The Rapture and Return of The Lord Jesus Christ: Biblical Timeline Revealed

By Joseph Morgan

Is Christ going to return to the earth physically? Will the Rapture of the church occur? The Bible answers these questions in the affirmative. So when will these things take place? After years of studying this, I am convinced that not only will the Lord Jesus be coming to reign on this earth from Jerusalem but He will be doing so very shortly. I believe that the Bible in fact tells us the exact date of His return! Not only that, it also tells us the exact date of the Rapture, or at least the time in which it will occur. Even more, it tells us when the final seven-year period will begin and when the Antichrist will reveal himself—to the day!

I know that many might express incredulity at such claims and even shock at the utter audacity to proclaim something so preposterous, and I do not blame you if you do feel this way. I only ask that you read and consider for yourself. The prophetic time line laid out in this book is absolute and can be overlaid onto the Gregorian calendar. I encourage you to read and discover for yourself why I am so confident in my declarations and how those prophetic time stamps align on our modern calendar. When done and when applied to what Scripture says and the history of the church age, it tells us the physical return of Christ to the earth could very well take place on April 9, 2033. Get ready to be shocked as the book of Revelation will be unfolded to you in a way you have probably never seen before.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Christian Faith Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 15, 2021
• ISBN: 9781638748090

Book preview

Knowing the DAY of the Lord’s Appearing

Is Christ going to return to the earth physically?

Will the Rapture of the Church occur?

If your answer to these first two questions is yes, as it should be, then you very likely have had this follow-up question: when will these things take place?

The traditional Christian response by most biblical scholars and serious students of Scripture is a resounding NO ONE KNOWS! The basis for such a staunch negative opinion is this declaration made by Jesus in Matthew 24:36: But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. That seems straightforward enough. Case closed, right? It would seem so, but that has not stopped people through the ages from trying to predict the date of the return of the Lord. With each new failed attempt to set a particular date, more people become convinced that it cannot be done, that it is not even possible to do so.

Because of this, the majority of Rapture teachers believe and promote the teaching that the Church will be caught up to the Lord at least seven years before His actual coming. This is the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine. Almost all Christians who believe in this doctrine figure there is no need to even concern themselves with the date of Jesus’s second coming because they will be in Heaven when it happens!

After years of studying this and watching and reading many Christian teachers, both professional and nonprofessional, on these matters, I am more convinced than ever before that not only will the Lord Jesus be coming to reign on this earth from Jerusalem but He will be doing so very shortly. I believe that the Bible in fact tells us the exact date of His return! Not only that, it also tells us the exact date of the Rapture or at least the time in which it will occur. Even more, it tells us when the final seven-year period will begin and when the Antichrist will reveal himself—to the day!

I know that many might express incredulity at such claims and even shock at the utter audacity to proclaim something so preposterous, and I do not blame you if you do feel this way. I only ask that you read and consider for yourself.

I am convinced it is vital for Christians to properly discern the times and to prepare themselves to be a witness for Christ in the time of the greatest tribulation the earth will ever see because…we will be here for it!

Why I Believe We Can Know the Day of His Coming

I was raised to believe in a pre-tribulation Rapture and never seriously questioned it until I began studying God’s Word for myself. Hence, I also never gave any thought to caring about the date of the Lord’s return because it did not matter to me. I would come back with Him whenever He came, so knowing when hardly seemed to matter. Plus, there was always the clear words in red lettering staring at me in Matthew 24:36. When I studied God’s Word for myself, everything changed.

The Bible tells us in Amos 3:7, Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. When I first started studying eschatological things over a decade ago, this scripture was always in the back of my mind when I considered the supposedly closed subject of knowing the day of the return of our Lord and the connected Rapture date. Some of the first things I noted were the references to the days of Noah in the context of Jesus’s treatise on the end-times. This is probably because the Noahic flood has always fascinated me, and I had already done copious studies on that. So when I saw Jesus refer to the time of Noah as a typological reference point for the Great Tribulation, I knew that the story of Noah should probably be looked at very closely to find possible connections with the last days.

That famous scripture in Matthew 24 that seemingly placed a seal on the day of the Lord’s return is followed by Jesus referencing the days of Noah. Matthew 24:37 says But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. Lest anyone fails to see that the Lord is clearly connecting Noah’s experience with the final Great Tribulation period, consider Matthew 24:21, 22:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.

Matthew was not the only Gospel to record this analogy either. In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus uses the exact same language to describe the consummation of the age.

And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise, as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. (Luke 17:26–30)

In this passage, Jesus not only connects the days of Noah with His second coming, He connects the story of Lot being delivered from Sodom before it and its sister city, Gomorrah, were destroyed by fire from heaven. In both situations, what is important for a discussion about determining the return of the Lord is that both Lot and Noah were told when salvation would come!

