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by Bill Perkins
Jesus promised His disciples that even though He had
to depart this earth, He would "come again" (John 14:3). An angel confirmed this truth to His disciples as Jesus left the earth some 2000 years ago from the Mount of Olives.
"They also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up from you into heaven, will come (again) in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven." Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,..." Acts 1:11-12
The prophetic hope of Jesus returning to Jerusalem as King of the Earth has comforted myriads of Believers through the years.
And return He will. Following 7 years of horrific seal and bowl judgments on the earth, Jesus physically returns to earth with a landing of seismic proportions on the Mount of Olives, completing His wrathful objectives.
2nd Coming / Day of the Lord Connection
This Second Coming coincides with the much-prophesied conclusion of the "Day of the Lord." It's Jesus' booming climactic conclusion to His "bowls of wrath" judgments that He had been unleashing on a sinful earth.
The Bible talks a lot about the "Day of the Lord" in very descriptive language. Here are a few verses to consider:
"Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it." Is. 13:9
"...For the day of the LORD is near, and it will come as destruction from the Almighty." Joel 1:15
"He will shatter kings in the day of His wrath" Ps. 110:5
"...In the day of His burning anger." Is. 13:13
Jesus' Second Coming is in two distinct parts: First to the Jews in the desert and then in the final battle with Satan.
First Jesus Returns to the Jews in the Desert
Jesus first returns to reveal His crucifixion scars to the Jews who refused to accept Him as their Messiah 2000 years ago.
These Jews will have been living in the desert for 3 1/2 years. This is because halfway through the Tribulation, those Jews who were attentive to the Bible's warnings left all their worldly possessions to flee when they saw the Abomination of Desolation standing in the rebuilt Jewish Temple.
"Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak." Mat 24:15
They that made it out alive ultimately gathered in the wilderness where they were protected from the last 3 1/2 years of Satan's unholy rule on earth.
"Then the woman (Israel) fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days (3 1/2 years)." Rev. 12:6
Isaiah 2 says the place to which the Jews will flee will humble them as they live in caverns, tombs and rocks. When Caves in Petra, Jordan the Abomination of Desolation stood in the Temple, those who dropped everything and made a beeline out of town were part of the 1/3 of the Jews to survive that day. Those that went back to grab anything worldly were captured and killed.
We think Petra is the most likely place the Jews will gather. (See articles on Petra HERE)
But at the end of the 3 1/2 years, the Jews hear the Antichrist is coming with the armies of the world to wipe them out. The 3 1/2 years they spent learning to depend on the Lord must have been good for them because they cry out to the Lord and He answers their prayers. He comes to them and they brokenheartedly see the scarred hands, side and feet from His crucifixion.
"And one will say to him, 'What are these wounds between your arms?' Then He will say, 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'" Zech. 13:6
This is the nation of Israel's "Come to Jesus" moment.
"I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. Zech. 12:10
Next Comes The Final Battle After reacquainting Himself with the surviving Jews, Jesus then departs to wipe out the Antichrist's world army of nations who had joined forces and gathered in the Jezreel Valley.
"And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory." Matt. 24:30
Often incorrectly referred to as the "Battle of Armageddon"
Armageddon, seen above from Mt. Carmel. Note the Israeli air strips that will undoubtedly be used.
(the battle takes place elsewhere, the armies only "gather" at Armageddon), Jesus wipes out the armies of the world who were marching to kill the remaining Jews in Petra. But not much of a fight, God always wins.
"And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him who sat on the horse and against His army." Rev. 19:19
Jesus then heads to the Mount of Olives, to the same place He departed the earth some 2000 years before. When His feet touch the mountain, what happens is amazing!
"In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south." Zech. 14:4
When Jesus' feet touch the Mount of Olives, the whole world will shake! Imagine this if you can:
First, the Mount of Olives not only collapses, it also splits in half, moving north and south, leaving a large flat valley in its place.
The Big Boom-Mountains Disappear Worldwide
But that's not all! Splitting the Mount of Olives sets off the largest earthquake ever...a worldwide boom!
"And there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder; and there was a great earthquake, such as there had not been since man came to be upon the earth, so great an earthquake was it, and so mighty." Rev. 16:18
"For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will." Matt. 24:21
This earthquake is so huge it affects the topography of the entire planet causing the remarkable collapse of ALL mountains worldwide (with the lone exception of Mt. Moriah).
"... the mountains also will be thrown down, the steep pathways will collapse and every wall will fall to the ground. Ezek. 38:20
"... and the mountains were not found." Rev 16:20
"Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts In the day of His burning anger." Is. 13:13
A Dark Day
All of these earthshaking events cause a lot of smoke and dust to cover the entire world.
