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THE
SECOND COMING THE
TRIUMPHAL ENTRY Why would the rapture
include the dead people, if its main purpose were to spare the living
from the Great Tribulation? The Second Coming of Jesus
Christ will be very similar to his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem before his
crucifixion (Matt 21 and Luke 19).
Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher,
rebuke your disciples!” “I tell you,” he
replied, “If they keep quiet, the stones will cry out”
(Luke 19:39-40). The long awaited arrival of the Messiah in Jerusalem is one of the greatest events in earthly and celestial history. As one of the most magnificent events in all recorded time, it requires that all believers be in attendance. “After this I looked and
there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from
every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and
in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were
holding palm branches in their hands” (Rev 7:9).
Although excited people waved
palm branches and threw them on the ground for the first entry into
Jerusalem, as Jesus rode the donkey into the city, he was full of
disappointment and rejection. The
Second Coming, this new entry, will be full of victory, welcome and
celebration. The second entry is quite
different from the first: Instead of a young donkey, Jesus Christ rides
a white charger - a magnificent war horse; instead of a small group of excited followers, millions
of believers will literally fill the skies; instead of a disappointed
and rejected Messiah, Jesus will be the victorious, conquering Messiah,
the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords, Faithful and True. At the sound of the last
trumpet call of God, the believers will be lifted up in the air,
instantly clothed in fine linen, and carried by angels - transported to
the meeting place - Jerusalem. They
will be gathered and assembled together to meet Jesus in the air, to witness
and celebrate his triumphant return - the Second Coming!
I have this image in my mind
of millions upon millions of believers, forming something like a
gigantic valley running from the ground far up into the sky - from
Jerusalem on the ground, fanning outward and upward, along the pathway to where
Jesus Christ and the armies of heaven will emerge.
As the Second Coming begins, Jesus will emerge from heaven, and
believers will be on each side and below him - like a valley stretched before him
from the sky to the ground. There
will be singing, shouting, laughing (lots of joyous laughing), hooting
and hollering, arms waving, palm branches waving,
banners and flags waving, maybe even horns blowing: All joyously offered
in celebration and worship as the majestic procession marches past. THE
ARMIES OF THE SECOND COMING At the end of the Great Tribulation, Jerusalem is in danger of being completely destroyed by Satan. When Jesus Christ returns to the earth, he comes with more than one army. Part of his army is made up of the angels. Jesus said, “When the Son
of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him…”
(Matt 24:31). Perhaps
archangels will lead two armies. We
know the angels are at war in heaven.
“And there was war in heaven.
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon
and his angels fought back” (Rev 12:7).
“Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me,
because I was detained there with the king of Persia” (Dan 10:12-13). “I saw heaven standing open
and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful
and True. With justice he judges and makes war. The armies
of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and
dressed in fine linen, white and clean” (Rev 19:11, 14).
Note that there are armies - plural, more than one. All of the armies are wearing “fine linen, white and clean.” We know that the believers are dressed in fine linen, white and clean (Rev 7:9, 19:8). We might assume that one or more of the armies are made up of the Old Testament saints, with generals and leaders like David, Moses and Joshua in the lead. The Old Testament saints were resurrected previously when Jesus rose from the dead. Zechariah prophesied, “On
that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of
Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to
west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving
north and half moving south...Then the Lord my God will come, and all
the holy ones with him.” (Zech 14:4-5). Finally, some present-day
believers imagine that they could be in the attacking armies. I don’t think that’s possible because of the timing.
It is more likely that we will arrive at Jerusalem just in time
to witness and celebrate the Second Coming.
It is also noteworthy that even in a heavenly body, a person
should not assume they would instantly be prepared to ride on an
apparently flying horse, into a real
battle, into real combat, and know what they were supposed to do, where
to go, and how to do it.
There won't be anything wrong with standing on the sidelines jumping
and laughing and shouting and clapping like a crazy person, full of joy
and excitement.
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