END TIMES BOOK

 EVENTS HAPPENING BEFORE THE RETURN OF CHRIST

Although the word rapture is not found in the Bible, its truth is taught throughout the pages of the New Testament. What things will the Rapture of the church accomplish according to the Bible?

John 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.

I Corinthians 15:51-53 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.

I Thessalonians 4:13-18 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope.

For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

Christ will return for His bride and take us to the Father. The saints will become immortal. The dead in Christ will rise from the dead and become immortal.

When and by whom was the pretribulational view originated?

First by a Catholic priest that published his notes and then later on by a young catholic woman who had a dream/vision.

How does a prewrath rapture become a catalyst for holy living?

We have to watch and wait for this day to appear and remain holy and undefiled.

What warnings does a pretribulation rapture negate?

There are no warnings because the majority of the church believes they will never have to endure or overcome any type of trouble.

If pretribulation rapturism is not based upon clear biblical truths, what is it based on?

It is based upon the man-made doctrines of humanity. In fact, it was based upon a vision type dream. Pretribulation rapturism was virtually unknown in America 120 years ago but has now become a fundamental of the faith. These believers disregard the teachings of our original Jewish fathers of the faith.

John Darby and the Plymouth Brethren started this doctrine back in 1830. The pretribulational view of Christ’s return made its way from England to America in the 1870’s. In 1917 Scofield’s Reference Bible revised its addition and included in its teachings the pretribulation theology.

Our heroes of the faith such as John Wesley, Charles Wesley, Charles Spurgeon, Matthew Henry, John Knox, John Huss, William Carey, John Calvin, Isaac Newton, George Whitfield, A.B. Simpson, George Mueller, John Newton, Jonathan Edwards, John Wycliffe, John Bunyan, and multitudes more believed what the apostles of Christ wrote in their books and epistles to the early church.

Our first apostles taught differently. They felt like we would go through the Great Tribulation. Our early church fathers believed that we would endure persecution by the Antichrist until Christ returned. They learned their teachings from Jesus.

What has been taught the most often and believed by the majority is what most believes to be true. This is why the pretribulation rapture is so highly acclaimed by the mainstream church.

Which Rapture position has developed the doctrine of imminency?

The Pretributlational view expresses the imminent return of Christ.

In Daniel 12:4 what was the meaning of the command to "shut up the words?"

It was not the season or the time to reveal the words in Daniel’s generation. The revelation was to be hidden then and later revealed to an end time generation.

What was the significance of the second command to "seal the book?"

Many would run to and fro trying to unravel the mysteries of Daniel’s words all to no avail.

The Lord promised that knowledge and insight into prophetic truth would increase at the end of the age. In light of that, should it be surprising that the details of Daniel’s prophecy will become clearer as we approach that day?

No, it is not surprising because we are now living in the last generation.

What are the two distinct aspects of Christ’s coming as it relates to the righteous and the wicked?

Malachi 4:1-2 For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts.

Remember ye the law of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for Israel, with the statutes and judgments.

The wicked will burn up in that day and the righteous shall tread down the wicked. When Christ arises with healing in His wings, we will come to maturity.

The Lord commended some of the churches for their patience (endurance under affliction. Believers will patiently endure affliction during what future time?

The church will patiently endure affliction during tribulation, a time of trouble, and in captivity.

Christ warned the church of Thyatira that they would suffer what type of difficulty?

In Revelation 2:22 Jesus said that He would cast them into great tribulation.

How did the Lord describe His come to the "dead" church of Sardis if they did not repent and watch?

Jesus told them He would come on them as a thief and they would not know the hour that He would come upon them.

What conclusion must we draw concerning the church’s presence in Daniel’s seventieth week in light of following facts?

1. The seven churches receive promises for being overcomers.
2. Christ warns these churches that His coming is very near.
3. Christ commends certain of the churches for their patience, and patience is later defined in terms of Great Tribulation.
4. Christ warned the church of Thyatira that they would suffer great tribulation, and great tribulation only refers to a time period inside Daniel’s seventieth week.

The Bible teaches that the apostasy and revealing of the man of sin must precede the Day of the Lord. The apostasy and revealing of the man of sin occur within the seventieth week. Therefore, the Day of the Lord cannot begin before the first five seals are broken, or at the beginning of the seventieth week.

