1. Among bible-believing Christians, what are the major areas of disagreement concerning the return of Jesus?
There are basicly three areas of disagreement:
A: Will the Church be raptured before the tribulation or will she go through the tribulation?
B: The timing of the rapture with regards to the sequence of events.
C: When does the wrath of God begin, does it encompass the whole of the week of Daniel?
2. Before the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth what will happpen to the true Church according to Romans 5:9, 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and 2 Thessalonians 5:9?
Most Christians agree that the Church will be removed (raptured) before the wrath of God because God has promised to remove the Church before the outpouring of His wrath.
3. Are Christians exempt from tribulation or persecution?
Scriptures are clear that believers are not promised freedom from persecution or tribulation but that they can, in fact, expect persecution and tribulation because they are Christians (John 15:18, 19; 1 Thessalonians 3:3,4; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2 Timothy 3:1, 12; 1 Peter 4:12, 13.
Believers will not have to go through the wrath of God but they are not promised exclusion from the wrath of the world and Satan including the persecution of God's elect during the Great Tribulation by Antichrist.
4. What are the two pivotal New Testament texts given primarily for the believer's understanding of endtime events and why are they pivotal?
The Olivet Discourse recorded in Matthew 24-25 and the book of Revelation. They are pivotal because both endtime teachings are the direct teaching of Christ Himself.
5. What are the basic tenents of the pretribulational rapture position?
They wrongly maintain that the "seventieth week of Daniel" corresponds to the Day of the Lord when God executes His wrath upon the earth, and therefore the rapture must occur before the beginning of this seven year period. Thus the Rapture position is referred to as "pretribulational," with the entire seventieth week being designated as the "tribulation period," or the time of God's wrath.
6. Is the seventieth week of Daniel ever called the "tribulation period" anywhere in scripture?
There is not one scripture to support the premise that the tribulation period includes the whole of the seventieth week of Daniel.
7. What is the orgin of the "pretribulation" Rapture position?
The orgin of this position is relatively new, dating back to about 1830. Some, like John Walvoord in his book "The Rapture Question" attribute the position to John Darby and his associates. Others give Edward Irving (considered to be the father of modern day Pentecostalism) credit for orginating this position. And some believe it originated from a fifteen year old girl named Margret MacDonald through a vision.
These people may have been influenced by a Jesuit Catholic Emmanuel Lacunza, who wrote a book "The Coming of the Messiah in Glory and Majesty" published in Spanish in1812 under the assumed name of Rabbi Juan Josaphat Ben Ezra, as a converted Jew. The book was translated into English in 1826 by Edward Irving and published in 1827.
For an indepth study on the orgin of the pre-trip position check out the study entitled "The Orgin of the Pretrib Theory".
8. Explain "Imminence" from a pretribulational view?
Since Christ's ascension back to heaven as recorded in Acts 1, no prophetic event needs to be fulfilled before Christ's second coming. In other words, He could come at any moment. You hear many preachers say, "He could come before this service is over". This position is the critical cornerstone of pretrbulationism. For a more in depth study on this topic check out the study entitled "Imminence is it a Biblical Doctrine".
9. Did the early church fathers teach Imminence, the doctrine of an "any moment" return of Christ?
No. We may fairly conclude that pretribulationists and others who find imminence in the Ante-Nicene fathers are grasping at straws. The early church fathers uniformly expected a yet furture persecution of Antichrist prior to the Lord's return.
10. What is the prewrath position concerning the timing of the Rapture?
Prewrath is a balanced and biblical synthesis of pre-, mid-, and posttribulationalism with a refinement of the timing issue that brings harmony to all the rapture passages in question.
The prewrath view contends that the church will go through the great tribulation by Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel, but will be raptured before the wrath of God is poured out when God cuts short the persecution of Antichrist.
11. Why is the prewrath position and the position of the early church fathers so similar?
The position of all the early church fathers before the Council of Nicea in A.D. 325, with only two exceptions, was that the church would undergo the persecution of Antichrist during the great tribulation before the return of Christ, from such persecution He would rescue His elect at His coming.
12. Who were some of the early church fathers who taught that the church would face the onslaught of the Antichrist?
Clement of Rome, Justin Martyr, the pastor of Hermas, Hippolytus, Melito of Sardis, Methodius, Tertullian, Syrian, Commodianus, Victorinus,and Lactantius stated clearly in their writings that the church would undergo the persecution of Antichrist before they were rapture.
13. What caused the church to move away from this position after A. D. 325?
The persecution of the church by Antichrist was clearly the position of the early church. Roman Catholicism under Agustine, heavily influenced by Orgin, then moved away from the literal interpretation of end-time events and allegorized prophetic scripture.
14. If a Christian's view of the end-times does not affect his salvation, what difference does it make what we believe about it?
Those who believe that they will be gone before the tribulation starts will enter the seventieth week of Daniel not realizing they are in it and be unprepared for it. Christians will need to know the full truth of those times if they are to remain faithful to their Lord and confident in His Word.
The degree to which Christians will be persecuted by the Antichrist and his ungodly forces in the last days (especially the great tribulation) will be directly dependent on the degreee they are spiritually prepared.
15. According to 1 Thessalonians 5:4-6, do Christians have any excuse for being taken by surprise in the end-times?
No. For the faithful believer, Christ is not coming like a "thief in the night," but "you brethern are not in darkness, so that this day should overtake you as a thief."
We are told to watch and be sober so that we can be spiritually aware of the signs so that we are not overtaken like the people in darkness.
16. According to Revelation 1:3 and 22:16, who is the book of Revelation directed to?
The book of Revelation is directed to the "churches" - not only to the seven churches in Asia Minor in John's day but to all the churches throughout the world. Notice that after the address to each church that he who has an ear to hear are to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.It is primarily concerned with the events of the last days from the perspective of the church.
17. What are the three basic characteristics of the seven churches of Revelation that will characterize the church (or Christians individually at the time of the return of Christ?
(a) The compromising church. Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Laodicea, Thyatira, these churches represent varing degrees of compromise that will be prevalent in the end times.
(b) The dead church (Sardis).
(c) The faithful church (Philadelphia).
The references to dead, faithful and compromising churches are references not only to the church itself, but also to the individuals who comprise the church in general. In other words, the faithful church will be made up of primarily of faithful Christians but may also include dead and compromising individuals as well.
18. What is the outcome of the compromising churches represented by Thyatira according to Revelation 2:22, if she doesn't repent?
Jesus said that she would be cast into a bed of sickness and then into GREAT TRIBULATION. There is only one Great Tribulation and that is during the rule of Antichrist during the seventieth week of Daniel.
19. What is the promise given to the "faithful church" in Revelation 3:10?
Because she has kept the word of Jesus' perseverance, Jesus will keep her from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.
20. In Rev. 3:10, is the translation "keep you from" the best and most common translation of the Greek words "tereo ek? "
The Greek phrase translated "keep from" is "tereo ek." This phrase is a combination of the verb tereo,translated "to keep," and the preposition ek,translated "from."
In an article in Bibliotheca Sacra (July-September 1980, p. 253). Jeffrey L. Townsendstates that: The prepresition ekis the focal point of the debate over whether Revelation 3:10 promises internal or external preservation from the hour of testing. The standard Greek lexcions and grammars are in agreement on the basic meaning of the prepresition. According to A. T. Robertson, "The word means 'out of,' 'out from within,' not like apoor napa." ( A Grammer of the Greek New Testament in the light of Historical Research, 4th ed. [New York: Gorage H. Doran, 1923], p. 596)
Therefore the basic meaning of ek is "out from within" and best carries the idea "deliverance from," rather than the simple idea of keeping "from," giving the reader the false idea of an external preservation from, rather than a deliverance "out from within," an existing condition that the object or subject of the sentence is in the midst of, prior to the deliverance, out from within.
In his book The Approaching Advent of Christ: An Examination of the Teaching of J. N. Darby and His Followers, Alexander Reese observes that: the use of ekin Rev. 3:10 distinctly implies that the Overcomer [the genuine believer] would be in the hour of tribulation; the promise refers either to removal from out of the midst of it, or preservation through it. ([Londan:Marshall, Morgan, and Scott, 1937], p. 205)
In his book The Church and the Tribulation,Robert Gundry maintains that tereo means "to keep or protect in a sphere of danger," and that because ek means emergence "out from within," the combination of the two Greek words (tereo ek) means to protect believers in a sphere of danger (the tribulation period), with a final emergence out from within this sphere" (pp.54-59).
21. What is the most accurate translation of the two Greek words tereo ek as used in this text?
God's protection while "within a sphere of great danger" (ie: during the great tribulation of Antichrist) with the promise of eventual removal out from within that dangerous time when God cuts the great tribulation short for the elects sake.
22. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, in what other passage is tereo ek used in a similar way?
Along with Rev. 3:10, the phrase tereo ek is found one other time in the New Testament. Again it is John who uses it, thereby giving us a better understanding of exactly how he meant the phrase to be used. Jesus' great high-priestly prayer was given for the sake of all those in every age who trust in Him. Christ's apeal to His Father in this prayer has had and will continue to have the same meaning to His saints in every age as it will to those who will live during that last great hour of testing: " "I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from [tereseis...ek] the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. " Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world John (17:15-18 15).
The contex of John 15:17 shows that Christ is praying for the protection of the believer while he is still in this world, the "sphere of danger" over which Satan rules. If Christ were referring to keeping believers while he is outside the sphere of danger (which is what many would have us believe is the meaning of tereo ek in Rev. 3:10), then a phrase such as "take them out of the world (as in the first half of verse 15) would have been far more appropriate. Compareing Scripture with Scripture, we see that protection while within a sphere of danger, during the time the world is under the control of the evil one, is exactly what Christ was referring to in John 17:15. In his first epistle John explains, "We know that whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God [Christ] keeps him [the believer that is in the world] , and the wicked one does not touch him" (1 Jn 5:18). The idea is clearly that of protection while within the sphere of danger, not that of keeping the believer outside the sphere of danger.
In addition, using this primary interpretation of tereo ek, several critical passages in support of the pre-wrath position take on special siginficance. In reply to John's question about the identity of the great multitude "standing before the throne and before the Lamb," one of the elders explained, "These are the ones who come out of [ek, out from within] the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (Rev.7:9, 14). Peter declares that "the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from [ek, out from within] temptation [peirasmos translated testing in Rev. 3:10]... (2 Pet. 2:9).
