What Will Happen at the Second Coming of Christ?

Summary

Grace in Focus

Episode: What Will Happen at the Second Coming of Christ?
Date: December 25, 2025
Hosts: Bob Wilkin, Philippe Sterling

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Episode Overview

In this episode, Bob Wilkin and Philippe Sterling delve into the specifics of the Second Coming of Christ, clarifying its sequence in end-times events and differentiating it from the Rapture. The conversation centers on the timeline of the tribulation, key biblical prophecies, what happens to Jews and Gentiles during these events, and how the promises to Israel are fulfilled. Throughout, the hosts use Scripture and free grace theology perspectives to provide a comprehensive, accessible overview of eschatological doctrine relating to Christ’s return.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Distinction between the Rapture and the Second Coming

• Two Phases Identified:
  • The Rapture: Christ comes for the church (removal of believers, pre-tribulation).
  • The Second Coming: Christ returns with the church to earth, post-tribulation, to judge the gathered enemies (Valley of Jehoshaphat/decision).
• Clarifying Terms: Although sometimes collectively called the "Second Coming," typically the term refers to Christ setting foot on the Mount of Olives. (01:15–02:15)

Quote:

“The Second Coming, in terms of actually setting foot on earth, occurs after the tribulation. But the Second Coming, in terms of him coming for believers, precedes the tribulation.” – Philippe Sterling (01:48)

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2. The Timeline: From Rapture to Tribulation to Second Coming

• Timeline Outline:
  • Rapture: Church is caught up.
  • Possible gap (unknown length) before Daniel’s 70th week (the seven-year tribulation) starts.
  • Signing of the covenant (Daniel 9:27) marks the tribulation’s beginning (Jacob’s Trouble).
  • Tribulation: Two segments – three and a half years each (time, times, and half a time), totaling 1,260 days per period on the 360-day prophetic calendar.
  • The midpoint (Abomination of Desolation) initiates the “Great Tribulation.” (02:50–04:15)

Quote:

“Those seven years will be broken into two, three and a half year periods. ... 1260 days is actually three and a half years of 360 days. Because they won’t be on the 365 day calendar.” – Philippe Sterling (03:20)

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3. Scale of Judgment and Tribulation

• Severity Stated:
  • Over a third of the world's population will die in the tribulation; another third or more in the Great Tribulation.
  • Without Christ’s intervention, none would survive (as per Matthew 24:22).
  • The “elect” here refers to Israel—their survival is necessary for millennial fulfillment. (04:15–05:10)

Quote:

“Except for his intervention at the second coming, then everyone will have perished.” – Bob Wilkin (04:32)

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4. Israel’s Role and Fulfillment of Covenant Promises

• Covenant Realization:
  • At the Second Coming, Israel will finally possess the full land promised (Euphrates to Mediterranean).
  • Christ (the Davidic King) will rule, with allocation among the tribes as prophesied in Ezekiel.
  • Gentile opposition and persecution of Israel will be judged decisively. (05:10–08:11)

Quote:

“Israel has never had all of the land that God promised ... from the Euphrates river to the Mediterranean Sea, that entire area will be given to Israel and apportioned among the tribes.” – Bob Wilkin (08:11)

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5. The Second Coming in Detail (Revelation 19)

• Biblical Imagery:
  • Christ arrives on a white horse, with celestial armies, wielding the sword of His word.
  • Full judgment on the armies assembled against Israel; likened to a new Exodus/Red Sea scenario where the enemy is destroyed.
  • Zechariah 14, Revelation 19, and Romans 11:26 are cited as prophetic fulfillments. (05:36–07:43; 08:43–09:44)

Quote:

“He comes with all of his saints, he’s riding a white horse ... symbolizing the powerful word by which he will deal with his enemies that are all gathered there.” – Bob Wilkin (05:36)

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6. The Fate of Jews and Gentiles After the Tribulation

