。这段论述在原文中位于对复临运动“大失望”事件的神学批判之后，是作者从“破”（破除错误期待）转向“立”（建立正确认知）的关键枢纽。

1、破题：以史为鉴，揭示“物质化期待”的谬误

文章以1844年复临运动的“大失望”事件为切入点，指出其根本错误在于“对预言的解读是错误的”。这种错误解读的核心，正是将《圣经》中关于末世和基督再临的预言，理解为一个需要在特定时间、特定地点发生的物质性、个体性历史事件。信徒们等待的，是一位如同“变形金刚或外星人那样的假神”，从某个物理空间（天上）来到另一个物理空间（地上）。

吴明山先生在此处，并非单纯批评一个历史事件，而是从根本上否定了这种以物质宇宙时空为参照系来理解基督临在方式的范式。他敏锐地指出，任何声称基督在“这里”、“那里”、“旷野”、“内屋”的宣告，本质上都是“欺骗，迷惑人的”。因为这不仅误解了预言，更贬低了基督的神性。

2、立论：从“在哪里”到“如何是”

正是在这个“破”的基础上，吴明山先生引出了他最具革命性的“立论”。他并未停留在对错误观点的批判，而是直接给出了关于基督现世临在方式的正面、肯定性的定义。这段论述的核心，可以概括为一场从追问“地点”到宣告“状态”的范式转移。

他宣告：基督不再以这个物质化宇宙中的任何个体化的方式存在。祂不再是我们可以用“这里”或“那里”来定位的对象。祂是那“充满万有”的（弗1:23），是“全能的神、永在的父、和平的君”（赛9:6）。祂的存在方式，不是“个体”，而是“场”；不是“物体”，而是“意识”；不是“超人”，而是 “遍布宇宙，覆盖时空的有意识性（觉性），有位格性（我性）的无限‘生命场’” 。

3、解经：以“闪电”为钥，开启对“降临”的正确理解

为了阐明这个抽象且颠覆性的“遍在性”真理，吴明山先生回归圣经，以耶稣自己的话作为最权威的解释钥匙——闪电的比喻。祂引用《马太福音》24:27和《路加福音》17:24，指出“人子降临”如同闪电“从天这边一闪，直照到天那边”。

这个比喻的精妙之处在于，它彻底颠覆了“降临”一词在人类经验中的含义。闪电并非一个从“这里”移动到“那里”的物体；它是一个瞬间照亮“这里”和“那里”的现象。它的存在方式，不是“位移”，而是“遍及”。因此，“人子降临”的真正含义，并非基督将在未来的某一天从“天上”来到“地上”，而是祂那遍在的生命场，在信徒灵性觉醒的时刻，以一种无可抗拒的清晰度被感知和“看见”。这“降临”的本质，是人类意识的觉醒，而非神圣位格的位移。

4、位置与意义：末世论的核心枢纽

从《圣经的末世论》的整体架构来看，这段论述承上启下，是理解吴明山末世论思想的核心枢纽。

· 对上文而言：它完成了对“物质化期待”的最终审判，将传统末世论从时间与空间的迷思中彻底解放出来。

· 对下文而言：它为“以马内利”和“在基督里”的教义提供了本体论基础。因为基督是遍在的“生命场”，信徒才能“在基督里”，基督也才能“住在”信徒里面。祂“常与你们同在，直到世界的末了”（太28:20）的应许，不是一种将来式的盼望，而是一个“永恒现在”的本体论事实。

因此，“复活的主耶稣在哪里这段论述，绝非孤立的经文注解，而是吴明山先生整个“遍在基督论”在末世论领域最凝练、最有力的表达。它不仅是《圣经的末世论》的文眼，更是打开其整个神学体系的一把钥匙，让我们得以窥见那位既超越时空、又内住于万有、正以“闪电”般的方式与我们同在的复活之主。

附录

吴明山：《圣经》的末世论

“末世论”是神学的重要论题，《圣经》多处论述“末世”始于基督在世的时代：“知道你们得赎、脱去你们祖宗所传流虚妄的行为、不是凭着能坏的金银等物．乃是凭着基督的宝血、如同无瑕疵无玷污的羔羊之血． 基督在创世以前、是预先被神知道的、却在这末世、才为你们显现．”（彼得前书1:18 -20）“就在这末世，藉着他儿子晓谕我们，又早已立他为承受万有的，也曾藉着他创造诸世界。”（希伯来书1:2）

