Table of Contents
Events that are going to lead to the Second Coming
The introduction to the Second Advent as John saw it in his vision of the day of judgment is described in the following way:
“And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” Rev. 16:17-19.
“And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.” Rev. 6:14.
His glorious appearing
Then the world will be lightened by the glorious light of our Savior:
“And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:30, 31.
“And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe.” Rev. 14:14, 15.
The resurrection and transformation of the faithful
When the Second Coming takes place, the time of harvest will come and the wheat will finally be gathered in the garner of the Lord.
“We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” 1 Cor. 15:51, 52.
“And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:31.
“For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. 4:15-18.
The righteous dead will live again when the trumpet of God shall sound. The voice of the Archangel will call the sleeping saints from their graves. At the same time, the living saints will be transformed from mortality to immortality. Then they all will be caught up together in the air to be with their Savior and dwell in the mansions that he has prepared for them in the City of God.
The destruction of the wicked
No sin can stand before the glorious majesty of the coming King, because to sin the brightness of his glory is like a consuming fire. Now, while we are in the time of probation and mercy is still inviting us to come and be saved, the glory of God consumes sin from the hearts of those who come near the throne of grace. In that day this same glory will be like a consuming fire to the unrepentant sinners and will consume them together with their sins. This is the day that the prophets of old predicted. What it will mean to the disobedient, can be seen by the observations of the prophet John:
“And said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?” Rev. 6:16-17.
The culmination of the history of mankind
The Coming of Christ will bring the resurrection and transformation of the righteous, the death of the wicked, and the end of the world. The resurrection of the wicked will not take place then, but only the righteous will be resurrected. There is an exception though – some wicked people who have acted especially as enemies of Christ – “they also which pierced him” (Rev. 1:7). They will rise again to see his appearing, but then, when they see him, they will also be consumed by the brightness of his coming.
The righteous will be taken up to reign with Christ for a thousand years in the heavenly city. During this period the earth will be desolate and uninhabited by men – a dark abyss, a desert, a prison house of Satan and his angels. Of the two resurrections – first of the righteous and then, 1000 years later of the ungodly, we are told:
“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.” Rev. 20:4-6.
In the end of the 1000 years, the resurrection of the wicked will take place. Then John describes “the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven”, when the wicked will be faced with condemnation and the second death, from which there will be no waking up.