Future End Time Events Explained

What is the Rapture?

The word Rapture is not mention in the Bible.  But the Bible tells us that all believers since the birth of the church in Acts 2 both dead and living will someday disappear instantly.  Why?  The purpose is so believers will avoid the horrifying disasters that will occur during the Tribulation – things like earthquakes, fire, and all kinds of natural disasters like the chaos referred to in Revelation 6-18. 

Jesus will descend with a shout and the trumpet of God will sound.  Believers will immediately meet Him in the air and be taken into heaven to be with Jesus.  Unbelievers will remain on the earth to experience God’s wrath.  This will happen before the Tribulation breaks out all over the world. 

“For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  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.” – 1 Thess. 4:16-17.  This sounds like Jesus is coming back then, but He is not coming back at this time.  As Jesus sits on the right hand of the throne of God, He will get up off the throne and initiate the Rapture just at the right time.  He Himself will draw believers into heaven.

The dead believers will rise first, while the unbelievers will remain in their graves until judgment.  The believers’ spirits are already in heaven, but as their bodies rise they will be united with their spirits.  “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet.  For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will rise incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” – 1 Cor. 15:52. 

The Rapture can happen at any time.  There are no events that must occur before the Rapture.  Are you prepared for the Rapture?

Once believers are in heaven they will be rewarded according to what they have done on the earth.  This is called the Judgment Seat of the Christ. (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom 14:10).  Another event called Marriage Supper of the Lamb (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:6-8) will occur later to celebrate the fellowship with Jesus in heaven.

What is the difference between the Rapture and the Jesus’ Second Coming?

The Rapture occurs first.  Then as in the book of Revelation at Jesus’ Second Coming, Jesus will return with all the saints (all those who were Raptured).  The Rapture will be witnessed by believers only, but the Jesus’ Second Coming will be witnessed by all people.  “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him: even they who pierced Him.  And all the tribes of earth will mourn because of Him.” – Rev. 1:7. 

Christ’s Second Coming will happen 7 years after the Rapture.  His coming will be at the end of the 7 year Tribulation.  When He returns the Old Testament saints will be resurrected, which marks the end of the Tribulation. The Tribulation will usher in the Millennium. 

What is the Tribulation?

The Tribulation is the 7 year period described in Revelation 11-18.  During the first 3 ½ years life on earth will get worse.  The second 3 ½ years is known as the Great Tribulation when God’s anger against the wicked will be the greatest.  The Antichrist will be empowered and will be the center of evil.  It will be a time of great deception by the Antichrist.  It will be a time of devastation, disease, disasters, death, and many false prophets who will deceive many people.  There will be greed, immorality and all kinds of wickedness.  During this time there will be those who will come to believe and be saved, but many will not believe.

There will be natural disasters that occur.  These are found in the book of Revelation.  The sun will turn black, the moon will turn red, and there will be great earthquakes. The stars will fall from the sky.  Mountains and islands will move.  The oceans will become blood.  The water will become poisoned.  This will be a time of great suffering and persecution.  During this time more than half of the world’s population will die.

Who is this Antichrist?

He is the person who is against Christ.  There have been many so-called antichrists, but this Antichrist  will be “The Antichrist”.  He will be controlled by Satan.  He will be the most powerful dictator who persecutes, tortures and kills God’s people.  He will promise world peace and security.  People will flock to him and do anything he asks.  The book of Daniel calls him the prince that shall come, a fierce king and a master of intrigue, and a despicable man. (Dan. 8:23; 9:21; 11:21).  In 2 Thessalonians he is referred as the one who brings destruction, the lawless one, the evil man. (1 Thess. 2:3,8,9).   In Revelation he is referred as the beast. (Rev. 13:1).  He will set himself up as god.  All people will worship him. (Rev. 13:8).   

Helping the Antichrist is the false prophet.  Satan attempts to be like god and presents himself as a false trinity which Satan is god, the Antichrist poses as the Messiah and the false prophet is like the Holy Spirit. (Rev. 13).

What is the Millennium? 

At the end of the Tribulation Christ will return as He promised, which is called the Second Coming.  He will bring with Him all the believers who were Raptured.  The Antichrist and his armies will wage war against Him.  This is called the Battle of Armageddon. (Rev. 14:20; 19:15).  But we know who wins – God of course.  The Antichrist and the false prophet will be captured and thrown into the Lake of Fire.

Christ will bind Satan for 1,000 years then Satan can no longer deceive the people.  Christ will set up His 1,000 year reign on earth called the Millennium.  He will rule over the earth as King of the New Jerusalem.  All the believers will rule with Him.  There will be 1,000 years of peace.   During this time all the believers who survived the Tribulation will of course have earthly bodies.  They will continue to marry and have children, and their descendants will need salvation.