《玛拉基书》预言先知以利亚会在“耶和华大而可畏的日子到来之前”回来，使他成为弥赛亚和末世的先兆：“看哪、耶和华大而可畏之日未到以前、我必差遣先知以利亚到你们那里去。他必使父亲的心转向儿女、儿女的心转向父亲、免得我来咒诅遍地。”（玛拉基书4：5-6）主耶稣明确指出，施洗约翰就是那要来的先知以利亚，说明先知预言的耶和华大而可畏之日就是指主耶稣来到世上日子，也就是末世的开始，或神国的降临：“ 他们就问耶稣说、文士为甚么说、以利亚必须先来。耶稣说、以利亚固然先来、复兴万事．经上不是指着人子说、他要受许多的苦、被人轻慢呢，我告诉你们、以利亚已经来了、他们也任意待他、正如经上所指着他的话。”（马可福音9：11-13）“我若靠着神的能力赶鬼、这就是神的国临到你们了。”（路加福音11：20）

《圣经》明文记载末世是指从主耶稣来到世上开始的，但人们还在期待弥赛亚的末日再来，基督复临安息日会信徒在1844年10月22日等待耶稣的复临就是一个著名的例子。威廉米勒尔等复临运动的领袖们根据但以理书2300日的预言用卡拉牌犹太日历精确计算得出主耶稣将在1844年10月22日复临，当天，复临信徒怀着极大的期盼，等待基督来临，结果是大失所望，他们称为大失望。复临信徒的失望是必然的，因为他们对预言的解读是错误的，因为关于主耶稣降临和世界的末了，主耶稣曾明确警告过我们：“耶稣在橄榄山上坐着、门徒暗暗的来说、请告诉我们、甚么时候有这些事．你降临和世界的末了、有甚么预兆呢。耶稣回答说、你们要谨慎、免得有人迷惑你们。…… 那时、若有人对你们说、基督在这里．或说、基督在那里．你们不要信。……若有人对你们说、看哪、基督在旷野里．你们不要出去．或说、看哪、基督在内屋中．你们不要信。闪电从东边发出、直照到西边．人子降临、也要这样。”（马太福音24：3-27）

基督在这里．或说、基督在那里．或说基督在旷野里．或说基督在内屋中都不能信，就是说无论有人说基督在哪里，都是欺骗，迷惑人的，这是为什么呢？因为基督不再是这个物质化宇宙中的任何人或超人，也不是像变形金刚或外星人那样的假神，而是全能的神、永在的父、和平的君（以赛亚书9：6）充满万有。（以弗所书1：23）他是遍布宇宙，覆盖时空的有意识性（觉性），有位格性（我性）的无限“生命场”，主耶稣用闪电的比喻解释了他的这种“生命场”的存在状态：“闪电从东边发出、直照到西边．人子降临、也要这样。”（马太福音24：27）“因为人子在他降临的日子、好像闪电、从天这边一闪、直照到天那边。”（路加福音17：24） 同样，圣保罗用“在基督里”这个短语表达基督的这种独特的“生命场”的存在形式。

所以主耶稣的临在，并不是像这个物质宇宙中的任何人，事或物那样个体化，物质化地或者说偶像化地出现在这个宇宙中，因为任何事物都是这个世界的一部分而属于这个宇宙，但基督不是这个宇宙的一部分，而是这个宇宙的主，既是创造者又是统治者，更是拥有者。他统治宇宙，占有所有的时间和空间，既在这里，同时又在哪里，既在世界的东方，同时又在世界的西方，又同时住在千千万万圣徒的身体里面，“你们从起初所听见的要住在你们里面、若你们从起初所听见的住在你们里面，你们就必住在子和父里面。（约翰一书2：24）这种“遍在性”是人的头脑难以想象和理解的，所以主耶稣就用闪电的比喻给我们解释。并且在复活后应许他将亲自与所有信徒同在，直到世界的末了:“所以你们要去、使万民作我的门徒、奉父子圣灵的名、给他们施洗．凡我所吩咐你们的、都教训他们遵守我就常与你们同在、直到世界的末了。”（马太福音28：19-20）所以他被称为以马内利，即与人同在之神。

