All scripture is copied from the New King James Version unless noted otherwise.
The 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ... Was It 1 Coming or 2 Comings?
Short Answer: 2... There was an Erchomai within the Parousia.
In order to understand the answer one must understand what the Greek words "erchomai" and "parousia" mean.
Word Summary: parousia: a presence, a coming
Transliteration: parousia
Phonetic Spelling: (par-oo-see'-ah)
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Meaning: a presence, a coming
Strong's Concordance: coming, presence.
From the present participle of pareimi; a being near, i.e. Advent (often, return; specially, of Christ to punish Jerusalem, or finally the wicked); (by implication) physically, aspect -- coming, presence.
PAROUSIA means PRESENCE and the first time that it is used in the New Testament is in Matthew 24:3. It is translated as COMING... (NKJV) Matthew 24:3 Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your COMING, and of the end of the age?"
The Disciples asked for the SIGN of His Coming or Presence which seems like an odd question to me. If I were expecting a visitor the sign of their presence would be their vehicle coming down my driveway or them ringing my doorbell. Their presence would be obvious. So evidently the Disciples were NOT expecting to be able to SEE Jesus at His PAROUSIA so they asked Him for a sign of it.
The next use of the word PAROUSIA is in Matthew 24:27... "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the COMING of the Son of Man be. Matthew 24:28 For wherever the CARCASS is, there the EAGLES will be gathered together." Jesus reveals that the obvious SIGN of His Parousia is CARCASSES or Dead Bodies and the EAGLES around them. Eagles is translated from the Greek word AETOS.
Word Summary: aetos: an eagle
Transliteration: aetos
Phonetic Spelling: (ah-et-os')
Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine
Meaning: an eagle
Strong's Concordance: eagle.
From the same as aer; an eagle (from its wind-like flight) -- eagle.
Some versions such as the ESV, NASB, NIV, NRSV and others have translated aetos as "VULTURES". I believe that is a bad translation. The use of the Greek word "aetos" or the English word "eagles" may have been slang or a code word in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37. It may refer to the Roman soldiers. The Greek word AETOS is only used 4 (KJV) or 5 (NASB) times in the New Testament and the only times that it is translated as VULTURES in the ESV, NASB, NIV, and NRSV is in Matthew 24:28 and Luke 17:37 which is the parallel verse to Matthew 24:28... (ESV) And they said to him, “Where, Lord?” He said to them, “Where the corpse is, there the VULTURES will gather.”
The Apostolic Bible Polyglot is a Greek-English Interlinear of the Greek Septuagint and New Testament coded to Strong's numbers. Greek words which appear in the Septuagint but not in the New Testament are inserted with decimal points, such as G1135.3. AETOS (Strong's G105) appears in the Apostolic Bible Polyglot (ABP) 33 times (28 times in the Old Testament & 5 times in the New Testament) and it is ALWAYS translated as eagle or eagles. The words vulture or vultures only appear in the Old Testament 5 times and the Strong's number that is associated with it is G1135.3.
Free printable PDF's of the Apostolic Bible Polyglot may be downloaded and printed editions may be purchased at www.apostolicbible.com.
Here's what the following Bible Commentators have to say about Matthew 24:28...
Albert Barnes: The words in this verse are proverbial. Vultures and eagles easily ascertain where dead bodies are, and hasten to devour them. So with the Roman army, Jerusalem is like a dead and putrid corpse. Its life is gone, and it is ready to be devoured. The Roman armies will find it out, as the vultures do a dead carcass, and will come around it to devour it. This proverb also teaches a universal truth. Wherever wicked people are, there will be assembled the instruments of their chastisement. The providence of God will direct them there, as the vultures are directed to a dead carcass.
This verse is connected with the preceding by the word “for,” implying that this is a reason for what is said there that the Son of man would certainly come to destroy the city, and that he would come suddenly. The meaning is that he would come, by means of the Roman armies, as “certainly;” as “suddenly,” and as unexpectedly as whole flocks of vultures and eagles, though unseen before, see their prey at a great distance and suddenly gather in multitudes around it. Travelers in the deserts of Arabia tell us that they sometimes witness a speck in the distant sky which for a long time is scarcely visible. At length it grows larger, it comes nearer, and they at last find that it is a vulture that has from an immense distance seen a carcass lying on the sand. So keen is their vision as aptly to represent the Roman armies, though at an immense distance, spying, as it were, Jerusalem, a putrid carcass, and hastening in multitudes to destroy it.
Joseph Benson: For as the lightning cometh out of the east — The coming of the Son of man shall be in a very different manner, and for very different ends from what you are imagining. It shall be like lightning, swift, unexpected, and destructive. His appearance will be as distinguishable from that of every false Christ, as lightning, which shines all round the hemisphere, is from a blaze of straw. What Bishop Pearce observes from Josephus is very memorable, that “the Roman army entered into Judea on the east side of it, and carried on their conquests westward, as if not only the extensiveness of the ruin, but the very route which the army would take, was intended in the comparison of the lightning coming out of the east, and shining even unto the west.”
For wheresoever the carcass is — For though the coming of the Son of man shall be like lightning, swift, spreading, and destructive, yet he will not come personally; his servants only shall come, the Roman armies, who by his command shall destroy this nation as eagles devour their prey. Thus our Lord, after his usual manner, applies a proverbial expression with a particular meaning; and the Romans are very properly compared to eagles, both because eagles are the fiercest birds of prey, and because the Roman ensign was an eagle, to which probably our Lord alluded in this passage.
Adam Clarke: For wheresoever the carcass is - the dead carcass. The Jewish nation, which was morally and judicially dead.
There will the eagles - The Roman armies, called so partly from their strength and fierceness, and partly from the figure of these animals which was always wrought on their ensigns, or even in brass, placed on the tops of their ensign-staves. It is remarkable that the Roman fury pursued these wretched men wheresoever they were found. They were a dead carcass doomed to be devoured; and the Roman eagles were the commissioned devourers. See the pitiful account in Josephus, War, b. vii. c. 2, 3, 6, 9, 10, and 11.
