Jesus used lots of parables in his teachings. “without a parable spake he not unto them” (Mat 13:34) Even when he prophesied of literal events, those things sometimes were mixed with parables. In particular, a perfect example of this is what is referred to as the “Second Coming of Jesus” (Matthew 24), which is also referred to as the “Coming of the Kingdom of God” (Luke 17).
In passages about the so-called “Second Coming”, what Jesus speaks about is an event associated with a specific time period, a specific place and a specific people. Moreover, there are obviously parables he wove into the telling of the event that he used to teach certain concepts. The basic subject is assumed to be about “the coming of the son of man” (at least that’s what was written) and what is known as “the great tribulation”, and it appears the disciples were under the impression that they were close to the literal “end of the world“.
The time period was sometime during the first century given that Jesus refers to his disciples that he is speaking directly to: their (“this”) generation. Jesus was referring to the end of the world of a lot of people. The end of the lives of many Jewish people when the Romans came in force to put down the rebellion of the Jews which literally ended the lives of thousands of Jews.
The place is in Judea — he makes a very specific reference to this in Mt 24:16, and gets into some very specific happenings in Mt 24:15-20.
The people are obviously the Jews since he is speaking to Jews; he refers to a specific place — Judea; and the fact that he says that he is sent specifically to Israel “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel“ (Mat 15:24).
The Coming of the Son of Man and the Coming of the Kingdom of God
Notice that these two events are one in the same. He refers to “the coming of the son of man” event with the very same words he uses with the “Kingdom of God”:
The Coming of the Son of Man
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. (Mat 24:26, 27)
The Coming of the Kingdom of God
And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. (Luk 17:21-24)
These two events are exactly one in the same. It’s not something that you will see happen, because it is something that happens inside of one! Traditionally, this event has always been interpreted as Jesus literally returning to Earth on a white horse, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. But the spirits of the “Lord’s servants” will meet him in the air immediately after their deaths, when he comes for them.
The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you. (Luk 17:20, 21)
Christians have always believed that the “coming of the son of man” (Matthew 24), is all about the “second coming of Jesus” and the so-called “rapture”. However, that’s impossible since this event is “not with observation“ and is something that happens “within you“. As said before, this is a literal event mixed with parables. He puts across an idea that is to be hidden from certain people and revealed to others at the right time.
Obviously, it wasn’t the literal “end of the world” as the disciples expected, but it was the end of the world of many when thousands of Jews died physically.
Reincarnation is a reality — the end of one’s life is when “the Lord” comes for “his servant” — to return his spirit to God that gave it. You are not your body. The real you is your spirit that never dies and has lived many lives before.
Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh…
The lord of that servant shall come (for him) in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of…
And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (if he is not ready) (Mat 24:44-51)
It’s true that no man knows the hour that his Lord comes for his servant:
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. (Mat 24:36)
People have always thought that “day and hour knoweth no man” means the second coming of Jesus, but in reality it is actually the day and hour of each person’s death.
Or when the angels come for him:
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together (the spirits of) his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The very fact that Jesus uses the word “elect” is another indication that he is talking about the Jews and a specific period of time.
The following verse is obviously the part of this horrible event that is a parable:
For wheresoever the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together. (Mat 24:28)
The “carcass” represents the physical body when it dies. The “eagles” are “the angels that he sends to gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Mat 24:31)
And here it is again in Luke 17: the Coming of the Kingdom
“And they answered and said unto him, Where, Lord? And he said unto them, Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together. ” (Lk 17:37)
Here it is again, but this time it literally says “body” — that is the physical body that dies and the “eagles” (angels) come to retrieve the spirits of his “servants“.
The the spirit of a man NEVER DIES, but returns to God who gave the spirit and the physical body of man returns to the Earth from whence it came.
“Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” (Ecc 12:7)
Main Takeaways
- The event that Christians call the “second coming” actually takes place in the first century, which no one ever sees because Jesus doesn’t return. He is not referring to his return, but the return of the spirits of the Lord’s servants to God at their death.
- The event that is called the “great tribulation” is actually when the Romans put down the Jewish rebellion, which culminated in the total destruction of the temple in 70 CE — as Jesus prophesied.
- The events known as “the coming of the son of man” and “the coming of the Kingdom of God”, are actually one in the same, but very well obfuscated by parables.
- This whole event is, like Jesus said, “not with observation” because “the Kingdom of God is within you“. It’s not something you actually see.
- The end of the world is the end of each person’s life and it is also when the “Lord of that servant” or the Angels come for them.
- “No man knows the day or hour” when the Lord’s servant’s world ends — this doesn’t mean when Jesus returns — he doesn’t return. It means the “day or hour” of one’s death.
- The “carcass” represents the death of a physical body and “eagles” represent angels.
- The spirit never dies, but returns to God that gave it
- Be ready when your time comes, no one but God knows when that “day and hour” is.
- If anything was a “rapture“, it was when hundreds of thousands of Jews were massacred and the angels came to gather them together back to God, from whence they came.