In summary, if those two Greek words (tereo ek) are taken at face value, with their primary and customary meanings, the inescapable conclusion is that Rev. 3:10 does not refer to divine protection of believers by taking them away from the place of affliction before it occurs, but to their divine protection while they are in the midst of affliction--that is , in the midst of the great tribulation by Antichrist, referred to as "the hour of testing." During the last half of the seventieth week God's people will for a time remain within Satan's worldly sphere of evil, eventually to be forever removed from it when God cuts short that great tribulation by Antichrist and takes His saints "out from within" to be with Himself.
23. What is the underlying idea behind the word "testing" in its context of Rev. 3:10, "the hour of testing?"
" Testing" is translated from the Greek word "peirasmos". It carries the basic idea of putting to a proof. The testing will put to proof those who are truly saved and those who are not.
24. What important truth do we find in Peter's use of the same Greek word, "peirasmos,"in 1 Peter 4:12 and 2 Peter 2:9?
In both cases, the believer is present during the peirasmos, not kept away or outside of it while it is happening. This of course substantiates the proper translation of tereo ek, used in Revelation 3:10.
25. What are the three characteristics that characterize the faithful church during the endtimes?
(a) She will persevere, will keep Christ's Word, and will not deny the name of Christ - In other words she does not take the mark of the beast or worship his image.
(b) She will be kept and protected while within this sphere of danger (that is, the hour of testing, the great tribulation), and Jesus will eventually deliver her out from within this sphere of danger - when He returns to "cut short" those days of terrible distress, rapture the true church, and pour out His holy wrath upon the unrighteous.
(c) Christ will give the faithful a crown and a place of great honor and intimate fellowship with God in his eternal kingdom.
26. From Revelation 3:11, how do we know that the prophecy concerning the Philadelphia church is an end-time prophecy?
Because of the phrase "I am coming quickly," which is clearly referring to His second coming.
27. What are the characteristics of the spiritually dead church represented by Sardis?
(a) The dead church will be totally oblivious to the consequences of worshiping Antichrist, or his image, and the taking of his mark. Many will do this without hesitation, still thinking themselves to be "good christians," conforming to the world for the sake of survival instead of trusting in Christ.
(b) When God's wrath is poured out on the Satanic world kingdom ruled by Antichrist, it will come upon unregenerate church members "like a thief in the night."
28. Using the church at Thyatira as an example of compromising Christians in the last days, why does it best characterize the church in general, just before the end times?
This church is not spiritually dead, but it is less than spiritually faithful. It is made up of believers who have accepted Christ as their Savior but they are not living in his will or in obedience to His Word. They obey denominational traditions and constitutions even when they are in opposition to God's Word.
29. According to Rev. 2:20, what is the foremost problem in this church?
False teachers in the church were corrupting the gospel and causing many true believers, Christ's "bond servants," to stray from right belief and right living. This indicates that being a Christian is not in itself a protection against false doctrine.
30. What does Rev. 2:22 reveal will happen to the "bond servants" within the compromising church?
The true but unfaithful believers who have committed spiritual adultery by following those false teachers will suffer "great tribulation, unless they repent.
31. In Rev. 2:22 Christ uses the term "great tribulation." How many times is this term used in the New Testament and where?
It is only used two other times, Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14. In both cases the term is dealing with the great tribulation of the last days.
32. Comparing Scripture with Scripture, then, what can be our only conclusion concerning the term"great tribulation" in the Thyatira context?
In all three passages Christ was referring to the same thing, the great tribulation of Antichrist that will occur in the last days.
33. What is an important fact to note in Rev. 2:23 about the church in general?
It is espically important to note that the church definitely will still be on earth during the great tribulation by Antichrist, contrary to what many believe. This is shown clearly in v. 22 when Christ speaks first of the "great tribulation" that the compromising church will experience and then in verse 23 says that "all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts." In other words, "all the churches" will be present during and will know of the great tribulation (v. 22) of compromising Christians at the hands of Antichrist and will realize who Christ is as they witness first hand what is happening.
34. Why will the compromising church be required to face the persecution of Antichrist?
The compromising churches (and/or believers) that enter the seventieth week of Daniel are promised they will be spared God's day-of-the-Lord wrath (Rom. 5:9' 1 Thess. 1:10; 5:9), but not the persecution of Antichrist during his great tribulation of God's elect. They will experience this persecution because they will believe what they have been falsely taught, without testing the words of men spouting denominational biases against the Word of God.
Before Christ terminates the affliction by Antichrist on the compromising, He will sovereignly use this affliction to cleanse and purify these Christians, "to make [them] stand in the presence of His glory blameless" (Jude 24). Hebrews 126-7 reads, "for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and scourges every son whom He receives. It is for discipline that you endure, God deals with you as sons. Antichrist persecutes the compromising believers to try and get them to deny God and some will. But God uses Antichrist's persecution to make them a "pure virgin" 2 Cor. 11:2.
35. What do we know about the faithful church (true Christians) represented by the Philadelphia church that will enter the seventieth week of Daniel?
The faithful will be offered God's protection within the sphere of danger-- that is, protection during the great tribulation by Antichrist, throughout he will attempt yo kill all those who do not worship the beast, Antichrist, or his image. The faithful will be delivered out from within the great tribulation just before the day of the Lord's wrath is poured out upon the unrighteous.
36. What do we know about the spiritually dead church (false Christians) that will enter the seventieth week?
If they do not repent and turn to Christ, they will lose all opportunity for salvation and will endure the full wrath of Hid day-of-the-Lord judgment, which will come upon them like a "thief in the night."
37. What do we know about the compromising Church (unfaithful Christians that will enter the seventieth week of Daniel?
They will face the full brunt of the great tribulation by Antichrist--the hour of testing--as a testimony to all churches that Christ is the one and only true Lord who searches the hearts and minds of men, the one who rewards or punishes with perfect justice and righteousness, as He permits persecution by Antichrist to purify and prepare His bride to stand pure and blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.
38. Christ's first comming accomplished four specific things:
(1) He came as the passover Lamb to permanently pay the price for sin.
(2) He came as the passover Lamb to permanently overcome the effect of sin.
(3) He came as the passover Lamb to permanently redeem those chosen to be His people.
(4) He came to spell the certain doom of Satan and his rule over the earth.
According to Scripture what are four major objectives that Christ's second coming will fulfill?
First, God's Word predicts that Christ will rescue the citizen's of God's kingdom living upon the earth when He appears, before He systematically and thoroughly destroys the inhabitants of the kingdom of Satan in His day-of-the-Lord judgment. See 2 Peter 2:9.
Second, when Christ returns He will destroy all unrighteousness (including the tares that fall away during their great hour of testing) during the day of the Lord. See Zeph. 1:18; Isa. 13:11; and 2 Peter 3:7.
Third, Christ will reclaim the natural line of Abraham (Israel) completing the spiritual kingdom of God. See Hab. 3:13.
Fourth, Christ will reclaim physical possession of the earth when He defeats Antichrist and his armies at the final battle of Armageddon. See Rev. 19:11, 19-21.
39. Blinded by his unbounded pride, Satan, the ruler of the kingdom of darkness, has a counter-strategy to ward of the prophetic plan of God for his overthrow. What were Satan's strategies and how did he carry them out?
Satan's first strategy--his attempt to destroy or disqualify the line of Messiah (Christ)-- is history, the results of which are recorded carefully in Scripture.
Unable to completely deceive God's chosen nation, Satan has simultaneously carried out his parallel strategy of Israel's complete destruction by the hands of Gentile nations known as the "beast empires." The first seven of these empires are now history. Now that Israel is again back in her own land with control of her own holy city, Jerusalem, the eight and last beast empire can become a reality; and when it does, "this generation [that witnesses the eight beast empire] will not pass away until all these things [end-time events] take place" (Matt. 24:34).
Satan failed in his first strategy--in his attempt to destroy or disqualitify the natural line of Messiah before the birth of Christ.
Satan's second strategy-- his attempt to destroy or disqualify Christ Himself-- became all the more bold. And like his first strategy, the failure of his second strategy is also recorded in Scripture. He tried to take Jesus' life while He was still an infant (Matt. 2:1-18). He tried to kill Jesus during his earthly ministry through the Jewish leaders (see Matt. 12:14; 26:4; John 5:18; 7:1). Satan tried to disqualify Christ through temptation (see Matt. 4:1-10; Heb. 2:18; 4:15).
Realizing he has no further opportunity to kill or disqualify the Redeemer and King, Satan's final strategy will be to rekindle and redouble his efforts to kill any citizen or potential citizen of the spiritual kingdom of God. Therefore in the last days Satan's target will be the "the women" (the natural line of Israel) whose salvation will complete the spiritual kingdom of God, and with tht "rest of her (the woman) offspring who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (the Church) (Rev. 12:13-17).
Any true believer chosen of God - Jew or Gentile - the Church, in reality all the spiritual descendants of Abraham alive during the last days are included as the offspring of "the woman" Israel. (See Rom. 4:9-11, and Gal. 3:29).
40. What must a believer do to ensure his protection during the "time of testing" when Antichrist unleashes the fury of Satan against God's people?
Be sure you are a part of the faithful Church by being obedient to the Word of God. Do not believe anything you hear unless you have searched the Scriptures to see if what was said is truth. Remember the only doctrines that you are to uphold are the doctrines of the Bible. Believe and obey God's Word no matter what your denomination believes or says.
41. Explain the period of time known as "Daniel's seventieth week"?
It is the final seven years of Gentile domination of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem; the last week of the seventy weeks of years (490 years) of Daniel's prophcey, which will begin after the interval that follows the sixty-ninth week. The events of this week correspond to those of the large scroll of Revelation. The seventieth week will be initiated when Antichrist (incognito) makes a covenant with many including Israel. At the midpoint of that week Antichrist will conquer Jerusalem, set up an image of himself in the Temple, and demand world rule and worship, which he will receive when the restrainer is removed and Antichrist's true identity is revealed. These midpoint events will initiate the great tribulation by Antichrist (the time of Jacob's trouble), which Christ will cut short sometime during the last half of the seventieth week when He raptures His Church and initiates His day-of-the-Lord wrath on a day or hour that no man knows.
42. Before the seventieth week can begin, what must happen?
Antichrist must first establish his eight beast empire, or at least its three-nation power base that will drive the final beast empire of Satan. Such a formation is imminent and could happen overnight. When it is, Israel will then make a covenant (Dan. 9:27) with the powerful ruler of that empire -- hoping to gain his protection, but nor aware that he is the Antichrist and that her alliance with him will prove to be a "covenant with death." It will be this "covenant with death" that initiates the end times, the seventieth week outlined in the book of Revelation and the Olivet Discourse of Christ in Matthew 24.
