How the Scriptures present the details of Christ’s Second Coming is far different than the picture we get from those who persistently want to avoid mentioning the Rapture as a viable end-time expectation. In this article, we will see and quote Scriptures that detail that event of His Second Coming and thereby establish the fact there is a coming “ingathering of the saints” prior to that Second Coming.

The promises of God in the Bible are facts, established truths, because of the Person who made the promises. We see that in 2 Corinthians 1:20: “For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God….” The facts, then, testify of the truth of the Word regarding the Second Coming of Christ.

How Jesus told of His Second Coming, first of all, in Matthew 24:29-31, He says this: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

Some specific things to note in that passage that are placing the timing of the Second Coming correctly:

1.It is after the tribulation of those days. It has not been a time of “eating and drinking and marrying and giving in marriage,” indicating a time of easy-going life without any turbulence and difficulties. In those days before the Lord comes to the earth to reign as Lord of Lords and King of Kings, as told in Revelation 13 to 19, conditions will be such that people will have as their number one concern a need for survival. The impact of the Mark of the Beast will have brought death to many (see Rev. 7), and lack of food will be magnified horribly. Remember Christ authorized famine to occur when He opened that third seal in Revelation 6 and a black horse and rider appeared?

2.Note who is already in heaven—the Elect: “And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” The passage in Matthew 24:37 and following tells of “two men who are together; one is taken, and the other one is left,” an action not fitting into the likeness of the glorious Second Coming of the Lord with His Elect, as depicted in Revelation 19:9, following the marriage supper of the Lamb. It is a clear contradiction to have the Lord “taking one and leaving the other” when His Elect are already in heaven with Him. It is clear that such a one-on-one selection is more properly placed in the Rapture setting, as also described in Luke 17:26-30. After all, we just saw that His saints were already in heaven, those places He has prepared for them, according to John 14:1-4.

3.Jesus comes to the earth with His body of believers, and a final battle is fought with Jesus, the One who conquers the Antichrist and his false prophet, then casts them alive into the lake of fire. This is revealed in Revelation 19 and is testimony that He has not remained in heaven and is now managing the Millenium from His throne there. The claim that we are now experiencing the Millennium here on earth is a fallacy the Reformers did not take with their Reformation from the Roman Catholics, apparently.

The picture the Scriptures show of the Second Coming in Revelation 19 is far more vivid with grandeur, glory, and power that will be seen worldwide than that of the Rapture. That is because at the Rapture, the audience is limited to the redeemed, and it is more likely that only the believers will hear the trumpet’s blast. The parable in Matthew 22:1-14 identifies those who will be at the marriage supper of the Lamb. It will be those who have accepted His invitation to come, those who will have believed in Him during this age of grace.

There are more details of His Second Coming in Zechariah 14:4 and following. Verse 4 says, “And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which faces Jerusalem on the east and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley; half of the mountain shall move toward the north and half of it toward the south.”

Zechariah goes on to describe the events of the Millennium rolling out, and it is defined as a period of only one thousand years. Revelation 20 speaks of “a thousand years” six times, emphasizing more specifically that the Millennium is not now occurring in its second thousand years. In refuting that belief, Satan does not appear to be bound in the bottomless pit at all; any control over evil from heaven is obviously missing as we see the growing evidence of a “falling away” from faith, lawfulness, justice and moral integrity. Truly, God is now allowing these things to continue until He comes at the right time, for the Scripture in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 tells us that the “falling away” must come first, then the One who restrains—holds back—the pressing onslaught of evil is taken out of the way. That, dear believer, is the Rapture, the “snatching” out those who have received Christ as their Savior.

When the Reformers take up the beliefs of the Roman Catholics that the Book of Revelation is not worthy of any consideration in their understanding of God’s plan of redemption and that it is a collection of myths and allegories, they leave out major events that are yet to come.

One major event that is not addressed by those who want to skip the prophecies of the last days is the matter of the calling forth the 144,000 witnesses or messengers from the twelve tribes of Israel. Revelation 6, at the opening of the fifth seal, Jesus authorizes and previews their ministry, and in Revelation 7, John tells of the results of their preaching the gospel of the kingdom to “a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands….”

