Your redemption is drawing near
The purpose is to understand Gods ultimate plan, through the things that will happen to the spiritual, the Christian, the non-believer, the natural realm.
A charted course of history, starting with the age of the church and it being taking up, then the Great tribulations, followed by the second coming of Christ, on to the millennium, Judgement Day, and last of all the new Heaven and new Earth. Age Of The Church
SPIRITUAL REALM: 2 Thessalonians, v3-v12. (v7-v10). Because God is holding back lawlessness until the proper time, when it shall be revealed who is the evil behind the abomination that causes desolation. Isaiah c14 v4-v21, (v13-v14), You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, I will ascend above the tops of the clouds, I will make myself like the Most High. By his counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders, which the perishing delighted in, the wickedness and have not loved the truth. 2 Peter c2 v1-v3, Many will be deceived by those who deceive, to the point of calling themselves God. Matthew c24 v14, The gospel message is world known. John c16 v7-v11, the Holy Spirit is doing His work in the world.
CHRISTIANS REALM: Matthew c24 v13, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 1 Thessalonians c5 v8, But since we belong to the "today", let us be self-controlled, putting on faith and love as a breastplate, and the hope of salvation as a helmet. 1 Thessalonians c1 v3, We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labour prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
NON-BELIEVERS REALM: 2Timothy c3 v2-v9, Individuals will only be thinking of themselves, to the point of violence. Matthew c10 v34-v37, Families break down, with hatred and division. Luke c21 v8-v11,
On a global scale there’s wars, revolutions, Nation against Nation, famines, pestilences in various places, fearful of the events and great signs in the heaven, persecute believers. Luke c17 v27, People will be carrying on as normal. Luke c21 v20-v24, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, some run, some are killed, some are prisoners, the City trampled on.
NATURAL REALM: Luke c21 v25-v26, In the sun, moon and stars, nations in anguish apprehensive at the tossing sea, fainting from terror, the apprehensive of what is coming on the world, the heavenly bodies shake, and earthquakes. Taking Up
Pre-tribulationists believe that Jesus will come to remove the Church from earth just before the Great Tribulation. Mark c13 v26-v27, Jesus will come with his angels to collect the elect. Luke c17 v34-v35, When the Church will be taking up, one person will stay and another will go, night or day. v27, Just as Noah escaped, and the rest was destroyed, that’s how it will be for the Saints and non-believer.
Great Tribulation
In pre-millennial eschatology, it precedes the millennial reign of Christ.
SPIRITUAL REALM: 1 Corinthians c3 v13-v15, it is thought common knowledge that the judgement of Christ will be straight after the church has been taken up. Revelation c4-c19, In Heaven the Lord Jesus who was slain was the only worthy one to open the scroll, the scroll contains the judgments of the world. The host of heaven rejoice, as one was found worthy. The Lamb opened the seven seals; First seal: Ready to fight. Second seal: As peace is gone from the earth, men will kill each other. Third seal: Due to war the famine will cause food to be at high prices. Forth seal: Death claims the bodies and hell claims the spirits of men. Fifth seal: The ones who got saved during this tribulation is calling to God to judge and avenge their blood, God told them to wait until their brothers were killed too. Sixth seal: Stars will hit the Earth causing the Sun and Moon not To be seen. Causing the Earth to be a mess, such as, no light no food chain. Everyone hid as now they knew that this is Gods Judgement and if He can do this, who can stand, (no one).
An Angel calling to the four Angels, to hold back the wind so the Name of the Lord can be stamped on His followers Heads, they are the Jewish believers, saved during this time. They are branded on their heads as a protection in the coming judgements.
Pause for thought. The way of salvation during the tribulation will be different than the age of the Church, as there will be no believers to witness. So the way they will get saved will be by the Holy Spirit still working, they will have remembered being witnessed to and they will still have the bible to read. And the newly saved will preach the Gospel and all who will believe on Christ will be saved and will enter the Millennium with Christ.
The 140,000 are the ones marked out for physical preservation during this period, as others will be saved and still die. Genesis c49 speaks about the things that befall the tribes of Israel in the last days as Jacob is giving his dying blessing to them. Dan is omitted, as it seems to be the Antichrist is to come from that tribe, when Genesis speaks of a serpent.
The Gentiles who are saved during this time have been promised that they will be before the throne of God Eternally, (their problems on earth will be opposite so they will have the best of Heaven), as they turned to Him during the tribulation. Seventh seal: Silence in Heaven has probably not happened since God first made something out of nothing, so this hush signifies the end of repentance time, no hope, as Judgement comes through the opening of the seventh seal, announced by angelic trumpeters. And the Prayers of the saints are for the vindication of God which are answered through the Judgements.