43. What will Antichrist's strategy be during the tribulation?
The world's political, moral, and spiritual decay will provide the perfect conditions for Antichrist to establish Satan's eighth and final beast empire. For three and a half years, in the guise of a benevolent world ruler, he will dominiate most of the world, the exception being the select peoples whom God will protect. As the world collapses into chaos preceding and during the first half of the seventieth week, masses of people will welcome Antichrist as their "leader," falling under Satan's "deception of wickedness" and the "deluding influence" sent by God Himself (2 Thess. 2:10,11).
Antichrist's strategy will be to offer the world a false savior (messiah), a false king, and a false kingdom -- satanic counterfeits of God's true Savior (Messiah), true King and true kingdom -- knowing that those that do not serve Antichrist either are/or become potential citizens of the kingdom of God. And because Satan failed to disqualify the rightful Savior and King of the earth, Jesus Christ, Satan's only remaining hope is to destroy all/or potential citizens of the kingdom of God.
44. According to 2 Timothy 4:3,4; 3:1-5 and 2 Peter 2:1-3, 13-15, what will be the condition of the professing church when the seventieth week begins?
Parallel to the moral and spiritual decay and destructive thinking in the world, the condition of the professing church, in general, will be characterized by pervasive heresy and compromise.
Because of the moral decay in society at large, many who claim the name of Christ will chose to capitulate rather than suffer criticism and possible persecution for His name's sake. Many churches will not have the courage or commitment to maintain doctrinal purity. Consequently many local churches, denominational bodies not only will condone but will even promote every sort of false teaching and practice imaginable. Likewise the prophetic views of many will promote a false security in the church -- giving a false assurance that the affliction revealed in the book of Revelation either do not apply to them, having been taught that the church will be raptured away before that time, or that those afflictions are simply allegorical or historical and should therefore be spiritualized away. Much of the decline in commitment and doctrinal purity is already evident in the church today, even among those who claim to be evangelical and pentecostal.
The theme of the book of Revelation is the second coming of Christ which is, of course, an endtime event. Therefore the warnings given to the seven churches in chapters two and three, although having a near-term application, are primarily given as a warning to the church in general going into the seventieth week. Consequently, the language used to address the seven churches should bare out the theme of the book in general, as it clearly does. To Ephesus, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, and Philadelphia, Jesus foretold His personal coming to them to chastise (2:5; 3:3, to judge (2:16), or to bless and deliever (2:25; 3:11). This can only be a direct reference to His second coming, because His first coming was already history when these words were pened. And even His words to the other two churches suggest an end-time context. To believers at Smyrna, Christ speaks of giving them a crown of life (2:10), as He does to the believers at Philadelphia (3:11; cf. 2 Tim. 4:8; Jas. 1:12). Even His message to the lukewarm and self-satisfied church at Laodicea, Christ promises only the overcomers a place beside Him on His heavenly throne (3:21), and in addition, He also warns them that "those whom I love, I reprove and discipline" (3:19).
The exact proportion of faithful to unfaithful churches in the last days cannot be deduced from the seven letters in Revelation, but it is clear that the majority of latter-day churches (to be more specific, professing Christians) will be far from pure and holy. Only two of seven, Smyrna and Philadelphia, do not reflect the moral and spiritual decay of the unbelieving world around them, and a case can be made that the church of Smyrna will "suffer" and undergo "tribulation" (2:10) because of her tolerance of "the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9).
We find only one church that is unmistakable faithful -- the church at Philadelphia. We find three churches that have been infected or influenced by false teachers. The church at Smyrna permits blasphemy. The church at Pergamum has some who hold to "the teaching of the Nicolations". The Church at Thyatira tolerates "the woman Jezebel...teaches and leads my bond-servants astray, for which reason the church is told that she will be thrown into "great tribulation". The other three churches also fall short of faithfulness to Christ. Ephesus has left her first love. Sardis, although believing she is alive, is dead. Laodicea is lukewarm and will be spit out of His mouth.
Christ reveals through the seven churches what the church in general will be like that will go into the seventieth week. For the most part they will be week, insipid, and compromising -- with low moral standards, full of false doctrine and without true spiritual leadership.
And so the seven churches represent a mostly sad commentary on the condition of so-called Christianity that will go into the seventieth week. There is also the explicit warning that only overcomers, true Christians, will survive the "fiery testing" that is about to occur. Peter exhorts his readers, "Beloved do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing [the same Greek word as used in Rev. 3:10], as though some strange thing were happening to you....For it is time for judgment to begin at the house of God..."(1 Peter 4:12,17.
Because of the corrupt nature of the church at large in the last days, the church must of necsseity go through the "fiery testing", chose to be faithful to Jesus and become a part of His spotless bride.
Those within the compromising churches will quickly show their true colors, and many will align themselves with Antichrist rather than face persecution for something they truly do not believe. The dead church can only expect the wrath of God, along with the rest of the wicked world. The faithful church will experience the protection of God while within the sphere of danger, "that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth" (Rev. 3:10). And, although it will feel the brunt of Antichrist's fury, the true Christians within the compromising church will be delivered "from the wrath to come" (1 Thess. 1:10). This will only happen after they have been made pure by the fiery testing -- so that God might present them to Christ "as a pure virgin" (2 Cor. 11:2); so they may "stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy;" (Jude 24) and so that they "may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame at His coming" (1 John 2:28).
45. According to Revelation 5:1 there are seven seals on the large scroll in God's right hand. What is the significance of the seven seals?
John sees all seven seals at the same time which means that all seven seals must be open before the contents of the large scroll can be opened which in reality means, the seven seals are conditions that must be met before the scroll can be opened.
When the seventh seal is broken the wrath of God (the day of the Lord begins (Rev. 8:1-6). So the large scroll initiates God's wrath against the nations. This is why Christ "the Lamb" is the only one worthy to open the scroll, because God has determined that He "will judge the world in righteousness through a Man [Jesus]...(Acts 17:31).
46. If the large scroll represents the judgments of God on the kingdom of darkness (the day of the Lord wrath), according to 1 Peter 4:17,18 what must occur first?
Before the wrath of God can be poured out upon the wicked who know not God, the first six seals must be opened and their conditions and contents executed before the seventh seal can be broken alowing the contents of the scroll to be meted out.
The first six seal conditions occur after the covenant with Antichrist is made. And it will be the compromising church that will be the focus of the conditions that must be met before the wrath of God is poured out upon the wicked when the seventh seal is opened allowing the contents of the scroll to be revealed. Peter, in his first epistle, gives us the first hint of the sequence of events when he explains, "For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God? Now If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (4:18,18). The judgment of the household of faith preceeds the judgment of the unrighteous of the world. Paul relates the same sequence in his second letter to the Thessalonians, he tells them that the "persecutions and afflictions which you endure [are] a plain indication of God's righteous judgment so that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you indeed are suffering" (1:4,5). He then goes on to state that "it is only just for God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire [a reference to the day of the Lord]" (vv. 6,7).
47. How is this "fiery ordeal" that comes upon the church for "your testing" (1 Peter 4:12), described in Revelation 3:10?
"The hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those that dwell upon the earth."
48. In Revelation 4:6-8 there are "four living creatures" described, who are these four living creatures?
These creatures are said to have six wings, occupy an area in the center and around the throne of God and are praising God saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty..." Is there anywhere else in scripture where such creatures are described? Yes there is. The Old Testament confirms that these "living creatures" are the Seraphim described in the sixth chapter of Isaiah. Like in the Revelation account they have six wings, surround the throne of God, and call out to one another "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts..." (vv. 2,3).
The Seraphim are heavenly angels, continually proclaiming the holiness of God, whose function, in part, is to cleanse or purify mankind who come into the presence of God. When Isaiah came into the presence of God, he said, "'Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim's flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity is taken away, and your sin purged'" (vv. 5-7).
And so the judgment of the household of faith will happen because judgment must first begin with the house of the Lord. This will take place during the seventieth week of Daniel during the Antichrists' persecution of God's elect. All of the events of the Antichrist will occur with the permissive will of God, overseen by the Seraphim's who are responsible to identify and purify the true church from the professing church before they come into the presence of God Almighty, "that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and homor at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 1:7).
So these four living creatures are the Seraphim's of God.
49. Many voices within the church world have promoted and are still promoting that the contents of the seals of Revelation 6 are a part of God's wrath that is poured out during the day-of-the-Lord wrath, is this teaching substantiated by Scripture?
Let's look at this question and its answer in detail so there can be no doubt that this teaching is not scriptural.
Remember that the seals are the conditions that must be met before the scroll, describing God's judgment of the wicked can be opened.
We must understand clearly why the four horsemen of Revelation 6 -- that represent the first four seals -- while permitted by God for the purification of the household of faith, definitely cannot be the wrath of God -- the day of the Lord -- as many churches teach in an attempt to keep the church out of the seventieth week of Daniel.
There are a number of reasons, all of them biblical and logically sound, that show why the entire seventieth week cannot be equated with the day of the Lord (although the day of the Lord does begin at the opening of the seventh seal, sometime during the second half of the week.
First, although some of the natural events depicted in the second, third, and fourth seals are used in the Old Testament to describe the wrath of God, nowhere in scripture are the first four seals of Revelation referred to as manifestations of His wrath during the day of the Lord. A careful study on the use of the various Hebrew words translated "wrath" in the Old Testament clearly indicates that the strong Hebrew word explicitly used in connection with God's day-of-the-Lord wrath against the nations is not the same Hebrew word used in relation to God's chastisement of Israel through these natural disasters. Milder terms are invariably used.
Second, God's wrath is not spoken of in Revelation until after the sixth seal is broken and the great cosmic disturbances are displayed as the sign of the end of the age (see Matt. 24:3, 29) -- this sign being the event which God has told His people will announce the beginning of the day of the Lord. It is not until after the sixth seal is broken we are told that "the wrath of the Lamb" is about to commence (Rev. 6:15-17). When the seventh seal is broken initiating the wrath of God, His angelic reapers will directly administer His wrath; and Revelation records that indeed it is the angels who carry out the trumpet and bowl judgments (Matt. 13:30, 39).
Third, it is clear that Christ associates the activities of the first seal with false christs (Matt. 24:5). If the four horsemen are instruments of God's wrath, then God would be in the unthinkable position of sending "false christs" as His own agents to deceive His own elect! Such a logical contradiction is excluded not only by common sense, but by Christ Himself. When accused by the pharisees of casting out demons by the power of Satan, the Lord said, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and any city or house divided against itself shall not stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand?" (Matt. 12:25,26).
