As we learned a few lessons ago, there are two events in prophecy which are sometimes called by the same name – Jesus’ return. They are very different in purpose and in completion. The Rapture is Jesus meeting His Church – the believers of this time between His ministry on earth until this event – in the air. Jesus does not appear to anyone on earth at the Rapture; He calls His people to Himself, meeting us away from earth.
At His Second Coming, Jesus will actually stand on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem, at the exact place from which He left as described in Acts 1. This is also one of the clearest prophecies of this event – the angels declared to those watching Him ascend that He would return in the same way they had seen Him go.
It is also interesting to note that the first prophecy recorded of this return was made by Enoch when Adam was still alive, as we find in Jude 1:14-15: “It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
In Revelation 19:11-21 we find a description of Jesus’ Second Coming, a description speaking of war and judgment, blood and wrath. The scene in these verses is the end of the Tribulation period, where the armies of the world are gathered to finally and utterly destroy all that is left of Israel. And, as we read in verse 19, they are also gathered to make war against Jesus Himself. We see another description of this battle in Revelation 14:14-20 which tells us that the people gathered for this war will be packed into a valley which runs from Bozrah up to Meggido – a distance of about 180 miles (almost 290 km), and when this army is destroyed, the blood of people and animals will run up to three feet deep (about one meter). The devastation will be terrible.
But this has been God’s promise from the beginning for those who stand against Him. God has said from the beginning that sin means death. Yet, people insist they do not want to follow Him; in the end He will destroy those who have chosen not to turn to Him.
The answer is, as we read in Hebrews 4:7 “… Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” There is a day coming when Jesus will again stand on the earth, and the day for making a choice to follow Him or not will be gone.
Prayer: Righteous Father, we come to You today grateful for this chance to choose to be Yours, to follow You, to obey You, to stand with You, to believe You. Help us today to also be true and pure witnesses for Your love and encourage those around us to accept You as their Savior and Lord. We look forward to Your return Lord Jesus. In Your name we pray, Amen.
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