First, Jesus will be reunited with believers of the Church Age. The Church is called the Bride of Christ, and this Reunion will reunite the Messiah with His Bride. Jesus' intention is most clearly depicted in His promise to His disciples in John 14:1-3. There, using Bridegroom language familiar to the Jewish people, He said that there were many dwelling places in His Father's house (John 14:2). I take it that the "house" to which Jesus was referring was the gargantuan city of New Jerusalem. Continuing to speak as a Bridegroom, Jesus assured His disciples, representative of the Church, that He was going to prepare a place for them in His Father's house (i.e., New Jerusalem) (John 14:2). And if He departs back to His Father's House, He will surely return and receive them to Himself, so that wherever He might be, there they might be also (John 14:3). Reunion with Jesus is surely the greatest aspect of this parousia of Jesus. They joy of reunion with Jesus at this parousia (1 Thess. 4:15) is captured by Paul in his first letter to the Thessalonians. There he states that "we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them (i.e. the previously deceased but now resurrected Church Age believers) in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17, emphasis mine). 1 Thess. 4:13-18 gives no details as to what happens after this meeting in the air. To me the passage that best explains what will happen next is John 14:1-3. Jesus will take His Bride up to New Jerusalem to complete her purification process preparatory for the Marriage of the Lamb and the Marriage Supper that will be part of the celebration (Rev. 19:7-9).

Second, Church Age believers will be reunited with one another. The passage that best discusses this aspect of  parousia is 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Paul's stay in Thessalonica had been short-lived. He had reasoned in the local synagogue for three Sabbaths, proclaiming that Jesus was the promised Messiah (Acts 17:1-3). A number had believed Paul (Acts 17:4), but jealous Jewish leaders had instigated a mob and set the city in an uproar (Acts 17:5-9). Immediately, Paul had been forced to flee to Berea (Acts 17:10). Nevertheless, Paul had laid something of an eschatological foundation. Reports had reached Paul that the Thessalonian believers had "turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God, and to wait for His Son from  heaven ... Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:9-10). This is, I might add, consistent with a Pre-Tribulation Rapture. Paul expected the believing Thessalonians to be his (and Silas and Timothy's - see 1 Thess. 1:1) "hope or joy or crown of exultation in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming (parousia, 3952) (1 Thess. 2:19). Furthermore, he prayed that God would establish their "hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming (parousia, 3952) of our Lord Jesus with all His saints" (1 Thess. 3:13).

Yet, despite Paul's eschatological teaching, the Thessalonians were living under a cloud. They evidently believed Christ's return for the Church was imminent. Yet here there were members of their local assembly who were dying prior to Jesus' return. Apparently they were concerned that these loved ones would miss altogether the joys of the soon return of Jesus. So Paul had to set them straight in 1 Thess. 4:13-18. (1) He did not want them to be ignorant. They should not grieve as those who had no hope (1 Thess. 4:13). (2) Paul assured them that, just as surely as Jesus, though He had died, had risen from the dead, so also would God bring these deceased believers back with Jesus when the latter returned (1 Thess. 4:14). (3) In fact, Paul stated on Christ's authority, we Christians (Paul counted himself among them) who are alive and remain until the coming (parousia, 3952) of the Lord would not have an advantage over the departed loved ones (1 Thess. 4:15). (4) The Lord Jesus would descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ would rise from their graves! This would be the first event at Christ's parousia (1 Thess. 4:16). (5) Then those of us "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 shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:17). (6) The Thessalonians should, "therefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:18).

Without a doubt, Paul was underscoring the incredible hope that Christians have of being reunited with other Christians who have died and gone to be with the Lord before we have. They will not miss the Rapture! We will all participate in it together, though the dead in Christ will have a split-second advantage. This passage does not explicitly state it, but implies that which Paul taught elsewhere. At the moment of the Rapture, the bodies of the living believers will be transformed into immortal bodies without having had to die (1 Cor. 15:50-55).