Fourth, if the entire seventieth week is the day of the Lord, the wrath of God would be directly responsible for the fifth-seal martyrdom of the souls of those who had been slain because of the Word of God, and because of the testimony they had maintained" (Rev. 6:9). Such a position directly contradicts the divine assurance "that all who believe in Him (not just believers before the seventieth week) have the unconditional "hope of salvation [deliverance]." For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation [deliverance] through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:8, 9).
The truth is, the fifth-seal martyrdom of these faithful saints is a result of the wrath that has its roots directly tied to the kingdom of darkness -- not God's wrath but Satan's. "Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil as come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time" (Rev. 12:12).
Fifth, if the day of the Lord were to begin at the opening of the seventieth week, Antichrist would prevail over the Lord for the majority of those seven years! While God was supposedly venting His wrath on the earth, Antichrist would be expanding His Satanic Kingdom. And after the restrainer is removed at the midpoint of the week, Satan's minion would still have greater reign over the earth, even to the point of setting up his throne in God's temple and demanding worship from the world. If the day-of-the-Lord were to include the entire seventieth week , it would be a mockery of God's omnipotence. Isaiah speaks directly to that issue: For the day of the LORD of hosts shall come upon everything proud and lofty, upon everything lifted up -- and it shall be brought low-- The loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, (Isa 2:12, 17).
If the "Lord alone shall be exalted" in the day of the Lord, as Isaiah so explicitly states, it is an irrational contradiction to believe that during the Lord's own day an unhindered Antichrist will be demanding and receiving the world's worship of himself!
Sixth, Christ Himself confirms in answering His disciples that when the second seal of the "beginning birth pangs" is in process, "the end" -- or "the end of the age" -- will not have yet come. Jesus tells His disciples that the day of the Lord will not occur until after their tribulation. "You will be hearing of wars and rumors of wars," Christ explains, but "see that you are not frightened, for those things must take place, but that is not yet the end.... Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name.... But the one who endures to the end, it is he who shall be saved [delivered[" (Matt. 24:6, 9, 13).
Seventh, In perfect keeping with point 6, Christ specifically says that "when you see all these things, recognize that He [Christ[ is near, right at the door" (Matt. 24:33). In the context of His promise, "these things" refers to all of the events up to and including the sign of the end of the age which comes "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (v.29). Therefore the wrath of God cannot occur until after "these things" occur, making it impossible for the whole of the seventieth week to be the wrath of God.
It is a contradiction to claim that the day of the Lord and the seventieth week are one and the same? The day of the Lord is contained within the seventieth week but it is not the whole of the week. This false teaching is refuted by the very words of our Lord. Those, then, that whole to this view in an attempt to keep the church out of the seventieth week are preparing the sheep that they shepherd for the slaughter of Antichrist. Those of you siting under that teaching are warned to "let no one in any way deceive you" (2 Thess 2:3), and then Paul proceeds to pinpoint the exact timing of the day of the Lord, explaining that it will not occur until after Antichrist "takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God...whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end at the appearance of His coming" (vv.4, 8).
50. What does the first seal of Rev. 6:2 represent?
Here we have the emergence of a white horse, with a rider who has a bow but no arrow, this rider goes out conquering and to conquer. This rider is not ready for military combat because he is not fully equipped, he has no arrows for his bow. The question then is, how and who does he try to conquer? He is out to conquer the elect of God, those who have held to the testimony of Jesus Christ. This rider potrays the spirit of Antichrist through false christs and false teachers according to Matt. 24:5, and Luke 21:8, and if he can get Christians in the professing church and if it were possible the faithful believers to believe his message, he will have conquered them.
If this were the wrath of God, God would be responsible for initiating false religious teachers to deceive His own elect. Is it the nature of God to deceive His own elect? Of course not, it is preposterous to even think that God would try to deceive His own elect, let alone teach it. But this could not happen if he did not allow it, so He is the one to open the seal, He is in control of when this takes place. I believe that the first seal is opened immediately after the Antichrist confirms the seven year peace pack with Israel, which starts the seventieth week of Daniel. I believe when that covenant is made there is going to be much confusion in the church, because they believe that these events have already happened in the past, or as many believe, they will have already been raptured so these events do not apply to them.
The church of Thessalonica thought they had gone into the day of the Lord and there was bedlam, so much so that Paul had to write and tell them, listen it cannot occur until certain things happen, (see 2 Thess. 2:1-8). There is going to be such confusion on the part of the professing church that when you have this proliferation of false christs they will be easy targets to be conquered. They are going to be easy targets because they have listened to the doctrines of man instead of God and have not been faithful to their calling and when God permits this testing many will not be able to stand the test.
To understand the reason for them being easy targets, we must look at the characteristics of the typical church that will go into the seventieth week. Severe moral and spiritual decay will have griped the church in general (as it already has) long before Antichrist begins to operate. Because their leadership will lack spiritual discernment, because they will not have the resolution to teach the truth when it is unpopular, and because they will refuse to take measures to protect their congregations, many churches will be infested with false teaching. As a consequence, those spiritually weak and compromising churches will lose their desire, to accurately learn and understand God's truth and to act accordingly, including their understanding of the end times and how these last days will directly affect them.
These false christs are on white horses indicating that they are going to resemble the real Christ by the signs and wonders they perform. This is going to look like the real thing therefore it is not hard to understand how compromising believers will fall for it. These false christs will convince many within the professing church that they (the false christs) are indeed the true Christ who has now returned to earth. They will claim His second coming! For this reason, the Lord's warning about those counterfeit messiahs is a clear and stern command to every believer: "You... do not go after them."
51,What does the second seal of Rev. 6:3-4 represent?
The second seal will usher in warfare like the world has never known. You may say, "we have had a lot of these things going on already." What has happened down through history and at the present time cannot compare to what it is going to be like when the second seal is opened. Scriptures use the analogy of a pregnant women who experiences "beginning birth pangs." Even though mild in comparison to final labor, beginning birth pangs are immediately recognizable, bringing discomfort to a higher degree than previously experienced. The same is true of the wars associated with the second seal. Although throughout the ages, and especially recently, wars and rumors of wars have always been present, during the first half of the seventieth week they will be far more evident, resulting in public alarm causing people to look for a leader to bring peace where there is no peace.
Because His true intentions to rule the world, to demand the world's worship and to annihilate God's people will not yet be evident, Antichrist will still be viewed by much of the world as a beneficent warrior who uses his military might to bring order to a chaotic world. Antichrist will establish his position as world leader by the defeat of his enemies, and he will try to consolidate the nations and factions who are willing to give him their allegiance.
52, What does the third seal of Rev. 6:5-6 represent?
What this rider on the black horse represents is famine, but it is not a world wide famine where there is no food available anywhere in the world, because it says that wheat and barley are available for a price and the fact is that this rider was not to touch the oil and the wine. Also Matt. 24:7 say that it will happen in "various places," so there is food available.
What it does depict is inflation and scarcity. Basic necessities of life will be scarce and prices extremely high and hunger will spread throughout the world because of this. Though famines have occurred throughout history, this passage is dealing with a specific famine during the seventieth week of Daniel.
Antichrist may take advantage of this famine by stockpiling grain and other non-perishable foods which will become a bargaining tool for when he comes into complete power and demands his mark for all who wish to buy or sell.
So, you can see how these events are setting the stage for this world ruler who will have already risen and made a covenant, to continue to put his ten nations together that will control the Mediterranean. Because of these wars and famines you have economic chaos causing many major problems, setting the scene for world wide acceptance of this leader to be worshipped when he sets himself up as God in the middle of the week.
The signing of Israel's covenant with death, will set in motion the last seven-year timetable of the end times. The first half of this seventieth week is made up entirely of the events resulting from the opening of the first three seals that we have just looked at. The first three and a half years are merely the beginning of birth pangs. Now the stage is set for the great tribulation, depicting the fourth horseman, to begin.
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53, According to Revelation 13:11-18, what will be the two-fold test initiated by Antichrist but carried out by the second beast?
The purpose of this test is to identify those who do -- and those who do not -- truly worship Antichrist and give them their full allegiance.
This test will consist of two specific things: First, everyone will be required to "worship the image of the beast [or] be killed" (Rev. 13:15). Second, everyone will be required to take the mark of the beast in order to buy or sell anything.
This test will be a critical dilemma facing every Christian --the potential of facing death for not worshipping the beast or one of his images, and the inability to buy or sell anything unless one has taken Antichrist,s mark in his hand or forehead.
The great tragedy is that many within the compromising church will pass the test of Satan, and will succumb to the demands of Antichrist. Timothy warns the church that "the Spirit explicitly says that in latter times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Tim. 4:1).
When Antichrist demands the worship of the world and requires everyone to take the mark, mankind will be confronted with a monumental choice with eternal consequences -- the choice between allegiance to the only true and holy God, at the cost of physical death, or allegiance to Antichrist, the supreme counterfeit god and king established by Satan, at the cost of eternal death.
54, The faithful church's protection during the hour of testing is based upon having "kept the word of My perseverance. What does the word "perseverance mean.
Perseverance is translated from the Greek word "hupomone" which has the basic meaning of hiding under; of patient enduring and fortitude; or of remaining behind. Within the sphere of grace, it is the faithful believer's keeping of "My [Christ's] perseverance" that brings believers through "the hour of testing." Unfortunately many interpreters, because of their pretribulational bias, seem to avoid dealing with the full meaning of and implications of hupomone. This specific word is used four times with regard to the churches of Revelation 2 and 3 (2:2, 3, 19; 3:10). The only other use of the word, after its use in connection with the churches, is in Rev. 13:10 and 14:12, where it is directly related to believers, not taking the mark of the beast.
55, According to Rev. 14:6-13, God will give three messages to the world by three angels at the same time Antichrist demands worship of the world. Explain the signifiance of these messages?
Here we have the proclamation of the three angles. These three angles because of what is included, all deal with things that occur right when everybody is given a choice of who they will worship. When all the things begin to occur at the beginning of the second half of the seventieth week, God will graciously give advance warning to every inhabitant on earth about the dreadful and irreversible consequences of worshiping the beast or his image and of receiving his mark.
The central message of this warning will be one final presentation of the gospel. This will come in the form of three divine announcements from the Lord, each given by a separate angel, and will occur during a short period of time at the midpoint of the seventieth week, when every person is making their choice.
