Revelation of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ
by Samson Hutagalung

The Bible reveals the Second Coming of Christ in two distinct phases. Phase one: the Lord Jesus Christ will come to the air when He will meet the church that He has already been resurrected and elevated to the sky. That is the next event in God’s revealed programs of the ages. Phase two: it is His glorious return to the earth in power and glory with the church that previously raised to meet Him. The Second Coming of Christ is very much like the first coming of Christ. If we analyse it in more details it will begin to emerge. So it is the most complex event. In the Old Testament Israel anticipated the first coming of Christ but they could not distinct the various details that God revealed such beginning from His birth, life, death and resurrection and His appearance 40 days before His ascension, all these complexities could never be understood before they happened. So it is also at the Second Coming of Christ. Many Christians who claim to be knowledgeable in Scriptures cannot see the distinction between the church and Israel, and the ushering of the Second Coming of Christ till the eternity. The Second Coming is the perfectly complex series of events and God has spoken of them in His word.

Phase One: The Meeting of Christ with the Bride on the Air from world's Perspective

The First Resurrection

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 says, “For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” In this passage we see the clear teaching on the first resurrection for those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. In that time the Lord Jesus Christ will shout just like what He did to Lazarus and He shout, “Lazarus come forth.” Every dead Christian on this earth will hear His voice. As Jesus says in John 5:25, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” And Archangel Michael will shout that the new era has just begun on earth and in heaven when Israel will be used as the instrument again for worldwide witnesses. So Michael will be activated on this occasion according to the prophetic of the scripture. Thus, those who are dead will arise first then we who are alive will be changed and caught up together. This is the rapture which is going to take place before the great tribulation comes. Those who believe in the Lord right from the time of Adam till in that day will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air. Therefore we read in Revelation 20:6 saying, “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

The Rapture of the Church

The first hint of this event in the teaching ministry of Jesus is found in John 14:1-3, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye 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 unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” This passage cannot be referring to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ to glory, because in that time we will come with Him from heaven to the earth.

In John 14:3 Jesus says, “I will come again to receive you to myself, that where I am there ye may be also.” This is referring to the rapture where the Lord Jesus Christ will come down from heaven in the air and all believers in the Lord will meet Him there. This event is further described for God’s people in 1 Thessalonians 4, in which God gives a great comfort to some Christians in Thessalonica. There were some Christians in the church of Thessalonica who were wondering for what will happen to their loved ones who have already died if Christ comes. They think that those believers will miss the great meeting on the air with the Lord Jesus. So Paul assures these Christians with God’s Word in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds (this is the cloud of glory), to meet the Lord in the air (not on the earth): and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” So if we have our loved ones who died believing in Jesus Christ, we do not need to be panic or depressed, for they will be meeting Christ first on the air.

Now we need to see the closer look what Paul says again about the rapture of the church in 1 Corinthians 15. 1 Corinthians 15:51 says, “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.” All believers in the Lord Jesus who are still alive when rapture takes place must have one qualification namely all must be changed in order to meet the Lord on the air. Then we ask this question, why is it so? And the answer we find in 1 Corinthians 15:50 that says, “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” The body that we have now is flesh and blood but in order to live with Christ in heaven and serve Him as the King and Priest forever, we have to have the new form of body called the resurrected body, the glorified body. This is to say that we will have the body as Jesus had when He resurrected from the dead. With that resurrected body, Jesus could enter the room at the upper room without entering from the door. He did not have blood as we have but He has totally a different type of body. Nevertheless His body is genuine physical body. We may not be able to understand it but what we know God designs that kind of body in order to live in heaven. In other word, God designs two kinds of body, namely the body that can live on this earth and the body that can live in heaven as God has planed for eternity. Thus when Jesus Christ comes on the air, not only those who are dead discovered their own glorious body but also those who are alive in that time will suddenly be changed and they will be transformed. They will be no longer flesh and blood but glorified body, and they will be raptured.

