The Second Coming of Christ will occur at the climax of the Great Tribulation. Christ will visibly descend from heaven, slowly enough to be observed by the entire world, and will land in Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives. This is the same location he ascended from 40 days after his resurrection.
“After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.
“They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.'”
Acts 1:9-11
“A day of the Lord is coming… On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south.”
Zechariah 14:1, 4
“’Look, he is coming with the clouds,’ and ‘every eye will see him, even those who pierced him’; and all peoples on earth ‘will mourn because of him.’ So shall it be! Amen.”
Revelation 1:7
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written:
“KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS”
Revelation 19:11-16
Satan will be Bound for 1000 Years
The Second Coming of Christ will be a display of his great power and authority. It will be preceded by catastrophe as outlined in the seven-sealed scroll (Revelation 6-19). The climax of the judgments will be when Christ arrives in Jerusalem and begins his reign as King. Satan is presently “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4), “ruler of the kingdom of the air” (Ephesians 2:2), and “prince of this world” (John 16:11). For Christ to reign as King, Satan must be dethroned and imprisoned in the abyss. This miraculous feat is accomplished without incident.
“And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended…”
Revelation 20:1-3
Back in the beginning of time, God created the world and made Adam from the dust and put him in charge of the world. He was given dominion and authority over God’s creation. However it was short-lived. Adam sinned and lost that position as part of the fall from grace. Another way of saying it is that Satan usurped the dominion and authority away from Adam and claimed it for himself. The world has remained under the control of Satan ever since (1 John 5:19). Christ will reclaim the world to himself with his victorious second coming and binding of Satan. This is a fulfillment of many prophecies:
“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it on the seas and established it on the waters.”
Psalm 24:1-2
“Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his faithfulness.”
Psalm 96:13
“…He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth; with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked. Righteousness will be his belt and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
Isaiah 11:3-5
“This is what the Lord says: ‘I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the Faithful City, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.'”
Zechariah 8:3
Christ will Judge
Christ’s Millennial Kingdom on earth will be initially populated with only true believers. To accomplish this, he will judge all who are still living at the end of the tribulation. There will be two types of people, Jews and Gentiles. There may be true believers or people who reject God in each of those groups. The Bible describes a distinct judgment for each group (Ezekiel 20:34-38 for Jews; Matthew 25:31-46 for Gentiles). The God rejectors will be taken in death (Matthew 24:36-41). The true believers will be left to populate the earth just like in the days of Noah.
“Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: ‘See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.'”
Jude 1:14-15
Second Coming vs. Rapture
Much confusion has surrounded the idea of the Second Coming of Christ. Many Christians have different understandings of these prophecies and most casual Christians have a tendency to blend or confuse the Rapture with the Second Coming.
They are very different events. They happen at different times, with different results and should be easily distinguished by students of the Bible.
The Rapture is imminent with no unfulfilled prophecy required to happen. This has been true since Christ’s ascension. The Rapture will include a resurrection of the dead in Christ and a removal of living saints from the earth. The Rapture will occur prior to the 7-Year tribulation period which is God’s wrath being poured out on the ones in the world who rejected him. The tribulation period won’t begin until the antichrist confirms a worldwide peace agreement. The tribulation period is further divided into two halves of 3 ½ years each. The second half, known as the great tribulation or the time of Jacob’s trouble is outlined in Revelation 6-19. The climax of that period will be the Second Coming of Christ to reign on the earth.
| Rapture | Second Coming |
| Imminent | Follows 7-year Tribulation |
| Saints removed from the earth | Saints left on the earth |
| Christ not visible to those left behind | Christ will be visible to all |
| World continues in sinful ways | Righteousness is established |
| Day of Wrath commences | Peace and Justice commences |
| Satan increases power and influence | Satan is bound in the Abyss |
| Israel persecuted | Israel is exalted, covenants fulfilled. |
| Church removed from the earth | Church returns with Christ |
Summary
The Second Coming of Christ is not the beginning of the End Times nor the end. It is not the final judgment of mankind. It occurs after the Tribulation period of 7 years and prior to the Millennial Kingdom Period of 1000 years.
“The Lord says to my lord: ‘Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.’
“The Lord will extend your mighty scepter from Zion, saying, ‘Rule in the midst of your enemies!’
“Your troops will be willing on your day of battle. Arrayed in holy splendor, your young men will come to you like dew from the morning’s womb.
“The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.’
“The Lord is at your right hand; he will crush kings on the day of his wrath. He will judge the nations, heaping up the dead and crushing the rulers of the whole earth. He will drink from a brook along the way, and so he will lift his head high.”
Psalm 110:1-7
Christ will display his great power and authority. He will rescue the believers who endured the tribulation period and welcome them into his kingdom. He will judge the living unbelievers and the result of that judgment will be death. Only true believers will be left to populate Christ’s kingdom on earth. The covenants promised to Israel from the Old Testament times will be fulfilled during the 1000 year kingdom reign. The earth will be prosperous and righteousness, peace and justice will fill the earth.
“For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.”
Habakkuk 2:14
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
