My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. - James 1:2-4
As I was preparing last night for this morning's Scripture posting on facebook, I sat amazed the passage from James 1:2-4 was the very topic of Loran Livingston's message from last Sunday (which I watched yesterday) and the post from Friday titled, Do Not Be Anxious for Anything. When wondering what the Lord might want to say to someone through this "coincidence", I almost immediately realized He was likely speaking to me.
So dear brothers and sisters, I am continually reminded that we must count it all joy when we go through various trials, never being anxious for anything, but in all things, through prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, make our requests made known to God, who knows our needs even before we ask (Matthew 6:8), and the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7).
So with that, I invite you to watch Pastor Livingston's message from last week, titled "Count It All Joy". I pray it blesses, comforts, and encourages you through any circumstance you may be going through:
1. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. - 1 Corinthians 13:12
2. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. - 1 John 3:2
3. Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. - John 17:24
4. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: - Matthew 25:34
5. but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. - 1 Peter 4:13
6. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will... - Ephesians 1:11
7. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. - Colossians 3:4
8. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. - Romans 8:18
9. For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself. - Philippians 3:21-22
10. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18
11. Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— 52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. - 1 Corinthians 15:51-52
12. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. - 1 Thessalonians 4:17
13. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing. - 2 Timothy 4:8
14. And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! 7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. 9 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” - Revelation 19:6-9
Of course, there are many more reasons and Scriptures to give us hope for that glorious day when the Lord Jesus Christ will snatch His church out of this fallen world. I'd love to read your comments and additional Scriptures below!
And if for any reason you are not excited about the return of Christ in 2011, I encourage you to post why you might not be ready for Him to come back today. These reasons could vary tremendously, but I'll just leave it open-ended for discussion.
I hope to see a some encouraging comments as we look forward to our Redemption!
Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. - Revelation 1:7
It's been about 5 weeks since I began a series titled The Coming of the Lord that was to be based on a sermon series from my pastor, Loran Livingston, on 1 Thessalonians 1-5. As the messages on chapters 3 and 4 were not necessarily on the coming of the Lord as I had anticipated, I did not feel led to write about them. However, the message on 10/31/10 was quite uplifting and comforting for the Bride of Christ, so I will conclude the series with this message and a different title (you can read Parts 1 and 2 here: The Coming of the Lord - Part 1; The Coming of the Lord - Part 2 (A Message on Pastors)).
The Apostle Paul ends chapter 4 with a reference to the Rapture of the Church, and in combination with references from John 14:1-3 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, we have the clear biblical basis for this doctrine. Although the rapture doctrine cannot be honestly disregarded in Scripture, the timing of the rapture of the Church has caused much division in the Body of Christ. Moreover, extreme views and extra-biblical liberties have led many to attempt to predict the date of the rapture (datesetting), but the fact of the matter is, NO ONE knows the hour, and to suggest foreknowledge of this spectacular event is utter foolishness. Discussing the timing of the rapture is perfectly fine, but when division occurs between different "camps" (pre-trib, mid-trib, and post-trib), there is nothing that edifies the Body or brings glory to God. If this topic creates a stumbling block for the furtherance of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, it's best not to argue over such things if it cannot be done peaceably.
With that said, Scripture is indeed quite clear that the Bride of Christ will not be here for the Day of the Lord, otherwise known as the Time of Jacob's Trouble, the 70th week of Daniel, and the 7-year tribulation (the latter half often referred as the Great Tribulation). Scripture references supporting a pre-tribulation rapture include: Revelation 3:10, 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10, and 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11. There are other Scriptures that show imminence and provide logical evidence the Church will not be present during the tribulation, but for the sake of brevity in this article, I will focus on the Scripture of yesterday's message.
1 Thessalonians 5:1-11 reads,
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
Paul opens by saying the brethren have no need to be concerned with the timing of the tribulation. He exhorts them to not be distracted with the timing of God's final judgment, but rather to occupy their time in living godly lives knowing full well that judgment is coming unexpectedly upon the people of the earth. As verses 2 and 3 make clear, judgment will come as a thief in the night when the people of the earth least expect it. At a time when the world is saying "peace and safety" (which will have culminated with the signing of the 7-year covenant between the Antichrist and Israel), sudden destruction will come upon them and they shall not escape. Yet, distracting ourselves with trying to figure out who the Antichrist is or when this covenant will be signed is futile because no one knows, and more importantly, we will not be here to find out (so why are you stocking up on supplies?).
We are not in darkness so to be overtaken by this unexpected judgment. We, the Body of Christ, are children of light (Ephesians 5:8) and walk in the light as He is in the light (1 John 1:7). Those who walk in darkness, however, are subject to the wrath of God as children of wrath and disobedience (Ephesians 2:2-3, Ephesians 5:6, 1 John 1:6). Paul also makes this contrast clear in verses 4 and 5.
And because we are not children of darkness but of light, let us walk in a manner worthy of our calling (Ephesians 4:1, Philippians 1:27, Colossians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 2:12, 1 Thessalonians 4:1). As such and as instructed in verses 6 and 8, let us be sober and be watchful of the spiritual darkness around us. As we have been redeemed from our fallen spiritual condition, we must live accordingly by the power of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, those who are walking in darkness will be drunk with darkness when the wrath of God falls on the earth, as if jolted out of a coma for they are spiritually unconscious. And while we wait for the coming of our Lord, we must continue in our work of faith, labor of love, and hope of salvation (1 Thessalonians 1:3) that awaits us when we are glorified with the Son of God (Romans 8:18).
My brothers and sisters, God has not appointed us to wrath and the Apostle Paul makes this evident in verse 9 and also 1 Thessalonians 1:10 (in addition to the Lord's revelation in Revelation 3:10). Whether born again believers have already died or they live today, we will all be together one day soon (verse 10). To make this all the more clear (that we have no reason to fear the Day of the Lord), let's take another look at verses 1-10. Pay special attention to the contrasting pronouns Paul uses to distinguish between believers and those in darkness:
1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
Isn't it clear? There is a marked difference between "us" and "them". "They" will incur the wrath of God. "We" will be kept from the hour of trial that will come upon dwellers of the earth. "They" are sons of the devil (1 John 3:8), while "we" are already citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20). "Their" end is destruction and have their minds set on earthly things (Philippians 3:19), while "we" have been sealed by the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22) and have our minds set on heavenly things (Colossians 3:1-2). "They" stand condemned (John 3:18), while there is no condemnation for "us" who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
So be comforted, my brethren. If you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit, then you need not fear the days to come. Once God has planted His seed in you (1 John 3:9), you are His forever as God does not revoke His promises (Romans 11:29). If you have been called, you will be justified, and if you have been justified, you will be conformed to Christ, and if you are conformed to Christ, you will be glorified (Romans 8:29-30). All who the Father has given to the Son will never be lost (John 6:39), no one can snatch you out of His hand (John 10:28-29), and nothing in ALL of creation will ever separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38-39). Let us take comfort in knowing that God has secured our salvation for His glory alone, and He has not appointed us to His wrath but has made for Himself a bride that is holy and blameless before the sight of God (Colossians 1:22).
If you have some time now or this week, please take a moment to watch or listen to Loran Livingston's message from Sunday (see below). If you need to be spiritually renewed and find yourselves weary of this world and the things of the world, this is a timely message for you. The days ahead may be few or many, and they will surely be difficult as the darkness continues to restrict around us. But keep your eyes on Jesus and take comfort in the Hope of your salvation Who has delivered you from the wrath to come, and know that He will never forsake you no matter the trials and tribulation you are currently going through.
