I have been debating with myself whether I should post more on this subject because I'm aware some people think I'm competing and want to be right at any cost, but I've decided to go ahead and post more whatever some may think. If even one person sees that pre-tribulation is not compatible with the Bible and goes and studies the Word of God and finds out God's truth then posting what I'm going to post will be worth it. Its all about God at the end of the day. I will ignore whatever anyone thinks of me. I can't do anything about that.
I will post on how many times Jesus comes to this earth according to the Bible.
Biblically Jesus comes to this world three times.
1. The First time is when He came as a Baby till He was 33. Why? To be our example, to show us how to dedicate our lives to Him and the Father completely but the main reason obviously was to save us. He could only do that by dying in our place for our sins so we didn't have to, if we accepted Him as our personal saviour. I'm not going to say much about this first time Jesus came to earth because most Christians know and agree with what the Bible says about it.
2. The second time Jesus returns to earth is what causes a lot of problems amongst Christians. Most Christians agree He is coming back this time but some say Christ will rapture the church before the tribulation then come this second time with the saints. This is not biblical as I have posted in this forum. Its not written of anywhere in the Bible. Its important we understand what will happen when Christ returns the second time so we are not deceived. The Bible tells us:
a. Why Jesus is coming back the second time.
Shortly before He left this earth, Jesus said to His disciples,
"In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” (
John 14:2). This is the language the ancient Hebrews used to describe a wedding. In Bible times, it was customary for the man to build a honeymoon chamber at his father’s house before he claimed his bride. So, in essence, Jesus said to His disciples,
“In my Father’s house are many honeymoon chambers.”
Do you think that after all this work, Jesus will forget His bride, His people? Of course not! That’s why He said,
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also" (
verse 3).
A bridegroom comes to get his bride because he wants to be with her. Jesus is coming back because He wants to be with you and me, and He wants us to be with Him. There’s no better reason for His second coming than that!
b. What manner He will return in.
“When He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’ ” (
Acts 1:9–11).
Jesus will return to this earth in the same manner that He left—in a visible, literal, bodily, personal manner.
Matthew 24:30 says,
“They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.” He will come in the clouds literally, as a personal being with a body of flesh and bones (
Luke 24:36-43, 50-51). His coming will be visible; Scripture is clear on these facts!
c. He won't come back alone
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory” (
Matthew 25:31).
Do you know how many angels there are? The apostle John said that there are
“thousands upon thousands of angels” and
“ten thousand times ten thousand” (
Revelation 5:11; Daniel 7:10). That isn’t a mathematical formula, but it suggests that there are billions of angels in heaven. And they will all accompany Jesus when He returns.
d. There will be people who are alive when Jesus comes the second time.
Jesus said,
“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn.” And John the revelator said,
“Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him” (
Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7). Both the righteous and unrighteous who are still alive will be on earth to witness Jesus coming back.
e. What will happen to the wicked when Jesus comes?
When Jesus rose from the dead, an angel rolled away the stone. The Bible says that the glory of this one angel made a group of Rome’s bravest soldiers fall down in shock like dead men (
Matthew 28:2-4). Now think of the billions of angels who’ll return with Jesus! The apostle Paul said that the wicked will be destroyed
“by the splendour of his coming” (
2 Thessalonians 2:8). Those who are rebelliously clinging to sin when Jesus comes will perish from His radiant glory.
f. What will happen to the righteous dead people at the second coming of Jesus?
Jesus said that
“a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out—those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned” (
John 5:28-29). So there will be two resurrections. Revelation says,
“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection.” That’s obviously the resurrection of those
“who have done good.” And
“the rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.” So those who have done evil won’t be resurrected until the end of the 1000 years (
Revelation 20:5-6).
g. What will happen to the righteous living people when Jesus comes the second time?
Speaking of that day, the apostle Paul said that
“we shall all be changed.” And he explained how:
“For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (
1 Corinthians 15:51, 53). In this life every human being who ever lived is doomed to die. But when Jesus comes, He will give His people immortality so they will never die!
In another place Paul said that at Christ’s coming, He will
“transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body” (
Philippians 3:21). Jesus had a real physical body after His resurrection (
Luke 24:39–42; John 20:27), and so will we.
h. What happens after they’ve been changed?
