The Rapture
ere is the 50 million dollar question - will there be a Rapture of God's saints before the Tribulation, or will all of God's people living at that time have to go through the Tribulation and possibly be martyred for their faith? I'm going to go ahead and give you the main verses from Scripture that deal with the possibility of a Rapture. There is divided opinion in the Body of Christ as to whether or not there is going to be a Rapture.
Each one of you will have to come to your own conclusion on this subject per your own interpretation of the Scripture verses I will list below. I'll give you my two cents on the subject. I'll point out key words and key phrases in the following verses.
As you will see in the following verses, I feel there is very strong evidence from Scripture that there will be a Rapture - and that it will occur before the Antichrist starts the persecution of God's saints, and before God starts to pour out His wrath upon the earth during the 7 year Tribulation. In other words, it will be a pre-tribulation Rapture.
1. This first verse is very interesting. You already know that one of the names of the Antichrist is the "lawless one" per the Scripture verse I gave you in my first article. This verse is definitely talking about the Antichrist. Here is the verse:
"And now you know what is restraining, that he may be revealed in his own time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-8)
You know the lawless one is referring to the Antichrist because then the verse says that Jesus will destroy him when He comes back for the second time.
But look very closely at the phrase "only He who now restrains will do so until He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed .." The "H" in the word "He" is a capital H. This means "He" is either referring to God, Jesus or the Holy Spirit.
Since God and Jesus are in heaven right now, the "He" has to be referring to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has always been referred to as the One who restrains evil from getting out of control on this earth.
It says that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until He is taken out of the way. Since we know that the Holy Spirit still has to be down here even if there is a Rapture, who is "He" referring to? If there is a Rapture, there still will be a multitude of people that are going to get saved and then martyred. If they are saved, then they are sealed with the Holy Spirit, which means the Holy Spirit is living on the inside of them like He is with us.
I believe the "He" may be referring to the "Holy Spirit operating through the Church." This means that the Body of Christ, the Church, will be what is taken out before the Antichrist can be revealed.
Think about this. The Antichrist is going to be very easy to spot once he starts to enter onto the world scene. All of the Scripture verses I gave you on the Antichrist and 7 year Tribulation spell out exactly what is going to occur and there will be more than enough astute Christians who are going to be able to pick up who he is when all of these events start to occur.
With some of the powerful TV ministries that we now have in place, I am sure that the Body of Christ will be shouting from the rooftops once the Antichrist is spotted. The word will be spread and it will become very hard for the Antichrist to rise to the kind of power that the Bible is foretelling.
I believe that the Church has to be taken out, as the above verse is stating, before the Antichrist can be revealed to the rest of the world. And the above verse states that the Antichrist will not be revealed until "He" who is restraining him is taken out of the way!
Once the Body of real believers are raptured off the face of the earth, there will nothing that will be able to stop the Antichrist's rise to power. The rest of the world is going to be easily duped into believing in this man - especially with all of the false signs and wonders that will be performed on his behalf by the False Prophet.
I believe the above verse alone is very strong Scriptural evidence that there will be a Rapture of God's saints before the Antichrist actually rises to full power.
2. This next verse talks about those who are "alive" will be "caught up" to meet the Lord in the "air." Here is the verse:
"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be CAUGHT UP together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)
This verse really seems to be implying that there will be a group of saints who are going to "caught up" or pulled up to meet the Lord in the air while we are still alive! Those words spell possible Rapture to me.
3. The next verse tells us of a "mystery" - that not all of God's saints are going to "sleep" - and that this group is going to be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, and that this event will occur at the last trumpet. I believe the Last Trumpet is God's last call to His people, and that it implies that whoever is saved and born again when this trumpet sounds off will be raptured and spared from having to go through the horrors of the 7 year Tribulation.
I believe the word "mystery" is being used to let us know that God is keeping the possibility of a Rapture a secret and a mystery to the rest of the world. This is why many of the Scripture verses pertaining to this event do not perfectly spell it out or state it without any shadow of a doubt. However, there is enough of a hint in these verses for God's own people to pick it up, but not the rest of the unbelieving world. Here is the verse:
"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet." (1 Corinthians 15:51)
I believe that the words "last trumpet" tells us this event will occur at the end of times. The words "shall be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye," really do describe what could be a Rapture - the immediate vanishing or disappearance of God's people from the face of the earth in the snap of a finger.
4. The next verse is coming direct from Jesus Himself out of the Book of Revelation. Here is the verse:
"Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth." (Revelation 3:10)
This verse could be literal interpretation - that Jesus will keep His Body of believers that are living at this time out of the hands of the Antichrist. He obviously will do it by either rapturing them off the face of the earth or by providing some kind of physical protection for them if there is no Rapture. My guess is that He will do this by rapturing them off the face of this earth.
5. Here is another verse from Jesus stating that we watch and pray that we be counted worthy to escape all the things that may be coming our way in the end times.
"Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." (Luke 21:36)
This verse really seems to be hinting or implying once again that God is going to allow some of us to escape or be prevented from having to go through the horrific events of the Tribulation.
6. Now here are some additional verses that are not quite as strong as the above verses, but do suggest the possibility that God will keep us from these horrific events.
"... and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come." (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
This verse either means Jesus will deliver us before the wrath comes, which would line up with a Rapture, or it may mean when He comes down for the second time at the battle of Armageddon to put an end to all of the carnage with the Antichrist.
"For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
This verse could be implying that His Body will not be appointed or be subject to the events of the Tribulation - or the wrath could simply be pointing to people going to hell for refusing to accept Jesus and His gift of eternal salvation.
Conclusion
If there is going to be a Rapture, I believe that God will rapture His believers off of this earth sometime before the start of the 7 year Tribulation. I don't think He will wait to the midpoint of the Tribulation where the Antichrist seats himself in the Temple proclaiming himself to be God and then starts all the persecution of God's saints.
I believe the Antichrist will be fully revealed to the world near the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation when he enters into a peace treaty and covenant with Israel, and then allows them to start rebuilding their Temple so that he can eventually get into it at the midpoint of the Tribulation to proclaim himself to be God.
And remember the very first verse above, that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until "He" is taken out of the way. And when "He" is taken out of the way, then the Antichrist can be fully revealed to the rest of the world. And the "He" in my opinion may be the Church or the main Body of believers that are living at the time of these events.
The other reason I think the Rapture will occur sometime before the start of the 7 year Tribulation is that the Antichrist is going to need some time to set things up. Once the Church is taken out, he will be free to start operating at full throttle.
The first thing he is going to do is convince and persuade the rest of the world to follow him, and I feel he will first do this by trickery and deception. If he starts the mass persecution too early on those who will not accept and take his mark, he will risk not being able to gain full control of everything.
I believe he will first suck everyone in by peace and diplomacy and the promise of a better world. Then once he has enough of the nations on his side and the Jewish Temple has once more rebuilt, that will be the time He will then go for all of the marbles.
He will seat himself up in the Temple at the midpoint of the Tribulation, proclaim himself to be God, kill anyone who will not accept his mark, and will then seek total world domination and control.
Think about this. This one man, through the power of Satan, will get a chance to have more power and more control over the entire world than any other man has ever had during the entire course of our human history. This will be the ultimate ego trip for a power hungry human being.
I believe that the last three and half years of the Tribulation is going to be the last and final history lesson from God to us. With the Church being taken out of the way so Satan and the Antichrist can operate at full force, I feel that God is going to show all of us how much terror, death and destruction humans and demons are capable of committing if given half the chance without God directly intervening.
In three and half years, Satan and the Antichrist are going to cause so much death and destruction on this earth, that Jesus Himself says that had these days not been shortened by God the Father Himself - that no flesh would have been saved! I really feel that Satan, if he knew he had the chance, would set up the entire scenario with the Antichrist to destroy the entire world through nuclear weaponry.
Satan already knows he is defeated. He already knows he will eventually end up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone forever and ever. He knows that this will be his last and final chance for mass destruction and terror. He hates all humans and anything to do with God and heaven.
If God would allow him anymore time than the three and half years, I really believe Satan would set the world up for mass destruction through nuclear weapons. He would then have the satisfaction that he literally destroyed the entire world before he goes to his final fate.
