Very importantly in chapter 7 verse 9 John sees
a great multitude of people which could not be numbered made up of all races and nationalities, they had white robes on and
palms in their hands (symbolizing the righteousness and salvation of God). These people had just come out of the
great tribulation period (verse 14). This is a picture of the rapture of the church. In order for the Bible to
say they "came out of great tribulation" they first had to be in great tribulation. We are given many clues
to when the rapture takes place and i will outline them as we go along.
In chapter 6 verse 17 we read, "For the great day of His
wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" After this, we read in the following chapter that John sees
a great multitude standing before the throne of God. John does not see these people in heaven until right before the
"the great day of His wrath". The great day of God's wrath is also called the "day of the Lord" in other scriptures
elsewhere in the Bible. One mistake that many Bible scholars make is that they confuse the great tribulation period
with the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is that time of the end of this world (as we know it) when God will
destroy the ungodly people and cast Satan and the AntiChrist into the bottomless pit.
"But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also
and the works that are therein shall be burned up." II Peter 3: 10 KJV
The prophet Joel in the Old Testament tells us what signs
there will be immediately before the day of the Lord comes.
"...And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth,
blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great
and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall
be delivered..." Joel 2: 30-32 KJV
"The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth
greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath,
a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick
darkness..." Zephaniah 1: 14, 15 KJV
The Lord Jesus also described what the "day of the
Lord" would be like and more importantly, He tells us when the rapture of the believers in Christ would occur.
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the
sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens
shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of
the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And He
shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from
one end of heaven to the other." Matthew 24: 29-31 KJV
The word used in the above scripture to describe the church
or the saints of God is the word "elect".
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering..." Colossians 3: 12 KJV
"The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you..."
I Peter 5: 13 KJV
"Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth." Romans 8: 33 KJV
"For Jacob My servant's sake, and Israel Mine elect, I have
even called thee by thy name..." Isaiah 45: 4 KJV
Revelation chapters 8 and 9
John sees seven angels in heaven standing before God and
they were given seven trumpets. These trumpets represent disasters and great calamities that shall happen on the earth
during the great tribulation period before the rapture of the church and before Christ returns to destroy the wicked.
These calamities will happen before the day of the Lord's wrath is poured out on the ungodly which is not until the end of
the great tribulation period.
Revelation chapter 10
Speaks of the coming of the seventh angel and states that
when he sounds his trumpet it will represent the completion of God's mystery and His secret design and hidden purpose in the
earth as He had announced it to His servants the prophets.
Revelation chapter 11
Here we see the role of the church and God's saints (the
elect) during the last seven years before Christ returns to gather us unto Him.
John is told by the Lord Jesus Christ that power is going
to be given to God's "two witnesses" and that they would prophesy (or preach the gospel) for 1,260 days which equals 3 1/2
years. Someone might ask the question, how do we know that this chapter is talking about the church? Well, we
must remember the meaning of the symbols that are given to us in the book of Revelation.
"These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks
standing before the God of the earth." Revelation 11: 4 KJV
In the Bible, two is the number symbolizing a witness.
Jesus said,
"But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or
two more, that in THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES EVERY WORD MAY BE ESTABLISHED." Matthew 18: 16
KJV
The prophet Jeremiah speaking to Israel had this to say:
"The Lord called thy name, A green olive tree, fair, and
of goodly fruit..." Jeremiah 11: 16 KJV
In Revelation chapter 1 The Lord Jesus Christ told
John,
"...the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches." Revelation 1: 20 KJV
It is my belief that God is mainly dealing with nations
and kingdoms at the time of the end and that Israel and the United States (and her allies) will be the main focus of attack
by the antichrist after he comes into power. The antichrist's main goal is world domination and to cause the whole
world to bow down and worship Satan who gives him his power. How can he accomplish this while the saints and true believers
in Christ are resisting him? The apostle Paul had this to say concerning the coming of the antichrist and the rapture
of the saints,
"Let no one deceive or beguile you in any way, for that
day will not come except the apostasy comes first [unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to
be Christians has come], and the man of lawlessness (sin) is revealed, who is the son of doom (of perdition)...And now you
know what is restraining him [from being revealed at this time]; it is so that he may be manifested (revealed) in his own
[appointed] time. For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of rebellion against constituted authority)
is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains is taken out of the way. And then
the lawless one (the antichrist) will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and bring
him to an end by His appearing at His coming." II Thessalonians 2: 3-9 Amplified Bible
Some Bible scholars misinterpret this to mean that
the rapture of the church must first occur before the antichrist can be revealed or come onto the world scene.
However, the scripture mentioned above does not say that God is going to remove the church out of the antichrist's way.
It simply says that "he who restrains" will be "taken out of the way."
