The Return of Jesus and the 1st Resurrection!

Events on this timeline:

The 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 worship Him?

First of all, God does not force anyone to do anything.  Each person chooses his/her own destiny based on the laws of love, which are the laws of life and 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 your own Bible concordance and your own Bible, or use an online Bible & Concordance if you like.
 

As you study this topic, ask yourself what the Bible really teaches.  What answers do you find there for these questions:

• Will Jesus physically come back to this earth?
•  Why is He coming back?
•  When will He come back?
•  How will He come back?
•  Are there events that show that His 2nd coming is near?  (and click here) 
•  Will Jesus set up His kingdom right here on this earth for the next 1,000 years?
•  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?

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.

 

 The Special Resurrection of a few wicked

When Jesus returns there will be some who were 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.

 

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 (not very secret).

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.

 

Righteous Dead Raised to Life

They 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:

 

 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.

 

All the Wicked are Killed by the Brightness of Jesus Coming

None of the wicked, except the Devil, 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.

 

Jesus Takes All the Righteous to Heaven for 1,000 Years

The righteous will live in heaven for 1,000 years and will "judge angels".  Then the righteous, the Holy City (Revelation 20), and Jesus will return to the earth.  The wicked will be raised and only after Jesus pronounces judgment on the wicked will they be totally destroyed by what we call "hell fire".   After the fire goes out, the righteous will watch as Jesus recreates the earth (Revelation 21).

(To better understand this whole series of events see the Death and Hell Timeline and the last part of the Gospel Timeline.)

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?

 

 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 calls this the "bottomless pit" because Satan is not allowed to leave the ruin he has caused and there are no humans 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." 

Not many people know about this last part of these verses.  It tells us that Christians will not be in the dark about when this will happen.  Jesus Himself gave us signs that show when the end is near in Matthew 24 & 25.  Of course we need to be ready for that day whenever it happens, but it will not be a surprise for those who are looking for His coming.  (For more information on the signs that will come before the return of Jesus see the Daniel 12:4 Timeline and the End-Time Events Timeline.  Also see the Daniel 8 & 9 Timeline for an overview of prophecy & events leading up to the 2nd Coming.)

Holy City Descends

At the end of the 1,000 years, after the Judgment in Heaven is over, the Holy City, the righteous, and Jesus return to the earth.  (See Revelation 21:2, and Revelation 20:9)
 

Wicked Raised

The wicked are all resurrected and surround the Holy City and God's  people (Revelation 20:5-9).  
 

Sentencing

God's judgment is passed on all humans (Revelation 20:11-15), some to eternal life and some to an eternity without life.  Either you will live forever, or you will not live forever (Ezekiel 13:22).  There is no such thing as an in-between.  (For further study, see the Death & Hell Timeline.) 
 

Lake of Fire

The Bible tells us that God will destroy not only sinners, Satan, and sin, but even death will be destroyed in what the Bible calls "the Lake of Fire".  (Today we call this "Lake of Fire" either "Hell Fire" or just "Hell".  Again, see the Death & Hell Timeline for more related information.)  "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."  Revelation 21:4
 

Eternity Without Sin Begins

Once sin is forever gone, God will recreate the earth and will make all things new, and through all of Eternity the righteous will attempt to understand the love that God has for them. He wants them to be happy, He has always wanted them to be happy, and now they will be happy, forever.  There will be so much to enjoy that the "former things" will not be remembered.  (Isaiah 65:17 and Revelation 21:1-4)
 

What will those who have completely trusted in Jesus do for ALL eternity?  Will we just "sit on a cloud and play a harp" as some would lead us to believe? 

Here is what the Bible says:

"And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them];  and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.  The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD." Isaiah 65: 21-25

ALL of these events can be seen by taking a step back so that you can see the larger picture.  Study the Gospel Timeline, Death and Hell Timeline, Daniel 8 & 9 Timeline, and "Theater" of the Universe Timeline.

 

Continue to study this subject in your Bible.  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 that is not correct.  The Bible tells us that Rahab was in the city when the walls came down.   Please do not be deceived by those who think that they are telling the truth.   (See Joshua 6:1-27 for the real story of Rahab and Jericho.)

 

For further study, read:

• God's People Delivered
• Desolation of the Earth
• Bible Study Reference Guide #3
• More about The Pre-Tribulation Rapture

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