PREFACE
This booklet in your hands is a faithful transcription of a portion of the profound series of conferences on the Book of Revelation, delivered by brother Gino Iafrancesco Villegas. These lectures, full of wisdom and insight, were originally given at Christian gatherings in Teusaquillo, Bogotá D.C., Colombia, between July 6, 2001, and October 19, 2003.
Chapter 8 of the book An Approach to Revelation, titled “He Comes with the Clouds,” explores a crucial point in divine revelation, delving into prophetic themes and God's plan. Throughout this text, you will notice the preservation of the oral and informal style of the original presentations. This allows the richness of the teaching to be conveyed in a direct and engaging way, as if you were attending the conferences yourself.
The colloquial language and lecture structure were intentionally preserved to capture the essence of brother Gino’s communication, making it easier to understand and connect with the topics covered. It is an invitation to dive into the Scriptures in a way that stimulates reflection and deepens understanding of prophetic events and God’s plan.
We hope this reading is as edifying as the original teachings, guiding you toward a clearer and more inspiring understanding of the Book of Revelation.
In Christ,
Brothers from the City of Cascavel-PR.
HE COMES WITH THE CLOUDS
"Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Certainly. Amen! 'I am the Alpha and the Omega,' says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'" (Revelation 1:7-8)
The Pantocrator (Pan Creator = creator of all things) or “The Almighty”
Tonight, brothers, with the Lord’s help, we will continue the study we’ve begun on the book of Revelation; we are in the first chapter. Revelation chapter 1; this time we arrive at verse 7. Last time we saw the presentation of God through Christ, by His angel to John, to the churches; and we also saw how John praised the One who loved us and made us a kingdom and priests to His God and Father; that is why it says at the end of verse 6: “to Him be glory and dominion”; here we clearly see, we could say with emphasis, glory being given to the Son at a time when Israel only knew God as the Father, but had not yet known God as the Son; and here John is one of those who most clearly confesses the divinity of the Son. That is how his gospel begins: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). In his first letter he says: “But we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20); that is, the true God, the only true God, the Father, is known through the Son; in the Son we know the Father; it is not possible to know the Father without the Son; and here also in Revelation, just as in the Gospel and the Epistle, it now says: “To Him be glory (referring to the Son) and dominion forever and ever. Amen.”
Then, focusing our attention on Him, he declares the following; before explaining that he was a prisoner on the island of Patmos, which he begins to say in verse 9, he is so immersed in the One he saw and in whose name he is speaking and whom he is glorifying, that he says: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. Certainly. Amen!” Then God, the Father, speaks through John and says: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Pantocrator in Greek)
Here, as we saw last time in the textual examination of the various manuscripts, the most faithful, purest, and oldest version is the one I just read. Some Bibles render it this way: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty”; we already covered this in detail in the last study, so now let’s focus less on textual commentary and more on exegesis.
ON THE TIMING OF THE RAPTURE
Forgive me for what I am about to say tonight; and I say this for the following reason: I know, and you also know, that throughout the history of the Church, concerning the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, there have been many considerations, many viewpoints; and throughout Church history, we have not been able to bring all the brothers into agreement regarding the second coming of the Lord; so, knowing that this subject contains diverging opinions, I in no way intend to put a final word on it; but I cannot avoid being responsible, since I received a command from the Lord to teach Revelation, to teach it as best as I understand it; therefore I ask you not to follow me, but to follow the Bible itself; do not accept what I say just because brother Gino is speaking, but judge by the Holy Spirit whether it is so or not; because on this point I am about to address, I know that in Church history there has existed the view that the second coming of the Lord is divided into two parts: one secret and the other public, and that there will be a secret rapture before the glorious and manifest coming of the Lord Jesus.
