(Click here if you do not see the "Jesus Returns" timeline above in a few seconds.)
The Bible's New Testament mentions over 300 times that Jesus will return, but why is He coming back? What does this have to do with how much God loves us? Is Jesus coming back just to force all people to believe in Him? (God does not force anyone to do anything. Each person chooses his/her own destiny based on the laws of love, the laws of life, that are plainly taught in the Bible.)
The Bible shows that Jesus is coming back to rescue His people from the approaching doom that is the inevitable result of sin. If God did not love us He would just leave us to get what we deserve, but Jesus died so that He could save us from sin. Sin always causes sorrow and death, but Jesus does not want that for anyone. What He wants is for us to trust Him so that He can give us a happy life, forever, free from all sin and the resulting pain, sorrow and death.
The events in the above timeline have been numbered in the order that the Bible says that they will happen. Each number in the timeline above is linked to a section below, shown in this same order, but just a few of the references from the Bible that speak of each event are included. It would not be possible, nor practical, to list them all here. Below is a summary, but of course you cannot use just one verse to fully understand what the Bible is saying, so study these events using a good concordance and your own Bible, or use the online Bible Concordance provided here if you like.
As you study this topic, ask yourself
these questions:
"What does the Bible really say?"
"Will Jesus actually come back to
this earth?"
"Why is He coming back?"
"When will He come back?"
"Are there events that show that His 2nd coming
is near?"
"What happens to the righteous when Jesus
returns?"
"What happens to the wicked when Jesus returns?"
"What happens to the earth when Jesus returns?"
"What happens to the Devil when Jesus returns?"
"Is this the complete end of sin?"
"What happens after Jesus rescues His people?"
1.) The Close of Probation - There will come a time when everyone will have made their final choice and will not desire anything different.
Revelation:
22:11 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.
22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward [is] with me, to give
every man according as his work shall be.
2.) The Special Resurrection of a few wicked - When Jesus returns there will be some who where involved in His crucifixion that will be raised to life just to see Him return as He said.
Matthew:
26:64 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.
Revelation:
1:7 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.
3.)
Jesus Returns for His People - The Second
Coming of Jesus will be a glorious event. The Bible says that everyone on
earth will see Him coming, He will come with a "shout" and the sound of a
trumpet.
The Bible teaches that this will not be a secret
return! Jesus said that the "wheat and the tares" would grow together until the
"harvest", indicating that both those who are righteous and those who are evil
will be together until He comes for the "harvest" at His Second Coming.
Matthew:
13:30 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.
24:14 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.
24:30 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.
1 Thessalonians:
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:...
Revelation:
1:7 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.
4.) Righteous Dead Raised to Life and Meet Jesus in the Air
- All of those who have died trusting in Jesus will be brought to life and taken to meet Jesus in the clouds.1 Thessalonians:
4:16 ...and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
5.) The Righteous Raised to Life are Joined in the Air by the Righteous Living
- All of the righteous who are alive at the Second Coming of Jesus will be taken to meet Jesus in the clouds.1 Thessalonians:
4:17 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.
6.) All the Wicked are Killed by the Brightness of Jesus Coming
- None of the wicked, except the Devil and his angels, will survive the Coming of Jesus.2 Thessalonians:
2:8 ... and shall destroy [them] with the brightness of his
coming:
Jeremiah
25:33"And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the
earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither
gathered, nor buried." (Because there will
not be anyone left?)
Isaiah
24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and
turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
24:2 And it shall be, as with the people, so with the priest; as with the
servant, so with his master; as with the maid, so with her mistress; as with the
buyer, so with the seller; as with the lender, so with the borrower; as with the
taker of usury, so with the giver of usury to him.
24:3 The land shall be utterly emptied, and utterly spoiled: for the LORD hath
spoken this word.
24:4 The earth mourneth [and] fadeth away, the world languisheth [and] fadeth
away, the haughty people of the earth do languish.
24:5 The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have
transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant.
24:6 Therefore hath the curse devoured the earth, and they that dwell therein
are desolate: therefore the inhabitants of the earth are burned, and few men
left.
7.)
Jesus Takes All the Righteous to Heaven for 1,000 Years
Revelation:
20:4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto
them: and [I saw] the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus,
and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his
image, neither had received [his] mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands;
and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
20:6 Blessed and holy [is] he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.
1 Corinthians 6:3
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that
pertain to this life?
8.) Satan is Bound for 1,000 Years
- During the 1,000 years that the righteous are in Heaven the Devil will be alive on Earth. The Bible also calls this the "bottomless pit" because Satan is not allowed to leave the ruin he has caused and there is no human alive to tempt. The Bible says that there will be no light during this time and for 1,000 years he will have no distractions and lots of time to think about the ruin he has caused, the punishment that is coming and all that he gave up by his own choice.
Revelation:
20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and
Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Jeremiah:
4:23 I beheld the earth, and, lo, [it was] without form, and void; and the
heavens, and they [had] no light.
4:24 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved
lightly.
4:25 I beheld, and, lo, [there was] no man, and all the birds of the heavens
were fled.
4:26 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place [was] a wilderness, and all the
cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, [and] by his fierce
anger.
4:27 For thus hath the LORD said, The whole land shall be desolate;
yet will I not make a full end.
It is obvious that this passage is not referring to the time before Creation because the statement "all the cities thereof were broken down" shows that there had been cities, but that they have been destroyed by the "presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger".
Here are some additional Bible texts for further study. The key word "coming" was searched for in the King James Version of the Bible. A few of the more prominent of these verses are listed below. As noted above, there are over 300 places in the New Testament that speak of the return of Jesus.
Matthew
24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not
forth: behold, [he is] in the secret chambers; believe [it] not.
24:27 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.
24:36 But of that day and hour knoweth no [man], no, not
the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
24:37 But as the days of Noe [were], so shall also the
coming of the Son of man be.
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,
24:39 And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also
the coming of the Son of man be.
24:40 Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other
left.
24:41 Two [women shall be] grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the
other left.
24:42 Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
24:43 But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch
the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his
house to be broken up.
24:44 Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of
man cometh.
Mark
13:32 But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which
are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.
13:33 Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.
13:34 [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house,
and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the
porter to watch.
13:35 Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh,
at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
13:36 Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.
13:37 And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.
2 Peter
3:10 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.
1 Thessalonians 5:2-4
"For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief
in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction
cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day
should overtake you as a thief."
The next two events that actually take place on the earth are the resurrection of the wicked at the end of the 1,000 years and the Holy City coming to earth. These events can be seen by taking a step backward and looking at the larger picture as shown on the Gospel Timeline, Death and Hell Timeline and The Trial of God Timeline.
Continue to study this subject in your Bible. (Use the online Bible Search Tool provided here if you like.) It is very important that you know the truth, but it is also very easy to be deceived. One national radio preacher was even telling people that we know that God will take His people out of the world before the tribulation because He took Rahab out of Jericho before it was destroyed, but the Bible tells us that Rahab was in the city when the walls came down. Please do not be deceived by those who pretend to be telling the truth. (See Joshua 6 for the whole story of Rahab and Jericho.)
For further study, read:
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