But thank our God, He will not allow this scenario to go this far. But God is going to allow it to go far enough to teach all of us a lesson that we will never, ever forget. He is going to show us how quickly humans can be deceived by Satan and his demons, and the only thing that has kept this world in one piece throughout human history has simply been the power and restraining force of God the Father Himself operating through the Holy Spirit.
Bottom line - there is only maximum life with God or maximum death without Him. The last three and half years of the Tribulation will show us what maximum death will really be like when God removes His Church off the face of this earth, and then allows the Devil and the Antichrist to do what they want with the power that will be given to them.
After we watch and see all of these horrific events unfold, we will never, ever want to forsake our God again. We will come to the full realization that without God in our lives - we can never have or find true happiness, joy, love, peace or fulfillment in our lives.
Without God in our lives, there is only eventual maximum death - and the last three and half years of this Tribulation is going to prove that point once and for all to all of us. It will be the greatest history lesson that the world will ever receive, and something that we will never, ever forget for the rest of our eternal lives.
Will there be a Rapture? You will each have to decide for yourselves on the way the above Scripture verses are worded. My own personal conclusion, after putting all the above verses together like pieces to a jigsaw puzzle, is that there will be a Rapture, and that it will occur sometime before the beginning of the 7 year Tribulation.
I believe the Rapture is a "mystery" from God and that it is "hidden" in the above verses. God does not want the rest of the unbelieving world to have full access to this mystery, otherwise people will be accepting His gift of eternal salvation for the wrong reasons - to escape the coming horrors of the Tribulation and not with a true, repentant heart to want to accept Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior for the sinners that we all truly are.
Again, you may want to put this article on the shelf in the event that we start to fast approach end time events in our lifetime. This article will make for good debate with other Christians who may not believe in the Rapture.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Main End Time Events
Summary Outline ofMain End Time Events
er the series of articles I did on this topic, I'm going to go ahead and do a summary outline on the main events and the possible order in which they will occur. I will not be stating any Scripture verses. This will all just be put into an outline form so you can have, at a quick glance, all of the major events that will be occurring leading up to Jesus' second coming to our earth. The best way to break up all of these events is to list all of the events that will be occurring before the 7 year Tribulation starts, all of the events that will be occurring during the Tribulation, and then all of the events that will occur after the Tribulation. Once the Tribulation starts, we know we have exactly 7 years before Jesus comes back.
Main Events That Will OccurBefore the Tribulation
1. Restoration of the State of Israel
The Jewish people return to the land of Israel and re-establish it as a state. This sign has already come to pass and it occurred on 5/14/48. The city of Jerusalem was then regained by the Jewish people on 6/7/67.
2. Miscellaneous Signs
Jesus Himself tells us that the following signs will occur as we approach the end times.
a) Perilous times will come.b) False Christs and false prophets will arise.c) Wars and rumors of wars.d) Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.e) Famines, pestilences and earthquakes.f) Lawlessness and immorality will abound.g) Love of many will grow cold.h) Christians will depart from the faith giving heed to doctrines of demons.i) Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, unholy, proud, boasters, blasphemers, unloving, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and unthankful.
3. Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy From Which They Will Rule This Earth From.
4. Rise of the City of Babylon
5. Russia and Her Allies Will Invade Israel. God Will Then Supernaturally Destroy This Invading Army.
Main Events That Will Occur During the 7 Year Tribulation
1. The Antichrist Establishes a Peace Treaty and a Covenant with Israel
2. The Jewish Temple is Rebuilt
3. God's Counterbalances:
The 2 Witnesses
144,000 Jewish Witnesses
Major Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Angel of the Everlasting Gospel allowed to preach the gospel
4. The Antichrist Will Destroy the City of Babylon
5. A War in Heaven Breaks Out
St. Michael the Archangel and his angels cast Satan out of the second heaven and onto the earth. The Devil becomes furious when this event occurs because he knows that his time is short.
6. The Abomination of Desolation
Three and half years into the Tribulation, the Antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel, seat himself up in their rebuilt temple and proclaim himself to be God.
7. The 7 Seal Judgments
These 7 judgments will probably occur during the first half of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) The Antichrist will be released and allowed to set out to conquer the earth.b) The Antichrist will be allowed to take peace from the earth and cause many people to kill one another.c) The Antichrist will cause slave labor conditions to exist where people will be working for minimum pay just to be able to buy enough food for a day.d) The martyrs will cry out to God in heaven to avenge their deaths. God says to wait just a little while longer.e) God causes a great earthquake to hit the earth, causing every mountain and every island to move out of its place. He also causes the sun to turn black and the moon to look like blood.f) There is silence in heaven for a half an hour. An angel offers the prayers of God's people to Him to avenge them.
8. The 7 Trumpet Judgments
These 7 judgments will occur during the middle to latter part of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) God rains down hail and fire upon the earth - burning up one third of the trees and all of the green grass.b) God releases a meteor into the sea turning one third of the sea into blood, killing one-third of all living creatures in the sea and destroying one third of the ships that are on the sea.c) God releases another meteor, hitting one third of the rivers and springs, causing contamination of the water and many men to die.d) God strikes a third of the sun, a third of the moon and a third of the stars so that they give no light. This causes a third of the day not to shine.e) The bottomless pit is allowed to open up releasing a huge swarm of locusts to attack all the people who do not have God's seal on their foreheads. They are not allowed to kill these people, but to just torment them with their bite. These people will be seeking death and will not be able to find it.f) 4 demonic angels are released from the Euphrates river to kill a third of mankind. These 4 demonic angels will lead an army of 200 million demonic spirits to carry out this mass slaughter of humans.g) Heaven is now beginning to rejoice because God is releasing His wrath upon the wicked on the earth and extracting His vengeance. God then releases more lightnings, another earthquake and more great hail upon the earth.
9. The 7 Bowl Judgments
These 7 judgments will occur during the latter part of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) God causes loathsome sores to fall upon those who have the mark of the Beast.b) God causes the entire sea waters to become blood - killing every living creature in the seas.c) God causes all the rivers and springs to turn into blood.d) God causes the heat from the sun to scorch men with great heat and fire.e) God causes total darkness to fall upon the kingdom of the Antichrist.f) The Euphrates river is allowed to dry up so as to prepare the way for the kings of the east to come to the battle of Armageddon. Then 3 demonic spirits are released from the mouths of the Antichrist and False Prophet and they go out to all the kings of the earth to bring all of them to the battle of Armageddon.g) God causes the greatest and most severe earthquake to hit the earth. The city of Babylon is completely finished off and swallowed up whole. This earthquake causes all of the islands to flee away and all of the mountains to be no longer found. God then rains down great hailstones weighing 135 pounds each. God then says: "It is done."
10. The Battle of Armageddon
All the nations of the world come against Jerusalem. Half of the city will go into captivity, houses will be rifled and the women ravished. Then deliverance comes!
Main Events That Will OccurAfter the Tribulation
1. The Second Coming of Jesus
Immediately following the Tribulation and right in the middle of the battle of Armageddon, Jesus literally descends from heaven where every eye will be able to see Him. Jesus will land on the Mount of Olives and He will then destroy all of the invading armies who have come against Jerusalem. Their flesh will dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes will dissolve in their sockets and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths.
Jesus then throws the Antichrist and False Prophet into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Jesus then throws Satan into the bottomless pit where he is kept chained up for a 1000 years. The rest of unsaved humanity is kept in Hades (Hell) until the 1000 Millennium Kingdom is over.
2. The Millennium Kingdom
Jesus will literally rule our earth from the city of Jerusalem for 1000 years with all of the saints ruling the nations of the earth with Him. There will be no more wars ever again. Wild animals and beasts will be tame. People will live long lives - possibly up to a 1000 years. There will be no more weeping or crying.
3. Satan is Let Loose One More Time
After the 1000 years have passed in the Millennium Kingdom, Satan is let loose from the bottomless pit for a little while in order to go out and attempt to deceive the nations of the world for one last time. God allows Satan to tempt and weed out the restless bad apples that were born into the Millennium Kingdom. They will all converge on the city of Jerusalem to go into battle.
Before any battle is fought, God will destroy this invading army with fire. Satan is then cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where he will now join the Antichrist and False Prophet. All three of them will now remain in this place forever and ever and we will never hear from the devil again.
