Post by Watchman on Mar 8, 2006 18:32:32 GMT -5
Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it. I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. Luke 17:33-37
The above passage is frequently quoted to support a "secret" rapture, that neither the saved or the lost will be aware of what is happening at the time. Supposedly, millions of Christians will be "taken" and simply disappear mysteriously, leaving the world wondering where they went. Just what does this passage really intend to teach?
First let's look at a parallel passage in Matthew:
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Mat 24:27-42
Note that in verse 39, the wicked who perished in the flood are described as being taken away. The wicked are taken first, not the righteous. Next, it tells us that it shall be exactly the same at the second coming of the Lord. Clearly in in days of Noah, those taken first perished, and so it will be again at the second coming. Now notice that in Luke 17, verse 37, a question is asked: "Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together". This answer given by Jesus refers to the vultures gathering over the bodies of the wicked, those taken first, which are all slain at the second coming. (See also Rev 19:20-21) So Jesus was not teaching a silent or secret rapture of the righteous away from the world. He was making it clear, that at His second coming, all the wicked will be taken and slain first, before the righteous are taken to heaven. This destruction of the wicked is completely ignored by those teaching the secret rapture.
The Second Coming Described
The following verses all show that with respect to the second coming, Jesus will indeed come quickly-
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Rev 3:11
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Rev 22:7
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:12
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev 22:20
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. And the following verses refer to the second coming of Jesus as being like a thief for the wicked- Matt 24:27
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Rev 3:3
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Rev 16:15
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Th 5:4
It should be quite clear that all the above verses are indeed referring to the second coming of Jesus. He will come quickly, like lightning, as a thief upon the unsuspecting wicked of the world.
Is it a secret, silent event?
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 2 Pet 3:10-12
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Th 4:16
It will be the noisiest, most climactic event in history, not a silent, mysterious secret.
The Parable of the Tares of the Field.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about the end of the world, which is intended to explain some end time events of the second coming:
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matt 13:24-30
Jesus then explains the parable in detail to His disciples:
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Mat 13:36-43
Note the timing of events Jesus describes, and how it compares with those taken first in Matthew 24:39-42. At the end of the world, when the time for the harvest of humanity has come, it is not the righteous who are gathered first, it is the wicked! The wicked are taken and dealt with first, while the people of God are still among them. Advocates of the popular pre-tribulation rapture propose that all righteous Christians will first be taken up by Jesus secretly, in an instant, leaving behind a totally non-Christian world in startled ignorance of why a significant portion of the population has simply disappeared off the face of the earth. The secret rapture theory is the reverse sequence of the parable as told by Jesus, and so can be dismissed on this point alone!
Jesus in the book of Matthew again confirms that the wicked will be taken out from among the righteous:
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:49,50
The Lesson of Noah and the flood, and Lot and Sodom
The 17th chapter of Luke, which we began this study with, again makes it plain that the wicked will all perish at the return of Christ:
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke 17:26-30
The lesson is clear. Sudden destruction comes upon the wicked at then second coming. They will all perish.
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith YHWH of hosts. Malachi 4:3
The Seven Last Plagues
Let us review an interesting fact. Revelation 16 relates the last seven plagues being poured out on the unrepentant wicked of the earth. Through verse 12 the first six of the plagues are poured out, and THEN in verse 15-
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that
watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, andthey see his shame. Rev 16:15
Clearly Jesus HAS NOT COME YET AT THE TIME OF THE SIXTH PLAGUE! Note that the seventh plague then falls in verse 17-
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. Rev 16:16,17
Jesus at the time of the seventh plague is announcing that time for earth has come to an end, and the second coming follows immediately. So Jesus does not come back to earth until after all seven plagues have been poured out on the wicked. The faithful church was NOT removed at any point prior to these plagues, they have endured them without fear of being
affected by them:
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor
for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psa 91:5-11
The wicked will suffer the 7 last plagues, while the people of God are still present with them on this earth.
Does the Second Coming Happen Secretly?
