In many algebra textbooks, the solutions appear in the back of the book. But students quickly discover that copying these answers down will not help them understand how to solve algebraic equations. What a student must do is apply what he has learned to a problem, then see if his solution lines up with the answer sheet. If not, he’ll know to reexamine his methodology.
Likewise, we won’t be able to make much sense of end-time prophecies by flipping straight to the apocalyptic verses. To understand what the time of tribulation or “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) entails, we first need to establish a framework to guide our interpretive efforts. Faced with many confusing variables, we need to identify the constant in the equation, then define the variable according to what is known. In other words, all our end-time interpretations and assumptions should be measured against the context of what God has been accomplishing throughout human history.
So we need to start at the beginning, learning the basics of how God revealed himself to his people and established a relationship with them. Then we need to look forward, learning what we can about the inheritance God has promised through his covenants, old and new.
Having done this foundational work in the previous chapters, we’re ready to look at some specific end-time prophecies. But some end-time passages are clearer than others, so let’s start with these and improve our interpretive framework in preparation for the more complex passages to come.
The End of the Age
“Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.”
—2 Thessalonians 2:1–2
A similar concept is found in 2 Timothy 2:18, stating the fact that the resurrection has not yet occurred. Paul differentiates physical resurrection from spiritual “raising” in many passages.
Why did people in Paul’s day wonder if the day of the Lord had already happened? Surely Christ’s return would not be easy to miss. The earliest Church fathers would have recorded a physical reappearance of Christ, no matter how brief. Yet the rumors spread. Then, in AD 70, the Temple was destroyed and the Jewish people were scattered. This felt to many early Christians like the prophesied end of the age. But though the destruction of the Temple was a seismic event Christ himself predicted, in no specific prophecy does the destruction of the Temple portend the physical return of Christ. As traumatic as the event was to the Jewish people, it did not mark the end of human history or the arrival of God’s final judgment for all the earth. Nor did it fundamentally change what God was already doing through his Spirit in the world.
A few hundred years later, Eusebius and Augustine seized upon the idea that the Temple destruction had marked some kind of profound spiritual turning point, treating it as a climactic age ending event in human history. The historian Josephus adopted a similar perspective, which is understandable given his Jewish-Roman heritage. And even today, many preterists and amillennialists point to Christ’s prophecy in Matthew 24:1–2 as evidence that the new covenant caused the Church to usurp Israel’s place. According to this view, the destruction of the Temple was God’s judgment marking the end of the Old Testament age and ushering in the Church age through the spiritual return of Christ.
But as we’ve seen, Christ will physically come back to earth. How have so many believers across history overlooked this clear biblical teaching?
Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation are difficult to understand at first. They are more easily placed into timing sequences based upon other passages. We need to study the whole Bible—not just passages like Matthew 24 in isolation. And while ancient voices like Eusebius and Augustine can provide us with good insights, we should critically examine each teaching before accepting it as truth. Their replacement theology as described above does not hold up to biblical vetting.
The second coming of Christ is sure to be the most important historical event since creation itself; according to prophecy, upon Christ’s return he will bring about the restoration of all things.[1] Christ enabled redemption when he came to earth the first time, but this second advent will mark the climax of redemption. We can see that the theme of restoration is central to the Jewish mindset in Luke 2:38; later, following Christ’s resurrection, his apostles are certain the final restoration is at hand:
“So when they had come together, they asked him, ‘Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?’”
—Acts 1:6
Christ was about to ascend to heaven, but the apostles were fixated on their earthly realm. They didn’t question Christ about heaven, didn’t understand that He had to return to the Father, and didn’t understand how heaven would come to earth to bring about the restoration they longed for.
If the apostles believed a spiritual or heavenly kingdom reign was the final fulfillment of the Old Testament covenants, they would have been jumping up and down in the Acts 1 account. But the apostles never demonstrate such sentiment at any point in the New Testament. They knew an everlasting kingdom was to be physically established on the earth. Going to heaven in a different realm was not the salvation they hoped for. It is very important that we understand this mindset that linked the land promise to the kingdom to come.
The Big Three
The apostles’ focus, without question, is on the “Big Three” end-time events. Listed below, these should serve as guideposts to help us chart out the sequence of events in Matthew 24 and Revelation.[2]
First Christ will come again to earth, then the just will receive bodily resurrection, and finally God will judge each resurrected person. (These judgments are evaluative, for rewards given or taken away).
All other events before and after the second coming need to be viewed in light of the return of Christ. Christ’s return is the primary focus as it is the inciting incident for our resurrection and God’s judgment. Together, these Big Three end-time events inform our perspective on all other prophesied occurrences. As we seek to determine the location, timing, and significance of each end-time event, the Big Three gives us our moorings. We will see how the return, resurrection, and judgment relate to the new covenant and land promise later.