The King is coming, let us watch and be sober.
Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
It is my privilege to share with you a 5-part series from my pastor, Loran Livingston, which began September 26, 2010. Pastor Livingston noted that each chapter in the book of 1 Thessalonians concludes with a reference to the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. These chapters exhort us to be confident the Lord will deliver us from the wrath to come upon the earth, to cling to the hope and joy found in anticipating the glorious appearing of Christ, to increase our love for the brethren, to encourage one another that He is coming for His Bride, and to be sanctified completely by the Spirit whereby we put off the works of darkness and yield to righteousness so that we will be found blameless at the coming of this Mighty King! This first message was very powerful and I'm excited for what lies ahead as God prepares His Body for His glorious return in these last days. The links to the video and mp3 are at the end of this post.
We find in 1 Thessalonians 1:3 three proofs of salvation: work of faith, labor of love, and endurance inspired by hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Because salvation is a work of God by which He brings Himself glory, all born again Christians will exhibit in some capacity service to the Lord that is rooted in love and spurred by faith. It is not possible to be saved and not be involved in the work of the ministry because when He saves us, He charges us to carry on the work He started. In fact, God ordained us for His service long ago:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. - Ephesians 2:10
This work includes serving within the Body through the local church, within our homes, or within the community by living and proclaiming the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. We work together as one Body to edify one another and to fulfill the Great Commission. We all have work to do for the Kingdom and none of us are exempt from this duty.
We must work when we don't feel like it and when no one appreciates it or notices. Our work is unto the Lord and not unto man. He rewards us for our faithfulness towards Him. Whatever our calling is, our sole purpose is to make Jesus known to the ends of the earth - and that includes your backyard. Jesus said it best what we are to do with our time on earth in Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Verse 21 is so profound - the desire of your heart will be clear by the location of your treasure. In other words, what do you spend your time doing? Upon examination of yourself, are you working for God or for yourself? Are you serving Him with your life, or are you pursuing riches, pleasures, and material things? Are you more concerned with the cares of this world, or do you consider yourself dead and surrendered to the work of God? Is your life defined by temporal things or eternal things? These are essential questions to ask ourselves. Where are you storing your treasure? In heaven or on earth? That will determine where your heart is - whether you a child of God or a child of wrath.
Not only were the Thessalonians praised for their faith, love, and enduring hope, but their eager obedience to preach the Gospel was known everywhere. 1 Thessalonians 1:8,
For from you the word of the Lord has sounded forth, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place. Your faith toward God has gone out, so that we do not need to say anything.
And where did they learn to spread their faith? From the Lord and those from whom they first heard the Gospel as we see in verse 6,
And you became followers of us and of the Lord...
Every born again believer must be an example to the brethren. It is how we grow in maturity by studying the Word of God and being examples amongst each other. This is the duty of every believer, so we must examine ourselves to see what example we are leading. Do we share our faith, or not? Do we love the brethren? Do we love our enemies? Do we love our neighbors? Remember, the Great Commission is not an option - it is a mandate from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Perhaps most remarkable of the Thessalonians was their obvious repentance. 1 Thessalonians 1:9 provides us a clear picture of what biblical repentance looks like:
For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God,
There are several things going on here. In this one verse, we see how they
Turned to God
From idols
To serve the living and true God (as opposed to dead idols)
That is repentance! This presents a radical change in the Thessalonians as they turned their backs on the idols they served and turned to the one true God to serve Him in faith and obedience. Every believer had an idol(s) before they came to faith in Jesus Christ. It is impossible to continue serving these idols and serve the Lord. We must turn from them. No man can hold on to his sins and lay his life down at the cross. He must lay down his sins with his life if He is to be born again. What he is laying down is a lifestyle that served himself, and he is committing himself to a lifestyle of serving God. You cannot serve two masters and you must deny yourself, pick up your cross, and follow the Lord Jesus Christ daily. This is forsaking it all, and it's the only way we can be a disciple of Christ.
The evidence this repentance has taken place will be found in the whole of the life of the believer. There will be a radical change that contrasts the new life against the old life. Your life will be marked by obedience to the Word of God, rather than obedience to your flesh and its desires. Sin is no longer your master for you have become a slave to righteousness. If you have not had a radical change in your life that separates you from the world, it's time you get back to the alter and find out what went wrong. Giving mere lip service to God will fall short of His righteousness. The Christian life is 24/7, not just on Sundays. If you're acting and talking differently on Sundays than you are the rest of the week, you must come to repentance. You're either a Christian, or you're not a Christian - James 1:22,
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
For those that are found in Christ Jesus, we have much to look forward to. The Lord is coming and He is coming soon! No matter what we are faced with we can always turn to Him and declare, "but Jesus is coming!" If you are not looking for the return of Christ, if you have no hope that He is coming, if this fact brings you no joy, or if you dread that Day - what do you think that means? We must be looking for Him as Hebrews 9:28 says,
so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.
And there is a crown waiting for those longing for His appearing - 1 Timothy 4:8
Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.
And those who are longing for His appearing, can have confidence they will be saved from the wrath to come. The Apostle Paul makes this clear in 1 Thessalonians 1:10,
and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.
Jesus affirms this truth in Revelation 3:10
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
We must be longing for Christ to come for us. This is to be our joy! Our hope! Does this dominate your thinking? If Jesus does not dominate your thinking and His return does not consume you with this enduring hope and everlasting joy, then you must examine yourself. No born again believer thinks like this - we are all eager to see His face! Do you?
If you find yourself in a predicament, what are you waiting for? Haven't you gone long enough in trying to serve two masters? Isn't it time to repent from your idols and turn to God in faith? Can you not see that this world is passing away, and those who love it are passing away with it? Aren't you ready to store your treasures in heaven? Aren't you ready to serve the One who paid such a great price for you? Isn't He worthy? Did your sins not nail Him to that rugged cross? Won't you fall on your knees? Won't you give your life to Him today? Even now?
Turn to Christ and be healed. Come with nothing in your hands, and submit your life to the Lord Jesus Christ. Escape the wrath to come, for it might come today, and I promise you do not want to be here when it does. Just listen to the description Pastor Livingston gives in the message below.
This could be the last message you read or hear before you see Jesus, or before you feel heat. If this might be you, don't wait any longer. Lay down your pride and make your calling and election sure. Today is the day of salvation! If you are indeed a believer and there is a besetting sin in your life, confess and repent before the Lord so He can cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
Everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure. - 1 John 3:3
Please click on the following links to watch or listen:
Scott Sykes from Prophecy Update gives valuable insight into the recent omission from the Declaration of Independence by President Obama. In a speech given before the Congressional Hispanic Congress, Obama refrained from using "by their Creator" when quoting the nation's founding document of freedom. As Sykes correctly concludes, this is yet one more example of the fatalistic direction the United States is heading with the attempted removal of God through every fabric of life. It is representative of the same global trend that will result in the establishment of the ultimate godless society during the tribulation. These are all signs pointing to the soon return of Jesus Christ - the King is coming, are you ready?
There are times when "end-of-days" prophecy and politics collide. Normally I try to avoid politics, primarily because of my dislike of politics in a general sense, but there are times when it just can't be avoided.
Whether Obama is a Muslim or not isn't really the issue anymore. The simple fact is, he clearly hates our God - the God of the Holy Bible, and looks at our God with nothing but contempt. Beyond that, what his "real" religion is - is mostly irrelevant.
