Will Christ Come Twice or Only Once? Part 3 - The Rapture/Resurrection Event

Dennis Edwards

The Rapture/Resurrection Event  - Part 3 of 8

Are There Any Old Testament Passages About the Rapture/Resurrection Event?

In one of the oldest books in the Bible, the book of Job we find Job meditating on the future rapture/resurrection event. Job writes,

Job 14:14 If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come.

Job 19: 25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: 26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: 27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.

Job, probably written during the time of Abraham, knew there would be a rapture/resurrection day in the distant future, in the latter days.

David alludes to the idea of a resurrection of the body in Psalm 71:20. He writes, 

You, (O God), which has showed me great and sore troubles, shall quicken me again (make alive again), and shall bring me up again from the depths of the earth.

Prophet Ezekiel had a vision which could also be alluding to a rapture/resurrection event.

Ezekiel 37: 12 Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. 13 And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves, 14 And shall put my spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.

The prophet Isaiah also had a short prophecy showing a bodily rapture/resurrection event.

Isaiah 26: 19 Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.

Are There Any Other Scriptures in the New Testament Which Talk About the Rapture/Resurrection Event?

Yes, of course there are. First, we will look at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.

1 Thessalonians 4: 13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 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: 17 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. 18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Here we see the words, “and with the trump of God.” No doubt the trump refers to the seventh angel sounding the seventh trumpet, the last trumpet. The trumpet sounds and immediately follows the rapture/resurrection event. In the Gospel of Matthew 24:29-31 we see the same imagery and can conclude it is the same event.

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.

Again we see the trumpet sounding and the elect being gathered together by angels in the rapture/resurrection event.

What Else Did Apostle Paul Write About the Gathering Together Unto the Lord?

From the writings of Apostle Paul we know that the rapture/resurrection event does not happen until after the man of sin, the Antichrist, has been revealed and sits in the temple of God claiming that he is God. In 2 Thessalonians 2 we find Paul’s warning.

2 Thessalonians 2 Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, 2 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand. 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

Our gathering together unto the Lord, or the rapture/resurrection event shall not happen until after the man of sin has been revealed and sits in the temple of God showing that he himself is God. Here Apostle Paul debunks the Pre-Tribulation Rapture doctrine. He warns us not to be deceived by those who tell us that we will be raptured or resurrected before that man of sin is revealed. 

The Classical View of the end of days has it that the Church would suffer persecution under the Antichrist for the 3 and ½ year period and not escape in a pre-tribulation rapture.

What Can We Learn From Revelation 11 About the Great Tribulation Period?

In Revelation chapter 11, we find the two endtime witnesses testifying to their faith and rebuking the forces of Antichrist during the 3 and ½ year period or 1260 days of persecution.

Revelation 11 And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. 4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. 5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. 6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will. 7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them. 8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

Revelation 11: 9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves. 10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth. 11 And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them. 12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them. 13 And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

What I have just noticed in the above verse is that it says, "the remnant were affrighted,and gave glory to the God of heaven." Perhaps, it is at that moment that the remnant ethnic Jews will be saved.

Revelation 11:14 The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly. 15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever. 16 And the four and twenty elders, which sat before God on their seats, fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, 17 Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth. 19 And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

We notice in Revelation chapter 11 that the two witnesses testify during the 1260 days of the tribulation period. Over and over again in Scripture both in Daniel and in Revelation we find the 3 and ½ year period identified. God repeats it over and over again so that we get the point and will not forget it. He wants us to remember that the tribulation will last 3 and ½ years. Let us go over the verses now so that we don’t forget that the Scriptures have warned us that the tribulation period will be a 3 and ½ year period.

Bible Verses on the 3 and ½ Years of Persecution or Great Tribulation

Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

“Time and times and the dividing of time” is 3 and ½ years.

Daniel 9: 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The word “week” in the above verse is referring to a seven year period as we see when the same word is used in Genesis 29:27. Jacob served Laban for a seven year period or “week” in order to marry Laban’s daughter. In Daniel the “midst of the week” refers to the middle of the seven year period. The middle of seven years is 3 and ½ years.

Daniel 12: 7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.

Again we see the reference to “time, times, and an half” signifying 3 and ½ years.

Revelation 11: 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Here we see that the Antichrist forces will hold Jerusalem, the holy city, for 42 months. While in the next verse, we see God’s two endtime prophets prophesying for 1,260 days. Both these figures come to 3 and ½ years.

Revelation 12: 6 And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days.

Revelation 12: 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.

The verses above from Revelation 12 show the woman, symbolic of the Church of true believers, fleeing into the wilderness for protection against the forces of Antichrist for 1,260 days and “time, and times, and half a time,” or in other words, 3 and ½ years.

Revalation 13:5 And there was given unto him (the beast who is the Antichrist) a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.

We see that the reign of the Antichrist will be 42 months, which is the same 3 and ½ years we have seen over and over again.

The Seventh Angel Sounding the Seventh Trumpet is the Rapture/Resurrection Event

Now let us go back and look at Revelation 11:15 and the seventh angel with the seventh and last trumpet once again.

Revelation 11:15 And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.

We see that as the seventh angel sounded with the seventh trumpet, we find Handle’s famous Hallelujah chorus, “and He shall reign for ever and ever.” The rapture/resurrection event spoken by the prophets is right then taking place. Now, all those living in the spiritual dimension know that the time has come and they commence singing. The Messiah will now come to take back the kingdom, and they are announcing His soon to come sure victory.