• Judgments and Survivors:
  • All unbelieving Jewish adults will perish during the tribulation; only believing Jews enter the Millennium (Matthew 24–25).
  • Among Gentiles:
    • Soldiers arrayed against Israel are all killed.
    • Non-combatant Gentiles judged—sheep (believers) and goats (unbelievers)—at the Sheep and Goats Judgment (Matthew 25:31–46).
    • Believing Gentiles enter the Millennium; unbelievers are excluded.
  • Children (below age of accountability) of both Jews and Gentiles survive and populate the Millennium.
  • The glorified church, raptured beforehand, returns with Christ and does not procreate. (09:41–11:54)

Quotes:

“There won’t be any unbelieving Jews that survive the Tribulation, because... the unfaithful believers, both Jewish and Gentile, will die during the Tribulation.” – Philippe Sterling (10:11)
“The church as a whole is taken up at the Rapture ... So all glorified, all of the Lord and returning with the Lord and a fixed number.” – Bob Wilkin (11:41)

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7. Cosmic Armies at the Second Coming

• Heavenly Hosts:
  • Christ is accompanied not only by believers from all ages but also by an innumerable angelic army—imagery drawn from Jude (re: Enoch’s prophecy).
• Prophetic Reference:
  • Enoch, as cited in Jude, first prophesied about the Second Coming “with myriads and myriads of his saints.” (12:13–12:35)

Quote:

“Who’s the first prophet who talked about the second coming of Christ with myriads and myriads of his saints? ... Enoch. And that’s Jude around verse 11 or 12.” – Philippe Sterling (12:13)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Israel’s Restoration:

  “That nation who will be a blessing to all the peoples of the earth who are in the millennial.” – Bob Wilkin (05:10)

• On the Purpose of Judgment:

  “The cursing of those who curse you is certainly seen in the second Coming.” – Philippe Sterling (05:32)

• On Children in the Millennium:

  “There will be unbelieving Jews and unbelieving Gentiles who go into the millennium, but those are called children.” – Philippe Sterling (11:05)

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Key Timestamps

• Distinguishing Rapture & Second Coming: 01:15–02:15
• Tribulation Timeline & Biblical References: 02:50–04:15
• Impact of Tribulation on Humanity: 04:15–05:10
• Israel’s Land Promises: 08:11–08:43
• Judgment of Armies, Sheep & Goats: 09:44–10:55
• Nature of Survivors in the Millennium: 10:55–11:54
• Heavenly Armies & Prophecy of Enoch: 12:13–12:35

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Conclusion

Wilkin and Sterling’s discussion offers a systematic, scripture-driven narrative of the Second Coming. They clarify the sequence of events, the distinct meanings of key eschatological terms, the fulfillment of God’s promises to Israel, and the ultimate destiny of Jews, Gentiles, and the church within a Free Grace theological framework. Whether familiar with end-times topics or new to these debates, listeners will find the episode rich in biblical explanation and practical clarity.

Transcript

[Bob Wilkin]

The following is a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.

[Narrator/Host]

What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second coming of Christ? What will happen at the Second Coming in the eschatological sequence? When does it take place? Hello, friend. Thank you for joining us here today on Grace in Focus. This is a ministry of the Grace Evangelical Society. We're delighted that you're with us. Our website is faithalone.org and there's lots to learn about us there. We also have some short videos for you on our YouTube channel. It is YouTube Grace Evangelical Society. We are always releasing new videos, so go there often, subscribe, learn and enjoy those videos. That's YouTube Grace Evangelical Society. Now with today's discussion in our series about eschatology, here are Bob Wilken and Phillipe Sterling.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay, so now we've come in our little journey on eschatology, or the study of the last days, to what will happen at the second coming of Christ. And maybe we could distinguish, Philippe, between the Rapture and the Second Coming. Or are those part of the same thing?

[Bob Wilkin]

I would say they're part of the same thing, but there's two phases. The first phase is the coming of Christ for the church and then beginning the judgments that we've talked about, the seals and the trumpets and the bowls. And the second phase is coming with the church to the earth to deal with all of his enemies that are gathered together against the Jewish people and against him at the Valley of Jehoshaphat, the Valley of decision.