4. The Great White Throne Judgment
All of unsaved humanity is now pulled up out of Hades (Hell) where they will now all stand before God for their final judgment. All of those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where they will all remain forever with Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
5. The New Heaven and New Earth
Our earth and our atmospheric heaven are now done away with, and in its place we will get a new heaven and a new earth. There will no longer be any seas. There will no longer be any night. There will no longer be any sun or moon because the glory of God will be illuminating the earth.
There will no longer be any more death in any way, shape or form. The curse of Adam and Eve will have finally been broken and done away with for good. There will be no more sorrow, pain, crying or weeping. All things will be made new.
God the Father Himself will now come down from heaven and dwell with man forever and ever in this new heaven and new earth. We will also get a new city of Jerusalem which will come down from heaven itself.
This new city will be like a square and possibly 1500 miles wide. The foundations of the walls will be adorned with all kinds of precious stones. There will be 12 gates with an angel at each gate. The gates will be made of solid pearl and the streets will be solid gold.
There shall no longer be any temple as God and Jesus will be the temple Themselves. All the nations of the earth shall walk in Their light and the gates into this city will never be closed.
Now with Satan, all of his demons, and all of the bad and unsaved people taken out of this new heavenly environment, we will now all live happily ever after with God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, all of God's good angels and all of our saved loved ones in the most perfect God-environment imaginable - with no more pain, sorrow or death ever again!
This is our final end. This is our ultimate destination. Keep your eyes on this final glorious end as we start to approach and enter into these end time events. It will help get you through the fire.
Remember, God will win in the end and so will you if you keep your faith in Jesus Christ through what may be some very difficult times ahead. Jesus Himself has already told us that those who are the overcomers in this life will be the ones to rule the nations of the world with Him in these coming eras.
er the series of articles I did on this topic, I'm going to go ahead and do a summary outline on the main events and the possible order in which they will occur. I will not be stating any Scripture verses. This will all just be put into an outline form so you can have, at a quick glance, all of the major events that will be occurring leading up to Jesus' second coming to our earth. The best way to break up all of these events is to list all of the events that will be occurring before the 7 year Tribulation starts, all of the events that will be occurring during the Tribulation, and then all of the events that will occur after the Tribulation. Once the Tribulation starts, we know we have exactly 7 years before Jesus comes back.
Main Events That Will OccurBefore the Tribulation
1. Restoration of the State of Israel
The Jewish people return to the land of Israel and re-establish it as a state. This sign has already come to pass and it occurred on 5/14/48. The city of Jerusalem was then regained by the Jewish people on 6/7/67.
2. Miscellaneous Signs
Jesus Himself tells us that the following signs will occur as we approach the end times.
a) Perilous times will come.b) False Christs and false prophets will arise.c) Wars and rumors of wars.d) Nation against nation, kingdom against kingdom.e) Famines, pestilences and earthquakes.f) Lawlessness and immorality will abound.g) Love of many will grow cold.h) Christians will depart from the faith giving heed to doctrines of demons.i) Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, unholy, proud, boasters, blasphemers, unloving, disobedient to parents, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, traitors, headstrong, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God and unthankful.
3. Rise of the Antichrist, False Prophet and a 10 Nation Confederacy From Which They Will Rule This Earth From.
4. Rise of the City of Babylon
5. Russia and Her Allies Will Invade Israel. God Will Then Supernaturally Destroy This Invading Army.
Main Events That Will Occur During the 7 Year Tribulation
1. The Antichrist Establishes a Peace Treaty and a Covenant with Israel
2. The Jewish Temple is Rebuilt
3. God's Counterbalances:
The 2 Witnesses
144,000 Jewish Witnesses
Major Outpouring of the Holy Spirit
Angel of the Everlasting Gospel allowed to preach the gospel
4. The Antichrist Will Destroy the City of Babylon
5. A War in Heaven Breaks Out
St. Michael the Archangel and his angels cast Satan out of the second heaven and onto the earth. The Devil becomes furious when this event occurs because he knows that his time is short.
6. The Abomination of Desolation
Three and half years into the Tribulation, the Antichrist will break his peace treaty with Israel, seat himself up in their rebuilt temple and proclaim himself to be God.
7. The 7 Seal Judgments
These 7 judgments will probably occur during the first half of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) The Antichrist will be released and allowed to set out to conquer the earth.b) The Antichrist will be allowed to take peace from the earth and cause many people to kill one another.c) The Antichrist will cause slave labor conditions to exist where people will be working for minimum pay just to be able to buy enough food for a day.d) The martyrs will cry out to God in heaven to avenge their deaths. God says to wait just a little while longer.e) God causes a great earthquake to hit the earth, causing every mountain and every island to move out of its place. He also causes the sun to turn black and the moon to look like blood.f) There is silence in heaven for a half an hour. An angel offers the prayers of God's people to Him to avenge them.
8. The 7 Trumpet Judgments
These 7 judgments will occur during the middle to latter part of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) God rains down hail and fire upon the earth - burning up one third of the trees and all of the green grass.b) God releases a meteor into the sea turning one third of the sea into blood, killing one-third of all living creatures in the sea and destroying one third of the ships that are on the sea.c) God releases another meteor, hitting one third of the rivers and springs, causing contamination of the water and many men to die.d) God strikes a third of the sun, a third of the moon and a third of the stars so that they give no light. This causes a third of the day not to shine.e) The bottomless pit is allowed to open up releasing a huge swarm of locusts to attack all the people who do not have God's seal on their foreheads. They are not allowed to kill these people, but to just torment them with their bite. These people will be seeking death and will not be able to find it.f) 4 demonic angels are released from the Euphrates river to kill a third of mankind. These 4 demonic angels will lead an army of 200 million demonic spirits to carry out this mass slaughter of humans.g) Heaven is now beginning to rejoice because God is releasing His wrath upon the wicked on the earth and extracting His vengeance. God then releases more lightnings, another earthquake and more great hail upon the earth.
9. The 7 Bowl Judgments
These 7 judgments will occur during the latter part of the Tribulation. They are as follows:
a) God causes loathsome sores to fall upon those who have the mark of the Beast.b) God causes the entire sea waters to become blood - killing every living creature in the seas.c) God causes all the rivers and springs to turn into blood.d) God causes the heat from the sun to scorch men with great heat and fire.e) God causes total darkness to fall upon the kingdom of the Antichrist.f) The Euphrates river is allowed to dry up so as to prepare the way for the kings of the east to come to the battle of Armageddon. Then 3 demonic spirits are released from the mouths of the Antichrist and False Prophet and they go out to all the kings of the earth to bring all of them to the battle of Armageddon.g) God causes the greatest and most severe earthquake to hit the earth. The city of Babylon is completely finished off and swallowed up whole. This earthquake causes all of the islands to flee away and all of the mountains to be no longer found. God then rains down great hailstones weighing 135 pounds each. God then says: "It is done."
10. The Battle of Armageddon
All the nations of the world come against Jerusalem. Half of the city will go into captivity, houses will be rifled and the women ravished. Then deliverance comes!
Main Events That Will OccurAfter the Tribulation
1. The Second Coming of Jesus
Immediately following the Tribulation and right in the middle of the battle of Armageddon, Jesus literally descends from heaven where every eye will be able to see Him. Jesus will land on the Mount of Olives and He will then destroy all of the invading armies who have come against Jerusalem. Their flesh will dissolve while they stand on their feet, their eyes will dissolve in their sockets and their tongues will dissolve in their mouths.
Jesus then throws the Antichrist and False Prophet into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. Jesus then throws Satan into the bottomless pit where he is kept chained up for a 1000 years. The rest of unsaved humanity is kept in Hades (Hell) until the 1000 Millennium Kingdom is over.
2. The Millennium Kingdom
Jesus will literally rule our earth from the city of Jerusalem for 1000 years with all of the saints ruling the nations of the earth with Him. There will be no more wars ever again. Wild animals and beasts will be tame. People will live long lives - possibly up to a 1000 years. There will be no more weeping or crying.
