The return of our Lord in power and great glory is known in Scripture as the "Revelation" or coronation of Christ. The last look the world had of Christ was when He hung in abject misery upon a cross of shame. The next look they will have is when He returns to take the reins of government in His own hands, and shows Himself to be the true KING OF KINGS and LORD OF LORDS (Matt. 24:27-31; Rev. 19:11-16).
The time will be immediately following the Great Tribulation. This brief period will be a time of unprecedented trouble, as Satan is allowed to do his worst, and the wrath of God is poured out upon a world that has spurned His offers of love and mercy (Matt. 24:21-22).
Another name for the Tribulation is that of "Jacob's Trouble" (Jer. 30:7). The returned Jewish people will eventually clash with the Antichrist who in turn will vow to utterly extirpate them from the face of the earth. In the face of this diabolical threat the godly Jewish remnant will flee to a place which God has prepared for their safety (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 24:15-22).
In both Israel's and the world's darkest hour the heavens will suddenly part and the glorious Son of God will come forth and the armies of heaven following Him. The assembled armies of earth will be summarily destroyed by the sword of His mouth, Israel will be rescued and the Tribulation period will be over (Zech. 14:1-3: Rev. 19:11-21).
The Antichrist and the False Prophet will be cast into the lake of fire and Satan will be bound for a thousand years. The Jewish nation and the Gentile nations will be judged by the Son of God for their fitness to enter the millennial kingdom (Ezek. 20:37-44; Matt. 25:31-46).
Then will come to pass the glorious time of which the prophets have written and the poets have sung. Men will beat their swords into plowshares and the desert will blossom as a rose. Everyone shall know the Lord from the least to the greatest. This will be earth's golden hour. This is our Lord's marvelous Kingdom. This is the millennium (Isa. 2:1-5; Zech. 14:4-21; Rev. 20:1-6).
From Believer's First Bible Course by William W. Orr. Wheaton, Ill.: Scripture Press, 1956.
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