In Daniel, we see a very similar picture presented.

Daniel 7:13-14 I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there were given him (the Son of man) dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him (the Son of man): his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.

Though the rapture/resurrection event announces that Christ's dominion is close, it is still not complete. Nevertheless, all heaven rejoices at the soon coming Millennenial kingdom which will be preceded by the wrath of God. 

Let us look at verse 18 in Revelation 11.

Revelation 11: 18 And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.

At the time that the dead are being raised and are being given their rewards, the vials of Wrath of God are ready to be poured out.

The most important point to remember is that the seven trumpets precede the seven vials. They are chronological in order.

We have, also, identified that the seventh trumpet sounding is the signal for the rapture/resurrection event to take place. The rapture/resurrection event is stuck in between the two time periods of the 3 and ½ years of Great tribulation and the 75 day Wrath of God.

The rapture/resurrection event occurs at the end of the 3 and ½ years of tribulation and before the wrath of God. The two witnesses of chapter 11 are raised from the dead and go up in a cloud 3 days and ½ after the 1260 days of their prophesying against the Antichrist’s reign. God only allowed them to be killed after they had finished their testimony. Their times were in His hands, just as ours are as well and will be.

The seven trumpets of partial destruction, a 1/3 destruction, occur during the 1260 days of persecution of God’s children and are the Great Tribulation period. God’s people are sealed and protected miraculously during the tribulation period even though some are captured and killed.

To go to Part 4 click here

Originally published April 12, 2021

Read More

Will Christ Come Twice or Only Once? Part 2 - A Mystery Solved

Dennis Edwards

Where Else Do We See a Mystery of God? -  Part 2 of 8

What is interesting in Revelation 10:7 is that it says that, as the seventh angel begins to sound the seventh trump, “the mystery of God should be finished.” Where else do we remember of reading about a “mystery,” that is together with the sound of a trumpet? The only other place we find the same imagery is in 1 Corinthians 15:51-58.

1 Corinthians 15: 51 Behold, I shew 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 trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

1 Corinthians 15: 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.

Therefore, the "mystery of God" that Apostle John was not allowed to talk about is revealed in 1Corinthians 15:51-52 as the rapture/resurrection event. 

The Mystery of the Gentiles Being Fellow Heirs

The word “mystery” is used generally in the Bible referring to something that in the past was hidden, but now it is revealed. Apostle Paul wrote that the fact that the Gentiles would become fellow heirs of the promise made to Abraham had been a mystery in the Old Testament, but now in Paul’s time, it had been revealed. In Colossians we read.

Colossians 1: 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

In Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he covers the same subject again.

Ephesians 3 For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles, 2 If ye have heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward: 3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, 4 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7 Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 

The “mystery” again being that through Christ, the Messiah, salvation would be brought to all men. Part of that mystery is that we might understand God’s unfathomable love for each of us.

Apostle Paul continues in his letter to the Ephesians.

Ephesians 3: 14 For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17 That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19 And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God. 20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

The Mystery of Christ and the Church 

In another place Apostle Paul uses the word “mystery” to describe the marital relationship between Christ and the Church, the Church being the body of true believers. Again in Ephesians we read.

Ephesians 5: 28 So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. 29 For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: 30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. 31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.

Hear we see that Apostle Paul considers the idea of the Bridegroom and Bride, or husband and wife imagery used by Jesus, as “a great mystery.” The same imagery was used all the way back in the book of Song of Solomon and is found in Apostle John’s ultimate description of New Jerusalem.

Revelation 21: 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 

We even find the idea of “husband and wife” being apart of the mystery of God’s essence, or our lack of understanding of God’s essence, all the way back in Genesis.

Genesis 1: 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (fill) the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Genesis 2: 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

We see that God’s likeness is both male and female. God’s essence is both male and female. Apostle Paul calls the imagery of martimony as being representive of Christ and the Church and as such being “a great mystery.”

Ephesians 5: 32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 

Just as husband and wife are physically united, God the Son, the Bridegroom, wants to be spiritualy united with His bride, the Church of true believers.

Mystery Babylon

Another place where we see “mystery” used is in the description of “Babylon the Whore.”

Revelation 17: 4 And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication: 5 And upon her forehead was a name written, Mystery, Babylon The Great, The Mother Of Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth. 6 And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus: and when I saw her, I wondered with great admiration. 7 And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. 

The angel goes on to reveal the “mystery” of both the woman and the beast that carries her. The beast consists of the various world empires that have carried the whore. The whore being,

Revelation 17: 18 And the woman which thou sawest is that great city, which reigneth over the kings of the earth. 

Revelation 18 gives us a little more information about the mystery woman and tells us,

Revelation 18: 3 For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. 

The nations of the earth, instead of loving and fearing God, have fornicated spiritually with the “woman” who seems to represent the systems of this world that incorporate the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The “woman” is represented as the pinnacle of the great city system of the world, where men lust after money or the things that money can buy. The “woman” fulfills the lusts of man and caters to his pride of life.

Who are the pimps making money off the “woman?” They are none other than the financially rich elite of the world who deceive the nations of the world with their sorceries.

Revelation 18: 23 And the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee; and the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee: for thy merchants were the great men of the earth; for by thy sorceries were all nations deceived. 24 And in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain upon the earth. 

Jesus in his pre-crucifixion talk to his disciples at the last supper called "the woman" the world.

John 15:19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.

