What does the Bible say about Jesus coming back?

In my conversations with people, I find confusion regarding what the Bible says about when Jesus is coming back and about the second coming. This uncertainty results from a lack of understanding of what the second coming of Jesus Christ is. For a quick overview, the New Testament tells us Jesus comes for his church (at the rapture) and then he returns at the end of the 7 Year Tribulation, with his church, to fight the final battle of Armageddon. Following that victory, he will usher in his Millennial Kingdom. Then, at the end of his thousand-year reign, there will be a final judgement on the world (the Great White Throne Judgement). The issue is that people connect the “second coming” with more than one of these events. This post will break things down using Scripture to make it easier to understand.

What is the rapture?

First let’s touch on what people refer to as the rapture of the church. Some people think this is a relatively new teaching. Others think it is not in the Bible at all, and the timing of the rapture is debated among those who do believe in it. Such ideas and misunderstandings are not new. Back in New Testament times, even the Thessalonians understood that Jesus was coming for his church but worried about those who died before He called his church home. The Apostle Paul addressed these concerns in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. (Also see: 1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

"But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.  For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.  For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:13-17).

If you are looking for the word rapture in these verses you won’t find it. The use of this word can be traced back to the Latin word rapiemur used in the Latin Vulgate (Latin version of the Bible). Rapiemur has a future passive meaning that "we shall be carried away," or "we shall be snatched."

I could say much more on the topic, but for the sake of keeping this post short enough people will read it, I will distill the information. The Rapture is the event when Jesus comes and catches up His church. This includes all who have died (dead in Christ) and those who are still living (in Christ) at the time (those who remain). But His feet don’t touch the earth. Instead, he calls his church up. First the dead and then the living believers will be caught up and join the Lord in the air.

When is the Second Coming of Jesus?

Once the rapture occurs, the next thing related to the second coming on the end-times biblical calendar of events is what is known as the Great Tribulation. This is a time that lasts for seven years, and many details regarding this time of judgement are found in the book of Revelation, but you’ll find plenty of information elsewhere in the Bible. For instance, in Matthew 24:3 Jesus’ disciples asked “[…]what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” Jesus talks about the Tribulation time from verse 3 through verse 29, and then he talks of his return in verses 30-31.

“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. 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. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other" (Matthew 24:29-31).

At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ returns with the hosts of heaven and will establish the Messianic Kingdom on earth. This time is also known as the Millenium, or Millenium Kingdom because it will last for a thousand years. During this time, the saints (the church) who returned with Jesus will “also reign with him” (2 Timothy 2:12). At this time, the Antichrist will be cast into the Lake of Fire and Satan will be bound for the thousand years. Christ will reign with firmness and impartiality as those who survived the Tribulation repopulate the earth. His kingdom will be marked by long life and blessings, since the curse upon the earth will be removed. But at the end of the thousand years, Satan is loosed.

Even with Christ on the throne physically on earth, His Messianic kingdom will close with apostasy and rebellion. Satan is released from his prison and deceives the nations to gather them together for the war. They surround the camp of the saints and the New Jerusalem, and fire comes down from heaven and devours them. Then the Devil is thrown into the lake of fire, where the beast and the false prophet are. There they will experience torment forever.

 

Why does any of this matter?

In Matthew 24, Jesus talked about signs we are to be looking for. He even compared them to labor pains of a woman ready to give birth meaning they would gradually become worse. Knowing these things matter, because today, we see more and more of these signs happening. So don’t get confused by the use of the terms “second coming” or “Jesus coming back” because not everyone means the same thing when they say those words.

However, the verses in 1 Thessalonians that provide details about the rapture (above), the next verse tells us to “comfort one another with these words” 1 Thessalonians 4:18. This is another reason knowing these things matter.

When the rapture happens, Jesus calls us up to him. When Jesus returns with his church it is to execute judgement. Yes, there is a thousand years of peace as Christ reigns but judgement comes before and after this. “[…] Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him” (Jude 14-15)

Everything will be destroyed by fire, and Christ will judge all who did not accept Jesus as their Savior during their life on earth. This is known as the Great White Throne judgement. Following this judgment there will be a new heaven and a new earth, a new Jerusalem, and those who are His will live in the everlasting presence of God among all the redeemed.

 

Photo credit: The Second Coming by Harry Anderson

 

 

.

Meaning of Jehovah Mekoddishkem

In our study of the names of God, we’ve learned that the names express the nature and character of God. As we look at the meaning of Jehovah Mekoddishkem (God who sanctifies) and Jehovah Mekadesh (God who makes us holy) that point is reinforced again. These names are derived from the word kaddesh which means to sanctify.

Definition of sanctification

Before we delve into the name Jehovah Mekoddishkem, it is important to define the word sanctify within the biblical context. The 1828 Noah Webster’s dictionary definition of sanctification is: 1. The act of making holy. In an evangelical sense, the act of God's grace by which the affections of men are purified or alienated from sin and the world, and exalted to a supreme love to God. 2. The act of consecrating or of setting apart for a sacred purpose; consecration.

Be ye holy

Considering this definition, let’s look at holiness and what it tells us in relation to sanctification. First, God’s holiness distinguishes Him as the Supreme Being and represents perfect purity or integrity of moral character. He is without flaw.

It is hard to wrap our heads around God’s holiness, but it can be even harder to wrap our heads around Lev. 19:2. "Speak to the entire assembly of Israel and say to them: ‘Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy."  How on earth can we be holy like God? 

Some might want to make the excuse that this was an Old Testament teaching and not for the church, but not so fast. In 1 Peter 1:15-16 we read “but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”

So we are back to the question of how do we do that? We find the answer in the sanctification process.