John Gill: there will the eagles be gathered together: not particular believers here, or all the saints at the day of judgment; though these may be, as they are, compared to eagles for many things; as their swiftness in flying to Christ, their sagacity and the sharpness of their spiritual sight, soaring on high, and renewing their spiritual strength and youth: but here the Roman armies are intended, whose ensigns were eagles; and the eagle still is, to this day, the ensign of the Roman empire: formerly other creatures, with the eagle, were used for ensigns; but C. Marius, in his second consulship, banished them, and appropriated the eagle only to the legions: nor was it a single eagle that was carried before the army, but every legion had an eagle went before it, made of gold or silver, and carried upon the top of a spear (z): and the sense of this passage is this, that wherever the Jews were, whether at Jerusalem, where the body and carcass of them was, in a most forlorn and desperate condition; or in any other parts of the country, the Roman eagles, or legions, would find them out, and make an utter destruction of them.
Robert Hawker: "I pause at this verse, respecting the carcass, and the gathering together of the eagles, to correct any error which might arise, as if it implied, that where Christ and his Gospel are, believers will flock. No doubt to Christ the gathering of the people shall be. But the term carcass, would but in suit with the person and glory of Christ. I rather conceive that by carcass, is meant the slaughtered state of the Jews; and that the Roman soldiers, whose ensign was that of an eagle, would be assembled to their destruction."
John Wesley: For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles he gathered together - Our Lord gives this, as a farther reason, why they should not hearken to any pretended deliverer. As if he had said, Expect not any deliverer of the Jewish nation; for it is devoted to destruction. It is already before God a dead carcass, which the Roman eagles will soon devour.
So Jesus was PRESENT but NOT visible when the Roman Army (EAGLES) were gathered around the CARCASSES of the Judeans. This occurred during the Jewish-Roman War of course which was the WRATH OF THE LAMB, the judgment upon the Living in Judea for shedding innocent blood and rejecting the Messiah... JESUS SAID - Matthew 23:29 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, Matthew 23:30 and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Matthew 23:31 "Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Matthew 23:32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers' guilt. Matthew 23:33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? Matthew 23:34 Therefore, indeed, I SEND YOU PROPHETS, WISE MEN, AND SCRIBES: SOME OF THEM YOU WILL KILL AND CRUCIFY, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, Matthew 23:35 that ON YOU MAY COME ALL THE RIGHTEOUS BLOOD SHED ON THE EARTH, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. Matthew 23:36 Assuredly, I say to you, ALL THESE THINGS WILL COME UPON THIS GENERATION." JESUS ALSO SAID... Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, Luke 19:42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. Luke 19:43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, Luke 19:44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and THEY WILL NOT LEAVE IN YOU ONE STONE UPON ANOTHER, BECAUSE YOU DID NOT KNOW THE TIME OF YOUR VISITATION."
The War began in AD 66 and the Parousia may have begun with the following event...
EVENT: Chariots and troops were seen among the clouds, and surrounding of cities
HEBREW DATE: 21 Iyyar 3826
DAY OF WEEK: Sunday
GREGORIAN DATE: May 2, 66
SOURCE: Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 6, Chapter 5, Paragraph 3
"Besides these, a few days after that feast, ON THE ONE AND TWENTIETH DAY OF THE MONTH ARTEMISIUS, [JYAR,] a certain prodigious and INCREDIBLE PHENOMENON APPEARED: I suppose the account of it would seem to be a fable, were it not related by those that saw it, and were not the events that followed it of so considerable a nature as to deserve such signals; for, BEFORE SUN-SETTING, CHARIOTS AND TROOPS OF SOLDIERS IN THEIR ARMOR WERE SEEN RUNNING ABOUT AMONG THE CLOUDS, AND SURROUNDING OF CITIES."
This may have been the beginning of the PAROUSIA (Presence) of the Lord. It is similar to the way Jesus described it in Matthew 24:27: "For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the COMING (Parousia) of the Son of Man be." The parallel verse (Luke 17:24) says... "For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in HIS DAY."
The Gospels of Mark and Luke never use the Greek word "PAROUSIA". Instead of COMING in Luke 17:24 the phrase "HIS DAY" is used and this is what Luke wrote about it... Luke 17:25 But first He must suffer many things and be REJECTED BY THIS GENERATION. Luke 17:26 And as it was in the DAYS OF NOAH, so it will be also in the DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN: Luke 17:27 They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and THE FLOOD CAME AND DESTROYED THEM ALL. Luke 17:28 Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; Luke 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom IT RAINED FIRE AND BRIMSTONE FROM HEAVEN AND DESTROYED THEM ALL. Luke 17:30 Even so will it be in THE DAY WHEN THE SON OF MAN IS REVEALED. Luke 17:31 "IN THAT DAY, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away. And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back. Luke 17:32 Remember Lot's wife. Luke 17:33 Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it. Luke 17:34 I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed: the one will be TAKEN and the other will be left. Luke 17:35 Two women will be grinding together: the one will be TAKEN and the other left. Luke 17:36 Two men will be in the field: the one will be TAKEN and the other left." Luke 17:37 And they answered and said to Him, "WHERE, LORD?" So He said to them, "WHEREVER THE BODY IS, THERE THE EAGLES WILL BE GATHERED TOGETHER." The Generation that had rejected Jesus as the Messiah was coming to its END. "HIS DAY" wasn't for just a day. It was also called "DAYS OF THE SON OF MAN" (17:26) and they did not end until AFTER the Temple, Jerusalem and the Nation of Judea were Destroyed! The ones who were "TAKEN" had their lives taken in the war. This context does not describe them being taken to Heaven as some Futurists claim!
There was another very important event that occurred during the PAROUSIA... on the LAST DAY OF THE AGE to be exact and that was the RESURRECTION of the Righteous/Just and the Unrighteous/Unjust... 1 Corinthians 15:22 For as in Adam all die, even so IN CHRIST all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:23 But each one in his own ORDER: (1st Resurrection) CHRIST the firstfruits, (2nd Resurrection) afterward THOSE WHO ARE CHRIST'S AT HIS COMING (Parousia). 1 Corinthians 15:24 Then comes THE END, WHEN HE DELIVERS THE KINGDOM TO GOD THE FATHER, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 1 Corinthians 15:25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 1 Corinthians 15:26 THE LAST ENEMY THAT WILL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH.