The woman, the world, hates the saints and prophets that expose her iniquity and therefore kills them.

The brother of Jesus, Apostle James, had a similar explanation.

James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lust that war in your members?...4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that friendship of the world is emnity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

All wars and fightings ultimately come from man's lust and as such the woman, who encourages that lust, is responsible "for all that were slain upon the earth." 

The angel is Revelation 18 admonishes God's people to come out of her, the woman, and out of all that she represents spiritually.

Revelation 18:4 ...Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.

The worship of money and the things that money can buy, the love of money is the root of all evil and the cause of wars and fighting among men. Men have been deceived by the false worship of satisfying the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the pride of life. The flesh is never satisfied and always desires more, more, and more.

But God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth by the way we live our lives. However, we see that “Mystery Babylon” entices men away from the worship of God to the worship of all that is ungodly and abominable. By worshipping money and the things that money can buy, man is drawn away from the worship of God. Men are deceived into using all their energy in search of personal pleasures, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. Man ends us spiritually fornicating with these lusts rather than loving and worshipping and serving the true God.

The Mystery of Iniquity 

Another place we see the word “mystery” used is in Apostle Paul’s 2nd letter to the Thessalonians. He warns the believers not to be deceived into believing that Christ can come at any time. He writes,

2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. 

Before we are gathered together to the Lord at His coming, the man of sin must be revealed, the son of perdition; commonly called the Antichrist. The day of our gathering, or rapture/resurrection shall not come until the Antichrist is revealed. Apostle Paul goes on to write,

2 Thessalonians 2: 7 For the mystery of iniquity doth already work.

The “mystery of iniquity” represents the antichrist forces already at work in the world. Apostle John later said something similar to Apostle Paul.

1 John 2: 18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.

1 John 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: 3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world. 

The spirit of antichrist then seems to be the “mystery of iniquity.” In other translations such as the New Revised Standard Version, the verse is translated as the “mystery of lawlessness.” In Apostle Paul’s 2 Epistle to Timothy, Paul describes the lawlessness to come.

2 Timothy 3 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away…7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth…12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 

In the past there was a time when Christianity affected the culture and laws were made to reflect the laws of God. We had laws that sanctified life. As men have fallen into apostasy in many formally “Christian” nations, the laws have changed to reflect men’s loss of faith. Before the laws guaranteed the sanctity of life. Today, abortion allows a woman to kill her unborn child. Euthanásia and assisted suicide allow our aging fathers to end their lives prematurely, or for us to “help” them along the way to death. Life is no longer “sacred.” The new laws reflect man’s lack of faith in God.

Likewise, in the past, marriage, the oldest tradition in society, had been generally a relationship between one man and one woman. Today, however, marriage is no longer between those of the opposite sex. New laws have been made to change the meaning of marriage and promote sexual relationships that God in His revealed word has strongly condemned.

Marriage, today, can be a man with a man, or a woman with a woman. In the Old Testament we read,

Leviticus 18: 22 Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination. 

In the New Testament the Apostle Paul addresses the question of homosexuality in his letter to the Romans.

Romans 1: 21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, 23 And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. 24 Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves. 

The fruit of man’s pride and thinking in his rejection of God is that man needed to come up with a new creation myth. God could not be the Creator. The creation needed to create itself. Over time the theory of evolution was developed and worked into a pseudo-science so that men could feel intellectually satisfied with their new creation myth. Man’s rejection of God and his embracing of his own wisdom caused his heart to be darkened which in turn led to men dishonouring themselves in homosexual relationships. 

You can read the explicit description Apostle Paul gives in the rest of Romans 1:25-32. I will not include it here, lest I be accused of being anti-homosexual. God’s word is pretty strong on the subject. Yet He always admonishes us to love the sinner, not the sin and try to lead the sinner to Him.

One Old Testament prophecy given to the prophet Daniel also decsribes the Antichrist as one who “changes laws.”

Daniel 7: 25 And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. 

We see then that the “mystery of iniquity” or the “mystery of lawlessness” has to do with the coming of the Antichrist or the spirit of antichrist.

The Mystery or Mysteries of the Kingdom 

We have not addressed the times when Jesus used the word “mystery” or “mysteries.” They are found in the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. We will look at Mark’s version.

Mark 4: 10 And when he was alone, they that were about him with the twelve asked of him the parable. 11 And he said unto them, Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables: 12 That seeing they may see, and not perceive; and hearing they may hear, and not understand; lest at any time they should be converted, and their sins should be forgiven them.

Mark 4: 33 And with many such parables spake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it.34 But without a parable spake he not unto them: and when they were alone, he expounded all things to his disciples.

Jesus knew He had enemies. He knew His enemies would eventually destroy Him. He knew He only had a short time to teach and train His disciples. Jesus spoke in parables to hide His teaching from those whose hearts were not open to the truth. He would afterward expound the meaning of the parables to His disciples. He called that process opening up the “mysteries of the kingdom.”

Jesus was revealing truths that had been hidden or covered over by false ideas and teachings. He was making the mysteries of the kingdom known to His disciples. Many times they themselves did not understand the mysteries He was revealing. It was not until after His resurrection and the infilling of the Holy Spirit that their understanding was opened to the truths He was revealing to them. In the Gospel of Luke we see Jesus opening their eyes to the truths He had been teaching them after His resurrection.

Luke 24: 44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. 45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures.

The Mystery of All Israel Being Saved

Another “mystery” spoken of by Apostle Paul is found in Romans 11:25-33.