There are two verses where Jesus himself described exactly how he would come back to this earth. These words were spoken to the high priest of the Jews - Caiaphas:
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mat 26:64
And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62
Jesus says that Caiaphas will be alive (resurrected) to see him return in his full glory, in the clouds of heaven. This is a significant key to his return. It is a direct link to -
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Rev 1:7
As the above study shows:
AFTER THE 7 PLAGUES OF REV 16 FALL ON THE WICKED, AND NOT BEFORE, JESUS COMES IN THE CLOUDS.
EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIS COMING.
The return of Jesus (in the clouds) will be witnessed by every living person on this earth at the time
Jesus coming in the clouds is mentioned in the following texts as well. It is an important discriminator between the genuine coming of Jesus and the impersonation of Jesus by Satan-
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matt 16:27
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt 24:29-31
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Mark 13:24-27
HE COMES IN HIS FULL POWER AND GLORY, TO THEN REWARD EVERY MAN.
If, as we have established, every eye will see him coming in all his glory, what is the fate of the wicked who are still living?
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with
wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Isa 13:9
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2 Th 1:7
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2 Th 1:8,9
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Th 2:8
The wicked who see Jesus at the second coming will be cut off, they will perish, because sinful man cannot look upon the face of God in His full glory and live. Just as the parable of the wheat and tares declares (Matt 13:24-43), the wicked will all perish first, before the righteous are gathered.
SO,What will He bring with Him when He returns?
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:12
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Th 4:15-17
Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor 15:51-53
THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE RAISED FIRST, THEN THE RIGHTEOUS LIVING ARE TRANSFORMED, THEIR REWARD IS ETERNAL LIFE, RECEIVED AT THE SECOND COMING.
In the Old Testament, the story of Israel's bondage in Egypt is an example of what will happen in the end times.
The Plagues on Egypt
1. Exo 7:17- Water to blood
2. Exo 8:2- Frogs
3. Exo 8:16- Lice
4. Exo 8:21- Flies
5. Exo 9:3 - Egyptian cattle died
6. Exo 9:9- Boils
7. Exo 9:18- Burning hail
8. Exo 10:4- Locusts
9. Exo 10:21- Darkness
10. Exo 12:12- Judgment to be executed
Exo 12:13- First born of Israel saved by the blood of the lamb. .......................(the blood of the lamb represents the blood of Jesus)
Exo 12:29- First born of Egypt slain
GOD'S PEOPLE ARE SET FREE FROM EGYPTIAN BONDAGE
Just as the plagues fell on Egypt, the last seven plagues will fall on the wicked before the second coming. Note that the last plague, immediately prior to the release of God's people, was the firstborn of Egypt being slain. This is symbolic of the destruction of the wicked (tares) at the second coming, prior to the gathering of the righteous (wheat) when God's people are set free from sin, as described in Matthew 13.
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Tim 4:1 I
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:11-12
Note that judgment has been decided BEFORE the second coming, Jesus comes with his reward for every man. The judgment is carried out, the separation of sheep and goats, wheat and tares, happens once at the second coming. Matthew 25 also supports the second advent rapture.
Those who are not ready at the appointed time will be shut-out. There is no second chance.
JUDGMENT IS EXECUTED AT THE SECOND COMING. THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCES TO BE SAVED IN THE MILLENNIUM.
Did the plagues of Egypt affect or harm the Hebrew children?
And YHWH did that thing on the morrow, and all thecattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children ofIsrael died not one. Exo 9:6
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children ofIsrael were, was there no hail. Exo 9:26
So how are the plagues on Egypt significant? How do they relate to the second coming?
Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 1 Cor 10:11
They are an example for us to use to understand exactly what will happen in the end times. Again see Psalms 91:5-11. The plagues on Egypt demonstrate that God's people will live through the period of the last 7 plagues and be unaffected by them, by the power of God's protection.
YOU CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY YOUR FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF YESHUA TO COVER YOUR SINS, AND BY THIS FAITH YOU WILL ENDURE HIS PLAGUES UNTOUCHED.
Are there any other types of this kind, where YHWH's people are protected untouched? Yes-
The flood of Noah - Gen 7
The fiery furnace of Babylon - Dan 3
The lion's den of Babylon - Dan 6
Jesus Himself established this principle beyond question, note His words:
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John 17:15
The righteous of the end times need not be removed from this earth to be kept safe from the plagues that Yeshua Himself pours out. The testimony of Yeshua makes that clear.