Many folks were willing to give him a pass on these "slip=ups":
- Before a speech at Georgetown University, recall that Obama forced the school to cover the name of Jesus above the podium, and also stated that the U.S. was no longer a Christian nation (review here)
- Then we see the hate crimes bill, which Obama gleefully signed - a bill that will effectively silence Christians from speaking certain truths firmly established in the Holy Bible (see link here). One germane quote:
“I think that Christians who dare to tell the truth — including this program — about the social, moral, spiritual and health consequences of illicit homosexual acts are accused of hate speech and intimated into silence with threats of fines or jail,” she said. “I think this: The fact that the hate bill had to be passed in such an unscrupulous and cynical manner — which means attaching it to the Defense Authorization Act — reveals the depth of President Obama’s commitment to a radical anti-Christian agenda. I think he will stop at nothing to undermine the will of the majority of Americans to pay back militant homosexual activists who raised millions of dollars for him.”
- Then we recall his "slip" when he mentioned his "Muslim faith" before being "corrected" by the interviewer. We all remember that.
- Then we recall the interview in which he stated that there are many paths to heaven (link), something contrary to the most basic understandings of Christianity.
- We also have several quotes from Obama such as "...the Bible can't be the template for how we govern", and when James Dobson stated that we, as Americans should govern based on the tenants of the Bible, Obama repeated, "He (Dobson) is dead wrong."(more quotes here)
With this backdrop, we come to the most recent ominous finding:
President Obama removed the reference to the "Creator" from the Declaration of Independence when he quoted a portion at a meeting of the Congressional Hispanic Congress.
Obama said, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, endowed with certain inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
But the the actual quotation is:
(note the bolded part, "by their Creator" below that Obama conveniently left out)
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
Is this a coincidence? If this occurred in isolation, without the backdrop discussed above - maybe. Doubtful, but maybe. Considering the patterns and trends established by Obama, I'd say there is no way that this is a coincidence.
This link contains the actual video, and concludes with the following:
After President Obama says "created equal..", there is a long pause during which he scowls and blinks several times. For once, he may actually have opted to not read something that was on the teleprompter. It looks like he is disgusted and decided it would be better not to read what the preamble actually says.
President Obama, if our Creator is not the purveyor of our rights, then who is? The government?
That is the most ominous finding. When our laws aren't based on God's given freedoms and rights, but based on man's governance, we see horrors and human abuses such as seen in the old Soviet Union, China, North Korea etc etc etc.
However, as stated so many times before, this is part of the process which leads into the Tribulation. We will have a Godless world, and a world which will be forced to worship a man (the antichrist) - and a world which will hate the God of the Holy Bible.
It's all part of the "stage-setting" process - a process that we have been watching for decades. This is just one of many examples that we have been observing.
It's coming, and it's coming sooner than anyone can expect.
The Tribulation is rapidly approaching - we see evidence on a daily basis.
Obama is just one small piece of this world-wide puzzle - but an important piece. When the Rapture of the Church happens, the process will be complete and the Tribulation can finally begin. And that can't happen soon enough for this prophecy watcher.
Q) Is the whole idea of a Rapture, separate and apart from the Second Coming, too new an idea to be true?
To answer this tough Bible question, Dr. David Reagan and I on a Christ in Prophecy television episode interviewed Dr. Ron Rhodes. Dr. Rhodes is the founder and director of Reasoning From the Scriptures Ministries. With nearly 50 books penned and decades of public teaching, he is an expert on the Bible. As a former "Bible Answer Man," he specializes in easy to understand answers to the really tough questions about the Bible and the defense of the Scriptures.
That's a common complaint. There are people out there who even argue that the idea of a Rapture is so recent in Church History that it came from Margaret MacDonald, a teenager. And, you know what's interesting? If you actually look at her writings, she comes out to be a cross between Post-Trib and Partial-Trib in viewpoints. A lot of Post-Tribs are going around talking about this as if it's a gospel truth.
One of the things that you also have to keep in mind is that especially during the early centuries of Christianity, Roman Catholicism was predominate. If a person didn't agree with what they taught their life was basically in danger.
If we want to get back to the earliest writings, I certainly believe that the apostles Paul and John and some of the others taught a Pre-Tribulation Rapture, if you look at their writings.
If we're going to let Scripture speak for itself and words actually mean something, then the Pre-Trib position is correct. You've got to do a lot of spiritualizing in my opinion to get to the other timing positions.
Nathan's IMHO
Some will argue that the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is just "too new" to be considered viable. Critics will point to the origin of the modern Pre-Tribulation view and credit John Nelson Darby (1800-1882) with its founding. But, is that assessment historically accurate? Indeed, it is not.
The Early Church fathers' such as Barnabas (ca.100-105), Papias (ca. 60-130), Justin Martyr (110-195), Irenaeus (120-202), Tertullian (145-220), Hippolytus (ca. 185-236), Cyprian (200-250), and Lactantius (260-330) wrote on the imminent return of Jesus Christ, the central argument for the Pre-Tribulation Rapture view.
Biblical truth is determined by Scripture, and not how that teaching has been perceived at different times during history. When Augustine began spiritualizing the Bible, his view of a non-literal interpretation took hold of the church until the Renaissance, obliterating the Premillennial and Pre-Tribulation Rapture views in favor of Amillennialism. But, some Medieval writers such as Ephraem of Nisibis (306-373), Abbot Ceolfrid's Latin Codex Amiatinus (ca. 690-716), and Brother Dolcino wrote statements that distinguish the Rapture from the Second Coming.
When the chains of allegorical interpretation began to fall off beginning with the Reformation in the 1400 and 1500s, writers such as Joseph Mede (1586-1638), Increase Mather (1639-1723), Peter Jurieu (1687), Philip Doddridge (1738), John Gill (1748), James Macknight (1763), Thomas Scott (1792) and Morgan Edwards (1722-1795) all wrote concerning the Rapture occurring separate from the Second Coming. Even in the more modern church, those like William Witherby (1818) were precursors to John Darby in support of the view.
The Pre-Tribulation Rapture view is indeed then not only biblical, but supported throughout Church history.
Q) When is the Rapture going to occur? What will be the timing in relation to the Tribulation?
To answer this tough Bible question, Dr. David Reagan and I on a Christ in Prophecy television episode interviewed Dr. Ron Rhodes. Dr. Rhodes is the founder and director of Reasoning From the Scriptures Ministries. With nearly 50 books penned and decades of public teaching, he is an expert on the Bible. As a former "Bible Answer Man," he specializes in easy to understand answers to the really tough questions about the Bible and the defense of the Scriptures.
I'm a firm believer that the Rapture of the Church is going to happen before the Tribulation, and there's a number of reasons why I say that.
I'd say the most important reason is that the Church has no purpose for being in the Tribulation. The Scriptures clearly define the purpose of the Tribulation and I believe it's two-fold: there's going to be a judgment on unbelieving nations and there's also going to be a purging of Israel.
The Church has no business even being in the Tribulation. Now, that's aside from the fact that there's not a single verse dealing with the Tribulation in the Old Testament that mentions the Church. There's not a single verse in the New Testament dealing with the Tribulation that mentions the Church.
We are told in 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 as well as 1 Thessalonians 5:9 that the Church is not appointed to wrath. That leads me to believe that God is going to take the Church out of the world prior to the time of wrath which is coming upon the world. I also think this is related to Revelation 3:10 where the Church has promised deliverance from the actual time period of testing that is going to come upon the earth.