Through the three angels, then, the message of the gospel will be graciously proclaimed, giving the world a final opportunity to repent and trust in Christ for eternal salvation. Christ says in Matt. 24, that the gospel is preached to the whole world, then the end shall come, here in verse 6 we are told that the gospel is preached to every nation, tribe, tongue and people. Listen folks, this has to happen before Christ comes for His church. The church is mandated to do that now but it will be consummated during the great tribulation by this first angel, then God will cut the great tribulation short and rapture His church, oh what a great hope we have!
The first of the three divinely dispatched angels will proclaim the promise of eternal life for those who worship the true God and Him alone, and he will also warn of the eternal wrath awaiting those who turn to the false god of this world, Antichrist. "The hour of His judgment has come," "has come" carries the meaning of "is at hand," indicating its impending arrival.
What is the eternal gospel proclaimed by the first angel? It is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the same gospel proclaimed throughout scripture. John explained how a person becomes a child in God's family and a citizen in God's kingdom in John 3:14-18,36. In order for a person to become right before God, he must turn from his sin (repent) and turn to (believe in) Jesus Christ as his only means of salvation (2 Cor. 7:9&10). The word believe is more than acknowledging that something is right or true, it means to put complete trust in. Many people acknowledge that Christ is the Savior and the only way to salvation, but are not saved, because they have not placed their personal trust in Him as their Lord and King. Acknowledging Christ's power to save from sin is the first step, but by itself it accomplishes absolutely nothing. Instead, such head knowledge about Christ and the gospel gives a person a false sense of spiritual security and becomes a barrier rather than a bridge to salvation. John points out this truth in John 3:36.
So it is not the one who assents to a list of doctrines that some church has about Christ who is saved from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God, but the one who puts his entire confidence and puts his entire trust in Him as Savior, Lord and King. Only this genuine relationship to Christ will make "overcomers" out of the weak, compromising believers who enter the last seven years of the end times. But for those genuine Christians who have lived a life of personal or doctrinal compromise, the cost will be great. For although the scriptures teach that they will be saved, it will be only "as though by fire" (1 Cor.3:15).
The second angel will announce to the world that the Babylonian Harlot--Satan's false religious system--has been destroyed. Later John refers to the Babylonian Harlot as "BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH" (17:5). This city depicts the supreme systems of false religion that focus on the "Queen of Heaven" with its mother/child worship, which in one form or another has dominated all the beast empires of Satan and has sought to deceive Israel and the church in general, since their beginnings.
At the midpoint of the seventieth week, Satan and his Antichrist will compete with no one for the worship of the world, including the "foreign god" [Daniel 11:49, (the Babylonian Harlot -- the false religious system or systems that originated in Babylon, that system that Satan has used to deceive the nations concerning Christ in Satan's attempt to destroy the elect of God)] that had helped Antichrist gain control of the world. For that reason, Antichrist and the leaders of his ten-nation coalition will destroy "the harlot" at the same time Antichrist demands worship of the world. Antichrist, of course, must destroy his temporary ally, the Babylonian Harlot, because in his claim to deity, Antichrist cannot tolerate any rival. The harlot, whatever her end-times identity might be, will represent the culmination of the false religion that Satan himself first inspired in ancient Babylon.
According to Rev. 17:16, the Antichrist and his ungodly coalition of ten nations will "hate the harlot and make her desolate and naked, and will eat her flesh and will burn her up with fire." Thinking they are acting freely out of their own self-will, they will in fact be fulfilling the will of God, "For God has but it in their hearts to execute His purpose" (Rev. 17:17).
The third angel warns people of the consequences of worshiping the beast, or his image, or receiving his mark. This angel must sound at the midpoint of the seventieth week because that marks the beginning of the Antichrist compelling people to worship him and to receive his mark. This warning is to unbelievers (v.6), and to saints who will be tempted to deny their faith in view of impending death for faith in Christ. This will be the most sobering warning possible to all who are considering taking the mark of the beast or worshiping his image, thereby giving irrevocable allegiance to Satan's savior and king. Because the "whole earth" will be amazed by the recognition of who Antichrist really is and will "follow after the beast" (Rev. 13:3), this warning has incredible significance to everyone who has refused the gospel of Christ.
The proclamation of the third angel will set forth the only two alternatives about which all living people will be compelled to decide. Put in the starkest contrast, the message of the third angel is: Worship the beast or his image and you will live today but you will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire; or refuse to worship the beast or his image and you risk death today but you will spend eternity with Christ.
This, then, is the test, the choice everyone must make, and everyone upon the face of the earth will know the consequences, in advance for following Antichrist. As Christ explained in the Olivet Discourse, those who worship the beast or his image and take the mark will suddenly, but too late, become aware of their fatal decision when the Lord returns "as a thief in the night" (1 Thess. 5:2,3). For when they see the sign of the Son of Man, they will say, "to the mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come; and who is able to stand?'" (Rev. 6:16,17; cf. Matt.24:30; Luke 21:25,26). Thus when the sign of the Day of the Lord appears in the heavens, and the earth is rocked with earthquakes (Rev.6:12-14), there will be no question in anyone's mind as to what is about to occur. Every unbeliever will have heard the angelic warnings and will know the eternal consequences of his choice--the Day of the Lord's wrath and eternity in the Lake of Fire "for ever and ever" for taking the mark of the beast rather than turning to Christ for salvation.
I do not believe that any true believer will take that mark, but there are multitudes who go to bible believing churches who have never been regenerated, and will take that mark. Christians, I would admonish you. Whether or not we are the generation that enters the seventieth week, I urge you to be sure of your relationship to Christ--not just acknowledging Him as your Savior, but acknowledging Him as Lord of your life and walk in obedience to Him as the King of the kingdom of God. And second, I would urge you to understand the monumental test that Antichrist will use in trying to destroy God's own elect. The consequences to God's elect of being unprepared for the great tribulation will be that they will receive the full brunt of Antichrist's fury, a time of persecution that will make the Holocaust pale in comparison. But for all who are genuinely "in Christ" who refuse to worship the false king or his image, they will nevertheless, still stand right before God, even if only "so as through fire" (1 Cor. 3:15).
On the other hand to the counterfeit Christians, and to sinners in general, the consequence for worshipping Antichrist, his image, or taking his mark, is eternal damnation--to be forever separated from God, where "the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night" (v.11). But the gracious gift of God to all who refuse the Antichrist and truly trust in God, is eternal life. "We also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain...behold, now is 'the accepted time,' behold now is 'the day of salvation'" (2 Cor. 6:1b, 2b).
"Here is the patience (steadfastness, perseverance) of the saints..." (v. 12). People this has to be the believers, for they are the only ones who can obey the commandments of God by faith in Jesus Christ. Those saints will not experience the eternal punishment soon to be meted out on the unbelieving world at the Day of the Lord. For before the time of God's judgment, God will rapture His persevering church, who has remained faithful even during the Great Tribulation, rescuing them out from within "the hour of testing."
"Blessed are the dead who die from now on..." (v.13). Those who die for their faith in Christ will be blessed because they are released from the persecution, torture, and suffering that is taking place on earth, and they will reign with Christ.
56, What does the third angel's announcement (Rev. 14:9-11) do to the theory that the entire seventieth week (beginning with the first seal) is the day of the Lord (God's wrath)?
The consequences for submitting to Antichrist during the great tribulation -- having to go through God's wrath (the day of the Lord) which is still to follow -- proves that the wrath of God follows the great tribulation of Antichrist. As the great tribulation begins at the midpoint of the seventieth week, any attempt to equate the entire seventieth week with the day of the Lord clearly contradicts the critical message of the third angel.
57, According to Revelation 12:12 and 13:2 the great tribulation is the wrath of whom?
Those who dwell in heaven are told to rejoice over the fact that Satan is cast out and not able to gain access anymore into heaven, that is a cause for celebration in heaven. But notice what it says after that, "woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the Devil has come down to you having great wrath, because he knows his time is short." Great in heaven, but look out on earth, why, because the devil has come down to you, is he going to be in a red costume? No, he is going to energize and empower the Antichrist and the false prophet. He has come down to you with what? Great wrath! Here we see unequivocally that the great tribulation is not an expression of the wrath of God, but of the "great wrath" of the devil and his persecution carried out by the Antichrist. He has great wrath because he knows he has but a little time. How much time does he have? Three and one-half years are alotted to him.
So when the midpoint of the seventieth week begins that is not the wrath of God, it is not the Day of the Lord, it is the wrath of Satan against those whom he has accused of not being worthy to be sons of God. God says, "You go down Satan and see if they are worthy or not." With Satan's exit from the heavenlies, there will be no more battles in the heavens, the battleground has shifted from heaven to earth for the final showdown between God and Satan, which will bring the cosmic conflict to a predetermined and eternal end.
As Satan arrives upon earth, his strategy will take two main directions. First, Satan will initiate the "time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time" (Dan. 12:1), as Satan attempts to prevent the national salvation of Israel, the singular event that will complete the spiritual kingdom of God. Second, his appearance will also initiate the time of "fiery testing" upon the church (1 Pet. 4:12-17), as Satan will be given direct access to the church, bringing upon "the elect of God" the "great tribulation such as not occurred since the beginning of the world..." (Matt. 24:21,22).
58, According to Revelation 12:13, 14, 17, who will Antichrist's main target be?
When the devil is cast down to the earth he persecutes the woman (Israel) the Jewish sons of Abraham who obey God, they do not have the perspective of Christ at this time but they obey God, and God accounts that unto them for righteousness sake. Why does he persecute Israel? Because she is the instrument that is causing him is ultimate defeat. In the O.T. it was not their faith in Christ that saved them, it was their obedience to God, they were looking forward to Christ but it was their obedience to God that saved them.
In verse 14 the woman (the faithful remnant of Israel) flees to the place God has chosen for her protection. This is the one area that Antichrist and his armies will be unable to overthrow during the first half of the seventieth week (Dan. 11:14). God will protect this region for the Jews who will flee there at the midpoint of the seventieth week. Not only is she protected but God also provides for their nourishment by feeding them for three and one-half years. Notice that Satan is unable to touch them here.
This fleeing of the woman so upsets Satan that he spews a flood of water out of his mouth that they might be carried away by the flood. Now this is no small feat, this is a spectacular supernatural event, imagine enough water coming out of the mouth of Satan to carry away a minimum of 144,000 people by a flood. God being true to His word in verse 16, causes the earth to open up and swallow the flood, proving that the supernatural Satan is nothing compared to our supernatural God.