Romans 11: 25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. 26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins. 28 As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, they are beloved for the father's sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

Romans 11: 30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief: 31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. 33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Different scholars have different views on what these verses actually mean. The general consensus, however, is that at some point at the end, when “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” the ethnic nation of Israel, or a remnant of the ethnic nation, shall be saved. Some believe it happens at the time of Christ’s coming.

The fulness of the Gentiles may be referring to the various empires or “beasts” that have ruled over the world, the Antichrist being the final beast. In Revelation 11:2 we have the term “Gentiles,” referring to the Antichrist forces, taking over the “holy city,” which seems to refer to Jerusalem, for 42 months, or 3 and ½ years, the time of the Great Tribulation. Let’s read the verse.

Revelation 11: 2 But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Remember, the Antichrist will break the covenant, stop the daily sacrífice,and place the abomination that makes desolate at the “midst of the week,” the middle of the seven year period. He invades Jerusalem to do so and takes over, probably implementing the “mark of the beast” technology which will be necessary in order to operate in his New World Order system.

But some will rebel and not cooperate. The oxthodox Jews may be in that category, especially if it is some sort of tattoo or micro-chip implant. God’s word forbids them from making any markings on their flesh. Leviticus 19:28:

Leviticus 19: 28 Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I am the Lord.

We can conclude, therefore, that at least some of the unsaved Jewish people living in Israel and or around the world will be anti-Antichrists. They will be against the Antichrist, though they may at first have been deceived by him and his “Holy Covenant.” Remember, the covenant may be what gives the Jewish people permission to start the daily sacrífice on the temple mount, the holy place, in the first place. Therefore, at first, the Jewish people would see the Antichrist as someone they could work with.

However, when the Antichrist invades Israel, stops the daily sacrífice, and places the abomination of desolation in the holy place, some of the Orthodox Jews and other Jewish people, at least a remnant, if not many or most, will finally realize that the New World Order leader is evil. They will then begin to understand that the Christians prophets were right. They will begin to have their blindness removed.

Since Apostle Paul says that the blindness in part to Israel will last, “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” we need to try to understand when “will the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” If it is at the point when the Antichrist steps up or is revealed, as Apostle Paul says in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, then we can expect Jewish people to begin to come to Christ during the Great Tribulation period. Those that do would be raptured with the other believers at the Lord’s coming.

Let’s look again at 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. Apostle Paul is talking about the coming of the Lord and our gathering together unto Him.

2 Thessalonians 2: 3 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; 4 Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.

If what Apostle Paul is talking about is the moment the Antichrist stops the daily sacrífice and places the abomination, then that would be the sign that Jesus gave that the great tribulation would start. That would be distinctly at the “midst of the week.”

But, maybe, “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in,” is not until Christ appears when He comes with His saints in the Battle of Armaggedon. It is at that point that the time of the Gentiles would actually come to an end. Perhaps, Revelation 1:7 is imagery of when the time of the Gentiles ruling over the nations is fulfilled.

Revelation 1: 7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.

Could the “they also which pierced him” be talking of the Jewish people in general? If that is the case then the Jewish people will not be saved until they see Jesus at His return in the clouds at the time of the rapture/resurrection event or at the time of the Battle of Armageddon. We are just speculating when that salvation for the Jewish people will come.

If the Jewish people remained anti-Antichrist during the great tribulation period and refused to worship the beast and his image and refused his mark, if, also, they lived through the tribulation period, but do not yet receive Christ, then they could be in that “blessed” group of people the prophet Daniel talks of in Daniel 12:12.

Daniel 12: 12 Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.

We will look at that verse in more detail a little further on in our argument.

How “all Israel shall be saved” is still a mystery. Earlier in Romans, Apostle Paul had also written,

Romans 9: 6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.

Romans 9:27 Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved.

Will “all Israel” be a remnant, or actually be “all Israel?” We do not know at the momnet. I tend to lean more to the idea that a remnant of ethnic Israel, the Jewish people, will be saved. Some are already being saved and they make great witnesses. At what point they are saved remains to be seen. But the fact that some shall be “regrafted into the olive tree” once again shows God unfathomable love and mercy.

Romans 11: 24 For if thou [a gentile Christian] were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature [false gentile beliefs and traditions about God], and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree [the seed of Abraham by faith that follows of the true God]: how much more shall these [the etnic Jewish people], which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?

The Mystery of the Rapture/Resurrection

We have looked at some of the different “mysteries” spoken of in the New Testament. However, Revelation 10:7 and I Corinthians 15:51-52 seem to be talking about another mystery of God. Surely, the rapture/resurrection event would be considered “a mystery.”

Notice that verse 52 of in 1 Corinthians 15 says that “the dead shall be raised incorruptible” “at the last trump.” Which trumpet is the last? In Revelation chapter 10:7, the last trumpet is the seventh trumpet. Just as Apostle John begins to write some important information about what is taking place, he is told not to write. What he does tell us is that the “mystery of God should be finished, as he has declared to his servants the prophets.” Surely, the “mystery of God” he is referring to is the rapture/resurrection event spoken of throughout Scripture. Revelation 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 do not fit with any of the other “mysteries” we have looked at.