The question of who will take the saints out of the way
of the antichrist is revealed to us as we read further in Revelation chapter 11.
"And when they shall have finished their testimony, the
beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.
Let us pay strict attention to the time line of events
that is given to us in this chapter. We are told that the two witnessess will prophesy for 3 1/2 years and then the
antichrist will overcome and kill them. After that, the two witnessess bodies will lie dead in the streets for another
3 1/2 year period. This totals seven years which is also the length of time of the antichrist's seven year covenant
of peace with Israel.
In verse 11 it tells us that 3 1/2 years after the two witnessess
have been killed they hear a "great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither." It then says that they
ascended up into heaven in a cloud. Then in verse 18 we are told that the day of God's wrath and judgement upon the
ungodly people of the earth had come and time for the saints to receive their reward. Here again, the timing of the
rapture of the believers is revealed to us in detail.
Revelation chapter 12
This chapter is full of symbolism. It tells the story
of the nation of Israel described in verse 1 as "a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head
a crown of twelve stars". The woman gives birth to a child (Jesus Christ) and a "great red dragon" , who is Satan,
stood before the woman to "devour her child as soon as it was born."
We know from Scripture that Satan's plan was unsuccessful
and Jesus Christ was resurrected from death by God the Father and now He has been given all power in heaven and in earth.
However, during the great tribulation period (which is the last 3 1/2 years of the seven year covenant of peace that the antichrist
will confirm with Israel and the surrounding nations) the antichrist will make war with the remnant of Israel's seed (the
saints). Many of the saints will be killed and martyred during this time of intense persecution by the antichrist powers,
but the Word of God says,
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by
the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12: 11 KJV
Revelation chapter 13
The number 6 + 7 = 13. Six is the number representing
mankind. In the book of Genesis, we read that God created man on the sixth day. Seven is the number of completeness
or fullness. On the seventh day God rested because He was finished with His work of creation.
In chapter 13 we see the antichrist coming into the fullness
and completeness of his power and authority on the earth. John sees a beast which had seven heads and ten
horns. This beast was given it's power and "great authority" by Satan. One of the heads of the beast was wounded
to death, but it says that his "deadly wound was healed". The beast is a symbol for the government or rulership
of the antichrist's kingdom. The deadly wound of one of it's heads symbolizes that the kingdom of the antichrist will
be none other than the revived Roman empire.
We can understand one way that the antichrist's kingdom
will be similar to that of the Roman empire during Christ's time because of the persecution of the saints by Rome that
existed shortly after the crucifixition of Christ. It is said that Paul the apostle himself had his head cut off by
the Romans and many of the ceasars of Rome considered themselves to be gods and insisted that everyone bow to their images
and statues. Also, the Roman Catholic church history tell us that in 1478 Pope Sixtus IV issued a decree allowing
for the Spanish Inquisition and it lasted until it was abolished in 1834. The Inquisition brought a reign of terror
throughout Europe and made it lawful for the Spanish government to mercilessly persecute and kill countless Jews, Muslims
and Christians. This was all done with the permission of the Roman Catholic Church. We will see what the Bible
has to say about the Roman Catholic Church as we read further in the book of Revelation.
Let us not forget that it was the Roman government authorities
working hand in hand with the religious authorities (scribes and pharisees) that was responsible for the crucifixition of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and for the persecution of the early Christians.
John sees the antichrist "blaspheme" God and heaven where
God is seated on His throne. To blaspheme means to speak irrevently or disrespectfully towards God or divinity as though
they are worthless and it could also mean to curse someone or something.
John sees the antichrist making war against the saints and
overcoming and killing them. We know that the term "saints" also includes the church which is made up of the saints
of God all over the world. At this point we should again look at what the apostle Paul had to say about the coming of
the antichrist as it relates to the church.
"For the mystery of lawlessness (that hidden principle of
rebellion against constituted authority) is already at work in the world, [but it is] restrained only until he who restrains
is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one (the antichrist) will be revealed and the Lord Jesus will slay him
with the breath of His mouth and bring him to an end by His appearing at His coming." II Thessalonians 2: 7, 8
Amplified Bible
As stated in the above quoted verse, the saints (the church)
will be "taken out of the way" by the antichrist government through persecution and death of the saints of God. No where
in the Bible can you find where God promises that He will take the church out of the way so that the antichrist can be revealed
to the world. The main purpose and goal of the antichrist is to cause the world to worship Satan who gives the
antichrist his powers of deception. In order to do this, the antichrist must remove all opposition against his authority
in the earth.