Pre-tribulationism. This is a viewpoint that is popular in a sector of God’s people; this viewpoint was first noted in the Patristic era by Ephraim the Syrian, in the year 374—this was the way he viewed the matter; but in his writings, he does not offer deep proof; he simply concludes without demonstrating, at least in the writings I’ve seen. He is the one who, for the first time in the fourth century, mentioned this idea of a rapture before the Great Tribulation. Later, around 1754, a Baptist pastor named John Gill was the second to express this viewpoint of a pre-tribulation rapture, in an extensive commentary he made on the entire New Testament; it was unusual because among Baptists this was not the traditional view. But this brother, John Gill, saw it this way, and so he taught what he believed. Then, in 1810, a Jesuit in Chile named Lacunza also taught this viewpoint of a rapture before the Great Tribulation; some have accused Lacunza of trying to counter the Protestant interpretation that said the Pope was the Antichrist, and so he modified eschatology in that direction. I do not accuse him in this way because I have not read Lacunza’s original writings directly, I’ve only read about him; so I’m merely reporting what some have said, without referencing his actual writings.
WE WILL MEET HIM IN THE CLOUDS
Let us return to other passages where the coming of the Lord in the clouds appears; and the first passage is in Matthew 24, because we are looking at verses that relate to Revelation 1:7.
Initially, I will read verse 30, but afterward, we will need to examine some things; verse 30 is to observe the agreement with Revelation 1:7; but regarding this verse, we must understand it in its full context: “Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn (Do you realize how similar this is to what Revelation 1:7 says?), and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.”
He said that He would come this way. Let’s go back a little to Matthew 24. For now, let’s remain in Matthew and observe the confession of Jesus before the Council when He was being judged; this is found in Matthew chapter 26. Let us read from verse 62, when Caiaphas, Annas, and the others were judging Jesus: “62 The high priest stood up and said to Jesus, ‘Do you not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against you?’ 63 But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, ‘I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.’ 64 Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.’” Concerning this mourning of the tribes, let’s go to Zechariah chapter 12, which speaks of the end times. Verse 10 says: “10 I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn. 11 In that day there will be great mourning in Jerusalem, like the mourning of Hadad-Rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land will mourn, every family by itself; the family of the house of David by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself and their wives by themselves. 14 All the remaining families, every family by itself and their wives by themselves.” What is said here in much detail is summarized there in Revelation 1:7, where it says, “and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him.”
Mark and Luke also present to us the coming of the Lord in the clouds; in Mark chapter 13, verse 26 says: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory.” We can turn to Luke chapter 21 where also in verse 27 it says: “Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Both Matthew, Mark, and Luke record different aspects of the words of the Lord Jesus. If you look at Mark, the same confession of Jesus before the council appears as in Matthew, and it’s also seen in Luke; so for now we will not read from Mark or Luke, but you may check them later. This is what we are told here about the coming of the Lord in the clouds.
Another passage where the coming of the Lord in the clouds is spoken of—now in the apostles’ writings—is 1 Thessalonians 4:14 onward: “14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. 15 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 not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.” So we see that the Lord comes in the clouds and that the dead in Christ will rise first, and then the others who are alive at the coming of the Lord will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the clouds. Did you notice the word “clouds” there? Look again: “We will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air”; because the Lord comes in the clouds and in the rapture we will meet the Lord in the clouds.
COMING OR SECRET HOUR OF THE LORD?
Now I must go a bit deeper; here we have seen what relates to the coming of the Lord in the clouds. Sometimes it is said that the secret coming is like a thief, and the second part of the second coming is the public and glorious coming, visible in the clouds; but that before this, there was a secret coming. Of course, in the other passages we read about the coming in the clouds, none mention a previous secret coming. There are five or six verses in the Bible that speak of the coming of the Lord as a thief in the night; this expression, "coming as a thief in the night," meaning that no one knows the day or the hour, has been used as the basis for the view that there is a secret coming before the public coming, and they say the secret coming is like a thief in the night.
If you carefully examine the verses, you will see that they do not speak of a secret coming, but of a secret hour. If you go back and read the verses—there are only five or six—we will read them tonight; if we read the verses that speak of the coming as a thief, all those five or six verses speak in the context of the public and visible coming. These verses are in Matthew 24, in Luke 12, in 1 Thessalonians 5, 2 Peter 3, and in Revelation 3 and 16; these are the verses we will examine that speak of the coming of the Lord as a thief in the night, which some brethren—and I respect them—have said is the secret coming. But I will show from the Bible—you examine it to see if it makes sense or not, I will not impose—that all five or six verses that speak of the coming as a thief in the night, all five or six, if you read the context, refer to the public and glorious coming, including Revelation 1:7: “Behold, He is coming with the clouds.” Is that coming in the clouds the one that is like a thief in the night, or is the coming like a thief in the night something different? Let’s see if the coming as a thief in the night is another event or if it is the same one in which He comes in visible clouds.