3. Satan is Let Loose One More Time
After the 1000 years have passed in the Millennium Kingdom, Satan is let loose from the bottomless pit for a little while in order to go out and attempt to deceive the nations of the world for one last time. God allows Satan to tempt and weed out the restless bad apples that were born into the Millennium Kingdom. They will all converge on the city of Jerusalem to go into battle.
Before any battle is fought, God will destroy this invading army with fire. Satan is then cast into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where he will now join the Antichrist and False Prophet. All three of them will now remain in this place forever and ever and we will never hear from the devil again.
4. The Great White Throne Judgment
All of unsaved humanity is now pulled up out of Hades (Hell) where they will now all stand before God for their final judgment. All of those whose names are not found written in the Book of Life are thrown into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where they will all remain forever with Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet.
5. The New Heaven and New Earth
Our earth and our atmospheric heaven are now done away with, and in its place we will get a new heaven and a new earth. There will no longer be any seas. There will no longer be any night. There will no longer be any sun or moon because the glory of God will be illuminating the earth.
There will no longer be any more death in any way, shape or form. The curse of Adam and Eve will have finally been broken and done away with for good. There will be no more sorrow, pain, crying or weeping. All things will be made new.
God the Father Himself will now come down from heaven and dwell with man forever and ever in this new heaven and new earth. We will also get a new city of Jerusalem which will come down from heaven itself.
This new city will be like a square and possibly 1500 miles wide. The foundations of the walls will be adorned with all kinds of precious stones. There will be 12 gates with an angel at each gate. The gates will be made of solid pearl and the streets will be solid gold.
There shall no longer be any temple as God and Jesus will be the temple Themselves. All the nations of the earth shall walk in Their light and the gates into this city will never be closed.
Now with Satan, all of his demons, and all of the bad and unsaved people taken out of this new heavenly environment, we will now all live happily ever after with God the Father, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, all of God's good angels and all of our saved loved ones in the most perfect God-environment imaginable - with no more pain, sorrow or death ever again!
This is our final end. This is our ultimate destination. Keep your eyes on this final glorious end as we start to approach and enter into these end time events. It will help get you through the fire.
Remember, God will win in the end and so will you if you keep your faith in Jesus Christ through what may be some very difficult times ahead. Jesus Himself has already told us that those who are the overcomers in this life will be the ones to rule the nations of the world with Him in these coming eras.
WARNING ! Do Not take the Mark of the Beast
WARNING !! Do Not Take the Mark of the Beast
This article on the mark of the beast will be short, sweet and straight to the point. This will be an extension off of the articles that I just did on all of the events that will be occurring leading up to the return of Jesus back to our earth to set up His Millennium Kingdom. In the first article I did titled "Basic Overview of Main End Time Events," I gave you the verse on how the False Prophet will set up a system on how he and the Antichrist will try to get everyone to receive the mark of the beast on either their foreheads or their right hands. The verse then goes on to say how no one will be able to buy or sell anything without this mark. The verse also says that anyone who will not worship the Beast will be killed.
Due to the extreme importance on just this one issue, I'm going to go ahead and restate this verse. I will then give you the verse on God's warning regarding this specific event. This verse is talking about the False Prophet and what he is going to do.
"He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18)
Now here is the real scary part. God Himself says in the Book of Revelation that none of His people are to receive this mark of the beast. If they do, they will end up coming under His wrath that will be released upon the earth during the latter part of the Tribulation.
God then pronounces what is the most dire warning imaginable if any of His people receive this mark. He flat out says that in addition to suffering His wrath that will be poured out during these last days - that they will also end up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Antichrist, the False Prophet and Satan will eventually end up.
In other words, you will go straight to hell when you die - no if, ands or buts about it!
Let these words sink into your memory banks and don't ever forget them in the event that there is no Rapture and the Tribulation takes place in our lifetime. Here is the verse giving all of us this very dire warning:
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:9-11)
Notice the very graphic warning that God gives in reference to ending up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. You will end up in this place and the smoke of your torment will ascend forever and ever - with no relief ever. This horrible torment will last day and night forever and ever!
Bottom line - all Christians who get caught up in this predicament will have to be willing to lay down their lives for God and Jesus. In other words, you will be martyred for your faith. This will be the ultimate test of faith for any Christian to pass.
I really believe that God put this warning in writing in His Word because He knows many of His people may get weak and scared if they are approached with this choice by the Antichrist.
But each Christian will simply have to override any fears or doubts that they may have, believe what the Word of God has to say about the matter and be willing to die for their faith in Jesus. If they do not, their eventual end will be too horrible for any human words to describe.
I have already done an article on the possibility of a Rapture. Hopefully, there is going to be a Rapture of God's saints before the Tribulation starts, and we will not have to go through any of these horrible events. If there is going to be a Rapture, then the saints who will be persecuted will be the people that get saved after the Rapture occurs.
It's almost as if God may be saying to the ones that get saved after the Rapture - "You all had your chance to accept My salvation before the Rapture and turned it down. Now that the Rapture has taken place, you now know that My people were telling you the truth about My message of salvation. Now I will accept any and all who are willing to come to Me, but you will have to prove yourself to Me by being willing to die for your faith in Me by refusing to worship or receive the mark of the beast."
If all of these events occur in our lifetime, I believe God will use all of us to get the message out to as many people as possible in order to save as many people as He possibly can from all of these horrible events. If there is going to be a Rapture, then it obviously is going to be the first train out, and God will try and get as many people warned, saved, and on that first train as He possibly can.
But the sad reality is that there are many stubborn people out there who will not accept God's free gift of eternal salvation the first time around and they are going to have to suffer the extreme consequences for not doing so.
Hopefully, they will accept God's gift of eternal salvation through His Son the second time around after all of the saints have been Raptured - but then it will cost them their physical lives as they will end up being martyred for refusing to accept the mark of the Antichrist.
Pray that none of your loved ones miss the first train out if there is going to be a Rapture.
But if by chance they miss the Rapture, let them know they are NOT to take the mark of the beast if they are ever faced with having to make this choice.
This article on the mark of the beast will be short, sweet and straight to the point. This will be an extension off of the articles that I just did on all of the events that will be occurring leading up to the return of Jesus back to our earth to set up His Millennium Kingdom. In the first article I did titled "Basic Overview of Main End Time Events," I gave you the verse on how the False Prophet will set up a system on how he and the Antichrist will try to get everyone to receive the mark of the beast on either their foreheads or their right hands. The verse then goes on to say how no one will be able to buy or sell anything without this mark. The verse also says that anyone who will not worship the Beast will be killed.
Due to the extreme importance on just this one issue, I'm going to go ahead and restate this verse. I will then give you the verse on God's warning regarding this specific event. This verse is talking about the False Prophet and what he is going to do.
"He was granted power to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak and cause as many as would not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hand or on their foreheads, and that no one may buy or sell except one who has the mark or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666." (Revelation 13:15-18)
Now here is the real scary part. God Himself says in the Book of Revelation that none of His people are to receive this mark of the beast. If they do, they will end up coming under His wrath that will be released upon the earth during the latter part of the Tribulation.
God then pronounces what is the most dire warning imaginable if any of His people receive this mark. He flat out says that in addition to suffering His wrath that will be poured out during these last days - that they will also end up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone where the Antichrist, the False Prophet and Satan will eventually end up.
In other words, you will go straight to hell when you die - no if, ands or buts about it!
Let these words sink into your memory banks and don't ever forget them in the event that there is no Rapture and the Tribulation takes place in our lifetime. Here is the verse giving all of us this very dire warning:
Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, "If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation.
And he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name."
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." (Revelation 14:9-11)
Notice the very graphic warning that God gives in reference to ending up in the Lake of Fire and Brimstone. You will end up in this place and the smoke of your torment will ascend forever and ever - with no relief ever. This horrible torment will last day and night forever and ever!
Bottom line - all Christians who get caught up in this predicament will have to be willing to lay down their lives for God and Jesus. In other words, you will be martyred for your faith. This will be the ultimate test of faith for any Christian to pass.
I really believe that God put this warning in writing in His Word because He knows many of His people may get weak and scared if they are approached with this choice by the Antichrist.
But each Christian will simply have to override any fears or doubts that they may have, believe what the Word of God has to say about the matter and be willing to die for their faith in Jesus. If they do not, their eventual end will be too horrible for any human words to describe.