1 Corinthians 15:23 doesn't say anything about the Resurrection of the Unrighteous/Unjust and some want to put their resurrection years later. However, Paul stated that there was ABOUT TO BE a resurrection of BOTH the righteous and the unrighteous... (YLT) Acts 24:14 "And I confess this to thee, that, according to the way that they call a sect, so serve I the God of the fathers, believing all things that in the law and the prophets have been written, Acts 24:15 having hope toward God, which they themselves also wait for, that THERE IS ABOUT TO BE A RISING AGAIN OF THE DEAD, BOTH OF RIGHTEOUS AND UNRIGHTEOUS" (Young's Literal Translation). The phrase "about to be" is translated from the Greek word MELLO.
Word Summary: mello: to be about to
Transliteration: mello
Phonetic Spelling: (mel'-lo)
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: to be about to
Strong's Concordance: to be about to
The Apostle Paul also said that Jesus was ABOUT TO JUDGE LIVING AND DEAD... (YLT) 2 Timothy 4:1 "I do fully testify, then, before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ABOUT TO JUDGE LIVING AND DEAD at his manifestation and his reign" (Young's Literal Translation). Here again, the phrase "about to be" is translated from the Greek word MELLO. The LIVING UNBELIEVING JUDEANS were judged during the PAROUSIA and the DEAD were judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. So those UNBELIEVERS were JUDGED TWICE and they also DIED TWICE!
Jesus also indicated that the Righteous and Unrighteous would be raised and judged at the same time... John 5:28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which ALL WHO ARE IN THE GRAVES WILL HEAR HIS VOICE John 5:29 AND COME FORTH—THOSE WHO HAVE DONE GOOD, TO THE RESURRECTION OF LIFE, AND THOSE WHO HAVE DONE EVIL, TO THE RESURRECTION OF CONDEMNATION.
Martha knew that the Resurrection was at the LAST DAY... John 11:24 Martha said to Him, "I know that he will rise again IN THE RESURRECTION AT THE LAST DAY." John 11:25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live." Jesus had already revealed that He would RAISE the Believers "AT THE LAST DAY"... John 6:38 "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. John 6:39 This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of ALL HE HAS GIVEN ME I should lose nothing, but should RAISE IT UP AT THE LAST DAY. John 6:40 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that EVERYONE WHO SEES THE SON AND BELIEVES IN HIM MAY HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE; and I WILL RAISE HIM UP AT THE LAST DAY."
Furthermore, the Prophet Daniel put the Resurrection and Judgment of BOTH the Just & Unjust at the same time... Daniel 12:2 And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, SOME TO SHAME AND EVERLASTING CONTEMPT.
In 1 Corinthians 15:24 (above) we read that the END comes "WHEN HE (Christ) DELIVERS THE KINGDOM TO GOD THE FATHER". The Kingdom includes the King and His ELECT so they had be GATHERED TOGETHER and DELIVERED to the FATHER... Matthew 24:29 "IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Matthew 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and THEY WILL SEE the Son of Man COMING on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." The word COMING in Matthew 24:30 is translated from the Greek word ERCHOMAI.
The parallel verses in the Gospel of Mark say... Mark 13:24 "But in those days, AFTER THAT TRIBULATION, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; Mark 13:25 the stars of heaven will fall, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. Mark 13:26 Then THEY WILL SEE the Son of Man COMING in the clouds with great power and glory. Mark 13:27 And then He will send His angels, and GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, from the farthest part of earth to the farthest part of heaven." The word COMING in Mark 13:26 is translated from the Greek word ERCHOMAI.
The parallel verses in the Gospel of Luke say... Luke 21:24 "And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled. Luke 21:25 "And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; Luke 21:26 men's hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Luke 21:27 THEN THEY WILL SEE the Son of Man COMING in a cloud with power and great glory. Luke 21:28 Now when these things begin to happen, LOOK UP and lift up your heads, BECAUSE YOUR REDEMPTION DRAWS NEAR." The word COMING in Luke 21:27 is translated from the Greek word ERCHOMAI.
Word Summary: erchomai: to come, go
Transliteration: erchomai
Phonetic Spelling: (er'-khom-ahee)
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: to come, go
ERCHOMAI is a verb and it means to come or go which indicates movement from one place to another. The Gathering of the Elect was an Erchomai within the Parousia or a Coming within a Coming. Therefore, it could be said that the 2nd Coming was 2 Comings but it includes only 1 PAROUSIA of Jesus Christ and 1 GATHERING OF THE ELECT. It sure would be less confusing if the translators had translated PAROUSIA as PRESENCE instead of COMING!
Jesus revealed WHEN the GATHERING OF THE ELECT was going to occur. It was going to be "IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION" (Matthew 24:29 & Mark 13:24) and BEFORE THAT GENERATION had passed away (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 & Luke 21:32)... The Gospel of Luke doesn't use the phrase "after the/that tribulation" but confirms that the tribulation in Matthew & Mark was the Jewish-Roman War of the 1st century by stating "they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations" in Luke 21:24. Also, the Gospel of Luke does not use the phrase "gather together his elect" but uses the word "REDEMPTION" in Luke 21:28 to describe the same event. Why would Jesus tell His Disciples to "LOOK UP" if NO ONE was going to be able to SEE HIM? Was He a practical joker and just wanted everyone to get a crick in their neck? Answer: NO! Luke 21:28 is WHEN Jesus Gathered Together His ELECT (Dead & Living) and DELIVERED them to the Father! "REDEMPTION" in Luke 21:28 is translated from the Greek word APOLYTROSIS.
Word Summary: apolytrosis: a release effected by payment of ransom
Transliteration: apolytrosis
Phonetic Spelling: (ap-ol-oo'-tro-sis)
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Meaning: a release effected by payment of ransom
Strong's Concordance: DELIVERANCE, redemption.