In Greek the word “rapture” has a sense of “to snatch.” Thus Christians will be snatched from this earth and caught up, to the air to meet the Lord Jesus Christ visibly and personally, as the answer of the prayer of God’s people throughout the entire church age. Jesus Christ will fulfil at that moment what Paul said in Philippians 3:21, “Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” Paul continues to say in Romans 8:22-23, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” Everything will be fulfilled according to the Scripture. Jesus has paid the price not only for our spiritual redemption but our physical redemption. Then we are fully adopted by the redemption of our body into the kingdom of God which we will experience in full at last. That is the hope of rapture and the resurrection of the church at phase one of the Second Coming of Christ.

Phase Two: The Meeting of Christ with the Bride on the Air from God's Perspective

Fist Marriage Supper: The Bridegroom Meets the Bride

In Revelation 19 we are told that after the church has been raptured to the air and passed through the Bema of Christ, that is the judgement seat of Christ for purification and judgement for the purpose of reward, then the great second coming of Christ to the earth will occur. That is to say the Second Coming of Christ to the earth involves the twofold marriage ceremony for the bride. For Jews custom, there are two phases to marriage. First, the bridegroom will go to the house of the bride where there will be the marriage supper, great festivity and joy in the home of the bride parents. And with the great procession, he will bring her to the street and to the city and to his own home for phase two, where there will be a greatest ceremony and festivity and banquet. And the Second Coming of Jesus Christ depicts on those two phases. There will be the marriage in heaven, the home of the bride where she belongs that the Lord designs to live in mansion in the sky. Second, after the marriage supper in heaven, the bridegroom with triumph and glory and the procession of earthward will take place. The Lord Jesus Christ will bring His bride to the earth which is the place of His kingdom, the place which his father has planned for his son to reign in power and majesty with the nation of Israel ruling the world and the Gentiles under her dominion. Thus the bride will be introduced to earth dwellers.

Now let us see in details Revelation 19:7-10 concerning the heavenly marriage supper. “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God. And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” In Revelation 19:7-9 we notice John was so excited for what he had seen and he was in confusion at a moment, as a result he worships the angel (Revelation 19:10). This is a dangerous thing to worship an angel. The book of Colossians tells us that we should not worship the angel but the creator and Saviour for He is infinitely higher than the angel (Colossians 2:18). Thus the angel that John worshipped did not allow him to be worshipped.

In Revelation 19:7 says, “Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come.” There will be a great joy for those who are in the Lord where we meet Him at the marriage supper in heaven. John the Baptist said, "in this my joy is fulfilled. I am not the bridegroom but I am the friend of the bridegroom" (John 3:29). We think of how great our Lord Jesus Christ is, for every born again Christian would be married to Him as His wife forever. As Paul said in Hebrews 12:2, “the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” If we are Christians we are part of His joy for which He died. Be hopeful and anticipate on that great glorious day namely the marriage supper.

Now let us look at the righteousness of Christ depicted in Revelation 19:8, “the fine linen, clean and white is the righteousness of saints.” All the righteousness that Christians have since they converted, symbolised here with this fine linen. In this junction it is important to study carefully Revelation 19:11 otherwise we will misunderstand what it means. We read in this verse, “And I saw heaven opened.” What does it mean? It means that we, Christians are now living in the age of the silence of God that closes heaven. In other words, we do not see God’s righteousness, throne and angels on this universe. However some day the heaven at last will be opened and men will look up and see the things of God for the first time in all the ages of history. They will “behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him” (Revelation 19:11). The horse mentioned here is to symbolise the warfare and power that is totally righteous. The white horse here is not the same as the white horse of Revelation 6:1 which is the false Christ pretending to be righteous that Jesus sends forth to bring destruction to the world.

