Chapter 20: Second Advent
The Tribulation ends with the war against the Antichrist – Armageddon. It is this moment – the return of Christ – that every loose end aggregates together at a focal point. The Scripture is somehow terse, while still being expansive on these subjects. The authors of such prophecies give only a few words regarding such a monumental moment, but the combination of this prophecy with those prophecies, and the addition of the events leading up to this point, give us such an expanse that we could probably only read what the Bible says and have many more volumes of understanding than any book or “prophetic interpretation” will ever convene.
So maybe the first thing to do is read the text of Jesus’ return in its entirety. Revelation 19:11-21 reads as follows: “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:
KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.
“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the midst of heaven, “Come and gather together for the supper of the great God, that you may eat the flesh of kings, the flesh of captains, the flesh of mighty men, the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, both small and great.”
“And I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army. Then the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who worked signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which proceeded from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse. And all the birds were filled with their flesh.”
The scene painted here in Revelation 19 is graphic. The book of Revelation never puts down any detail that is not already somewhere else in Scripture. The man who sits upon the white horse is obviously Christ. His robe is dipped in blood. Where do we find this in the Old Testament? Isaiah 63:1-4: “Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? ‘It is I, speaking in righteousness, might to save.’ Why are your garments red, like those of one treading in the winepress? ‘I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come.”
This man who is coming from Bozrah is Christ. It is a vivid picture, coupled with Revelation 19:13. I find it quite interesting that it says in 2 Thessalonians 2:8 that Christ will return and destroy “the man of sin” with the breath of His mouth. We see in Revelation 19:15 the sword that comes from Jesus’ mouth. We find in Isaiah 27:1, “In that day, the Lord will punish with his sword, his fierce, great, and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea.” Is it possible that Leviathan is a symbol of the Antichrist? Isaiah 31:8 mentions that “Assyria will fall by a sword that is not of man; a sword, not of mortals, will devour them” (also see Psalm 74:13-14).
Yet, even though the sword that comes from Christ’s mouth kills the Antichrist, it is the birds that seem to at least feast on (if not kill) the army of the Antichrist. We read in Isaiah 18:6, “They will all be left to the mountain birds of prey and to the wild animals; the birds will feed on them all summer, the wild animals all winter.” Ezekiel 39:4 reads, “On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals.” Jeremiah 7:33 reads, “Then the carcasses of this people will become food for the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and there will be no one to frighten them away.” This might give us a hint about what Jesus was saying when He spoke, “Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather”.{dxxxiii}
It would be beneficial to also look at Zechariah 12 and Zechariah 14. To read the chapters in full would help to give a little more context and detail. The same is true for Ezekiel 38-39. I will insert Scripture references to check in relation to this passage. In Zechariah 14 we read, “A day of the Lord is coming when your plunder will be divided among you (Joel 3:1-3). I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem to fight against it; the city will be captured, the houses ransacked, and the women raped. Half of the city will go into exile, but the rest of the people will not be taken from the city.” These first two verses are in relation to the time of Jacob’s Trouble. The Antichrist establishes the abomination of desolation at the temple, and Israel then goes into flight. It is after this flight that Zechariah 14:3 then picks up.
“Then the Lord will go out and fight against those nations, as he fights in the day of battle. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives (Isaiah 31:4), east of Jerusalem (Psalm 48:4-7), and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley (Joel 3:1-3, Revelation 16:18-19, Isaiah 29:5-8), with half the mountain moving north and half moving south. You will flee by my mountain valley, for it will extend to Azel. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and the holy ones with him (Matthew 25:31).
“On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime – a day known to the Lord (Matthew 24:36). When evening comes, there will be light. On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in the summer and winter. The Lord will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one Lord and his name the only name. The whole land, from Geba to Rimon, south of Jerusalem, will become like the Arabah. But Jerusalem will be raised up and remain in its place,{dxxxiv} from the Benjamin Gate to the site of the First Gate, to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the royal winepresses. It will be inhabited; never again will it be destroyed. Jerusalem will be secure.”
We then read in Zechariah 14:12-15 about those that marched against Jerusalem. This back tracks slightly to describe the battle mentioned in Zechariah 14:3-5. “This is the plague with which the Lord will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths. On that day men will be stricken by the Lord with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other. Judah too will fight at Jerusalem. The wealth of all the surrounding nations will be collected – great quantities of gold and silver and clothing. A similar plague will strike the horses and mules, the camels and donkeys, and all the animals in those camps.”
Does it get any clearer? Why is there so much speculation and junk teaching about the end times? How much more detail does the Lord need to give? He has said to the nations: “Raise the war cry, you nations, and be shattered! Listen, all you distant lands. Prepare for battle, and be shattered! Prepare for battle and be shattered! Devise your strategy, but it will be thwarted; purpose your plan, but it will not stand”.{dxxxv} “The Lord foils the plans of the nations; he thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.”{dxxxvi}
The war against Jerusalem at the very end is hinted at in Daniel 11:40-45, but specifically verse 45: “He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.” This last verse is about the Antichrist going up to the west side of Jerusalem, “between the seas.” Then we read in Zechariah 14 that Christ’s return is upon the east of Jerusalem. While the Antichrist sets up his tents on the west side, and tries to claim the holy mountain (Zion), Christ then returns on the east side and it is over before it started.
