Revelation 22:7, 12, 20 Behold, I am coming quickly! Blessed is He who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book? And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work? He who testifies to these things says, ?Surely, I am coming quickly.?

John 14:1-3 Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father?s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.

Jesus longs for His people to be with Him. Some of the last words that He spoke to His disciples, just before He ascended to heaven, was the comforting assurance that He will come again. Then the very last words recorded that Jesus speaks to His church is assuring us that He is coming again. He is coming again to rescue His people. It breaks His heart to see His people immersed in the sorrow and suffering in this world. He longs to be with them, and so He has given the wonderful assurance that He is coming again! This is one of the greatest promises throughout the Bible. It is the theme of the New Testament. In fact, one in every twenty-five verses in the New Testament talks about Jesus? second coming.

There is a lot of talk today about how Jesus is coming again. Books have been written, films have been produced, but we must be certain that we know what the Bible teaches about how Jesus will come again. As we will see, Jesus has specifically warned that there will be false teaching about Jesus? Second Coming, but we need not fear. God?s Word is clear.

Acts 1:9-11 Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ?Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.?

The disciples are here gathered around Jesus, their Friend, their Savior, the One Who had been crucified and who had risen again. As they are watching, they see Him begin to be caught up from them. Higher and higher He ascends, and they continue watching as the clouds begin to obscure their sight. They crane their necks to see if they can catch one last glimpse, and then, two angels come down, and say, ?This same Jesus, this same Friend, the One that walked and talked with you, this same Jesus is coming again!? How is He coming? The same way He left! In the same manner as He went up. When He went up, it was literal. It was something that actually happened. They actually saw Him go up. They were craning their necks, they were searching, they were watching and gazing upward. When Jesus comes back, it is going to be in the same manner that He went up. It is going to be literal. We are going to see it just as the disciples did! In fact, a lot of people are going to see it, because a number of other events are going to transpire, as well. Nature is going to be in convulsions from the glory of its coming Creator.

Psalms 50:3-5 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: ?Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice.?

Revelation 6:14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out its place.

Isaiah 24:19, 20 The earth is violently broken, the earth is split open, the earth is shaken exceedingly. The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard, and shall totter like a hut; its transgression shall be heavy upon it, and it will fall, and not rise again.

Revelation 16: 18-20 And there were noises and thunderings and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such a mighty and great earthquake as had not occurred since men were on the earth. Now the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell. And great Babylon was remembered before God, to give her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of His wrath. Then every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.

God?s Word declares that when the Lord comes, the earth is going to melt before its coming King. A fire devours before them. The mountains and islands are shaken like a reed in the wind. The earthquake shakes this world over and beyond the Richter scale, an earthquake the magnitude of which has never been seen. With all nature giving way, the earth wobbles on its axis. It is split open and shaken exceedingly. Surely this is something that will be known to all. When the Lord Jesus comes to rescue His people, everyone will know it.

Matthew 24:30, 31 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He will 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.

Matthew 25:31 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.

Luke 9:26 For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father?s, and of the holy angels.

Jesus says that He is coming with power and great glory. Can you imagine the power and glory when Jesus comes? Think of Jesus? glory at the transfiguration. Think of God?s glory upon Sinai. Think of the glory of all the holy angels. Do you remember when the angels appeared to the shepherds? The sky was full of the glory of God. Do you remember when one angel came down to Jesus? tomb at the resurrection? Those hard Roman soldiers, who had seen many a battle, fell down like dead men. It only took one angel! Imagine all the glory of all the angels, and Jesus? glory, and the Father?s glory as well. See Jesus says He?s coming in that three-fold glory. When Jesus comes, when He comes to rescue His people, oh, it is going to be glorious. There is going to be power and great glory. Many are going to mourn in the dazzling splendor of all that glory, though. Why? They know that they are not ready. Can you imagine what it would be like to look and to see all the glory of heaven being emptied upon this earth, and to know that we are not ready? He sends His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and the elect are going to be gathered together from the four winds. So it is going to be literal just like when Jesus went back. There is going to be all this commotion and convulsions, mountains and islands shaking and being moved: the power and the glory of God like has never before been displayed.

Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, and they also who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.

This grand event is not just something that the righteous are privileged to behold, but this is something that everyone sees?every single eye! The sad fact, though, is that not everyone is happy. In fact, the majority of the world is not ready. They mourn, they lament, they wail, they gnash their teeth. Because the end has come and they are lost!