Let us begin with the first, in Matthew 24. The five passages are: Matthew 24—write them down, please, so you can go back and read them in their full context—Luke 12, 1 Thessalonians 5, 2 Peter 3, and Revelation 3 and 16. We will examine the verses one by one. Let’s begin with Matthew 24; here I have the text in Greek so that the brothers can later check it in the Greek; Matthew 24, let’s begin from verse 3, because we must read what the Lord says in its context: “3 As He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, ‘Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?’” He had just spoken about Jerusalem, that wall they admired saying: Look at these great stones! And He replied: not one stone will be left upon another; this was one of the things that would happen, but not the only one, and they ask: “When will these things be, (that is, the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple) and what will be the sign of Your coming?” You can check in the Greek to see if the word is parousia or epiphaneia, because some have said that the word parousia refers to the secret coming and the word epiphaneia refers to the public coming, but if you read the Greek, you will see that parousia is used for the public coming; in this coming, which is spoken of as the Lord coming in the clouds, glorious, it says parousia; so the argument that parousia refers to the secret coming cannot be sustained in light of the Greek. In the Greek context, every time parousia is used, it refers to the coming of the Lord, including the public and visible one.
“and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?”
“4 And Jesus answered and said to them, ‘See to it that no one misleads you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ,” and will mislead many. 6 You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end. 7 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes. 8 But all these things are merely the beginning of birth pains. 9 Then...’”
To whom is the Lord speaking here? To Christians, to the Church; when someone is in Christ, he is no longer Jew or Gentile; before, he was Jew or Gentile, but when Christ died, there is no longer Jew, nor Gentile, nor barbarian, nor Scythian, nor male, nor female, but Christ is all and in all. Please follow in your Bibles, not just me, so that I am not mistaken and you along with me; that being so, watch me closely.
THE CHURCH AND THE TRIBULATION
“9 Then (the Lord Jesus is speaking to the Christians, to His own) they will deliver you to tribulation (ah! many say: don’t worry, brother, you will not go through this, you will not suffer anything; but how many have already suffered tribulation in these 21 centuries?) and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.”
“10 At that time many will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another.
11 Many false prophets will arise and will mislead many.
12 Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold.
13 But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
14 This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
15 Therefore…”
Ah! That means what continues being said is related to what was being said before, and He is speaking to Christians. Some say: He is speaking to the Jews; no, He is speaking to the Christians who believe in Christ; there is no longer Jew or Gentile.
“15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation…”
Ah! The Lord is saying to His disciples that in the end they will see the abomination of desolation; some thought they would not see it, but here the Lord doesn’t say that some will and some won’t; He says, “when you see.” He is giving standard instruction. He is not trying to mislead or teach distortions or give a misleading picture; because the Lord does not teach according to Darby or Newton; no, the Lord teaches as it is; so we must follow Him.
“15 Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), (that’s why I said to the brothers who read that work on Daniel)
16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.
17 Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house.
18 Whoever is in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
19 But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days!
20 But pray that your flight will not be in the winter, or on a Sabbath.”
In the year 70, when Titus came and took the city, the fulfillment of these things began; not everything was fulfilled, but the fulfillment began, because Daniel said in chapter 9, after the prophecy of the 70 weeks, he said that when the Messiah’s life was taken, the prince of a people who would come would destroy the city and the sanctuary, and that was Rome. Rome is that prince; when Vespasian was emperor, Titus came and took Jerusalem, and that prophecy began to be fulfilled, but not all of it was fulfilled. The Lord spoke of several things that would have to happen, but He did not speak of the exact moment, the hour or day; no one can speak of that because Jesus said: not even the angels know, only the Father.
So He says:
“21 For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will.”
When He says “nor ever will,” we can already see that He is not referring only to the year 70, but to the final great tribulation, the last great tribulation. Of course, in the year 70 something was fulfilled, but He was not only speaking about the year 70, because He was not only answering when those things would happen, but also when His coming and the end of the age would be; as they did not know, they asked everything together, and He answered everything together. But part of it refers to the fall of Jerusalem, and the other part refers to the antichrist, to the abomination of desolation, and that is why He speaks here of the “great tribulation” of which there will never be another; that is, the one in the year 70 is not this one, even though that was a beginning, an early stage, but the definitive one is the final one—there will be no other.
