Many Christians look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ back to earth, where He is expected to rule for 1,000 years. As it draws near to the end of the ages, the church continues to live in great expectation and anticipation of the soon-coming King, who is Israel’s Messiah and the Savior of the Gentile race.
The second coming of Jesus and the church’s rapture are separate events; we should not confuse one with the other. Many Bible scholars say the rapture will happen before the great tribulation, and Christ will remove His church to protect His people from the evil unleashed on the earth during the Antichrist’s reign. Other Christians believe that the tribulation will take place before the rapture. These two events are expected to occur before the second coming of Christ. The master’s second coming will happen seven years after the tribulation period. The prophet Daniel in the Old Testament had a peek into the future when he saw a little of what will happen just before the 1,000-year reign of Christ (Daniel 12:1-3).
The Lord Jesus’ second coming will be to rule, bind Satan for 1,000 years, and defeat the Antichrist by throwing him into the lake of fire. Pastor David Jeremiah states the following differences between the rapture and Jesus’ second coming:
“At the rapture, Jesus will return for His saints. At the second coming, He will return with his saints. At the rapture, Jesus will not descend to earth. At the second coming, He will descend to the Mount of Olives as a prelude to His earthly reign. At the rapture, Jesus will bring a blessing to His saints. At the second coming, Jesus will bring judgment to those who have rejected Him. The rapture could occur at any moment. The second coming will occur seven years later.”
During the millennium, Jesus will reign and rule for 1,000 years on earth after His second coming, and Satan will have no say whatsoever in anything about activities in the world. There will be a new heaven and earth, and people will live in peace and harmony. The new heaven and earth God will give us will be known as the New Jerusalem. Everyone in the New Jerusalem will live and reign with Christ (Revelation 20:4). The 1,000-year reign with Christ will be a joyous time for the saints.
Why Did Jesus Say the Kingdom of God Had Come?
Jesus declared the kingdom of God had come because He was trying to let the people know that the Lord God was ruling in their midst. Many Jews in those days were expecting and eager to see the kingdom established through violence and bloodshed. They were looking for a king who would come and defeat the Romans once and for all. However, they did not realize that the real King was already in their midst because He was teaching and preaching it to them. Jesus was carrying the Kingdom of God in His heart. Everywhere He went, He shared it with those He came into contact with.
The mighty acts that Jesus did were also living testimonies that the kingdom of God was in operation in the midst of the people. As Jesus walked among the Jews, apart from teaching and preaching about the kingdom of God to the people, He conducted many healings, signs, wonders, and miracles. Many people that saw the miracles of Jesus were amazed. One day while out in the boat with His disciples, a frightening storm arose so that all the disciples were sore afraid. The disciples feared for their lives and woke Jesus, who was asleep. When Jesus awoke, He rebuked the storm and the waves. Immediately, the storm calmed. The disciples in the boat saw what He did and said, “what kind of man is this? Even the wind and the waves obey Him!” (Matthew 8:27 NIV). The Lord’s mighty acts that He did while physically here on earth were all proof that the kingdom of God had come to a dark and dying world. (Acts 2:22) (1 Corinthians 4:20).
Did Jesus Know When the Second Coming Would Arrive?
When the disciples asked about the end of the age, Jesus replied that no one except God the Father knew its day or hour (Matthew 24:36). When Jesus described the end of the age, he included details that many scholars identify as the rapture: “two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left” (Matthew 24:40). If the rapture comes before the second coming, and only God the Father knows when it will happen, we can assume that Jesus does not know when the rapture or second coming will occur. Only God the Father knows of such matters. In due course, He will pass on this information to His Son.
Do We Know When the Second Coming Will Take Place?
As stated earlier in the text, no one except God the Father knows when the second coming of Christ will happen. We are given hints in the Scriptures concerning this great future event, but no definite date. We remain in the unknown concerning these two great events.
How Can We Prepare For the Second Coming of Jesus?
We can prepare for the second coming of the Lord by doing the following:
1. By drawing closer to the Lord
Spending quality time with God in prayer and fellowship with the Lord is one of the greatest ways we can prepare for the Lord’s second coming. Prayer will bring us into a close relationship with our Creator and create a desire to stay close to Him. If we remain close to the Lord, the second coming will not catch us unaware or unprepared.
2. By reading the Scriptures
Each time we read the Word of God, we are drawn closer to the Lord because of the power residing in the Scriptures. In addition, as we read the Word of God, we will receive directions about how we can live right and prepare for His second coming.
3. By living holy
Living a life of holiness will please the Lord. Without holiness being evident in our lives, we will not be prepared for the Lord’s second arrival. Holiness must become a lifestyle for us to live out in our everyday lives if we are to live and reign with Christ.
4. By keeping our focus on the Lord
Our focus must be on the Lord if we want to remain on high alert for the coming of the risen Savior. The devil intends to cause us to lose focus so that we become too busy, confused, discouraged, and even go off course. If the devil can cause those bad things to happen to us, he stands a good chance of causing us to miss out on Christ’s second coming. We will be so busy trying to find happiness in our own strength that we won’t depend on the Lord to help us. We can easily lose our zeal to continue serving the Lord – which will ultimately cause us to miss out on the Lord’s second return.
5. By loving and forgiving each other
The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins (1 Peter 4:8) and that God the Father will not forgive us if we don’t forgive others (Matthew 6:15). If we cannot love and forgive each other, we are in big trouble with God and cannot be a part of the 1,000-year reign with Christ. Love is the ingredient that keeps us together. Without it, we will become cold towards one another, quarrelsome, and unforgiving.
As the clock continues ticking and we draw closer to the end of the age, we should live in holy readiness, knowing that the coming of the Lord is near.
Lancelot Tucker is a book author and freelance writer who writes on a vast amount of topics. In addition, he serves as an associate pastor in his hometown, Spanish Town. Lancelot loves to do research and write, and is an avid reader of other authors’ works. When not writing or reading, he spends his time reaching out to the less fortunate residing in his community.
