Jesus is coming again. He is returning to earth one day.
He spoke of it to His disciples when He was here the first time (See Matthew
24, Luke 17, Luke 21). When He ascended into heaven, as the disciples watched Him
rise and disappear into the sky, angels spoke to them and told them that He
would return the same way.
Acts 1:9-11
9 And
after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking
on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as
they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going,
behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them. 11 They
also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This
Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come in just
the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven.”
Of course, some people don’t believe this. But as Christians, we do. However, we must keep the overall plan and purpose of God foremost in our minds. We don’t want to grow weary, become skeptical, or allow doubts and distractions to take us away from doing our part in His plan for mankind.
2 Peter 3:3-5
3 Know
this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following
after their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise
of His coming? For ever since the
fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the
beginning of creation.” 5 For when they maintain
this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens
existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water
and by water, 6 through which the world at that
time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
Peter discusses the mockings of mockers in the end times
who say that everything is continuing as it was since the beginning of
creation. Nothing’s changed. Where’s the Lord? Peter says it “escapes their notice,”
or they forgot, about Noah and the entire population of the world being
destroyed by a flood due to the rampant sin at the time. This had occurred about
2500 years before this was written (It’s been about 4500 years now).
He goes on. . .
7 But
by His word the present heavens and earth are being reserved
for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly
men. 8 But do not let this one fact escape
your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand
years, and a thousand years like one day. 9 The
Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is
patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to
come to repentance.
He says not to let it escape your notice, even if
it has escaped other people’s notice, that the Lord does not forget His
promises. He’s not slow, He’s patient. It’s His mercy that makes it seem like a
long time coming. He’s waiting for more people to come to repentance before He
sends His Son Jesus back to earth to finish up what was started. For those who do not, there will come a terrifying day called the Day of the Lord.
10 But the
day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the
heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed
with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned
up.
The day of the Lord is going to happen, suddenly. But instead of like Noah's flood, it will be with fire and intense heat.
11 Since
all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you
to be in holy conduct and godliness,
This is a somber thought, one that leads us into the fear
of the Lord. We must not live like the mockers, thinking it’ll never
happen in our lifetime, or if it does, that it’s not going to be that big of
deal. We must conduct ourselves in holiness and godliness while waiting for Him
to return.
Then Peter says something interesting,
12 looking
for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the
heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with
intense heat! 13 But according to His promise we are
looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness
dwells.
Looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God. Even
though this earth will eventually burn up, we are to still look for and hasten, or
speed up, His coming. He has promised us a new heaven and a new earth—one
which contains righteousness.
14 Therefore, beloved,
since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard
the patience of our Lord as salvation;
Peter is encouraging them not to listen to the reasonings
of the mockers who think that all is well and it just doesn’t look like the
Lord is going to come back, but to be diligent to keep ourselves spotless and blameless--ready for His coming at any moment.
Let’s look at verse 12 in the Amplified Classic
regarding the hastening of His coming:
2 Peter 3:12 AMPC:
12 While
you wait and earnestly long for (expect and hasten) the coming of the day of
God. . .
We are waiting and earnestly longing for the coming of
the day of God. It seems that our longing, and our expectancy of this day, actually
hastens its coming. Even if we don’t know exactly when it will be.
Look at what
Jesus said:
Matthew 24:36-39:
36 “But of
that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but
the Father alone. 37 For the coming of
the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. 38 For
as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying
and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 and
they did not understand until the flood came and took them all
away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
They didn’t understand until the flood came what was
going to happen. Then it was too late. The door to the ark was already shut (Genesis 7:1-16).
Matthew 24:42, 44
42 “Therefore be
on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
44 For this
reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at
an hour when you do not think He will.
Nobody knows the day or hour when Jesus will return to
the earth to receive His own to Himself. It will happen when we don’t think it will. So we must always be
ready. Yet, we can recognize when it is getting close, even when it is right at
the door.
Matthew 24:33
33 so,
you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is
near, right at the door.
The time for the Lord's return is getting close. For those who believe in Him, it is our hope. The promise of His kingdom rule over the earth should thrill our hearts as righteousness
and justice will be found in it. For those who don't believe, there is a judgment coming. Yet we are now in a time of grace to make our choice, and get ready. It's not too late, yet.
We are living in the "Time
of the Gentiles,” as well as the Church Age, which ends with the coming of the
Lord. We gain some understanding about this time leading up to His Second Coming in the book of Revelation.
