PROPHECY
CHRIST VERSUS CHRISTIANITY
Surprising Truths From the Olivet Prophecy: What Happens After Jesus Returns? Jesus is returning to earth, but what happens afterward? Will He stay or go back to heaven? What did Jesus say in the Olivet Discourse about His second coming?
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n the previous article in this series on the Olivet Discourse (“Combating Confusion About Jesus’ Second Coming”), we looked at Jesus’ return and how it will be dramatic and unmistakable. Every eye will see Him as He descends to earth in power and glory to the piercing sound of a trumpet. But what will happen in the immediate aftermath of Jesus’ second coming? There are many ideas about what Jesus will do after He returns. Some believe He will return for a short time and then return to heaven— either leaving the earth inhabited by mortals or destroying it completely. The idea of total destruction is related to the concept of “the end of the world.” But, as we will see, Jesus’ return is not the end of the world, in the sense of planet earth. It will be the end of one age and the beginning of a new one. Jesus didn’t cover everything that will happen immediately after His return in the Olivet Prophecy.
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DISCERN
Many of the details are found in other parts of the Bible. But He did discuss two major things that will occur after He comes back. We’ll examine those two events in this article.
“Then all the tribes of the earth will mourn”
The first detail Jesus gave about what will happen after His return is found 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 on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (emphasis added). Despite the fact that Jesus will return as the ultimate Liberator, He will not be greeted that way. Instead, He will be viewed by most as a threat. Consider that before Christ’s second coming, the world will experience frightening and destructive
November/December 2020