Frustrated with his failure to destroy the woman, in verse 17 Satan becomes enraged and goes to make war with the rest of her offspring those who keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Now the big question is who are her offspring? The identification of the woman's offspring is critical to our discussion at this point. I believe that there can be little doubt that the offspring refers to the Church. Obviously, if "the woman" represents "God fearing Israel," and because the rest of her offspring "keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ," this rules out that portion of Israel that succumb to Antichrist, as well as that portion of Israel, in general, that honored the covenant but refused to bow to Antichrist, because she is still unsaved at this point (the midpoint of the seventieth week), and does not come to know Christ personally until after the seventieth week is complete, see (Dan. 9:24; Rom. 11:25,26).
Therefore as the above eliminates the entire nation of Israel, there is only one group left that can fit the description--that is Christians, who "hold to the commandments of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ"--namely those who are a part of the church and not a part of the other groups mentioned above. In several places Paul makes it unmistakably clear that every true believer is a descendant of Abraham, the father of Israel (Rom. 4:11; Gal, 3:7-9, 29), thereby indicating the connection between "the woman" and born again believers. No person can "hold to the testimony of Jesus," which surely includes acknowledgment of His divinity and Lordship, without belonging to Him (1 Cor. 12:3).
At the beginning of the book of Revelation, John (a part of the Church) identifies himself as the woman's offspring (i.e., with those who "hold to the testimony of Jesus") by referring to himself as one who "holds to the testimony of Jesus"(1:9); similarly John is told later by a voice from the throne of God (19:10), "I am a fellow servant of yours [John's] and your brethren [the Church] who hold to the testimony of Jesus; worship God. Later John refers to "the rest of her offspring" as saints (Rev. 13:7). The same Greek word, HAGIOS, translated saints in 13:7, is again used by John in describing the bride of Christ (Rev. 19:8), which certainly includes the Church. To emphasize the warning to the saints, John then adds, "If anyone has an ear, let him hear" (v. 9) -- which is the same warning, almost word for word that Christ gave in His letters to the seven churches. This language is found nowhere else in John's writings. It is found only eight times, all of them in Revelation, seven times addressed to the seven churches and the last time as a final warning to the saints who "keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" during the great tribulation.
Therefore the Church fits the description perfectly and for that reason will be the secondary target of Antichrist's persecution. After the woman flees to the wilderness, Antichrist will begin the unrelenting persecution of the saints, that is, those who have refused his mark and "who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 12:17).
59, After the beginning of birth pangs (the first three and one-half years of the seventieth week) what is the next event according to Matthew 24:8, 9?
Immediately following the "beginning birth pangs...they will deliver you [the church in general] to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name." First comes the beginning of birth pangs during the first half of the seventieth week; then comes the great tribulation of Antichrist which will begin at the midpoint of the seventieth week, when they "will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations. According to v. 12, many in the church in general will "fall away" and their "love will grow cold.
60, What is the condition of the church in general that results in the falling away of many and people's love growing cold?
The church in general will have put the traditions of man, denominational doctrines, and man-made constitutions above the Word of God causing them to hold to a form of godliness that denies the power of God.
61, According to Revelation 6:7- 8, what does the fourth horseman accomplish?
Look back with me to Matt. 24, for a second because I want to make a point. Verse 7, nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, that is the second seal. Then we have the famines, that is the third seal. Verse 8, says, "this is the beginning of sorrows", this ends the first half of the seventieth week and the beginning of birth pangs, because verse 9, says, then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you..." Death is not talked about until the fourth seal and death is not a factor during the seventieth week until Antichrist sets himself up to be God in the temple and forcing people to take a mark or be killed, therefore the fourth seal occurs during the great tribulation.
The Seraphim gives them authority over 25% of the earth (Christendom makes up 25% of the earth, this includes all denominations that to some degree acknowledge Christ). This will prove whether they are saved or not, by going through the fiery testing. The testing forces a choice, the choice is, according to Rev. 14, do you worship Antichrist by taking his mark and live for awhile, but end up in the Lord's day of wrath with your final destination being hell. Or do you refuse his mark and be killed by him, but end up going in the rapture.
The choice is yours, are you going to worship this image or not? You may say, "it is a foregone conclusion that we won't." Consider this, when you have the economic chaos on the scale that is going to be and you can't buy or sell without the mark, when you have wars and civil authorities on top of you, that can cause you to be put to death if you don't worship the image some will give in and take the mark because they are still believing for Jesus to come before the tribulation, therefore this is not the mark of the beast, for that only comes after the church is gone.
So if you refuse the mark and die you have passed the test. That is why Death is followed by Hades because it is a choice, death to the ones that pass the test, Hades or hell to the ones that don't. Death or Hades, it is one or the other, if you have not gone into hiding like the faithful woman has, the faithful Jews, if you wait until it is too late you are going to get slaughtered. The bible says in Rev. 12, that Satan is cast down and he has great wrath because he knows that he only has a short period of time to destroy all that won't worship him, he must destroy them or he will lose his rule over the kingdom of the earth. And what makes it worse, 2 Thess. 2: tells us that the restrainer has been removed, and Satan is given the authority to come after the saints. Why? because God knows that the one who stands true during this time are truly His. The one that is truly His will either be in hiding or face death for his stand. The ones that are truly His are not going to fall away, they will be overcomers. This is the test.
If you are a part of the faithful church God will protect you in the sphere of danger and you will be alive at the rapture, but at the same time, if you refuse to be faithful and obedient to God's word, when you enter the seventieth week, you will be bombarded by false christs, wars and famines, the Antichrist gets into power and all of a sudden you're caught with no place to go. It will be very difficult for you to survive because you are unprepared.
Let's look at the phrase "killed by the beasts of the earth." What does this means? The Greek word for wild beasts here is THERION, this word is used in Revelation about ten times and the word means wild beast or beast.
This word is used only one way in this book, always referring to the Antichrist, the false prophet (Rev. 13:11&14), Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon. And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence, and causes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed. He performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men. And he deceives those who dwell on the earth by those signs which he was granted to do in the sight of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who was wounded by the sword and lived. This word never refers to wild beasts meaning animals. Therefore taking the normal usage of the word in the book of Revelation the beasts of the earth mean, the Antichrist and the false prophet who get their power from Satan.
62, What is the result of the opening of the fifth seal of Revelation 6:9, 10, 11.
This fifth seal has nothing to do with the purification of the church, there is no Seraphim involved with this seal as it was with the first four seals because the process of purification and the refinement of the compromising church (overseen by the Seraphim) is over. What we see here are the souls of those who have passed the test, who died for their testimony by staying true to Christ during the events of the first four seals, and were martyred during the great tribulation. The great tribulation is occurring when the fifth seal is opened.
Some people may respond and say, "God will not allow His children to go through this awful time. Do you think we are any better than the first century believers? God allowed, He did not cause, but He allowed those believers to be burned at the stake, to be torn and eaten by the lions, to have their children taken from them and killed, and to suffer untold agony, because of their stand for Christ. Do you think we are any better than the believers that have suffered for the cause of Christ down through the centuries?
The Church is an army; the Church is in a battle; the Church is to be about the Lord's business; the Church is to bring glory to God. Why do we think that when the big battle comes, we are to be taken out of it before it happens? Why would the Church want to be out of the earth when the greatest attack that ever came against the bridegroom is going to happen, when a false christ is going to rise and people are going to praise the false christ and all that represents godliness is going to be trampled underfoot by man.
Friend, Jesus rendered Satan helpless at the cross; Satan knows that he can not get at Jesus directly because he knows that Jesus defeated him. Since Calvary, the only way Satan can get back at God is through attacking the Church, God's people, and this attack will be the greatest during the great tribulation because Satan knows that his time is short (Rev. 12,12). Therefore the faster you get the idea out of your mind that you are going to be gone when these things happen, the better off you will be because you will prepare yourself by being obedient and faithful to God's word and not man's philosophies.
I believe that the fifth seal martyrs are made up of Jewish witnesses who die in pursuit of the salvation of their fellow Jewish countrymen. They will also include other faithful Christians ("their fellow servants") who, before the day of the Lord begins, likewise choose to lay down their lives for the sake of the lost or compromising church in other parts of the world, paralleling the work of the Jewish witnesses in the land of Israel. These would be people who could claim the protection promised the faithful church, but choose to minister to those who are unprepared for the intense persecution of Antichrist. Many of these faithful people will die assisting their fellow countrymen, "waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ...hav[ing] mercy on some, who are doubting; sav[ing] others, snatching them out of the fire..." (Jude 21-23).
We know for sure that these martyrs go through the great tribulation (Rev. 20:4-6). Does this group include the believers who will die from within the compromising church because of their complete lack of preparedness for the great tribulation. I don't know for sure, if the time frame of their remaining faithful refers to the seventieth week of Daniel, then yes.
The question of verse 10 is really, how much longer until your wrath comes to avenge our blood? How do we know that this is the wrath of God, because the question asks, how much longer before You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell on the earth, which only takes place during the day of the Lord's wrath. The Lord's wrath had not come yet. Why? Because His wrath does not come until after the sign in the sun, moon, and stars and He comes in power and glory, then the day of the Lord begins. This had not happened yet, therefore the question, how long before...?
These souls are here because of the fourth seal Death, which is before the wrath of God is unleashed. God permits this death to faithful Christians who voluntary refuse the protection they have been offered, to win people to Christ during this time.
63, In Matthew 24:3, Christ is asked three questions by His disciples. What are they and to what do these questions refer?
(1) "When will these things be?" This question refers to Christ statement that "not one stone [of the temple] here shall be left upon another, which will not be torn down" (Matt. 24:2). This happened in 70 A.D. when Titus destroyed the temple.
(2) "What will be the sign (singular, not signs) of your coming?" This is a direct reference to Christ second coming.
(3) "What will be the sign of the end of the age?" This is a reference as to when the day of the Lord -- God's wrath -- would begin.
64, Did the disciples ask these questions in the specific order that these events will occur?
Yes. First Christ will return and then God will pour out His judgment. Likewise in Matthew 24:1-28 Christ answers these questions in the order ask by the disciples. But in verses 29 and 30 Christ makes it clear that the signs will occur in the reverse sequence of events; i.e., the sign of the end of the age actually preceeds the sign of Christ coming.
65, In Matthew 24: 23-26 Christ gives a strong warning that every Christian who enters the seventieth week needs to heed with much seriousness. What is that warning?