From a compound of apo and lutron; (the act) ransom in full, i.e. (figuratively) riddance, or (specially) Christian salvation -- deliverance, redemption.
According to Strong's APOLYTROSIS can be translated as DELIVERANCE. Since Christ was talking to His Disciples before His Crucifixion & Resurrection in Luke 21:28, the Disciples would not have received the Forgiveness of Sins or Salvation under the New Covenant yet. However, by the time that Paul wrote Galatians and Peter wrote 1 Peter the Believers had been REDEEMED from the CURSE of the LAW - WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST... Galatians 3:13 CHRIST HAS REDEEMED US FROM THE CURSE OF THE LAW, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "CURSED IS EVERYONE WHO HANGS ON A TREE"). 1 Peter 1:17 And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one's work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; 1 Peter 1:18 knowing that YOU WERE NOT REDEEMED WITH CORRUPTIBLE THINGS, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, 1 Peter 1:19 but WITH THE PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
Some Preterists believe that Luke 21:28 shows that the 1st Century Christians sins were not forgiven until Christ returned in AD 70. They also use Hebrews 9:28 as a prooftext... Hebrews 9:27 "And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, Hebrews 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. TO THOSE WHO EAGERLY WAIT FOR HIM HE WILL APPEAR A SECOND TIME, APART FROM SIN, FOR SALVATION." The SALVATION that is mentioned in Hebrews 9:28 is NOT about the forgiveness of sins just as the verse states. The Believers had already received forgiveness... Ephesians 1:7 "In Him WE HAVE redemption through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS, according to the riches of His grace" AND Colossians 1:13 "He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Colossians 1:14 in whom WE HAVE redemption through His blood, THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS." The word "SALVATION" is translated from the Greek word SOTERIA and it also means DELIVERANCE which would have been a better word to use in Hebrews 9:28.
Word Summary: soteria: deliverance, salvation
Transliteration: soteria
Phonetic Spelling: (so-tay-ree'-ah)
Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Meaning: deliverance, salvation
Strong's Concordance: deliver, save
Feminine of a derivative of soter as (properly, abstract) noun; rescue or safety (physically or morally) -- deliver, health, salvation, save, saving.
The Kingdom Bible translates SOTERIA as DELIVERANCE: (TKB) Hebrews 9:28 so Christ also, being offered once to bear the sins of many; and to those who are looking for Him, He will be seen out from the second time, apart from sin for DELIVERANCE.
The word SALVATION (SOTERIA) should also have been translated as DELIVERANCE in Romans 13:11 "And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our SALVATION is nearer than when we first believed." They were already Believers but they were about to be SAVED or DELIVERED from this Sinful World to Heaven. The Kingdom Bible translates it correctly again... (TKB) Romans 13:11 So that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our DELIVERANCE closer than when we believed.
The Apostle Paul wrote about the same Gathering of the Elect as Matthew 24:31 and Mark 13:27... 1 Thessalonians 4:14 "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so GOD WILL BRING WITH HIM THOSE WHO SLEEP IN JESUS. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN UNTIL THE COMING (Parousia) OF THE LORD will by no means precede those who are asleep. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the TRUMPET of God. And THE DEAD IN CHRIST WILL RISE FIRST. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 THEN WE WHO ARE ALIVE AND REMAIN SHALL BE CAUGHT UP TOGETHER WITH THEM in the clouds to meet the Lord in the AIR. And thus WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD." Paul said that the DEAD would be GATHERED first and then "WE WHO ARE ALIVE" so He was indicating that it would happen before all of them had died. 1 Thessalonians 4:15 could be interpreted to mean that the Gathering of the Elect occurs at the beginning of the Parousia. That's why it is important to study all scripture associated with a subject when determining the correct interpretation.
2 Thessalonians 2:1 "Now, brethren, concerning the COMING (Parousia) of our Lord Jesus Christ and OUR GATHERING TOGETHER TO HIM, we ask you, 2 Thessalonians 2:2 not to be soon shaken in mind or troubled, either by spirit or by word or by letter, as if from us, as though THE DAY OF CHRIST HAD COME." 2 Thessalonians 2:1 is referring to the same "COMING" as written about previously in 1 Thessalonians. The Day of Christ or the PAROUSIA was NOT just 1 Day but it was a period of time that included the Wrath of the Lamb (Jewish-Roman War) on the Unbelieving Judeans as well as the Resurrection which occurred at the end of the PAROUSIA. The phrase "GATHERING TOGETHER" in 2 Thessalonians 2:1 is translated from the Greek word "EPISYNAGO".
Word Summary: episynago: to gather together
Transliteration: episynago
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-soon-ag'-o)
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: to gather together
Strong's Concordance: gather together.
From epi and sunago; to collect upon the same place - gather (together).
EPISYNAGO is also used in Matthew 24:31 and it is referring to the same event... "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall GATHER TOGETHER (Episynago) his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." Christ revealed WHEN this GATHERING TOGETHER would occur... "Assuredly, I say to you, THIS GENERATION WILL BY NO MEANS PASS AWAY TILL ALL THESE THINGS TAKE PLACE" (Matthew 24:34, Mark 13:30 & Luke 21:32).
Christ's COMING (Erchomai) in Revelation 1:7 is the SAME COMING as Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27 and 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17... "Behold, He is COMING (Erchomai) with clouds, and EVERY EYE WILL SEE HIM, even they who pierced Him. And ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN because of Him. Even so, Amen." The timeframe for Christ's COMING in Revelation 1:7 is given in Revelation 1:1... "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—THINGS WHICH MUST SHORTLY TAKE PLACE." In Revelation 1:7 the Apostle John seems to be referring to what Jesus said in Matthew 24:30: "Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then ALL THE TRIBES OF THE EARTH WILL MOURN, AND THEY WILL SEE THE SON OF MAN COMING (Erchomai) ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN with power and great glory."
Did you notice in Matthew 24:30, Mark 13:26, Luke 21:27 and Revelation 1:7 that "THEY WILL SEE the Son of Man COMING on/in the clouds"? So did anyone actually SEE JESUS on the "LAST DAY" of the Old Covenant Age? The short answer is "YES" but you will have to read the following article for all the details...
