TWO definitions for "second coming"
1. Jesus "comes again" John 14:1-3 at His "appearing" to rapture the saints to heaven.
2. Jesus "comes to Earth to reign" - in Rev 21 (and is implied in portions of Rev 20 after the 1000 years)
One flawed definition for second coming
1. Jesus comes to rule over sinners and saints for a few years.
1000 year millennium
Only Rev 20 contains explicit reference to the future 1000 year millennium AND contains a continuation of the events discussed in Rev 19 - at Christ's appearing in the sky with the armies of heaven.
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In Rev 19 and 20 we can see that the appearing of Christ, resurrection of the saints, destruction of the wicked - takes place pre-mill.
In 1 Thess 4:13-18 we see that at the appearing of Christ - the saints are raptured - to heaven.
In John 13:36 Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, where are You going?” Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later.”
In John 14:1-3 we see that Jesus "comes gain" to take the saints to His Father's house.
“Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be
John 17:11 I am no longer going to be in the world; and yet they themselves are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep them in Your name, the name which You have given Me, so that they may be one just as We are.
24 Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
Post-Trib Rapture
Matt 24
29 “But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. 31 And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet blast, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
2 Thess 2:1 Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, regarding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together to Him, 2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit, or a message, or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. 3 No one is to deceive you in any way! For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction
I'd agree but with one stipulation.
When does the Tribulation end?
If you say after the 7th vial, you're wrong.
Revelation 6:12-17
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
16 And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb:
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
anything taking place after the 6th seal, is not Tribulation. Because Jesus said that the sun and moon darken immediately after the tribulation.
you might say, "what about the mark of the beast, Revelation 13?"
That happens before the 6th seal Chronologically, considering chapter 12 of Revelation goes back to the birth of Christ.
to further illustrate this let's look at the 7th trumpet
Revelation 11
15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
So, Jesus has come to set up His millennial Kingdom at this time.
Now.. Jump to Revelation 16
10 And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his kingdom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain,
Who's kingdom?
The beast.
So who has earthly authority at the time of the 5th vial?
The beast.
So.
You either believe that Jesus' first act as King of the Earth is to hand over authority to Satan, so he in turn can give that authority to the beast as told in Revelation 13:2.
Or you can recognize that the 5th vial, takes place before the 7th trumpet.
and understand that the mark of the beast takes place before the 6th seal
and that the 6th seal takes place after the tribulation.
and that anything past the sixth seal is not the tribulation, but is in fact God's wrath, as declared in Revelation 6:17.
I want to point out one last thing
Luke 17
26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
27 They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
28 Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
29 But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
30 Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
What Jesus is illustrating here is not just the character of the types of wickedness of the state of the world just before He comes back. That is a point, but the real point Jesus is making, is that as soon as Noah boarded the Ark, the flood came. Noah is a picture of the rapture, taken to safety, just before the wrath of God hit the world. Just after Lot was taken away from Sodom, the wrath of God destroyed Sodom. The same day.
So.. what Jesus is telling us is that RIGHT AFTER the rapture, after the saints are taken to safety.... the wrath of God hits. Sudden destruction.
and what do we see in Revelation?
again Revelation 6:17
17 For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?
It's not it already did come and now we recognize it, it's not it came years ago.. it's IS COME. Present tense. It arrived just then. Anything before this, was not the wrath of God. Anything after this, is.
and what happens after this?
Revelation 8
1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
So.. the same day that Jesus raptures the saints (see Revelation 7 for the result).. fire and hail rain down on the earth and destroy 1/3 of the trees and burn up all the green grass. Bam, just like that.
it's consistent with Noah, and Lot.
the elect taken to safety... then suddenly wrath of God.