The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Greg Mason

Fact: Jesus Christ is Coming Back

Key Scripture: For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

Key Scripture: “Behold, the day of the Lord is Coming. . . And in that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. . . Thus the Lord my God will come, And all the saints with You. . .” (Zechariah 14:1-5).

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ is an event that is spoken about in many places in the Bible. It will take place in two distinct phases with the Lord coming first to take His Church to heaven as His Bride (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

God will then pour out His wrath on an unbelieving world for a seven-year period spoken about by the prophets, apostles, and Jesus Himself. In this Judgement God will deal with the nation of Israel and a Christ rejecting world. 

At the end of the seven-year period Jesus will return with the Church known as His Bride (Revelation 19:7-9, 14), and He will return to the Mount of Olives (Zechariah 14:1-5) from where He ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9-12). Jesus will subdue the nations and their kings and will reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years (Revelation 20:4) bringing peace and harmony once again to the earth. 

Notice that the first phase of Jesus’ coming is when He comes in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) to receive His Church to Himself, then the second phase where He comes with His Bride (The Church, those who have trusted in Him as their Savior) to the Mount of Olives near Jerusalem to subdue the nations. In one phase Jesus is in the air to receive the Church, but never descends to the earth, but in the second phase after the 7 years of tribulation Jesus descends to the earth with His Church (Bride). These are two distinct appearances of Jesus. 

A Meeting with the Lord in the Air

All who put their trust in Jesus will be caught up in the air to be with Jesus in the first phase of His coming. The full context is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18:

“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

In this scripture passage the catching up of the Church in the air is commonly called the Rapture. This word comes from a Latin word rapio, which is found in the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. It simply means to be “caught up.” Jesus will catch up into the air and take to heaven all who have received Him as Lord and Savior.

When this passage speaks of those who sleep (those who have died) it’s not talking about the soul sleeping but is talking about the body.

The Apostle Paul said, “We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8). For a Christian to die is to be present with the Lord, yet the body sleeps until the rapture takes place where we meet our Lord in the air.

Also, Jesus said to the criminal on the cross next to Him “today you will be with Me in Paradise.”  His soul was not going to sleep, but it would be with Jesus. 

Although we are present with the Lord when we die, we must still wait for the Resurrection of our bodies which will take place at the Rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).

At the rapture we will receive glorified bodies. There is a description of this event also found in 1 Corinthians 15:50-55:

"Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.” “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory?”

This event will take place in the twinkling of an eye, and those who have died in Christ, as well as those who are alive in Christ will put on incorruption and immortality!

Also notice it says at the last trumpet. There is the sound of a trumpet in 1 Corinthians 15:52 and in 1 Thessalonians 4:16. Although, we should be careful not to confuse the last trumpet here in 1 Corinthians 15:52 With the last trumpet found in the Book of Revelation. The Trumpet found in the book of Revelation is that of judgement not a glorious resurrection of the body. 

Not Appointed to Wrath

Some would argue that there is no rapture of the Church that precedes the 7-year tribulation as found in the Book of Revelation, but would God pour out His wrath on His children? Would Jesus pour out His wrath on His Bride (Church)? 

Paul writes to the Thessalonians and says, . . . and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come (1 Thessalonians 1:9-10).

Paul also speaking to the Thessalonians in the context of the Coming of the Lord (The day of the Lord) says, For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:9).

In the Book of Revelation Jesus says to the faithful Church of Philadelphia, “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth (Revelation 3:10).

Revelation 3:10 is a clear reference concerning the Church being kept from the hour of trial, and notice that the hour of trial will come upon the whole world. Some say Christians will go through this hour of trial (7-year Tribulation described in the Book of Revelation), and God will protect them as they go through it, but Jesus said He will keep you (Church) from the hour of trial.  In other words, out of the hour of trial. Jesus will rapture the Church, His Bride before this terrible time.

One thing we should understand is there are two kinds of tribulation. There is the tribulation that Christians face concerning the wrath of Satan.  Satan hates God’s children and we see persecution of Christians all around the world. 

But there is a tribulation that God initiates as He pours His wrath out on an unbelieving world as seen in the Book of Revelation, yet if you are in Christ, you are not appointed to this wrath. 

Types & Shadows of the Rapture

There are many Bible passages that are types and shadows of things to come. 

Enoch who was taken by God is a type of the rapture:

And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him (Genesis 5:24).

Enoch was raptured to heaven, as God took him. This was just before the flood of Noah’s day when God judged the world because of its wickedness. Enoch walked with God, in other words had a relationship with God. Enoch was a type of the Church, and the Church will be raptured before the soon coming judgement of God. 

Another type of the rapture is when Lot was removed from Sodom before God’s judgement fell upon it. 

Abraham’s nephew Lot was in Sodom, and Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom with the Lord:

And Abraham came near and said, “Would You destroy the righteous with the wicked? Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? “Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”

So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” 

Then Abraham answered . . . “Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” 

. . . Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” (Genesis 18:23-32)

The heart of God is to spare the righteous. Lot and his two daughters were spared, taken out before the judgement, then God “rained brimstone and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:24).

This is a message for us to take to heart today. God will once again rain down His wrath, and it will be on the whole world because of its wickedness, but will he leave the righteous to experience this wrath? Absolutely not! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 

Who are the Righteous?

So the next question is who are the righteous? I often don’t feel very righteous. For the Bible says all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

I thank God I don’t have to rely on my own righteousness, but I do rely on the righteousness of Christ that is in me! Jesus lives in me through the Spirit of God, and it is the righteousness of Christ that God sees in me. The blood of Jesus Christ has cleansed me of all my sins, and I stand in His righteousness. 

I hope you are standing in His righteousness. If not just ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and invite Him into your life as Lord and Savior. Trust in Jesus Who was crucified and died in your place so that you can receive forgiveness.