He continues:
“22 Unless those days had been cut short, no life would have been saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Behold, here is the Christ,’ or ‘There He is,’ do not believe him.
24 For false christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect.
25 Behold, I have told you in advance.
26 So if they say to you, ‘Behold, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or, ‘Behold, He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe them.
27 For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes even to the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be.
28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
29 But immediately after the tribulation of those days…”
(Focus here on this phrase, please—“after the tribulation of those days”, not before the tribulation, please)
“…the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.”
31 “And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.”
Not only from the earth, but also from the heavens, because the saints who had died in Christ were waiting for the resurrection and to come with Him. That’s why it says: “from one end of the sky to the other.” And in that context it says:
32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;
33 so, you too, when you see all these things (including the abomination of desolation, the persecution of the saints, the tribulation of those days), recognize that He is near, right at the door.
And up to this point in the reading, He has not yet come, and it says: “after the tribulation,” and it continues:
34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
38 For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
Note that He is speaking of judgment, of the public coming, after the tribulation of those days:
40 “Then (look at the verse—not before, “then”) there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left.
That is the rapture; notice in what context the rapture appears. Do not read this verse in isolation—read it in the full context of the teaching:
41 Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.
42 Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming.
Which coming is He speaking of here? The same one He has been talking about throughout the entire chapter, and in that context He says:
43 “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into.”
In other words, the context of the coming as a thief is the entire context of chapter 24 and the glorious coming; I am reading it this way—I don’t know how you read it. I leave it to you to read as you wish, but I thank you for allowing me to read.
44 “For this reason, you also must be ready;”
Ah! You—the Church, the Christians, His own, His disciples, His apostles.
“For this reason”—He is connecting everything together.
“44 For this reason, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.
45 Who then is the faithful and sensible slave whom his master put in charge of his household to give them their food at the proper time?
46 Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.
47 Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
48 But if that evil slave says in his heart, ‘My master is not coming for a long time,’
49 and begins to beat his fellow slaves and eat and drink with drunkards,
50 the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour which he does not know,
51 and will cut him in pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
This is the context of the first mention of the coming as a thief.
If we take the verse in isolation, we can place it anywhere, but if you take it in its full context, you must keep it there.
THE COMING AS A THIEF IN LUKE AND THESSALONIANS
The second mention appears in another context, in Luke 12:35–40; there is another citation in which the Lord speaks of the coming as a thief.
We are reading all the biblical verses that speak of the coming as a thief, so we can understand and interpret them in their proper context.
Luke 12:35:
“35 Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.
36 Be like men who are waiting for their master when he returns from the wedding feast, so that they may immediately open the door to him when he comes and knocks.”
Who are these “you”? The apostles. He is speaking to His own and says:
“37 Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them.
38 Whether he comes in the second watch, or even in the third, and finds them so, blessed are those slaves.
39 But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into.
40 You too, be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”
The hour is secret, but the coming will be noticed. That is the second verse in its context where the coming as a thief appears, and you’ll see that it is similar to what we read in Matthew, although in a different context.
THE THIRD MENTION OF THE COMING AS A THIEF — 1 THESSALONIANS 5
Now let's go to the third mention of the coming as a thief, found in 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. Notice that chapter 4 already spoke about His coming in the clouds and the rapture — how we will not precede those who have died, but rather that the Lord will descend, the dead will rise first, and we will meet the Lord in the air. That was the subject: the coming of the Lord and the gathering of the saints. Now, in chapter 5, Paul continues with that same expectation, according to what Jesus taught.
And observe something important: Paul’s expectation must also be our expectation. He said: “I say this to you by the word of the Lord.” Paul is speaking to the church of the Thessalonians; he’s not talking to some who are defeated or unworthy — he’s talking to all the saints. He’s not dividing people into special categories where some go before and others stay; that kind of teaching did not exist yet in Paul’s time. He had the fresh tradition from Jesus Himself.