Matthew 24:23-27 Then if anyone says to you, ?Look, here is the Christ!? or ?There!? do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders, so as to deceive, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. Therefore if they say to you, ?Look, He is in the desert!? do not go out; or ?Look, He is in the inner rooms!? do not believe it. For as the lightening comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Jesus gave a special warning that is particularly applicable today. He says that when people say that Jesus coming will be a secret ? DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. When He really comes, it is going to be like lightening. Lightening is something that everyone sees. When the flash illuminates the sky, it does not matter if you are looking or not, you know that lightening struck. It does not even matter if your eyes are open; you can see it through your eyelids. That is how visible and glorious Jesus? Second Coming will be: something that everyone sees and something fills the sky with the power and glory of God.

I Thessalonians 5:2-4 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, ?Peace and safety!? then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.

II Peter 3:10-12 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

It is true that it will be like a thief in the night, both Paul and Peter affirm this, but that does not mean that it will be secret and silent. In fact, Paul, himself, says not to let it overtake us as a thief. Why is it not to overtake us as a thief? Because we are to be wide awake to the condition of this world and realize that it is almost time for the Lord to come! We are not to be surprised by it like we are by a thief. Thieves are not always silent, but they always want to surprise you. Once a thief is in the house, he may tie your hands and hold you hostage, and do all sorts of things! Then there is no doubt that you have been overtaken by a thief, but he always wants it to be a surprise. So, likewise, Jesus? coming is going to be a surprise to the vast majority of the world, but when it comes there will be no mistaking it. Peter gives one of the most graphic descriptions. He says that there will be a great noise, the earth will be burned up, the heavens will be dissolved with fire and the very earth will melt with fervent heat. If all this is transpiring, is there any way that you would not know it? If the heaven is falling in around you, if the earth you are standing upon is being consumed with fire, will you know it? Of course you will! Yet Peter says that with all this happening, it is still as a thief in the night?a surprise to the unsuspecting world, but far from secret and silent.

Revelation 22:12 And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work.

Matthew 25:31, 32, 34, 41 When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats? Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ?Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world?? Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ?Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.?

When Jesus comes His reward is with Him to give to everyone?both the righteous and the wicked. If the righteous were snatched away without the wicked even experiencing anything, would the wicked be receiving their reward? Absolutely not, if that occurred, then only the righteous would receive their reward, but that is not what the Scriptures say. Jesus Himself says that everyone will receive their reward.

Matthew 24:37-41 But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Then two men will be in the field: one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the mill: one will taken and the other left. Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.

Jesus illustrated how both were going to receive their reward, by speaking of what took place at the flood. Life was continuing as normal. They ate, they drank, they married, they went to their fields, they worked at the mill, but things changed drastically. Friends were separated. There were only two groups and there was a definite separation between them, just like there was a separation in Noah?s day. However, just like in Noah?s day, life did NOT go on as normal after the separation. The obedient were safely protected by the ark while the disobedient were left behind. Left behind dead. ?But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.? (Matthew 24:37)

I Thessalonians 4:16-18 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

I Corinthians 15:50-54 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed?in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: ?Death is swallowed up in victory.?

The righteous have a glorious future ahead of them. For them, Jesus? Second Coming is the greatest and most looked for event of all the ages. Their hopes and dreams will finally meet with reality when Jesus comes. No longer will they be troubled with the aches and pains of mortality, for in ?the twinkling of an eye? they will be changed?changed from these mortal corruptible bodies that we are all encumbered with to immortal incorruptible bodies that the Lord has prepared for each of us. Then, with the miraculous change taken place, His faithful will be caught up in the clouds to meet Him in the air. This is the grandest reunion ever to take place when Jesus and His church meet in the clouds of glory. In this cloudy chariot, they ascend to the place that the Lord has been preparing for His people. (John 14:1-3) Notice, though, it is the change to immortality and not Jesus? Second Coming that takes place ?in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye?. Although in this earth it takes years to grow up, when Jesus comes it will not take years, or even days, for us to be changed into immortal bodies. It will take place instantaneously. Jesus? Second Coming, on the other hand, will be more prolonged than that, for many glorious events will take place. It is as when a King rides back triumphantly from battle. He does not do it hurriedly, and neither will Jesus when He rides forth as KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. (Revelation 19:16) It is also important to note that when Jesus comes for His people, it is not something that will be silent and secret that only the righteous know about. In the records of how God?s people will be caught into the clouds of glory, we see three clues that this event will not be quiet: 1) ?with a shout?, 2) ?the voice of an archangel? and 3) ?with the trumpet of God?. None of these have any connotation whatsoever of secrecy or silence, on the contrary they are all quite loud and obvious. When the Lord shouts and it awakens the ears of the dead, it will not be something that no one knows about. When He speaks with the voice of an archangel, it will not be a whisper, and when the mighty trumpet of God blows, everyone will know. Trumpets are one of the loudest musical instruments that we have. Imagine what the trumpet of God must sound like! It will be the most glorious day in the history of the church. The righteous dead will be resurrected, the living righteous will rise to meet Jesus in the clouds of glory and together they shall ascend to heaven to ever be with the Lord, but the story is completely opposite for the wicked.