Conclusion. Nowhere in these Rapture passages cited is there any hint of retribution upon the wicked. Rather, these passages uniformly present the idea of reunion. The reunion is two-fold, of course. There is reunion with Christ, and there is reunion with departed loved ones. These passages have a distinct flavor. They fit in nicely and neatly with a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, one in which Jesus does not proceed all the way to earth, but meets His beloved Church-Age saints in the air. After a joyous reunion, He takes them back up to the Father's House, where He has prepared dwelling places for them (John 14:1-3). Once again, there is no hint of retribution in these passages. Rather, the retribution upon an unbelieving world comes with the Final Phase of Jesus' Second-Coming parousia - His return to this earth to judge the world prior to His setting up His Millennial Kingdom.

2 Thessalonians 1:4-10. Paul clearly describes the retributive aspect of Christ's return in this portion of his second letter to the Thessalonians. He does not here use the word parousia (3952) ("coming"). However, in 2 Thess. 1:7 he does use a synonym, the noun apokalupsis (602), "revelation," or even more literally, "unveiling." He speaks, literally, of  "the unveiling of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels" (emphasis mine). Apokalupsis is used in a similar context - "the unveiling" of Jesus in 1 Cor. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:7, 13; 4:13; Rev. 1:1. In the present passage (2 Thess. 1:4-9), Paul sets forth the following:
    (1) He acknowledges the fact that his readers have been suffering persecutions and afflictions (2 Thess. 1:4-5).
    (2) He speaks of God's justice when He will "repay with affliction those who afflict you" (2 Thess. 1:6). The word "repay" is antapodidômi (467), used seven times in the NT. It is used twice in a benevolent sense of "reward" in Luke 14:14. A variation of this same sense is to be found in Rom. 11:35 and in 1 Thess. 3:9. In the latter instance the thought is the impossibility of rewarding God in appreciation for the joy and rejoicing of the Thessalonians. In the remaining three instances, the idea is of revenge, or "pay back". The Christian is not to take his own revenge, for it is God's prerogative to repay (antapodidômi, 467) with vengeance (Rom. 12:19; Heb. 10:30). The idea of God taking revenge on persecuting unbelievers is also strongly present in 2 Thess. 1:6).
    (3) God will grant relief to Christians who are afflicted (2 Thess. 1:7).
    (4) This relief will be granted to suffering Christians when "the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire" (2 Thess. 1:7).
    (5) The Lord Jesus will deal out "retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thess. 1:8). The word "retribution" is ekdikêsis (1557). This word can be used to describe "an act of retributive justice vengeance, punishment, revenge" as in Luke 21:22. Or it can be used to describe the act of meting out justice, "see to it that justice is done" (Luke 18:7) (Friberg Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament). In American jurisprudence, much is made of rehabilitation. Many jail or prison sentences are handed out with the hope of eventually remediating the unlawful behavior of the criminal. But ekdikêsis does not appear to have a restorative aspect. It is rather an attempt to bring justice into the existence of an offender. In God's case, at Christ's return, that justice excludes any hope of remediation or reform. 
