Many believers are waiting for Jesus and the second coming. Some people even have false assumptions that this event already happened and was missed somehow. Others assume that Jesus will be born as a baby again in an old-fashioned way or that he is sitting somewhere in secret chambers.
In reality, there is no Jesus in a physical body on earth whatsoever. There is not a single person who is qualified to call himself Jesus. When Christ arrives again to rule for 1000 years, the planet Earth will be pristine and completely new.
The Earth will be an entirely different planet.
The Second Coming is often confused to be one event, but, according to the Bible, there will be a few separate and distinct events happening sometime in the future.
When Jesus’ disciples asked him what are the signs of his coming, he told them that the following should happen first before his return:
- There will be many false Christs and false prophets. When someone says that Jesus is already on Earth or “here is Christ or there” – don’t believe them
- The false Christs and the false prophets will perform great signs and wonders to deceive many. If someone tells you that Jesus is in the desert – go not forth. If someone tells you, Jesus is in the secret chambers – believe it not (Matthew 24:23-28; Luke 17:22-25)
- The dragon (a group of people from different nations) will make war with the remnant that keeps the commandments of God and has a testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 12:17, Matthew 24:9)
- There will be a beginning of sorrows: earthquakes around the world, famines, pestilences, wars, rumors of wars, the nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom (Matthew 24:6 – 8)
- The Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached around the world to all nations (Matthew 24:14)
- Elijah the prophet will appear before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord. The prophet should fulfill some prophecies such as turning the heart of fathers to children and vice versa (Malachi 4:5) before God smites the earth with a curse
- The love of many will turn wax cold (Matthew 24:12)
- The abomination of desolation will stand in a holy place (Matthew 24:15, Daniel 9:26-27)
- The Man of Sin will sit in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God (2 Thess 2:4)
Rapture
Daniel and Revelation say that God’s people will go through the great tribulation. After the tribulation, there will be an unexpected Rapture – a snatching away or transporting of believers to Heaven. Jesus himself will come down from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with a trump of God. The dead in Christ will be raised first and those who are alive will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. This will be a very joyful event.
His elect are individuals who made a covenant with Jesus. There will be no difference between Jews or Gentiles, males or females among God’s people. As God’s heart was with the Sons of men from the beginning, (Proverbs 8:31), His elect is part of the lost 10 tribes. The Gentiles from Abraham’s seed are grafted into the various tribes of Israel (Romans 11:13, 17-18). They will be gathered up in the air from all parts of the world (Revelation 7) to stay with the Lord forever (1 Corinthians 15:51-52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
Protection In The Time Of Tribulation
God’s people will be protected during the tribulation period:
“For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:9). Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)
The believers will stay away from the “hour of temptation” that will come upon all the world. It will be done as part of the testing process.
Gathering of His Elect After the Tribulation
Below are five scriptures supporting the statement that God’s elect will be gathered after the tribulation.
Matthew
Immediately after the tribulation of those days there will be a darkening of the sun, moon, and the stars will fall from heaven. There will be a sign of the Son of man in Heaven coming in the clouds. He will send his angels to collect his elect from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:29-31). Those who will endure unto the end will be saved (Matthew 24:13). The tribulation will be so great as it wasn’t since the beginning of the world. There will be no flesh saved, but for the elect’s sake, those days shall be shortened (Matthew 24:22).
Mark
In those days, after that tribulation, the sun and moon will be darkened and the stars fall from Heaven. Everybody will see the Son of man in the clouds. He will send his angels to gather his elect from all the parts of the earth up to Heaven (Mark 13:24-27).
Luke
There will be great distress in the land, and wrath upon these people (not God’s people). It will go until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled (Luke 21:23-24). Then, there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and the stars. The nations on the earth will be in distress with perplexity. The Son of man will come in a cloud to redeem his people (Luke 21:25-28).
Revelation 6, 12 and 13
It was given to the little horn to make war with the righteous and to overcome them (Revelation 13:7; Revelation 12:17). After the opening of the Fifth Seal, there will be war with those who keep the word of God and testimony of Jesus.
After the tribulation, the opening of the Sixth seal will cause great earthquakes around the world. The sun will become black as sackcloth of hair with the moon turning red as blood and the stars falling into the earth. Heaven will depart as a scroll and “roll-together” (Revelation 6:9-15).
Daniel
The little horn of the beast (Antichrist) will make war and wear out the saints of the Most High and prevail against them until 3 and 1/2 years are up (Daniel 7:21-25). He will make war “to refine them, purify them, and make them white, until the time of the end; because it is still for the appointed time” (Daniel 11:35).
Zechariah and Isaiah have similar verses about one-third of the people who have to go through the trials: “I will bring the one-third through the fire. I will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested” (Zechariah 13:9). Isaiah advises God’s people to enter into their chambers and shut the doors behind them. They should hide for a little moment until the indignation will pass (Isaiah 26:20).
Not So Secret Rapture
It is easy to get confused and think that Luke and Thessalonians refer to the secret rapture where some people will be taken and others are left behind (Luke 17:34-36; Thess. 5:2). In fact, these verses don’t describe the Rapture as a secret event.
