What is the last prophecy to be fullfilled before the second coming of Christ?

Answer 1

If you are a Christian then the last prophecy to be fulfilled before the second coming of Christ is the Rapture. This is where the bodies of all believers will be transformed into new, immortal bodies and instantaneously transported into the heavens to meet the Lord. There is nothing at all to stop this event happening right now: there are now no prophetic pre-conditions required.

(NB Do not confuse this with the Second Coming: they are NOT the same.)

Joh 14:1-3 MKJV Let not your heart be troubled. You believe in God, believe also in Me. (v.2) In My Father's house are many mansions; if it werenot so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (v.3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, so that where I am, you may be also.

1Th 4:15-18 MKJV For we say this to you by the Word of theLord, that we who are alive andremain until the coming of the Lord shall not go before [ie precede] those who are asleep. (v.16) For the Lord Himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ shall rise first. (v.17) Then we who are alive andremain shall be caught up together with them in theclouds, to meet the Lord in the air.And so we shall ever be with the Lord.

1Co 15:51-53 MKJV Behold, I speak a mystery to you; we shall not all fall asleep [ie die], but we shall all be changed; (v.52) in a moment, in a glance of an eye, at the last Trumpet. For a trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall all be changed. (v.53) For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal mustput on immortality.

2. If you are nota Christian then, as the foregoing wouldn't be believed anyway, the last prophecy to be fullfilled before the second coming of Christ is witnessing the actualdestructionof the city of Babylon.

The city of Babylon falls:-

Rev 18:1-3 KJV (v.1) And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. (v.2) And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. (v.3) For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies.

This fall will be sudden (conjecture: nuclear attack?):-

Rev 18:7-11 KJV (v.7) How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she saith in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. (v.8) Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her. (v.9) And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her, and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, (v.10) Standing afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, Alas, alas, that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour is thy judgement come. (v.11) And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth their merchandise any more:

It was a worldwide trading centre, but will be totally destroyed:-

Rev 18:15-21 KJV The merchants of these things, which were made rich by her, shall stand afar off for the fear of her torment, weeping and wailing, (v.16) And saying, Alas, alas, that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls! (v.17) For in one hour so great riches is come to nought. And every shipmaster, and all the company in ships, and sailors, and as many as trade by sea, stood afar off, (v.18) And cried when they saw the smoke of her burning, saying, What city islike unto this great city! (v.19) And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, saying, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! for in one hour is she made desolate. (v.20) Rejoice over her, thouheaven, and yeholy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. (v.21) And a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast itinto the sea, saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be found no more at all.

Just after this judgement upon Babylon Christ's return is announced:-

Rev 19:1-2 KJV (v.1) And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: (v.2) For true and righteous arehis judgements: for he hath judged the great whore [ie Babylon], which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.

Christ begins His reign:- Rev 19:6, 11-13 (v.6) And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (v.11) And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him wascalled Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (v.12) His eyes wereas a flame of fire, and on his head weremany crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. (v.13) And he wasclothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.

It is a literal reign: it is not allegorical or figurative:- Rev 19:15-21 (v.15) And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. (v.16) And he hath on hisvesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. (v.17) And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; (v.18) That ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, bothfree and bond, both small and great. (v.19) And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. (v.20) And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. (v.21) And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which swordproceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.

This prophetic warning is not to be suppressed:- Rev 22:10, 18-20 (v.10) And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand. (v.18) For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: (v.19) And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and fromthe things which are written in this book. (v.20) He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Although some authorities will say that all this is just a re-writing of the Old Testament prophets about the fall of the ancient city of Babylon in 539BC and that it is therefore not prophetic, it is very important to realize that these prophecies in Revelation quoted above do not refer to the ancient city of Babylon. When King Cyrus captured the city of Babylon in 539BC by diverting the river and entering the city via the drained and unguarded river-bed the city was not destroyed. The city was captured without a battle: indeed, some inhabitants of Babylon did not know for 3 days that it had actually been captured by the enemy. It was made the administrative capital, but some time after he died the city was allowed to deteriorate and decay naturally through neglect. As the walls were made of mud-brick and received no maintenance they simply collapsed into a muddy pile of rubble.

It is very important to recognize that this ancient city of Babylon is located 50 miles south of Baghdad, that Saddam Hussein (who considered himself another Nebuchadnezzar) was rebuilding it, that it still exists, and that Iraqui people still live there. It is definitely not deserted.

A couple of these Old Testament references stress that no-one will live there at all for ever, and that it will be totally destroyed just like Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed by a judgement from God and are now at the bottom of the Dead Sea.

Jer 50:1 [Judgement Against Babylon]

The LORD spoke concerning Babylon and the land of Babylonia through the prophet Jeremiah....

Jer 50:39-40 [NET] (v.39) Therefore desert creatures and jackals will live there [ie Babylon].

Ostriches will dwell in it too.

But no people will ever live there again.

No one will dwell there for all time to come.

Jer 50:40 I will destroy Babylonia just like I did

Sodom and Gomorrah and the neighboring towns.

No one will live there.

No human being will settle in it,"

says the LORD.

Another translation is perhaps more stark:-

Jer 50:39-40 KJV Therefore the wild beasts of the desert with the wild beasts of the islands shall dwell there, and the owls shall dwell therein: and it shall be no more inhabited for ever; neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation. (v.40) As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrahand the neighbour citiesthereof, saith the LORD; soshall no man abide there, neither shall any son of man dwell therein.

This is re-iterated by Isaiah:-

Isa 13:19-22 NET] (v.19) Babylon, the most admired of kingdoms,

the Chaldeans'source of honor and pride,

will be destroyed by God

just as Sodom and Gomorrah were.

Isa 13:20 No one will live there again;

no one will ever reside there again.

No bedouin will camp there,

no shepherds will rest their flocks there.

Isa 13:21 Wild animals will rest there,

the ruined houses will be full of hyenas.

Ostriches will live there,

wild goats will skip among the ruins.

Isa 13:22 Wild dogs will yip in her ruined fortresses,

jackals will yelp in the once-splendid palaces.

Her time is almost up,her days will not be prolonged.52

'Scriptural Note' [ie 'sn'] no 52 on Isaiah 13:22 [NET Bible] explains furthur:-

52sn When was the prophecy of Babylon's fall fulfilled? Some argue that the prophecy was fulfilled in 689 b.c. when the Assyrians under Sennacherib sacked and desecrated the city .... This may have been an initial phase in the fulfillment of the prophecy, but the reference to the involvement of the Medes (v. 17) and the suggestion that Babylon's demise will bring about the restoration of Israel (14:1-2) indicate that the fall of Babylon to the Medes and Persians in 538 b.c. is the primary focus of the prophecy. ... However, the vivid picture of destruction in vv. 15-22 raises a problem. The Medes and Persians did not destroy the city; in fact Cyrus' takeover of Babylon, though preceded by a military campaign, was relatively peaceful and even welcomed by some Babylonian religious officials. How then does one explain the prophecy's description of the city's violent fall? ... In other words, the events of 538 b.c. essentially, though not necessarily literally, fulfill the prophecy.

Answer 2

According to Mark's Gospel, Jesus said that, first, the Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed, brother will fight brother and there will be desolation, and finally the sun and moon will cease to shine. Then his apostles will see Jesus return in the clouds, with great glory.
This did not eventuate, as expected, in the life of the apostles, but there have been many other subsequent prophecies of the second coming of Christ.