Christ's warning here is very specific. It is a warning to the church not to be deceived by the "great signs and wonders" that false christs and false prophets will perform during the great tribulation by Antichrist. These signs and wonders will be so awesome that the elect will be tempted to come out of hiding where they would fall into the deadly grasp of the Antichrist. Thus Christ commands His own with the strongest words, "Do not go forth...do not believe them" (v. 26). In other words do not be deceived by any of these false signs no matter how impressive they may be. Wait instead for the real sign of the end of the age. Then and only then will you see the sign of Christ's Coming.
66, What will be the sign of the end of the age?
Christ says that the sign will occur "immediately after the tribulation of those days" (Matt. 24:29). He then goes on to quote the classic day-of-the-Lord passage in Isaiah, which explains that on this fearful day "the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the powers of heaven will be shaken" (Matt. 24:29; see Isaiah 3:10). This corresponds identiclly to the day-of-the-Lord passage in Joel, where the Lord proclaims through the prophet that "the sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes" (2:31). Therefore, from these passages we see that the sign of the end of the age is the same sign that the Lord gave to Joel, the same sign the Lord gave to Isaiah, and also the same sign Christ gave to His disciples so that they would know when "the end of the age" was about to occur, when Christ would return to earth for the judgment of the inhabitants of Satan's earthly kingdom. It is also the sign God gave to John announcing the day of the Lord at the sixth seal.
Thus, there is toatl agreement in Scripture as to what the sign will be. Also there is complete consistency as to when the sign will occur -- that is, "immediately after the tribulation of those days" and before the great and awesome day of the Lord.
Christ then in v. 30 of Matt. 24 explains that the second sign -- "the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky" -- will follow in immediate succession to the sign of the end of the age. The passage then goes on to say that after these two signs are given back to back, "then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory."
From this we may conclude three things: First,the day of the Lord will be preceded by two successive stunning signs -- the sign of the end of the age and the sign of Christ's coming. Second, both of these signs (and the events they announce) will occur when the tribulation is cut short (see Matt, 24:22). Third, both of these signs are given before the coming of the Son of Man on the clouds of the sky. This conclusion is of major theological importance, for it clearly shows that the rapture will not occur until after the tribulation, at the point at which the great tribulation is cut short sometime during the second half of the seventieth week of Daniel.
It is hard to imagine the effect of the sign of the end of the age. The Bible uses the most dramatic language in many places to describe the sign, which is, in effect, is a warning indicating that the day of the Lord is about to begin. It will be a sign of such magnitude and awesomeness that all of the ungodly will acknowledge its divine origin and attempt to flee in terror.
Those on the earth at that time will see, "the heavens tremble, the sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness" (Joel 2:10). "And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth: blood and fire and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD"(Joel 2:30, 31, also see Isaiah 13:9, 10).
It is no wonder that the sign of the end of the age will cut short the great tribulation of Antichrist. In essence, the sign of the end of the age will simultaneously extiniush all natural lights in the heavens, plunging the whole earth into total darkness. This sign will also be accompanied by tremendous worldwide earthquakes, so that "every mountain and island were moved out of their places" (Rev. 6:14). When that bewildering event occurs, unbelieving mankind will panic and desperately seek hiding places amoung rocks and in caves -- because thay will then know the horrifying certainty that the wrath of God, about which they were so often and graciously warned , is about to commence (see Luke 21:25, 26). In striking contrast, however, those of the kingdom of God, the overcomers, will look up with great joy and expectancy, knowing that "when these things begin to take place...your redemption is drawing near" (Luke 21:28). But remember that the day and the hour of this event is unknown (Matt. 24:36).
67, What takes place at the opening the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-17?
The opening of the sixth seal is a perfect summary of the sign of the end of the age. At the opening of this seal John describes cosmic disturbances that happen suddenly and without warning. This astounding sign in the heavens announces that the Day of God's wrath is about to begin and will bring terror to every persons heart except the elect of God. This cosmic disturbance, is precisely the same event which signals the approach of the Day of the Lord and outpouring of God's wrath according to Old Testament prophets, see (Joel 2:30-31, 3:14-15; Isaiah 13:9,10; and Zephaniah 1:14). Repeatedly, the prophets give the warning of cosmic disturbances prior to the Day of the Lord. The opening of this seal teaches the same truth. The earth's wicked will recognize the awesome significance of the heavenly signs, because they will have been warned by the third angel's announcement at the midpoint of the seventieth week to those who are considering taking the mark of the beast or worshipping his image.
Because the "whole earth" will be amazed by the recognition of who Antichrist really is and will " follow after the beast" (Rev. 13:3), this warning has incredible significance to everyone who has refused the gospel of Christ.
This sixth seal, cosmic disturbances, indicate that God's wrath is about to commence and who is able to stand when God's wrath begins. It is clear that men will flee from God's wrath after the sixth seal is opened. Why are they fleeing? To hide because the day of His wrath has come. If the wrath begins with the opening of the first seal at the beginning of the seventieth week, as pretribulationism teaches, why do the people not flee from God's wrath until after the sixth seal is opened--a considerable period of time after the wrath begins in their interpretation? The solution sometimes offered by them is that God's wrath started years earlier but that men did not recognize it as God's wrath until after the sixth seal is opened. Such a strained, unsubstantiated view is not to be taken seriously by those who love and honor God's Word. Even a cursory look at the Day of the Lord texts indicates that when God's wrath begins, the world will know it. There will be no question about it. His wrath will be awesome in its intensity. This planet will be shaken to its very foundations.
One portion of scripture that shoots this theory to pieces is Luke 21:25-28, "And there will be signs in the sun, moon, and stars and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing them from fear and the EXPECTATION (not something that has been going on and now people just realize what it is) of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of heaven will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near." So the opening of this seal scares the world to death, but for the Christian it is time to lift up their heads because their redemption is near. People the seals are not God's wrath, the seals are the ultimate effect of the rebellion of man inspired by the Antichrist, who in turn gets his power from Satan, against God. Now God is allowing this to take place but He is not the instigator of it. God's wrath is about to occur.
What did Paul tell us that we are not appointed to? The wrath of God, not the wrath of Satan against God's people, not the emergence of the Antichrist. Every instance of the wrath of God mentioned in this book is after Rev. 6:17, because prior to that the wrath of God is not happening. God's wrath is associated with the Day of the Lord, a day when the earth is going to reel under the judgment of a Holy God. The events of the seals are nothing compared to the outpouring of God's wrath on a world that has rejected His grace, spurned His mercy and refused His love. Please remember that God is a Holy God and what His righteousness condemns, His love can never embrace. There is coming a day when the Holy God will judge the earth because His love cannot embrace the rejection of His love.
It will not be a pretty scene but it will be holy, righteous and just. Judgment is coming and there will be no question in anybody's mind that it is the judgment of God. But, praise God, this wrath will not be poured out on His bride because they are not appointed unto His wrath, they will be raptured before this occurs.
68, What is the sign of Christ's coming?
With the earth cast into utter darkness and the world still in terror at the sign of the end of the age, the sign of Christ's coming will immediately follow (see Matt. 24:30). And Jesus explained a few verses earlier "For just as the lightning comes from the east, and flashes even to the west, so shall the coming of the Son of man be" (v. 27).
Just as the disciples' question linked these two signs together -- "What will be the sign of your coming, and [what will be the sign] of the end of the age?" (v. 3) --so these two signs will be interlocked with each other, the first leading immediately to the second. For first, all the natural lights in the heaven will be extinguished by the sign of the end, plunging the world into total darkness; and then in stunning contrast the darkened natural lights will be replaced by the supernatural brilliance of the sign of the Son of Man when He comes.
The sign of the end of the age appears first as a warning to the unbelieving world of the imminent day of the Lord's judgment, but also as the first divine evidence to believers in hiding or directly undergoing the terrible persecution of Antichrist, that the return of the Lord and therefore their "rescue" is at hand (2 Peter 2:9).
Every eye on earth will clearly witness the return of Christ (see Rev. 1:7). His return will be anything but secret. It will be an unequaled spectacular event that "every eye shall see" and that every ear will hear, when "the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God" (1 Thess. 4:16).
When Christ returns He will rapture His Church, immediately following will be the outpouring of His wrath on all the citizens of Satan's kingdom.
69, What passages in the Bible determine the timing of Christ's second coming with regards to its sequence?
The timing of the rapture is of utmost importance to the church, or at least it should be. Sadaly, much of the church today is seriously mistaken about the specific timing of the rapture as it relates to the great tribulation of Antichrist or else is inclined to historicalize or spiritualize this essential teaching. The correct timing of the rapture, however, is clearly revealed by Christ in His Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24), is confirmed by Paul in his Thessalonian epistles, and verified further by John in the revelation of Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation.
70, What are two important aspects of Christ's return (rapture) must the church must remember?
(1) The rapture occurs on the same day that the Lord begins to pour out His wrath of judgment on the world.
(2) These back-to-back events (rapture and judgment) can only occur when God cuts short the great tribulation of Antichrist.
The rapture will, in effect, activate the wrath!
71, How does Revelation 6 harmonize with the sequence of events specifically outlined in the Olivet Discourse of Matthew 24?
Chapter 6 outlines the events of the first half of the seventieth week (the first three seals), as well the death and martyrdom of genuine Christians that comes as a result of the great tribulation by Antichrist that initiates the second half of the seventieth week (the fourth and fifth seals). The sixth seal depicts the sign of the day of the Lord (when the natural light of the sun, moon, and stars is extinguished), when the great tribulation is cut short by God. All those events harmonize precisely with Christ,s teaching in the Olivet Discourse and Paul's confirmation of Christ's timing in 2 Thessalonians.
72, Who is the great multitude that suddenly appears before the throne from all tribes, nations, peoples, and tongues?
Notice that this multitude appears just before the wrath of God is outpoured. Despite the remarkable parallel of Revelation to the Olivet Discourse and to the teaching of Paul, some interpreters take this multitude to be martyred Gentile believers. According to this view, these Gentile believers are converted in a worldwide revival that occurs during the great tribulation and are subsequently martyred after the rapture, sometime during the seventieth week -- which contradicts their position that the seventieth week is totally Jewish in emphasis and in character. Because the pretribulational school of thought maintains that the church cannot be on earth during the seventieth week, the most incredible Gentile turning to God for salvation, of all time, would have to occur during a time when their belief demands that God has returned His emphasis back solely to Israel! Yet to the contrary, Paul teaches that when the Antichrist "takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God...God will send upon them [the Gentile world) a deluding influence so that they might believe what is false, in order that they all may be judged who had not believed the truth, but took pleasure in wickedness" (2 Thess. 2:4,11,12).