When the 1,000 years is over, Satan will be released for a short time to go out and deceive those who were born during the 1,000 year kingdom.  Some of these people will be influenced by Satan and choose to reject Jesus as the Messiah.  Then Satan will be stopped by God and thrown into the Lake of Fire.  All those who has ever died, from the beginning of creation and throughout all of history, and has not trusted God’s provision as the atonement for his sins, will be resurrected and stand before God at the Great White Throne Judgment.  They too, will be thrown into the Lake of Fire as their final judgment.

What are the New Jerusalem, New Heaven, and the New Earth?

God will destroy the old creation (earth) that has been corrupted by sin and replace it with a New Heaven and a New Earth that is pure and holy and will stand forever.  The capital will be the New Jerusalem.  There will be no need for the light of the sun and the moon, because Jesus Himself is its light (Rev. 21:23).  All believers throughout history will live in God’s eternal kingdom and will serve Him forever and ever. (2 Peter 3:3-13; Rev. 21-22; Isaiah 65:17; 66:22; Matt. 24:35)

Living on this New Earth will be the Old Testament Saints, believers who died and were raptured, believers who did not die and were raptured, believers who came to faith and died as martyrs during the Tribulation called Tribulation Saints, survivors of the Tribulation with earthly bodies, the remnant of Israel who were saved at the return of Christ, and the Gentiles who came to faith during the Tribulation and survived until Christ’s return. 

All believers who returned with Jesus and those resurrected to life have been given new bodies.  They will serve the Messiah.  They will be both Jew and Gentile.

Now you know the future.  If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, will you consider it now?  Turn to God in prayer and confess your sins and ask Him to forgive you.  Believe in Him now before it’s too late.  See more on “How to be saved” at the bottom of this page.

Wow!  I know there is a lot to take in and I’ve only touched on this topic.  To dive into this in more detail, you must read your Bible.  See Daniel 7; 8; 9; Matthew 24; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation.

Thanks for stopping by my site.  Have a blessed day.  See you next time.

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What is the Gospel?

The gospel is the story of Jesus.  It means “good news”.  It’s God's plan for salvation.  The Bible says that we are all sinners.  “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” – Rom. 3:23.  We have all done wrong things called sin.  This has offended God and has broken our relationship with Him and separated us from Him.  We must pay for those sins.  We can’t save ourselves from punishment by our own efforts so we are hopeless.  God didn’t leave us hopeless.  He sent His Son, Jesus who is God in the flesh into the world to take the punishment we deserve.  Jesus was sent by God, born of a virgin, was crucified, died on the cross & was buried.  Then 3 days later He was raised to life.  He did all this so man could have a renewed relationship with God.  All we have to do to be saved from the punishment we deserve is to believe in Jesus and His story. 

Salvation means to be rescued from God’s wrath and the judgment that we deserve because of our sin.   It means to be delivered from the penalty of sin.  This happens the moment we first believe.  We can’t attain salvation by our own efforts or good works.  If this was the case, then Jesus would not have had to die on the cross.  Salvation is received by faith alone.  Belief in Jesus is a choice.  It’s a choice that each person must make on their own.  You must personally believe in Christ.

Jesus is the only way to salvation. “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through me.” – John 14:6. 

If you desire to receive Jesus as your savior and escape God’s punishment, here’s what you need to do:

1.       Acknowledge God as Creator

2.      Admit to God that you are a sinner

3.      Confess your sins

4.      Repent from your sins

5.      Believe that Christ died on the cross for you and was raised to life

Then there are things to practice daily for spiritual growth:

1.       Find a Bible-believing church – a place where other Christians encourage each other

2.      Be baptized – do this as a public testimony of your salvation

3.      Pray – talk with God often

4.      Read your Bible – let God speak to you and guide you how to live

5.      Witness – you talk for God telling others about Him

Scriptures about salvation:

Isaiah 59:2

John 1:1; 1:14; 3:16; 5:24; 8:58; 14:6

Acts 4:12; 17:30; 20:21

Romans 3:10-11; 5:8, 12; 6:23; 10:9-10, 13

1 John 1:8-10

Luke 13:5 

Once we believe then we will have eternal with God in heaven.  “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remain on him.” – John 3:36.

The gospel message isn’t believed by everyone.  Some say it is foolish thinking.  Jesus knew that many would be ashamed to follow Him.  He knew it would be hard to be His follower.  People would laugh at them and tell lies about them just as they did Jesus.  He warned that we should not be ashamed of Him.  “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes to his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” – Mark 8:38.

The world is opposed to God’s gospel and ridicules it.  They did it in Jesus’ day and they do it today.  We are all tempted to be ashamed of the gospel at one time or another.  Maybe you don’t want to admit that.  It is the power of God for salvation for anyone who will believe.  We need never be ashamed of it.

Do you believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?

How are you tempted to be ashamed of the gospel?

Do you still believe when you fail and Satan accuses you?

Is your salvation evident in your relationships?

See you next time.  Have a blessed day and thanks for visiting my site.

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Is Society Rebelling Against God?

 

Is American a Christian nation?  Sometimes I wonder.  God gave humanity His Moral Laws to live by, but as a nation we live blinded to the truth.  Deep down we know what is right and what is wrong, but we live for sensuality and materialism.  We live for self.  God has given us a warning.  He will not tolerate sin forever.  The end is coming. 