Revelation 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 use the word “mystery” and “mystery of God.” Both passages talk about the last or seventh trump sounding. 1 Corinthinas 15 describes the rapture/resurrection event. Revelation 10:7 is describing the seventh trumpet event, but Apostle John was not allowed to give us all the information he had available, especially that which had been uttered by the sevn thunders. However, I think we can conclude that Revelation 10:7 is also speaking about the rapture/resurrection event. Both Revelation 10:7 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 are talking about one of the “mysteries of God:” the rapture/resurrection event.

To go to Part 3 click here. 

Published originally April 11, 2021

Read More

Will Christ Come Twice or Only Once? Part 1 - Great Tribulation vs Wrath of God

 

Dennis Edwards

One or Two Returns of Christ?  - Part 1 of 8 

The Tradition View of the last days was that there would be great persecution or tribulation until the end when Christ would return to save His followers and condemn the wicked.

Since the time of John Nelson Darby and C.I. Scofield in the later 19th and early 20th centuries a doctrine of a Pre-Tribulation Rapture has been developed and wildly accepted in many Bible colleges in America and as a result throughout the world. No one can deny that the influence of C.I. Scofield through his Scofield reference Bible has been enormous.

The question is, Is that view correct? Do we find in the plain reading of Scripture room for a pre-tribulation rapture? The next question we must address is, Is there multiple comings of Christ, or one coming alone? Remember, the Traditional View is that there will be one coming alone.

I will try to defend the idea there are indeed multiple comings: one at the end of the seven trumpets of Revelation 8-10 and another at the end of the wrath of God found in Revelation 16 and 19. I prepose that though the Old Testament prophets saw these events as one, there is ample evidence in both the Old and New Testament prophecies to clarify the situation and show us there exists a short gap between the two events.

Old Testament prophets were looking at these events from a long distance and therefore saw them as one alone. However, today, we have additional information from Jesus’s endtime message. The information that Jesus gives us, we can combine with His revelations to Apostle John and Apostle Paul. Next, we entwine all of the information given in the New Testament with the prophecies of Daniel in the Old Testament. Jesus indicated that the Daniel prophecies were the key to understanding the endtime events. When we follow Jesus's clue, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we can come to clearer conclusions about the prophetic events.

I propose a separation of the Great Tribulation from the Wrath of God. Rather than see these events as all part of the tribulation period, we shall separate them into two different and yet closely related events in time. I will show that the Great Tribulation spoken of by Jesus is the tradional 1,260 days or 3 and ½ years of persecution of God’s people. At the end of the Great Tribulation, or 3 and ½ years of persecution of God’s believing church, the rapture/resurrection event occurs. 

The wrath of God immediately follows the rapture/resurrection event and will last a short 75 day period. At the end of the 75 day period, the Antichrist’s kingdom will have been destroyed and Christ will rule and reign for a 1,000 years of Millennial peace. Let us look at the Scriptures to see if these things be so.

The Great Tribulation Period.

Scripture references: Revelation 8-10, 11:1-15, 12:6, 12:14-17, Rev.13,5-7, 2 Thes 2:1-4, Matthew 24:15,21-24 ending with the Rapture/Resurrection in Matthew 24:29-31,1 Thes 4:14-18, 5:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Rev 10:7, Rev. 11:15, Rev. 14:14-16.

The Seven Angels With the Seven Trumpets!

First let us read from Revelation chapters 8-10 where the seven angels sound the seven trumpets.

Revelation 8:1-7 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets. And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. 

Revelation 8:8-13 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. And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter. And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise. And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!

What is important here in Revelation 8 is that we see the angels with the trumpets sounding and as a result of their sounding, there is 1/3 destruction on earth. The trumpets (I may at times call them trumpets of tribulation) are bringing 1/3 destruction, not total destruction.

Revelation 9:1-5 And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads. And to them it was given that they should not kill them, but that they should be tormented five months: and their torment was as the torment of a scorpion, when he striketh a man.

Revelation 9: 6-12 And in those days shall men seek death, and shall not find it; and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the shapes of the locusts were like unto horses prepared unto battle; and on their heads were as it were crowns like gold, and their faces were as the faces of men. And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of lions. And they had breastplates, as it were breastplates of iron; and the sound of their wings was as the sound of chariots of many horses running to battle. And they had tails like unto scorpions, and there were stings in their tails: and their power was to hurt men five months. And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. One woe is past; and, behold, there come two woes more hereafter.

Revelation 9: 13-17 And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, Saying to the sixth angel which had the trumpet, Loose the four angels which are bound in the great river Euphrates. And the four angels were loosed, which were prepared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a year, for to slay the third part of men. And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them. And thus I saw the horses in the vision, and them that sat on them, having breastplates of fire, and of jacinth, and brimstone: and the heads of the horses were as the heads of lions; and out of their mouths issued fire and smoke and brimstone. 

Revelation 9:18-21 By these three was the third part of men killed, by the fire, and by the smoke, and by the brimstone, which issued out of their mouths. For their power is in their mouth, and in their tails: for their tails were like unto serpents, and had heads, and with them they do hurt. And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

God Seals His People Before Persecution Comes.

What we can note here, without trying to figure out what everything signifies, is again we see the 1/3 destruction. Note also in verse 4 it says that the plague was to fall only on those men who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. As you may remember, before the angels start sounding their destructive trumpets God has seen fit to put a seal on His people. In Revelation 7:3 we see the angel crying out,

Revelation 7:3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.

God’s people are sealed or marked before hand. The trumpets of tribulation shall fall only on the unbelievers, not on God’s people, and they are falling on the unbeliever to bring him to repentance.