These are believers who have rejected the Mark of the Beast in Revelation 13 and following. They are killed, and it says more are also to be killed. They are not of the church, which has been taken to heaven already. They have a service role during the time of the tribulation, as the Elder assisting John seems to indicate.

The ministry of the Holy Spirit, as John told us in John 16:13, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”

Does He lead us into false doctrines? Does He create doctrines on His own? Does He not tell us things to come? Will He reveal anything that is not in the inspired Scriptures? We have the whole counsel of God in the Bible, the Word of God. It is not laid out like an encyclopedia, one subject after another, in detail. We must search it out, rightly dividing that Word of Truth without contradictions.

In my experience in the Word, I find that a chronological following of the roll-out of the events of the Bible is readily apparent and that such an approach to the prophecies of the last days eliminates much confusion and false doctrines that arise in these last days. For example, I am criticized as a “dispensationalist,” and thus, I must believe that the Rapture doctrine was invented by one John Darby in the mid-1800s. Dispensationalism means the belief that events have occurred one after the other that identify God’s pattern of the revelation of His plan for the redemption of mankind to the extent that can be accomplished. At least, that is how it comes across to me in its simplest form, and I scratch my head and wonder how that is any different than the following of a chronological roll-out of God’s program in the same way.

Finally, the picture in Revelation 19 of Jesus returning to earth the Second Time shows Him on a white horse, charging forth, as the Apostle John tells it: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns” (verse 11). Then, in verse 14, he says this: “And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses.”

“And on His head were many crowns.” When did He get those crowns? They were cast at His feet when the saints, represented by the twenty-four elders, appeared before His throne as John so reported in Revelation 14—before the seven years of tribulation.

Does this appearance give the implication that He will be dealing with those who are taken while others are being left behind?

Two reminders come to mind: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding” (Proverbs 3:5), and “Knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Proverbs 9:10b).

Contact email: andwegetmercy@gmail.com

 

In the three prior parts of this topic, we have looked at possible signs of the approaching end of the Christian era. It began with the birth of Christ and will end with His returning for all those who have believed in Him over those centuries.

We have seen how those seven feasts of the Lord reported in Leviticus 23 are uniquely placed on the Jewish calendar as rehearsals of future events that mark the highlights of the Christian era for the first five feasts. Then there are a final two that foretell God’s plan for the Jews. Those two festivals are a very real part of God’s plan for the ages as well.

The timing of events is in God’s hands, and we have no Scripture that says, specifically, “it is then.” Three things we do not know are the year it is to be, nor the day nor hour of His coming to remove His restraining presence in the world by His Spirit-filled body of believers, called the Rapture. The fact that the Scriptures and practices do lead us to a two-day event called the Feast of Trumpets and its placement at the end of the harvest season called the “ingathering” (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1) does not create “date setting” in my thinking. One of those days, I believe, will be that Day of the Lord, but we do not know “the day nor the hour” of the two days. Also, we do not know which year except as the signs reveal its possibility.

Jesus did say, “Watch, for you do not know what hour He is coming,” and also, “When you see these things beginning to happen, look up, for your redemption draws near” (Luke 21:28, and He is referring to those troublesome conditions He just presented in Luke 21).

Then, Hebrews 10:25 encourages believers to come together more often “as you see the day approaching.” So, how can one see the day approaching without paying attention to the signs of the times?

When Paul wrote to the Thessalonians about these things in his first epistle to them, he specifically left out anything about the “times and seasons” that will indicate when Jesus may return (see 1 Thessalonians 5:1). However, he did say in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 that “the falling away must come first, then the One who restrains will be removed.” We do not know how long that “falling away” will continue, given that we are seeing it happening now. So, Jesus says, “Occupy until I come.”

Now, let’s consider the signs and times that have to do with the future of the Jewish people after the Rapture has occurred. The way Paul wrote of that time of the Lord’s coming “as a thief in the night” then speaks of “they,” saying “Peace and safety” followed by “sudden destruction” coming upon them,” it appears to have a time gap between the two statements with the latter portion having to do with the Jews.