John then sees another beast rising up out of the earth
and he has two horns like a lamb, but he spake like a dragon. This second beast had power
as a result of his relationship with the first beast and
was able to deceive the world by doing miracles and to cause an image to the first beast to have life. This image
of the first beast was able to speak and force everyone in the world to take a mark on their right hands or on their
foreheads and that no one could buy or sell anything unless they had this mark. The mark is described as being the
number of a certain man that will equal 666. This is a symbol for the antichrist. 3 is the number of the holy trinity
(the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) and 6 is the number symbolizing mankind. So what we have is a man who
is exalting himself to be a god or to take the place of God. This is the same sin that Lucifer was guilty of in
the beginning before he was kicked out of heaven by God and became Satan (see the book of Genesis).
The second beast spoken of in chapter 13 seems to me to
be the false prophet (the pope) who will make an unholy alliance with the antichrist when he comes into power during the great
tribulation period. The pope is the false prophet spoken of in Revelation 16: 13
Revelation chapter 14
Here John sees a Lamb (Jesus Christ) standing on Mount Si'-on
and with Him was 144,000 saints of God with their Father's name written on their foreheads. These are the same 144,000
Jewish believers that were sealed with Holy Spirit in chapter in chapter 7. Mount Si'-on is located somewhere
in Israel and is said to be the highest mountain in that area. It is also thought to be the place where Jesus Christ
was transfigured.
"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John
his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as
the sun, and His raiment was white as the light." Matthew 17: 8
The word "transfigure" means to change the figure, form,
or appearance of someone or something. The Lord Jesus Christ gave a glimpse of what is going to happen to us when
we are taken to heaven and given our new and glorified spiritual bodies. The brightness and shining quality of these
spiritual bodies is due to the tremendous glory of God as it is reflected in those He chooses to glorify through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
In verse 7 the angel announces that the "hour of His judgement
is come", and that God is about to put an end to the ungodliness and wickedness that is on the earth.
In verse 8 we see the destruction of "Babylon" which
is a symbolic an spiritual name for the revived Roman empire (in my opinion).
Also, in chapter 14 the world is given a final warning,
"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice,
If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of
the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture 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." Revelation
14: 9, 10 KJV
Beginning in verse 14 we see that the time has come for
God's wrath to be poured out on the ungodly people of the earth. This is the beginning of the "day of the Lord" spoken
of by the prophets and the apostles. This is at the end of the great tribulation period. The rapture of
the saints has just occurred and now God is ready to deal with the wicked and Christ rejecting people who are left behind
on the earth. Their horrible fate is described in graphic detail:
"So the angel swung his scythe on the earth and stripped
the grapes and gathered the vintage from the vines of the earth and cast it into the huge winepress of God's indignation and
wrath. And [the grapes in] the winepress were trodden outside the city, and blood poured from the winepress, [reaching]
as high as horses' bridles, for a distance of 1,600 stadia (about 200 miles)." Revelation 14: 19, 20 Amplified
Bible
We can praise and magnify God for His mercy and goodness
and kindness towards us who have been called and chosen to be conformed to the image of His dear Son, and to escape the
punishment of eternal damnation that God has prepared for those who follow after Satan.
"For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did
not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation though our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)..."
I Thessalonians 5: 9 Amplified Bible
Revelation chapter 15 and 16
Here we have another picture of what will happen at the
end, but we are given this picture from a different angle or point of view.
John sees in heaven seven angels having seven golden vials
full of the wrath of God. These vials contained plagues that God will pour out on the earth at the time of the end.
Also, John sees the armies of the earth being gathered together into a place called Armageddon (somewhere in the middleeast)
for the last great battle before the return of Jesus Christ to set up His kingdom on the earth. We also are told
that the rapture of the church has not yet occurred because we are given this warning by God:
"Behold, I come as a thief, blessed is he that watcheth,
and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Revelation 16: 15 KJV
Revelation chapter 17
Here John sees God's judgment upon "the great
whore that sitteth upon many waters". It says that the kings of the earth committed fornication with her
and that the people of the earth were made drunk by the wine of her fornication. We can understand
the identity of the "great whore" as we read further and decipher the meaning of the symbols used to describe
her.
This whore is described as wearing purple and scarlet (red)
colored clothing and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls and carrying a golden cup in her hand. This cup
was filled with abominations and filthiness of her fornication. Upon her head was a name written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON
THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH."
It further says that this woman was drunk with the blood
of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus and that she was riding on the back of a scarlet colored beast. A
woman is the symbol of a false church or religious system. It is also the symbol for a city or nation. God often
refered to Israel's behavior and relationship with Him as similar to a harlot or prostitute in the Old Testament.