Christ is coming back to earth again. This will be a physical return, not a spiritual return. This has not happened yet. Acts 1:11 shows that his next coming will mirror his ascension into heaven (where he resides in a risen body today).
“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take [receive] you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”
—John 14:3
Christ stated he is returning to earth so we can be together with him. God and his people dwelling together is a common theme throughout Scripture. This dwelling will occur when the earthly and heavenly realms meet (Ephesians 1:10), culminating at the end of time (Revelation 21:3–6).
“ Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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 out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”
—Matthew 24:30–31
Peter, James, and John saw a glimpse of this “great glory” described in Matthew 24:30 previously in the vision at the Transfiguration event.[3] They saw white clothing, brightness, and a radiant face. Such elements also feature in the visions of the Old Testament prophets (including Daniel 10:2–14) and in John’s apocalyptic visions (Revelation 1:12–16).
Many other passages describe the physical return of Christ. He will come with angels, the righteous dead will be raised, and there will be a gathering of all the saints in one place so we can finally dwell with him forever—these same themes are repeated over and over.
Many passages correlate to Matthew 24:30–31 and its description of angels, a trumpet, a voice, and clouds at the second coming/resurrection event. These include the following:
These passages describe God’s people meeting Christ in the air—but what happens next? Will we all head off to heaven or back to a newly restored earth? This is where many people get confused.
Gathered or Taken?
There is a very interesting passage in 1 Thessalonians that includes the same familiar elements of the second advent (trumpet, angels, etc.). As you read, see whether a figurative or literal interpretation makes more sense. Even if some of the language is figurative, is Paul trying to describe physical aspects of Christ’s return?
“For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”
—1 Thessalonians 4:14–17
Paul does not specify whether we will go to some celestial realm or back to earth to be with Christ in this passage, but there are some other important details here that we can later compare with other passages.
First, notice how Paul immediately sets the tone by stating a sincere belief. Based on his firm understanding that Christ physically rose from the dead, he also has confidence that all believers who fell asleep (died) will likewise be physically raised.[4]
Also notice the words “to meet” in verse 17. The root word for “to meet” is found three times in the New Testament. Here are its two other appearances:
“But at midnight there was a cry, ‘Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’”
—Matthew 25:6
“And the brothers there, when they heard about us, came as far as the Forum of Appius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them, Paul thanked God and took courage.”
—Acts 28:15
The Greek root translated “to meet” fits our normal English usage of the phrase. To meet someone at the door is generally to welcome them into a building. To meet someone for dinner may involve going to a restaurant that is halfway between the parties involved.
So is Christ coming to meet us halfway on our trip from earth to heaven? Or are the living believers rising to meet Christ on his way from heaven to earth? In the Matthew and Acts “meeting” passages, there is a return to the starting point after the meeting. And in the 1 Thessalonians passage, the point of reference is Paul’s position, not Christ’s position. Christ will come to raise and transform saints on earth. Why would Christ bring the spirits of dead saints to earth if they are all going back to heaven? We will get more clues later as to why we would meet Christ in the air and not on the ground, and why God would not simply transport us to some heavenly realm.
Another root word to focus on in the 1 Thessalonians 4 passage is translated “caught up.” This is the rapture event. There are many disagreements about where precisely the rapture will fall in relation to the tribulation, but we do not need to worry about timing at this point. For now we simply want to understand the root word itself. “Caught up” means to seize, catch, snatch, or grab on to.
“And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.”
—Jude 22–23
This passage in Jude is a metaphor using the same root word that is translated “caught up” in 1 Thessalonians 4. Jude used the Greek word in figurative language, instructing believers to assist in salvation by keeping someone from damnation. (Again, let’s overlook the various physical and spiritual interpretations of hell for now).
Jude used “caught up” figuratively, while Paul used the same root word in a literal fashion. However, the basic concept is the same: Christ and believers can each perform works of salvation by “snatching.” Christ literally saves people from death while believers can help save people from death as well (likely by spreading the gospel, given Jude’s New Testament context). The wicked are destroyed, or taken away—a different root than what is used to describe the just being saved (snatched) from destruction.
Proponents of a pre-tribulation rapture often point to Luke 17:33–37 as an illustration of what it might look like when God spirits away his people. But this passage is actually describing an opposite event. The Biblical texts show that the saved (raptured) are the ones left behind to be with Christ in his earthly kingdom. Christ’s parable of wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24–43) reveals the same concept. The rapture event is not believers being “taken” to heaven. “Taken” has a negative connotation here. Instead, we are grabbed (snatched) out of harm’s way, while the ones “taken” in Luke 17 are discarded or disposed like trash.