The apostle Paul said that they will be
“caught up together . . . in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so [they] will be with the Lord forever” (
1 Thessalonians 4:17). This is the rapture and there will only be one where all the saints will be caught up in the air and forever be with Christ. The rapture will not happen before the tribulation, it will happen when Jesus returns after the tribulation.
Jesus told His disciples that He was going away to prepare a place for them, and then He promised that He would
“come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (
John 14:3). Where is Jesus today? In heaven, as our High Priest (
Hebrews 8:1–5). And He’ll take us to be with Him in those heavenly dwelling places He has gone to prepare.
i. How will Christ’s second coming affect the earth itself?
“There was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. … Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found” (
Revelation 16:18, 20).
“I beheld, and indeed the fruitful land was a wilderness, and all its cities were broken down at the presence of the Lord” (
Jeremiah 4:26).
“The Lord makes the earth empty and makes it waste. … The land shall be entirely emptied” (
Isaiah 24:1, 3).
The earth will be seized by a great earthquake at the coming of the Lord. This earthquake will be so devastating that it will leave the world in a state of total destruction.
j. Can we know anything about the time of Jesus’ return?
Yes and No. Jesus said,
“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (
Matthew 24:36). I’ve heard about people who’ve tried to pinpoint the time of Christ’s return, but so far every one of them has failed.
Nevertheless, Jesus did say we can know when His return is near :
“When you see all these things, you know that it is near, right at the door” (
verse 33). The Bible gives specific information regarding the nearness of Christ's second coming: Great Persecution, Tribulation (
Matthew 24:21), Sun Turned into Darkness (
Matthew 24:29), Stars Fall from Heaven (
Matthew 24:29), Jesus Comes in the Clouds,
“Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (
Matthew 24:30).
k. How can we know when we have reached the very last days of earth’s history? Does the Bible describe the world and its people in the last generation?
Yes. Look at the following signs of the last days. And these are just a few of many signs that show we are in the closing days of earth’s history.
Wars and Commotions (
Luke 21:9), Unrest, Fear, and Upheaval (
Luke 21:25-26), Increase of Knowledge (
Daniel 12:4), Scoffers and Religious Sceptics (
2 Peter 3:3, 2 Timothy 4:3, 4 ), Moral Degeneracy, Decline of Spirituality (
2 Timothy 3:1–3, 5), Craze for Pleasure
(
2 Timothy 3:1, 2, 4), Increasing Lawlessness, Bloody Crimes, and Violence (
Matthew 24:12, 2 Timothy 3:13, Ezekiel 7:23), Natural Disaster and Upheaval (
Luke 21:11, 25), A Special Message to the World in the Last Days,
“This gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come” (
Matthew 24:14), A Turning to Spiritism (
1 Timothy 4:1, Revelation 16:14), Capital Labour Trouble (
James 5:4, 8).
l. Just how near is the Lord’s second coming?
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place” (
Matthew 24:32-34).
The Bible is very specific and plain on this point. Almost all the signs have been fulfilled. We cannot know the day and hour of Christ’s return (
Matthew 24:36), but we can know that His coming is near. God has promised to finish things very quickly now (
Romans 9:28). Christ is coming back to this earth for His people soon.
m. Satan is telling many falsehoods regarding the second coming of Christ and, with lying wonders and miracles, will deceive millions. How can we be certain we will not be deceived?
“To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them” (
Isaiah 8:20).
“They are spirits of demons, performing signs [miracles]” (
Revelation 16:14).
“False christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (
Matthew 24:24).
Satan has invented many false teachings about the second coming and is deceiving millions into believing that Christ has already come or that He will come in a manner not consistent with the Bible’s teachings. But Christ has warned us of Satan’s strategy, saying,
“Take heed that no one deceives you” (
Matthew 24:4). He has exposed Satan’s falsehoods so we can be forewarned, and He reminds us,
“See, I have told you beforehand” (
Matthew 24:25). For example, Jesus stated specifically that He will not appear in the desert or come to a séance chamber (
verse 26). There is no reason to be deceived if we learn what God teaches about Christ’s second coming. People who know what the Bible says about the second coming will not be led astray by Satan. All others will be deceived.