There are details about what might be happening at this point, and why the Antichrist might have been alarmed,{dxxxvii} but we won’t get into that for now. A deeper study of eschatology would be necessary to further develop such things. What is most necessary is to outline how these Scriptures come together to paint the big picture, and the details then are easily understood from that big picture view. It is at the return of Christ that the Antichrist is defeated and the Kingdom of God established upon this earth. There are quite a few prophecies concerning the establishment of this Kingdom, along with “the Branch” or “the son of David” to rule over this Kingdom.
Establishment of the Brach
“In that day the Branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of the survivors of Israel. Those who are left in Zion, who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the living in Jerusalem. The Lord will wash away the filth of the women in Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire. Then the Lord will create over all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and a glow of flaming fire by night; over all the glory will be a canopy. It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm.”
Isaiah 4:2-6 paints for us a beautiful day. On this day, the return of Christ, we see that the day of the Lord is not specifically judgment. It is a day of redemption. God redeems Israel for Himself. All Israel is saved. Once again in this passage we have wording that seems very much like a “new exodus.” There is the cloud of smoke by day and the glow of flaming fire by night. Here we have the heavenly Zion established upon the earth. God has made it on earth as it is in heaven. The smoke and the fire are reflections on a time when God led Israel to the Promised Land. Just as God led Israel out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan safely, so too will God lead Israel out of the nations and unto Zion.
The prophet Isaiah cried out later, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.”{dxxxviii} This establishment of the branch is the establishment of Jesus upon the throne of David. “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on him whom they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.”{dxxxix}
Once again in Isaiah, we have a statement made to Israel to “return to him you have so greatly revolted against”.{dxl} The obvious context is God, but is it plausible that their revolt against God is most evident in their rejection of Jesus as the messiah? It is upon seeing that man whom they have pierced that they are broken and do indeed return to God. It actually is called the spirit of grace and supplication. Grace and supplication is poured out upon Israel when Christ returns, which is interesting because up to that point they would have been in flight through the nations. Yet, God’s judgments are His mercy. It is in the nations that Israel has seen God face to face. They have been receiving grace and supplication, so it is little wonder that the Spirit would be poured out upon them when they see Jesus return in full glory and recognize Him whom they have pierced.
“Listen, O high priest Joshua and your associates seated before you, who are men symbolic of things to come: I am going to bring my servant, the Branch. See, the stone I have set in front of Joshua! There are seven eyes on that one stone, and I will engrave an inscription on it, says the Lord Almighty, and I will remove the sin of this land in a single day.”{dxli} Notice the verse in Revelation 5 that reads, “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” We have in Zechariah 3 a stone, also called the Branch, that has seven eyes upon it. Then in Revelation 5:6, we see the Lamb that has seven eyes. Zechariah 4:10 also reference these seven eyes. What are these eyes?
The symbolism is defined for us in Revelation 5:6 as the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. Who are the seven spirits? Some have claimed that they are the seven archangels from Jewish tradition. We know of two of them: Michael and Gabriel. Then there is in the book of Tobit an angel named Raphael. I, however, enjoy the idea of understanding Scripture from Scripture. In Revelation 1, we find the seven candlesticks with the seven angels. I think it is much more reasonable to say that these seven spirits that go throughout the earth are actually the seven Churches and the seven angels (or ministers) of those Churches.{dxlii} That stone is Christ, the capstone that the builders rejected. His Body is still in the earth. Just as it says in Zechariah 2:8 that Israel is the pupil of God’s eye, we who have been grafted into that same root act as the “seven eyes” of the Lord. He engraves upon the stone an inscription, and that inscription is mentioned in Isaiah 49:16. “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands…”
We sing hymns about our names being written on Christ’s heart and in His hands. From the context of Zechariah 3, I assume that it is seeing the name of Israel engraved into the very palm of Christ when He returns{dxliii} that causes for the nation to be born in a single day. Isaiah 66:8 and Zechariah 3:9 both indicate the “single day” salvation and cleansing of Israel. The national salvation happens on the day of Christ’s return, but there has been a three and a half year process leading up to that.
Later in Zechariah 6, the subject of the Branch is taken up again. “Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the Lord. It is he who will build the temple of the Lord, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.”{dxliv} Do you notice how God is asserting that David’s throne, priestliness, God’s temple (which was upon Zion), and the redemption of Israel all come together? It is debatable as to whether what is being stated here is a literal fourth temple, which we read of in Ezekiel 40-48, or whether this is symbolic of “living stones being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood”.{dxlv}
In case there was question, we know from multiple passages of Scripture that this Branch must be the return of Christ. We see in Luke 21:27, Revelation 11:15, Matthew 24:27, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, and Daniel 7:13-14 the return of Christ. This isn’t anything new or profound; you already know this. We see in Amos 9:11 that the messiah is given the throne of David. We also see that same notion maintained in Ezekiel 34:22-24 and Ezekiel 37:23-24. What Ezekiel adds about this rule of David is that he will be a shepherd. Think about the heart of Christ when He saw the large crowds and had compassion on them. They were like sheep without a shepherd.{dxlvi} The establishment of the Branch is the Second Advent. We know this because of the context of these prophecies.