Jesus revealed WHEN the Great Tribulation was going to occur. It was going to be AFTER the Abomination of Desolation (Matthew 24:15)... Matthew 24:21 "FOR THEN THERE WILL BE GREAT TRIBULATION, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. Matthew 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but FOR THE ELECT'S SAKE THOSE DAYS WILL BE SHORTENED." People argue and speculate about the "Abomination of Desolation" but knowing what it was is not necessary for determining WHEN the Great Tribulation began because Luke provided a better clue and that was AFTER Jerusalem was surrounded by armies... Luke 21:20 "But WHEN YOU SEE JERUSALEM SURROUNDED BY ARMIES, then know that ITS DESOLATION IS NEAR. Luke 21:21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. Luke 21:22 For these are the DAYS OF VENGEANCE, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Luke 21:23 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be GREAT DISTRESS IN THE LAND AND WRATH UPON THIS PEOPLE."
Jesus had prophesied about the Destruction of Jerusalem before. We read about it already (Luke 19:41-44). Jerusalem was surrounded by Titus and the Roman Armies in AD 70 before the Temple and Jerusalem were destroyed but Jesus was NOT talking about that event in Luke 21:20. It was too late to escape then. In late September of AD 66, the Jews attacked the Roman army led by Cestius at Gabao and killed 515... "But as for the Jews, when they saw the war approaching to their metropolis, they left the feast (TABERNACLES), and betook themselves to their arms; and taking courage greatly from their multitude, went in a sudden and disorderly manner to the fight, with a great noise, and without any consideration had of the rest of the seventh day, although the Sabbath (20th of Tishrei 3827) was the day to which they had the greatest regard; but that rage which made them forget the religious observation [of the sabbath] made them too hard for their enemies in the fight: with such violence therefore did they fall upon the Romans, as to break into their ranks, and to march through the midst of them, making a great slaughter as they went, insomuch that unless the horsemen, and such part of the footmen as were not yet tired in the action, had wheeled round, and succored that part of the army which was not yet broken, Cestius, with his whole army, had been in danger: however, five hundred and fifteen of the Romans were slain, of which number four hundred were footmen, and the rest horsemen, while the Jews lost only twenty-two, of whom the most valiant were the kinsmen of Monobazus, king of Adiabene, and their names were Monobazus and Kenedeus; and next to them were Niger of Perea, and Silas of Babylon, who had deserted from king Agrippa to the Jews; for he had formerly served in his army. When the front of the Jewish army had been cut off, the Jews retired into the city; but still Simon, the son of Giora, fell upon the backs of the Romans, as they were ascending up Bethoron, and put the hindmost of the army into disorder, and carried off many of the beasts that carded the weapons of war, and led Shem into the city. But as Cestius tarried there three days, the Jews seized upon the elevated parts of the city, and set watches at the entrances into the city, and appeared openly resolved not to rest when once the Romans should begin to march." - Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 19, Paragraph 2
Cestius pursued the Jews to Jerusalem and made camp on the elevation called Scopus about the 2nd of October (27 Tishrei 3827)... "But now Cestius, observing that the disturbances that were begun among the Jews afforded him a proper opportunity to attack them, took his whole army along with him, and put the Jews to flight, and pursued them to Jerusalem. He then pitched his camp upon the elevation called Scopus, [or watch-tower,] which was distant seven furlongs from the city; yet did not he assault them in three days’ time, out of expectation that those within might perhaps yield a little; and in the mean time he sent out a great many of his soldiers into neighboring villages, to seize upon their corn." - Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 19, Paragraph 4
Three days later on about October 5th, AD 66, (30 Tishrei 3827)...
4. "Cestius and his army entered Jerusalem and set the new part of the city on fire... "And on the fourth day, which was the thirtieth of the month Hyperbereteus, [Tisri,] when he had put his army in array, he brought it into the city. Now for the people, they were kept under by the seditious; but the seditious themselves were greatly affrighted at the good order of the Romans, and retired from the suburbs, and retreated into the inner part of the city, and into the temple. But when Cestius was come into the city, he set the part called Bezetha, which is called Cenopolis, [or the new city,] on fire; as he did also to the timber market; after which he came into the upper city, and pitched his camp over against the royal palace; and had he but at this very time attempted to get within the walls by force, he had won the city presently, and the war had been put an end to at once; but Tyrannius Priseus, the muster-master of the army, and a great number of the officers of the horse, had been corrupted by Florus, and diverted him from that his attempt; and that was the occasion that this war lasted so very long, and thereby the Jews were involved in such incurable calamities.
5. In the mean time, many of the principal men of the city were persuaded by Ananus, the son of Jonathan, and invited Cestius into the city, and were about to open the gates for him; but he overlooked this offer, partly out of his anger at the Jews, and partly because he did not thoroughly believe they were in earnest; whence it was that he delayed the matter so long, that the seditious perceived the treachery, and threw Ananus and those of his party down from the wall, and, pelting them with stones, drove them into their houses; but they stood themselves at proper distances in the towers, and threw their darts at those that were getting over the wall. Thus did the Romans make their attack against the wall for five days, but to no purpose. But on the next day Cestius took a great many of his choicest men, and with them the archers, and attempted to break into the temple at the northern quarter of it; but the Jews beat them off from the cloisters, and repulsed them several times when they were gotten near to the wall, till at length the multitude of the darts cut them off, and made them retire; but the first rank of the Romans rested their shields upon the wall, and so did those that were behind them, and the like did those that were still more backward, and guarded themselves with what they call Testudo, [the back of] a tortoise, upon which the darts that were thrown fell, and slided off without doing them any harm; so the soldiers undermined the wall, without being themselves hurt, and got all things ready for setting fire to the gate of the temple.