I have already done an article on the possibility of a Rapture. Hopefully, there is going to be a Rapture of God's saints before the Tribulation starts, and we will not have to go through any of these horrible events. If there is going to be a Rapture, then the saints who will be persecuted will be the people that get saved after the Rapture occurs.
It's almost as if God may be saying to the ones that get saved after the Rapture - "You all had your chance to accept My salvation before the Rapture and turned it down. Now that the Rapture has taken place, you now know that My people were telling you the truth about My message of salvation. Now I will accept any and all who are willing to come to Me, but you will have to prove yourself to Me by being willing to die for your faith in Me by refusing to worship or receive the mark of the beast."
If all of these events occur in our lifetime, I believe God will use all of us to get the message out to as many people as possible in order to save as many people as He possibly can from all of these horrible events. If there is going to be a Rapture, then it obviously is going to be the first train out, and God will try and get as many people warned, saved, and on that first train as He possibly can.
But the sad reality is that there are many stubborn people out there who will not accept God's free gift of eternal salvation the first time around and they are going to have to suffer the extreme consequences for not doing so.
Hopefully, they will accept God's gift of eternal salvation through His Son the second time around after all of the saints have been Raptured - but then it will cost them their physical lives as they will end up being martyred for refusing to accept the mark of the Antichrist.
Pray that none of your loved ones miss the first train out if there is going to be a Rapture.
But if by chance they miss the Rapture, let them know they are NOT to take the mark of the beast if they are ever faced with having to make this choice.
Friday, April 4, 2008
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? Pt.4
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? - Part 4 - by Dr. Renald Showers - www.ankerberg.org
Four reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were presented in previous articles. This present article will present the fifth reason.
Fifth, the study of biblical prophecy is intended by God to purify the believer's life and to change his or her priorities. Two aspects of prophetic revelation serve that purpose.
The first aspect: The imminency of Christ's return. The English word "imminent" means "hanging over one's head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence" ("imminent," The Oxford English Dictionary, 1901, V, 66). Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent.
One never knows exactly when an imminent event will happen. Because of this, a person cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before an imminent event occurs. Thus, one should always be prepared for it to happen at any moment.
In light of the meaning of "imminent" and the fact that the next coming of Christ has not yet occurred, the concept of the imminent coming of Christ is as follows: His next coming is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake us, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before His coming, but biblically nothing else must happen before it takes place. If something else must happen first, then His next coming is not imminent.
The concept of the imminent coming of Christ prompts the conclusion that we do not know exactly when He will come. Because of this, we cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before His coming. Therefore, we should always be ready for Him to come at any moment.
Numerous Bible scholars from various church and theological backgrounds have concluded that the New Testament teaches or implies the imminent coming of Christ in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 1:7; 4:5; 15:51-52; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; Titus 2:13; James 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 17, 20.
We shall examine James 5:8-9 as an example of a passage that teaches the imminency of Christ's return. James wrote the following to believers: "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."
It is important to note that James used the Greek perfect tense in the verb forms translated "draweth" in the expression "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" and "standeth" in the expression "the judge standeth before the door." The Greek perfect tense refers to an action that was completed in the past, but the results of that action continue into the present. Thus, in the first expression James was saying that the next coming of Christ drew near in the past before he wrote his epistle, and that it continued to be near in the present while he was writing his epistle.
In the second expression James was claiming that there was a genuine sense in which Christ took His stand as judge at the door of Heaven before he wrote his epistle, and that He continued to stand at the door of Heaven in the present while he was writing his epistle. James thereby implied that Christ could step through the door of Heaven at any moment and confront His Church saints as judge at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
James clearly indicated that, in light of the fact that Christ could return at any moment and confront His Church saints as judge, Christians should be careful how they treat their fellow believers (v. 9). He thereby implied the following truth: The fact that Christ's next coming is imminent should make a difference in the way Christians live. They should be living holy, godly lives every moment of every day, because in the very next moment Christ could step through the door of Heaven and confront them face-to-face.
The Apostle John emphasized the same truth when he wrote the following to Christians: "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28).
The second aspect: The future destruction of the present earth and universe. In 2 Peter 3 the Apostle Peter wrote, "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and all the works that are therein shall be burned up" (v. 10). Peter thereby foretold the future destruction of the present earth and universe, including everything that mankind has designed and made during the history of this earth. This means that all of our present material possessions will be totally destroyed.
In light of the certainty of this future destruction, Peter then said the following to Christians: "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness" (v. 11). His point was this: The fact that the present earth, universe and all our material possessions will be destroyed in the future should make a difference in our values, priorities and how we live in the present. We should be holy in our daily conduct. The thing that should motivate us and give us ultimate meaning and purpose in life is the glory and pleasing of God, not money, material things, or the present world system. Because all these earthly things are temporary and doomed for destruction, we should conform our values and priorities to those of the future eternal state (vv. 13-14).
Are you investing your life in the things that will perish or the things that will last forever? How are you training your children to invest their lives? Is your bank in Heaven, or is your heaven in the bank?
Four reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were presented in previous articles. This present article will present the fifth reason.
Fifth, the study of biblical prophecy is intended by God to purify the believer's life and to change his or her priorities. Two aspects of prophetic revelation serve that purpose.
The first aspect: The imminency of Christ's return. The English word "imminent" means "hanging over one's head, ready to befall or overtake one; close at hand in its incidence" ("imminent," The Oxford English Dictionary, 1901, V, 66). Thus, an imminent event is one that is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake a person, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before the imminent event, but nothing else must take place before it happens. If something else must take place before an event can happen, that event is not imminent.
One never knows exactly when an imminent event will happen. Because of this, a person cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before an imminent event occurs. Thus, one should always be prepared for it to happen at any moment.
In light of the meaning of "imminent" and the fact that the next coming of Christ has not yet occurred, the concept of the imminent coming of Christ is as follows: His next coming is always hanging overhead, is constantly ready to befall or overtake us, is always close at hand in the sense that it could happen at any moment. Other things may happen before His coming, but biblically nothing else must happen before it takes place. If something else must happen first, then His next coming is not imminent.
The concept of the imminent coming of Christ prompts the conclusion that we do not know exactly when He will come. Because of this, we cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before His coming. Therefore, we should always be ready for Him to come at any moment.
Numerous Bible scholars from various church and theological backgrounds have concluded that the New Testament teaches or implies the imminent coming of Christ in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 1:7; 4:5; 15:51-52; 16:22; Philippians 3:20; 4:5; 1 Thessalonians 1:10; 2 Thessalonians 3:10-12; Titus 2:13; James 5:8-9; 1 John 2:28; Revelation 3:11; 22:7, 12, 17, 20.
We shall examine James 5:8-9 as an example of a passage that teaches the imminency of Christ's return. James wrote the following to believers: "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door."
It is important to note that James used the Greek perfect tense in the verb forms translated "draweth" in the expression "the coming of the Lord draweth nigh" and "standeth" in the expression "the judge standeth before the door." The Greek perfect tense refers to an action that was completed in the past, but the results of that action continue into the present. Thus, in the first expression James was saying that the next coming of Christ drew near in the past before he wrote his epistle, and that it continued to be near in the present while he was writing his epistle.
In the second expression James was claiming that there was a genuine sense in which Christ took His stand as judge at the door of Heaven before he wrote his epistle, and that He continued to stand at the door of Heaven in the present while he was writing his epistle. James thereby implied that Christ could step through the door of Heaven at any moment and confront His Church saints as judge at the Judgment Seat of Christ (Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:10-4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:10).
James clearly indicated that, in light of the fact that Christ could return at any moment and confront His Church saints as judge, Christians should be careful how they treat their fellow believers (v. 9). He thereby implied the following truth: The fact that Christ's next coming is imminent should make a difference in the way Christians live. They should be living holy, godly lives every moment of every day, because in the very next moment Christ could step through the door of Heaven and confront them face-to-face.
The Apostle John emphasized the same truth when he wrote the following to Christians: "And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming" (1 John 2:28).
The second aspect: The future destruction of the present earth and universe. In 2 Peter 3 the Apostle Peter wrote, "the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and all the works that are therein shall be burned up" (v. 10). Peter thereby foretold the future destruction of the present earth and universe, including everything that mankind has designed and made during the history of this earth. This means that all of our present material possessions will be totally destroyed.