Jesus makes a parallel between the Day of the Lord comparing it to the days of Noah and the days of Lot. During the days of Noah, the flood came and destroyed everything. In Lot’s days, there was a rain of fire and brimstone from Heaven which have destroyed cities.
The same scenario is going to happen during the Rapture event. God’s people will be taken to Heaven to be with Jesus while things on the earth are getting destroyed for a little while under God’s wrath. Paul says the Day of the Lord will happen suddenly, like a “thief in the night”, when nobody is expecting it.
The Rapture event will not be a secret, but a visible event. It will come like lightning coming from the east to the west, covering the entire sky. No matter what part of the earth people are, the lightning will cover the entire sky (Matthew 24:23-28; Luke 17:22-25). Jesus is coming with clouds and every eye will see him. His appearance will make all kindreds of the earth wail (Revelation 1:7).
There will be a very sudden and unexpected calamity or destruction around the world that everyone is going to witness with horror. Heavens will be on fire and then pass away. The elements will melt with fervent heat. All men’s work will be burned up (2 Peter 3:10-13).
“Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief” (1 Thess. 5:1-5; 2 Peter 3:9-10 and Matthew 24:27, 42-44).
The sudden destruction will probably be natural or man-made. It could be the following:
- Nuclear explosion
- Worldwide volcanic activity generating earthquakes and tsunamis
- Activity on the sun that will affect the whole earth
- Meteorite showers
- Climate change causing Earth to wobble on its axis
- All of the above
Where His Elect Will Go?
The dead in Christ will be raised first and caught up together in the clouds with those who are alive. Everybody will meet the Lord in the air. At the last trumpet, everyone will be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye to receive new glorified and spiritually immortal bodies (1 Corinthians 15:51). Everyone will be ready for marriage in Heaven.
Jesus will prepare places for his righteousness before he comes back and takes his elect to his Father’s heavenly house with many mansions (John 13:33, 36 – 14:3). According to Daniel, Christ will be given dominion and power from the Ancient of days (God Almighty). The righteous will receive the kingdom under Christ.
“And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:1-3)
Only those whose names are written in the book of life will be delivered. His elect has God’s seal and their names are written in the Book of Lamb. God has prepared the wonderful things for them in Heaven that no one saw or heard before (1 Corinthians 2:9).
The Wrath of God
Right now we live in a pretty peaceful time. God’s people have to go through the tribulation period, but they will be taken away before the time of God’s wrath. The wrath of God period is another time when the remaining inhabitants on the earth are going to live. This is also the time when a Restrainer will be removed (2 Thessalonians 2:6).
After the Rapture, all inhabitants on the earth will experience the wrath of God. Something evil will go forth from nation to nation. The great whirlwind will be raised from the coasts of the earth causing dead bodies to be everywhere (Jeremiah 25:29-33).
Malachi and Psalm 50 add more details and describe God’s wrath event with words like “burns like an oven”, “burns them up”, “will leave them neither root nor branch”, “the Sun of Righteousness shall arise” (Malachi 4:1-3), and “the fire will devour before Him and it will be very tempestuous (stormy) all around Him” (Psalm 50:3).
After the opening of the Sixth seal, great earthquakes will happen around the world. Every mountain and island will be moved out of place. The inhabitants of the earth will run and hide in the dens and the rocks of the mountains. The wicked men will cast their idols of silver and gold and run to hide into the holes of the rocks and caves because the earth will be shaking. Heavens will be “rolled together” and depart as a scroll.
In Matthew, Jesus talked about Jerusalem which was guilty of killing and stoning prophets in the past. He said he wanted to gather its children together, but they refused (Matthew 23:37).
The Final Battle in Heaven and the Great Judgement Day
Jesus and his armies will go to battle with beasts and kings described in Revelation 19:19-21. The Great Judgment Day is described in Revelation 20:4, 11-15, 1 Corinthians 4:5, and 2 Corinthians 5:10.
The Earth Without Form and Void
Image by RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ from Pixabay
After the years of God’s wrath, there will be no people or animals left on the earth. All the cities, towns, and lands will be destroyed, abandoned, and empty (Jeremiah 4:23-27).
The Earth will be forced to wobble on its axis. It will violently break, split open, and shake exceedingly. The earth will “fall and not rise again” due to its transgression (Isaiah 24:19-20). Heaven and Earth will pass away. (Matthew 24:35). Earth will be without form and void, the same way it was described in Genesis. But God is not going to destroy Earth completely: “…yet will I not make a full end” (Jeremiah 4:23-27).
The first Heaven and the first Earth will pass away. There will be a new Holy City coming down from God out of Heaven. God will make all things new and even better than before (Revelation 21:1, 5).
After the second coming event, Jesus returns with his righteous and becomes a King over all Earth. This happens when there is a light in the evening or when “the light shall not be clear, or dark.” He lets the living waters go out from the heavenly Holy City toward the former sea and the hinder sea. The land is lifting and becomes inhabited. After some time, men will start to dwell in it and there is no more destruction of the land (Zechariah 14:6-11).
Someone starts to write a new book of Genesis.
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