Introduction The New Testament teaches much concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This great event is mentioned in almost all of the twenty-seven books of the New Testament, not to mention the Old Testament Prophets. Despite the abundance of scriptures that teach the subject, Christians are divided on many of the details concerning Christ's coming. One point of conten- tion touches upon the time of His coming in relation to other events prophesied in the Bible; namely, that great time of God's wrath called the great tribulation. Being brought up in an evangelical denomination, I have been taught what is commonly called the "pretribulational" school of thought. This view states that Christ's coming will occur before the tribulation and can occur at any moment. It also teaches a two-stage coming. The doctrine states that Christ will first come back secretly to take the church away to heaven before the tribulation period and come back with His saints to the earth after the tribulation. These two stages are commonly called "the rapture and the revelation", or "the appearing and the second advent." Furthermore, the doctrine teaches that the resurrection of the righteous will occur at different times. After being exposed to other views on the subject and studying the Bible in more detail, it became very difficult for me to see this two-stage coming of Jesus and this multiple resurrection of the saints. Moreover, I came across scriptures that seemed to clearly discount the doctrine. I found that all the scriptures that mentioned Christ's coming seemed to describe the same event, that there was one resurrection of the just occurring at the end of the age, that Paul and the apostles where looking for Jesus to come back in judgment and wrath upon the wicked, and that certain things needed to happen before Christ would come back. In this paper, I would like to explain some of the major reasons why I do not accept the pretribulational doctrine as being true. The Resurrection An understanding of the time of the resurrection will help us understand when Christ comes back. The scriptures are clear that when Christ returns, those that are Christ's will be resurrected and those Christians who are alive will be gathered together with Him (1 Corinthians 15:23, 1 Thessalonians 4:16,17, Philippians 3:20,21, 1 John 3:2). This is called the first resurrection in Revelation 20:4-6. Verse 5 says that the rest of the dead (those who did not partake of the first resurrection) lived not again until the thousand years (the millennium) was over. This seems to indicate that there are two resurrections. The first resurrection will occur when Christ returns and is called the resurrection of the just, the resurrection of life, and the awaking unto everlasting life. The second resurrection is referred to as the resurrection of the unjust, the resurrection of damnation, and the awaking unto everlasting contempt (Daniel 12:1-3, John 5:28,29, Acts 24:15). If the resurrection of the church occurs at Christ's coming, then understanding when the resurrection occurs will show us the time of Christ's coming. Some pretribulationalists hold to the idea that there are two- stages of the first resurrection which occur at the two-stages of Christ's coming. However, this seems to be a simple way of making the doctrine fit. The scriptures reveal one coming and one resurrection of the just at His coming. The former idea has no scriptural support. To begin with, 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 says that the resur- rection will occur at the last trump. The last trump is the seventh trumpet in Revelation 11:14,15. The seventh trumpet is the last of the trumpets heralding God's judgment in the book of Revelation. This trumpet is described as the "third woe that cometh quickly" (Revelation 11:14). John describes the events heralded at the seventh trumpet by saying, "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. . . And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth" (Revelation 11:15,18). According to this passage, the following things will occur at the seventh trumpet: 1. The kingdom of God and Christ will be manifested 2. Christ shall reign forever and ever 3. The nations will become angry 4. His wrath will come 5. The time of the judgment of the dead will come 6. He will give rewards to His prophets and saints 7. He will destroy them that destroyed the earth According to many other scriptures in the New Testament, these events take place when Jesus returns to the earth. When the last trumpet sounds, the mystery of God will be finished. Revelation 10:7 says, "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he declared to his servants the prophets." It is no wonder that Paul knew about this trumpet when he penned 1 Corinthians. The last trump completes God's wrath and heralds the third woe which are the 7 vials. The vials are also described as "filling up" or completing the wrath of God (Revelation 15:1). As I see it, the seals, trumpets, and vials come closer and closer together like the birth pangs of a woman in travail (1 Thessalonians 5:3). Therefore, the seven vials are immediately poured out at the seventh trump. In comparing scripture, Matthew 24:29-31 places Christ's coming immediately after the tribula- tion. The passage reveals that He will come with clouds, a trumpet will be sounded, and the elect (His chosen) will be gathered together with Him. Another passage that speaks of the trumpet in accordance