The seven Trumpets
The first four trumpets are to do with the natural environment, and the last three are to do with mankind. The last half of the tribulation, Angels sounds the trumpets.
First Trumpet: A third part of the world is destroyed by fire, causing food shortage.
Second Trumpet: This could be a volcano over flowing but more likely an asteroid landing in the sea, killing a third part of the sea life.
Third Trumpet: A star falls out of the sky into the rivers turning the water deadly poisonous to drink, named after the bitter spices Wormwood.
Forth Trumpet: Due to the things happening, which sound like a meteorite shower, the light does not come through as usual, like the plague of darkness of Egypt causing more starvation.
Fifth Trumpet: Now an Angel comes and opens the gate of Hell, and out comes Locusts, or demons seeking to torment those who are not sealed. This will cause them to want to die. Their leader is Apollyon, a personification of destruction. That was the first woe.
Sixth Trumpet: The Angel gets commanded to loose the four Angels waiting ready for this time, for to slay the third part of men. A countless army went out and the people that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent.
Before the last trumpet, two witnesses will speak prophecies for just over six years, and they are protected by God, but will be killed by the beast in the end. Those that rejoiced because their torment of the two witnesses had given them was over, became fearful; when after more than three days God gave life back to their bodies and they went up to Heaven. At the same time there will be a large earthquake killing seven thousand, the survivors gave Glory to God (out of fear, not real). Time would be no more; God is going to punish the evildoers and usher in his Kingdom. This was the end of the second woe.
Seventh Trumpet: The scene in Heaven was one of worship and thanksgiving, as the time of the dead should be judged, and the children of God should be rewarded.
Carry on through the book of Revelation in chapter 12 we can see the Christmas story through the eye of Johns vision, this is more to do with what the devil was doing. Signs in heaven showed a woman who is Israel giving birth, by Mary, and the man-child the Messiah. Then another sign appeared in heaven, the devil, standing in front of her ready to devour, but the child was snatched up to God, this is when in Matthew c2 v13-v18 the devil is out to kill Christ, and God protected Him through life until He went up to Heaven. Then it goes back to the time of tribulation, and the woman that went to a place of safety is Israel in Gods care for three and a half years, their year is twelve lunar months, so 360 days. Michael the great prince, who protects, fought the devil and he was hurled down to the earth, showing Christ authority. The devil knowing time is short, goes after the woman (Israel) as he could not harm the child, but the he can’t touch her, he even tried to flood her but the earth drank the water, enraged at this he went off to fight with the rest of Gods children.
Chapter 13 and 17 explain the same things. The woman sitting on the seven heads and the ten-horn beast from the bottomless pit, is the Great City that rules over the Earth. The beasts’ seven heads are seven periodical authorities, five have been, one is, and one will come for a short time. Ten horns are ten leaders that have no Kingdom, but receive authority for the short time with the beast and shall submit to the beast.
During this time the beast will be wounded but will have recuperative power and the world will be astonished. He will have power for three and a half years, he will kill the saints and every one else will worship him.
Another beast comes, he has two horns like a lamb, but speaks like a dragon (the devil), and he puts into action the same authority as the first beast. This shows that he is showing himself to be a man of peace but he has evil intentions underneath and he deceives the people by doing miracles in the sight of the first beast that was wounded but was healed, so he organises and leads a campaign for the people to build an image that he gives power so it can speak, and everyone who will not worship the image should be killed, this is what Jesus called the abomination that cause desolation. He makes everyone have a mark of the beast his number or name on their hand or forehead, without it there would be no trading.
The last part of the tribulation, Jesus will then come back to Mount Zion and the 144,000 will with him, they are called the firstfruits, as they are the first to come out of the tribulation time into the millennium, to populate the earth.
An angel flying in the heavens commands men to fear God, give him the Glory and Worship him. Another angel announces the City of Babylon has fallen, as this is the place from where all nations was deceived into worshiping the beast, the great city that rules over the Kings of the earth.
The third angel gives a warning to men explaining that those who worship the beast will be tormented with no rest. And during this time the patience of the saints who kept the commandments of God they will be rewarded by having rest and their works will follow them. Now here beings the advent of our Lord Jesus, He is the reaper of the harvest of the earth, He sends His angels to gather in the grain. The grain is the believers, the chaff is the unbelievers. Two angels came out of heaven one with a sickle, the other had power over fire, the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, gathering the vine of the earth into the wine press of Gods wrath, Gods angry judgement towards the unbelievers.
