Many views of Jesus' Second Coming are floating around out there. Which one is true?
Let's examine the events that coinside with His return.
I think one of the key signs is Matthew 24:14 "This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Wars and rumors of wars, pestilence and famine all lead up to this moment. They are the prerequisite events, the "Beginning of Sorrows", mentioned also in Matthew 24.
I agree these are the sorrows, but I do think people overemphasize their importance overall. Basically Jesus only mentions these things in passing, imho, in order to reaffirm what he just told his disciples in vs. 6, the END is by & by or way down the road, then he uses verses 7 & 8 to emphasize, way, way, way on down the road, after many wars, much pestilence etc. etc. becomes vastly more frequent, you see, the warnings are nit about the end per se, its Jesus trying to make sure his disciples understand the 67-70 AD War was not him returning again, those were the fake christs put forth by the Pharisees etc. which fulfilled John 5:43. So, Jesus does this to make sure they understand that 70 AD is not him returning. Then in Matthew 24:9-14 we see Jesus gives them the 100 percent understanding of what brings the very end or the 70th week. First he tells the Disciples they will all die save John of course, as Martyrs, and thus nit at the hands of [Christian] false prophets, but at the hands of the Oracles of the day, who served the false gods of Jupiter, Zeus etc. etc. etc. Thus Jesus tells them they must ENDURE [until the end of their lives] or in other words do not renounce me or betray me as Judas did. Then he tells them in vs. 14 that only when the Gospel goes unto all the world will he come for the Church or the 70th week END COMES.
TOO LONG, but as I read through the thread I was at how many do not understand the 70th week end.
In particular, the war in the Middle East is key. Ten nations attack Israel. The result is Jesus returns and destroys them. So this war must precede His return.
Well, it must precede his Second Coming, not the Pre Trib Rapture. Also, the 10 is simply a way to say COMPLETION, 10 = Completion, so the 10 is the E.U. completely reunited. Dan. 8:9 tells us he travels from the Northwest Corridor.
A great earthquake. Likey a worldwide quake preceeds and levels everything.
* Is the earthquake in Revelation 6:12 the same quake in Revelation 8:5, 11:13,19 &16:18? Are we just lookong at different vantages points on time? This could be so if the trumpets and bowls were released rapidly. There could be separate quakes, some regional, then on Rev.16:18, the biggest? Zechariah 14:2-4 describes this very same quake. Ezekiel 38:19 describes either a regional quake or the great quake, in His wrath.
"And I looked when He broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became as black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place." Rev. 6:12-14
"Then the angel took the censer and filled it with the fire of the altar, and hurled it to the earth; and there were peals of thunder and sounds, and flashes of lightning and an earthquake." Rev. 8:5
"And at that time there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell; seven thousand people were killed in the earthquake, and the rest were terrified and gave glory to the God of heaven." Rev. 11:13
"And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since mankind came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty. REV. 16:18
I will show you why Rev. 6 and 8 are the same Earthquake, but Rev. 11 and 16 are not, but Rev. 11 and 16 are the same, so its two different Earthquakes. Look at the timing tell.
Remember me? I say the Seals are PROPHETIC in nature and Jesus is only FORETELLING what will happen when the Judgment Trumps are unsealed !!
So, Rev. 6:12-14 simply foretells what Rev. 8:5 brings. The Asteroid will indeed cause a GREAT SHAKING as it makes impact, no doubt. Now lets look at why Rev. 11 and 16 CAN NOT be the same "Earthquake". Rev. 8 is the First Four Trumpet Judgments right?
Right after Rev. 11:13 talks about an EARTHQUAKE we see it has to happen at the 2nd Woe. Thus much later than the Rev. 8:5 vs. which is really just all four Trumps, they are one asteroid event.
Rev. 11:14
The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.