After the Antichrist proclaims himself to be God, and demands the world's worship, during the great tribulation, the unbelieving and unrepentant world will become more and more spiritually deluded--by Antichrist, by his false prophets, by false teachers and even by God Himself. That is certainly not the description of the moving of God's Spirit, conducive to the conversion of a Gentile multitude too great to count.
If that great multitude were composed of converts after the rapture, where are the resurrected and raptured saints in that magnificent heavenly scene? If the church were in heaven, it is strange that they will not be present to greet the great multitude which comes "out from within" the great tribulation. If this were the case, the multitude would include many of their loved ones, left behind at the rapture. If anybody should be in heaven greeting this multitude it should be the church, but scripture portrays this mystical church nowhere in sight when this great multitude arrives.
This text tells us that there are already three groups of beings present in heaven, gathered around the heavenly throne, and already present when the great multitude arrives on the scene. As seen in verse 11, those who are already present include "all the angels [who] were standing around the throne...and the elders and the four living creatures." The arrival of this new group is apparently sudden and unexpected, as seen by the question asked by one of the elders in verse 13.
Let's look at the sequence of events that lead up to the arrival of this multitude in heaven. The first three seals correspond to what will happen during the first half of the seventieth week -- that is during the "birth pangs" of the Olivet Discourse. The fourth and fifth seals occur during the second half of the seventieth week -- that is during the great tribulation. The sixth seal corresponds to the sign of the day of the Lord -- that is the sign that will cut short the great tribulation, immediately preceding the rapture of the church and the beginning of God's wrath on the ungodly. And then we see the arrival of the great multitude. Can there be any doubt in anyone's mind as to who this group of people are, especially in the light of the clear teaching of Christ and Paul. Who are they? Based on the sequence just outlined above, there is only one possible conclusion. As stated succinctly in verse 14, "These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation". Verse 9, tells us that these are the ones "from every nation, tribe, peoples and tongues, a direct reference to Rev. 5:9., where this same multitude is described as those for whom Christ "was slain, and did purchase for God with Your [Christ's] blood from every tribe, tongue, people and nation -- the elect of God from all ages. Therefore, "these ones," this great multitude, can only be the elect of God for whom Christ died who have just been raptured out of the great tribulation, after the sign of the end of the age is given at the sixth seal.
The saints depicted in Rev. 7:9, are standing before the throne, clothed in white robes, holding palm branches in their hands -- indicating conclusively that they already possess resurrected bodies. This multitude can only be the resurrected saints who have been raptured out of the great tribulation -- and it must be exactly the same heavenly group (who also have bodies) referred to in Rev. 15:2 as "those who have come off victorious from the beast...standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God". This conclusion becomes certain when we consider what scripture teaches about the spiritual bodies of resurrected believers. The bible teaches that no believer in heaven will have a resurrected body until the first resurrection of believers, see (Luke 14:14; John 5:28,29; 1 Thess. 4:16;). Therefore since this group of people standing before the throne clothed in white robes and holding palm branches in their hands obviously have resurrected bodies, this multitude can only be the raptured church.
These are the people who come through great tribulation. Tribulation is translated from the Greek word THLIPSIS meaning pressure, difficulty, problems. Now what did the Lord say, "in the world you will have thilpsis." Is not everybody here going through difficulties right now? Of course you are. If you were to tell us of your struggles back home, in the church, in the world, there is not one here that has not got problems or pressures bearing down upon them. You have thilpsis. But in Matt. 24 in describing the events that we are talking about that there is going to come great thilpsis, great pressure of such intensity that the world has never experienced before. This great pressure is coming on who? Those who will not submit to the mark of the beast. Execept those days be shortened no "believing" flesh will survive, the ones who take the mark will survive, they will be loyal to the Antichrist in trying to destroy the people of God. Where does this great multitude come from? From out of the great thilpsis. This great multitude represents the church which goes into the seventieth week of Daniel. They are raptured when the great tribulation is cut short just before the Day of the Lord begins. They are raptured before the wrath of God is poured out but are not exempt from the ultimate rebellion of unregenerate men.
1 Peter 1:7, says this, "that the proof of your faith be more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire," Rev. 3:10, talks about the great hour of testing that is going to come upon the whole world, "may be found to result in praise, glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Friend, that is the issue, the faithful will stand firm and be loyal to Christ. This is not a time for saints to tremble in fear at what is going to take place, it is the time for them to cry, "even so come Lord Jesus.
73, What are the results of the seventh seal being opened?
Here we are told that with the opening of the seventh seal there is silence in heaven for about an half an hour. That silence is directly associated with the seven angels who are entrusted with the seven trumpet judgments. Why this silence in heaven immediately prior to the trumpet judgments? Because the prophet Zephaniah prophesied a command for silence associated with the outpouring of God's wrath during the day of the Lord. "Be silent in the presence of the Lord GOD; for the day of the LORD is at hand, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice; he has invited His guests." (Zeph. 1:7).
All the host of heaven are called upon to be silent with the awareness that the day of the Lord has arrived -- that divine judgment is about to fall. It will be so awesome that heaven can only observe in silence because of the eternal significance of what is about to happen as God's wrath is about to be outpoured.
Notice that the seraphim has not been involved with the last three seals. That is because the seraphim was only involved with the purification of the church. Here the responsibility is given to the seven angels who will assist in caring out the wrath of God.
With the opening of the seventh seal the scroll can be opened and the wrath of God begins to be outpoured with the sounding of the trumpets followed by the bowl judgments.
74, Why will the Lord create a new heaven and a new earth as Rev. 21says?
Because after the Fall the prince and power of the air was Satan, and the earth was under a curse; this renovation or reconstruction will bring the heavens and the earth back into an interrelationship with one another that was enjoyed by Adam and Eve before the Fall. In other words, the heavens and the earth were so corrupted by the Fall, and so devastated by the Day of the Lord, they will be remade and perfected by Christ into a splendid new and uncorrupted form.
This, then, will be the time that Peter called "the period of restoration of all things, about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient times" (Acts 3:21). The restoration of all things is referring to restoring all things as they were before the Fall. There is nothing else that God would restore all things to, other than the perfect creation that He made in the beginning before the Fall. Whatever it was like prior to the Fall is what it is going to be like in eternity future, man in human form living in perfect harmony with his Creator, to live forever without dying as Adam was created to do. This old earth will be made new and loosed from the old curse with its corresponding influences and effects.
Now the last enemy to be destroyed is death (1 Cor. 15:26). If all people on earth at that time have glorified bodies that are not subject to death then what would be the purpose of destroying death. It cannot affect anybody in glorified bodies anyway. But, the humans that came through the 1000 year reign in their bodies will need death to be destroyed in order for them to live and not die as Adam was created not to die.
There are other passages that refer to "the new heavens and the new earth" (see Isa. 65:17-19). There will be a new people who will rejoice forever in a world without end! Jerusalem is to be a place of rejoicing and her people will be full of joy. Jerusalem will be an eternal possession here on the new earth. So she will continue to exist throughout eternity as stated in 2 Chron. 33:4; Jer. 17:25; and Ezek. 43:7. In the eternal city of Jerusalem there will be rejoicing for God and His people. Israel is assured that they will be an eternal earthly people in Isa. 66:22-24. There is a promise that Israel's seed and name will remain forever. By the same token, there will be new moons and sabbaths, and the worship of "all flesh" before God forever.
Man was created by God to be an eternal being and once sin and death is done away with man will be as God created him.
This earth as we know it, with the curse that it is under and the worldly system that is dominate in the hearts and minds of people, will not last forever. After God's great judgment where all ungodly men are destroyed, He will create a new eternal earth. How He does this, I don't know, why He does this, I believe, is to restore the earth to the way He designed it in the beginning, where there will be no curse, thus, no sin, sickness, rebellion, disease and death. It will be a place where there is complete harmony between God's creation, [including man in human form] and God Himself.
75, Please explain Revelation 21:3-8?
This voice from heaven reveals that "the tabernacle of God is with men." The word "with" in the Greek is META, and it means "to be amid, or among" as in (Matt. 26:58; Mark 1:13) or "in company with" as in (Matt. 9:15; 2 Thess. 1:7; Rev. 14:13). The word "men" in the Greek is ANTROPOS, and it means "a human being." This is undoubtedly referring to the natural man on earth because the glorified individuals will not be subject to death or sorrow which is done away with at this time. God is coming down to a earthly people who have lived through the Millennium without rebelling against the kingdom as those did who rebelled at the end of the Millennium under the leadership of Satan. Nowhere in scripture is it even suggested that these human beings will received glorified bodies. These people will not become a glorified people, but they will remain in a natural state. However, they will be imperishable as God intended man to be when He created him. God's eternal purpose was not changed because of the fall of man, and once again the human race will live as originally intended. God will dwell among men, that is, in the mists of them forever.
In fulfillment of the prophecy given in Isaiah 25:8, a most marvelous and glorious thing occurs, there will be no more death, sorrow, crying, pain, or tempter because the former things are passed away. All these things are removed; the curse and sin are taken away from the human race to be no more. The end result of sin is death. The devil has caused both death and destruction, but the natural man in the eternal kingdom of God on earth will experience the fulfillment of Exo. 32:13; Psa. 25:13; 37:11,22,29,34; 69:36; 82:8; Isa. 60:21; Matt.5:5; 25:34. Conditions will be conducive only to perfection and for good in the new earth, and the race will be perpetuated without the difficulties caused by the devil.
Then the voice from the throne declares, "Behold, I make all things new." The word for "new" here is the same as in verse one, and indicates that things will be renewed. The promise is also given that those who thirst can drink of the fountain of life freely. Those humans on earth at that time will desire to drink of this life giving water, but verses 7&8 are written for the encouragement to believers who live in this life, lest any should become discouraged in their battle to overcome. Those who overcome will inherit all things pertaining to the new earth and God's eternal kingdom. Then the warning to those who do not overcome, those who refuse to follow Christ, those who are evil will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, and this is the second death. This is a warning to people today, who continue to chose the lifestyle of v.8, they will not be a part of God's eternal kingdom, but instead, after the judgment at the Great White Throne they will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death and they will be eternally separated from God.
God has created all things; and man, His highest creation, was to have dominion over all the works of His hands (Psa. 8). It figures then that man's full possessive rights would give access to this portion of God's creation in the future restoration. As natural people continue to propagate, there will be no problem with space or food in the new creation of God.
May our coming King, the Lord Jesus Christ richly bless you.
