Glorious Day

O Glorious Day

What do you imagine when you think of the Second Coming?

I love, love this song by Casting Crowns, O Glorious Day. Did you know it’s actually a contemporary version of an old hymn? Anyway, listen to this song and pay attention to the words.

I’ll wait.

So, what images come to your mind when you picture that Glorious Day when Jesus comes to take His people home? Here’s another song that I just love, Days of Elijah by Robin Mark. You are probably already familiar with it, but go ahead and listen to this song. It always blesses me. In fact, we sang this one at the annual women’s retreat I attended this past weekend, and oh how I just love this song – especially when I’m singing it with 180 other women!

I’ll wait again.

The Second Coming

Doesn’t it just sound wonderful? I can’t wait until that glorious day when Jesus comes riding the clouds, surrounded by the host of heaven! Let’s see what the Bible says.

The Day of the Lord will be loud and every eye will see. He will come in the clouds and the sky will roll back.

“The great trumpet will sound, and he will send out his angels to the four corners of the earth, and they will gather his chosen people from one end of the world to the other.” Matthew 24:31

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16

“Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him…” Revelation 1:7

“At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21:27

“The heavens receded like a scroll being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place.” Revelation 6:14

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” 2 Peter 3:10-12

Are you looking forward to the return of Jesus? I know I am! Nothing excites me more than the thought of going home to Jesus forever.

So, like I said, I spent this past weekend at our annual women’s retreat and we’d sung Days of Elijah at the retreat several times and then I listened to O Glorious Day in the car on the way home and I got to thinking about the words of these songs and how they both described the Second Coming just how I imagine it to be.

And then I got to thinking about how most Christians believe that when Jesus returns to take them home that it will be in secret – a secret rapture.

And then I got to thinking about the contradictions in belief.

Think about it.

Do you believe that Jesus’ coming will be in the clouds, with a loud trumpet call, in majesty and glory? That He will call out to His people who died and are resting in their  graves so they will rise first to meet Him in the clouds? Do you believe that there will be a loud trumpet call and that every eye will see Him?

But, maybe you’re thinking about how the Bible says He will come like a thief. Doesn’t a thief come in secret? I understand your confusion, but all it takes is a closer look at the verses used to support this belief. Remember, it’s important to read Scripture in context when you are studying the Bible.

Let’s look at 2 Peter 3:10-12 again since it mentions Jesus coming like thief. 

“But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up. Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, on account of which the heavens will be destroyed by burning, and the elements will melt with intense heat!” 2 Peter 3:10-12

What do you notice about this passage? Here’s what I see:

1. Jesus will come like a thief
2. in which the heavens will pass away with a roar
3. and the elements will be destroyed with an intense heat

There is nothing in this passage of Scripture to indicate any of these things is a separate event . It will all happen at the same time, during the same event – on the Day of the Lord {The Second Coming}. I believe the description of Jesus coming as a thief does not mean he will come in secret, but that His coming will be unexpected – people will not be ready or waiting for His return. How many people do you know that are NOT ready, expecting, or waiting for the Lord to return?

Let’s look at another passage:

Matthew 24: 36-44 says. “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark;  and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.

“Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

Oh, but wait! Doesn’t the above passage of Scripture prove the doctrine of the Secret Rapture?

I don’t believe so.

Why?

The days just before Jesus return will be much like they were in the days of Noah. People will be eating, drinking {i.e. carrying on as usual} as if nothing of grave importance is about to happen. They will not be paying attention. They will know nothing – just as the people in days of Noah “knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.”

We are supposed to be like the “homeowner” who was waiting for the the thief! The Bible says, you “must be ready!” Because “the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

What about the two men in the field? Wasn’t one of them snatched? 

Well, as always, we need to take the Bible in whole – not in part. So if we have a question, we need to find the answer in Scripture – not from man’s opinion. Where was the man taken? Matthew doesn’t say. Which means we need to search the Scriptures to see if we can find the answer some where else. Because the Bible never contradicts itself, we can trust Bible. We can’t pick and choose which parts we want to believe.

If we turn to Luke 17:34-37, we find that Luke records a similar story, “I tell you, on that night two people will be in one bed; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding grain together; one will be taken and the other left.”

“Where, Lord?” they asked. He replied, “Where there is a dead body, there the vultures will gather.”

Doesn’t that send a chill down your back? I don’t want to be where the one taken to where the vultures gather. Matthew 24:50-51 says of those who are caught unprepared: “The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

In each of these examples we have one who was “ready” and one who was caught by surprise. And just like “the flood came and took them all away,” those who are “taken” by surprise will not be saved.

We need to be ready.

Another question came to mind when I was listening to these songs {above} about the second coming:

Why would Jesus need to raise the bodies from the grave if they are already in Heaven? And why would He need to come back to take His children home in the clouds if they were already secretly raptured?

If you have not already, I invite you to read my series on the Second Coming of Jesus. In October we’ll be looking at what the Bible says about hell, death, and what happens when we die. So stay tuned!

• The Second Coming {Part One}
• The Second Coming {Part Two}
• The Second Coming {Part Three}

You might also want to read my study, Coming in the Clouds, about the Second Coming as well.

Note: Apparently there is a NEW version of the Left Behind movies coming to theaters in just a few days. This movie as well as the books are teaching false doctrine, “if it were possible deceiving the very elect.” {Matthew 24:24} Please be careful. Study the Bible. Check for yourself to see what the Bible says about this subject.

What do you picture in your mind when you imagine Jesus coming back? Does your imagination and belief line up with Scripture?