In Joel 2:31 the Bible teaches that a cosmic disturbance immediately precedes the Day of the Lord. The cosmic disturbance begins with the opening of the sixth seal. That occurs sometime within the second half of the seventieth week.

The Bible makes it clear when the Day of the Lord commences. There is no guesswork. It will commence with the opening of the seventh seal. In Revelation 6:17 John wrote, "For the great day of his wrath is come."

The Bible teaches that the Day of the Lord is a time of unprecedented judgment upon the whole earth. It will also be a time for purifying Israel. The church is raptured out before Israel’s purification.

The Bible teaches that there is only one second coming of Christ – not one for the rapture of the church at the beginning of the seventieth week and another seven years later at its end, as pretribulationtionism contends.

The Bible teaches that the second coming of Christ speaks of a coming and continuous presence to accomplish a number of divine purposes. It will begin with the Rapture and be followed by the Day of the Lord’s wrath and the Lord’s literal return to the earth.

Natural Israel (the nation of Israel) is still here. They are now going through the Day of the Lord’s wrath because of their unbelief. They will become purified in the fire that our Father is pouring out upon them. Whoever cries out in belief in those days will be saved.

The Bible teaches that the end, or the end of the age is the time of the final harvest.

In Matthew 13:39-40 the final harvest is the time of separation between the righteous (wheat) and the unrighteous (weeds, or tares). The end occurs inside the seventieth week, not immediately prior to its beginning.

In Matthew 28:20 the Bible teaches that the church is to remain on the earth until the end.

In Matthew 24:14 the Bible teaches that the end ("then shall the end come") commences with the opening of the seventh seal. The righteous (the wheat) are raptured (harvested into God’s barn), and the unrighteous (the weeds, or tares) are judged (harvested and burned) during the Day of the Lord, concluding with Christ’s physical return to earth.

In Romans 11:25-26 the Bible teaches that at Christ’s literal return to earth, a surviving remnant of Jews will be regathered to Israel and saved. God’s covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob will be literally fulfilled.

The Bible teaches that, in connection with Christ’s return, the nations will be judged and Christ’s millennial kingdom will be established.

Malachi wrote that before the Day of the Lord begins, God will send a messenger to call the nation of Israel to repentance. Malachi, God’s prophet, recorded four hundred years before Christ what would happen in that day.

Malachi 4:5-6 Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

What Malachi knows is that the entire nation of Israel has rejected Christ. The Son of God was sent to Israel and walked among them and they didn’t even know it. Israel was taught the true word of God by the first apostles who were part of Jesus’ ministry and Israel didn’t recognize them or accept them either. The apostles were shunned and persecuted by the Romans and the religious rulers of their day. God is saying through Malachi that Israel needs to return back to the teachings of their apostolic fathers (the apostles) and the teachings of their father’s need to return to Israel as a whole.

The apostle Paul notes two notable events that must precede the Day of the Lord. (1) The apostasy and (2) the revealing of the man of sin in the Temple of God. What is the apostasy that must take place?

The apostasy is the falling away first, isn’t it?

Who is the man of sin (the son of perdition)?

II Timothy 2:2-4 reveals who he is.

II Timothy 2:2-4 That ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of the Lord is present. Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come the falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The Bible teaches that the apostasy (falling away), the revealing of the man of sin (Antichrist), that Elijah must appear, and cosmic disturbances must precede the Day of the Lord.

Unlike today, the heart of the Apostolic Age burned with the prospect of their Lord’s return. They knew full well that the Church Age had commenced. Paul, the apostle, revealed that fact in Ephesians.

Ephesians 3:4-6 Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ.

Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit;

That the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:

The apostles had no concept of its duration. It is easy for believers in this century to look back at two thousand years of church history, but the first-century church had no basis for anticipating that kind of extended period of time between their own day and the return of Christ. They believed that their Savior could return in their lifetime, and their lives revolved around the expectation of that event.

When Paul wrote the Book of Thessalonians he used the word "we" that clearly includes himself and his understanding of the second coming of Christ. Paul expected to still be living when Christ returned. Likewise, Timothy, Paul’s student, expected the return of Christ during his day. All their writings are consistent with the thesis that Christ could return in any generation.

There simply are no verses in the Bible that teach that Christ’s return can occur at any moment, is signless, and that no prophesied events will precede it. All of these are of an absolute necessity to sustain pretribulation rapturism.