with Christ's coming and the resurrection is found in 1 Thes- salonians 4:16,17, where "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, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air." This passage, Matthew 24, and 1 Corinthians 15:51,52 are all describing the same event, i.e., Christ's return and the resurrection unto life. They all mention a trumpet and a gathering unto Christ (resurrec- tion) at His coming. Matthew and 1 Thessalonians show that His coming will be accompanied with clouds. It is interesting to notice that none of these passages say that He will touch the earth. However, through studying other passages we know that He will. This attests to the fact that mere silence of a particular aspect of Christ's coming in a passage does not mean that the passage is describing a different stage of His coming. The account of Peter's denial is a good example of this. Peter's denial is recorded in all four gospels and appears to be almost contradictory. The events are similar; however, some accounts are silent on details that are mentioned in other accounts. On the basis of silence, one could argue that all four accounts are describing four separate and distinct occasions where Peter denied Christ. However, this is not the case. Rather, each writer is describing a different aspect of the same event. Peter denied the Lord on one occasion. It is the same way with the Lord's second coming. In the book of John, Jesus said that He would raise those who believed in Him on the last day (John 6:39,40,44,54). Even Martha had this knowledge (John 11:24). In speaking of his resurrection, Job declares that his Redeemer shall stand upon the earth at the latter day (Job 19:25). He says that when this happens, he will see God in his flesh (v.26). The last day is the day when Christ comes back and stands upon the earth. Zechariah 14:1-4 says, "Behold the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle . . . Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. And his feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives . . ." This will happen at the end of the world or age. In Matthew 13:37-43, the Lord teaches us that the harvest of the wheat, which is the resurrection of the righteous, occurs at the end of the world. In describing this harvest the Lord says, "The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world . . . Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (compare with Daniel 12:1-3). When examining the parable of the wheat and tares closely, it becomes clear that the resurrection occurs after the tribulation period. In Matthew 13:30, Jesus teaches his disciples when the wheat will be harvested saying, "Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn." Here Jesus says the tares, which are the children of the wicked one, must be gathered first, before the wheat are harvested (the resurrection of the just). The gathering of the tares is none other than the gathering of the wicked to Armageddon. In speaking about the harvest of the earth, Revelation 14:18,19 says, "And another angel came from the alter which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in her sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great winepress of the wrath of God." The winepress described here is none other than the battle of Armageddon. In Revelation 16:16, just after the Lord announces His coming, we read that the Lord "gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armaged- don." In speaking about the gathering to Armageddon Joel says, "Assemble yourselves, and come, ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about . . . Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat [Armageddon]: for there will I sit to judge the heathen round about. Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the fats overflow; for their wickedness is great" (Joel 3:11-13). In verses 14-17, Joel describes the coming of the Lord. This passage, along with those in Revelation, show clearly that the gathering of the tares at the harvest time in Matthew 13 is the gathering to Armageddon which occurs at the end of the tribula- tion period. According to the Lord's parable, this gathering occurs before the harvest of the wheat, which is the resurrection of the just. 1 Corinthians 15:22-26 says, "For as in Adam all die, so even in Christ shall all be made alive, but every man in his own order; Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God . . . the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." This passage seems to imply that the end occurs when Christ raises up His saints at His coming. When this resurrection takes place, the last enemy (death) will be destroyed and Christ will deliver the kingdom to God having put down all rule and authority and power. At that time, all things will be subdued unto Him (1 Corinthians 15:24-28). In 1 Corin- thians 15:54 Paul says, "So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." According to this verse, death will be overcome at the resurrection. Until that time, Christ is reigning at the right hand of God. Psalms 110:1 says, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool." Furthermore, in Philippians 3:21, Paul says that when Christ returns, He shall "change our vile body, that it may be fashioned to His glorious body, according whereby he is able even to subdue all things to Himself." All of these passages seem to support the idea that death is destroyed at the resurrection. If this is the case, then "the