Genesis 18 relates how God told Abraham what He was about to do to Sodom and Gomorrah. It did not come as a surprise to the believers when fire and brimstone rained down from the skies. Most prophecy teachers see Lot’s deliverance from Sodom before it was obliterated as evidence for the Rapture yet overlook that it is a magnificent proof that God does NOTHING without first telling His prophets, which included the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

What of Noah? Much the same thing happened, and God got awfully specific here. With Lot, because of the intercession of Abraham, the angels could DO NOTHING until Lot was safely out of the city. God’s time clock was held back in some small measure until Lot was safe. With Noah, God gave the exact day when He would send the flood; and Noah was in the ark, waiting for the rains to come.

In Genesis 6, the Bible records that God looked down on the out-of-control wickedness of man and determined that He would destroy the whole world. However, He says exactly when He will do this.

And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years. (Genesis 6:3)

Some might wish to say God was not telling this time frame to Noah, but lest you think me reading into the text too much, God later clearly told Noah the exact day when the rain would fall and precisely when to get inside the ark.

Then the Lord said to Noah, Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation… For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made. (Genesis 7:1, 4)

If the Lord saw fit to let both Noah and Abraham know exactly what He was going to do when it came to devastating destruction upon the inhabitants of the earth and Sodom respectively, why would He suddenly change His pattern of behavior? Especially in the light of what Amos 3:7 says and the fact that the Lord tells us He changes not (Malachi 3:6), should we expect the Lord to keep silent and not reveal to His servants when the day of His return is near upon us? The obvious answer is we should not.

But what do we do about the fact that Christ seemed to suggest that no one knows nor can know?

First, consider that Jesus did not say that no one would ever know! He said at that time no one knew, including Him. Only the Father knew.

Second, Jesus was in His capacity as the Son of Man at that point. He had given up His position of equality with God as Philippians 2:5 makes clear. Yet He did not remain that way. He returned to Heaven after His resurrection. More than that, after the first generation of apostles had almost all passed on and after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem, He appeared to John, the last remaining original apostle, and gave him His revelation—the final prophecy about the end of the age.

Most people miss that Revelation is the revelation of Jesus, given to Him by God the Father!

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. (Revelation 1:1)

It is the book of Revelation that unfolds the mysteries of the earlier prophets, all of whom were being quoted and referenced by the apostles in their letters when referencing the return of Christ to the earth. This last prophecy, which is that of our Lord Himself, connects all the other prophecies together. I think that’s why Jesus tells the reader right at the beginning they are blessed for reading.

Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near. (Revelation 1:3)

This is in fact the only book in the entirety of Scripture that has a promise of blessing to the reader. This unique promise of blessing is bookended by one of cursing for those who add or detract from what was said at the end of the book.

For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. (Revelation 22:18, 19)

To say this book is special is an understatement. They are the final words of Jesus Himself to the earth. They are His expounding, through John, the times of the end—something He did not have knowledge of when He was on the earth living as a man. And He expects us to take it seriously and to understand it!

Does Revelation Give the Date of Christ’s Return?

Hopefully, it has been established that the book of Revelation should be read by all and that it was meant to be understood. However, it can only be comprehended in relation to the rest of Bible prophecy. It is the key that unlocks all other doors. One such door is the timing of the Rapture and the return of Christ to the earth to reign in His kingdom.

Remember the examples of Noah and Lot and how God revealed the exact day of destruction, which was also the day of their deliverance? He did that in real time. Well, regarding the return of Christ, we are given admonition after admonition by Jesus to be cognizant of the signs that point to His coming. The Jews of His day were condemned because they had missed them. They were blinded in their unbelief.

Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, saying, If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:41:44)

What was the key for properly recognizing Jesus’s first coming? The same thing that will be the key to perceiving His second coming: Bible prophecy. It had accurately foretold the coming of the suffering Lamb. It also exactly describes His return as a conquering Lion.

Revelation ties together several scriptures that perfectly locate when the Rapture and the return of the Lord shall be. Furthermore, they both happen on the last day of the final week as prophesied by Daniel! There is much discussion about the prophetic announcements regarding the Day of the Lord. For those who believe in the literal return of Jesus and Rapture of the Church, the majority view, and even most minority opinions separate the events, but doing so requires a serious torturing of the texts to accomplish this.

If prophecy is to be LITERALLY fulfilled, then it must be LITERALLY read. This does not mean that when clear allegory is being used that we do not note that, but we must also remember that even allegory in prophecy is pointing to literal reality when it concerns prophecy. However, when no allegory is used, there is NO REASON to not accept a literal interpretation of Bible prophecy.

