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What the Bible Says About the Return of Jesus Christ

Matt. 24:38 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, 39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. 40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 41 Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left. 42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.

Jesus taught that His Return would be just like the flood in Noah’s time. The world will not expect it ,and will be going about its business as usual until the event overtakes them suddenly, and they suddenly realize they have waited too late to repent and believe. But, Noah and his family had ample warning to prepare for the flood, and likewise the world had ample time for repentance during that time, because it took Noah and his family 100 years to build the Ark. Therefore, we ought to learn from the example that Jesus has given us that we should be alert and watching for something like the rain that Jehovah told Noah was going to destroy the world as man knew it at that time. No one in Noah’s time had ever seen rain, for rain did not fall in those days. ( See Gen. 2:5-6.) Jesus taught that similar conditions would exist and similar things would occur when He Returns. But what then are we to understand about the fact that Jesus also told his disciples that they would know neither the day nor the hour of His return. (Matt. 24:36) Many extend the clear meaning of those words to say that we will not have any warning priror to His Return, and that is not the case, as will be seen from examining the scripture given us about that event.

Because Jesus answered the question, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” in Acts 1:6-7 by saying, “ It is not for you to know the times or the seasons , which the Father hath put in his own power,” many believe that even the church will not know of the times and seasons before Jesus returns. If that be the case, why is the church admonished in so many scriptures to watch for his return? If there will be nothing to see, why are we almost constantly admonished to watch? (Matt. 34:32, Mark 13:33-37, Luke 21:36, 1 Thess. 5:6, 1 Pet. 4:7, Rev, 3:3, et, al. ) It seems to be plain that the question that Jesus has answered in Acts 1:6-7 is not the same question that He answered in the discourse on the Mt. of Olives when he was answering the question, “What shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?” When we understand that these two events are not the same thing, the confusion disappears concerning the church and what she will see, if she is watching and ready before Jesus Returns as He has commanded us to be. 

At the time of the ascension, it had not been given to the church to know the times and the seasons during which Jesus would restore the Kingdom to Israel.  But, both at that time, and at times later, the church has been told of the things to watch for concerning Jesus’ return to Earth. But, when John was given the Revelation of Jesus Christ, many of the visions He gave to the church at that time involved the time and the seasons that the Kingdom would be restored to Israel. Also included in that vision are many details concerning the time when Jesus will Return To Earth, and we have been told to watch and be ready for those details to unfold.

1 Cor. 15:52 “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.”

1 Cor. 15:52 says six things about the time when Jesus will Return. The second thing in the list of things we are told about is that it will happen when the last trumpet sounds. The Revelation tells us that at some future time, seven trumpets will sound. This verse tells us that when the last of those seven trumpets begins to sound the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and those who are living and believing in Jesus at that time will be changed. In order to have a Biblical understanding of these events it absolutely essential to see these things. The last trumpet will begin to sound, sometime after that, the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and those who have trusted in Jesus and are alive at that time will be changed.

1 Thess. 4:16 “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:17 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 Thess. 4:16 says that the dead in Christ shall rise first, then those who are alive at that time shall be caught up together with them, that is to say, with the dead in Christ who have just been resurrected from the dead and received immortal bodies. 1 Cor. 15:52 says that the dead will be raised at the last trumpet. Therefore, we must understand that scripture teaches that the so called rapture cannot occur until after the last trumpet begins to sound and the dead in Christ have been resurrected.

Since these things are true according to scripture, any so called secret rapture of the church, before any of of the signs of Jesus’ return to earth are seen, is precluded. It is a lie made up out of nothing by the imaginations and private interpretations of men.

Matt. 24:29 “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: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 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.”

Additionally, Matt. 24:29 says that these things will happen, “Immediately after the Tribulation of those days.” So first we need to determine what Jesus is referring to when he mentions, “the tribulation of those days.” 

Matt. 24:15 “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)”  and Matt. 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Note: I have left verses 16 thru 20 out of the above quote from scripture in order to show concisely and clearly that Jesus had told us that the Great Tribulation will begin when the chruch sees the Abomination of Desolation stand in the Holy place. I ask you to read the entire passage from verse 15 to verse 19 to satisfy yourself that there is nothing between those two verses that would change the meaning that I outline here.) 

Jesus has clearly told the church that one day she will see the Abomination of Desolation of which Daniel spoke stand in the Holy Place, and when she does, it will signal the beginning of the Great Tribulation The sequence of events Jesus gives us is: 1) The Abomination of which Daniel prophesied will appear. 2) The great tribulation will begin. 3) The days of that tribulation will be cut short for the sake of the elect, (See Matt. 24:22) 4) 4) Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will darkened, the moon shall not give her light, the powers of heaven will be shaken, and the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the Heavens. All of the tribes of earth shall mourn when they see the Son of Man coming in the clouds, and a great trumpet will sound, at which time Jesus will send His angels to gather his elect from one of the heavens to the other.

None of this hard to understand or believe, The last trumpet will sound immediately after the time of the Great Tribulation and the dead in Christ will rise first, then those who are alive and believing in Jesus at that time, will be caught up together to meet Jesus in the air. By that time many events will have already happened in the judgment of the earth, that is to say those events described in The Revelation during the sounding of the first six trumpets. Those events exclusive to the seventh trumpet will begin to occur when that trumpet sounds, and the dead in Christ will be resurrected and the living saints at that time will be caught up together with them to meet Jesus in the air. It should be noted that when the last, or seventh trumpet, sounds, there are such things as seven bowls of wrath and seven thunders, that occur while it is sounding. However, some of the events described in the Revelation that are not expressly stated to occur with the sounding of a trumpet will not occur until Jesus returns and begins expanding his government, the expansion of which shall never cease. (See Isa. 9:7.