One of my favorite verses is John 14:1-3, which I don't think fits a Post-Tribulation scenario at all. Jesus says, "I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." In other words, Jesus is going to take Christians back to Heaven. That doesn't fit the Post-Tribulation scenario which says that they all stay on the earth.
Imminence is absolute. That's the assumption that is always present. There's nothing that needs to take place before the Rapture of the Church. It could happen at any moment. But, there are many events that must take place before the Second Coming. If you had a nice little calendar you could pretty much tell when Christ was going to come again. You could watch, for example, when the Antichrist signs the peace pact with Israel in Daniel 9:27 and do a countdown of seven years, which is also called the Seventieth Week of Daniel.
When we're talking about the Rapture, we don't see signs that are prophesied prior to that event. So you see, it is an imminent event. It's something that could happen at any moment.
Nathan's IMHO
The Bible teaches about the Rapture of the Church. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 speaks of an event called "the Rapture", Latin "rapio," Greek "harpazo," which means "to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out." "After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."
Paul states that the concept of the Rapture is meant to encourage believers during this Age (1 Thes. 4:18). Other references on the Rapture are Isa. 26:19-21; Mal. 3:17; Jn. 14:1-14; I Cor. 15:51-58; and 1 Thes. 4:13-18.
There will be a Pre-Tribulation Rapture because the Church isn't destined to endure God's judgment on the world, as promised in 1 Thes. 1:10; 5:9; Rom. 5:9; Eph. 5:6; Col. 3:4; and Rev. 3:10.
A great explanation that points to the timing of the Rapture comes from Jesus in the Parable of the 10 Virgins in Matthew 25. This story is about the Bride of Christ (the Church of 2 Cor. 11:2) being prepared for the Rapture and Marriage Supper of the Lamb (Jesus). This parable goes with what Jesus stressed in His teachings concerning end times. Over and over He told His disciples to be ready for His return at any moment (Matt. 24:44). Jesus used the Parable of the Ten Virgins to illustrate this point. Five virgins were not ready when the bridegroom came and were thus left behind. "Be on the alert, then," Jesus warned, "for you do not know the day nor the hour" (Matt. 25:1-13). On another occasion, Jesus put it this way, "Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps alight... for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect" (Lk. 12:35, 40). And, while the virgins left behind may have a form of godliness, they are not saved and so qualify as members of the Church, and are therefore not ready to be included in the Rapture.
Evidences of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture also come from Paul who comforted the Church of Thessalonica in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-2 when he wrote, "Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers, not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come." The church there was concerned that they had missed the Rapture and were living in the Tribulation. Paul assures them in verse 3 to "Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for (that day will not come) until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction." In other words, they'd know if the were living in the Tribulation.
The only hope that comforts someone staring into the face of the horrors of the Tribulation is that they would not have to endure it. These words from Paul and in 1 Thes. 4:18 provide that very encouragement and hope of the Lord rapturing the Church beforehand.
"And the LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the Lord, and observe all His commandments which I command you today." - Deuteronomy 30:7-8
God's purpose for the tribulation (i.e., the seven-year, 70th week of Daniel) revolves around His plan for Israel and does not include an earthly presence for the church. Why? Because God's plan for Israel is unfinished at this point in history. When the role of the church is completed she will be taken as a completed body to heaven in an instant - at the rapture. This will clear the way for a restoration and resumption of progress toward the completion of our Sovereign Lord's plans for His elect nation - Israel.
The Tribulation Focuses on Israel
The Bible teaches that the tribulation is a time of preparation for Israel's restoration and conversion (Deut. 4:29-30; Jer. 30:3-11; Zech. 12:10).1 While the church will experience tribulation in general during this present age (John 15:18-25; 16:33; 2 Tim. 3:10-13), she is never mentioned as participating in Israel's time of trouble, which includes the Great Tribulation, the Day of the Lord, and the Wrath of God. Gerald Stanton explains:
The Tribulation does not deal with the Church at all, but with the purification of Israel. It is not the "time of the Church's trouble," but the "time of Jacob's trouble." The emphasis of the Tribulation is primarily Jewish. This fact is borne out by Old Testament Scriptures (Deut. 4:30; Jer. 30:7; Ezek. 20:37; Dan. 12:1; Zech. 13:8-9), by the Olivet Discourse of Christ (Matt. 24:9-26), and by the book of Revelation itself (Rev. 7:4-8; 12:1-2; 17, etc.). It concerns "Daniel's people," the coming of "false Messiah," the preaching of the "gospel of the kingdom," flight on the "sabbath," the temple and the "holy place," the land of Judea, the city of Jerusalem, the twelve "tribes of the children of Israel," the "son of Moses," "signs" in the heavens, the "covenant" with the Beast, the "sanctuary," the "sacrifice and the oblation" of the temple ritual. These all speak of Israel and clearly demonstrate that the Tribulation is largely a time when God deals with His ancient people prior to their entrance into the promised kingdom. The many Old Testament prophecies yet to be fulfilled for Israel further indicate a future time when God will deal with this nation (Deut. 30:1-6; Jer. 30:8-10, etc.).2
Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth.
If pretribulationism is indeed the teaching of Scripture, then we would expect that passages dealing with the tribulation would consistently make no mention of the church. This is exactly what we find. However, Israel is mentioned often throughout these texts. Dr. Robert Gromacki has studied the New Testament book of Revelation, chapters 4-19, which gives the most detailed overview of the seven-year tribulation in all the Bible. He has shown the following:
However, there is a strange silence of the term in chapters 4-19. That fact is especially noteworthy when you contrast that absence with its frequent presence in the first three chapters. One good reason for this phenomenon is the absence of the true church and true evangelical churches in the seven years preceding the Second Coming. The true believers of the church have gone into the presence of Christ in heaven before the onset of the events of the seven year period. The church is not mentioned during the seal, trumpet, and bowl judgments because the church is not here during the outpouring of these judgments.3
Tribulation on a Christ-Rejecting World
Another purpose for the tribulation is that it is a time of God's wrath upon a Christ-rejecting world and a time of revenge for Gentile treatment of Israel.
Moreover, it is evident that the Tribulation also concerns God's judgment upon Christ-rejecting Gentile nations. Babylon, which "made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:8), shall herself "be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her" (Rev. 18:8). The "cities of the nations" shall fall, after which Satan shall be bound "that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled" (Rev. 20:3). God's judgment falls likewise upon the individual wicked, the kings of the earth, the great, the rich, and the mighty, every bond man and every free man (Rev. 6:15-17). It falls upon all who blaspheme the name of God and repent not to give Him glory (Rev. 16:9). Wicked men, godless nations, suffering Israel - these may all be found in Revelation 6-18; but one looks in vain for the Church of Christ, which is His body, until he reaches the nineteenth chapter. There she is seen as the heavenly bride of Christ, and when He returns to earth to make His enemies His footstool, she is seen returning with Him (I Thess. 3:13).4
Such a time of judgment does not require the church, who has not rejected Christ, to be present. With the church in heaven during the tribulation, it enables God's focus to be on Israel as His Divine instrument through which He acts. This program was predicted by the Lord before Joshua and Israel ever entered the Promised Land. Notice the predicted pattern:
Then the LORD your God will restore you from captivity, and have compassion on you, and will gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you. (Deut. 30:3)
And the LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it . . . (Deut. 30:5a)
And the LORD your God will inflict all these curses on your enemies and on those who hate you, who persecuted you. And you shall again obey the LORD, and observe all His commandments which I command you today. (Deut. 30:7-8)
Zechariah speaks of the Lord's retribution upon the nations as a time when "the LORD will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem . . . in that day that I will set about to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem." (Zech. 12:8-9) Once again the focus is upon Israel, in this case Jerusalem, not the church.
