InstaStudy

Key Events Preceding the Return of Jesus of Nazareth

A study of prophetic events and signs that will unfold before the glorious second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, preparing our hearts and minds for His appearing.

1. The State of the World and Society

1.1 Moral Decay and Lawlessness

Verses: Matthew 24:12; 2 Timothy 3:1-5
  • The love of many will grow cold due to abounding iniquity.
  • People will be lovers of themselves, disobedient to parents, and without self-control.
  • A general increase in wickedness and moral decline will characterize the last days.

1.2 Wars, Rumors of Wars, and Natural Disasters

Verses: Matthew 24:6-7; Mark 13:7-8
  • Nations will rise against nations, and kingdoms against kingdoms.
  • There will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.
  • These events are described as the beginning of sorrows, or birth pains.

1.3 Globalism and Centralized Authority

Verses: Revelation 13:7-8; Daniel 7:23
  • A beast power will be given authority over every tribe, people, language, and nation.
  • This power will seek to change times and laws, dominating the entire earth.
  • All who dwell on the earth, whose names are not written in the Lamb's book of life, will worship it.

2. The Rise of Deception and Falsehood

2.1 False Christs and False Prophets

Verses: Matthew 24:4-5; Matthew 24:24
  • Many will come in the name of Christ, claiming to be the Messiah and deceiving many.
  • False Christs and false prophets will arise, showing great signs and wonders.
  • Their purpose will be to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2.2 The Spirit of Antichrist and Apostasy

Verses: 1 John 4:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
  • A spirit that denies Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is identified as the spirit of antichrist.
  • There will be a great falling away from the faith before the Lord's return.
  • The 'man of sin' will be revealed, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God.

2.3 Doctrines of Devils

Verses: 1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Peter 2:1-3
  • Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
  • These doctrines will be taught by hypocritical liars, whose consciences are seared.
  • False teachers will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them.

3. The Great Tribulation and Persecution

3.1 Unprecedented Distress

Verses: Matthew 24:21-22; Daniel 12:1
  • There will be a period of great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world.
  • This time of trouble will be so severe that no flesh would be saved if the days were not shortened.
  • It will be a time of trouble for God's people, but they will be delivered.

3.2 Persecution of Believers

Verses: Matthew 24:9-10; Revelation 13:7
  • Believers will be delivered up to tribulation, killed, and hated by all nations for His name's sake.
  • Many will be offended, betray one another, and hate one another.
  • The beast will be granted power to make war with the saints and to overcome them.

3.3 The Mark of the Beast

Verses: Revelation 13:16-17; Revelation 14:9-11
  • All, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, will receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads.
  • No one will be able to buy or sell unless they have the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
  • Those who worship the beast and receive his mark will face the wrath of God.

4. Celestial Signs and God's Intervention

4.1 Signs in the Sun, Moon, and Stars

Verses: Matthew 24:29; Luke 21:25-26
  • Immediately after the tribulation, 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.
  • There will be distress of nations with perplexity, and men's hearts failing them from fear.

4.2 The Sound of a Trumpet and the Shout

Verses: 1 Thessalonians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 15:52
  • The Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.
  • At the last trumpet, the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
  • This divine signal marks the culmination of the age and the beginning of the Lord's reign.

4.3 The Gathering of the Elect

Verses: Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27
  • He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect.
  • They will be gathered from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
  • This gathering signifies the redemption and assembly of all who belong to Him.

5. The Glorious Return of the Lord

5.1 Jesus' Visible and Triumphant Return

Verses: Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7
  • Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn.
  • They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
  • Every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him, and all the kindreds of the earth will wail because of Him.

5.2 The Resurrection of the Righteous Dead and Transformation of the Living

Verses: 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 1 Corinthians 15:51-53
  • The dead in Christ will rise first, receiving their glorified bodies.
  • Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
  • We shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, from corruptible to incorruptible.

5.3 The Establishment of His Kingdom

Verses: Revelation 11:15; Daniel 7:13-14
  • The kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.
  • The Son of Man will come with the clouds of heaven, and dominion, glory, and a kingdom will be given to Him.
  • His dominion is an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away, and His kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.