[Philippe Sterling]

Right. And so we could say that the Second coming is in terms of actually setting foot on earth, occurs after the tribulation. But the Second Coming, in terms of him coming for believers, precedes the tribulation.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Philippe Sterling]

In a sense, all of that is the Second Coming. But typically when people talk about the Second Coming, we mean him setting foot on the Mount of Olives. Typically.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. In fulfillment of the prophet Zechariah saying that he will step down the Mount of Olives and there will deal with the beast, the false prophet, all of the armies that are gathered together. And that judgment, that temple judgment will take place.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay. And temporal judgment refers to judgment in time rather than judgment in eternity.

[Narrator/Host]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

In contrast to the Great White Throne judgment and the consignment of those who are not in the Lamb's Book of Life to the Lake of Fire, the second death.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay, so we have the Rapture. When the church is caught up, there's probably some sort of a gap, 30, 45, 75 days, we don't know, some sort of a gap between the Rapture and the signing of the covenant. When the covenant is signed, Daniel 9:27, that is when the seven year tribulation period starts. Also called the time of Jacob's trouble. Right?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. That institutes the beginning of those judgments, the seven year period.

[Philippe Sterling]

And those seven years will be broken into two, three and a half year periods. It's called a time, times and half a time. Where does that occur?

[Bob Wilkin]

That expression that would be in the.

[Philippe Sterling]

Book of Daniel, time would refer to one year and then times two years.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right.

[Philippe Sterling]

So that's three, and then half the time would be three and a half years. And we also have the number of days in Daniel. Right. 1260 days is actually three and a half years of 360 days. Because they won't be on the 365 day calendar.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. There'll be more on the lunar calendar and not what we have, the Gregorian calendar.

[Philippe Sterling]

So at the end of the 1260 days, the first 1260 will be tribulation.

[Bob Wilkin]

And the abomination of desolation, which then begins that second three and a half.

[Philippe Sterling]

Year period, which is called what?

[Bob Wilkin]

The Great Tribulation.

[Philippe Sterling]

The Great Tribulation. So it's going to be really bad because over a third of the population will die in the tribulation. And then in the second half, the Great Tribulation, probably more than another third will die. I mean, it's going to be a large number, billions who died during this time period.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. And Jesus in the Oliver discourse said, except for his intervention at the second coming, then everyone will have perished.

[Philippe Sterling]

Yeah. Matthew 24:22, unless those days were cut short, no flesh would be saved. And there it shows that saved means survive. Yes, but for the elect's sake. And there the elect clearly refers to Israel. Those days were short so that there would be people in natural bodies for Israel to go into the millennium. And have Israel become that astronomically large nation that God had promised Abraham.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yeah. And that nation who will be a blessing to all of the peoples of the earth who are in the millennial.

[Philippe Sterling]

Period, which relates to Genesis 12:1 3, when God tells Abraham that he was going to be a worldwide blessing and he would bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. And the cursing of those who curse you is certainly seen in the second Coming.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

So what happens at the second Coming? What are we going to see happen?

[Bob Wilkin]

Well, Revelation 19 is the fulfillment of all the prophecies concerning the second coming. So he comes with all of his saints, he's riding a white horse, some kind of a celestial horse wearing a crown, multiple crowns, and a sword coming out of his mouth, but symbolizing the powerful word by which he will deal with his enemies that are all gathered there. And he steps down to the Mount of Olives and basically takes the lives of all of those armies of the world that had gathered together to come to exterminate all of the Jews.

[Narrator/Host]

We will rejoin in just a moment. But years ago, Zane Hodges wrote the Gospel Under Siege. Sadly, this is still true, and GES president Bob Wilkin has recently written its sequel. Bob's new book, the Gospel is Still Under Siege is a book about theological clarity on the biblical teaching about eternal salvation. It is available now Secure yours today at the Grace Evangelical Society's bookstore. Find [e-mail] store. That's faithalone.org store. Now back to today's content.

[Bob Wilkin]

So he comes to save Israel. And this could be in fulfillment of what the prophet Zechariah talks about in Zechariah 14, that all Israel will look upon him whom they as a nation had pierced in his rejection at the first coming. And they will grieve. And presumably many of them will have believed the promise forever lasting life. But as a nation now they all look upon Christ as he manifests himself in glory, and all grieve and as a nation already to receive him, to acknowledge him, to repent, making possible the establishment of the kingdom.

[Philippe Sterling]

So wouldn't this be similar to Romans 11:26?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes, that would be a passage that does talk about Israel.