The book of Revelation provides a graphic depiction of God's judgment upon an unbelieving world, often called "earth dwellers." As God prosecutes His judgment upon the "earth dwellers," John records periodic pauses by our Lord as He evaluates the response of mankind to His judgment before going on to the next phase. It is as if the Lord inflicts a series of judgments and then surveys the landscape to see if, like Ninevah in the days of Jonah, there is repentance so that He can suspend prosecution of the war. Unlike Ninevah in the days of Jonah, the "earth dwellers" do not relent in the wake of "the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16), so our Lord proceeds to the next phase of His battle. Every step of the way, the "earth dwellers" would "not repent of the works of their hands" (Rev. 9:20) Instead of worshipping Christ, "the earth and those who dwell in it . . . worship the first beast" (Rev. 13:12). Instead of repentance they "blasphemed God" (Rev. 16:21). Finally, "all the nations were deceived" (Rev. 18:23) resulting in the satanic notion that the armies of the world must march against Jerusalem - God's city - and Israel - His people. This results in the basis for the second coming of Christ, which is to rescue Israel from the world's armies who are striking out at God by invading His people. Such a scenario does not demand or require the church and so she will not be there. We can see that the purpose of the tribulation revolves around God's plan for Israel, not the church.
Conclusion
Only pretribulationism is able to give full import to tribulation terms like "the time of Jacob's trouble" (Jer. 30:7), as a passage specifically stating that the tribulation is for Jacob (i.e., Israel). John Walvoord concludes,
Never are tribulation saints given the special and peculiar promises given to the church in the present age. The nature of the church in contrast to Israel therefore becomes an argument supporting the pretribulation viewpoint.5
Since God's purpose for the tribulation is to restore Israel (Jer. 30:3, 10) and judge the Gentiles (Jer. 30:11), it is clear that this purpose does not include the church. This is one of the reasons why she will be taken to heaven before this time. The church's hope is a heavenly one, not participation in the culmination and restoration of God's plan for His earthly people - Israel. Maranatha!
Endnotes 1. These arguments are adopted from John F. Walvoord, The Rapture Question, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), pp. 270-71. 2. Gerald B. Stanton, Kept From The Hour: Biblical Evidence for the Pretribulational Return of Christ, 4th edition (Miami Springs, FL: Schoettle Publishing Company, 1991), pp. 35-36. 3. Robert Gromacki, "Where is 'The Church' in Revelation 4-19?" Thomas Ice and Timothy Demy, editors When The Trumpet Sounds (Eugene, OR: Harvest House Publishers, 1995), p. 355. 4. Stanton, Ibid., p. 36. 5. Walvoord, Ibid., p. 65.
The combination of the Rapture and the Battle of Ezekiel 38 will fill the world with anguish and uncertainty as Daniel's 70th Week begins. Where did all those Christian people go? How did Israel so utterly destroy that massive invasion force all by itself? Who caused the nuclear exchanges in various places? How did all these things happen so suddenly? Why didn't somebody see this coming and do something about it?
The Seal Judgments
In the midst of the chaos and confusion a man with an incredible ability to restore the world's hope for the future will emerge, promising to bring peace. (Rev. 6:2) The frightened populace will listen and will quickly persuade themselves to follow his lead. He'll agree to Israel's demand for a Temple, not because He wants to help them honor God for securing their victory but because he has plans of his own for the Temple. (Daniel 9:27)
From their own Scriptures (Ezekiel 48:1-10) he'll show Israel why their new Temple shouldn't be built where the old ones had stood. Instead it should be located a few miles north, in ancient Shiloh, where the Tabernacle had been located. This will leave the Moslem facilities intact for a time on the current Temple mount. After the disappearance of the Church Islam will fast become the dominant religion of the world and they believe their third most holy place is on that mount. With this bold stroke he'll bring a semblance of peace to the region, demonstrating that Jew and Moslem can live in peace as neighbors in a brave new world (Dan 8:25). The people of Earth will breathe a collective sigh of relief.
But all too soon wars will start to break out in various places (Rev. 6:3) because this leader's ultimate goal is world domination and some nations will resist. He'll convince people it's only a necessary inconvenience and assure them that everything will soon be all right again. But the combination of wars, food shortages, and runaway inflation will begin taking their toll (Rev. 6:6). The deadly effects of this combination will be felt across one fourth of the Earth.
Though it's often called a religion of peace, Islam offers the world only two options, submission or death, as the martyrs among believers of other faiths will soon learn. For the multitude of new Christians who witnessed the disappearance of friends and family in the rapture and know from first hand experience the truth of the gospel, conversion to Islam will be impossible and the number of those who will die for their faith will mount rapidly and steadily. (Rev. 6:9) They'll cry out to the Lord for vengeance but He'll caution them to be patient for a little while longer because many more will die just as they have (Rev. 6:10-11).
A great earthquake that will be felt world wide will trigger volcanic action spewing millions of tons of ash into the air, blotting out the Sun and bringing the Blood Moon (Rev. 6:12-14). Some will blame the earthquake on a unique planetary alignment predicted by the Mayans long ago. Others will say it's due to the return into the Solar System of a long lost planet. The upper atmosphere will literally burst into flame because of the simultaneous magnetic polar reversals on the Sun and Earth.
The world's leaders will run for cover, some intuitively knowing that the Wrath of God they were warned about by the Christians who've all disappeared has already begun and they'll be shown no quarter. (Rev. 6:16-17)
The Trumpet Judgments
As if to confirm the worst fears of these leaders, a storm of hail, fire, and blood will rain down upon the Earth burning up a third of it. A third of the trees and all the green grass will go up in smoke. (Rev. 8:7) A meteor-like object the size of a huge mountain will crash into the sea. The resulting contamination will turn a third of the world's oceans to blood killing all the marine life in the affected areas. The tsunami this causes will capsize and destroy a third of the ships in the world. Over 50,000 commercial ships will disappear in a single day. (Rev. 8:8-9)
Then another star will fall to Earth and when it does a third of the fresh water will be contaminated. It will be toxic and foul tasting and many people will die from drinking it. (Rev. 8:10-11)
Both the day and the night will lose a third of their light due to the smoke and ash from the fires and volcanos. Through the smoke and haze a messenger will bring a warning from the Lord, “The worst is yet to come.” (Rev. 8:12-13)
A fallen angel will open the shaft of the Abyss and smoke will billow forth, further contaminating the already toxic air. Creatures resembling locusts will fly from the smoke and for 5 months will inflict scorpion like stings on the people. These stings will be so painful people will wish they could die, but there'll be no escape (Rev. 9:1-11). The only people on Earth who will be immune from their venom will be the 144,000 evangelists the Lord will have commissioned from among 12 named tribes of Israel (Rev. 7:1-8).
Four angels who've been bound at the gateway to the East (the Euphrates) will be released to kill one third of the Earth's remaining population with plagues of fire, smoke and sulfur. (Rev. 9:13-19) The East is far different from the West and because of Hinduism, Buddhism, and other Eastern religions the Far East will be the most difficult to bring under the Islamic one world banner. Since 40% of the world's population lives there the number of casualties will be enormous.