6. And now it was that a horrible fear seized upon the seditious, insomuch that many of them ran out of the city, as though it were to be taken immediately; but the people upon this took courage, and where the wicked part of the city gave ground, thither did they come, in order to set open the gates, and to admit Cestius (30) as their benefactor, who, had he but continued the siege a little longer, had certainly taken the city; but it was, I suppose, owing to the aversion God had already at the city and the sanctuary, that he was hindered from putting an end to the war that very day." - Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 19, Paragraphs 4-6
Then on about October 10th, AD 66, (5 Cheshvan 3827) for no apparent reason Cestius and his army left Jerusalem and camped at Scopus overnight and then they fled to Gabao where they stayed for 2 days... 7. "It then happened that Cestius was not conscious either how the besieged despaired of success, nor how courageous the people were for him; and so he recalled his soldiers from the place, and by despairing of any expectation of taking it, without having received any disgrace, he retired from the city, without any reason in the world. But when the robbers perceived this unexpected retreat of his, they resumed their courage, and ran after the hinder parts of his army, and destroyed a considerable number of both their horsemen and footmen; and now Cestius lay all night at the camp which was at Scopus; and as he went off farther next day, he thereby invited the enemy to follow him, who still fell upon the hindmost, and destroyed them; they also fell upon the flank on each side of the army, and threw darts upon them obliquely, nor durst those that were hindmost turn back upon those who wounded them behind, as imagining that the multitude of those that pursued them was immense; nor did they venture to drive away those that pressed upon them on each side, because they were heavy with their arms, and were afraid of breaking their ranks to pieces, and because they saw the Jews were light, and ready for making incursions upon them. And this was the reason why the Romans suffered greatly, without being able to revenge themselves upon their enemies; so they were galled all the way, and their ranks were put into disorder, and those that were thus put out of their ranks were slain; among whom were Priscus, the commander of the sixth legion, and Longinus, the tribune, and Emilius Secundus, the commander of a troop of horsemen. So it was not without difficulty that they got to Gabao, their former camp, and that not without the loss of a great part of their baggage. There it was that Cestius staid two days, and was in great distress to know what he should do in these circumstances; but when on the third day he saw a still much greater number of enemies, and all the parts round about him full of Jews, he understood that his delay was to his own detriment, and that if he staid any longer there, he should have still more enemies upon him.
8. That therefore he might fly the faster, he gave orders to cast away what might hinder his army’s march; so they killed the mules and other creatures, excepting those that carried their darts and machines, which they retained for their own use, and this principally because they were afraid lest the Jews should seize upon them. He then made his army march on as far as Bethoron. Now the Jews did not so much press upon them when they were in large open places; but when they were penned up in their descent through narrow passages, then did some of them get before, and hindered them from getting out of them; and others of them thrust the hinder-most down into the lower places; and the whole multitude extended themselves over against the neck of the passage, and covered the Roman army with their darts. In which circumstances, as the footmen knew not how to defend themselves, so the danger pressed the horsemen still more, for they were so pelted, that they could not march along the road in their ranks, and the ascents were so high, that the cavalry were not able to march against the enemy; the precipices also and valleys into which they frequently fell, and tumbled down, were such on each side of them, that there was neither place for their flight, nor any contrivance could be thought of for their defense; till the distress they were at last in was so great, that they betook themselves to lamentations, and to such mournful cries as men use in the utmost despair: the joyful acclamations of the Jews also, as they encouraged one another, echoed the sounds back again, these last composing a noise of those that at once rejoiced and were in a rage. Indeed, things were come to such a pass, that the Jews had almost taken Cestius’s entire army prisoners, had not the night come on, when the Romans fled to Bethoron, and the Jews seized upon all the places round about them, and watched for their coming out [in the morning]." - Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 19, Paragraphs 7-8
Christians may have fled the city of Jerusalem before the Roman Army entered Jerusalem or they may have fled after the Roman Army left the vicinity or both. Sometime after Cestius and the Roman army left Jerusalem there were many Jews who left Jerusalem... "AFTER this calamity had befallen Cestius, many of the most eminent of the Jews swam away from the city, as from a ship when it was going to sink; Costobarus, therefore, and Saul, who were brethren, together with Philip, the son of Jacimus, who was the commander of king Agrippa’s forces, ran away from the city, and went to Cestius. But then how Antipas, who had been besieged with them in the king’s palace, but would not fly away with them, was afterward slain by the seditious, we shall relate hereafter. However, Cestius sent Saul and his friends, at their own desire, to Achaia, to Nero, to inform him of the great distress they were in, and to lay the blame of their kindling the war upon Florus, as hoping to alleviate his own danger, by provoking his indignation against Florus." - Wars Of The Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book 2, Chapter 20, Paragraph 1
The following is quoted from the book - THE CHURCH HISTORY OF EUSEBIUS, REV. ARTHUR CUSHMAN McGIFFERT, Ph.D., pp. 271-272.
"But the people of the church in Jerusalem had been commanded by a revelation, vouchsafed to approved men there before the war, to leave the city and to dwell in a certain town of Perea called PELLA.(631) And when those that believed in Christ had come thither from Jerusalem, then, as if the royal city of the Jews and the whole land of Judea were entirely destitute of holy men, the judgment of God at length overtook those who had committed such outrages against Christ and his apostles, and totally destroyed that generation of impious men."
(631) PELLA (See MAP 1) was a town situated beyond (EAST OF) the Jordan, in the north of Perea, within the dominions of Herod Agrippa II. The surrounding population was chiefly Gentile. See Pliny V. 18, and Josephus, B. J. III. 3. 3, and I. 4. 8. Epiphanius (De pond. et mens. 15) also records this flight of the Christians to Pella.
For more information on the Flight to Pella GO TO: Pella Flight Tradition Study Archive
For all the details on this time period download and read WARS OF THE JEWS by Flavius Josephus.
In Matthew 24:22 Jesus said, "FOR THE ELECT'S SAKE THOSE DAYS WILL BE SHORTENED." Some Preterists believe that the ELECT, both LIVING and DEAD, were taken to Heaven in the Spring of AD 66 which was BEFORE the Great Tribulation (The War) had started but that would make Matthew 24:22 inapplicable and cause a contradiction in scripture. Therefore, I REJECT that idea! I'm a Post-Trib Preterist NOT a Pre-Trib Preterist.
