Does Jesus return to pick up the saints (second coming)?
After the tribulation Jesus sends out His angels to GATHER the Saints -----there is nothing about Rapturing the Saints here ---
Jesus separates the Believers from the Unbelievers ----the Saints remain with Jesus who sets up the New Earth --
Matthew 24
29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
this word Gather means
Lexical Summary
episunagó: To gather together,
to assemble
properly, bring together (gather), i.e. group together (collect), especially to accomplish the intended purpose of the gathering.
There is no Rapture here because at His Second coming he sets up his New Earth ---so the saints are kept with Jesus here as they will be in the New Earth ------the unbelieving are judged are sent away ---
This is actually the separating of the sheep from the goats ---Jesus gave a Parable on this very thing
AI
Unbelievers alive at the end of the tribulation face immediate judgment at Christ's return (the
Sheep and Goats Judgment) and are cast away from His kingdom.
They are removed from the earth and, according to scripture, await final sentencing to the lake of fire, which is the eternal, conscious place of punishment for those who rejected God.
Immediate Post-Tribulation (The Second Coming): According to Matthew 25:31-46, when Jesus returns, He separates the "sheep" (believers) from the "goats" (unbelievers). The unbelievers are cast into "eternal fire" prepared for the devil and his angels.
Death During/After Tribulation: Unbelievers who die before or during the tribulation go immediately to Hades, a temporary place of torment.
The Final Judgment: After the 1,000-year Millennial Kingdom, all remaining unbelievers from all ages are summoned to the Great White Throne Judgment. They are judged according to their deeds, and since their names are not in the Book of Life, they are cast into the Lake of Fire (the second death/Gehenna), which is the final, permanent place of separation from God.