Between the Rapture, the martyrdom, the wars and the judgments well over 2 billion people will no longer be found among the living on planet Earth as Daniel's 70th Week approaches the mid point. And yet the Bible gives no indication that the unbelievers who remain will see the error of their ways and change their minds. This is the hardest core of the unsaved, the ones who refused to believe the truth of the Lord and accepted the lie of the anti-Christ instead (2 Thes. 2:10). In their deluded state they'll think they're on the side of light not darkness, and right not wrong. They'll see God as the invading enemy and Satan as their leader. Spiritually, everything will be upside down.
But at the blowing of the 7th Trumpet, the Lord's reign will begin (Rev. 11:15). Having used every device at His command to persuade the people of Earth to change their minds and accept His offer of pardon, He will now take action to unseat the usurper from the throne that's rightfully His and claim for Himself that which He's purchased with His own blood, Planet Earth. Those who've sided with Satan will now face the worst time of judgment in the history of mankind. Were it not for a remnant of the Lord's people among them, not a single soul would be left standing when this is over (Matt. 24:21-22).
The Bowl Judgments
The Bowl judgments make up the 3 1/2 year period of time we know as the Great Tribulation. The Seal and Trumpet cycles of judgments were partly for the purpose of demonstrating evidence of God's existence to the undecided among the people of Earth. But that will have come to an end with the Bowl judgments. They're strictly for the purpose of bringing judgment upon those who've rejected Him. In the process the Lord is going to completely destroy all the nations to which His people have been scattered (Jeremiah 30:11). Today there are nearly as many Jews in America as there are in Israel, so you know this country will not escape.
By now Satan will have been expelled from Heaven (Rev. 12:9), taken up residence in the body of the anti-Christ (Rev. 13:4) and unleashed his full fury on those who refuse to bow before him. Three angels will have delivered God's final messages to mankind. The first one will offer one last chance to accept the Gospel, the second will announce the coming destruction of Babylon and all the city represents, and the third will warn mankind against taking the mark of the beast. (Rev. 14:6-11)
People who will have disregarded the warning against taking the mark will be treated to a dose of ugly and painful sores (Rev. 16:2) All the water on Earth will turn to blood, whether in the sea (Rev. 16:3) or in springs and rivers (Rev. 16:4). All sources of water will now be contaminated. The angel in charge of the waters reminds us that God is just in doing this because those He's judging have shed the blood of God's saints and prophets. Now He's giving them blood to drink. (Rev. 16:5-7)
The Sun will go super nova at this point becoming so hot people will burst into flames just by going outside. Again they will curse God but refuse to repent. (Rev. 16:8-9)
Then the Sun will go totally dark turning day into night, and still the people of Earth will curse God but refuse to repent (Rev. 16:10-11).
The anti-Christ will gather the armies of the world to Armageddon in a final effort to repel the Earth's “invaders”. From Heaven a loud voice will shout, “It is done!” and the full fury of God's wrath will be loosed on Earth. Lightning, thunder, and the worst earthquake man has ever experienced will be followed by a torrent of 100 pound hail stones. (Rev. 16:17-21) The punishment for blasphemy is stoning, and the blaspheming people of Earth will suffer the most extreme form of this punishment for their behavior.
Then God will turn to Babylon, headquarters of the forces who've defied Him since the time after the flood. There are three components involved, governmental, commercial, and religious, and among them they have enslaved the people of Earth for several millennia.
First God will use the governmental component to destroy the religious one.
“The beast (anti-Christ) and the ten horns (ten kings who assist him) you saw will hate the prostitute (religious Babylon). They will bring her to ruin and leave her naked; they will eat her flesh and burn her with fire. For God has put it into their hearts to accomplish his purpose by agreeing to give the beast their power to rule, until God's words are fulfilled." (Rev. 17:16-17)
Then He'll turn to the commercial component. It will be so totally destroyed that Earth's leaders will stand aghast scarcely believing what their own eyes are telling them.
They will weep and mourn and cry out, "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!” (Rev. 18:16-17)
Finally the governmental component.
The beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. (Rev. 19:20-21)
For six thousand years God has worked tirelessly to reconcile Himself to man, even giving His own life in exchange for ours, and all of His efforts have ended in failure. Covenant after covenant was instituted and broken due to man's unfaithfulness. The only one that wasn't is the one the Father made with His son to save us. But even then man, given the choice to participate as a beneficiary, refused. Soon, His patience exhausted, God will remove the remnant that chose the pardon He offers, and judge the rest. Can you blame Him?
Loran Livingston teaches on the Woman, Child, and Dragon from Revelation 12:1-17 as the When Christ Returns series continues. Reading this chapter reveals that Israel is the focus of the Great Tribulation period that will ultimately result in the national salvation of God's people. While individual Jews are coming to the cross of Jesus Christ during this dispensation of grace (the Church Age), all living Jews by the end of the Great Tribulation will recognize Him as their Lord and Savior.
The Lord Jesus Christ is coming any moment for His Church. Are you making your calling and election sure? Do you have biblical assurance of your salvation? Time is of the essence to make sure you are in right standing with God through His Son Jesus Christ. It's time to get off the fence if you have one foot in the world and one foot in heaven - because remember, Satan owns the fence.
Don't be left behind to face what the Bible describes as the most evil and destructive time this world has ever known. Be certain that you will spend the rest of eternity with Jesus Christ. Come to Him with nothing in your hands. He's waiting on you. Repent and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ today, for today might be the last day you have the chance.
It seems many people today want to know about the end times according to the bible. In these uncertain times, more and more people are seeking answers. Some have heard talk of bible prophecy fulfilled. Due to movies like those in the "Left Behind" series, some have heard of the rapture and the tribulation. Indeed, if you search Google stats, you will find literally thousands of searches for "rapture tribulation".
I am not a prophetic teacher. Prophecy is not my ministry. I am a teacher of God's Word as it applies to salvation and sanctification ... in other words "how to become a Christian and how to live as one." My strength is in interpreting scripture. But scripture speaks very much of prophecy and indeed prophecy is vitally important for a number of reasons, the chief of which is to understand the times in which we are living and thus use that as a tool to help those who have not yet understood God's plan of salvation and why it is so important. Thus I am always prepared to share the essence of prophecy as it relates to the choice God has placed before each human being.
To me, a perusal of the things that thousands are searching for on Google shows that regardless of what we see on the surface of society, deep down people are curious. And they are curious because they need some fundamental hope, some real security in their innermost beings-hope and security which they cannot find in an increasingly uncertain world.
The fact is that the pre-tribulation rapture offers just that security. The hope it gives is transcendent. Paul said, "If we have hoped in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied." (1 Corinthians 15:19) But, of course, he shows that our hope transcends this life and, therefore, those who believe and accept God's word are truly blessed … in both lives- the here and the hereafter.
You see, the world's religions and the New Agers are correct: man's innermost being does not die. It indeed lives eternally. The question is - "Where will it live?" Or, more properly, where will WE live? God says there are two options … heaven and hell. And the choice is 100% ours.
But that choice exists only in this life, on this earth. And that exists only as long as this current "age", this current dispensation, continues. But, according to the Bible, this dispensation will end as every other previous dispensation has ended ... just as prophesied. And the time of the end of this current dispensation is, the Bible teaches, in the not too distant future. Over the millennia bible prophecies were unfailingly fulfilled, leading up to the time of Jesus Christ. But a few remain until-as was told to the prophet Daniel 2,600 years ago-"the time of the end."
Now, Daniel is a very interesting prophet. He prophesied the coming and death of Jesus Christ to the exact year. He also prophesied that the final seven years until Messiah would return and rule the earth would be a time of terrible suffering, tribulation and a final cataclysmic war. When combined with the prophecies of Isaiah, David and Jesus Himself, we can see that the times we are living in match exactly with the descriptions given in those prophecies.