The time period AFTER Jesus WARNED the Disciples to FLEE is described as GREAT TRIBULATION in Matthew 24:21 and TRIBULATION in Mark 13:19... For in those days there will be TRIBULATION, such as has not been since the beginning of the creation which God created until this time, nor ever shall be. The King James Version uses the word AFFLICTION instead of TRIBULATION in Mark 13:19 but the Greek word that it is translated from is THILIPSIS (Strong's G2347) just like in Matthew 24:21... (KJV) Mark 13:19 "For in those days shall be AFFLICTION, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be." For more information on The Great Tribulation read my article: THE GREAT TRIBULATION(S)
The prophet Daniel also mentioned the Great Tribulation... (Brenton's Septuagint) Daniel 12:1 "And at that time Michael the great prince shall stand up, that stands over the children of thy people: and THERE SHALL BE A TIME OF TRIBULATION, SUCH TRIBULATION AS HAS NOT BEEN FROM THE TIME THAT THERE WAS A NATION ON THE EARTH UNTIL THAT TIME: at that time thy people shall be DELIVERED even every one that is written in the book." In the Apostolic Bible Polyglot the word "DELIVERED" is translated from the Greek word SOZO...
Word Summary: sozo: to save
Transliteration: sozo
Phonetic Spelling: (sode'-zo)
Part of Speech: Verb
Meaning: to save
Strong's Concordance: heal, be made whole.
From a primary sos (contraction for obsolete saos, "safe"); to save, i.e. Deliver or protect (literally or figuratively) -- heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.
I see 2 ways that this Deliverance could have been fulfilled... It could mean that they (those written in "the book") were Delivered or Saved from the Tribulation because they remembered what Jesus said and FLED Jerusalem and Judea. It could also mean that they were Delivered to Heaven. Daniel said this just before he mentioned the Resurrection. Jesus said that those who endured to the end (of the age) would be saved which is translated from SOZO (G4982)... Matthew 10:22 And you will be hated by all for My name's sake. But he who endures to the END will be SAVED." The END in verse 10:22 is the same END that is mentioned in Matthew 24:13... "But he who endures to the END shall be SAVED." What END was Jesus talking about? The answer is given in Matthew 24:3... "Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these things be? And what will be the sign of Your COMING, and of the END OF THE AGE?" So Jesus was talking about the END OF THE AGE and NOT the END OF THE WORLD as the King James Version and other versions have translated it. That mistranslation has led to the False Doctrine about Jesus 2nd Coming occurring at the END OF THE WORLD! I believe both events occurred... There was a remnant who escaped the War and on the Last Day of the Old Covenant Age (THIS AGE) they were taken to Heaven.
After Daniel wrote about the Great Tribulation he wrote about the Resurrection and Judgment... Daniel 12:2 "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, SOME TO EVERLASTING LIFE, and SOME TO REPROACH AND EVERLASTING SHAME. Daniel 12:3 And the wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and some of the many righteous as the stars for ever and ever." Jesus alluded to Daniel 12:3 in Matthew 13:43... "Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun IN THE KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!" Jesus said this to His Disciples when he was explaining the parable of the tares of the field (Matthew 13:36). The "KINGDOM OF THEIR FATHER" in Matthew 13:43 is the "KINGDOM OF HEAVEN"... Matthew 13:24 Another parable He put forth to them, saying: "The KINGDOM OF HEAVEN is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; Matthew 13:25 but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed TARES among the wheat and went his way." Jesus said that "THE HARVEST IS THE END OF THE AGE"... Matthew 13:39 "The enemy who sowed them is the devil, THE HARVEST IS THE END OF THE AGE, and the reapers are the angels." Matthew 13:40 Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, SO IT WILL BE AT THE END OF THIS AGE. Matthew 13:41 The Son of Man will send out His angels, and THEY WILL GATHER OUT OF HIS KINGDOM ALL THINGS THAT OFFEND, and those who practice lawlessness, Matthew 13:42 and WILL CAST THEM INTO THE FURNACE OF FIRE. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
Notice in Luke 21:22 (above) that they are called "DAYS OF VENGEANCE" and that ALL THINGS WHICH ARE WRITTEN MAY BE FULFILLED. Only the Old Testament had been written when Jesus made the statement but the Resurrection, Judgment and the Everlasting Kingdom were written about in Daniel so what else is there to be fulfilled after these things?
In Luke 21:23 Jesus revealed that the WRATH is upon the Judeans or Jewish people. The DAYS OF VENGEANCE refers to the LAMB'S WRATH on the Judeans via the Jewish-Roman War. The Jewish-Roman War began officially in the Spring of A.D. 67 when the Roman Emperor Nero sent Vespasian to put down the Jewish Rebellion. The Temple, Jerusalem, and the Nation of Judea were DESTROYED by the end of the summer of A.D. 70. According to the Jewish Historian Josephus, 1.1 Million Died in Jerusalem during the siege and 97,000 were taken captive... "Now the number of those that were carried captive during this whole war was collected to be ninety-seven thousand; as was the number of those that perished during the whole siege eleven hundred thousand, the greater part of whom were indeed of the same nation [with the citizens of Jerusalem], but not belonging to the city itself; for they were come up from all the country to the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and were on a sudden shut up by an army, which, at the very first, occasioned so great a straitness among them, that there came a pestilential destruction upon them, and soon afterward such a famine, as destroyed them more suddenly." - Flavius Josephus, WARS OF THE JEWS, Book 6, Chapter 9, Section 3.
"AND thus was Jerusalem taken, in the SECOND YEAR of the reign of Vespasian, on the eighth day of the month Gorpeius [Elul]." - WARS OF THE JEWS, Flavius Josephus, Book 6, Chapter 10, Paragraph 1.