In light of the certainty of this future destruction, Peter then said the following to Christians: "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness" (v. 11). His point was this: The fact that the present earth, universe and all our material possessions will be destroyed in the future should make a difference in our values, priorities and how we live in the present. We should be holy in our daily conduct. The thing that should motivate us and give us ultimate meaning and purpose in life is the glory and pleasing of God, not money, material things, or the present world system. Because all these earthly things are temporary and doomed for destruction, we should conform our values and priorities to those of the future eternal state (vv. 13-14).
Are you investing your life in the things that will perish or the things that will last forever? How are you training your children to invest their lives? Is your bank in Heaven, or is your heaven in the bank?
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? Pt.3
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? - Part 3 - by Dr. Renald Showers - www.ankerberg.org
Reasons For Studying Biblical Prophecy
Three reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were presented in our previous article. This present article will present the fourth reason.
Fourth, it is impossible to understand God's plan and purpose for Israel apart from the study of biblical prophecy. The Bible reveals that God established a unique relationship with Israel as a nation. Moses made the following statements to the generation of Israelites who were to enter the land of Canaan years after Israel's exodus out of Egypt: "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6; see also 14:2).
In addition, the Scriptures indicate that God established this unique relationship with Israel forever. 2 Samuel 7:24 records the following statement of King David to God: "For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever." In addition, the Apostle Paul indicated that, in spite of Israel's unbelief, God's election or calling of the nation Israel for this unique relationship will never change (Romans 11:26-29).
The Bible also reveals that God did not establish this unique relationship with Israel because they were greater than any other people. Moses told them, "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people" (Deuteronomy 7:7). Instead, God established it because He had a unique, sovereign purpose for Israel as a nation.
God sovereignly purposed that the nation Israel play a key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. One aspect of that key role was this: God determined to bring great blessing to the whole world through Israel. God promised to bless the world through Abraham's offspring: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18). The fact that God repeated that promise to Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and grandson, Jacob (Genesis 28:14), whose twelve sons became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, indicates that God purposed to bring this promised blessing to the world through the nation Israel.
God has already brought great blessings to the world through Israel. The Bible came through that nation. The Apostle Paul wrote that unto the Jews "were committed the oracles of God" (Romans 3:1-2). The Messiah-Savior came to the world by birth through Israel. Concerning the Israelites, Paul said, "of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came" (Romans 9:4-5). Since the Messiah, who provided salvation for all people, was a Jew in His humanity, then salvation came through Israel. Jesus Himself said, "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).
Biblical prophecy indicates that another aspect of Israel's key role is yet future. God will not totally crush Satan and his forces and establish His future theocratic kingdom rule to the world until the nation of Israel repents by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as its Messiah-Savior. Zechariah 12-14 reveals that, when the rulers and armies of all the Gentile nations of the world will come against Israel in the future (12:1-9), the remnant of Jews who are still alive will see the Messiah coming out of Heaven. When they see the evidences of His past crucifixion, they will repent (change their minds toward Him) and will mourn over His past rejection (12:10-14). God will cleanse them from their sin (13:1). Messiah will then go to battle and destroy the rulers and armies of the world (14:1-3, 12-15; Rev. 19:11-21) and have Satan imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). Then He will establish God's theocratic kingdom and will rule as "king over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9, 16-21; Rev. 20:4-6). In that theocratic kingdom Israel will be the spiritual leader of the world. The people of Israel will "be named the Priests of the LORD " and the Gentiles will call them "the Ministers of our God" (Isaiah 61:6). The Gentiles will take hold of the Jews, "saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:23).
Contrary to the divinely inspired statements of King David (2 Samuel 7:24) and the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:26-29) noted earlier, some professing Christians insist that God did not establish His unique relationship with Israel forever. They believe that, because Israel as a nation rejected Jesus Christ in His First Coming, God permanently removed Israel as a nation from that unique relationship and replaced it with the New Testament Church. They claim that God will save individual Jews, but that He has no present or future national program for Israel. This belief definitely affects their thinking concerning the right of Israel to exist as a national entity in the Middle East today. It also causes them to reject the idea that God has purposed Israel to play a future key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. A significant part of the reason for this belief is the neglect or allegorical interpretation of biblical prophecy.
I received an expression of this belief from a group of four men after a message in which I referred to the 1947 United Nations mandate for a nation-state of Israel to be established in a portion of the land of Palestine. They insisted that the United Nations never issued such a mandate, and that the Jews went into Palestine and violently took the land away from its rightful owners without any legal authority. In response to my claim that history books record the United Nations mandate, they said, "It doesn't matter what the history books say; it never happened." When I said that they could go to the United Nations building in New York and see the written mandate, they said, "It still doesn't matter, it never happened."
The next article will present a fifth reason why the study of biblical prophecy is important.
Reasons For Studying Biblical Prophecy
Three reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important were presented in our previous article. This present article will present the fourth reason.
Fourth, it is impossible to understand God's plan and purpose for Israel apart from the study of biblical prophecy. The Bible reveals that God established a unique relationship with Israel as a nation. Moses made the following statements to the generation of Israelites who were to enter the land of Canaan years after Israel's exodus out of Egypt: "For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth" (Deuteronomy 7:6; see also 14:2).
In addition, the Scriptures indicate that God established this unique relationship with Israel forever. 2 Samuel 7:24 records the following statement of King David to God: "For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee forever." In addition, the Apostle Paul indicated that, in spite of Israel's unbelief, God's election or calling of the nation Israel for this unique relationship will never change (Romans 11:26-29).
The Bible also reveals that God did not establish this unique relationship with Israel because they were greater than any other people. Moses told them, "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people" (Deuteronomy 7:7). Instead, God established it because He had a unique, sovereign purpose for Israel as a nation.
God sovereignly purposed that the nation Israel play a key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. One aspect of that key role was this: God determined to bring great blessing to the whole world through Israel. God promised to bless the world through Abraham's offspring: "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18). The fact that God repeated that promise to Abraham's son, Isaac (Genesis 26:4), and grandson, Jacob (Genesis 28:14), whose twelve sons became the heads of the twelve tribes of Israel, indicates that God purposed to bring this promised blessing to the world through the nation Israel.
God has already brought great blessings to the world through Israel. The Bible came through that nation. The Apostle Paul wrote that unto the Jews "were committed the oracles of God" (Romans 3:1-2). The Messiah-Savior came to the world by birth through Israel. Concerning the Israelites, Paul said, "of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came" (Romans 9:4-5). Since the Messiah, who provided salvation for all people, was a Jew in His humanity, then salvation came through Israel. Jesus Himself said, "salvation is of the Jews" (John 4:22).
Biblical prophecy indicates that another aspect of Israel's key role is yet future. God will not totally crush Satan and his forces and establish His future theocratic kingdom rule to the world until the nation of Israel repents by recognizing and accepting Jesus Christ as its Messiah-Savior. Zechariah 12-14 reveals that, when the rulers and armies of all the Gentile nations of the world will come against Israel in the future (12:1-9), the remnant of Jews who are still alive will see the Messiah coming out of Heaven. When they see the evidences of His past crucifixion, they will repent (change their minds toward Him) and will mourn over His past rejection (12:10-14). God will cleanse them from their sin (13:1). Messiah will then go to battle and destroy the rulers and armies of the world (14:1-3, 12-15; Rev. 19:11-21) and have Satan imprisoned in the bottomless pit for 1,000 years (Rev. 20:1-3). Then He will establish God's theocratic kingdom and will rule as "king over all the earth" (Zech. 14:9, 16-21; Rev. 20:4-6). In that theocratic kingdom Israel will be the spiritual leader of the world. The people of Israel will "be named the Priests of the LORD " and the Gentiles will call them "the Ministers of our God" (Isaiah 61:6). The Gentiles will take hold of the Jews, "saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you" (Zechariah 8:23).