end" mentioned in 1 Corinthians 15:24 will occur at Christ's return. Other scriptures that place the return of Christ at "the end" are 1 Corinthians 1:7,8, 2 Corinthians 1:13,14 and 1 Thessalonians 3:13. Another passage that reveals when this resurrection will take place is found in Romans 11:11-15. Here Paul describes the good that came out of the fall of the Jews. He makes the point that their fall became the riches of the world. In these verses, Paul is describing how salvation was offered to all the world, namely the Gentiles, through the fall of Israel. Then in verse 15 he says, "For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?" In other words, a great blessing came from the casting out of the Jews, but when the fullness of the Jews comes back to Christ, an even greater blessing will occur. This greater blessing is the resurrection, which Paul terms, "life from the dead." Paul is speaking to the Gentile Christians and is declaring to them how Israel's salvation will effect them in a practical way. Israel will be saved after the tribulation; therefore, this is when the resurrection will occur. In Romans 8:17-25, we can see that the resurrection of the just must occur after the tribulation. The Apostle declares in these verses, "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now, and not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." In this passage, we find that the creation (animal kingdom) is waiting in earnest expectation for the manifestation of the sons of God. When this occurs, they will be delivered from the bondage of corruption, or the curse that is upon God's creation through original sin. The manifestation of the sons of God is none other than the resurrection of the believers. 1 John 3:2 says, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." Here John is stating that we are the sons of God now, but when we are resurrected, it will be manifested for we will be like Christ. In the same way, Jesus was the Son of God when He was on the earth, but His sonship was manifested through His resurrection. Romans 1:4 says, "And declared to be the Son of God with power . . . by the resurrection from the dead" (see also Acts 13:30-33). Other passages describe Jesus as being the "firstborn from the dead" (Colossians 1:18 & Revelation 1:5). For this reason Paul calls the redemption of our bodies the adoption (Romans 8:23). At the resurrection, the fact that we are adopted as sons into God's family will be realized. Furthermore, in verses 22-24 we see that the manifestation of the sons of God is a reference to the resurrection. Paul says that the whole creation groans and travails with us for the redemption of our bodies. The redemption of our body is the resurrection in which we are awaiting. Paul calls this the day of redemption in Ephesians 4:30. In Luke 21:27,28, Jesus speaks of His coming and says, "And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." When Paul speaks about "the glory which shall be revealed in us", he is referring to our resurrection. We will be glorified when Christ returns just as He was glorified when He was resurrected (Philippians 3:20,21, Romans 8:17, Colossians 3:4, 1 Peter 5:1,4, 1 Corinthians 15:43, John 7:39). The resurrection is also referred to as the hope that we are awaiting mentioned in verses 24 and 25 (1 John 3:2,3, Acts 23:6, 24:15, 26:6-8, Titus 3:7). This passage clearly reveals that the resurrection of the church will occur after the tribulation because this is when the animal kingdom will be delivered. It is after Christ comes and destroys the wicked that the lion will lie with the lamb (Isaiah 11:4-10). To say that the resurrection occurs before the tribulation would imply that the animals are delivered from the curse during the tribulation period. This seems impossible due to the fact that animals are seen killing men and feasting upon carcasses during this period (Revelation 6:8, 19:17,18). The Witness of the Apostles Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 17, and Luke 21 are commonly referred to as the Olivet Discourse by many theologians. These passages contain Jesus' lengthy reply to the disciples' question: "What shall the sign of thy coming be and the end of the world?" Christ tells his disciples that when certain signs occur, one could know that His coming was near, "even at the doors" (Matthew 24:33). In Matthew 24:34, Jesus says that the generation that sees all those signs will not pass away till all things be fulfilled. In this discourse, Christ clearly states that he would come immediately "after the tribulation of those days" (Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:44). We must keep in mind that the apostles were first hand students of Christ's teaching on His second coming. It seems to me that the apostles were not looking for Christ to come and take them away secretly, but to come back with judgment against the wicked. It also seems clear that they understood and were awaiting the signs that would precede His coming. In Acts 3:19-21 we find Peter declaring that the Lord would "send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began." In these verses, Peter says that Christ will not leave heaven until the time of restitution. According to 1 Thessalonians 4:16, when Christ returns He must leave heaven, for He will "descend from heaven with a shout." The restitution of all things occurs after the tribulation. Christ will come and set up His kingdom and restore all things. Moreover, as we mentioned