"The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. Joel 2:31
"...It will be a day of clouds, a time of doom for the nations." Ezek. 30:3
"Alas, you who are longing for the day of the LORD, for what purpose will the day of the LORD be to you? It will be a day of darkness and not light;" Amos 5:18
"But immediately after the tribulation of those days THE SUN WILL BE DARKENED, AND THE MOON WILL NOT GIVE ITS LIGHT, AND THE STARS WILL FALL from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Matt. 24:29
"Will not the day of the LORD be darkness instead of light, even gloom with no brightness in it? Amos 5:20
"Before them the earth quakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and the moon grow dark and the stars lose their brightness." Joel 2:10
In addition to the mountains falling causing darkness, the massive worldwide earthquake causes all the islands in the world to disappear! "And every island fled away," Rev. 16:20
Obviously all this worldwide shaking will cause the oceans to go crazy, scaring the bejeebees out of people watching all of this take place.
"There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken." Luke 21:25-26
All this worldwide phenomena are hard to imagine, but do keep in mind that this IS the conclusion to the horrible tribulation judgment on the world....a judgment that Believers won't have to endure because God will have previously removed them via the Rapture.
Mount Moriah Raised
As the dust settles and the waves calm, Mt. Moriah will be raised to be the highest mountain on earth.
"Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will
stream to it." Is. 2:2
"All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site (foundation)..." Zech. 14:10
"You have not gone up into the breaches, nor did you build the wall around the house of Israel to stand in the battle on the day of the LORD." Ezek. 13:5
All the mountains fall, all the islands disappear, Mt. Moriah is raised to be the highest mountain and the world will know Jesus has defeated Satan and is now reigning as King of Kings. But there's even more to this story!
Moriah Gushes Godly Water
From the raised Mount Moriah, gushing from the southern end of the Temple Mount, comes a perpetual river. With the Mount of Olives and Mount Zion flattened to the east and west of the raised Mount Moriah, the water flows both west to the Mediterranean Sea and east to the Dead Sea.
"And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter." Zech, 14:8
This "Holy Water" from God's special place on earth will cause the Dead Sea to come alive! Currently nothing can live in the Dead Sea, but with God's special water flowing into it, it comes to life as a fisherman's paradise!
"Then he said to me, "These waters go out toward the eastern region and go down into the Arabah (Arabah = the desert plain from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea); then they go toward the sea, being made to flow into the sea, and the waters of the sea become fresh. It will come about that every living creature which swarms in every place where the river goes, will live. And there will be very many fish, for these waters go there and the others become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. And it will come about that fishermen will stand beside it; from Engedi to Eneglaim there will be a place for the spreading of nets. Their fish will be according to their kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea, very many." Ezek. 47:8-10
"...and a spring will go out from the house of the LORD to water the valley of Shittim." (Jordan River) Joel 3:18
"By the river on its bank, on one side and on the other, will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither and their fruit will not fail. They will bear every month because their water flows from the sanctuary, and their fruit will be for food and their leaves for healing." Ezek. 47:12
The Judgment of the Nations
With Jesus now rightly ruling as King of Kings, He judges the nations of the world from His throne that overlooks the newly created valley that is now adjacent to Mt. Moriah, where the Mount of Olives once stood.
Called the Valley of Jehoshaphat and the Valley of Decision, Jesus doles out judgment, especially to those who fought against Israel. Several verses talk about this:
"Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations." Joel 3:11-12
"For the day of the LORD draws near on all the nations. As you have done, it will be done to you. Your dealings will return on your own head." Obad. 15
"...when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats;" Matt. 25:31-32
"He will judge among the nations, He will fill them with corpses, He will shatter the chief men over a broad country." Ps. 110:6
"Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there. Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat, for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations." Joel 3:11-12
"Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision" ("decision" = God's verdict). Joel 3:14
"For behold, in those days and at that time, when I restore the fortunes of Judah and Jerusalem, I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat ("Jehoshaphat" = "Yahweh has judged"). Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; And they have divided up My land." Joel 3:1-2
Those who are allowed to live into the Millennium will be required to come to Jerusalem once a year to pay homage to Jesus on His throne. "Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Booths." Zech 14:16
Jesus Reigns for 1000 Years
"And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, ..." Rev. 20:2-3
With the world's mountains flattened, the weather will be more like it was prior to the flood. This means Jesus will reign without having to deal with harmful weather like tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, floods and lightning strikes.
Best of all, imagine a world with Jesus righteously ruling as King, Satan is bound and everyone uses the Bible as the rule of law. Pinch me!
PTL! This is truly something for which to look forward! "Surely it is near."
"Blow a trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm on My holy mountain! Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming; Surely it is near," Joel 2:1
BP