Contrary to the divinely inspired statements of King David (2 Samuel 7:24) and the Apostle Paul (Romans 11:26-29) noted earlier, some professing Christians insist that God did not establish His unique relationship with Israel forever. They believe that, because Israel as a nation rejected Jesus Christ in His First Coming, God permanently removed Israel as a nation from that unique relationship and replaced it with the New Testament Church. They claim that God will save individual Jews, but that He has no present or future national program for Israel. This belief definitely affects their thinking concerning the right of Israel to exist as a national entity in the Middle East today. It also causes them to reject the idea that God has purposed Israel to play a future key role in the fulfillment of His purpose for history. A significant part of the reason for this belief is the neglect or allegorical interpretation of biblical prophecy.
I received an expression of this belief from a group of four men after a message in which I referred to the 1947 United Nations mandate for a nation-state of Israel to be established in a portion of the land of Palestine. They insisted that the United Nations never issued such a mandate, and that the Jews went into Palestine and violently took the land away from its rightful owners without any legal authority. In response to my claim that history books record the United Nations mandate, they said, "It doesn't matter what the history books say; it never happened." When I said that they could go to the United Nations building in New York and see the written mandate, they said, "It still doesn't matter, it never happened."
The next article will present a fifth reason why the study of biblical prophecy is important.
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? Pt.2
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? - Part 2 - Reasons for Studying Biblical Prophecy - by Renald Showers
In our previous article we noted four negative attitudes that people have toward the study of biblical prophecy. These negative attitudes are unfortunate, because there are significant reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important. This present article will present three of those reasons.
First, one-fifth to one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. In light of this, those people who reject the study of biblical prophecy because of a negative attitude toward it choose to avoid twenty to twenty-five per cent of the biblical revelation that God has given to mankind-revelation that God wants human beings to possess and heed. This avoidance amounts to willful rejection of a major portion of God's truth and, therefore, has serious implications.
Second, it is impossible to understand God's purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy. Isaiah 46:9-11 quotes the following divine declaration, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:.I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 states, "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:.This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"
These Scriptures reveal that there is one true God, and that He has a sovereign purpose for this earth's history. The evidence that He is the true God and that He has a sovereign purpose for history is this: In the past He planned and purposed what would happen on earth throughout history. On the basis of what He planned and purposed, through His prophets God declared to mankind what would happen in the future, even to the end of this earth's history. Then, during the course of history He sovereignly causes to happen all that He planned and purposed and declared through His prophets. No one can prevent God from fulfilling His sovereign purpose for history.
Nebuchadnezzar, ancient Babylon's greatest king, learned by personal experience that the God of the Bible has a sovereign purpose for what happens in history. After God had completed His infliction of the king with a form of mental illness that caused him to live like a wild animal, Nebuchadnezzar wrote the following: "I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:34-35)
The prophetic Scriptures are the written record of what God through the prophets declared to mankind would happen even to the end of this earth's history. Since those divine declarations were based upon what God had planned and purposed for history, no one can understand God's purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy.
In light of the fact that God has a sovereign purpose for this earth's history, that on the basis of that purpose He declared to mankind what would happen to the end of history, and that the prophetic Scriptures are the written record of that divine declaration, it is no mistake that the Book of Revelation was the last book of the Bible written. God intended it to be the capstone of His divine declaration to mankind, because it foretells how He will complete His purpose for history. Because this is so, the person who decides to avoid the study of Revelation will remain completely oblivious to how God will complete His purpose.
Third, the study of biblical prophecy is an effective evangelistic tool. God had His declarations of future events recorded in written form in the Scriptures, not to satisfy the curiosity of people concerning what will happen, but to be a life-changing tool for people of every generation. God uses the study of biblical prophecy to serve as a warning to unsaved people: To warn them of the future wrathful judgment that He has purposed for this rebellious world and for all people who fail to receive His gracious gift of salvation through faith in His crucified, buried and resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses biblical prophecy to impress unsaved people with the urgency of their trusting Christ as their Savior now, before it may be too late for them.
I personally have witnessed people coming to a personal saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the study and teaching of biblical prophecy. For example, one church that had asked me to conduct a prophecy conference urged its people to invite unsaved acquaintances to the sessions. One woman invited her eight fellow office-workers to attend the conference. Every one of them came, and all eight trusted Christ as Savior. At the same conference, a believer, who was a custodian at a public school, brought the unsaved superintendent of that city's public school system to the conference men's breakfast. In response to the study from biblical prophecy that was presented at that breakfast, the superintendent placed his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Any Christian who avoids the study and teaching of biblical prophecy thereby fails to use an effective evangelistic tool that God has given to us.
My next article will present the fourth reason why the study of biblical prophecy is important.
In our previous article we noted four negative attitudes that people have toward the study of biblical prophecy. These negative attitudes are unfortunate, because there are significant reasons why the study of biblical prophecy is important. This present article will present three of those reasons.
First, one-fifth to one-fourth of the Bible is prophecy. In light of this, those people who reject the study of biblical prophecy because of a negative attitude toward it choose to avoid twenty to twenty-five per cent of the biblical revelation that God has given to mankind-revelation that God wants human beings to possess and heed. This avoidance amounts to willful rejection of a major portion of God's truth and, therefore, has serious implications.
Second, it is impossible to understand God's purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy. Isaiah 46:9-11 quotes the following divine declaration, "I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:.I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isaiah 14:24, 26-27 states, "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:.This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations. For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"
These Scriptures reveal that there is one true God, and that He has a sovereign purpose for this earth's history. The evidence that He is the true God and that He has a sovereign purpose for history is this: In the past He planned and purposed what would happen on earth throughout history. On the basis of what He planned and purposed, through His prophets God declared to mankind what would happen in the future, even to the end of this earth's history. Then, during the course of history He sovereignly causes to happen all that He planned and purposed and declared through His prophets. No one can prevent God from fulfilling His sovereign purpose for history.
Nebuchadnezzar, ancient Babylon's greatest king, learned by personal experience that the God of the Bible has a sovereign purpose for what happens in history. After God had completed His infliction of the king with a form of mental illness that caused him to live like a wild animal, Nebuchadnezzar wrote the following: "I blessed the most High, and I praised and honored him that liveth for ever, whose dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom is from generation to generation: and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand or say unto him, What doest thou?" (Daniel 4:34-35)
The prophetic Scriptures are the written record of what God through the prophets declared to mankind would happen even to the end of this earth's history. Since those divine declarations were based upon what God had planned and purposed for history, no one can understand God's purpose for history apart from the study of biblical prophecy.
In light of the fact that God has a sovereign purpose for this earth's history, that on the basis of that purpose He declared to mankind what would happen to the end of history, and that the prophetic Scriptures are the written record of that divine declaration, it is no mistake that the Book of Revelation was the last book of the Bible written. God intended it to be the capstone of His divine declaration to mankind, because it foretells how He will complete His purpose for history. Because this is so, the person who decides to avoid the study of Revelation will remain completely oblivious to how God will complete His purpose.
Third, the study of biblical prophecy is an effective evangelistic tool. God had His declarations of future events recorded in written form in the Scriptures, not to satisfy the curiosity of people concerning what will happen, but to be a life-changing tool for people of every generation. God uses the study of biblical prophecy to serve as a warning to unsaved people: To warn them of the future wrathful judgment that He has purposed for this rebellious world and for all people who fail to receive His gracious gift of salvation through faith in His crucified, buried and resurrected Son, Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit uses biblical prophecy to impress unsaved people with the urgency of their trusting Christ as their Savior now, before it may be too late for them.
I personally have witnessed people coming to a personal saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through the study and teaching of biblical prophecy. For example, one church that had asked me to conduct a prophecy conference urged its people to invite unsaved acquaintances to the sessions. One woman invited her eight fellow office-workers to attend the conference. Every one of them came, and all eight trusted Christ as Savior. At the same conference, a believer, who was a custodian at a public school, brought the unsaved superintendent of that city's public school system to the conference men's breakfast. In response to the study from biblical prophecy that was presented at that breakfast, the superintendent placed his faith in Jesus Christ for salvation.
Any Christian who avoids the study and teaching of biblical prophecy thereby fails to use an effective evangelistic tool that God has given to us.
My next article will present the fourth reason why the study of biblical prophecy is important.