[Philippe Sterling]

Then all Israel will be saved. And that salvation is more than than just they're going to be born again. It's they're going to be delivered from Gentile nations, from gentile oppression. They're going to have the rest that was long promised to the people of Israel.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. And that rest will be with Davidic king on the throne, Christ himself, and with the land then all given to them in a portion among the tribes.

[Philippe Sterling]

From Ezekiel, from the river to the sea. You know, there have been all these chants by the people who are anti Israel that they want the quote unquote Palestinians to have the entire promised land. And in fact Israel has never had all of the land that God promised to Israel.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. So from the Euphrates river to the Mediterranean Sea, that entire area will be given to Israel and a portion among the tribes. And with David the prince ruling of under Christ.

[Philippe Sterling]

That's from Ezekiel, right, where he's called the prince.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay. Now you're suggesting that 100% of the gentile armies will be killed. There won't be any survivors among the soldiers. Is that your view?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay. And I think that's my view as well. But we do know from the judgment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31 46 that there will be gentile unbelievers who survive the Tribulation. They're called the goats, and they'll be judged after the Tribulation.

[Bob Wilkin]

So there'll be two group of gentiles, gentile believers.

[Philippe Sterling]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

From throughout the world that are brought forward. And they're the sheep.

[Philippe Sterling]

Those are the sheep. Yeah.

[Bob Wilkin]

And then the gentile unbelievers who survived the tribulation judgments and then are brought before Christ.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay, but that wouldn't include soldiers. If they're soldiers, they would have died.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. All those armies would be judged.

[Philippe Sterling]

And would this see maybe the death of the Egyptian soldiers in the Red Sea as a type of what's to come?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes, that would be a foreshadowing.

[Philippe Sterling]

Because they all died, right?

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. All the chariots and all the Egyptians who went to pursue Israel as the Red Sea had split right there, they all perished and their corpses washed up on the shore.

[Philippe Sterling]

Okay, so quick point. There won't be any unbelieving Jews that survive the Tribulation, because we're told in Matthew 25:13, he who endures to the end shall be saved. And we know from verse 22 of Matthew 24 that saved refers to surviving. So the unfaithful believers, both Jewish and Gentile, will die during the Tribulation. So that by the time you get to the judgment of the sheep and the goats, all the sheep are faithful.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

And that will be true with among the Jewish people.

[Bob Wilkin]

Right. And of course, Jesus calls them my brethren there in Matthew 25. So my brethren, all of the believing Jews who've survived, they're faithful, too. They're faithful too.

[Philippe Sterling]

And just one final point. There will be unbelieving Jews and unbelieving Gentiles who go into the millennium, but those are called children.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

In other words, when we say all Israel will be believing and in fellowship with God or repent, what we mean is all adult Jews, all those over either the age of 12 or 20, whatever the age is, all those above the age of accountability are going to be believers and there will be gentile children, and they will go into the millennium as well. That's why both Israel and the nations will grow astronomically during the millennium. But not the church, because we won't procreate.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. The church as a whole is taken up at the Rapture before the signing of the treaty that we've talked about.

[Philippe Sterling]

Right.

[Bob Wilkin]

So all glorified, all of the Lord and returning with the Lord and a fixed number. Yes.

[Philippe Sterling]

And by the way, one other thing. Along with the white horse rider In Revelation 19, the Lord Jesus Christ and all believers, not just church age, but probably of all time, there's also going to be this angelic army which is going to have hundreds of millions of angels, probably on horseback too.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. Oh, and I have a question for you. Who's the first prophet who talked about the second coming of Christ with myriads and myriads of his sins?

[Philippe Sterling]

Enoch. And that's Jude around verse 11 or 12.

[Bob Wilkin]

Yes. So Jude tells us about Enoch, the seventh Adam, the one who walked with the Lord for 300 years and who was told of the second coming.

[Philippe Sterling]

Alright, well, we better close for today. We'll continue on next time considering eschatology. In the meantime, Philippe, let's keep grace in focus.

[Narrator/Host]

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[Bob Wilkin]

The proceeding has been a listener supported ministry from the Grace Evangelical Society.