Seven angels with seven plagues given to them by one of the four beasts came out of the temple of God. The temple was so full of the Glory and Power of God that no man was able to enter the temple. A voice from heaven orders them to pour out their bowls.
The first caused sores to break out on men who worship the beast.
The second caused all in the seas to die.
The third caused the rivers to become blood for those who will have their just deserved as they killed the saints.
The fourth caused the Sun to burn them, and in their day of trouble they didn’t repent but blasphemed the name of God.
The fifth caused the seat of the beast to be shown up for what it was, and the emptiness and brokenness of the people didn’t give them a change of heart, but blasphemed God for their pain.
The sixth caused the great river that flowed from the east to dry up so that the Kings could come from there for battle, as the evil spirits would do miracles to fool the rulers and the whole world, to gather them together for this battle. This is thought to be at Megiddo, North Israel, where many battles have taken place.
The seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and with that there was a voice from the throne saying “It is done!” This caused a bad storm, thunder, lightning and hail, the largest earthquake ever, and the great city was split into three, cities destroyed, mountains lay flat, as the hail hit men they blasphemed God for sending it.
A mighty voice comes out of heaven saying that Babylon the great has fallen! And a call to Gods people for them to come out of it. The portion of glory, luxury, power, security, riches and splendour that the city had will be paid back twice as much, with torture and grief, left in ruin never to be recovered. The kings, merchants, sea captains of the earth see the smoke of it burning and they will weep and mourn.
A great multitude in Heaven rejoices over the righteous judgements of God. A time of rejoicing for the saints who made themselves ready to stand righteous before God, through the atonement sacrifice of the Lamb of God.
The Second Coming Of Christ
Here heaven opens and Jesus is riding a white horse, followed by a army of saints, but they are not expected to fight as from His mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, He comes with the wrath of God, as He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Then the beast and the kings gather together to make war, but the beast and the false prophet who had deceived the people by miracles, so they would worship the beast was thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur.
An angel comes from Heaven with a chain and the key to the bottomless pit, and seized the devil, bound him, and threw him in the abyss, to stay for a thousand years.
The Millennium
Premillennialest believe that the saints of the church age, the saints who was beheaded for their witness of Jesus and for the word of God during the tribulation, and the saints who was killed for not receiving the beast mark, will reign and judge in peace with Christ for a thousand years, to be His priests, this is the first resurrection.
But the rest of the dead will not live again until the millennium is over. He will reign on David’s throne, Jerusalem will be His capital, and people will go to it to learn of Him. He will be the peacemaker, so once what people used their time for making weapons is now used for farming, as there will be no wars. God promises a long life for those living, as he who reaches a hundred would be considered accursed.
People will build their own houses and eat their own food, so as not to be exploited by dept but be prosperous. The weather will improve, the deserts will blossom. The only other time that the wolf will live with the lamb was in the ark that Noah built, until now. The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Children born in this time will need to be saved, not all will be saved, as they will fight against Him at the end of the millennium.
Judgement Day
At the end of the millennium the devil is let loose and he goes about to deceive the people, and gathers countless people together to make war against God’s people in Jerusalem. But fire came from heaven and devoured them. The devil was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur. As in 2 Peter c3 v3-v7, by the same power that created also destroyed the world, it will be the power that destroys the earth and sky by fire.
Then there will be a resurrection of all unbelievers through history, each person was judged according to what they had done. The things they had done are when they heard the gospel message they rejected it, and those who didn’t hear the message should have followed their conscience to do right. Then they are thrown into the lake of fire, this is the second death. Death will follow them, as the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law, He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
New Heaven And New Earth
The first heaven and earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. The Holy City, the new Jerusalem came down from Heaven, a loud voice said “The dwelling of God is with men, He will live with them, they will be His people, and He will live with them and be they God, there will be no more sorrow, for the old order of things have passed away”. There is no Temple in the City, as the Lord God almighty and the Lamb are its Temple, the glory of God gives it light. The doors are never locked, as there is no night there. Only those whose name is written in the Lamb’s book of life are able to enter.
There is a river of life, flowing from the throne of God, down the middle of the great street of the City. On each side stood the tree of life, yielding its twelve crops of fruit every month, its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Like it was in the beginning, the saints shall see His face, and reign forever.