启示录十四章六至十三节所记的事，都是发生在大灾难期间；（太二四21；）这清楚的指明，且有力的证明，启示录十四章一至五节所说初熟的果子，要在大灾难之前被提；十四至十六节的庄稼包括大体信徒，要在大灾难末了被提。初熟的果子要被提到诸天之上，并要在那里与基督同在。这次被提之后，会有三年半的期间，就是第七十个七的后半。
启示录十二、十四章都说到同样的时期。这两章给我们理由说，主的巴路西亚最早要开始于第七十个七的中间。在男孩子与十四万四千个初熟的果子被提以后，主耶稣要同这些得胜的圣徒离开三层天，并降到空中。祂不会直接来到地上，乃要包着云彩留在空中。在十章一节，基督披着云彩，但在十四章十四节祂在云上。后者与帖前四章十七节相符，指明到这时主的来临是在空中公开的。这就是说，首先主的巴路西亚是隐密的。然后，照着帖后二章八节，会有祂巴路西亚的显现。
所以，主的来临在公开显现以前是隐密的。祂的来临会持续一段时间，先是隐密的，然后显与众人。可能在第七十个七的末了，主的巴路西亚要显现。这时主不再披着云彩，如在启示录十章者，乃要坐在云上，公开被人看见，如在启示录十四章者。那将是祂巴路西亚的显现，祂来临的显现。
我们若对主的来临至少有点概念，就会知道为甚么彼得说，主的日子要像贼一样来到。不但主自己要像贼一样来到，甚至主的日子也要这样来到。那日子的来临将是隐密的，不是公开的。
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The Lord’s Parousia – 1 Thes.4:16-17
The events recorded in Revelation 14:6-13, all of which will take place during the great tribulation (Matt. 24:21), indicate clearly and prove strongly that the first fruit in Revelation 14:1-5 will be raptured before the great tribulation, and the harvest in verses 14 through 16, which includes the majority of believers, will be raptured after the great tribulation. The first fruit will be raptured to the heavens and will be with Christ there. After this rapture, there will be a period of three and a half years, the second half of the seventieth week.
Revelation 12 and 14 both speak of the same period of time. These chapters give us the ground to say that, at the earliest, the parousia of the Lord will begin from the middle of the seventieth week. After the raptures of the man-child and of the one hundred forty-four thousand first fruit, the Lord Jesus will leave the third heaven with these overcoming saints and descend to the air. Instead of coming directly to the earth, he will remain in the air enclosed in a cloud. In Revelation 10:1 Christ is clothed with a cloud, but in Revelation 14:14 he is on the cloud. This latter verse corresponds to 1 Thessalonians 4:17 and indicates that the Lord’s coming back is then to be made public. This means that first the Lord’s parousia will be hidden. Then, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:8 there will be the appearing of his parousia.
The Lord’s coming, therefore, will be hidden before it appears openly. His coming involves a period of time. First it will be in secret, and then it will appear to the public. It will be probably at the end of the seventieth week that the Lord’s parousia will appear. At this time the Lord will no longer be clothed with the cloud, as in Revelation 10, but will be sitting on the cloud, seen openly, as in Revelation 14. That will be the appearing of his parousia, the appearing of his coming.
If we have at least a general idea concerning the Lord’s coming, we shall know why Peter says that the day of the Lord will come as a thief. Not only will the Lord himself come as a thief, but even the day of the Lord will come in this way. The coming of that day will be hidden, not open.