    (6) These offenders "will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power" (2 Thess. 1:9). There is no remediation here, no appeal, no second chance. These offenders did not know God, and they chose not to heed the Good News about our Lord Jesus. Consequently, the assigned punishment is total, irrevocable, and eternal. They are utterly ruined; and they are banished forever from the face of Jesus. Thus, they will be unable to appreciate the majesty of His omnipotence.
    (7) No such penalty accrues, however, to those who belong to Jesus, described as His "holy ones" (hagios, 40) (2 Thess. 1:10). He comes to be "glorified", or "shown to be wonderful" (endoxadzomai, 1740) in them! These "holy ones" (hagiois, 40) are further identified as, literally, "the ones having believed", the aorist participle of (pisteuô, 4100). In the context of this passage, the sense seems to be this. All of their lives as believers in Christ, these "saints" or "holy ones" have been marginalized in their society. They have endured persecutions and afflictions (2 Thess. 1:4). They have suffered (2 Thess. 1:5). They have been afflicted (2 Thess. 1:6, 7). Now they are able to watch as their tormentors have the tables turned on them by the Lord when He returns! They are able to watch Jesus "flex His muscles," so to speak, and render justice to their tormentors. Instead of being marginalized in their daily living, they now are promoted to the position of being "Number One" - simply by virtue of their faithful association with the Conquering King, Jesus! At the same time, however, their feelings of having been vindicated pale by comparison to their awe at the glorious power of Jesus, Messianic King.
    This mixed reaction seems to be the same sense that is captured in Rev. 19:1-6. During the Tribulation, the evil, fabulously wealthy political power/false religion of Babylon, characterized by a blood thirsty Prostitute (Rev. 17:1-7, 9, 15, 18; 18:3), will be summarily ruined with fiery destruction (Rev. 17:16). The kings of the earth, the merchants of the earth, and the mariners of the earth will mourn because of her fiery destruction (Rev. 18:1-24). Their mourning coincides with the loss of their source of great financial gain and wealth.
    But a great multitude in heaven will rejoice (Rev. 19:1-6)! They will shout, "Hallelujah!" - "Praise be to Yahweh!" (Rev. 19:1, 3, 4, 6). (1) They praise God that salvation, glory, and power belong to Him (Rev. 19:1). (2) They praise God that He has righteously judged the Prostitute Babylon (Rev. 19:2). (3) They praise God that He has avenged the blood of His slaves (doulos, 1401) at the hands of Babylon (Rev. 19:2). They shout, "Hallelujah!" because the smoke of Babylon's destruction rises forever (Rev. 19:3)! (4) The four living creatures and the 24 elders echo the "Hallelujah"! (Rev. 19:4). (5) Finally, a thunderous voice cries, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns!" (Rev. 19:6). This is the same mixed reaction that will take place at Christ's actual return to Earth as described in 2 Thess. 1:4-10.
   There are some really striking differences between 2 Thess. 4-10, a retributive passage and 1 Thess. 4:13-18, a reunion passage. (See the differences graphically illustrated in the table.)  In conclusion, the emphasis of 2 Thess. 1:4-10 is solidly on the side of retribution, not reunion.