When the Lord Jesus Christ comes to this earth He will be a true righteous King. His coming will not be the same as His first coming where He was riding a humble donkey to describe his humility as predicted in Zechariah 9:9, 500 years before His first coming. However if we notice Zechariah 9:10, it tells us that He will come and destroy the nations and this is His Second Coming. He will not ride upon an ass anymore but upon the white horse which is the symbolic of irresistible military power. The name that He bears according to Revelation 19:11 is, “Faithful and True.”

The Second Marriage Supper: The Bridegroom Will Bring the Bride to the Earth

As we have seen what happen in the first marriage supper in heaven, now we will see clearer what will happen in the procession of the coming of the Lord to this earth together with His saints from heaven and in second marriage supper as well. Everything has been written in the Word of God, the Bible. If we know Christ we know the Bible for He is the Word. Thus if we do not know Him then we have missed the most important thing in our lives, for He will come to rule over the world and He will be King of kings.

In Revelation 19:16 we notice the name of Jesus mentioned that He would bear in the millennial kingdom. “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” In the history of this world, there is no king in this world that ever known as great as He is, because every knee shall vow and every tongue confesses that He is the Lord of lords (Philippians 2:10-11). The name that Jesus will bear, telling us that He will judge the world, because at the end of Revelation 19:11 says, “in righteousness he doth judge and make war” and verse 12 continue to say “His eyes were as a flame of fire.” Jesus Christ has all the qualifications, blessings and honour that the eternal God has bestowed to Him.  He is very qualified for battle because His Second Coming will be different from His first coming. There will be great war in this earth during his procession to this earth.

What will happen in that time? Revelation 19:13 says, “He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood.” The blood here is referring to the wicked men on this planet earth who deify his claim to be King of kings. This is not the blood of Jesus Christ, because in Isaiah 63:1-6 we are told the description of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ in glory. Isaiah 63:1-6 says, “Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy garments like him that treadeth in the winefat? I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me: for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore mine own arm brought salvation unto me; and my fury, it upheld me. And I will tread down the people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth.” This is the great program of God that will happen when Jesus sets his foot on this planet. There will be the greatest blood flushed in the history of the world. As the apostle Peter says that the second coming of Jesus Christ will be like the flood “as it was in the day of Noah, so shall be when the son of man come.” In the global demonic depravity, Christ will reveal His absolute sovereign right to judge the world in righteousness by His divine authority. He will return with the bride from heaven as Revelation 19:14 says, “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.”

When Jesus Christ returns to this earth with His saints, He will be the only One who has the weapon namely the invisible weapon as Revelation 19:15 says, “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” That is the sword that comes out from His mouth. The truth is already told to us in Hebrew 4:12-13, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.” Nothing is hidden from His eyes. We do not have such things because men are totally deprived. This is to say that every part of our being is affected by our sins and rebellion against God. There is nothing that we can do in order to gain merit for our salvation. Only God can do and God’s grace through the blood of Christ can enter God’s heaven. We are saved by grace, not by our desire, neither by our efforts, attitude and opinion. Except we acknowledge ourselves as sinners and come to Him to confess our sins by faith, we will not have eternal life. Thus every sinner must be able to say, “Lord, I can not save myself, I believe what you say about myself and accept your provision for my need through Christ.”

The Armageddon

Satan is the enemy of our souls, the god of this world. The sword is the penetrating and convicting word of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the Lord Jesus sends forth His Word and the army of the world will collapse and their blood according to Revelation 14 like a great Ocean of blood from Edom to Armageddon 200 miles long. We see that Jesus did not shed anybody’s blood when He came at His first coming except His own blood, but at the Second Coming He will not shed His own but other people’s blood who fight against the grace offered of our Lord. This is God’s perspective on man’s destiny. Hundred of million soldiers of the world will pack into the valley of Armageddon from Maggeddo to Edom (Revelation 16). They will see gradually the Lord Jesus Christ descending from the sky followed by millions individual clothed in white. And the antichrist will say, “we see you, Jesus Christ, descending and when you set your foot on this planet, we will kill you again.” All these will happen because of the sins. Only God who knows how desperate and rebellious we are against Him as said in Isaiah 53:6, “all we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord has laid in him Christ iniquity of us all."