II Thessalonians 1:7-10 And to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

II Thessalonians 2:8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming.

What a day of joy for the faithful, but what a day of terror for the disobedient! The righteous are going to rise out of this world to be with their Creator, but at the same time the disobedient are going to receive their reward?the reward of flaming fire, for refusing to accept the gospel of our Lord. The lawless ones are going to be destroyed with the brightness of Jesus? coming. It will be so powerful and glorious to the righteous, but so terrifying and awful to the wicked. The glory that transforms the righteous to immortality is the glory that consumes the wicked. They are left behind?left behind dead. ?But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.? (Matthew 24:37) As those in Noah?s day that slighted the voice of mercy were left outside the ark to perish, so those who have refused to follow the Lord Jesus Christ will be consumed by the brightness of His glory. I pray that this will not happen to any of us, but that we may be ready to meet our Lord with joy.

Revelation 12:9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

II Peter 3:16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

II Corinthians 11:13-15 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Despite the beauty and clarity from the Scriptures of what that glorious day will be like, the devil has instituted a counterfeit and much of the world is being deceived by this misinterpretation of Scripture. Today, it is commonly taught that when Jesus comes for His people it will be a secret and silent rapture. God?s people will be raptured away from this world, and life will continue as before here on earth. Does God?s Word say anything about it being a secret? No. Does God?s Word say anything about a silent rapture? No. Does God?s Word say anything about a secret snatching away? No. In every instance it states that Jesus? coming will be with power and great glory to rescue His people. In fact, the word rapture is not even found in the Bible; it was invented and added by man. Jesus Himself warned against the belief that His coming was going to be something silent and secret that no one knew.

The Jewish leaders, the religious leaders of the day in Jesus? time, rejected Him because they misapplied prophecy. They applied the prophecies of His second coming to His first coming, and today the same plan is being followed with a little different twist. Today, religious leaders are applying prophecies of Jesus? first coming to His second coming, and the result is the same. People are being prepared by the misinterpretation of prophecy to reject the Savior. The beautiful prophecy that God has given to show us exactly when Jesus was to come and when He was to die (Daniel 9:24-27) has been twisted, and this seventieth week that referred to Jesus? ministry has been cut off into the future with no reason, and applied to the antichrist. Blasphemy!

This belief of a secret rapture and the isolation of the seventieth week into the future is a relatively new belief. During the apostles? time, no one knew anything about such a ridiculous theory. You will find no traces of it in the church fathers. In Martin Luther?s day it did not exist. In fact, no one, Protestant or Catholic, believed this until just a couple hundred years ago. It was invented by the Jesuit Ribera in the year AD 1580 in order to counter the affects of the Reformation, but it was not readily accepted until about one hundred years ago. God?s Word is still as plain as before, though. We need not be deceived.

Isaiah 25:9 And it will be said in that day: ?Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for Him; we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.?

Revelation 6:14-17 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks, ?Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand??

Despite the manifold attacks of the enemy, God still has a rescue plan for His people. The separation will take place. It will be as in Noah?s day, but if we have surrendered to the Lord, if we have chosen to follow Him regardless of the cost, He will save us. Scripture records two distinct cries that will be heard on that day: one, a shout of joy, the other, a cry of terror. We will either exclaim with joy, ?Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us,? or we will plead for the rocks to fall upon us and crush us. Those that have studied prophecy, those that have chosen to follow Jesus no matter what the cost, those that have given their hearts to the Lord, will not be disappointed in that day. Will you? Which party will you be in? It will be one or the other?there is no middle ground. But the question is, what will you shout? What will you say? And what if it were tonight? Will you make the choice today to be ready so that it will not overtake you as a thief?