It is true, of course, that there have been similar times over the past couple of thousand years and during those periods many have believed-like us-that they were living in the "end times". So what makes our belief any different from all of the preceding mistaken beliefs? The answer is very simple- Israel.
There were prophecies given hundreds of years before Christ that stated He would be killed and that the nation of Israel would be destroyed, its people scattered across the face of the earth, their lives continually in peril wherever they settled. Jesus Himself made similar prophecies. This has come to pass, in spades. And Jesus indicated that when we saw Israel once again become a nation (something the prophet Isaiah discussed rhetorically) then we should look for His second coming. Some interpret the prophecy to mean that the generation that saw the recreation of the nation of Israel would not pass away before that second coming. Either way you interpret that, the end is definitely close.
Never since Titus destroyed Jerusalem and slaughtered the majority of its residents in 72 AD has Israel been a nation. (In fact, the Jews hadn't ruled themselves for hundreds of years before Christ, even though they still existed as a nation. They were vassals of the Persians, then the Greeks, and then the Romans.) But on May 14, 1948 Israel was once again declared a nation. And, again in fulfillment of ancient biblical prophecies, the Jews began returning from all over the earth. Thus we now have a situation that has never existed before - a situation that explains why we believe the prophetic time of the end is near. No other generation since Christ saw this prophetic fulfillment, a fulfillment necessary before the end times could begin. But we have seen it. Unbelievably, and against all odds and the entire sweep of history, Israel is a nation
And, indeed, we are seeing even more prophecy fulfilled.
Among the ancient prophecies regarding Israel is that she would also become a thorn in the side of the world. And 2500 years ago the bible predicted would become a burdensome stone for the nations to lift. "And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it." (Zechariah 12: 3) Does that not describe the situation today? What other nation the geographic size of Israel, and with her small population, has ever caused the entire world such trouble by its existence? And, in fulfillment of even more two and a half thousand-year-old prophecies, she is ringed by enemies who are out to destroy her. Indeed, is not the destruction of Israel as a nation the sworn goal, in writing, of most of her enemies, including the most powerful nations in the Middle East?
Therefore, I feel secure in stating that for the first time in history ALL of the conditions laid out in ancient prophecy are now fulfilled. Nothing else prevents the events of the end times from progressing to that final, cataclysmic seven year period that the Bible describes as the Great Tribulation.
The good news is that the Bible also promises that those who are God's through Christ, will not go through this period of Tribulation, which is also referred to as the outpouring of the wrath of God. There is an event called the Rapture. But that is a subject for another article.
In the meantime, if anybody is interested, there is a library of good articles on the Last Days, the End Time, the Tribulation, and the Rapture at Rapture Forums - The End Times Resource.
This week's message from the series, When Christ Returns, is titled The Mother of All Harlots. Pastor Livingston covers Revelation 17 as he teaches on this allegorical woman of the Great Tribulation.
Just who is this harlot? Just who is this spirit of false religion? She has already manifested herself over time, and is even more evident today. This harlot is most revealed through perhaps the largest religious organization in the world - find out what that is.
“Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2Peter 3:3-4)
For most of the past two thousand years, the scoffers had a point. In terms of Bible prophecy and the return of Christ, things remained pretty much the same from the close of the Apostolic Era until roughly the beginning of the 20th century.
When Jesus was asked by His disciples, “What shall be the sign of Thy coming and of the end of the world?” He began with a warning against deception:
“Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying I am Christ; and shall deceive many.” (Matthew 24:4-5)
That was the first sign and for sixteen hundred years, that was the only sign prophecy-watchers had to work with – a succession of popes claiming to be the physical representatives of Christ on earth.
And all things 'continued as they were' down through the centuries. Until we got to the 20th.
“And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” (Matthew 24:6)
Until eclipsed by its successor, the Great War (1914-1918) was called “The War to End All Wars”. It was the first world war pitting the Western Allies against the Austro-Hungarian and Ottoman Empires.
Jesus noted that “all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.” What does that mean?
In 1917 the British government approved the Balfour Declaration which said in part;
“His Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavours to facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political status enjoyed by Jews in any other country.”
A month later, Lord Allenby captured the city from the defending Turks following an intense battle in which Allenby’s forces incurred 18,000 casualties while the Turks lost more than 25,000.
But it took the events of another world war and its aftermath before the prophesied restoration of Israel as a Jewish homeland was realized in May, 1948.
“But the end is not yet.”
“For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24:7-8)
A month after Israel's declaration of statehood, the Soviet Union imposed a blockade on West Berlin. The Western Allies responded to the blockade with the Berlin Airlift to carry supplies over the blockade directly into West Berlin.
The first overflight took place on June 24, 1948, an events historians credit as marking the start of the Cold War. That conflict lasted for a half century without either side ever directly firing a shot at the other – the ultimate rumor of war.
The Cold War was fought around the world in small ethnic internal conflicts like those in Africa the two Koreas and the (formerly) two Vietnams. (“nation against nation” = ethnos against ethnos). The Cold War ended with the collapse of the Soviet Union following the First Gulf War.
The First Gulf War was a coalition of kingdoms that ultimately blossomed into what has become, from the perspective of al-Qaeda, a war between civilizations.
“Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for My Name's sake.” (Matthew 24:9)
The 21st century has so far witnessed an unprecedented assault on all things Christian or Jew – the Christian for following Christ and the Jew for rejecting Him. At the same time, nobody dares to offer offense to Islam.
“And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.” (Matthew 24:10)
Recall Comedy Central’s predicament of a few months back. There was a huge protest by both the Christian and Jewish communities over their proposed cartoon series “JC” that mocked both God and Jesus. The louder the protests, the better Comedy Central liked it.
At almost the very same time, Comedy Central’s “South Park” ran a cartoon featuring Mohammed. The network heavily censored it and even vacated their offices in response to death threats.
“And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matthew 24:11-13)
The assault on the Gospel needs no comment. It is worth mentioning that the most lucrative business model on the internet is the porn business. Every other day it seems, there is a new report of a family murder-suicide.
“Enduring to the end” -- in context -- is a reference to staying true to the Gospel – an increasingly difficult proposition in the brave new 21st century.
“And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” (Matthew 24:14)
Do you see the progression? It is an outline of history that begins with the Balfour Declaration and ends with the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached into all the world for a witness unto all nations – an impossibility before the Internet Age and virtually unavoidable since.
Anywhere that the internet is, the Gospel is there. And there are few places left on earth not wired to the world-wide web. But when the Gospel has been preached worldwide to all the nations, then comes “the end.”
But according to the Lord, “the end” isn’t the same event as His Second Coming.
Notice what happens after what the Lord describes as “the end.” His attention shifts to the abomination of desolation that occurs during the Tribulation and His focus narrows to those living in the region of Jerusalem whom He warns to flee.
Note the chronology carefully. First comes “the end.” After “the end” comes the abomination of desolation by the antichrist and after that, the Jews are told to flee from Jerusalem.
“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: 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. 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.” [Matthew 24:29-31]
This 'gathering' is NOT the Rapture. This event takes place after the Tribulation. It is neither secret nor signless – all the tribes of the earth will mourn when they see Him coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
This cannot be the same event described by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17.
“For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise first, then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord.”
At the Rapture, Jesus doesn’t send His angels to gather the Church, He comes for them Personally. The Church isn’t gathered from the four winds or from one end of heaven to the other.
