What is the Return of Jesus Christ?
Only God Knows the Exact Time & Day
36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 37 As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 38 For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; 39 and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24: 36-42)
5 For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” 6 Then they gathered around him and asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1: 5-8)
At the end of this age, Jesus Christ will return and a new age will begin – but only God the Father knows the exact date and time that Jesus Christ will return. Yet, God has chosen to provide prophesies so that people can recognize when the time is near.
Jesus Will Arrive in the Clouds
9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.” (Acts 1: 9-11)
When Jesus Christ returns, it will be similar to the way He left: in the clouds. When He ascended into heaven, there were only a few witnesses but when He returns, it will be visible to the world. Although Jesus Christ will arrive in the clouds, his return will be much more dramatic than when he departed.
Jesus Will Arrive in Power & Great Glory
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.‘
30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory.
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24: 29-31)
Immediately following the distress of the end days (e.g. the Great Tribulation and the Wrath of God), there will be significant celestial signs of Jesus’ arrival. All the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see Jesus Christ arrive on the clouds “with power and great glory.” Everyone will know that it is Jesus Christ. There will be no doubt.
The “loud trumpet call” is the 7th Trumpet (Revelation 10: 7) (Revelation 11:15). “And they will gather his elect.” When Jesus arrives, he will gather his elect (his faithful followers: Christians). This event is also called the “rapture.” The elect will be gathered “immediately after the distress of those days” (Matthew 24: 31). The rapture will take place AFTER the distress of those days (not before).
See:
Jesus Will Arrive with the Armies of Heaven
11 I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Coming out of his mouth is a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. “He will rule them with an iron scepter.” He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: king of kings and lord of lords. (Revelation 19: 11-16)
Contrary to what some people think, Jesus Christ won’t arrive quietly, floating down on a cloud. His arrival will be unmistakable, sensational, and miraculous. When Jesus Christ arrives, it will be with glory and great power. He will gather his elect (faithful believers). Jesus Christ will arrive riding a white horse and he will be followed by the armies of heaven.
After he arrives, Jesus will “strike down” the nations that gathered against the remnant of Israel at Armageddon. He will tread the winepress of the wrath of God. Jesus will carry out the will of Almighty God by completing the final portion of God’s wrath.
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Do Not Be Deceived
23 At that time if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time. 26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. (Matthew 24: 23-26)
How could the followers of Jesus Christ (the “elect”) be deceived? The imposter will be able to do signs and wonders. The imposter could even appear from the clouds. He will claim to be Jesus Christ. But he will deny many of the things that Jesus said. The imposter’s teachings won’t be consistent with what Jesus Christ taught. The imposter will direct people away from the teachings of Jesus Christ. The imposter will encourage people to worship someone other than the Jehovah God.
Islam teaches that in the Last Days, Jesus of Nazareth will arrive in the clouds. But even if he manages to arrive in the clouds, the Islamic Jesus (Isa) is not the real Jesus Christ. He is the polar opposite of the true Jesus Christ.
According to Islamic teachings, the Islamic Jesus will: deny that God has a Son, deny that Jesus is the Son of God, deny that Jesus ever claimed to be the Son of God, deny that Jesus was crucified, destroy all the crosses (severely persecute Christians), and try to kill the all Jews (genocide). He will encourage the people of the world to believe in Islam and to worship Allah. He will also fight against the real Jesus Christ in the battle of Armageddon.
See: What Does Islam Teach About the End Times?
The Return of Jesus Christ will be Unmistakable
27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. (Matthew 24: 27)
22 Then he said to his disciples, “The time is coming when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. 23 People will tell you, ‘There he is!’ or ‘Here he is!’ Do not go running off after them. 24 For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. (Luke 17: 22-24)
How can people know if it is the true Jesus Christ? In addition to Jesus arriving from the clouds in heaven, his arrival will be unmistakable. His arrival will be like lightning which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other. While there may be lightning upon his arrival, this scripture is not simply about a lightning storm. It says that his arrival will be seen across the earth in the way that lightning is seen. Every person will see it at the same time. It will be visible in both the east and the west: it will be like lightning.
Don’t be fooled by false messiahs and false prophets. The spirit of the Antichrist tries to deceive the people of the world into believing that someone other than the real Jesus Christ is the Messiah. During the Great Tribulation, Satan himself will make a final effort to deceive the people. Signs and wonders will be performed in an attempt to fool everyone. The False Prophet will even use Satan’s power and authority to bring down fire from the sky (Revelation 13: 11-18).
Even if Satan imitates the arrival of Jesus in the clouds, Satan does not have the power to do it the same way that Almighty God can. For example, God does not need the technology of humans in order for the entire world to know that Jesus Christ has returned. More specifically, the One who created the universe and everything in it does not require the use of manmade television or the Internet in order to make a simultaneous global broadcast of the arrival of Jesus Christ.
Celestial Signs
29 “Immediately after the distress of those days “‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ 30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. (Matthew 24: 29-30)
There will be celestial signs that Jesus Christ is about to return. The sun and moon will be darkened and stars will fall from the sky. Next there will be the unmistakable sign of Jesus’ return. All the people of the earth will mourn when they see Him arriving on the clouds with power and great glory. It will be a dramatically supernatural event. At that time, there will be no doubt as to this being the real Jesus Christ (the Son of God).
“Immediately after the distress of those days” refers to the time of great distress called the Great Tribulation. It may also include the great distress from the wrath of God (which follows the Great Tribulation). Therefore, the return of Jesus Christ will happen after the Great Tribulation and appears to happen after the wrath of God is poured out onto the earth.
The timing of this event appears to coincide with the battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ arrives in time to save the remnant of Israel. He will vanquish the armies of the world that have gathered to destroy Israel. (Revelation 16: 16) (Revelation 19: 11-21)
Jesus Will Gather His Elect
31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matthew 24: 31)
When Jesus Christ returns, He will gather His elect (the followers of Christ: Christians) from the four winds and from one end of the heavens to the other. This is a supernatural event. It describes what some people call “the rapture.”
See: What is the Rapture?
Some People Will Be Left Behind
That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. 40 Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. 41 Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. 42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. (Matthew 24: 39-42)
34 I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. (Luke 17: 34)
When Jesus arrives (“the coming of the Son of Man”), the rapture will occur. Matthew 24: 31 states that Jesus sends His angels to gather His elect (the faithful followers of Jesus Christ). At that moment, people on earth will suddenly vanish as they are gathered onto Jesus.
Those who do not belong to Jesus Christ will be left behind. Those who are left behind after Jesus gathers His elect will be subject to God’s judgment. (Revelation 20: 5-6, 11-15)
Contrary to popular books and movies, the rapture takes place after the Great Tribulation and before the nations of the world can succeed in destroying the remnant of Israel at Armageddon.
Be Ready
44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man [Jesus Christ] will come at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24: 44)
The exact date and time of Jesus’ return cannot be known but we are to be prepared for His arrival and we are to know the signs of the times. Be ready!
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