By Steven J. Hogan
~ A Saturday Morning Post #153 ~
This is an important question, one not to be ignored, but one that needs to be answered. Some might say this question should not even be asked. But the prophets wanted to know (1 Peter 1:11). The angels wanted to know (1 Peter 1:12). Jesus’ disciples wanted to know (Matthew 24:3). And all Christians, especially at this time in history, should want to know. The truth is, God wants you to know, and gives you all the information you need so you can know when Christ will be coming back to rapture the church. What does God tell us?
* We live in the end times (Daniel 12:4, 9), that time during which the rapture will occur. That the Jewish people have regathered to their land means that God is, once again, actively carrying out His plans for them, and is proof that we live in the end times. Daniel 7-12 describes many conditions that need to be in place before Christ comes and fulfills His promises to the Jews. Then Matthew 24:4-27, Luke 21:8-33, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 and Revelation 6-7, show us that what happens to the church in the end times corresponds and / or coincides with what happens to the Jews in the end times. Therefore, in these last years before Christ’s return, it’s imperative to know what God says about Jews and Christians, for His work with both groups culminates in Christ’s coming, resulting in the church being raptured, a Jewish remnant being saved, and His kingdom being set up on earth.
* The rapture of the church takes place at Christ’s coming, and is the first event to occur at His coming. There are not two comings. There is not the rapture, and later on, Christ’s coming. There is only one coming of Christ, at which time there’s the rapture of the church, God’s wrath, and many Jews being saved. Matthew 24:27-31, 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17, 2 Thessalonians 2:1
* Christ’s coming is not imminent, cannot happen at any time, and does not happen without God giving us advance notice. Some people believe no prophesied signs or events need to occur before Christ’s coming, but that is not true. God tells us many things that need to take place before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church (Matthew 24:4-30, Luke 21:4-28, Revelation 6). Matthew 24:33 makes this point very clear: “When you see all these things (events listed in Matthew 24:4-30), recognize that He is near, right at the door.”
* We do not know the specific time of Christ’s return. Anyone who says they know exactly when Christ is coming back is wrong. Jesus said it best, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.” Matthew 24:36
* We know the general time of Christ’s coming. As was previously stated, many events will occur before Christ’s coming and the rapture. The last generation of Christians living in the end times will see these things taking place and realize Christ’s return is at hand (Matthew 24:32-34). God wants us to know that His Son’s return is getting closer. He wants to give us hope, and to be looking forward to Christ’s coming, and to be “encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:25
* Understanding Daniel’s 70th week is key to knowing when Christ will return to rapture the church. At the beginning of this 70th week, a peace treaty between the Jews and the Antichrist will be signed; at the midpoint of this week, the Antichrist is revealed; and at the end of this 7-year time frame, a Jewish remnant is saved (Daniel 9:24-27). Then we learn, as we will see next, that the rapture occurs sometime during the last half of this 70th week.
* The church is raptured after the Antichrist is revealed. Daniel 9:27 informs us that the Antichrist is revealed at the midpoint of Daniel’s 70th week. Matthew 24:15-31, Mark 13:14-27, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9 each give a chronology of end-time events, making it clear that Christ’s coming occurs after the Antichrist’s coming. Therefore, the rapture, the 1st event at Christ’s coming, takes place after the Antichrist is revealed, which means it happens sometime during the last 3½ years of Daniel’s 70th week, at a time unknown to us.
* The last signs taking place before Christ’s coming and the rapture of the church are a great earthquake, the sun turning dark, and the powers of heaven being shaken. These earth-shocking events mark the end of this age! Immediately after this, the skies light up – “as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:27-31). “The Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first.” The Christians still on earth, seeing, feeling and hearing all these things, will know their Savior has come to take them home to heaven. “We who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so, we will be with the Lord forever.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17
* God gives us a list of events that need to occur before Christ’s return and the rapture of the church. There will be false Christs, birth pains (earthquakes, famines, plagues, wars), increasing lawlessness, the signing of a treaty by the Jews, a great apostasy, the building of a temple in Jerusalem, the desolation of the temple by the Antichrist, the preaching of the gospel to the entire world, great persecution against Jews and Christians, the forming of a ten-nation kingdom led by the Antichrist, the forcing of people to worship the Antichrist and take his mark, a great earthquake, and the celestial lights going dark. Then the whole world “will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.” Matthew 24:3-31; Luke 21:7-8; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 2 Thessalonians 2:1-9; Revelation 6, 13, 17
* What God says about Christ’s return and the timing of His return is 100% true, and that’s because God’s word is 100% true. That is, the reason we know the “what” and the “when” about Christ’s coming is because God tells us, and God never lies – He always tells the truth. To drive that point home, in the middle of five verses that actually speak about the timing of His return, Christ says this about God’s prophetic word – “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away” (Matthew 24:35). With absolute certainty, God is telling you that His Son, Jesus Christ, is coming again, and that He is coming soon, sometime during the 2nd half of Daniel’s 70th week. “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!”
P.S. Another post that helps you understand when the rapture will occur is “The Timing of the Rapture.” As most of you know, the Super Bowl is this Sunday night, but here’s a previous post that tells you what’s most important: “Super Events Are Coming Soon.”