before, when the fullness of the Jews comes in, the resurrection will occur (Romans 11:15-27). The salvation of the Jews is a part of the restitution of all things. Not only does this passage discount a two-stage coming of Christ, but it places His coming at the end of the world. In 2 Thessalonians 1:4-10, Paul comforts the believers at Thessalonica by telling them that they will be relieved from their persecutions when Jesus comes back to judge the wicked. In verses 4-5 Paul comforts the persecuted believers by commending them for their faith and endurance. He goes on to say that God will recompense those that are troubling them (v.6). In verses 7- 10 he tells them that they will find rest and relief from these afflictions when Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on the disobedient. This will occur in the same day He will be glorified in His saints (v.10). This does not sound at all like a secret catching away. Rather, Paul was telling them that their relief from persecution would come when Christ returns in flaming fire. Not only will the believer receive rest when Christ comes, but he will be avenged as well. Paul, Silas, and Timothy were all looking for Christ to come back this way, for they said, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance upon them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." The word "rest" in the Greek is anesis and it means a loosening, relaxing, relief from affliction or persecution. Therefore, the meaning is clear. The believer's rest from persecution comes when Jesus returns to judge the wicked at the last day. The resurrection will occur on that day. There are many other verses in scripture that attest to the fact that the apostles were looking and waiting for the revelation of Jesus Christ with His saints (1 Corinthians 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 3:13, 4:14, 2 Timothy 4:1,8 with 1 Timothy 6:14,15, Colossians 3:4, 1 Peter 1:13). Concerning the signs that would precede Christ's coming, the Apostle Paul makes mention of them in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8. To begin with, the topic of Paul's discussion is the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering unto him (v.1). The believers at Thessalonica were deceived into thinking the day of Christ was at hand. Paul told them plainly that that day would not come, "except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition" (v.3). He explains when the son of perdition is revealed by stating that he will exalt himself above God, sit in the temple, and declare himself that he is God (v.4). Paul goes on to say that the Lord will consume him with the spirit of His mouth and destroy Him with the brightness of His coming (v.8). Therefore, the son of perdition must be revealed before Christ comes back if Christ is going to destroy him at His coming. The interesting thing about this passage is that Paul says that the day of Christ would not come until two things happen: 1) the falling away occurs 2) the man of sin is revealed. It seems obvious that the day that Paul is referring to is the day when Christ comes back. There are many scriptures that describe the day of Christ and the day of the Lord as the time when Christ comes again (2 Thessalonians 2:10, Luke 17:24, 1 Corinthians 1:6-8, 2 Corinthians 1:13-15, Philippians 1:6,10, 2:16, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9, Zechariah 14:1-5). Furthermore, this is the subject that Paul begins with in verse 1 and ends with in verse 8. These two signs that the apostle gives were already mentioned by Christ as signs that would precede His coming in Matthew 24. In Matthew 24:9-13 Jesus describes the falling away. He says, "Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you; and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended [fall away], and betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall arise, and deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure until the end, the same shall be saved." In verse 15-22, Jesus describes the son of perdition being revealed. He refers to the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel as a sign that would precede His coming and begin great tribulation. The abomination of desolation refers to the time when the son of perdition (also called the antichrist) sits in the temple of God and abominates it and begins to make desolate (see Daniel 9:27). These are all part of the signs that would precede Christ's coming (v.33). The Apostle Paul tells the Thessalonians essen- tially the same thing. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8, the coming of Christ and our gathering to Him cannot take place before a 7 year tribulation because the antichrist (son of perdition) does not sit in the temple until three and a half years into the tribulation (Daniel 9:27). Secretly or Unexpectedly? There is no scripture to my knowledge that describes Christ's coming as a secret event in which no soul will see Him as He catches away the saints to heaven. The scriptures that speak of Christ coming as a thief have been used to support this idea. However, a close examination of these passages will reveal that this is not what the Lord is saying. In Matthew 24:32-33, Jesus makes it clear that His disciples could know the ap- proximate time of His coming. He said that the generation that saw certain signs would not pass away until He came. He even went on to say that they could even know when it was "even at the