2 Thessalonians 2:8. In this passage Paul graphically describes the retributive aspect of Christ's Second Coming. At "the appearance of His coming (parousia, 3952)," "the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end" the "lawless one" who had recently been "revealed" (literally, "unveiled" - apokaluptô, 601). It should be noted that the two different stages of parousia are addressed in the broader context of this passage. The parousia of 2 Thess. 2:1 describes the parousia of reunion ("our gathering together to Him"). The parousia of 2 Thess. 2:8 describes the parousia of retribution.
    "The lawless one" of whom Paul speaks here is also described in the broader context here as, literally, "the man of the lawlessness" and as, literally, "the son of the destruction" (2 Thess. 2:3). Elsewhere, he is described as a "beast coming up out of the sea" (Rev. 13:1). "The beast" is referenced multiple times in the book of Revelation (Rev. 13; 17). John also refers to him once as "antichrist" (1 John 2:18). There is no redemption possible for this powerful world ruler who will one day make his appearance on the stage of human history. His destiny is final retribution. He will be seized and "thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20). For a more detailed exegesis of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, see A Discussion of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, The Thessalonian Christians and Clearing Up Their Confusion about the Day of the LORD.

Matthew 24:3, 27, 37 39. This chapter is an extended passage on Christ's Second Coming (parousia, 3952).  The so-called Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25) was triggered first of all by the disciples' enthusiastic description to Jesus of the Temple buildings (Matt. 24:1). As was so often the case, Jesus used current conversations as a teaching moment. He asked them if they didn't really perceive the truth conveyed by the Temple Mount. "Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down" (Matt. 24:2). As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, across the ravine from the majestic Temple complex, His disciples privately asked Him three questions, "Tell us, (1) when will these things happen, and (2) what will be the sign of Your coming (parousia), (3) and of the end of the age?" (Matt. 24:3). Matthew did not record Jesus' answer to the first question, but Luke did (Luke 21:20-24). In Matt. 24, however, Jesus answered the second and third questions.
    Our particular concern here is the connection of parousia to Jesus' comments in Matt. 24. When we view the disciples' initial question in Matt. 24:3, we automatically assume our perspective. Our perspective is that Jesus' parousia is still in the future, even after 2000 years have passed. We forget, however, that Jesus' disciples did not share our perspective. They assumed Jesus' parousia was imminent. They thought "the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately" (Luke 19:11). That is what they meant by parousia. They were looking for a grand display of power, majesty, and authority by Jesus, such as is intimated in Zech. 14:3-9 and such as three of them had personally witnessed (Matt. 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:26-38). In response, Jesus made three comments about His coming (parousia).
    (1) He warned that His parousia could not be localized to a particular geographic venue. If someone claimed that the Messiah were here or there, he would only be announcing a false Messiah (Matt. 24:23-26). Rather, "just as the lightning goes forth from the east, but shines (phainô, 5316) even to the west, so will be the coming (parousia) of the Son of Man" (Matt. 24:27, author's literal translation). Jesus' point is that His parousia will be ubiquitous, not localized. "Every eye will see Him" (Rev. 1:7). The reference to vultures swarming to carrion (Matt. 24:28) hints at the judgment that will coincide with His parousia.
    (2) Jesus compared His parousia to the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37, 39). This seems to convey the suddenness of His coming. His return would be as sudden as the Flood in the days of Noah (Matt. 24:37-39), as sudden as an abduction in the middle of a workday (Matt. 24:40-41), and as unexpected as a thief in the middle of the night (Matt. 24:42-43).
    In the first instance, the people in Noah's day were eating and drinking and marrying, pursuing the normal activities of life right up until the day Noah entered the ark. They did not understand Noah's warning until the Flood came and washed them all to their deaths. This is just how it will be at the parousia of the Son of Man (Matt. 24:37-39).
    In the second instance, two farmers will be working in the field. One will suddenly be taken to judgment while the other is left to enter the Millennial Kingdom. Similarly, two women will be grinding flour at the grain mill. One will be taken to judgment, while the other will be left alive to enter the Millennial Kingdom (Matt. 24:40-41).
    In the last instance, if the home owner would have known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his house to be broken into. So we must be alert because the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour (Matt. 24:42-44). It should be noted that the word "coming" in Matt. 24:30, 42, 43, 44 is the word erchomai (2064), not the word parousia (3952). Obviously, the two words are synonyms. Nevertheless, the point to be made here is that judgment accompanies Christ's Second Coming, whether the word be parousia or erchomai.

    The portion of this Matthew 24 that details the actual arrival of Jesus is Matt. 24:29-31. The following observations can be made from this paragraph:

    First, the time of His return for retribution will be after the Tribulation (Matt. 24:29). Jesus had referenced tribulation already in Matt. 24:9, but in Matt. 24:21, he referred to a time of ultimate tribulation. He said, "For then there shall be great tribulation such as has not come to pass from the beginning of the world until now, nor will ever come to pass" (Matt. 24:21, author's translation). The tribulation to which Jesus refers in Matt. 24:21 is the Great Tribulation - the one that is unprecedented, and one of a kind. It is to this Great Tribulation to which Jesus refers again in Matt. 24:29. His coming (parousia, Matt. 24:27; erchomai, Matt. 24:30) will take place after the Great Tribulation.

    Second, there will be uproar and chaos in the heavens (Matt. 24:29). "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not be able to give its light, and the stars will fall from the heaven (singular of ouranos, 3772), and the powers of the heavens (plural of ouranos, 3772) will be shaken" (author's literal translation). There will be chaos in the heavens periodically during the Tribulation (Rev. 8:12-13; 16:8-11). But the chaos immediately prior to Christ's return will be especially noteworthy. Perhaps it will compare to the "Grand Finale" at  a fireworks display - an exceptional paroxysm of explosions and light that signals viewers the end has arrived. When there is utter chaos out in our solar system and deep space, people will know God is at work, and terrible judgment is about to commence. There will be no other way to explain it.