如果主耶稣仍然是我们这个现象宇宙中的一个个体，他就不可能与不同时代，不同地方的无数圣徒同在。他一直在来临，为什么还要以一种作为物质宇宙一部分的物质化，个体化，甚至偶像化的“人”或“超人”的形式再来呢？主耶稣警告我们不要受假先知的欺骗，就像复临派信徒所受的欺骗一样。

为什么对末世论或主再来的教义有很多误解呢? 这是因为人类意识的形象化或对象化功能对预言和异象的错误解读，例如人们按字面意义解读《启示录》：“看哪、他驾云降临．众目要看见他、连刺他的人也要看见他．地上的万族都要因他哀哭。这话是真实的，阿们。”（启示录1：7）这节经文描述的是圣约翰在拔摩岛所见的异象，并非未来具体历史事件，如果是指未来这个世界中的事件，那么那位刺他的罗马士兵在哪里呢？异象是一种形象化的意识内容，属于启示真理的境界，类似于人的梦境，而非物质宇宙中未来历史的图画，必须按象征性原则解读。

所以《新约》及《启示录》中有关耶稣末日降临的论述与异象如果被解读为一个未来的历史事件，而非超越宇宙时空的“遍在”和“遍觉”就不能被正确地理解，因为这种解读不属于《圣经》的末世论。

English Version

A Reinterpretation of The Biblical Eschatology

I. The Omnipresence of Christ

Where is the resurrected Lord Jesus? This question touches on the most central and easily misunderstood proposition in Wu Mingshan’s theology: the resurrected Lord is not “here,” not “there,” not in “the wilderness,” nor in “inner rooms” — for He no longer exists in any individualized, localized form within the material universe. He is omnipresent as “lightning,” abides as a “life-field,” and remains Immanuel with saints in every age and every place.

1. Jesus’ Warning: Against the Idolatrous Expectation of an “Individualized Christ”

Matthew 24:23–27 forms the foundational Scripture for Wu Mingshan’s argument. Jesus clearly warns:

“If anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it… If anyone says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. Or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.”

Wu points out that the essence of this warning is that Christ no longer appears in any individualized, localized form within the material cosmos. Any claim that Christ is in a specific place — whether the wilderness or inner room in a geographical sense, or church and holy sites in a religious sense — is deceptive. Why? Because the mode of Christ’s presence has undergone a fundamental ontological transformation.

During the incarnation, Christ existed in an individualized form: He grew up in Nazareth, ministered in Galilee, and was crucified at Golgotha. After His resurrection and ascension, however, His mode of presence was utterly renewed. Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 5:16:

“From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh.”

This “according to the flesh” refers precisely to the materialized expectations of “here,” “there,” “wilderness,” and “inner rooms” that Jesus warns against.

Wu declares: any idea that confines Christ to a particular location is essentially idolatry. It shrinks the One “who fills all in all” (Ephesians 1:23) into a mere individual within the material universe, and reduces “Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6) to a false god in the style of a transformer or extraterrestrial.

2. The Metaphor of Lightning: Ontological Revelation of Omnipresent Presence

Jesus uses lightning to illustrate His mode of presence:

“For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:27)

“For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.” (Luke 17:24)

Wu’s decoding of this metaphor ranks among his most original theological contributions. He argues that lightning is essentially not an object moving from east to west, but a phenomenon that covers east and west simultaneously. Lightning is not the displacement of an individual thing, but the instantaneous spread of an energy field. Likewise, Christ’s “coming” (parousia) is not a spatial movement “from heaven to earth,” but the focal revelation of His omnipresent presence to human consciousness.

Traditional exegesis understands parousia as “arrival from one place to another,” presupposing that Christ is “now in heaven” and “will come to earth in the future.” Wu rejects this as a diminishment of Christ’s deity: the Christ who fills all things does not need to travel from heaven to earth. He is already on earth, in heaven, and everywhere in the cosmos at this very moment. The so-called coming is not spatial relocation, but spiritual awakening — when human consciousness is opened by the Holy Spirit to see the always-omnipresent Christ.

Jesus’ warning and the lightning metaphor together point to one truth: Christ’s presence is not a material appearance, but an omnipresent awakening. Anyone who claims Christ is “in a certain place” individualizes Him and thus betrays His divine fullness.