Old Testament prophecies, Christ’s statements in the Olivet Discourse and on the Temple grounds, and John’s vision in Revelation 19:11-18 all mention the destruction of many people upon the Messiah’s second coming. So when we read about believers being caught up in the air, this is salvation from the judgment upon the earth. These passages describe how avian scavengers like vultures and eagles will arrive to clean up the mess after the destruction. We are spared, kept safe, delivered—not taken or thrown away.
When correlating Luke 17 to other passages, the case for a pre-tribulational rapture appears thin. The doctrine depends on an equivalent meaning of believers being “taken” with “caught up.” To be taken is to fall under judgment and destruction; to be caught up is to be delivered.
“‘There will be two women grinding together. One will be taken and the other left.’ And they said to him, ‘Where, Lord?’ He said to them, ‘Where the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.’”
—Luke 17:35–37
The passage in Luke 17:22-37 is clearly describing Christ’s return, which is very different from the pre-trib rapture understanding. The evil are taken and the good are left to be with Christ. The people being taken in this passage are being destroyed; they are described as a corpse or a dead body.
“Taken” recalls the tares of Matthew 13:38–42, which are thrown outside the kingdom in an illustration of damnation.
“Left” recalls the wheat of Matthew 13:30, or those who are “left” in 1 Thessalonians 4:17; these are the raptured, the recipients of salvation.
End-Time Timing
Matthew 24 cannot be understood without reading other statements Christ made in Luke 17 and 21. His prophecy in Matthew 24 is not meant to be a continual chronological narrative. Note how the destruction of the Temple is prophesied first, followed by a description of the end of the age in response to the disciples’ questions; Christ does not explicitly say that the destruction of the Temple will incite the end of the age or happen concurrently. So our focus here will be on the multiple other prophecies featured in Matthew 24.
The wicked will be destroyed and judgment will occur following the visible return of Christ. Acts 1:11 states with certainty that Christ is coming back physically. Matthew 24:30–31 and related passages reveal that there will be loud noises and visual effects that will capture the attention of the entire world—then we will be gathered together “in the clouds” (the Old Testament concept of where God dwells in glory). Under Christ’s protection, we will be spared from the wrath coming upon the earth. When the danger is past, then we will return to earth alongside our savior.
The 1 Thessalonians 4 passage does not offer any specific timing that places Christ’s return and the resurrection of dead believers (saints) before or after a tribulation period. But this is vital information if we are indeed called to be prepared for the arrival of the bridegroom. So we must look to other passages for clarity about the resurrection of the dead or other end-time events to further understand how they fit together in a timeline.
Timing is everything. Instead of looking at more difficult passages, let’s look at some short, basic passages about timing.
“ Martha said to him, ‘I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.’”
—John 11:24
“There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day.”
—John 12:48
Here we have the resurrection and judgment at the last day. What is “the last day”? We won’t find the full answer in these short verses, but we do start to get a sense that the end of the age is tied to the return of Christ.
Passages regarding the advent of Christ often feature the Greek word parousia, sometimes translated as his “coming.” This word specifically connotes a royal arrival, as seen in 1 John 2:28. So according to a literal translation, Christ doesn’t merely pop into view—he presents himself with pomp and authority. Christ’s second advent is a royal event that all eyes will see.
A visually related term describes the appearances of Christ following his resurrection.[5] Taken out of context, some may think Christ’s coming speaks of spiritual, symbolic, or metaphorical appearances and means something besides a physical return. However, the use of related “optic” and “epiphany” root words conveys the idea that physical eyes will see him. Passages such as Matthew 24:30, Luke 17:24; 17:30 and Revelation 1:7 convey a physical arrival of Christ.
This is why Acts 1:11 is so crucial to our understanding of end-time events; it discourages us from over-spiritualizing the second coming (even though there are some metaphors to understand). These advent passages below often relate to the timing of the return, resurrection, and judgment.
Acts 1:11 describes the way Christ will return to earth—the same single event featured in the following passages:
To discern the timing of end-time events, an extremely helpful tactic is to find verses that mention two or three of the Big Three events in the same short passage and see how they relate together. This establishes the major end-time events that will occur on the last day of this age.
There are only a few short passages in the New Testament that speak to all three key events in the same cluster.[6] More commonly found are groupings of two of the Big Three events within short passages.
The associations between these three events suggest a timing with very short intervals. The author of a cluster passage may be focused on one event but often associates it with another one of the Big Three which either just happened or will swiftly follow.
If only one obscure passage referenced all three events, or if we could only find a couple of ambiguous passages referencing two of the events, we could be skeptical regarding their proximity. However, as shown in the references above, the evidence is overwhelming that all three