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Dr. Alan Kurschner described a helpful approach to studying the doctrine of the second coming. The books of the Bible have been progressively revealed to God’s people in history with the book of Revelation as the very last book that was written to complete the Bible. So, instead of starting with the book of Revelation, he suggests starting with key biblical prophecy passages in the book of Daniel, Jesus’s Olivet Discourse, and Paul’s Thessalonian epistles.

Accordingly, it is best to begin with Daniel, giving us a temporal context. Then, one should move next to Jesus’s teaching in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, where Jesus gives us a concrete outline of the events surrounding his second coming. Next, one should move to both of the Thessalonian epistles, where Paul further describes the second coming. Finally, concluding with the book of Revelation is best, which fills in the details. In addition, while working through Jesus, Paul, and Book of Revelation, one can draw from the Old Testament prophets, such as Joel, Zephaniah, and others.

Having worked through this procedure, the student of prophecy will be in a good position with this background to make sense of the book of Revelation.

The following stages of building a house are the same in studying the second coming doctrine.

Daniel – The Foundation
Jesus – The Framework
Paul – The Facilities
Revelation – The Furnishing