The Bible refers over and over again to the DAY of the Lord as a reference to the second coming. It does not say DAYS! It does not say MONTHS. It does not say YEARS. It says DAY! Here are a few examples:

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the DAY of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. (Joel 3:14, 15)

Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light. It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him! Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him! Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness in it? (Amos 5:18–20)

Be silent in the presence of the Lord God; for the day of the Lord is at hand, for the Lord has prepared a sacrifice; He has invited His guests. (Zephaniah 1:7)

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. For when they say, Peace and safety! then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. (1 Thessalonians 5:2–4)

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. (2 Peter 3:10)

In every passage, there are two things that should jump off the page at you. First, it is a DAY! Second, it is going to be horrible and unexpected for the enemies of the Lord. In fact, they are going to think they have arrived at a time of actual peace and prosperity! It is a DAY of judgment for them.

Yet we also see this promise in 1 Thessalonians 5:2–4. Christ’s return is NOT a shock to the watchful believer. They in fact are waiting with expectation for that day. A lot of biblical scholars and students will say this passage points to the so-called Doctrine of Imminency, which teaches that all Christians are to be expecting Jesus’s return via the Rapture at any moment because that event has no precursor to fulfillment. Since it could happen at any time, you and I are to always be ready to go.

This doctrine entirely separates the Rapture from the physical return of Christ to the earth but usually places it as the starting point for the final seven years before Christ does in fact return. Yet the Scripture DOES NOT allow for such an interpretation of the text, if one is to literally apply what is said. There is simply NO NEED to tell people to watch for the dreadful DAY of the Lord if they are not going to be around for it!

I believe there was such a sense of expectancy from the Apostolic Church because they were living in apocalyptic times, contextually speaking; and many thought that indeed the signs Christ had given regarding Jerusalem were being fulfilled in the oppression of the Roman Empire, culminating in AD 70 with the destruction of the Jewish temple. This event in fact specifically fulfilled much of Jesus’s own prophecy of Luke 21. Yet Christ DID NOT return.

While it is true that the apostolic writings seem to insinuate that they were expecting Christ to return anytime, those writings were written BEFORE the final prophecy of Revelation had been given! This is a key historical truth that almost every Bible scholar who teaches the Doctrine of Imminency completely overlooks.

Revelation The Connecting Strand

Revelation gives the missing information that ties together all the signs for which believers are admonished to be looking for to know WHEN the DAY of the Lord will arrive. What were those specific signs, and when would believers KNOW it was time to LOOK UP for their redemption which was drawing nigh (Luke 21:28)?

Daniel speaks of the Abomination of Desolation that occurs in the middle of the final week (seven years).

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he [the prince who is to come] shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

Daniel also gives a time frame connected to when deliverance from this evil prince would come.

And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. Blessed is he who waits and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days. (Daniel 12:11, 12)

Jesus confirms that the appearance of this prince, the Antichrist, is the key moment that starts the prophetic time clock for the three-and-one-half-year period regarding the end of the age.

Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place [whoever reads, let him understand]…For then there will be GREAT TRIBULATION, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:15, 21)

However, Christ went further and told us what would happen when He appeared and specifically referenced the Rapture as being a simultaneous event with that appearing.

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. And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:30, 31)

Jesus specifically says the sound of a trumpet shall call forth His elect from the earth. Also, he ties His coming with that catching away of the saints. They are simultaneous events! The same DAY.

Apostle Paul uses the same theme of a trumpet to describe the Rapture of the saints who are alive to Jesus, yet he gives a great chronological addendum to what Jesus said.

For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16, 17)

The righteous dead will rise BEFORE those who are living when the Lord calls us to Him. Apostle Paul speaks about the resurrection of the righteous dead being at the LAST TRUMPET. This gives us another critical puzzle piece in determining the day of that event.

Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the TRUMPET will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51, 52)

When you go to Revelation, you see a strict chronological layout of the final events, starting with the seals and ending with the bowl judgments, and throughout a whirlwind of imagery, which has baffled many, and for which I do not claim any special knowledge. The chronology of the layout though is not seriously debated because it is so obvious.

Within the book, there are several trumpets mentioned, both at the beginning and later. However, there is a definite LAST TRUMPET in the book.

This is most important considering what we see the Scriptures clearly say about that and because Revelation represents not only the final prophecy of this age but one given to Jesus and delivered to John about the end of the age. This final trumpet is of course the seventh trumpet found in Revelation 11:15. Now, if that is the LAST trumpet and if the LAST trumpet is connected to the Day of the Lord, then it follows, without question, from the chronology of Revelation itself that the Church will be here for what is declared to be the Great Tribulation, first referred to as such by Christ in Matthew 24. Further, it appears we will be here for ALL OF IT, all three-and-a-half years of time that make up this period.

Such a thought is NOT the majority view of those who believe in the reality of both the return of Christ and the Rapture of the Church, and it certainly does not seem to be comforting to consider. But the bulk of scriptures, when taken literally and without preconceptions, deliver no other available view. Further proof of this is that both Christ and Paul say clearly that the Rapture WILL NOT come until after the revelation of the Antichrist and the Great Tribulation.

Immediately AFTER THE TRIBULA-TION of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they