In Revelation 19:17-18, when Jesus Christ speaks the Word, the entire global army gathered in Armageddon will collapse and God invites the ravens, bird and beasts of this planet earth to come to the supper of the great God. “And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.” This is the last possible opportunity for animal who suffers the curse of God because of man’s rebellion against his Lord.

Thus the marriage supper of the lamb is merged in contrast with a supper of the human flesh, because as soon as this occurs, all animals will be transformed and no longer eat flesh (Isaiah 11). However we ask this question, after all these happen what happen to the Antichrist? Revelation 19:19-21 tells us, “And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.”

The Second Coming of Christ from the Earth's Perspective

What will happen to God’s people on this earth? During these 7 years the church has been in heaven to be prepared for the bride. However fantastic events on this earth have happened during these last 7 years before the Second Coming in glory. We need to note that as soon as the rapture takes place, then two witnesses appear in Jerusalem which are probably Moses and Elijah. These two Israelites witnesses to the Law of God and the Israelite theocratic program of God proclaim to an apostate Israel, the will and the plan of God for His people for 3,5 years. During that period of time they are supernaturally protected from the death of the hand of the antichrist that hates them. They are able to bring total drought in 3,5 years. Elijah was an experience person in doing it, and to bring fire from heaven for those who fight and deify him. On the other hand Moses will be there doing his kind of things, such changing water to blood and bringing plagues on those who fight God. That twofold and double witnesses in Jerusalem will be marvellous by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is not fully departed from the world but He will bring conviction and conversation to 144,000 Israelites who are not only saved but sealed by God from protection until their work is done through the proclamation of the gospel of Christ by the two witnesses. And when the beast is killed by the king of the north, (somehow the beast is killed by someone) and the beast enters to the Bottomless pits of the Abyss, and comes back again by the Lord’s permission and Satanic power with the deadly wound healed. And the first thing that he wants to do is to kill the two witnesses whose bodies lie on the street of Jerusalem for 3,5 days. However the bodies of these two witnesses after 3,5 days, “the Spirit of God entered into them and they stood upon which saw them. And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud and their enemies beheld them” (Revelation 11:11-12).

The next event followed is Jerusalem suffered of tremendous earthquake and one third of the city destroyed and the 144,000 Israelites plus other Israelites who have learnt the lessons who their God really is. In that time, they will obey the warning of Jesus when they see the abomination and desolation set up in the holy temple of God (Matthew 24:15). What Jesus says in Matthew 24:16-21 will be fulfilled. “Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: “Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.” Thus in that time as Jesus says that the gospel of the kingdom will be taken and spread to the end of the earth and to all nations before the end comes. For the tribes of Israel, in Revelation 7 we are told that the Lord will seal 12,000 people from each tribe but they will be martyrdom in the hand of the beast (Revelation 7:5-8). Frequently, we see that in Revelation 6:9 and 7:9 and 20:4 many will be headed because they did not worship the beast.

When will Israel be saved? Isaiah 66:7 gives us the answer, “Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.” Before those last 3,5 years of dreadful is the time of Jacob’s trouble (Jeremiah 31) namely the great tribulation, the nation of Israel will be saved. As Isaiah 66:8 says, “who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such thing? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.” We need to remember also that not every Israelite is Israel. Some Israelites who are not Israelites indeed will not accept their Messiah, and will be eliminated before the kingdom is established. However when the kingdom is established then Romans 11:26 will be fulfilled “all Israel will be saved.” This is to say that every Israelite in the dawn of the millennium will be the saved ones. As Isaiah said earlier that, “those who are righteous will come trough that tribulation and be saved one.” They endure because they are saved, and those who are not saved they will be removed. Thus God reveals in every part of the Bible the amazing proceeding events before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.