“In response, Jesus said to them, ‘Be careful that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am the Christ!” and they will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for all these things must take place. But the end is not yet.

Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be earthquakes in various places, as well as famines and plagues. But all these things will be only the beginning of the birth pangs. Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and put to death; you will be hated by all nations because of My Name. Then many will fall away; they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and deceive many. And because lawlessness will increase, the love of most will grow cold. But whoever endures to the end will be saved. This Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations. Then the end will come: the desolation of Jerusalem and the coming of the Son of Man. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, standing in the Holy Place—let the reader understand!—then those who are in Judea should flee to the mountains; whoever is on the roof of a house must not go down to take anything out of the house; and whoever is in the field must not turn back to get their cloak.Woe to the pregnant women and to those who are nursing in those days! Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. For then there will be such great distress as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—nor ever will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short. Then, if anyone says to you, ‘Look, the Christ is here or there!’ do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. Behold, I have told you beforehand. So if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the wilderness,’ do not go there! ‘Look, He is in secret rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as lightning flashes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. Wherever the carcass is, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after those days of tribulation, the sun will be darkened, the moon will no longer give its light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the peoples of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. He will send His angels with a resounding trumpet, and they will gather His chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. Learn a lesson from the fig tree: When its branch becomes tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, know that the Son of Man is near—right at the door. Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 24–25, we find Jesus’ most comprehensive answer in the Gospels to the question regarding the rapture of the Church.

In His answer, the Lord Jesus first describes the events that will take place before His second coming. He speaks of the deception of false messiahs, of wars, earthquakes, famines, and epidemics characteristic of the period described as “the beginning of birth pains” (Matthew 24:4–8). This is the beginning of the scenario of the last days, the countdown to the Lord’s return.

The fact that the events prophesied in the Bible are unfolding in our time leads us to believe that we are now living in the last days and that Jesus will come soon. This is our hope. The prophecies show that, despite the troubles and sufferings on earth, those who trust in the Lord will have a happy ending. The Lord Jesus the Messiah will return to save humanity from self-destruction (can’t we clearly see that this is happening in our own day!) and will judge it with justice. Then He will cast out the wicked—those responsible for the present evil—and establish His Messianic Kingdom on earth, where peace and justice will reign.

However, there is also some less-than-good news, for the Lord Jesus issues a warning regarding a unique period of the Great Tribulation. Human wickedness will reach its peak in history, and the earth will be struck by calamities: “For then there will be such great tribulation as has not been from the beginning of the world until now—nor ever will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would survive; but for the sake of the elect, those days will be cut short.” (Matthew 24:21–22)

The question arises: Is there salvation from this period of tribulation?

We are already seeing the problems plaguing the world, with the marginalization of Christianity and the persecution of Christians. Eventually, the entire globe will go through such trials, and if that happens, how will we be able to cope with these calamities?

We believe, however, that Jesus will rapture the true believers—those born again of the Spirit of God—into heaven at the event known as the Rapture of the Church, before the Great Tribulation begins.

It is true that Christians on earth face trials. The Lord Jesus said: “I have told you these things so that you may have peace in Me. In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33) However, beyond these everyday trials, the Bible describes a specific period of Tribulation, not only in the Gospel of Matthew and the Book of Revelation (chapters 6–19) but also in other passages of Scripture.

This period of great tribulation will follow the Rapture and will last seven years. Paul writes about this event: “For the Lord Himself, with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, will descend from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; and so we will always be with the Lord” (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).

Those who are caught up to heaven at the Rapture and those raised from the dead will be brought before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10); they will be judged for their deeds (1 Corinthians 3:13–15). They will receive glorious bodies  (1 Corinthians 15:50–54) and will be taken to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:1–9).  Then they will return to earth with the Lord Jesus in glorified bodies and will reign with Him in the Messianic Kingdom (Revelation 19:11–20:6).

What happens after the rapture of the believers? There will be war, famine, and hundreds of millions of people will die (Revelation 6). When the Beast/Antichrist and the False Prophet come to power, enforcing worship of a false god, humanity will be ruled by the darkest tyranny in history (Revelation 13).  God’s judgment will be unleashed upon the Beast, the False Prophet, and those who follow them through the calamities that will strike the earth—through the judgment of the seals, the trumpets, and the bowls of Revelation. Finally, the nations of the world will gather at Armageddon for the final battle, before the Messiah returns with great power and glory, bringing this terrible period to an end. He will judge the world and reign from the Temple that will have been rebuilt in Jerusalem on a renewed earth during the 1,000-year millennial reign (Revelation 16–19).

Even during the Tribulation, a great multitude of people will receive the Lord Jesus as their Savior and many will give their lives as martyrs for the faith (Revelation 7). The believers who die during the Tribulation after the return of the Lord Jesus, will be raised to life (Revelation 20), and those who survive the Tribulation as believers will enter the Millennium in mortal bodies and repopulate the earth. The unbelievers who survive will stand before the Lord at the judgment of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25), will be cast out from the earth, and will not enter the Messianic Kingdom. Satan, who was responsible for the lawlessness in the world and who is the power behind the Beast and the false prophet, will be bound during the millennial period and then released for a short time at the end of the millennium, when he will gather those who have rebelled against the Lord (the descendants of the survivors of the Great Tribulation who will challenge the Lord’s rule). This will be the end of this world, for the Lord will create a new heaven and a new earth where believers from all ages will dwell forever.

The Lord Jesus emphasizes several times the unknown date of His coming and His repeated call to watch. “But about that day or hour no one knows—not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) “Watch, therefore, for you do not know on what day your Lord is coming. Understand this: If the master of the house had known at what watch of the night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let his house be broken into. Therefore, you also must be ready; for the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect Him.” (Matthew 24:42–44).

The Lord Jesus gives us a sign to recognize regarding His return—the sign of the fig tree. The fig tree is a symbol of the life of the nation of Israel in Hosea 9:10 and Jeremiah 24. When Jesus said that the fig tree would be cut down if it did not bear fruit in Luke 13:6–9, He was clearly speaking about Israel without the fruit of God’s righteousness and about Israel’s impending judgment, the fall of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jewish people.

In Matthew 21:19, Jesus cursed the fig tree, and it withered. This unusual miracle had spiritual significance: the national life of Israel was about to wither away. The fig tree’s budding will be a visible sign to people throughout the world of a great event—the return of the Messiah. Jesus makes this clear: “Learn this lesson from the fig tree: When its branch becomes tender and puts out leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see all these things, you will know that the Son of Man is near, right at the door.” (Matthew 24:32–33)

The fig tree’s sprouting—that is, the rebirth of Israel as a nation—along with the other signs of the coming are taking place right before our eyes today—we recognize the Lord’s coming to gather His people to Himself.

The two parables emphasize that the Lord’s coming will be at an unexpected time: “But about that day or hour no one knows—not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 24:36) “Watch, therefore, for you do not know the day or the hour when the Son of Man will come.” (Matthew 25:13). This section also includes a comparison with the days of Noah. The conclusion is that at the time of the Lord Jesus’ coming, life will be proceeding as usual, when suddenly one will be taken and another left behind. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Just as it was in the days before the flood—when people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, right up to the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away—so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matthew 24:37–39)

Knowing all these biblical passages, we must be ready for the Lord’s coming, have the assurance of salvation through repentance and faith in Him, be cleansed of sin and filled with the Holy Spirit, and await His coming: “For the grace of God, which brings salvation to all people, has been revealed, teaching us to renounce idolatry and worldly desires and to live in this present age with self-control, righteousness, and godliness, as we look forward to our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good works.” (Titus 2:11–14)