So look at 1 Thessalonians 3:12–13, written to the same group mentioned in chapter 4 about the rapture, and in chapter 5 about the thief-like coming of the Lord:
“12 And may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you;
13 so that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.”
Paul is not creating a separate expectation — this is the same coming with all the saints.
To explain how this coming with all the saints will take place, he says in chapter 4:
“13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope.
14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus.
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 not precede those who have fallen asleep.
16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.”
Please pay close attention to these teachings of Paul, led by the Holy Spirit.
“The dead in Christ will rise first.” First is the resurrection of the saints who died in Christ — and then comes the transformation and the gathering with them:
“17 Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”
Now chapter 5 continues:
“1 Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you.
2 For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”
What had Paul just been talking about? The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ with all the saints — how God will bring with Jesus those who died in Him, and that He will come in the clouds with the voice of the archangel, the trumpet of God, and that the dead will rise, then the living will be caught up — and then he says, “the day of the Lord will come like a thief.”
Notice, it is not about secrecy — it's about surprise. The hour is unknown, but when it comes, it will be like this:
“3 While they are saying, ‘Peace and safety!’ then destruction will come upon them suddenly like labor pains upon a woman with child, and they will not escape.
4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, that the day would overtake you like a thief;
5 for you are all sons of light and sons of day. We are not of night nor of darkness;
6 so then let us not sleep as others do, but let us be alert and sober.”
Now notice — verse 3 connects directly with verse 2:
Verse 2 says “the day of the Lord will come like a thief,”
Verse 3 says: “then sudden destruction will come upon them.”
So what does that mean?
That the coming of the Lord as a thief brings sudden destruction upon those who are not His.
Therefore, we cannot separate sudden destruction into one event and the coming as a thief into another. Paul ties them together:
He connects chapter 3 (the coming of the Lord with His saints), chapter 4 (God bringing with Jesus those who died in Him, the trumpet, the resurrection, the rapture), and now in chapter 5 he says: it will be like a thief — sudden and unexpected — and will bring judgment.
Now, it's not only Paul who says this — Peter also says it.
THE COMING OF THE LORD ACCORDING TO PETER AND REVELATION 16
Let us go now to 2 Peter chapter 3. We are reading all the verses that speak of the coming as a thief, so that we do not speak from another context, but from the context in which the Lord and His apostles spoke.
2 Peter 3:9–10 speaks of the coming as a thief — and notice how this coming is described. It is not a secret coming. What is secret is the hour; that is the surprise, that is what “like a thief” means — something unexpected. But the coming itself, see how it will be:
“9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.”
Brothers, this is the context of the coming as a thief:
“in which (in that day when the Lord comes as a thief) the heavens will pass away with a roar.”
That will not be secret. The hour, yes — it is unknown. But when it happens, it will be evident, loud, cataclysmic: the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat. Therefore, Peter is confirming the same teaching we saw from Jesus and Paul: the coming as a thief is not a different event — it is the same public and visible coming, sudden and unannounced.
Now, the last verse today that mentions the coming as a thief is found in Revelation 16.
I do not know if, after this reading, you are seeing the rapture differently. I do not know — I respect your view — I don’t want to mock or offend, may the Lord keep me from that. But these verses make me think very seriously. I don’t know what you think; there are many other verses, of course.
Now notice what chapter 16 deals with: it is about the bowls of God’s wrath.
The first bowl? Painful sores.
The second bowl? The sea becomes like blood.
The third bowl? Rivers and springs become blood.
The fourth bowl? Great heat.
The fifth bowl? Darkness on the throne of the beast — that is, we are already in the Great Tribulation by the fifth bowl. Can you see it?
Now let’s read the fifth bowl, Revelation 16:10:
“10 Then the fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and his kingdom became darkened; and they gnawed their tongues because of pain,
11 and they blasphemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores; and they did not repent of their deeds.”
So, we are already at the fifth bowl, deep into the Great Tribulation. Now comes the sixth bowl. And if it is the sixth, it obviously cannot occur before the fifth. Let’s read:
“12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.”
Remember what Daniel said? That when the antichrist comes, news from the east and the north would trouble him? Well, look here — during the reign of the antichrist, those kings from the east come.
We are in the sixth bowl:
“13 And I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs;
14 for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.”
