The coming of the Lord.
There is a specific event that we are all looking for—the coming of our Lord. It is not one of many comings, for it is denoted by the definite article “the” as in “the coming.” As we read through the scripture, we see this repeated multiple times. In Matthew, we read “so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matthew 24:27,37,39). There is a phrase related to the return of Jesus Christ: “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (found in 1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 5:23, and 2 Thessalonians 2:1) and “the coming of the Lord” (found in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 and James 5:7-8).
“Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand.”
2 Thessalonians 2:1-2
Notice that the coming is repeated many times. It is the “ἡ παρουσία” in Greek. Whether you are reading in Greek or English, it seems that we should understand this as a unique event that we are all looking forward to. Paul tells us it is at the Lord’s coming that we will be resurrected.
“But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.”
1 Corinthians 15:23-24
The catching up of the saints.
We then need to consider one of the most widely discussed passages in the realm of eschatology. 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. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 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. 16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
What do we notice here? It is that special event, the coming of the Lord. I would like to ask you, can you find any passage that talks about different comings of the Lord? I am not asking for you to agree with this, but isn’t it at least plausible that the rapture is simply part of His coming rather than some separate event? After all, the rapture is a resurrection, because the dead will be raised from the grave. It seems one would have to be told that the rapture is different from the Lord’s coming. How do you suppose the resurrection will work? What will it look like?
Why would we go up and right back down?
One of the objections to the rapture being part of the coming of the Lord is, why would we be caught up to return right back down? That is a good question, so can we find an answer to this? One excellent answer is that we see this in His first coming.
“All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, 7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.”
Matthew 21:4–13
Matthew says this is a prophetic fulfilment, and as we know, many times these are only pictures of greater fulfilment. Jesus came to Jerusalem to suffer on our behalf. He came meekly, riding on a young donkey because He came to save. Notice that His followers did not welcome Him as He entered Jerusalem; they went out to greet Him and usher Him into His rightful place. The people in the city asked Who is this? It was His followers who announced that it was their king! Next, we see Jesus cleansing the temple. The question is, couldn’t this be how His coming will be?
“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 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. 16 And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.”
Revelation 19:11-16
Jesus told Nicodemus that He did not come to condemn the world but to save it. That is precisely what He did. But when Jesus comes again, He comes to judge. Not on a colt, but on a war horse. He comes with His blood on His garment to justify His wrath. It is as if He is saying, ‘Look at what I did for you and see how you have treated my world.’ He will cleanse the world of those who have made merchandise of it.
He will return with His saints, who will proclaim this is our Lord, He is the one you rejected and killed us for. We are the victors.
“To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints.”
1 Thessalonians 3:13
The conclusion.
When we recognize a unique event called the Coming of the Lord, we make eschatology much simpler and more straightforward. We do not have to try to figure out what event we are reading about. There is only one event we are all looking for, and that is the coming of the Lord. Within that coming, He catches up, or resurrects His saints, to usher Him into His rightful kingdom and judges the earth.
There are still so many unanswered questions, but shouldn’t we start here? Should we try to take something that seems so straightforward and make it fit things that are so clear? Instead, shouldn’t we use this as our basis for understanding eschatology?