Do we find a similar event in the Old Testament where God seals or protects His people, while others are receiving His judgments? Of course we do, we find it in the record of the events of the plagues of Egypt found in Exodus 7-12. The ten plagues fall on the Egyptians while God’s people are safe in Goshen. For the last plague, however, God’s people must put a sign in lamb’s blood on their doorposts to be protected from the angel of death.

Another place in the Old Testament where we find similar situation is in Ezekiel. The prophet Ezekiel, in a vision of the spirit world, sees God giving an unusual command to the angels before the destruction of Jerusalem. Ezekiel 9:3-6 reads,

Ezekiel 9:3-6 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.

God’s Promise of Protection Through the Difficulties!

Here we see that before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, God sent an angel to mark those who did not participate in the ungodliness which was taking place in the city. Those that sighed and cried in disgust at the abominations that were taking place were marked by the angel and spared miraculously by God. In a like manner, before the Great Tribulation begins, before the seven angels with the seven trumpets begin to sound, God will put a seal or mark on the forehead of His true children to keep them during the evil days to come. In chapter 3 of Revelation verse 10 the Lord has made a similar promise to the obedient loving church of Philadelphia. He says,

Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

The Lord promises to keep us through the difficult days of persecution and suffering which teach us patience. He promises to keep us even though we have little strength, because we have kept or obeyed His word and not denied His name. He does not promise to take us out of world, but to keep us from the evil. Like the old poem expresses.

WHAT GOD HATH PROMISED

God hath not promised skies always blue,
Flower-strewn pathways all our lives through;
God hath not promised sun without rain,
Joy without sorrow, peace without pain.

God hath not promised we shall not know
Toil and temptation, trouble and woe;
He hath not told us we shall not bear
many a burden, many a care.

God hath not promised smooth roads and wide,
Swift, easy travel, needing no guide;
Never a mountain rocky and steep,
Never a river turbid and deep

But God hath promised strength for the day,
Rest for the labor, light for the way,
Grace for the trials, help from above,
Unfailing sympathy, undying love

Author: Annie Johnson Flint

The Rapture/Resurrection Found in Revelation 10

Revelation 10:1-7 And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire: And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not. And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, And swore by him that lives for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer: But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Revelation 10: 8-11 And the voice which I heard from heaven spoke unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which stands upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

Here we see that when Apostle John was going to write down what the seven thunders had uttered, he was told not to write it. God keeps some things secret or hidden or He speaks in parables so that not all can understand. But if we search the Scriptures daily to see if these things be so, if we keep his commandments, if we meditate on his statutes, God promises to give us wisdom and help us to understand. Let’s review Psalm 119:98-100.

Psalm 119: 98-100 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies: for they (Thy commandments) are ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts.

God promises to give us understanding, if we keep His precepts and commandments, and meditate on His testimonies. God promises to reveal His secrets unto us, His servants.

Amos 3:7 Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

I believe if we search Him with all our hearts, obey Him with our heart, mind and body, that God will indeed give us understanding in His word. He will help to open the Scriptures to us that we may behold wonderous things in His law and give us an understanding of things to come. Remember what Apostle Paul told us.

1 Thessalonians 5: 4-6 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

To go to part 2 click here

First published 04/11/2021

Read More

To Dr. William Lane Craig: On Understanding the Difference Between the Great Tribulation and the Day of the Lord!

Dr. Craig, [Written back in 2019]

I have been watching your Defenders Series on the End-time events. I can see that Bible Prophecy is not your field of expertise like apologetics has been. But I like very much how you field the questions put to you by others who have a different look on things than you do. I wanted to suggest a solution to the problem the rapture event brings, by clarifying the "perilous times" into two sections: 

1. The Great Tribulation period. (Revelation 8-10, 11:1-12, 12:6-17, 13,  Matthew 24 15-31, 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 5:1-9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-52, Revelation 10:7)

In this view we see Jesus coming back to rescue His children immediately after the tribulation period of partial destruction spoken of in Revelation 8-10, but prior to the Wrath of God which takes place during the vials of Revelation 16. Jesus rescues the believers at the rapture and they are caught up to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb for a short period of 30 days as explained in Revelation 19:7-9, 2 Corinthians 5:10 and the time period in Daniel 12:11-12. 

The Wrath of God takes place on earth against the wicked because they have rejected Christ up until this point. During the Tribulation period, the Antichrist is persecuting the church and all those that refuse to accept his biometric "mark" system. The plagues of tribulation, the trumpets of Revelation 8-10, that are poured out are only partial destruction, one-third destruction, and are not aimed at the sealed of God, but rather at the Antichrist forces.(Revelation 7:3, Ezekiel 9: 3-6)

2. The Wrath of God Is the 75 day period after the Great Tribulation Period, often spoken as "The Day of the Lord" in the Old Testament. The tribulation is found in the trumpets of Revelation 8-10 culminating which the seventh trump of Revelation 10:7 or the rapture. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, 1 Corinthians 15:51.52, Matthew 24:29-32. 

The Wrath begins after the rapture has taken place. The Wrath takes place when the vials are poured out upon the wicked in Revelation 16. It culminates with the Battle of Armageddon. While the vials are being poured out on the wicked and unbelieving, the saved and raptured are with the Lord at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb Revelation 19:7-9. The saved return with the Lord and His armies at the Battle of Armageddon Revelation 19:11-21 to stop the war and destruction taking place on earth. 