    Third, the sign of the Son of Man will shine in heaven (Matt. 24:30). The word I have translated "heaven" is the singular of ouranos (3772). NASB translates it "sky," but it is the same word that appears twice in Matt. 24:29. I have deliberately chosen the word "shine" because it is the same word (phainô, 5316) that is used of lightning shining in the sky in Matt. 24:27. Just as lightning is a brilliant light that illuminates the entire sky at night, albeit briefly, so the sign of the coming of the Son of Man will brilliantly illuminate the whole sky signifying Christ's return. But whereas lightning is a momentary phenomenon, this sign will continue in duration. Remember that the sun and moon will be darkened just prior to Christ's return, and so the light which serves as the sign of His coming will be the major light feature up in the heavens. I believe this light is none other than the "shekinah glory" that manifested God's presence in the OT. That glory manifested itself as a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  It is the glory that made Moses' face glow when he descended from Mt. Sinai. It is the glory with which Jesus was transformed briefly on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matt. 17:1-5). That glory was characterized by light as bright as the sun and also by a cloud that overshadowed Him. So it will be when Jesus returns. His sign of His coming will be characterized by blinding light and clouds (cf. Dan. 7:13-14; Matt. 26:64). All people on earth will be able to witness this sign, because all will mourn. It is possible that Jesus' descent to earth takes a considerable amount of time, and that the visible display of His glory will be such that the Earth, in its rotation, will enable all of the people of the world to witness the sign of His arrival.

    Fourth, all the tribes of the earth will mourn (Matt. 24:30). When the people of the earth see the sign of Jesus' return, they will be terrified. They will mourn because of what they see (Rev. 1:7). There are two different kinds of mourning. There is a mourning because of sorrow, and there is a mourning because of terror. I once visited a man in jail who had just killed his wife. He was crying. He was not crying because he had lost his wife, but rather, he whimpered, "What will they do to me?" That is exactly, I believe, the sentiment that the vast majority of the people on earth will share. "Oh no! Jesus is coming back! What will He do to me?" They fear judgment, and rightly so.

    Fifth, and they (all the tribes of the earth) shall see the Son of Man coming (present participle of erchomai, 2064) upon the clouds of the heaven with power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). We have already noticed that the prophet Daniel witnessed the coming of the Son of Man to Earth to set up His eternal global kingdom as being associated with the clouds of heaven (Dan. 7:13-14). We have also noticed that the temporary display of Jesus' kingdom power and glory on the Mount of Transfiguration included blinding light, white clothes, and an over-shadowing bright cloud (Matt. 17:1-5). We also have been reminded of Jesus' prediction to His enemies at His trial that they would one day witness "the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven" (Matt. 26:64). Luke the historian recorded that, as Jesus was lifted up from the earth, a cloud received Him out of the sight of His disciples (Acts 1:9). Two men in in white clothing informed them that Jesus would come (erchomai, 2064) "in just the same way as you have watched Him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). In the opening verses of Revelation we are told that Jesus Christ "is coming with the clouds" (Rev. 1:7).
    It is worth noting that passages which emphasize Jesus' return for reunion do not mention that every eye will see Him (John 14:1-3; 1 Cor. 15:50-47; 1 Thess. 1:10; 2:19; 3:13; 4:13-18; 5:9; 2 Thess. 2:1; Tit. 2:13).