Meaning of Sanctify in the Bible

Let’s start with the Old Testament where every use of the word m'kaddesh is related to contact with the Holy God. For instance, the Sabbath day was set apart as holy because YHWH rested in it. Places where the Lord dwelt were considered holy (Zech. 8:3). The people of the Lord were to be holy (set apart) because He dwelt among them. When God set them apart as His people, they were intended to participate in His divine nature. This included His holiness as well as His other attributes.

God does not change. He is a righteous, holy God who loves us and desires a relationship with us. When Abraham believed, his faith was counted to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6). This happened before the Law was instituted. James 2:23 claims that because of his faith Abraham became a friend to God. 

God who sanctifies

God still desires a relationship with each of us, but sin separates people from the Holy God (Jehovah Mekoddishkem). But thankfully He doesn't leave us to struggle in our own strength, trying to achieve a holiness impossible for us to attain. Instead, the holiness comes from Him. He is YHWH-M'Kaddesh, (The God Who Makes Holy).

How we are sanctified

Boiled down to the simplified version, sin is doing what we want instead of what God wants. At its core, it is a version of being your own god. When you repent (change your mind about God) and place your faith in Jesus you are justified by grace through faith (saved from the penalty of sin), sanctified (saved from the power of sin) and glorified (saved from the presence of sin).

When we become born again, we are a new creature (2 Cor. 5:17). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit that he produces the fruit of the Spirit within a believer. Titus 2:14 explains it this way. He “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously, and godly in the present age. (Titus 2:11-12).

The sanctification process is instantaneous but accomplished in three stages: positional, experiential, and ultimate. Positional in that in Christ we are sanctified. Experiential has to do with our life from the time we are saved until we go to be with the Lord. We can’t be "good enough" on our own but He is willing to work it in us. It is about what God does in us not what we try to do. 

Many people get this backwards, thinking good works are a requirement on our part, when the good works that matter are really the natural fruit of spiritual regeneration (Phil. 2:8-10). The reason He has called us out of sin is so that we might live a righteous, pure, and sanctified life in Him. Think of sanctification as a refining process until we get to heaven.

“In Him” is the key to our holiness. As we walk in Him, when God looks down at us, He sees the holiness of His Son.

 

 

What does it mean that God is a jealous God?

Jehovah El Qanna means the Lord (Jehovah) is a jealous God (El Qanna). In today’s vernacular, the word jealous conjures negative connotations of envious behavior toward someone because of their advantages, achievements, or belongings, but what does it mean that God is a jealous God?

 

To better understand, what it means for God to be jealous, let’s look at Exodus 32 where the Israelites crafted a golden calf idol and credited it for bringing them out of Egypt. This happened while Moses was on Mount Sinai receiving the commandments. When the people came to Aaron with their ideas, he told them to “Tear off the gold rings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” From these, he fashioned a molten calf and the people said, “This is your God, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt.”

Before Moses went up on the mountain the people agreed to DO whatever God said (Exodus 24:3). God sent Moses down to the people with the stone tablets and he found them partying and celebrating their new god. Moses threw the tablets to the ground. After dealing with the people, God told Moses to make two new stone tablets and come back up the mountain, where He re-established His covenant with the people through His law. During this interaction, God made it clear He will not share His glory with other gods or anything else. It was at this time that Jehovah introduced Himself as Jehovah El Qanna.

 

What does the Lord is a Jealous God mean?

To understand the name El Qanna, it helps to put things into context. The fundamental meaning of the word Qanna (jealous) relates to a marriage relationship. Remember than in the Old Testament, God is depicted as Israel's husband. When Israel worshipped other gods, it is adultery. In Jeremiah 3, the Lord spoke to Josiah the king about what faithless Israel did. She went up to the high places and was a “harlot” there. And Judah followed with the same sin of adultery. Then God invited them to repent (to change their minds, their way of thinking).

 

“Go and proclaim these words toward the north and say,

'Return, faithless Israel,’ declares the LORD;

‘I will not look upon you in anger.

For I am gracious,’ declares the LORD;

‘I will not be angry forever.

‘Only acknowledge your iniquity,

That you have transgressed against the LORD your God

And have scattered your favors to the strangers under every green tree,

And you have not obeyed My voice,’ declares the LORD.

‘Return, O faithless sons,’ declares the LORD; […]

And I will bring you to Zion.’

“Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you on knowledge and understanding. ~ (Jeremiah 3:11-15) (Emphasis mine.)

 

God desires an intimate relationship with his wife, Israel, but because of her unfaithfulness he gave her a “writ of divorce” Jer. 3:8. In the New Testament, the church is his bride, but the only way to become his bride is by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9). In Matthew 7:21-23 Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

 

In this verse, the word “knew” is referring to that intimate relationship between a husband and wife. When you come to Him in faith, you receive the Holy Spirit. He resides inside you. He “knows” you.

Jehovah is a jealous God. It is his desire that our faith is placed in Him. When Abraham placed his faith in God, it was reckoned to him as righteousness. That was before the Law. When the Law came along, the first half of the ten commandments dealt with our relationship to God. “You shall have no other gods before Me.

“You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” This reminds me of Jesus saying, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

 

It's easy to look at Scripture and see where people went off course to serve a god other than Jehovah El Qanna. The question that we need to ask ourselves is when people look at our lives, who do they see us serving?

 

As I prayed this morning, I thought of the AI Jesus in the news. and how people are flocking to it with questions. It is an idol. In fact, as I searched for images for this blog post, I ran into chat Jesus and it said, “I am Jesus the Son of God” and asked how it may be of service. On top of that, we they are crafting an AI Bible. What do you think God thinks of that? We don’t need to speculate since his Word says “you shall not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14).

“I am the Lord, that is My name;
I will not give My glory to another,
Nor My praise to graven images (Is. 428)