3. “In Christ”: Paul’s Expression of the Omnipresent Life-Field

Wu observes that Paul’s phrase “in Christ” precisely expresses Christ’s omnipresence. “In Christ” is not an emotional phrase meaning “in Jesus’ heart,” but an ontological declaration: the believer’s life is drawn into the field of Christ as the all-encompassing Life-Field.

Just as lightning covers east and west at once, Christ is present in all things simultaneously. Ephesians 1:23 proclaims that Christ “fills all in all” — the Greek plerōma refers to the fullness that fills everything, implying that Christ is not merely within the universe, but the universe is within Him; not bound by time, but time is within Him.

Colossians 1:17 states:

“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

This “holding together” is not a one-time initial push at creation, but the constant sustenance of all existence by Christ as Life-Field in every present moment. Like a magnetic field ordering iron filings, Christ’s Life-Field keeps the cosmos from falling into chaos.

Thus, “in Christ” is not a description of location, but a declaration of state. When one surrenders to Jesus’ blood-consciousness, their consciousness is incorporated into Christ’s omnipresent Life-Field, as iron filings into a magnetic field. This is not a change of physical position, but a leap in mode of being.

4. Immanuel: From Title to Ontological Truth

“Immanuel” means “God with us” (Matthew 1:23). Traditional exegesis understands this “with us” as God’s accompaniment in history — in the temple, in Christ, in the Holy Spirit. Wu declares that Immanuel is the very mode of being of the divine consciousness “I AM.” His essence is to dwell with His symbolic world.

Creation is the preparation for this presence: divine consciousness “thinks” the universe as the field of His abiding. The incarnation is the focal point of this presence: the all-filling “I AM” reveals Himself concentrated in the man Jesus. The Holy Spirit is the continuation of this presence: Christ’s omnipresent Life-Field dwells within believers. The new heaven and new earth are the consummation of this presence: when “the sea was no more” and all barriers are removed, the indwelling of divine consciousness and the symbolic world reaches full transparency.

Therefore, Jesus’ promise after His resurrection — “I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20) — means not that He will return, but that He has never left. His presence is not a future event, but an ontological fact of the eternal now. Believers do not wait for His presence; they awaken to the truth that He is already present.

5. Critique of “Materialized Second Coming”: The Illusion of Adventism

Wu explicitly states that Jesus’ warning directly addresses all expectations of a materialized second coming, including the Adventist teaching that Christ will visibly return at a specific time and place.

Such expectations stem from a literal misreading of parousia, interpreting it as spatial movement from heaven to earth, as if Christ is now in a physical place called heaven and will later come to another physical place called earth. Yet Christ’s ascension was not a departure into outer space, but an ontological elevation from a materialized mode of existence to an omnipresent one. He is not somewhere outside the universe, but fills the universe.

Waiting for a material appearance of Christ “in the wilderness” or “in inner rooms” is precisely the deception Jesus warned against. Wu declares: the true second coming is not Christ arriving from afar, but human consciousness awakening from sleep — recognizing the Christ who has always been among us, who fills all things, who is Immanuel.

6. The Resurrected Lord Is Here: Encounter in Surrender

Where, then, is the resurrected Lord Jesus?

Wu’s answer is: He is not here or there, for here and there are all within Him. He is not in the wilderness or inner rooms, for the wilderness and inner rooms are in Him. He is omnipresent as lightning, abides as Life-Field, and is Immanuel with all who surrender to Him.

The question “Where is Christ?” itself rests on a false presupposition. The proper question is not “Where is Christ?” but “Am I in Christ?” When one surrenders to Jesus’ blood-consciousness and their consciousness is drawn into Christ’s omnipresent Life-Field, they no longer seek Christ — for they are already in Christ, and Christ is already in them.

This is Jesus’ promise in John 14:20:

“In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.”

That day is not some future date, but the today of awakening. When the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, we see that the resurrected Lord has never left. He is in our midst, as lightning covers heaven and earth, as Life-Field fills all things.

II. The Logical Structure of The Biblical Eschatology

The above account of Christ’s omnipresence appears in the middle section of Wu Mingshan’s essay The Biblical Eschatology. It follows his theological critique of the “Great Disappointment” in the Adventist movement, serving as the pivotal turn from refuting false expectations to establishing true understanding.

