There is much speculation by self-appointed prophets regarding the prophetic phase of the Gospel of Christ. There are a diversity of opinions presented by various theologians regarding the Return of our Lord. Some say He will come 3 times: once to catch away His bride, 7 years later to establish His kingdom, then to call world to judgment.

Some say only twice—some say He has already come and is now secretly establishing His theocracy.

What does the Bible really teach about this most important event? There are 5 things mentioned or implied in Revelation 1:7 regarding the return of our Lord. All scripture will harmonize with these 5 things when it is properly interpreted.

I
The Fact of His Coming.

(A) Behold He cometh.

2 Peter 3:10—the day of the Lord will come.

I Thessalonians 4:16—for the lord himself shall descend from heaven.

Acts 1:11—this same Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come.

2 Thessalonians 2:1. Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him,

I Thessalonians 5:23 … And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Bible is emphatic in its declaration that He will come again.

No man knows the day or the hour.

Matthew 24:36–37 … But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Hebrews 9:28 … So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

II
The Manner of His Coming.

(A) With clouds.

The Bible writers and personalities are unanimous in their agreement that He will come with (in) clouds.

1. Jesus confirms it.

Mark 13:25–26 … And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. Mark 14:61–62 … But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.

2. Angels agree with this.

Acts 1:9–11 … And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, 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; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.

Note: In like manner as ye have seen Him go—He went in a cloud,

3. Paul adds his agreement.

I Thessalonians 4:16–17 … 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: 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.

Note: in the clouds.

The manner of His coming is well established in scripture and this text just verifies what the others have written.

III
The Witness of His Coming.

(A) Every eye shall see Him. There is no place you can place an object or person geographically or stratospherically so they can be, seen by all as long as the earth remains. If we could see it in North America—the people on the other side of the earth could not—visa versa. Peter tells us that the physical universe will pass away when the Lord comes making possible the universal witness of His coming.

2 Peter 3:7 … But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

2 Peter 3:10–13 … 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. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

(B) There is harmony throughout the Bible at this point.

Matthew 16:27 … For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 13:24–30 … Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, the kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. 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.

Matthew 13:36–43 … Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.

He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 13:47–50 … Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a net, that was cast into the sea, and gathered of every kind: Which, when it was full, they drew to shore, and sat down, and gathered the good into vessels, but cast the bad away. So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just, And shall cast them into the furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

2 Thessalonians 1:7–10 … And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;

When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.

John 5:28–20 … Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice,
And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. The simple teaching of the Word of God is that when our Lord comes the wicked and the just shall witness it and He will reward each according to his deeds. Revelation 22:12–13 … And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

IV
The Effect of His Coming.

(A) All the kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.

Matthew 8:12 … But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 13:42 … And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 22:13 … Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 24:51 … And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Revelation 6:13–16 … 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. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.

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 is the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; 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:
These passages and others are descriptive of the sorrow and anguish of all those from Adam to Christ’s return who have rejected Him. There has never been a time like it in human history.

Nor will there ever be another like it.

(B) Great rejoicings.

John here is speaking of the universal witness but only of the response of the wicked. He does write in other places in his book of the rejoicing of the saints.

Revelation 7:9 … After this I beheld, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

Revelation 7:10–17 … And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?

And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him by day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

Revelation 19:6–7 … And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is came, and his wife hath made herself ready.

There has never been a time of rejoicing like this will be, when the saints of all ages see their blessed Lord face to face and the union of all the redeemed culminates. Really—this is the quietest world you’ll ever be in.

V
The Lake of Fire Will be Formed and the Eternal Heavens Possessed by the Saints.

(A) Judgment scene

Matthew 25:31–34 … When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. Matthew 25:41 … Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Here when the Son of man comes, He separates and rewards the saints and punishes the wicked.

(B) Lake of Fire

Revelation 20:10–15 … And the devil that deceiveth them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever. And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.

Note: Great White throne judgment—earth and heaven had fled away, no more place was found for them. Peter records they would melt with fervent heat, thus actually forming a lake that burneth with fire and brimstone (sulphur).

(C) Heaven possessed.

John 14:1–3 … Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. 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. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. Jesus promises it to His disciples—there they possess it at His invitation.

VI
Present Relevance.

This fact should bring solemnity to our hearts and seriousness to our purpose of life. You and I will actually appear before God and hear His eternal authoritative voice say, “Come, inherit …” or “Depart, ye cursed”. God through Christ allows us to choose which in this life. If He should come today—what would you hear Him say?