Since Rev. 11 is the Two-witnesses chapter, after they die we do not get many details at all, just that the 2nd woe passes and the 3rd woe cones quickly. As per Rev. 16:18-19 that Earthquake is Jesus landing in Jerusalem. The one spoken of in Rev. 11 is the same one, it comes with the 3rd Woe, the 3rd Woe is all 7 Vials.
This war, likely nuclear, creates so much smoke in the sky that it blocks out the sun, moon and stars - (1/3 of the light according to Revelation 8:12 which is a result of Revelation 8:7, when 1/3 of the planet that is set on fire). Fire and hail raining down from heaven, could be symbolic for missiles or a volcanic eruption ( which there will be since the earth is split open in that area causing a fissure deep in the earth that reaches the Abyss as described in Revelation 9:1-2).
The Asteroid Impact brings the fires, 1/3 of the world (The New World) will burn.
But the Pre-Tribbers claim, "Wait, all this happens after the Rapture ... there is the Rapture and then the Second Coming with seven years in between them ..." Hold your horses ... wait a minute, you can't say that, the horses have already been released.
Let's look at Revelation 7. Here we see a sealing of the 144k and a multitude in heaven that no one can number who just came OUT OF the Great Tribulation.
The 144,000 is simply a UNIQUE CODE as are the 7000 God says He has saved unto Himself. The number 10 = Completion, 7 Divine Completion, 12 Fulness o 12 x 12 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 144,000 and is God SHOUTHING this is ALL Israel who repents. 7 x 10 x 10 x 10 = 70000 is is also God SHOUTING this is ALL Israel who repents. Why should God allow Satan t know the exact number years in advance? Satan does know the percentage, it will we 1/3 of the Jews (Zech. 13:8-9) or 3.5-5 million Jews.
Those who came out of GREAT TRIBULATION came out of the Church Age Rapture. NO ONE gets Raptured during the 70th week, Gid tells us that in two places. The 5th Seal where God says to those killed during the 70th week that ALL of their Brothers must be killed in like manner before they can get vengeance, so they must wait for a little season (his 42 month reign as the Beast). Then in Rev. 20:4 we see all of those Martyrs only gets RAISED & JUDGED after Jesus' Return. Those in Rev. 7:9-17 CAN NOT be 70th week Martyrs. They are our brothers who built te Church on their blood, millions were killed. NOTICE it does not say the came out of the Greatest Ever Troubles, you guys JUMP to that conclusion, it says they came out of GREAT TRIBULATION, and our brothers did just that !! Also, Jesus says in John 16:33 that ALL TIME on this earth is Tribulation. My gift/calling is I can add it all up.
However, it is referred to as a parenthetical citation, information given which is not part of the chronology of events. The sealing of the 144k Jews AND translation of the multitude must happen BEFORE any harm comes to the earth, land, sea or trees.
Look back at the previous chapter in the 6th Seal. How could any of these events not cause harm to the earth? Also with the 6th Seal brings great wind!
Let me submit that this sealing and arrival of the multitude in heaven happens amidst an interesting physical anomally experienced on the entire planet --- the wind stops blowing everywhere. It is a pause, a key signal the the trumpets are about to be blown and bowls released.
It ALL FITS once you accept the Seals are just Prophetic in nature, Jesus prophesying what comes via the Seven Trumpet Judgments. Then Rev. 6 CAN'T HINDER anything, because the Winds (Judgments) only start in Rev. 8. Thus God HOLDS BACK the Judgments until the 144,000 (3.5-5 million Jews) get saved and flee to the Petra/Bozrah area where Gid will protect them for 1260 days.
The 7th Seal is opened and there is that silence i1an heaven for a half hour, a pause ----when the wind stops blowing.
The SILENCE = Reverence. It repented God when He flooded the earth. The Angels/God/Jesus ae not happy it has come to this, they are very grieved that they must kill billions of Human Beings, but Justice has to prevail. With the other 6 Seals Jesus PROPHESIED coming events, with the 7th Seal JUDGMENT is at hand, that is why noting is said after the 7th Seal is opened up. That is why it is opened in Rev. 8.