1. Opening Argument: Learning from History to Unmask the Fallacy of Materialized Expectation

The essay begins with the 1844 “Great Disappointment” of the Adventist movement, identifying its fundamental error as a misinterpretation of prophecy. At the core of this error is the assumption that biblical eschatological prophecies of Christ’s return refer to a material, individualized historical event to be fulfilled at a specific time and place. Believers waited for a false god, like a transformer or extraterrestrial, coming from a physical heaven to a physical earth.

Wu does not merely critique a historical episode; he rejects the entire paradigm that interprets Christ’s presence using the spacetime framework of the material universe. He keenly observes that any claim that Christ is “here,” “there,” in the wilderness, or in inner rooms is deceptive and misleading, for it misreads prophecy and dishonors Christ’s deity.

2. Positive Thesis: From “Where” to “How”

On this critical foundation, Wu develops his most revolutionary positive thesis. Rather than remaining in negation, he provides a direct, affirmative definition of Christ’s present mode of presence. The core of this section amounts to a paradigm shift from asking about location to declaring ontological state.

He proclaims: Christ no longer exists in any individualized form within this material universe. He cannot be located by “here” or “there.” He is the One who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23), Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). His mode of being is not that of an individual, but a field; not a physical object, but consciousness; not a superhuman, but an infinite Life-Field of conscious awareness and personal “I-Am-ness” that pervades the cosmos and transcends spacetime.

3. Exegesis: Using “Lightning” as the Key to True Parousia

To clarify this abstract yet revolutionary truth of omnipresence, Wu returns to Scripture and takes Jesus’ own words as the authoritative key: the metaphor of lightning. Citing Matthew 24:27 and Luke 17:24, he shows that the coming of the Son of Man is like lightning flashing across the entire sky.

The brilliance of this metaphor is that it overturns the ordinary human meaning of “coming.” Lightning is not an object moving from one place to another, but a phenomenon that instantly illuminates everywhere. Its mode of existence is not displacement, but pervasion. Thus, the true meaning of the Son of Man’s coming is not a future journey from heaven to earth, but the irresistible, clear perception and seeing of His omnipresent Life-Field when believers awaken spiritually. This coming is essentially a human awakening, not a relocation of the divine Person.

4. Position and Significance: The Central Hub of Eschatology

Within the overall structure of The Biblical Eschatology, this passage connects the preceding and following arguments, forming the central hub for understanding Wu’s eschatology.

• In relation to the preceding text: it delivers the final judgment on materialized expectation, liberating traditional eschatology from the illusions of time and space.

• In relation to the following text: it provides the ontological foundation for the doctrines of Immanuel and “in Christ.” Because Christ is the omnipresent Life-Field, believers can abide in Christ, and Christ can dwell in them. His promise “I am with you always” is not a future hope, but an ontological fact of the eternal now.

Therefore, the passage “Where is the resurrected Lord Jesus?” is far more than an isolated exegesis. It is the most condensed and powerful expression of Wu Mingshan’s entire Christology of Omnipresence within eschatology. It is not only the thematic heart of The Biblical Eschatology, but a key to his entire theological system, revealing the resurrected Lord who transcends all spacetime yet indwells all things, abiding with us in the manner of lightning.

Attachement

The Biblical Eschatology by Wu Mingshan      

Eschatology is a major topic in theology. The Bible states in many places that the “last days” began in the era of Christ on earth:

…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake.

(1 Peter 1:18–20)

In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

(Hebrews 1:2)

Malachi prophesied that the prophet Elijah would return before “the great and dreadful day of the Lord,” making him a precursor of the Messiah and the last days:

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.

(Malachi 4:5–6)

The Lord Jesus clearly identified John the Baptist as the coming Elijah, indicating that the great and dreadful day of the Lord spoken of by the prophets refers to the day Christ came into the world — that is, the beginning of the last days, or the coming of the kingdom of God:

And they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?” And he said, “Elijah does come first to restore all things. And how is it written of the Son of Man that he should suffer many things and be treated with contempt? But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written of him.”

