Jesus, What Shall Be The Sign Of Thy Coming?

In the book of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the disciples directly ask Jesus Christ: “What shall be the sign of thy coming?”

In other words, “Jesus, when is your second coming going to happen? When are you coming back?”

And guess what? Jesus gives us the exact answer in multiple books of the Bible. But people have taken his words and twisted the Scripture.

Let’s See What JESUS Says About His Second Coming

Let’s start out in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. It would be best if you stopped right now to read each of those chapters. Pay close attention to the words in each chapter.

Matthew 24:3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?

Mark 13:3-4 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives over against the temple, Peter and James and John and Andrew asked him privately, 4 Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign when all these things shall be fulfilled?

Luke 21:7 And they asked him, saying, Master, but when shall these things be? and what sign will there be when these things shall come to pass?

Well, let’s see what Jesus says. Remember, Jesus is the authority. He is God. He knows what’s going to happen. We don’t get to make something up ourselves and teach a false doctrine to everyone.

Why do I say that? Because it’s the first thing Jesus talks about when he answers the disciples.

Matthew 24:4-5 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. 5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Mark 13:5-6 And Jesus answering them began to say, Take heed lest any man deceive you: 6 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

Luke 21:8 And he said, Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.

When you get the second coming of Jesus Christ wrong, you can easily be deceived. You need to see this today.

Order of Events Up To The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

I’m going to summarize this for you, but you should read all of Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Always check what I’m telling you and what anyone else tells you. You are to judge everything I say.

Read the chapters and then see if they all match this order directly from Jesus:

1. Many shall come saying, “I am Christ.”
2. Wars and rumors of wars. Nation shall rise against nation.
3. Famine, pestilence, and earthquakes.
4. People being killed for Christ.
5. Many shall be offended. Betrayal. Hate for one another.
6. Many false prophets shall rise and deceive many.
7. Iniquity will abound and love will wax cold.
8. The gospel will be preached in all the world.
9. The abomination of desolation will take place.
10. There will be great tribulation.
11. The day’s will be shortened for the elect’s sake.

If you take a look at the order of events in Revelation, this list above matches perfectly. Take the seals that you see in Revelation and compare them to the above list.

For example, the antichrist comes in seal 1. He deceives people into thinking he is Christ. In seal 2, you’ll see wars (matches number 2 above). In seal 3, you’ll see famine (matches number 3 above). Seal 4 is death. Seal 5 is martyrs.

You should begin to see how these match perfectly. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 matches the Book of Revelation perfectly.

To better help you see the comparison between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Revelation, please see this comparison of Bible prophecy.

Here’s What Happens Directly Before Jesus Comes Back

And now, I want you to see when Jesus actually comes back. I want you to notice what all of this Scripture says.

Matthew 24:29-30 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: 30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mark 13:24-26 But in those days, after that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, 25 And the stars of heaven shall fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be shaken. 26 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.

Luke 21:25-27 And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; 26 Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. 27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

Please keep in mind the exact question that the disciples asked Jesus: “Jesus, what shall be the sign of thy coming.” Jesus answers and gives them the timeline. He gives the order of events.

Notice what Matthew 24 says. “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven.”

Mark 13 says the same thing. “After that tribulation, the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light. And the stars of heaven shall fall.”

Luke 21 tells us “And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars.”

Here Are The Signs of The Second Coming of Jesus Christ

Remember the original question. “Jesus, what shall be the sign of thy coming.” Well, Jesus tells us directly that the sign of his coming will be the signs in the sun, moon, and stars.

We clearly see that the sun will be darkened, the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven. And Jesus himself CLEARLY says that he is coming after the tribulation.

All of these Scriptures (the perfect and inspired word of God) tell us that THEN we’ll see Jesus “COMING” in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Now, we’ll look to the Book of Revelation since Revelation is all about the coming of Jesus Christ and the end of the world. We should be able to find these same signs within the Book of Revelation, right?

So, we go and search for the sun and moon being darkened and the stars falling from heaven. Where do we find this? We sure don’t find it in Revelation Chapter 19 when Jesus comes back to earth on a white horse for the battle of Armageddon. It’s not found in Revelation Chapter 19.

Where In The Book of Revelation Do We See The Signs Jesus Gave Us In Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21?

There’s only one place in the book of Revelation that you’ll find the sun and moon darkened. If you don’t believe me, read the entire book of Revelation (it doesn’t take that long) and search the Scriptures. That’s your job, and that’s a command from God.

Here’s the only place in Revelation where you’ll see the SIGNS of the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as JESUS HIMSELF just gave us:

Revelation 6:12-13 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; 13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.

This is very easy and clear to see. The sun and moon are darkened and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth. This is exactly what Jesus tells us in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. There is no other Scripture in Revelation like this.

Jesus says that we won’t see those signs until AFTER THE TRIBULATION. What does this mean? This means at the opening of the sixth seal, the tribulation is over. Why? Because the sun and moon are darkened. Tribulation over. Jesus said so. Not me. God said it.

After the sixth seal is opened, the second coming of Jesus Christ occurs. He comes back in the clouds just as he says in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. Why does he come in the clouds?

Jesus Comes Back (Second Coming) To Gather The Saved In The Clouds

He comes back in the clouds to gather together his elect or saved people from all over heaven and earth. This is what we call the first resurrection or rapture.

Yes, the second coming of Jesus Christ is in the clouds at the rapture. The word of God calls the rapture the “COMING” of the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:15-17 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

Notice that verse 15 says, “that we which are alive and remain unto the COMING of the Lord.” Some people will teach that this Scripture isn’t talking about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Well, the perfect word of God calls it the “coming of the Lord” so I’ll go with the word of God over the word of man.

If you read Revelation Chapter 6 and 7 fully, you’ll see that a great multitude of people show up in heaven suddenly.

Revelation 7:9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;

These people are in white robes. This is important that you see that for the next Scripture.

Revelation 7:13-14 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? 14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.

These people show up in white robes in heaven and they came OUT OF GREAT TRIBULATION. People who will be alive and remain during the great tribulation will be caught up in the clouds with Jesus at his second coming.

The Second Coming of Jesus Christ Is Directly After The Tribulation and The Tribulation Ends At The Sixth Seal

All of this makes perfect sense with the entire Bible. The rapture is directly after the tribulation when Jesus comes in the clouds at his second coming.

The tribulation doesn’t last 7 years. The Bible never says that it lasts 7 years. Daniel’s 70th week is a 7 year period that includes the tribulation, the rapture, and then God’s wrath.

The Bible does not call Revelation Chapter 19 the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Revelation 19:11-14 And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. 12 His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. 13 And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. 14 And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.

When you read through Revelation Chapter 18, 19, and 20, take a look and see if the signs that Jesus lists in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are there. They aren’t because that is not the second coming of Jesus Christ.

Please see our Revelation series for a verse-by-verse teaching of the Book of Revelation.

Increase your faith by seeing the word of God and believing what God says over a man-made teaching. The pre-tribulation rapture is a man made teaching. The correct Bible teaching is a post tribulation, pre-wrath rapture. And again, the rapture occurs after the tribulation (the tribulation is NOT the entire 7-year period) but before God’s wrath is poured out.

The tribulation is over once the sixth seal is opened. Jesus Christ says so.