The Second Coming of Christ

And a miracle is just what is going to take place in the form of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. We often associate the word "Armageddon" with the Second Coming, but that is only part of the story. We believe that the Second Coming of Christ is actually a three-stage event that will culminate with Jesus touching down on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

We do not believe that the Second Coming occurs on the last day of the Tribulation, a belief held by many Christians. Both Matthew and Mark in their Gospels make it clear that the Second Coming happens after the Tribulation ends. The last day of the Tribulation comes and goes without fanfare, and then Jesus returns. There is a 75 day gap between the end of the Tribulation and the start of the next phase of human history, what has become known as the "Millennium" period. So Jesus could come back anytime during that span.

As was mentioned, we feel that the Bible predicts that the Second Coming will come in three stages. We believe that the first stage takes place in the Valley of Megiddo, north of Jerusalem, and has come to be known as "The Battle of Armegeddon." It is actually poorly named, for there is no battle. Jesus comes down from heaven, accompanied by believers (who are merely spectators) and wipes out the Antichrist, the False Prophet and all of the army who have gathered there. The Antichrist and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire, the first residences of that horrid place.

We believe that Jesus then goes over to Petra, where another faction of the military is gathered trying to get at the Jewish people who have taken refuge there, and wipes them out as well. The third, and last leg of the Second Coming we believe will be to Jerusalem, where Jesus will come and take out the rest of Antichrist's military, and then will touch down on the Mount of Olives. We believe that it is in Jerusalem where He will headquarter a Kingdom here on earth that will last for a thousand years.

What we just gave you was obviously an extremely abbreviated version of the Second Coming, the Reader's Digest version so to speak. There's actually a lot more involved in it than what has just been described, so we would encourage you to do some of your own research.

The Bible makes it very clear that one reason that Jesus will come back to earth at the Second Coming, is because the Jewish people, the Jewish leadership, will ask Him to. Their backs will be up against the wall so badly, that they will call out for the Messiah to come and save them. And He will. Another reason that we feel He is coming back to earth is to set up what is called "The Millennial Kingdom" here on earth, which was promised to Israel. It is a time when Israel, for the first time in her history, will live in peace with her neighbors, which is all the Jewish people have ever wanted.

But before Christ sets up His thousand year reign here on earth, He has a little work to do.