And now comes verse 15, in the midst of all of this — in the context of the antichrist, in the sixth bowl, with all the plagues and wrath of God being poured out. Look what Jesus says:
“15 (Behold, I am coming like a thief. Blessed is the one who stays awake and keeps his clothes, so that he will not walk about naked and men will not see his shame.)”
Did you catch that? He is still saying, during the sixth bowl, during the Great Tribulation, “Behold, I am coming like a thief.”
He has not yet come as a thief, even during the sixth bowl of wrath.
So these are five passages that speak of the coming of the Lord as a thief in the night. And notice the context of each one: none of them speak of a secret coming before the visible one.
In all of them, the coming as a thief is part of the public, glorious, unexpected, and final return of the Lord.
THE WHEAT, THE TARES, AND THE COMING OF THE LORD
Let us go to Matthew chapter 13, where the Lord is asked about a parable He had told. Matthew 13:24 — the parable of the wheat and the tares.
“24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field’ (this field is the world — He explained it later), 25 ‘but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.
26 But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.
27 The slaves of the landowner came and said to him’ (He later interpreted that these were the angels), ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?’ (the sons of the kingdom) ‘How then does it have tares?’ (the sons of the evil one).
28 And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’
29 But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them also.’”
It doesn’t matter how many tares there are — the wheat can grow beside them. Let them grow together. But please, focus on what He says next:
“30 Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather up the tares’ (Ah! wasn’t the wheat supposed to be gathered first? No — first the tares), and He didn’t say ‘harvest the tares,’ but: “Gather up the tares first and bind them in bundles” (this is globalization, economic opening, economic integration) “to burn them.” That is the Great Tribulation. First the tares must be gathered and bound in bundles to be burned:
“But gather the wheat into my barn.”
Brothers, I sometimes hear it said that the wheat will be gathered first and the tares left behind. But here it clearly says the tares are gathered first; “bind them in bundles to be burned; but the wheat, gather into my barn.”
He then explained this in verses 36 through 43. I’ll skip to the interpretation, where He said the Son of Man is the one doing this. Verse 39:
“39 The enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
40 So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom (I thought He would gather the saints — but it says), ‘all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
43 Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun.’”
That is when they are transformed and glorified and go to meet the Lord in the air to reign with Him in the kingdom of His Father.
“He who has ears, let him hear.”
So, brothers, here the Lord first speaks of gathering the tares into bundles. When Revelation 1:7 says,
“Behold, He is coming with the clouds,”
it refers to all these verses we have read. “And every eye will see Him”; that is exactly what Matthew 24 said — after the tribulation of those days. That’s when He began to speak of the coming as a thief, and we’ve already read almost all the verses that mention this. Soon, we will also look at Revelation 3.
THE RAPTURE AT THE LAST TRUMPET
Now, the verse in 1 Thessalonians that speaks of the resurrection and the rapture corresponds to what is written in 1 Corinthians 15. Let’s go to that chapter and read from verse 50. Notice how this passage aligns with 1 Thessalonians 4, which explains what is already anticipated in chapter 3 — the coming of the Lord with the saints and the rapture of the saints to meet the Lord in the clouds — but first the dead in Christ will rise, and then we will be transformed. That is exactly what is said in 1 Corinthians 15:50:
“50 Now I say this, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
51 Behold, I tell you a mystery; we will not all sleep, but we will all be changed,
52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound,”
(Didn’t he also say this in Thessalonians?)
“and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.”
I do not believe Paul would teach one thing to the Thessalonians and something different to the Corinthians; he is teaching the same thing. But here Paul gives us a key: When will this happen?
At the last trumpet. Why “last”? Because there are other trumpets — but there is one final trumpet.
Where do these other trumpets appear in the Bible?
They appear in Revelation. In Revelation we find the seven trumpets. Let us see how it is at the seventh trumpet, at the end, when the time comes to give out rewards — which is when the Lord returns.
Let’s go to Revelation 11. Note that it is the seventh trumpet, because how many trumpets are there? Seven, and the last one is the seventh. All the trumpets are judgments and tribulations. And the seventh says the following, in verse 15:
“15 Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, ‘The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever.’
16 And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God,
17 saying, ‘We give You thanks, O Lord God, the Almighty, who are and who were, because You have taken Your great power and have begun to reign.