But isn't Rev 4:1, when John is called up into heaven, a type of the rapture, proving the rest of Revelation does not apply to the church? No. As Rev 4:2 explains, John was in the spirit. He was seeing visions of the future but he did not actually enter heaven. This was the second time that John was in the spirit, the first is Rev 1:10. He was also in the spirit in Rev 17:3 and Rev 21:10. To point to Rev 4:1 and claim it is the rapture, as some prominent pre-trib people do, can not be supported. As Rev 16:15 shows, Jesus has still not yet come between the sixth and seventh plagues (vials/bowls).
The church is still on earth living through the plagues.
But what of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19)? How does this apply? Doesn't this contradict the second advent rapture principle being established here? Didn't Lot have to leave the city to be saved? Wouldn't he have suffered the fate of the wicked if he had stayed? Yes, he would have. Aha! Pre-tribulation rapture proved!!! No, not exactly. What are Sodom and Gomorrah types (examples) of in the end times? At what point MUST you be removed (from something) so as to not feel the wrath of God in the end times? Does the Bible tell us?
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev 18:2-4
Sodom and Gomorrah are a type of spiritual Babylon (apostate religion) in the end times.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 2 Pet 2:6
There is another type of spiritual Babylon in the Old Testament in Joshua 6:20,21 after the seven trumpets have been blown seven times and the walls of Jericho fell. The inhabitants of Jericho were all slain with the exception of Rahab the harlot and her family, in a story remarkably similar to the Passover. The seven trumpets are types of the trumpets of Revelation. Jericho represents Babylon in Revelation 18 and Rahab and her family represent those called out of harlot Babylon, before it and everyone in it, is utterly destroyed, yet Rahab did not need to physically leave Jericho in order to be saved.
IF TODAY YOU ARE IN SPIRITUAL BABYLON YOU MUST LEAVE IT OR YOU WILL RECEIVE THE PLAGUES OF GOD IN THE END TIMES.
(1). AFTER THE 7 PLAGUES OF REV 16 FALL ON THE WICKED, AND NOT BEFORE, JESUS COMES IN THE CLOUDS.
(2). EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIS COMING.
(3). HE COMES IN HIS FULL POWER AND GLORY, TO THEN REWARD EVERY MAN.
(4). THE WICKED WILL ALL BE SLAIN AT HIS SECOND COMING BY THE FIRE OF HIS RIGHTEOUS GLORY.
(5). HE COMES WITH ALL THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN.
(6). ALL THE RIGHTEOUS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER AFTER THE COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF JESUS, THAT EVERY EYE WILL SEE - NOT BEFORE.
(7). THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE RAISED FIRST, THEN THE RIGHTEOUS LIVING ARE TRANSFORMED, THEIR REWARD IS ETERNAL LIFE, RECEIVED AT THE SECOND COMING.
JUDGMENT IS EXECUTED AT THE SECOND COMING. THERE WILL BE NOSECOND CHANCES TO BE SAVED.
(8). YOU CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY YOUR FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS TO COVER YOUR SINS, AND BY THIS FAITH YOU WILL ENDURE HIS PLAGUES UNTOUCHED.
(9). IF TODAY YOU ARE IN SPIRITUAL BABYLON YOU MUST LEAVE IT OR YOU WILL RECEIVE THE PLAGUES OF GOD IN THE END TIMES.
The blind and rebellious say that since the righteous will leave this earth before most of the events of the end times, you need not be concerned with any of it. Interesting stuff they say, but not really relevant to today's believer. Besides, according to them, what you do now does not matter anyway, you will get a second chance in the millennium. Nothing could be farther from the truth - it is a satanic lie. God's 'strong delusion' and a foundation of Satan's counterfeit!
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." - Yeshua
Yeshua said that his sheep know his voice.
The above passage is frequently quoted to support a "secret" rapture, that neither the saved or the lost will be aware of what is happening at the time. Supposedly, millions of Christians will be "taken" and simply disappear mysteriously, leaving the world wondering where they went. Just what does this passage really intend to teach?