    Sixth, "Jesus will send forth His angels with a great trumpet, and they will gather together His chosen ones out of the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end of them" (Matt. 24:31, author's literal translation).
    Post-tribulationists, of course, remark upon all the similarities between Matt. 24:29-31 and 1 Thess. 4:13-18. Both passages include the concepts of "coming," "clouds," "trumpet," "angels," and "heaven," sometimes translated "sky."
    But frankly, the dissimilarities outnumber the similarities. The gospel account chronology is "after the tribulation of those days." The epistle account makes no reference to the tribulation in the immediate context. The tribulation is discussed as taking place after the rapture (1 Thess. 5:1-9), though that specific term is not used. The gospel account speaks of cosmic disturbances. The epistle does not. The gospel speaks of the people of earth mourning. The epistle does not. The gospel states that all people will see Christ's coming. The epistle does not state that. In the gospel, angels are said to gather Christ's chosen ones. In the epistle there is the sound or voice of an archangel, but no mention of angels gathering nor of Christ's chosen ones. No resurrection is mentioned in the gospel, but resurrection is a central feature of the epistle. In the gospel there is no evidence that believers are "caught up" (harpazô, 726), but that is a central feature of the epistle account. In the gospel the chosen ones are gathered by angels "out of the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other end of them." This most likely is a regathering of elect Jewish people from the four cardinal points of the globe to meet their King in the Promised Land. In the epistle, on the other hand, both living and resurrected believers are snatched up without the agency of angels to meet the Lord in the air. These believers are members of the Church, not exclusively Israel. In the context of the gospel there is warning. In the epistle the objective is comfort. Finally, in the broader context of the gospel account (Matt. 24-25), judgment takes place upon the earth, both of the sons of Israel who survive the Tribulation period and of Gentiles who survive the tribulation. Only the righteous are left alive to enter Christ's kingdom (Matt. 25:31-46). In the broader context of the epistle account, after the believers are raptured (1 Thess. 4:13-18), destruction and wrath connected with "the day of the Lord" (i.e. the Tribulation period) come upon the sons of darkness (1 Thess. 5:1-11), from which destruction and wrath the "sons of light and sons of the day" are exempt. The destruction and wrath are consistent with retribution upon a godless world, while the return of Christ in 1 Thess. 4:13-18 is for the purpose of reunion.

    It makes the most sense, therefore, to conclude that Matthew 24:29-31 is speaking of Christ's return to Jerusalem as King of Israel after the Tribulation, whereas 1 Thess. 4:13-18 is speaking of Christ's return to retrieve His Bride, the Church, from the earth prior to the start of the Great Tribulation. For a more thorough display of the similarities and dissimilarities of the two passages in Table form, see A Comparison of Matthew 24:29-31 with 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

Conclusion regarding Matthew 24: The broader context (Matt. 24-25) of the return of Christ as presented in Matt. 24:3-51 depicts retribution, or at least judgment, as opposed to reunion. The retributive association includes the following:
    (1) The association of corpse and vultures with His coming (parousia, 3952) (Matt. 24:27-28);
    (2) The cosmic disturbances accompanying Christ's return (Matt. 24:29);
    (3) The terrified mourning of all the tribes of the earth when they see the sign of the Son of Man shining in the sky (Matt. 24:30);
    (4) The comparison of Christ's coming (parousia, 3952) (Matt. 24:37, 39) with the judgment of Noah's Flood (Matt. 24:37-39);
    (5) The taking away of a farmer in the field to judgment while an adjacent farmer is left to inherit the kingdom at Christ's return (Matt. 24:40);
    (6) The taking away of a woman grinding flour to judgment while an adjacent woman is spared to enter the kingdom (Matt. 24:41);
    (7) The warning to be ready, because Christ's coming (erchomai, 2064) is likened to a thief breaking and entering (Matt. 24:42-44);
    (8) The severe punishment of an evil slave at his master's return, along with his consignment to a place where there "will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 24:48-51);
    (9) The bridegroom's utter rejection of and exclusion of the five foolish virgins from the wedding feast, symbolic of the Millennial Kingdom (Matt. 25:1-13);
    (10) The slave master's consignment of the "wicked, lazy slave" to "outer darkness," where "there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:24-30);
    (11) The emphasis on Christ's judgment of "all the nations" at the beginning of His reign following His return (Matt. 25:31-33);
    (12) Christ's consignment of the "goats," those on His left hand, as "accused ones" "into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41), also described as "eternal punishment" (Matt. 25:46).

There are other passages which describe the retributive aspect of Christ's Second Coming, but which do not use the word "coming" (parousia, 3952). For that reason they are not discussed here. For the convenience of the reader, however, I have linked below the titles of articles listed beside the appropriate passages.

Isaiah 63:1-6. The Warrior with the Blood-Stained Robe. (Christ's Return to defend Israel by destroying her enemies.)

Zechariah 14:1-15. The Descent of Yahweh upon the Mount of Olives. (The Second Coming of Christ in defense of Israel and in retribution upon the enemies of God and of Israel.)

Revelation 14:14-20. The Great Winepress of the Wrath of God.

Revelation 19:11-21. The Rider on the White Horse.

Return to Top.