According to the Hebrew Calendar the date of 8 Elul 3830 (Jewish Year) converts to Sunday, August 31, A.D. 70: DATE JERUSALEM WAS DESTROYED
Luke 21:24 And THEY WILL FALL BY THE EDGE OF THE SWORD, AND BE LED AWAY CAPTIVE INTO ALL NATIONS. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." I have heard some Futurists claim that Jerusalem is still being trampled by the Gentiles so Luke 21:24 has not been fulfilled. The city known as Jerusalem today is not the Jerusalem of scripture. The Jerusalem that was to be trodden down or trampled by the Gentiles was the Jerusalem that existed when the prophecy was given. It was NOT some future city that was built on the ruins of old Jerusalem in 129/30 AD during the reign of the Roman Emperor Hadrian and named Aelia Capitolina and then renamed Jerusalem later in the 4th century. Scripture reveals how long Jerusalem would be trampled by the Gentiles... Revelation 11:2 "But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles. And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months." The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were Destroyed in the summer of AD 70!
What happened after the Gathering of the Elect? Scripture reveals that it's the Great White Throne Judgment... Mathew 25:31 "When the Son of Man COMES IN HIS GLORY, and all the holy ANGELS WITH HIM, then HE WILL SIT ON THE THRONE OF HIS GLORY. Matthew 25:32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and HE WILL SEPARATE THEM ONE FROM ANOTHER, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. Matthew 25:33 And He will set the SHEEP ON HIS RIGHT hand, but the GOATS ON THE LEFT. Matthew 25:34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, INHERIT THE KINGDOM PREPARED FOR YOU from the foundation of the world:"
What KINGDOM were the sheep (SAINTS/BELIEVERS) inheriting? Answer: The Kingdom of Heaven... You haven't seen any of the old testament prophets or Jesus' Disciples walking around on planet earth have you? Remember, Jesus said that "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD"... John 18:36 Jesus answered, "MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now MY KINGDOM IS NOT FROM HERE." Jesus also said that He was from "above" and "not of this world"... John 8:23 And He said to them, "You are from beneath; I AM FROM ABOVE. You are of this world; I AM NOT OF THIS WORLD."
What happened to the goats (UNBELIEVERS)? Scripture reveals the answer... Matthew 25:41 "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'DEPART FROM ME, YOU CURSED, INTO THE EVERLASTING FIRE prepared for the devil and his angels' Matthew 25:46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
The word "COMES" in Matthew 25:31 is translated from the Greek word ERCHOMAI and this COMING is the same COMING as Matthew 24:30-31 when Christ came in GLORY with His ANGELS and the ELECT were GATHERED TOGETHER. It happened AFTER the Tribulation (WAR) of those days (24:29) BEFORE that GENERATION had passed away (24:34) just like Jesus said. Jesus also told His Disciples that some of them would not "TASTE DEATH till they see the Son of Man COMING in His kingdom."... Matthew 16:27 For the Son of Man will COME in the GLORY of His Father with His ANGELS, and THEN HE WILL REWARD EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS. Matthew 16:28 Assuredly, I say to you, THERE ARE SOME STANDING HERE WHO SHALL NOT TASTE DEATH till they see the Son of Man COMING in His kingdom."
The words "COME" in Matthew 16:27 and "COMING" in Matthew 16:28 are translated from the Greek word ERCHOMAI and this COMING is the same COMING as Matthew 25:31 and Matthew 24:30-31. Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, "THEN HE WILL REWARD EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS". Scripture Reveals WHEN Christ would "REWARD EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS"...
* For the JUST - They would be at REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION... Luke 14:13 But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. Luke 14:14 And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for YOU SHALL BE REPAID AT THE RESURRECTION OF THE JUST." The Apostle Paul was expecting to receive the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS... 2 Timothy 4:8 "Finally, there is laid up for me the CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing." The Apostle Peter instructed the elders on how to oversee the flock and told them in 1 Peter 5:4 that "when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the CROWN OF GLORY that does not fade away." You shouldn't have a problem believing that the ELECT saw Jesus at the Resurrection since they were involved in it. What happens right after the Resurrection? Answer: The Great White Throne Judgment
* For the DEAD - it was at the Great White Throne Judgment... Revelation 20:11 "Then I saw a GREAT WHITE THRONE and Him who sat on it, from whose face THE EARTH AND THE HEAVEN FLED AWAY. And there was found no place for them. Revelation 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And THE DEAD WERE JUDGED ACCORDING TO THEIR WORKS, by the things which were written in the books. Revelation 20:13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And THEY WERE JUDGED, EACH ONE ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS. Revelation 20:14 Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. THIS IS THE SECOND DEATH. Revelation 20:15 And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire." The Great White Throne Judgment occurred in Heaven and was AFTER the Resurrection of the Dead (Rev. 20:13). Death and Hades were Cast into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:14) as well as "ANYONE NOT FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF LIFE"... Therefore, the UNBELIEVERS Died twice!
Remember what Paul said in 1 Corinthians 15:26: "THE LAST ENEMY THAT WILL BE DESTROYED IS DEATH." What "DEATH" was cast into the Lake of Fire? Evidently, it wasn't physical death since Believers are still dying... The "DEATH" that was cast into the Lake of Fire was NOT Physical Death but Death in Hades. When people died before Christ's Resurrection they went to Hades to await The Great White Throne Judgment. When people die now they don't go to Hades to await Judgment. Hades was thrown into the Lake of Fire in Revelation 20:14. I believe that when people die now, they are judged immediately and the Believers go to Heaven and the Unbelievers go to the Lake of Fire... Paul said in 2 Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad." Paul also said in Romans 14:10, "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? FOR WE SHALL ALL STAND BEFORE THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST." I don't think that I have to convince anyone that the Great White Throne Judgment was After the Resurrection. I believe EVERY EYE will see Jesus but it will not be at the same time but Everyone must stand before the judgment seat of Christ.
So what will it be for you? Will it be the SECOND DEATH in the Lake of Fire or will it be ETERNAL LIFE in Heaven with GOD the Father, Jesus Christ and the Saints?
There's ONLY ONE WAY to Get to Heaven... Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." Jesus also said in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Accept the GIFT of ETERNAL LIFE TODAY!
This is what the Apostle Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost... Acts 2:36 "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ." Acts 2:37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" Acts 2:38 Then Peter said to them, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:39 For the promise is to you and to your children, AND TO ALL WHO ARE AFAR OFF, AS MANY AS THE LORD OUR GOD WILL CALL."
Thank you for taking your time to read this long article! I hope you learned something.