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? Pt.1
Why Study Biblical Prophecy? - Part 1 - Different Attitudes of People - by Renald E. Showers -
Many people have negative attitudes toward the study of biblical prophecy. For example, there are those who say, "I'm only concerned about the present, so don't bother me with ideas about the future." A scientist friend of mine ran into such people while on a commercial flight. In a letter to me he gave the following account of what happened while he was in the process of reading a book on the Rapture of the Church:
I'd read the first several chapters by the time the stewardess had noticed how enthralled I was with the book. She asked what it was that I was finding so interesting (instead of her I presume), so I explained my excitement in such a scholarly treatment of the rapture question. It only took about 17.6 seconds for a frigidness to quash her formerly bubbly self. The next thing I knew was that she was wondering loudly why "people like me are always worrying about that stuff. There isn't enough love being shown now and if God is love then we should be spreading more of it around instead of worrying about the future." She had most of the First Class passengers nodding in agreement and looking at me like I had just brought the plague on board. Talk about instant isolation. She didn't even give me the chance to say that the imminency of the concept would encourage that very lifestyle (as well as other more Godly living, which I began to realize was the real problem). Needless to say it was a long, long six hour flight!
Other people express a second negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy. It goes like this: "Nobody can understand the prophecies in the Bible, so why bother to study them? Such effort is a useless waste of time." There was a prominent pastor who spent many years preaching systematically throughout the entire Bible. When he came to the Book of Revelation, this is what he told his congregation:
You will not see me for several weeks. During that time I am not to be disturbed. In essence, I am going into hiding. Here is the reason why: When I was a student in seminary, my professor of New Testament said, "We shall not study the Book of Revelation, because no one can understand it." Due to this lack in my seminary training, I know almost nothing about the last book of the Bible. Because of this, during the next several weeks I shall bury myself in the study of Revelation so that I can preach it to you.
The negative attitude of this pastor's professor of New Testament toward the study of the Book of Revelation is tragic for at least two reasons. First, those who ignore Revelation will miss the following special blessing that Jesus Christ proclaimed in conjunction with that book: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein" (Rev. 1:3). Second, the very fact that the Book of Revelation and all other biblical prophecies were given by God to mankind through divine revelation and were recorded accurately through the means of divine inspiration (1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21) indicates that God wants human beings to possess these prophecies and to pay attention to them. Otherwise He would never have given them to mankind. In light of this, those persons, who for any reason fail to heed them, will miss what God intends and desires for them.
A third negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is expressed by some Christians. In essence it is this: "There are very few, if any, prophecies in the Bible concerning events that will transpire in the future beyond our present time. Almost all biblical prophecies were fulfilled by the end of the First Century A.D.. For example, the great tribulation to which Jesus Christ referred in Matthew 24:21-22 was fulfilled by the events associated with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and Israel as a nation state in 70 A. D.. This was Christ's coming in judgment upon the Jewish nation that had rejected Him."
A fourth negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is the result of the mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by some Bible teachers and preachers. Tragically over the years some have claimed that the prophetic Scriptures gave them information that enabled them to set a date for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or to identify the personal name of the Antichrist. For example, during the era of World War II some prominent Bible teachers and preachers in Great Britain and North America claimed that Bible prophecy indicated that Hitler or Mussolini was the Antichrist. More recently a prominent Christian leader used a book, radio broadcasts, billboards and other means to promote the idea that Christ would return in His Second Coming to destroy the world in the Fall of a specific year that is now past. When time proved these men to be wrong, this not only seriously wounded the credibility of their personal ministries, but it also gave the unsaved more cause to ridicule biblical Christianity and soured the attitude of many Christians toward the study and teaching of biblical prophecy.
Two things should be noted in conjunction with this fourth negative attitude. First, instead of learning from the past mistakes of teachers and preachers, some today continue the same mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or by claiming that a certain prominent individual today is the Antichrist.
Second, those Christians who are negative toward the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of these past or present abuses are guilty of throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. Instead of rejecting the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of abuses, they should reject the abuses, but hold on to the valid study and teaching of the prophetic Scriptures. They should do so because there are significant reasons why the study and teaching of biblical prophecy is important. My next article will look at some of those reasons.
Many people have negative attitudes toward the study of biblical prophecy. For example, there are those who say, "I'm only concerned about the present, so don't bother me with ideas about the future." A scientist friend of mine ran into such people while on a commercial flight. In a letter to me he gave the following account of what happened while he was in the process of reading a book on the Rapture of the Church:
I'd read the first several chapters by the time the stewardess had noticed how enthralled I was with the book. She asked what it was that I was finding so interesting (instead of her I presume), so I explained my excitement in such a scholarly treatment of the rapture question. It only took about 17.6 seconds for a frigidness to quash her formerly bubbly self. The next thing I knew was that she was wondering loudly why "people like me are always worrying about that stuff. There isn't enough love being shown now and if God is love then we should be spreading more of it around instead of worrying about the future." She had most of the First Class passengers nodding in agreement and looking at me like I had just brought the plague on board. Talk about instant isolation. She didn't even give me the chance to say that the imminency of the concept would encourage that very lifestyle (as well as other more Godly living, which I began to realize was the real problem). Needless to say it was a long, long six hour flight!
Other people express a second negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy. It goes like this: "Nobody can understand the prophecies in the Bible, so why bother to study them? Such effort is a useless waste of time." There was a prominent pastor who spent many years preaching systematically throughout the entire Bible. When he came to the Book of Revelation, this is what he told his congregation:
You will not see me for several weeks. During that time I am not to be disturbed. In essence, I am going into hiding. Here is the reason why: When I was a student in seminary, my professor of New Testament said, "We shall not study the Book of Revelation, because no one can understand it." Due to this lack in my seminary training, I know almost nothing about the last book of the Bible. Because of this, during the next several weeks I shall bury myself in the study of Revelation so that I can preach it to you.
The negative attitude of this pastor's professor of New Testament toward the study of the Book of Revelation is tragic for at least two reasons. First, those who ignore Revelation will miss the following special blessing that Jesus Christ proclaimed in conjunction with that book: "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein" (Rev. 1:3). Second, the very fact that the Book of Revelation and all other biblical prophecies were given by God to mankind through divine revelation and were recorded accurately through the means of divine inspiration (1 Cor. 2:9-13; 2 Pet. 1:19-21) indicates that God wants human beings to possess these prophecies and to pay attention to them. Otherwise He would never have given them to mankind. In light of this, those persons, who for any reason fail to heed them, will miss what God intends and desires for them.
A third negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is expressed by some Christians. In essence it is this: "There are very few, if any, prophecies in the Bible concerning events that will transpire in the future beyond our present time. Almost all biblical prophecies were fulfilled by the end of the First Century A.D.. For example, the great tribulation to which Jesus Christ referred in Matthew 24:21-22 was fulfilled by the events associated with the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and Israel as a nation state in 70 A. D.. This was Christ's coming in judgment upon the Jewish nation that had rejected Him."
A fourth negative attitude toward the study of biblical prophecy is the result of the mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by some Bible teachers and preachers. Tragically over the years some have claimed that the prophetic Scriptures gave them information that enabled them to set a date for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or to identify the personal name of the Antichrist. For example, during the era of World War II some prominent Bible teachers and preachers in Great Britain and North America claimed that Bible prophecy indicated that Hitler or Mussolini was the Antichrist. More recently a prominent Christian leader used a book, radio broadcasts, billboards and other means to promote the idea that Christ would return in His Second Coming to destroy the world in the Fall of a specific year that is now past. When time proved these men to be wrong, this not only seriously wounded the credibility of their personal ministries, but it also gave the unsaved more cause to ridicule biblical Christianity and soured the attitude of many Christians toward the study and teaching of biblical prophecy.
Two things should be noted in conjunction with this fourth negative attitude. First, instead of learning from the past mistakes of teachers and preachers, some today continue the same mishandling of the prophetic Scriptures by setting dates for the Rapture or Second Coming of Christ, or by claiming that a certain prominent individual today is the Antichrist.
Second, those Christians who are negative toward the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of these past or present abuses are guilty of throwing out the baby with the dirty bath water. Instead of rejecting the study and teaching of biblical prophecy because of abuses, they should reject the abuses, but hold on to the valid study and teaching of the prophetic Scriptures. They should do so because there are significant reasons why the study and teaching of biblical prophecy is important. My next article will look at some of those reasons.
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