The Four Horsemen of the First Four Seals
The Church
age is, of course, the era of the Church, which began after Jesus’ ascension
and continues until the time of His return. During this time the gospel is
being preached, while at the same time satan tries to stop it or undo its
effects. This has been going on for 2000 years. The book of Revelation portrays
it as four horsemen circling the earth with each passing cycle bringing Jesus’
coming closer. (See Revelation 6:1-8, and my blog The
Opening of the Seals from January, 2024).
Then, in Revelation 6, at the 5th seal, we see the martyrs under the altar in heaven crying out
for Him to avenge their blood, asking, “How long?”
Then in Revelation 8, after the 7th seal, after the ½ hour of silence, the prayers of the saints,
incense, and fire from the altar are thrown to earth, and the sounding of
the trumpets begin.
What do we learn from this?
I believe our longing for Jesus to come and set up His
righteous rule, actually quickens His coming. As Peter said, “Wait and earnestly long for” it. Expect
and hasten it. There is a trigger—the trumpet trigger of Revelation when the
countdown to His return begins.
I believe these prayers of the martyrs and all the saints
that we see at the 5th and 7th seal, this longing for His
righteous rule, is when the countdown clock is started, and is indicated in
Revelation by the sounding of the trumpets.
Forty years ago, there were those who didn’t want Jesus to come back yet. They wanted to live their lives, see their children grow up etc. They weren’t very passionate about seeing Jesus’ return. On the other hand, there were those who thought He was coming any second and they were irresponsible, went into debt, didn’t plan for the future etc. These ones weren’t aware of the fact that the Church has a part to play in His return. Yet before Jesus returns, we see martyrs and all the saints praying, and a violent, heavenly response to these prayers.
Jesus used the analogy of a birth when speaking about the
end times (Matthew 28:8). When a woman is pregnant, birth is inevitable. As it gets close, there may be false labor pains, early labor pains, but there
finally comes a point of no return. The water breaks, and the birth begins.
I believe the sounding of the trumpets begin the final countdown
to His return. Once the trumpets start, there’s no turning back. The clock
starts ticking.
But what exactly triggers the trumpets?
The final thing seems to be the prayers. We read it right
there at the 5th seal—the cries of the martyrs and after the
7th seal from the prayers of the saints. The prayers of the saints
set off the trumpets and begin the countdown clock.
But there are other things involved. There are (at least) four things that
trigger the trumpet-sounding countdown.
The Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom in the Whole World
Jesus said the end would come after the preaching of the Gospel of the kingdom to all the world (Matthew 24:14). We see the preaching of the Gospel represented by the white horse of the 1st seal. It must continue until the end so when He comes, He will find faith in the earth (Luke 18:8)
The Church becoming His Ekklesia
When we, the Church, learn to govern under His authority, as His Ekklesia, we enforce Satan's defeat and ultimately he is thrown out of heaven. When the disciples began to understand and operate in their authority in Christ, Jesus said He saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven (Luke 10:18). Once he is displaced from heaven, his time is very short.
In Revelation 8:1-12 during the first four trumpet blasts, we see things
falling, or being thrown down, from the sky—hail & fire, a great burning
mountain, a great star, and then the sun, moon, and stars darkened. Once Satan
is cast down, he has great wrath, knowing he has a short time (Revelation
12:7-9). This happens when the Church knows their authority over him and begins
to use it.
The Church becoming His pure Bride
We become the Lord’s pure Bride when we make ourselves ready to meet Jesus, and passionately desire Him. No longer do we want Him to delay His coming so we can “live our lives.” We want to be with Him! We seek purity because of our longing for our Groom. This too hastens His coming. (Revelation 19:7-9, Ephesians 5:26-27, Hebrews 9:27-28, 1 John 3:2-3, 2 Corinthians 11:2, Colossians 1:22, James 4:5).
The Cries of the Martyrs and Prayers of the Saints
This is the passionate prayer for the Lord’s judgment and His righteous rule to come. We desperately want His righteous rule over the earth. We are grieved over the lost souls and the level of wickedness in the earth and corruption in the governments. We know that only His rule will make things right. Again, we see this represented in the 5th and 7th seals. (Revelation 6:10, 8:3).
In the last chapter of the Bible, Revelation 22, Jesus said three times that He was coming quickly (verses 7, 12, and 20). In the same chapter, John wrote that “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ (verse 17). And then, “Amen. Come Lord Jesus.’” (Verse 20).
Jesus taught us to pray, “Your kingdom come!” Or really to declare, “Kingdom of God—come forth!” (Matthew 6:10).
