The Second Coming - Answers to Difficult Questions

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8. THE SECOND COMING – ANSWERS TO DIFFICULT QUESTIONS WON ’ TJ ESUS COME SECRETLY TO TAKE THE SAINTS TO HEAVEN AND THEN COME BACK IN GLORY WITH THEM?

 Matthew 24:40-42; Luke 17:34-37; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 These texts are used by many Christians to teach the secret rapture. According to this doctrine, Jesus will come back at the beginning (or in the middle) of the time of tribulation (that is supposed to last 7 years, based on a wrong interpretation of Daniel 9:26-27).

Jesus would take all the living righteous to heaven and then come back in glory with them to establish His kingdom on earth.

Paul’s description of the second coming is also referred to the secret rapture. He clearly speaks of a visible and audible event.

The Greek word for coming Paul used is parousia, that was generally used to refer to an official visit of a king. These events weren’t secret at all.

Jesus, speaking of His coming in glory, referred to the sound of the trumpet (see Matthew 24:30- 31); so the trumpet Paul speaks about in 1 Thessalonians sounds at the second coming (see also 1

Corinthians 15:51-53). Jesus also said that at His coming in glory He will send His angels to gather the saved. If the saved will meet Jesus in that day, how can they come from heaven with Him?

Jesus compared the last days to the days of Noah and Lot. At the flood and in Sodom and Gomorrah the left behind were all destroyed when the faithful were taken. So when the saved will be raptured to heaven, at the second coming, none of the left behind will remain alive.

The fact that Jesus will come as a thief is not an argument in favor of the secret rapture. The time of the second coming is unknown and this event will be a surprise to the majority of the world. If the pre-tribulation rapture (at the beginning of the 7 year tribulation) or mid-tribulation rapture (after 3 ½ years from the beginning of the tribulation) is true, why does Jesus say He’s coming as a thief in the chapter that describes the time of tribulation (see Revelation 16:15)?

 Jude 14; Revelation 19:8,11-14 Jude’s passage could refer both to the second coming or to the third coming of Jesus (at the end of the Millennium). 6 8. The Second Coming – Menorah Mission School – 2018/2019 It will be at the end of the Millennium that Jesus will execute judgment upon all and convict the ungodly of their sins. At that time the saints, who will have reigned with Christ during the Millennium, will come to the earth with Him.

But even if we apply passage refers to the second coming, the saints here mentioned could refer to the angels who will come with Jesus. The same Greek word translated with “ten thousand” in Jude 14 is elsewhere used in reference to angels (see Hebrews 12:22 and Revelation 5:11).

In the New Testament the word saints is both applied to human beings and angels. It is interesting to notice that there are text that speak about the holy angels in reference to the second coming (see

Matthew 25:31, Mark 8:38 and Revelation 14:10).

The argument is made that Revelation 19 describes Jesus coming with His saints since the fine linen, clean and bright, represents the righteous works of the saints.

The armies that follow Jesus at the second coming are not the saved but the angels. It is true that the linen represents the works of the saints, but this is not a conclusive argument in and of itself.

In other passages of the New Testament we read about angels clothed in white and bright garments.

All the evangelists wrote about the resurrection and described angels clothed in white or bright garments (see Matthew 28:2-3, Mark 16:2-5, Luke 24:1-4 and John 20:11-12). The same thing in

Luke’s account of Jesus’ ascension (see Acts 1:10-11).