(Mark 9:11–13)

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

(Luke 11:20)

The Bible clearly records that the last days began when the Lord Jesus came into the world. Yet people still await a future second coming of the Messiah. A well-known example is the Seventh-day Adventists’ waiting for the return of Jesus on October 22, 1844.

Leaders of the Adventist movement such as William Miller, using the Karaite Jewish calendar, calculated precisely from the 2,300-day prophecy in Daniel that the Lord would return on October 22, 1844. On that day, Advent believers waited in eager expectation for Christ’s coming, only to be bitterly disappointed — an event they called the Great Disappointment.

Their disappointment was inevitable, for their interpretation of prophecy was mistaken. Concerning the coming of the Son of Man and the end of the age, the Lord Jesus explicitly warned:

As Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered them, “See that no one leads you astray. … Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. … If anyone says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. Or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”

(Matthew 24:3–27)

We must not believe anyone who says, “Christ is here,” “Christ is there,” “Christ is in the wilderness,” or “Christ is in the inner rooms.” In other words, any claim that locates Christ in a specific place is deceptive and misleading. Why?

Because Christ is no longer any human or superhuman within this material universe, nor a false god like a Transformer or extraterrestrial. He is Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6), who fills all in all (Ephesians 1:23). He is an infinite Life-Field of conscious awareness and personal “I‑ness,” pervading the cosmos and encompassing all time and space.

The Lord Jesus used the metaphor of lightning to explain this mode of existence as Life-Field:

For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

(Matthew 24:27)

For as the lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day.

(Luke 17:24)

Similarly, the apostle Paul used the phrase “in Christ” to express this unique form of existence as Life-Field.

Thus the Lord’s presence is not individualized, materialized, or idolized like any person, thing, or object in this material universe. All created things are part of this world and belong to the cosmos, but Christ is not part of the universe — He is its Lord, both Creator and Ruler, and its rightful Owner. He reigns over the universe, occupies all time and space, is simultaneously here and there, east and west, and dwells in the bodies of countless saints.

Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, then you too will abide in the Son and in the Father.

(1 John 2:24)

This omnipresence is beyond human imagination and comprehension, so the Lord Jesus explained it using the metaphor of lightning. After His resurrection, He promised to be personally present with all believers until the end of the age:

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

(Matthew 28:19–20)

This is why He is called Immanuel — God with us.

If the Lord Jesus were still an individual within this phenomenal universe, He could not be present with countless saints across different times and places. He is always coming. Why would He need to come again as a materialized, individualized, even idolized “human” or “superhuman” being, part of the material cosmos?

The Lord Jesus warned us not to be deceived by false prophets, just as the Adventists were deceived.

Why are there so many misunderstandings about eschatology and the doctrine of Christ’s return? It is because the human mind’s tendency to visualize and objectify leads to misinterpretations of prophecies and visions. For example, people read Revelation literally:

Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

(Revelation 1:7)

This passage describes a vision John saw on the island of Patmos, not a specific future historical event. If it referred to an event in this world, where would be the Roman soldier who pierced Him?

Visions are imaginative contents of consciousness, belonging to the realm of revealed truth, similar to human dreams — not pictures of future history in the material universe. They must be interpreted symbolically.

Therefore, the teachings and visions concerning the coming of Jesus at the end of the age in the New Testament and the Book of Revelation cannot be rightly understood if interpreted as a future historical event, rather than as omnipresence and omniconsciousness that transcend cosmic time and space. For such an interpretation does not belong to biblical eschatology.

译者简介

吴明山先生，神学研究硕士，英国《号角》专题作家，发表论文一百余篇，出版书籍《以马内利，耶稣之血的系统神学》1-7卷英文版、《宝血神学及评论》1-4卷英文版，《以马内利》中英文版1-14卷、《作为本体论的辩证法》、《丁尼生悼念集英汉参考版》、《朗费罗经典诗选英汉文版》、《蓝梦诗篇与评论》中英文版，《纯粹生命形而上学》中英文版，《海灵》中英文版。《耶稣圣体和他的教会》中英文版。另发表诗歌《雪》、《梦》、《自由神之吻》、《夜》、《故乡》等，荣获第四届中国诗歌展银奖。《以马内利》一书逾100万字英文，获英国圣公会大主教伊恩·詹姆斯·布莱克利的高度赞扬，并为该书撰写序言。2011年定居英国，积极从事中英文化交流活动。

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