Events Before the Second Coming of Christ
The Short-Lived Reign of the Antichrist on Earth
“and he (the Son of God — note) cast him (Satan — note) into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while. <…> Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea” (Rev. 20:3,7-8)
Possibly three and a half years (but this need not be literal)
The woman (the Church) hides from the Antichrist for 3.5 years:
“But the woman was given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place, where she is nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent” (Rev. 12:14)
“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand for a time and times and half a time” (Dan. 7:25)
Authority is given to the Antichrist for 42 months (12+12+12+6):
“And he was given a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and he was given authority to continue for forty-two months” (Rev. 13:5)
The Gentiles will fight against the Church for 42 months (12+12+12+6):
“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” (Rev. 11:2)
1290 days (365+365+365+182, 13 days short):
“And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Dan. 12:11)
For the sake of the elect, the time of the Antichrist’s reign will be shortened
“Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (whoever reads, let him understand), <…> 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. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened” (Matt. 24:15,21-22)
The Antichrist will pass himself off as God
“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God” (2 Thess. 2:3-4)
The end of the Antichrist’s reign
Immediately before the Second Coming God puts an end to the reign of the Antichrist, and strikes the Antichrist himself and Satan with eternal punishment:
“And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Rev. 20:9-10)
The Events of the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ
The Cross Will Appear in the Sky
“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” (Matt. 24:30)
Christ Will Come with All the Holy Angels
The Second Coming of Christ will take place in the glory of the Father, with all the holy angels:
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him” (Matt. 25:31)
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him the Son of Man also will be ashamed when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels” (Mark. 8:38)
“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” (Matt. 16:27)
“Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints’” (Jude. 1:14)
“at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” (1 Thess. 3:13)
“when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (2 Thess. 1:7)
“Thus the LORD my God will come, and all the saints with You” (Zech. 14:5)
He Will Bring About the General Resurrection of the Dead
The general resurrection of all people who ever lived: the righteous and the unrighteous:
“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Act. 24:15)
The resurrection will take place in transfigured incorruptible bodies; the righteous will shine like the sun:
“Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt. 13:43)
Those who by the time of Christ’s Second Coming have not yet seen death will also be changed in accordance with the resurrected:
“So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. <…> It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. <…> Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed — in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality” (1 Cor. 15:42,44,51-53)
“But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede (go ahead of — note) those who are asleep. 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. 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” (1 Thess. 4:13-17)
Christ Will Send Angels to Gather All the Resurrected
The angels will gather the righteous and the unrighteous:
“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” (Mark. 13:27)
“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” (Matt. 13:41)
Christ Will Pronounce the Sentence
“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. 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. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 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: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 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: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:31-46)
The Saved Will Be Taken to Eternal Life with Christ
“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. 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” (1 Thess. 4:16-17)
The Lost Will Be Sent into Eternal Punishment
“And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:46)
Both salvation and punishment, as it is written, will be eternal.
Important Details of the Second Coming
The Coming Will Be Like Lightning
The Second Coming of Christ will instantly be known to everyone throughout the world, like a flash of lightning:
“And they will say to you, ‘Look here!’ or ‘Look there!’ Do not go after them or follow them. 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” (Luke. 17:23-24)
“Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it. For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matt. 24:26-27)
Christ Will Come in the Same Adult Body
Christ will not be born again of people, but will come in the body He already has, received by Him at His birth from the Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, in the 1st year of our era:
“Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, who also said, ‘Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’” (Act. 1:9-11)
The Coming for Judgment
The Lord will come not to teach, but to judge according to the word which He already gave when He came the first time:
“He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him — the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John. 12:48)
“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” (Matt. 16:27)
“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. 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. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. <…> And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:31-33,46)
“which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Thess. 1:5-8)
The Second Coming and the Judgment Are Inseparably Connected
At the Second Coming of Christ the judgment of all people in general takes place, and not only of sinners. Some the Lord will reward, and others He will punish:
“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. 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. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. <…> And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt. 25:31-33,46)