How long does the clock run?
To understand the closing of this age, it’s also helpful to understand Daniel’s vision of the seventy weeks. While Daniel was “speaking and praying, and confessing” his sin and the sin of his people, Israel, the angel Gabriel came and gave him “insight with understanding.” (Daniel 9:20-23).
The short version in explaining this is that seventy weeks (each week representing one year) were decreed for Israel and the holy city to “finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” (Daniel 9:24). Sixty-nine of the seventy weeks have been fulfilled. There is one week (seven years) left.
Why does this matter? Because this final seven-year period is what will usher in Jesus’ Second Coming and reign on earth. This is how we know there are seven years of this prophecy yet to be fulfilled. Right now, we are living in this gap period between the 69th and 70th weeks, the Church Age, that will bring us to the end when Jesus returns and sets up His kingdom on the earth. This gap period is where God’s dealings with the nation of Israel as a whole is put on hold while the nations of the earth come to Him (Romans 11:11, Genesis 17:4-6, Genesis 22:18, Galatians 3:16).
At least four times in the book of Revelation there are periods of 3 ½ years mentioned.
Revelation 11:2: John was told to measure the temple, but not to measure the court outside the temple for it had been given to the nations who would tread the holy city underfoot for 42 months (3 ½ years).
Revelation 11:3: The two witnesses will prophesy for 1260 days (just under 3 ½ years).
Revelation 12:6 The woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness where she would be nourished for 1260 days (just short of 3 ½ years). And again
Revelation12:14 says the woman was nourished for a time, times, and half a time (one year, plus two years, plus a half a year= 3 ½ years).
Revelation 13:5: The beast was given authority to act for 42 months (3 ½ years).
We might ask, are these 3 ½ year periods taking place at the same time? Or are they staggered? It appears that these periods will fit together somehow to make up the seven years needed to finish Daniel’s last “week.” We also read of a period of around 3 ½ years in the book of Daniel:
Daniel 12:11-2: Daniel was told that from the time the regular sacrifice is abolished, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there would be 1290 days. He added that the one who keeps waiting until the 1335 days is blessed.
Though we many not be able to put all the time periods in the order they will unfold,
it’s more important to focus on being close to Jesus and follow His Spirit in
taking our place and part. Part of it depends on us. We’re waiting for Him to
come and He’s waiting for us to get going!
Rapture at the Last Trump
Paul talked about God’s people who are alive and remaining at the last trumpet arising to receive their glorified bodies. This is talking about the Rapture, but not about the seventh trump that John talks about in his vision (Revelation 11:15).
1 Corinthians 15:51-52
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed, 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-17
15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
Alan Didio gives an excellent explanation in his book, “
They Lied to You About the Rapture,” about what the “Last Trump” means. He points out that when Paul wrote about what will occur at the last trumpet, it was not the same trumpet blast--the seventh trumpet--that John wrote about while exiled on the Isle of Patmos forty years later.
Alan explains that Paul was most likely referring to Jewish tradition at the Feast of Trumpets, or Rosh Hashanah. During the feast, the trumpet (shofar) is blown 100 times. They are a series of three sets of 30 blasts and one set of ten. The last set of ten blasts is called the Tekiah Gedolah, or the Great Blast. It is also known as the last trump.
1I would encourage you to look up the meanings of each set of trumpet blasts during the Feast of Trumpets, they are very encouraging and speak of God’s people preparing themselves for Him.
When is the Rapture? I believe it's before the trumpets, yet I think there is a danger in thinking we can't be deceived by the beast and his mark because we'll be gone. Consider this, the mark may very well begin to be instituted before the Rapture. (I would dare say it has already begun). Raptured saints may not be here when the mark ultimatums get really bad, however, we don’t want to cross a line now that we won’t be able to uncross prior to the Rapture. Remember, the door to the ark was shut seven days before the rain began—long before the floods which actually killed them started.
In the meantime, we, the Church, have a part to play in His return. We can hasten His coming. We must be about His business, preaching the gospel to the nations. We must fall deeply in love with Him and purify our heart. We must know our authority in Him and enforce His kingdom rule; and we must pray and long for Him to come and make things right, but we must also long for His coming, and expectantly wait for it.
Amen. Come quickly, Lord Jesus.
More details will be available soon in a coming article, "Revelation's Seals, Trumpets, Bowls."
1 Alan Didio, They Lied to you about the Rapture, Destiny Image Publishers, Inc. Shippensburg, PA, 2025, 159-161