doors." However, Christ also said that the exact day and hour of His coming was a mystery to all, even Himself at that time (v.36). In verses 37-51, the Lord teaches that His coming will be unexpected to those who are not watchful. To illustrate this point Jesus says, "But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready, for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh (Matthew 24:43-44)." Here Christ uses the illustration of a thief to depict His unexpected coming. It is important to notice that He uses the words "watch" and "hour" in this passage. This is because the hour He comes is unknown to man, but not the general time of His coming. In verses 36-39, He used the illustrations of Noah and Lot to show that the exact day of His coming was unknown also, especially to the unbelieving world. In verses 50 and 51, the Lord shows that His coming is like a thief to the evil servants and unbelievers, not to the faithful servants. In this whole passage, there is no mention of a "secret" coming. Luke 21:34-36 reveals this same truth. The Lord's coming will come unexpectedly, like a thief, to the evil servants and unbelievers. In verses 34 and 35 He exhorts the believer to take heed to himself that he does not become overcharged with drunkenness, gluttony, and worry so that day shall not come upon them unawares, or unexpectedly. He goes on to say that it will come this way, like a snare, upon the whole world. In verse 36, He encourages the believer to pray always and watch so that he will be worthy to escape. This means that the believer who is watching and praying will not be overtaken by the day of the Lord like the rest of the world. Rather, through his knowledge and pure walk, he will be ready and will be protected from the things that will come to pass. Believers will not be judged with the world, but will escape God's wrath if they judge themselves (1 Corinthians 11:31,32). Hence, a believer that is sober and pure will be accounted worthy of deliverance. The Apostle Paul brings out these same truths in 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9. Paul tells them that they are not in darkness concerning the times and the seasons. He points out that they knew perfectly that the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night. Those who cry peace and safety, like those of Noah's day, will be overtaken by the day of the Lord and they will not escape. Paul makes it clear that the day of the Lord comes as a thief to those who are in darkness, not to the believer. In verse 4 he says, "But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Furthermore, he exhorts them to be sober, and watch, walking in faith, love, and the hope of salvation. This is the same message that Jesus proclaimed to the disciples in Matthew 24 and Luke 21. 1 Thessalonians 5 does not mention a secret coming, but it does depict the day of Lord coming as a thief in the night, i.e., at an unexpected time. Again, this is how it will come to the unbelievers and the evil servants, not to us who believe, for we are "the children of the light; we are not of the night, nor of the darkness." Lastly, in Revelation 16:14, just before the seventh vial is poured out, Christ announces His coming with the words, "Behold, I come as a thief, Blessed is he who watcheth and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Here again the message of Christ is clear. The Lord will come as a thief, unexpectedly, as a snare, and with judgment upon those who do not walk uprightly. But unto those who are sober and watch, who keep their garments, who have on the breastplate of faith and love, who are worthy, His coming will be a blessed hope ful- filled. In all these passages, the phrase "comes like a thief" does not describe a secret coming but an unexpected coming. Conclusion In conclusion, I have stated the major reasons why I do not accept the pretribulational doctrine. The Bible places the resurrection of the just at the end of the age, at the last day. The witness of the apostles bear witness with the words of Christ that His coming will not come until the restitution of all things, until the falling away takes place, and the abomination of desolation occurs. The apostles were looking for the revela- tion of Christ in glory and He will come as a thief to the world at the last trump. It is difficult for me to see a two-stage coming and two-stage resurrection to begin with; however, when other passages seem to clearly contradict the doctrine, it becomes more difficult to accept it. The many scriptures that speak of the day of Christ and His coming seem to describe different aspects of the same event. Many Christians hold to the pretribulational doctrine for fear of going through tribulation. They equate God's wrath with the tribulation period. This is erroneous. God's wrath will be poured out during the tribulation period, but this does not mean that a believer will be subject to it. For example, the children of Israel being preserved during the ten plagues in Egypt is a classic example of God's power to protect His children during a time of wrath. Believers need not fear God's wrath for they are not appointed to it. However, they must be prepared for persecu- tion for the Bible promises this. Even so, the Lord Jesus Christ will come again. "And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ" (2 Thessalonians 3:5). THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST Frank A. Viola 5721 Ridgestone Dr. Tampa, FL 33625 May 2, 1988