The statement in 1 Thessalonians 5:3 says, “For when they shall say, ‘Peace and safety,’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.” There is a parable tucked in that statement, which seems rather out of place with its subject. Let’s compare such an event with what is to happen with the Jewish people.

In a pregnancy, when the woman’s “water breaks,” her labor really begins, and there is no turning back. When the Rapture occurs, there will be no turning back in God’s plan, for the prophecy of Daniel 9:26-27 has a seven-year peace covenant being made for Israel and permission for them to rebuild their temple. This is implied, for later on, this one who is “befriending” them will turn out to be their enemy as he becomes the “abomination of desolation” mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy.

The Jews utter that statement in great relief, but Gog of the far north (see Ezekiel 38) sees that Israel, having no defense support from a now eliminated USA, is like a city without walls—defenseless. Then Gog (Russia), who has already made a unity proclamation with Iran and Turkey, will come upon Israel shortly after the Rapture has happened. But God is sovereign, and Gog’s utter destruction opens the door for that Antichrist who is befriending Israel to move forward into those seven years of Revelation’s prophecies.

Back to the parable, we see a parallel with the labor struggle the impending mother has as the birthing continues. Progress is more and more evident of coming success, in the pregnancy and in the parable, as the Feast of Atonement halfway through the seven years of tribulation reveals Israel’s recognition of their true Messiah, Jesus Christ, and not that one who had seemingly been their friend for that three and a half years.

That recognition of their true Messiah is reported in Zechariah 12:10:

“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

As the pregnancy labor comes to an end and the baby is born, so is the coming of Christ, finally, to reign on earth as the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, from His throne in Jerusalem. It is the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles when the Lord dwells with His people on earth.

The marriage supper of the Lamb will have been celebrated, as Revelation 19 reports the end of the seven years, and Jesus is with His followers, ready to rule the earth in a thousand-year theocracy. Read about it in Isaiah 11:5-7 and 65:25, and Zechariah 14.

As the UN Security Council and associated entities keep laying plans for progressing forward with unity and peace with togetherness by 2030, other signs of the end times are evident.

The comparison of today’s world conditions with that of Noah and Lot in Luke 17:26-37 is more compelling for a current happening than ever before. Those first five verses of the passage, verses 26-30, identify the conditions when Jesus will return for the “ingathering” of His body of believers.

It says, “And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.”

Note that in both situations, Noah and Lot, with their family members, were the ones saved; all others were left behind to the ravages of their respective judgments. Also, note that God closed the ark’s door after Noah’s entrance. And the angels took Lot and his daughters out of the city. They were delivered from the judgments.

Has the falling away foretold by Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 reached its climax? Not yet, for we believers are still here. That verse says the “falling away must come first,” then the One restraining the progress of evil in that world-encompassing “falling away” will be removed, and the evil one will be released to his goal of world control.

Noah’s “eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage” conditions indicate more than just those activities, but an active social and economic life in the midst of a totally sinful environment. It brings the idea of hopelessness, “so let’s eat and be merry, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32).

It pictures a lack of any knowledge of God, who has been pushed to the outside of all attention of the population. This is just what has been the effect of the “falling away” to make the knowledge of God to be a forgotten issue.

In Lot’s time, the city was saturated with homosexuality, yet they were active in social and business ventures. Sexual deviation is now rampant in the USA and followed by the world itself, as the LGBTQ+ ever presses toward that same saturation, including transgender’s radically false claims of viable reality. It is Satanic lying designed to blaspheme God with the destruction of His greatest creation of mankind.

That passage of Scripture is clear that it will introduce the coming of the Lord for those He has saved over the centuries since His resurrection. If you, the reader, are reading this article in a mortal setting, then the “falling away” will not have reached its climax, and another year must elapse until the next Feast of Trumpets. It is hard to imagine what the world will be like with one more year of moral degradation, lawlessness, unjust court proceedings, mass killings, and deceptive activities at the highest levels of our government and in the world.

But Jesus said, “Occupy till I come.”

Contact email: andwegetmercy@gmail.com