There are many Evangelicals and ‘Reformed’ Bible teachers, as well as Pentecostal, Charismatic, et al., who propose a “patchwork-quilt-type-of eschatology” regarding The Second Coming of Jesus.
These folks say the account in Matthew 24 which describes Jesus’ “appearing on the clouds of the sky” when everyone will see Him, is NOT the second coming; but they won’t call it the rapture, either.
They may go on to say that Revelation chapter 19 is where we find Jesus’ 2nd coming, which, according to scriptures, is seen only by John the Revelator.
Here is an example of this widespread mistaken and false teaching:
He begins with the title, “Don’t Let Any Man Deceive You”. then he quotes these 2 Bible verses,
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him… ” (2 Thessalonians 2:1)
“And then shall the wicked One be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming.” (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
“Notice, there is a coming in verse one and a coming in verse eight. At the coming in verse one, the church is gathered to Him, but at the coming in verse eight, Jesus will destroy the Antichrist by the brightness of His coming. In verse one we have the rapture of the church and in verse eight we have the Second Coming. In verses two through seven we have all the events that occur between the two comings.
“That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, that the day of Christ is at hand.” (2 Thessalonians 2:2)
Paul is simply saying, “There is a mindset that seems to have spread throughout the church that you are living in the Tribulation. Do not be moved by the different winds of doctrine that are circulating. Also, people are distorting the Word of God to support the theory that the Tribulation has come.” Paul continues, “I don’t care if there is a letter contradicting my first letter, it is wrong. Don’t let anyone shake you up and convince you that the Tribulation has arrived, because it has not. Don’t be soon shaken in mind.”
Every time any major war arises, people begin to shout, “We’re in the Tribulation!” When Hitler rose to power, many said, “He is the Antichrist.” When Mussolini rose to power they said, “Mussolini is the Antichrist. He is a ruler from Rome, and Rome is the revived Roman Empire, therefore he must be the Antichrist!” Not too long ago, people were saying that the Russian leader, Gorbachev was the Antichrist because he had a birthmark on his head.
Then Yandian concludes, “In our generation and throughout the centuries, people try to take circumstances and make them fit the Word of God, when instead the Word of God should be the standard by which circumstances are judged.”
So, Yandian, and many others in the reformed theological camp, lecture us about using the Word of God as the standard to judge these things, then they deny those plain words of the Bible which do not fit their denominational theology and doctrines.
So, which Glorious Return is it? Let’s take a look at the ‘PLAIN LANGUAGE OF THE BIBLE’ and decide.
And, why is this important?
(a) It is important because Jesus tells us we must ‘endure to the end’ and knowing the sequence of events will help us to ‘not lose heart and faint’.
(b) The apostle Paul tells it is important because “God takes no pleasure in the one who shrinks back”, and knowing that our ‘salvation draw near’ will help us endure to the end.
(c) Jesus tells us that it is important because we must stay alert be found doing what He has commanded us, when He returns, or we may be “assigned a place with the hypocrites”. Knowing the day is near will help us stay focused and ready for His return.
SO, WHICH IS IT?
Jesus’ Glorious Return #1
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. v 30 “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. 31 “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
REPEAT:
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days
(What is “the tribulation of those days“? See Matthew 24:2-14 & Revelation 6)
(a). Matthew 24:5 “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the [d] Christ,’ and they will [e] mislead many people.”
(b). Matthew 24:6 “And you will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not alarmed, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,”
(c). Matthew 24:7 and there will be famines
(d). Matthew 24:7. and earthquakes in various places. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains.
(e). Matthew 24:9 “Then they will hand you over to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.
(f). Matthew 24:10 And at that time many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
(g). Matthew 24:11 And many false prophets will rise up and mislead many people.
(h). Matthew 24:12 And because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will become cold.
(i). Matthew 24:13 But the one who endures to the end is the one who will be saved.
(j). Matthew 24:14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Matthew 24:29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days (see Matthew 24:2-14)
REPEAT:
Matthew 24:29 THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Revelation 6:12. “I looked when He broke the sixth seal,
and there was a great earthquake;
and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair,
and the whole moon became like blood;
- and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind.”
REPEAT:
Matthew 24:30. “And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
- Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky,
- and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn,
- And they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory.
REPEAT:
Matthew 24:31. “And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
- And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET
- and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
Or is it…
Jesus’ Glorious Return #2
- Revelation 19:11-20: And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. 13 He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. 15 From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. 16 And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
17 Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in mid-heaven, “Come, assemble for the great supper of God, 18so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.”
19 And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army.
20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. 21And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
OR, IS IT “BOTH”?
NOTE: There is only ONE “2nd ADVENT”. There is NO secret rapture, and every eye will see Him! What we see in Matthew 24, as narrated by JESUS, is the following:
(a) Breaking of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation,
(b) The beginning the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord,
(c) Which is the beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week also known as the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation,
(d) Jesus’ SECOND ADVENT,
(e) The Rapture of the Church,
(f) The heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True,
(g) From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron;
and
(h) He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty
NOTICE: In Matthew 24, ALL EYES SEE HIM, but In Revelation 19, JOHN SEES HIM.
This is one event being seen from TWO PERSPECTIVES, as it unfolds: One from earth, one from John’s prophetic vision of the Heavens!
Look at it this way: When Hurricane Irma hit the U.S. it was a category 5 storm; As Irma progressed up the peninsula of Florida, it became a category 4 storm; then as it entered Alabama it became a category 3 storm; and finally as it entered Georgia, Irma became a tropical storm; and later as it entered Tennessee, it became a rain event.
To those in the various states which hurricane Irma entered, it would have appeared to them that Irma might have been 5 different storms: Cat 5, Cat 4, Cat 3, a Tropical storm, a rain event. But if viewed “From Above” it was ONE STORM, progressively unfolding to its conclusion.
*So it is with Jesus’ 2nd Coming:
- Breaking of the 6th Seal of the Tribulation,
- The beginning of the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord,
- The beginning of Daniel’s 70th Week also known as the final 7 years of the Great Tribulation,
- Jesus’ SECOND ADVENT,
- The Rapture of the Church,
- The heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True,
- From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and
- He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty
Why does it matter?
- Jesus tells us that it matters because we must ‘endure to the end’ and know the sequence of events will help us to ‘not lose heart and faint’.
- The apostle Paul tells us that it matters, because “God takes no pleasure in the one who shrinks back”, and knowing that our ‘salvation draw near’ will help us endure to the end.
- Jesus tells us it matters and that we must stay alert be found doing what He has commanded when He returns, or we may be “assigned a place with the hypocrites”. Knowing the day is near will help us stay focused and ready for His return.
Don’t be deceived. There is only ONE Second Coming of Christ. There is only ONE Rapture. There is only ONE Armageddon.
Know your Bible. Know the sequence. Be Ready, found doing as He has said. Endure to the end and be saved !!
Your Brother and Friend,
Mike Young
Further Reading: “A SECRET RAPTURE?”
I have just read a post by a psychologist discussing ‘attachment based therapy’ which essentially has to do with the ‘epidemiological categories of attachment’ including the identification of the attachment styles such as being secure, anxious, ambivalent and disorganized/disoriented) with an analysis and understanding of how dysfunctional attachments are acted out in adult life.