It is caught up, first from the grave, and then from the surface of the earth and into the air. In the Matthew 24:31 event, His elect are gathered from heaven, where they already are.
“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints . . .”(Jude 1:14)
So where are we now? We’re somewhere between the Gospel of the Kingdom being preached into all the nations and the Rapture of the Church. That’s a very narrow corridor. The Lord is coming.
“Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:18)
“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.”Luke 21:28.
It is my sincere hope and my fervent prayer that my brethren are all in the same frame of mind and that they are all, metaphorically speaking that is, looking up right now. We are so close to the return of Jesus Christ that many believers have moved into the position of being watchmen on the wall. The Israelites had their watchmen to sound the alarm when danger approached and Christians today have their watchmen who are sounding alarms. Listen to the voices of those who are telling you to get ready for there is no doubt that we are on the very precipice of the Rapture of Christ’s Church.
Letters from my brethren are continually flowing in concerning the Rapture, and folks are now becoming concerned with the lateness of the hour. Obviously many are now seeing the signs which are beginning to make a real impression on us. Jesus spoke of signs as future history as He sat with His disciples. He fully explained the end times scenarios which were to unfold. We can read all about them in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. As we read those chapters the light begins to shine on us. What do those chapters say to those who are watching and waiting? Read them and at the same time read current world events and you’ll come away thinking the Bible was written yesterday.
The signs Jesus addressed would begin gradually, and increasingly those very same signs would appear to be even more severe, ultimately bringing their frequency and severity to a raging crescendo of catastrophes. And what do we currently see unfolding before our very eyes? The beginning signs Jesus told us to watch for and be mindful of. Remember, Jesus said that when they begin to appear “look up”.
Right now, and each day from here until the Rapture, the signs Jesus spoke about will become so numerous and intense that it will be impossible to keep up with these events as they rapidly unfold. We can see that we are currently standing just this side of the seven-year tribulation period.
Speaking for myself, I can hardly wait to get up in the morning to see what has transpired overnight with my country and world events. I know the signs are emerging exactly as Jesus foretold. I’m not frightened by those signs, no, not at all. Instead I’m encouraged and even excited with each sign that unfolds. We, that is those who follow Jesus Christ, were given our history lesson in advance for one reason, so we would know how very close His return is and put forth a definitive cry of warning to those who are still lost.
As we watch world history unfold around us we are to prepare ourselves for the inevitable, “...then look up, and lift up your heads...” Luke 21:28. But more importantly we are to spread the Gospel of Christ as never before. We who are believers in Christ must not allow ourselves to be muted, but clearly and concisely speak the truth to all who are perishing.
So, what are the signs Jesus spoke about? Let’s take a look at a few of them, sign by sign. First of all we read “Take heed that ye be not deceived: for many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and the time draweth near: go ye not therefore after them.”Luke 21:8. We’ve seen the damage wrought by those who’ve falsely declared that they are the Christ, and through their deceptive ways many have been led astray. Clearly not everyone has heeded Jesus’ words. We aren’t going to stop these deceptions from occurring but we need to be on guard, ever watchful, and ready to confront deceptions.
Secondly, we read “But when ye shall hear of wars and commotions, be not terrified: for these things must first come to pass; but the end is not by and by.”Luke 21:9. Jesus basically tells us that these are non-signs. Not to get all worked up over rumors of wars and even full blown wars when they take place because they are ever constant and somewhat predicable, they’ve always been numerous as well as frequent, so essentially they’re non-signs.
In three of the Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus lays out a scenario that pretty much details the future of humankind. “Then said he unto them, Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: And great earthquakes shall be in divers places, and famines, and pestilences; and fearful sights and great signs shall there be from heaven. But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake.”Luke 21:10-12. Surely we’ve all witnessed, either by reading about them or being there firsthand, great earthquakes in many different (divers) places. They are increasing in intensity and frequency, and apparently, according to many scientists, we haven’t seen anything yet.
All of the above mentioned signs Jesus prophesied are going to open up for many to behold in the last days, but for the believer in Christ we will only see the beginnings of these signs “And when these things begin to come to pass...” Luke 21:28. “Begin” is the key word here; believers won’t be on earth for the brunt of the action.
Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom, this too is currently in the making and can be somewhat unnerving as we read about all the saber rattling. And Israel is constantly being blamed for every little skirmish. One of these days, and very soon I’m afraid, either North Korea or Iran will push the rest of the world into another world war.
Certainly, we are currently witnessing around the globe and within the boundaries of many nations, turmoil, nation against nation, their own citizenry rebelling and fighting in the streets, many are being slain and many more are being injured, and for what? Because their governments, in many cases, have cut back on the handouts people were accustomed to receiving. It takes money and lots of it to withstand the turmoil besetting the world, and this world’s economy is very much at risk of failing. The US economy is teetering on a knife edge; watch for the turmoil of aggressive demonstrations beginning to occur here in the states in the not so distant future.
The unrest now surrounding Israel due to the flotilla incident is a worldwide phenomenon; the hatred is obvious in practically every nation. We are seeing the stage being set for the prophetic war of Psalm 83. This unrest will continue and worsen as the days progress. Most of Israel’s enemies are arming themselves to the hilt. They have one purpose in mind, one agenda, and that is the annihilation of Israel. Their only reason for living is to eliminate Zionism from the face of this planet. God says in His word to pray for the peace of Israel and we should be doing so daily. But we also know that God’s hand is upon Israel and He will not allow the annihilation of His chosen people, no matter how many come against her.
“Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem . And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”Zechariah 12:2, 3. The scriptures are clear, and they point out that every nation will come against Israel and that God will destroy them. Seemingly, since all nations wish to curse Israel and do so without fear of God’s retribution, believers should be keenly aware of just what’s around the corner. Every nation is going to be in that mindset of destroying Israel; clearly those who faithfully follow the Savior of the world should be looking up.
Earthquakes, pestilences, fearful sights, great signs from heaven will only be as a prelude for those of us who are in Christ to be witness to. But for those folks who remain on earth after the Rapture, they will witness the full force of all those prophetic catastrophes.
Besides all the news on the national and world fronts which clearly indicate the last days are upon us and that we should be “looking up”, there’s a strange spiritual, supernatural side unraveling before us. Jesus also tells us of a great apostasy (falling away from the faith) in the last days. This phenomenon is quite pervasive. How do I know? By the many letters I receive concerning the inability of many believers to find a Christ-centered, Bible-believing congregation where they can attend worship services. I can tell you all that the apostasy Jesus speaks about has now infiltrated many a Christian Church worldwide.
When these things begin to come to pass? My brethren, they’ve begun. Interestingly, an unthinkable event occurs in the 8th chapter of the book of Revelation which may give us reason to pause and reflect as we read “And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood; And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.”Revelation 8:8-9. I wonder if that mountain could be a mountain of oil seeping from a broken pipe out in the Gulf of Mexico. Could this catastrophe be a prelude to fulfilling Revelation 8? We’re told by the scientists observing the leakage that the oil under the water now resembles huge plumes, kind of like mountains, and the US coast guard is using fire to disperse that oil. Certainly a catastrophic event is unfolding before our eyes. Just my thoughts.
At any rate our days on planet earth are clearly numbered. As such, those of us who are diligently following our Lord Jesus Christ and His commandments should be in the midst of the unsaved sharing the Gospel of Christ with them, praying for the ones we’ve spoken to who are fence setting, and looking up intently as our “redemption draweth” so very close.
By Dr. Thomas Ice 