The vials of wrath have a quite deadlier results than the tribulation plagues because God's elect have been removed from the scene. The 75 days of wrath come after the 3 1/2 years of tribulation. The true believers are raptured before the Wrath begins, confirming what Apostle Paul wrote, "For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9), The Wrath is designed for the wicked and unbelieving, and not for the true believers in Christ.

The Church passes through the tribulation trumpets of Revelation 8-10 and is raptured at the seventh trump (Revelation 10:7, 1 Corinthians 15:51-51, 1 Thessalonians 4:14-18, Matthew 24:29-31). Then God pours down upon the wicked the vials of wrath Revelation 16 and 19:11-21. He is trying to get the unbeliever to repentance, those that have been rejecting Him for one reason or other. Some are servants of Antichrist, but some are Anti- Antichrist. 

The Anti-Antichrists haven't received the Lord, but neither have they received the mark of the beast. It may very well be that these are they that Daniel 12:12 are speaking of. "Blessed is he that waits and comes to the 1335 days." In other words, blessed is he that lives through the 1260 days of great tribulation (Revelation 11:3,12; 12:6; 13:5; Daniel 7:25; 9:27; 12:7), and through the wrath of God (1260 days + 75 days = 1335 days) that is poured on the wicked. Christ returns at the Battle of Armageddon to take over the world physically and will rule it for 1,000 years.

The Anti-Antichrist people will be those who are blessed because they have managed to live through that horrible period of world history. They will be given even more time to be saved and receive the Lord. Of course the true believers are those who have been truly blessed as we have received our resurrected bodies. But these unbelievers who did not worship the Beast but had not yet received Christ will be given more grace period during the millennium to accept and believe on Christ.

But all these events, to the Old Testiment prophets, looked like one event from such a far distance. They couldn't see things as clearly from that distance and didn't need to know all the details. It is like looking at a group of mountains from a distance. They look like the are tightly compacted. However, when you get closer to them you see that there are  valleys between the different peaks. In other words, it's not just one event, but various events very close to one another, like different battles in a war. To the Old Testament prophets, it all looked like one event. And it is all happening at almost the same time. The 75 days of wrath is not a long period. But it is indeed the worse part of the "Day of the Lord," and in fact may be "The Day of the Lord." 

The Lord Himself with Apostle John and Paul gave a few more details to fill in the gaps as we got closer to those events. Yet he reminded us to go back and study Daniel. Daniel and Revelation fit together like two hands clasped. But I think if we can understand that the Great Tribulation period is in fact the trumpets of Revelation 8-10 and the Wrath of God (Revelation 16, 19:11-21) comes  afterward, we can accommodate both Rapture and The Day of the Lord as nearly the same event, especially as seen by the Old Testament prophets, and yet subsequent events. 

We see then that there is no Pre-Tribulation rapture like Scofield taught, but a Post-Tribulation, and yet pre-Wrath rapture.  The Church, the saints go through the horrible tribulation period of Revelation 8-10, but not the Wrath of God found in the vials of Revelation 16, etc. We also do not need to get into Scofield's, "This is for the Jews and this is for the Church" Fallacy. The prophecies and promises are for all believers whatever background or culture they come from. Only through Christ will they find their salvation whether Jew, Gentile, etc. 

Dr. Craig, I hope this helps your understanding. Most Christians I find are truly confused on these events and many just conclude it's too difficult to understand. Daniel said, "Those that understand among the people shall instruct many," so it seems some of us will understand. I have written on this topic elsewhere. I will supply the link. God bless, Dennis Edwards How Short is Shortened?

Read More

The Return of the King

 A compilation

Audio length: 12:04
Download Audio (11MB)

In his epic fantasy The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien transports us to Middle Earth where the evil forces of Sauron, Lord of Mordor, have brought great darkness throughout the land. There has been much debate about whether The Lord of the Rings was written as an allegory. Tolkien himself stated that he “dislikes allegory in all its manifestations.” Later, however, Tolkien wrote, “Of course, Allegory and Story converge, meeting somewhere in Truth.”

Prophets and seers throughout the ages have foretold a cataclysmic end of the world, not unlike that described by Tolkien. Nostradamus wrote in his quatrains of a final “antichrist” and a fiery, bloody great war: “By fire he will destroy their city. A cold and cruel heart. Blood will pour. Mercy to none.” The prophets Isaiah and Daniel predicted in the Bible that in the time of the end “there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time;” and “darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people.” Jesus also warned His disciples that in the last days “nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains.”1

“One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them, One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them, in the Land of Mordor where the Shadows lie.”—J.R.R. Tolkien

In the book of Revelation, the prophet John envisioned an unearthly creature rising from the depths, a monster that derives his power from a dragon representative of the powers of darkness. “I saw a beast rise up out of the sea … and the dragon gave him his power, and his throne, and great authority.” According to numerous biblical prophecies, this beast is personified in a powerful political figure who will unite the globe into a one-world government and demand the allegiance of all nations. “And the whole earth marveled as they followed the beast. And they worshiped the dragon, for he had given his authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, ‘Who is like the beast, and who can fight against it?’ ... And authority was given it over every tribe and people and language and nation.”2

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo. “So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.” —J.R.R. Tolkien

Although The Lord of the Rings describes an unthinkable evil, the underlying message is that there is always hope in the face of great darkness. When asked about Frodo’s efforts to struggle on and destroy the ring, Tolkien said, “That seems more like an allegory of the human race. I’ve always been impressed that we’re here surviving because of the indomitable courage of quite small people against impossible odds.” With so much darkness, we can be tempted to wonder what’s the use of a little light, a little good, a little love.