What the Bible does teach is that every generation should be living with the expectation that Christ could return in its lifetime. This should become a catalyst for holy living.

The generation that enters the seventieth week of Daniel will know that Christ’s return is near. They will know because precise indicators will be given to that generation.

The indicators (signs) that are revealed will be (1) the emergence of Antichrist, (2) war generated by Antichrist, (3) famine as a direct result of the war, (4) pestilence because of the results of unsanitary conditions, (5) martyrdom of some who will not submit to the mark of Antichrist, and (6) cosmic disturbance. These events will indicate that the Rapture is near. Like the fig tree of Matthew 24:32, they will be signs of Christ’s return. They will not indicate the precise hour or day, but the general time period.

These signs of His coming cannot possibly have reference to Christ’s physical return to the earth at the end of the seventieth week as some believe. That event will occur precisely three and one-half years (1,260 days) after the abomination of desolation occurs at the midpoint of the seventieth week. The precise day of his physical return will be known. His physical return will take place after the seventh trumpet is blown because at this point time will be no more.

It is my belief that Christ’s physical return to the earth at the end of the seventieth week will take place after the last trump. The Great Tribulation is to purify the church and the Jewish people. Many of them have been sealed by God to overcome Great Tribulation.

Who said that the last trumpet would sound at the end of the three and a half years? Where did you find it in the word of God? What place in scripture told you that Jesus was coming at the last trumpet?

I Corinthians 15:51-52 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.

What happens in these verses? At the last trump the dead shall be raised and we who are alive will be changed.

There are seven trumpets that sound so at the last trump the dead shall be raised first. Then those who remain alive will be changed from mortal to immortality; from corruptible to incorruptible.

I Thessalonians 45:15-17 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

What happens first in these verses? When the Lord descends from heaven the dead in Christ shall rise first. We which remain alive when He returns will be caught up in the clouds and meet the Lord in the air. There is no mention of a last trump sounding in these verses but it proves to us what is going to happen when the trump of God sounds.

The coming of the Lord for His church can occur during any generation but only those who are alive when the seventieth week of Daniel commences will know that the Lord’s return is near.

God never exempts His children from the normal and natural difficulties of a sinful, unregenerate world. The destruction of Sodom was God’s work – so He told Lot to get out of the city. The universal flood was His judgment – so He told Noah to get into the ark.

The difficulties of the first part (the first six seals) of the seventieth week of Daniel are the result of the emergence of the Antichrist and the rebellion of unregenerate men against God. From these events the church will not be exempt! She will be raptured before God’s wrath commences with the opening of the seventh seal.

No normal person enjoys persecution or the prospect of entering a difficult period of time. Understanding this should not cause God’s people to recoil in fear and intimidation. It should be a call to wake up and walk in holiness and preparation.

The church is the bride of Christ, and the Bridegroom would never harm His bride. The Bible teaches that He does not harm us but He comes and takes us out before His wrath against the wicked begins.

The first part of the seventieth week is not the wrath of God. It is a period of time when the Antichrist will arise and deceive many. He will enter the Temple erected for the glory of God and he will demand the worship from men that should be directed to the true Bridegroom alone. In that day, the true Bridegroom will be under attack. A false lover (Antichrist) will seek to capture the hearts of men.

It would not be comely for the bride to absent herself during such an hour of history. A true and courageous bride will want to remain, fight, and give her life in martydom, if need be, to condemn the false lover and tell the world that Jesus Christ alone is the true lover of her soul.

Nearing the end of His life and anticipating the approach and anguish of Calvary, the Lord asked three of His disciples to watch and pray with Him. They could have been a great help and encouragement to Him in His hour of need. When He returned to where they were He found them all asleep. The Lamb of God was being squeezed as He anticipated that which was before Him.

During the seventieth week of Daniel, the Lord will need and want a courageous bride to stand for Him and speak of His perfection as the gates of hell are arrayed against His character through the Antichrist who will be directly empowered by Satan.

During this battle against our Lord Jesus Christ will the church, His bride, be asleep? Will she have become so complacent and worldly that her only concern will be her own well-being and escape rather than the glory of the Bridegroom? Will she neglect the repeated warnings to be ready, watching, and expectant?

Some of us may be called upon to suffer even to the extent of martydom. If we are not willing to make such a sacrifice for our Lord, we are not deserving of being called His disciple.