First let's look at a parallel passage in Matthew:
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For wheresoever the carcase is, there will the eagles be gathered together. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. Mat 24:27-42
Note that in verse 39, the wicked who perished in the flood are described as being taken away. The wicked are taken first, not the righteous. Next, it tells us that it shall be exactly the same at the second coming of the Lord. Clearly in in days of Noah, those taken first perished, and so it will be again at the second coming. Now notice that in Luke 17, verse 37, a question is asked: "Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together". This answer given by Jesus refers to the vultures gathering over the bodies of the wicked, those taken first, which are all slain at the second coming. (See also Rev 19:20-21) So Jesus was not teaching a silent or secret rapture of the righteous away from the world. He was making it clear, that at His second coming, all the wicked will be taken and slain first, before the righteous are taken to heaven. This destruction of the wicked is completely ignored by those teaching the secret rapture.
The Second Coming Described
The following verses all show that with respect to the second coming, Jesus will indeed come quickly-
Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Rev 3:11
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Rev 22:7
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:12
He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. Rev 22:20
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. And the following verses refer to the second coming of Jesus as being like a thief for the wicked- Matt 24:27
Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Rev 3:3
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame. Rev 16:15
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. 1 Th 5:4
It should be quite clear that all the above verses are indeed referring to the second coming of Jesus. He will come quickly, like lightning, as a thief upon the unsuspecting wicked of the world.
Is it a secret, silent event?
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness; Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 2 Pet 3:10-12
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 1 Th 4:16
It will be the noisiest, most climactic event in history, not a silent, mysterious secret.
The Parable of the Tares of the Field.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus tells a parable about the end of the world, which is intended to explain some end time events of the second coming:
Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn. Matt 13:24-30
Jesus then explains the parable in detail to His disciples:
Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Mat 13:36-43
Note the timing of events Jesus describes, and how it compares with those taken first in Matthew 24:39-42. At the end of the world, when the time for the harvest of humanity has come, it is not the righteous who are gathered first, it is the wicked! The wicked are taken and dealt with first, while the people of God are still among them. Advocates of the popular pre-tribulation rapture propose that all righteous Christians will first be taken up by Jesus secretly, in an instant, leaving behind a totally non-Christian world in startled ignorance of why a significant portion of the population has simply disappeared off the face of the earth. The secret rapture theory is the reverse sequence of the parable as told by Jesus, and so can be dismissed on this point alone!
Jesus in the book of Matthew again confirms that the wicked will be taken out from among the righteous:
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Mat 13:49,50
The Lesson of Noah and the flood, and Lot and Sodom
The 17th chapter of Luke, which we began this study with, again makes it plain that the wicked will all perish at the return of Christ:
And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. Luke 17:26-30
The lesson is clear. Sudden destruction comes upon the wicked at then second coming. They will all perish.
And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith YHWH of hosts. Malachi 4:3
The Seven Last Plagues
Let us review an interesting fact. Revelation 16 relates the last seven plagues being poured out on the unrepentant wicked of the earth. Through verse 12 the first six of the plagues are poured out, and THEN in verse 15-
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that
watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, andthey see his shame. Rev 16:15
Clearly Jesus HAS NOT COME YET AT THE TIME OF THE SIXTH PLAGUE! Note that the seventh plague then falls in verse 17-
And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. Rev 16:16,17
Jesus at the time of the seventh plague is announcing that time for earth has come to an end, and the second coming follows immediately. So Jesus does not come back to earth until after all seven plagues have been poured out on the wicked. The faithful church was NOT removed at any point prior to these plagues, they have endured them without fear of being
affected by them:
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor
for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. Psa 91:5-11
The wicked will suffer the 7 last plagues, while the people of God are still present with them on this earth.
Does the Second Coming Happen Secretly?
There are two verses where Jesus himself described exactly how he would come back to this earth. These words were spoken to the high priest of the Jews - Caiaphas:
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mat 26:64
And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven. Mark 14:62
Jesus says that Caiaphas will be alive (resurrected) to see him return in his full glory, in the clouds of heaven. This is a significant key to his return. It is a direct link to -
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. Rev 1:7
As the above study shows:
AFTER THE 7 PLAGUES OF REV 16 FALL ON THE WICKED, AND NOT BEFORE, JESUS COMES IN THE CLOUDS.
EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIS COMING.
The return of Jesus (in the clouds) will be witnessed by every living person on this earth at the time
Jesus coming in the clouds is mentioned in the following texts as well. It is an important discriminator between the genuine coming of Jesus and the impersonation of Jesus by Satan-
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matt 16:27
Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Matt 24:29-31
But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall he send his angels, and shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of heaven. Mark 13:24-27
HE COMES IN HIS FULL POWER AND GLORY, TO THEN REWARD EVERY MAN.
If, as we have established, every eye will see him coming in all his glory, what is the fate of the wicked who are still living?
Behold, the day of the LORD cometh, cruel both with
wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate: and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it. Isa 13:9
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 2 Th 1:7
In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; 2 Th 1:8,9
And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord
shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 2 Th 2:8
The wicked who see Jesus at the second coming will be cut off, they will perish, because sinful man cannot look upon the face of God in His full glory and live. Just as the parable of the wheat and tares declares (Matt 13:24-43), the wicked will all perish first, before the righteous are gathered.
SO,What will He bring with Him when He returns?
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with
me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:12
For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent [precede] them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 1 Th 4:15-17
Behold, I show 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 1 Cor 15:51-53
THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE RAISED FIRST, THEN THE RIGHTEOUS LIVING ARE TRANSFORMED, THEIR REWARD IS ETERNAL LIFE, RECEIVED AT THE SECOND COMING.
In the Old Testament, the story of Israel's bondage in Egypt is an example of what will happen in the end times.
The Plagues on Egypt
1. Exo 7:17- Water to blood
2. Exo 8:2- Frogs
3. Exo 8:16- Lice
4. Exo 8:21- Flies
5. Exo 9:3 - Egyptian cattle died
6. Exo 9:9- Boils
7. Exo 9:18- Burning hail
8. Exo 10:4- Locusts
9. Exo 10:21- Darkness
10. Exo 12:12- Judgment to be executed
Exo 12:13- First born of Israel saved by the blood of the lamb. .......................(the blood of the lamb represents the blood of Jesus)
Exo 12:29- First born of Egypt slain
GOD'S PEOPLE ARE SET FREE FROM EGYPTIAN BONDAGE
Just as the plagues fell on Egypt, the last seven plagues will fall on the wicked before the second coming. Note that the last plague, immediately prior to the release of God's people, was the firstborn of Egypt being slain. This is symbolic of the destruction of the wicked (tares) at the second coming, prior to the gathering of the righteous (wheat) when God's people are set free from sin, as described in Matthew 13.
charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2 Tim 4:1 I
He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. Rev 22:11-12
Note that judgment has been decided BEFORE the second coming, Jesus comes with his reward for every man. The judgment is carried out, the separation of sheep and goats, wheat and tares, happens once at the second coming. Matthew 25 also supports the second advent rapture.
Those who are not ready at the appointed time will be shut-out. There is no second chance.
JUDGMENT IS EXECUTED AT THE SECOND COMING. THERE WILL BE NO SECOND CHANCES TO BE SAVED IN THE MILLENNIUM.
Did the plagues of Egypt affect or harm the Hebrew children?
And YHWH did that thing on the morrow, and all thecattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children ofIsrael died not one. Exo 9:6
Only in the land of Goshen, where the children ofIsrael were, was there no hail. Exo 9:26
So how are the plagues on Egypt significant? How do they relate to the second coming?
Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. 1 Cor 10:11
They are an example for us to use to understand exactly what will happen in the end times. Again see Psalms 91:5-11. The plagues on Egypt demonstrate that God's people will live through the period of the last 7 plagues and be unaffected by them, by the power of God's protection.
YOU CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY YOUR FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF YESHUA TO COVER YOUR SINS, AND BY THIS FAITH YOU WILL ENDURE HIS PLAGUES UNTOUCHED.
Are there any other types of this kind, where YHWH's people are protected untouched? Yes-
The flood of Noah - Gen 7
The fiery furnace of Babylon - Dan 3
The lion's den of Babylon - Dan 6
Jesus Himself established this principle beyond question, note His words:
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. John 17:15
The righteous of the end times need not be removed from this earth to be kept safe from the plagues that Yeshua Himself pours out. The testimony of Yeshua makes that clear.