Our moral values and standards by which we live are changing.  We are ignoring God’s moral laws and what our founding fathers intended for America.  We as a nation are rejecting God by our actions.  This is happening little by little so it’s not noticed.  Then all of a sudden we’ve gone too far.

Examples:

God, the Bible, and prayer have been removed from our schools.

We are taught to be tolerant of many things that are truly wrong.  The Bible teaches that we are exchanging the truth for lies and lies for truth.  “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator – who is forever praised.” – Rom. 1:25.

New York City Council voted that public urination is not a criminal act.

Teachers in charlotte, NC were instructed to refrain from referring to their elementary school students as boys and girls, but instead they are to call them students.

The Bible clearly states the homosexuality is immoral and unhealthy.  Bruce Jenner will always be a man even if he wears a dress and makeup.  Romans 1 is being played out right before our eyes.  The gay agenda is on the rise.  It’s the fad thing to do.  50 years ago this behavior was a crime.  Now there are even same-sex marriages.  God tells us in the Bible that marriage is between a man and a woman.  Marriage is first mentioned in Genesis 2:24.  Jesus upheld marriage as being between a man and a woman in Mark 10:6-9.  Other passages on marriage are Eph. 5:22-23 and 1 Peter 3:1-7.

Mothers are aborting their unborn babies.  Since 1973 America has murdered 59 million babies.

Our freedoms are constantly under attack.  Prayer is prohibited in our schools and colleges.  Even chaplains cannot pray in the name of Jesus or quote Scripture.  After the 2012 election the government admitted it targeted and harassed Christian groups.  Our own President Obama refused to call Muslim terrorists even though they killed more Americans on 9/11 than at Pearl Harbor. 

Men can now use the public facilities of women and little girls.  This is clearly a misguided and dangerous policy.  This is just asking for trouble.

This change in morality is all over the world.  The Supreme Court of Italy has ruled that public masturbation is legal except in front of minor.

From the beginning Israel has been God’s chosen nation.  Now that the end is getting closer the world hates Israel more and more as each day goes by.  Bible prophesies tell us that in the end all the world will come together in opposition to Israel.  “Behold, I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling.  Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem.  On that day when all the nations of the earth are gathered against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all nations.  All who try to move it will injure themselves.” – Zech. 12:2-3  Israel is a very small nation.  It’s about as big as New Jersey.  It is 300 miles long and 75 miles wide.  Why are so many people against Israel?  It’s because people are against God.  “The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed One.” – Ps. 2:2.  They are against the truth.  If we don’t stand with Israel, God won’t stand with us.  “I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” – Gen. 12:3

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Are we a Christian nation?  Many Americans claim to be Christian, but few actually behave like Christians.  America was founded as a Christian nation, but we have turned our back on our heritage.  To be a Bible-believing Christian today is to be a rebel.  Being a rebel Christian is to rebel against the lack of moral values.  It’s rebelling against the tolerance of sin.  It means to love God above all else and to love and serve others instead of ourselves.

President Obama said while running for office, “Whatever we once were, we are no longer a Christian nation…”  Maybe he is right.  America no longer looks to biblical principles as its anchor.  We are drifting further and further away from God and the principles found in the God’s Holy Word, the Bible.

Thomas Jefferson saw the danger that would arise when a nation turns its back on Him.  “God who gave us life gave us liberty.  Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed a conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?  Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just, that his justice cannot sleep forever.

We have accumulated wealth and power more than any nation in history.  However, we have forgotten the source of those blessings.  We have become conceited and arrogant and think we don’t need God.

The prophet Isaiah gave us a warning, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet fro bitter.  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight…. Therefore the Lord’s anger burns against his people; his hand is raised and he strikes them down….” – Isaiah 5:20-25

America’s greatest sin is we have forgotten God.  We have failed to obey Him.  We have failed to listen to His Word.  We have failed to bring up our children God’s way.

What can we do about it? 

1.       We can pray.  There are about 650 different prayers mentioned in the Bible.  The word prayer or pray is mention many, many times.  In the King James Version alone, pray is mentioned 245 times.  The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing, which means we are to never stop.  Jesus Himself prayed many times and taught the importance of prayer.

2.      We can preach the truth from our church pulpits.  Too many churches have watered down the gospel.  Many pastors preach a feel-good message. They want to be liked by what they say. 

3.      We as Christians can be examples for others as to how to live.  We can show love and concern for others.  We can be kind, considerate, compassionate, and patient.  We can live by the Fruit of the Spirit.  “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” – Gal. 5:22.

** Excerpts from The Lamplighter, January-February 2017

I hope this has opened your eyes and makes you fall on your knees in prayer for our nation as well as for yourselves.  We all have a part in rejecting God in some way.

Thanks for stopping by my site.  Have a blessed day.  See you next time.

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If you have enjoyed my post and have found if helpful, please leave a comment or share this post with the buttons below. 

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