“Return to us, O God Almighty! Look down from heaven and see! Watch over this vine, the root your right hand has planted, the son you have raised up for yourself. Your vine is cut down, it is burned with fire; at your rebuke your people perish. Let your hand rest on the man at you right hand, the son of man you have raised up for yourself.”{dxlvii} In this passage, we see something strange. It seems like this passage is talking about Jesus, yet there is this reference to the vine being the people Israel in verse 16. As I mentioned in chapter 8, Jesus and Israel seem to be tied together in a very peculiar manner. The general rule of thumb is: as with Israel, so with Jesus, and as with Jesus, so with Israel.
We saw in the first part of this section that the Antichrist sets himself up on the west side of Jerusalem, and that Jesus enters Jerusalem on the east side. This detail gives us insight on how to interpret Isaiah 41:2, “Who has stirred up one from the east, calling him in righteousness to his service? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.” The ultimate joy of Christ’s return is expressed in the very next chapter: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him and he will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on the earth. In his law the islands will put their hope.”{dxlviii}
Jesus Rules from Jerusalem and Zion
Up to this point I have asserted that Jesus rules and reigns from Zion. I’ve given a couple of Scripture references, but for the most part I have not gone into much depth on this subject. What are the various Scriptures to explain that God has indeed established to rule and reign from Jerusalem and Zion?
One of the classic texts that I use almost immediately is Isaiah chapter 2. “In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as chief among the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. Many peoples will come and say, ‘Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.’ The law will go out from Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. He will judge between the nations and will settle disputes for many peoples. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore.”
The law shall go forth out of Zion and the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem. God shall set His King upon Zion, and that King shall be given the inheritance of the nations.{dxlix} Zechariah 14:16 tells us that the survivors of all the nations that attacked Jerusalem will go up year after year to worship the King, the Lord Almighty, and to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. It is during this time that Israel will “lend to many nations but will borrow from none.” They will “rule over many nations but none will rule over” them.{dl}
The psalmist writes, “Great is the Lord, and most worthy of praise, in the city of our God, his holy mountain. It is beautiful in its loftiness, the joy of the whole earth. Like the utmost heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, the city of the Great King. God is in her citadels; he has shown himself to be her fortress”.{dli} Isaiah 24:23 adds, “the Lord Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders, gloriously.” From Isaiah 2, we get the pattern that Mount Zion will be lifted up higher than all the other mountains. The people of all nations will then stream unto it. However, Zion won’t be elevated higher than Everest. Everest will be “made low”.{dlii} We see the reason that the nations stream to it, and the reason that the law goes forth out of Zion, the word of the Lord out of Jerusalem, is because the Lord Almighty will reign upon Zion.
We see in Jeremiah 31:6, “There will be a day when watchmen cry out on the hills of Ephraim, ‘Come, let us go up to Zion, to the Lord our God’.” In Psalm 102, we find the time of Jacob’s Trouble expressed quite intensely. It is upon the return of the Lord that Zion is rebuilt (verse 16). In verse 21 we read, “So the name of the Lord will be declared in Zion and his praise in Jerusalem when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship the Lord.” It is on that day that Joel writes, “And everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the Lord has said, among the survivors whom the Lord calls”.{dliii}
The words are true still today, “Again the word of the Lord Almighty came to me. This is what the Lord Almighty says: I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her. This is what the Lord says: I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem. Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth, and the mountain of the Lord Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain.”{dliv} Many passages speak of the Lord ruling from Zion. It is and always has been the apple of his eye. What I find interesting is that Zion then becomes the joy of even the nations. We find in Zechariah 14:17 the hint that nations will have the choice to come up to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles, however if they refuse, they will undergo certain punishments. But for the most part, the prophecies mentioned in Scripture seem to indicate bliss.
I can’t help but think about how the Gentile believers wept upon the neck of Paul when they discovered that he would be bound hand in foot when he went to Jerusalem. What was it about the character of Paul that caused for both Jewish and Gentile believers to delight in him? I think it goes back to being Davidic. When you are no longer Jewish, Roman, Greek, Hamite, Semite, or of Japheth, but are instead of Zion, people’s reactions are quite contrary to what we would originally assume. Even the most bitter hearts toward Christianity open up when there is a fragrance of heavenly reality. I’ve learned that my friends who want nothing to do with Christ have actually been more willing to speak to me about it than others because, “You’re not like every one else.”
Zion and Jerusalem become the joy of the nations because it is not of this world. It is the full expression of everything their souls have ever longed for. When that expression manifests, who of us can reject it? We might be skeptical at first, but certainly that skepticism will vanish the moment we receive the benefit of it. We’ll all be groaning, “Heaven, more heaven.” The nations no longer rebel against God when Zion is established upon the earth. No longer is there a tower at Babel to keep from being scattered. Instead, the nations are finally able to express themselves as they have been intended from their inception to express themselves.