18 And the nations were enraged,’”
Ah! That summarizes all the final wars — the kings of the North, the kings of the East, the Antichrist, etc.
“and Your wrath came,” (first it mentions the rage of the nations, then the wrath of the Lord — that’s the bowls) “and the time came for the dead to be judged, and the time to reward Your bond-servants the prophets and the saints and those who fear Your name, the small and the great, and to destroy those who destroy the earth.
19 And the temple of God which is in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple, and there were flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder and an earthquake and a great hailstorm.”
So, brothers, observe that the time to give rewards is at the seventh trumpet, and that reward is the coming of the Lord. Let’s confirm this in Revelation 22:12, where the Lord speaks of His coming:
“12 Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done.”
So when is the time of the Lord’s coming to give rewards?
At the seventh and last trumpet. That’s why it says in Revelation 11:18: “Your wrath has come, and the time to judge the dead and to give the reward.”
The time of reward is the coming of the Lord. And at the Lord’s coming, there will be resurrection of the dead, transformation of the living faithful in Christ, and the rapture to meet Him who is coming in the clouds, with the sound of the trumpet, with the shout of command.
And do you know what else it says about the coming of the Lord in 2 Thessalonians?
It doesn’t say He comes in secret — it says He comes in flaming fire, with the angels of His power.
THE CHURCH AND SUFFERING
Let us go now to 2 Thessalonians.
We can’t see everything, but let’s look at what we can.
Paul wrote the second letter to the same people as the first — the Thessalonians — and he will not contradict what he said in the first letter. Instead, he will clarify, because some may have misunderstood his earlier teaching.
2 Thessalonians 1:3 — and please, brothers, don’t follow me, follow your Bibles:
“3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater;
4 therefore, we ourselves speak proudly of you among the churches of God for your perseverance and faith in the midst of all your persecutions and afflictions which you endure.”
Listen — from the beginning, what is normal for the Church is suffering, persecution, and tribulation. That is normal.
Do you know what Peter teaches? That we should arm ourselves with the same mindset — the mindset of suffering.
Peter says:
“Therefore, since Christ has suffered in the flesh, arm yourselves also with the same purpose” (1 Peter 4:1).
What are those who teach that Christians will not suffer doing?
They are disarming the brethren.
Because Peter says we should arm ourselves with the mindset to suffer.
The normal state throughout Church history has been one of suffering, persecution, and tribulation.
And verse 5 continues:
“5 This is a plain indication of God’s righteous judgment so that you will be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which indeed you are suffering.
6 For after all it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you,”
Why will the world be afflicted? Because the world afflicts the Church.
The Church is afflicted by the world — therefore, the world is afflicted by God.
“7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well (when? When will the Lord give us relief from tribulation?) when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven
(it is not secret)
with His mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
Ah! So at the same time He gives rest to us from tribulation, He brings judgment to those who afflicted us —
When?
“When the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in flaming fire.”
9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,
10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our testimony to you was believed.”
(That is the transformation of the body.)
11 To this end also we pray for you always, that our God will count you worthy of your calling, and fulfill every desire for goodness and the work of faith with power,
12 so that the name of our Lord Jesus will be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
That is what Paul was saying — but he didn’t put chapter breaks in his letters. He continues directly:
2:1 Now we request you, brethren, with regard to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (parousia is the word here),
and our gathering together to Him
(When will we be gathered to Him? When we are caught up to meet Him in the air. So what is he talking about? Listen, brothers:
Concerning the coming of the Lord — the parousia — and our gathering together with Him — the word used is episynagōgē, that is, the gathering on high)
— that is the rapture, our gathering to Him in the air is the rapture, when we meet Him in the clouds —
2 that you not be quickly shaken from your composure or be disturbed either by a spirit or a message or a letter as if from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come.
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
WHAT HOLDS BACK THE APPEARANCE OF THE ANTICHRIST
This is what Daniel said; in Daniel chapter 11, it speaks from verse 35 to the end of that period, of that dictatorial government, of that antichrist who sits in the temple of God as God; that is, when Paul is writing this letter, he has in mind Daniel, the chapters of Daniel 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11, which speak of this antichrist; and in this context, with the background of Daniel in his mind, Paul goes on to say:
“5 Do you not remember that when I was still with you I used to tell you these things?”