“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. 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. 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. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15)
“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” (Matt. 16:27)
“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. 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. <…> 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.’ <…> 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’” (Matt. 25:31-32,34,41)
“which is manifest evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer; since it is a righteous thing with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels” (2 Thess. 1:5-7)
“And he said to me, ‘Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand. He who is unjust, let him be unjust still; he who is filthy, let him be filthy still; he who is righteous, let him be righteous still; he who is holy, let him be holy still.’ ‘And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work’” (Rev. 22:10-12)
All Are Subject to Judgment
“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” (2 Cor. 5:10)
“For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14)
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’” (1 Pet. 4:17-18)
“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” (Rom. 14:10)
“So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty” (James. 2:12)
“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. 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” (Matt. 25:31-32)
The Judgment Will Begin with the Church
“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now ‘If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?’” (1 Pet. 4:17-18)
The Saints Will Judge the World
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Assuredly I say to you, that in the regeneration, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel’” (Matt. 19:28)
“And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Luke. 22:29-30)
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Cor. 6:2)
Many Will Be Surprised Not to Receive Salvation
They thought they were saved:
“Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:22-23)
The Transfiguration of the World
“Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.’ Then He who sat on the throne said, ‘Behold, I make all things new.’ And He said to me, ‘Write, for these words are true and faithful.’ And He said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts’” (Rev. 21:1-6)
On the Expression “1000 Years”
1000 Years Is a Figurative Name for the Period from the First to the Second Coming of Christ
The first coming has already taken place. The Son of God became incarnate: without ceasing to be what He was before (God), He also became man. He taught, suffered, rose, sat down in the heavens, created the Church (one: earthly and heavenly) and sent her to preach. Those who respond to the preaching of Christ, enter His Church, attain salvation and life with Him in heaven, are spoken of as reigning with Him, although their bodies, as those of the dead, are still in the earth, while their souls abide with Christ. So it will be right up to the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the time of which no one knows except God (Act. 1:7). This whole period from the first to the Second Coming is figuratively called a thousand years:
“Then I saw an angel (the Son of God — note) coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. <…> And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:1-6)
On the Heresy of Chiliasm (Millenarianism)
Chiliasm (millenarianism), the teaching of an earthly kingdom of Christ lasting 1000 years, cannot be accepted by Orthodox Christians because of:
the impossibility of acknowledging two bodily resurrections (the Lord taught of only one resurrection);
the impossibility of acknowledging two Dread Judgments (again, the Lord teaches of only one judgment);
the impossibility of acknowledging a special coming of Christ before the Dread Judgment for the sake of an earthly rule over the world;
the impossibility of acknowledging some special Thousand-Year Kingdom of Christ already in this world, distinct from the Kingdom of Heaven.
More: chiliasm (in Russian)
On the “Two Resurrections”
“Then I saw an angel (the Son of God — note) coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. <…> And they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:1-6)
The First Resurrection — Turning to God Through Preaching and Baptism
The Lord bound Satan. The pagan cults began to be overcome by Christianity and to disappear. People received the possibility of spiritually rising to eternal life with God through Baptism, the Eucharist and life in the Church. This spiritual resurrection to eternal life is called the first resurrection in the text:
“This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power” (Rev. 20:5-6)
Turning to God is called a passing from death to life:
“even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:5-6)
The believer has passed from death into life:
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John. 5:24)
Those who have not believed are called simply the dead:
“Jesus said to him, ‘Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God’” (Luke. 9:60)
The Second Resurrection — the Resurrection of All People in Their Bodies for the General Judgment
The second resurrection will concern all people in general. It means the resurrection of all people who ever lived for the general judgment. All souls return to their restored bodies, so that all that strove toward God (soul and body) may receive a reward, and all that sinned (soul and body) may receive punishment.
“I have hope in God, which they themselves also accept, that there will be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust” (Act. 24:15)
More on the “Two Resurrections”
“But the rest of the dead did not live again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection” (Rev. 20:5).
Everyone was given time to rise during the period of the first resurrection, and everything was given for this. But nevertheless some rose, and others did not rise, when the dead were to rise — that is, throughout the whole thousand years (until the thousand years allotted for this were finished).
The first rose while still living in the body, that is, they turned to Christ:
“Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6).
Over them the second death will have no power.
Here is the resurrection of all people in general in their bodies for the general judgment:
“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. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:13-15).
Being cast into the lake of fire is the second death. Those who were written in the Book of Life were not cast there — that is, those of whom it was said in 20:6 that over them the second death has no power.