“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken from your understanding or alarmed by any spirit or message or by any letter supposedly from us alleging that the day of Christ has already come. Let no one deceive you in any manner, for that day cannot come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of destruction. He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god and object of worship, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.” (2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, TCENT)
B1 There are two comings.
C1 The first coming of the Lord Jesus was mainly for Israel (Daniel 9:25-26). The rendering is “Messiah, the Prince,” not “an anointed one, a ruler”. The Messiah is a special, one-time anointed one, THE Messiah. Jesus is not just an anointed prince or ruler. The time listed specified a particular individual. The ‘prince’ in verse 26 would refer to General Titus who would destroy the Temple. Titus was not anointed but was a prince.
Jesus, the Anointed (Messiah) King of Israel, was supposed to be accepted by Israel, but the Israeli leaders refused him (Matthew 23:37-39) and saw to it that he was killed (Luke 20:14 and Luke 23:23). The first coming has been completed. The first coming was the time from His birth of the Virgin to His ascension to heaven (Acts 1:6-11).
C2 The second coming is mainly for Israel. This coming is at the end of the Tribulation. It is mentioned in various places as Daniel 9:25-27 and Zechariah 14.
C3 Jesus’s coming is always to “the Jew first, then the Gentiles.” See Romans 1:16, Luke 24:47. Thus, both are affected.
C4 The time mentioned by Gabriel, the archangel, is 70, 7s. This is 490 years. At the end of 483 years Messiah is cut off, cut down, which was the time when Messiah was killed.
D1 The word, cut off or cut down, refers to Isaiah 11:1-4.
D2 At the end of Isaiah 10, Sennacherib, the Assyrian, will be cut down (Isaiah 10:32-34).
BUT…
BUT…
D3 According to the context, which describes the branch, this refers only to Messiah. The description is fulfilled in His first coming. Later, a branch will grow.
D4 God’s spirit is on this man, Messiah, Isaiah 61:1, Exodus 31:3, Judges 14:6, 1 Samuel 10:10, 1 Samuel 16:13, Luke 4:18, John 1:31-34, and John 3:34).
D5 Compare other verses referring to Messiah as a shoot—Jeremiah 23:5, Jeremiah 33:15, Zechariah 3:8, and 6:12.
C5 After Messiah is killed, the record is silent until after the Rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:1-4 and 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3. The last 7 week period in Daniel 9 is the 7 years of the Tribulation. In the Tribulation God is taking Israel through much grief and afflictions to refine them to pure gold: “I will put that third into the fire, and I will refine them as silver is refined, and I will test them as gold is tested. They will call on my name, and I will answer them. I will say, “This is my people.” And they will say, “The LORD is my God.”” (Zechariah 13:9, EHV). Compare Psalm 66:10-12, 1 Peter 1:6-7. The term “fire” is used to indicate a severe trial to analyze, examine for genuineness, and remove impurities from of sin and corruption.
C6 The times of the Gentiles (Luke 21:24) starts when King Zedekiah was disposed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586/7 (2 Kings 25:7). The Times of the Gentiles ends when Messiah, Jesus, comes back (Zechariah 14:1-4 and Revelation 19:11-21), destroys the antiChrist (Zechariah 14:3) and sets up Messiah’s Kingdom (Zechariah 14:9), which will last for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:4).
B2 The Rapture is a coming for the church. It is not for Israel (the nation of Jews) but for believers whether Jew or Gentile. This is not the Second Coming of Jesus. God’s plans and dealings with Israel are distinct from the church. God has a plan for His people Israel that is separate from His plan for the church (all believers in Jesus). I believe in a pretribulational rapture and a tribulation before the Millennium (Revelation 20:1-6)—a literal 1,000 year reign of Jesus as King of kings reigning in Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8-11) with the resurrected King David as governor of Israel (Jeremiah 30:9 and Ezekiel 37:24-25)).
C1 This is the coming of Jesus for those who believe, place their faith and trust, for salvation brought and bought by Jesus Christ.
D1 The times of the church, from Pentecost to the Rapture is of unknown length. Jesus could come at any time. There is no warning. We must always be ready, waiting for Him, serving Him, and living a godly life following the Law of Christ (Galatians 6:2).
D2 Imminence is used to describe the coming of Jesus Christ for His Church, the Rapture experience, and to declare that it is next on the prophetic program of God.
https://www.pre-trib.org/pretribfiles/pdfs/Stanton-TheDoctrineOfImminency.pdf
https://www.pre-trib.org/pretribfiles/pdfs/Stanton-TheDoctrineOfImminency.pdf
E1 Verses: Matthew 25:1-6, Mark 13:33-37, Romans 13:11-12, Romans 16:20, 1 Corinthians 1:7, Philippians 3:20, Philippians 4:5, 1 Thessalonians 1:10, and 1 Thessalonians 5:6.
E2 For further info see the Pre-Trib Research Center (https://www.pre-trib.org/)
D3 We must always be ready.
E1 The Greek word is ἕτοιμος (hétoimos) and means ready, prepared,
F1 To do something as Acts 23:21.
F2 To welcome someone as Matthew 24:44 and Matthew 25:10.
E2 We are eagerly waiting (Romans 8:25, 1 Corinthians 1:7, Galatians 5:5, and Galatians 5:5).
E3 If we knew the time, many believers would be living a sinful lifestyle, then get ready for the Lord’s return the day before He arrives.
D4 We are to be doing the will of the Lord
E1 Feeding the master’s household. This is spiritual food to the Master’s (Jesus) household—the household of believers. Matthew 25:45-47 (the faithful servant) or Matthew 25:48-51.
E2 We are to live our lives as much as our strength allows and God’s assisting grace towards us. Compare Romans 12:1-2 and 1 Peter 4:2. We are to be diligent, faithful, honest, etc. whether publicly or privately.
E3 Even though God is speaking to Israel through Jeremiah, there is an application of pastors and teachers feeding (teaching the Bible, God’s worldview, lifestyle, and rules) the church. Jeremiah 3:15. Compare 1 Corinthians 3:2 (a good shepherd knows what food the flock can tolerate), Hebrews 5:12-15 (the shepherd (pastor) must feed (preach/teach) the flock, but the flock (believers must also learn to feed them by studying the Scriptures), Acts 20:29 (warning them and teaching answers to questions and challenges to the faith), and 1 Peter 5:3 (teach by example).
D5 Some other verses related to the Rapture (John 14:1-3,1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:1-9, and Revelation 3:10.
D6 Chart comparing the Second Coming with the Rapture.
(Source: https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/kress/roadmaps/revelation/rapture-and-second-coming-comparison.cfm)