This tells us that Paul’s oral teaching was also based on Daniel, and it is with the context of Daniel and Paul’s careful wording amidst the Roman system that he says the following mysterious words that some have misunderstood:
“6 And now you know what restrains him.”
Notice that it is not “who” restrains, but “what” restrains; it is not the Holy Spirit, for the Holy Spirit is not a “what”—besides, He is the omnipresent God, and even when some are tormented for five months, those who have the seal of the living God will not be tormented; the seal of the living God is the Holy Spirit; that is, the Holy Spirit will be there when men are tormented; it is not the Holy Spirit who will be taken away; He cannot be removed—He is omnipresent. Psalm 139 says that not even in Sheol can the Holy Spirit be removed:
“7 Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence?
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there also.”
The Holy Spirit is not removed; and Paul would not speak irreverently, saying “what restrains,” if referring to the Holy Spirit. But notice whom he is talking about; note that he has the background of Daniel in mind:
“6 And now you know what restrains him, so that he will be revealed at the proper time.
7 For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way.
8 And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.”
That is, only after the lawless one is revealed.
Regarding the coming of the Lord and our gathering together with Him, do not be easily unsettled, because that day will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who sits in the temple of God. Paul also learned this from Daniel.
Now, brothers, what was holding back the presence of the Antichrist? Notice one thing: he speaks of the Antichrist being revealed “in his proper time”; that is, the Antichrist, this lawless man, this son of perdition, has an appointed time; he cannot come before his time, because the Lord in Daniel showed the sequence of times: He gave a time to Babylon. As long as Babylon stood, Medo-Persia could not come; when Babylon was removed, Medo-Persia came. When Medo-Persia was in place, Greece could not come, but when Medo-Persia was removed, the angel said: Now I will fight with the prince of Persia, but soon the prince of Greece will come; the prince of Greece could not come because the prince of Persia was still reigning. When the Persian Empire was removed, then the Greek Empire was manifested.
While the Greek Empire was in its proper time, the Roman Empire could not come, because it was the time for Greece. When Greece’s time ended, Rome came, and now Paul is writing in Athens, under the Roman Empire; but he cannot openly say that the Roman Empire will fall, because after that, ten horns will come and give power to the Antichrist. He must remain silent; orally he could say: Do you not remember what I taught you about Daniel? But now he says: you know what restrains him, because the Roman Empire is now present; while Rome remains, the Antichrist cannot come, but when the time comes for him to be revealed, when the restraining force is removed—because from this beast, which is like iron, ten horns will arise, and from them a little horn will arise and grow great—but he cannot appear until the time of the iron beast, Rome, is over. When that is removed, when the Roman Empire falls, then the lawless one will be revealed. It is not the Holy Spirit who restrains the Antichrist; it is the Holy Spirit who permits him. It says: authority was given to him to act for 42 months and to make war against the saints; that is, the saints will be persecuted by the Antichrist. When Rome is removed from power, then the lawless one will be revealed.
I will end with a verse, Revelation 20:4 and following; here begins the millennial kingdom:
“4 Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them, and judgment was given to them. (Who will reign with Christ for a thousand years?) And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, (and who else?) those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead or on their hand; (they resurrected) and they lived and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.
5 The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were completed. This is the first resurrection.”
So, brothers, the first resurrection includes those martyrs who were beheaded, including those who, during the time of the beast, resisted the beast and did not worship his image; these are the ones who will reign for a thousand years, and that is the first resurrection. Then how could there be a resurrection before this one, if this is the first? Paul said: we will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Who are those who have fallen asleep? All the Christians; they will be resurrected first, and then we; that is the rapture; together with them we will meet the Lord in the air. But here it says the first resurrection is of these martyrs of Christ, and of those who overcame the beast, who did not receive his mark nor worshiped his image.
So, brothers, if this is the first resurrection, how could there be a prior rapture? Because there can be no rapture without a resurrection first, since we will not precede those who have fallen asleep; the dead in Christ will rise first, then we who are alive will be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air. Personally, I find no place for a prior rapture or resurrection, because this is the first—otherwise it wouldn’t be called the first. It says “protos,” the first. Let us draw near to the Lord.