This message of hope for the meek, the weak, the powerless, and the downtrodden that is central to The Lord of the Rings was proclaimed by Jesus when He said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.”3 Jesus was not born in power, but in meekness. His life began in a humble stable, His father was a simple carpenter, and His disciples were unlearned fishermen. He was scorned and persecuted by the religious leaders of His day, who finally had Him crucified to stop the spread of His gospel that threatened to overthrow their religious establishment.

Jesus’ radical message that brought such fear to the hearts of the ruling powers of His time was a message of truth and love—the love of God and the love of fellow man—the greatest force in the universe, which will ultimately vanquish all evil. Man’s rejection of God and His loving laws has caused man’s inhumanity to man, which is so apparent in today’s weary world with its oppression, mental illness, addictions, exploitation, and war.

“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. Some there are among us who sing that the Shadow will draw back and peace shall come again.”—J.R.R. Tolkien

When Jesus was cruelly crucified, it seemed that the lights had gone out in the world and that His message had been quenched. But three days after His death, He rose from the dead. Before ascending to heaven, He promised His disciples that His Spirit would live on in them as they spread the light of His truth and love to others. He also said that He would one day return to conquer evil, hatred, and all the wicked works of the Dark Lord and establish God’s kingdom of love on earth. “Even so, come soon, Lord Jesus!”4

When will Jesus return?

Matthew chapter 24 speaks about Jesus’ Second Coming, when He is going to return to gather all those who have received Him as their Savior and take them with Him back to heaven—an event commonly referred to as “the Rapture.” For nearly 1,800 years practically every Christian believed Jesus would come back after the period He refers to as “Great Tribulation, three and a half years of intense persecution.”

It is only in the last hundred or so years that interpretations such as that by C. I. Scofield (1843–1921) emerged with the false doctrine that Jesus would come before the Tribulation. This interpretation put forth this idea: “Don’t worry, Jesus is going to come and take you out of this world before the trouble comes, so you won’t have to suffer.” But what does the Bible say?

In Matthew 24, when Jesus’ disciples ask Him what sign will signal His return, Jesus answers with not one but a number of signs—wars, famines, pestilences, earthquakes, persecution of Christians, a proliferation of false prophets, lawlessness, a pervading lack of love, and the gospel being preached in every nation. “Then,” He says, “the end will come.”5

Beginning with the next verse, Jesus tells us what we can expect during the Great Tribulation—the last three and a half years leading up to His return, which is also the last half of the Antichrist’s reign. Jesus also tells us what specific sign to watch for, so we’ll know exactly when that period is beginning:

“When you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place ... then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be.”6

We find out in the book of Revelation that this “abomination of desolation” is an image of the Antichrist, or Beast.7 Both Daniel and Revelation tell us that this image will be set up in the holy place at exactly the middle of the Antichrist’s seven-year reign.8

When does Jesus come back? “Immediately after the tribulation of those days” Jesus returns.9 Jesus doesn’t say that when you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place He’s about to return to rapture His followers away from the Antichrist and the trouble to come. He warns His followers to “flee to the mountains” and to prepare for a time of great tribulation.10 In other words, His followers will still be here.

Why did the Lord and the prophets go to so much trouble to document exactly how long the Great Tribulation would last—the exact time in terms of days, months, and years—if His followers didn’t need to know these things, if they won’t be here, counting the days and the weeks?11 Jesus told us these specifics because He wants those of us “who are alive and remain” during that time12 to be able to take heart in knowing that the Tribulation isn’t going to last forever, and that every passing day is bringing the glorious end closer.

Jesus warns us not to expect Him sooner than has been foretold. He also warns us to not be deceived by false prophets who will try to tell us that Christ’s coming is imminent or that He’s already here somewhere.13 He tells us to not believe them, because when He comes, we will know it!

Some people who teach a pre-Tribulation Rapture even state that it’s going to be a secret Rapture, and that nobody is going to see Him except the saved. However, His Word tells us that He’s going to “come in the clouds with great power and glory.” The sky will light up from one end to the other, and there will be such signs in the heavens that we couldn’t possibly mistake the fact that Jesus is coming. In fact, it says that “every eye shall see Him.”14 Everyone will know that Jesus has returned!

Everyone will also see the dead in Christ—all the saved people who have already died—rising to meet Him in the air as He comes. They will hear Jesus, too, because He’ll “descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and a great sound of the trump of God.”15 It will be the greatest spectacle the world has ever seen!

After the dead rise to meet the Lord, “then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.”16 And so will we be forever with the Lord.

Compiled from material from Activated. Adapted and republished August 2021.
Read by John Laurence.https://anchor.tfionline.com/post/the-return-of-the-king/

---

1 Matthew 24:7–8 ESV.

2 Revelation 13:1–4, 7 ESV.

3 Matthew 5:5, 9 KJV.

4 Revelation 22:20.

5 Matthew 24:4–14.

6 Matthew 24:15, 21.

7 Revelation 13:14–15.

8 Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15–21; Revelation 13:5.

9 Matthew 24:29.

10 Matthew 24:16–22.

11 Daniel 7:25; Revelation 12:6, 13:5.

12 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

13 Matthew 24:23–26.

14 Revelation 1:7.

15 Matthew 24:27, 30; Acts 1:9–11; 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 1:7.

16 1 Thessalonians 4:17.

Read More