But isn't Rev 4:1, when John is called up into heaven, a type of the rapture, proving the rest of Revelation does not apply to the church? No. As Rev 4:2 explains, John was in the spirit. He was seeing visions of the future but he did not actually enter heaven. This was the second time that John was in the spirit, the first is Rev 1:10. He was also in the spirit in Rev 17:3 and Rev 21:10. To point to Rev 4:1 and claim it is the rapture, as some prominent pre-trib people do, can not be supported. As Rev 16:15 shows, Jesus has still not yet come between the sixth and seventh plagues (vials/bowls).
The church is still on earth living through the plagues.
But what of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19)? How does this apply? Doesn't this contradict the second advent rapture principle being established here? Didn't Lot have to leave the city to be saved? Wouldn't he have suffered the fate of the wicked if he had stayed? Yes, he would have. Aha! Pre-tribulation rapture proved!!! No, not exactly. What are Sodom and Gomorrah types (examples) of in the end times? At what point MUST you be removed (from something) so as to not feel the wrath of God in the end times? Does the Bible tell us?
And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. Rev 18:2-4
Sodom and Gomorrah are a type of spiritual Babylon (apostate religion) in the end times.
And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into
ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly; 2 Pet 2:6
There is another type of spiritual Babylon in the Old Testament in Joshua 6:20,21 after the seven trumpets have been blown seven times and the walls of Jericho fell. The inhabitants of Jericho were all slain with the exception of Rahab the harlot and her family, in a story remarkably similar to the Passover. The seven trumpets are types of the trumpets of Revelation. Jericho represents Babylon in Revelation 18 and Rahab and her family represent those called out of harlot Babylon, before it and everyone in it, is utterly destroyed, yet Rahab did not need to physically leave Jericho in order to be saved.
IF TODAY YOU ARE IN SPIRITUAL BABYLON YOU MUST LEAVE IT OR YOU WILL RECEIVE THE PLAGUES OF GOD IN THE END TIMES.
(1). AFTER THE 7 PLAGUES OF REV 16 FALL ON THE WICKED, AND NOT BEFORE, JESUS COMES IN THE CLOUDS.
(2). EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIS COMING.
(3). HE COMES IN HIS FULL POWER AND GLORY, TO THEN REWARD EVERY MAN.
(4). THE WICKED WILL ALL BE SLAIN AT HIS SECOND COMING BY THE FIRE OF HIS RIGHTEOUS GLORY.
(5). HE COMES WITH ALL THE ANGELS OF HEAVEN.
(6). ALL THE RIGHTEOUS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER AFTER THE COMING IN THE CLOUDS OF JESUS, THAT EVERY EYE WILL SEE - NOT BEFORE.
(7). THE RIGHTEOUS DEAD ARE RAISED FIRST, THEN THE RIGHTEOUS LIVING ARE TRANSFORMED, THEIR REWARD IS ETERNAL LIFE, RECEIVED AT THE SECOND COMING.
JUDGMENT IS EXECUTED AT THE SECOND COMING. THERE WILL BE NOSECOND CHANCES TO BE SAVED.
(8). YOU CAN ONLY BE SAVED BY YOUR FAITH IN THE BLOOD OF JESUS TO COVER YOUR SINS, AND BY THIS FAITH YOU WILL ENDURE HIS PLAGUES UNTOUCHED.
(9). IF TODAY YOU ARE IN SPIRITUAL BABYLON YOU MUST LEAVE IT OR YOU WILL RECEIVE THE PLAGUES OF GOD IN THE END TIMES.
The blind and rebellious say that since the righteous will leave this earth before most of the events of the end times, you need not be concerned with any of it. Interesting stuff they say, but not really relevant to today's believer. Besides, according to them, what you do now does not matter anyway, you will get a second chance in the millennium. Nothing could be farther from the truth - it is a satanic lie. God's 'strong delusion' and a foundation of Satan's counterfeit!
"And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." - Yeshua
Yeshua said that his sheep know his voice.