"Though thou, Israel, play the harlot, yet let not Judah
offend..." Hosea 4: 15 KJV
We understand that this beast is the antichrist's
government because it had seven heads and ten horns and ascended out of the bottomless pit and went into perdition (damnation). This government will dominate the whole world during the great tribulation period and this government will
also be the revived roman empire. The whore spoken of in the book of Revelation most likely symbolizes the Roman catholic
church which is headquartered in the city of Rome. The Vatican is described as a city within in a city and this is the
headquarters of the Roman catholic church in Rome, Italy.
It is said that the city of Rome geographically sits on
seven hills or mountains. Also, the seven heads of the beast probably represent the seven empires that had dominion
over Israel and will have dominion over Israel at the time of the end. Five of the empires had already fallen by John's
day. These would be Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece and the Ottoman empire which lasted from 1300 to
1919 A.D. came after John's death. Rome was in power in John's day which made the sixth empire or head
of the beast image that John saw. The Ottoman empire made the seventh head of the beast. In Revelation
chapter 13 it says,
"And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise
up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy...And
I saw one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the
beast." Revelation 13: 1-3 KJV
"And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth,
and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition." Revelation 17: 11 KJV
Rome was in power during John's day and lasted until it's
decline in 234 A.D. According to Bible prophecy it will come back into power under the antichrist and dominate
the world in a one world government.
"Then shall the kindom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins
which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom." Matthew 25:1 KJV
In the verse above we see that ten virgins represents the
church because a virgin is a symbol of purity and cleaness. So then it stands to reason that a whore or prostitute would
represent an unclean or impure woman (or church). We also know that the colors of the roman catholic church are predominantly
scarlet and purple. We also know that during the catholic church service they utilize a golden cup for communion.
In addition, the Roman catholic church is a very wealthy church. However, their doctrine and teaching is based upon
falsehood and worship of Mary instead of Jesus Christ her Son. They call their priests "father" and they teach
their members that they must confess their sins to the priest for forgiveness and that they cannot go directly to God for
forgiveness.
Ther term "riding on the back of the beast" symbolizes an
unholy alliance or agreement with the antichrist's one world government and that they will work together to control everyone
that lives on the face of the earth during the great tribulation period.
Revelation chapter 18
In this chapter John sees the destruction of "Babylon the
great". To understand who or where Bablyon the great is we must look at the description that is given about her.
Ancient Babylon was geographically located in the area that
is now known as Iraq in the middle east. It is reported that Saddam Hussein tried to rebuild the ancient ruins of Babylon.
However, when the U.S. invaded Iraq it put an end to those plans. There is a prophecy in the Old Testament about Babylon.
"And Babylon, the glory of kingdoms, the beauty of the Chaldees'
excellency, shall be as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt
in from generation to generation..." Isaiah 13: 19, 20 KJV
On October 13, 539 B.C., Babylon fell to Cyrus of Persia
and from that time on the decay of the city began.
Under the rule of King Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon reached the
height of it's power. It was a great city that had impressive architectural designs in it's vast building projects and
contained the hanging gardens which were considered by the Greeks to be one of the seven wonders of the world.
King Nebuchadnezzar spoke concerning his city,
"...Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the
house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" Daniel 4: 30 KJV
Ancient Hebrew accounts of the city of Babylon state that
it was great in size, beauty and strength. The prophet Daniel spoke of King Nebuchadnezzar by saying,
"Thou, O king, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven
hath given thee a kingdom, power, and strength, and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell, the beasts of
the field and the fowls of the heaven hath He given into thine hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all."
Daniel 2: 37, 38 KJV
Nebuchadnezzar became lifted up with pride. He did
not give honour to God, but he lifted himself up to become a god. He made an golden image of himself that was 90 feet
tall and nine feet wide according to the Bible. He commanded that everyone bow down to the golden statue of himself
and worship it and that whoever would not bow down to it should be thrown into a furnace of fire (see Daniel 3rd chapter).
As we know from the Bible the three Hebrew boys would not bow down and worship this golden image of the king, of whom Daniel
was one. At the demand for them to bow Daniel responded to the king by saying,
"If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us
from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee,
O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." Daniel 3: 17, 18
KJV
Now we can understand that in the book of Revelation the
phrase "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH", most likely represents the
false religious system that makes an unholy alliance or relationship with the world and human governments to control
and dominate those that dwell upon the earth. This religous system dates back to the Babylonian and Roman
empires and is now, once again, seen in the revived Roman empire which will come back into existence at the time
of the end during the great tribulation period. This is that system which combines religion and government and
that seeks to put itself in the place of God and that has been responsible for the persecution and death
of the saints of God down through history.
"I also saw that the woman was drunk, [drunk] with the blood
of the saints (God's people) and the blood of the martyrs [who witnessed] for Jesus. And when I saw her, I was utterly
amazed and wondered greatly." Revelation 17: 6 Amplified Bible
The richness and prosperity of this government had great
influence over the nations of the earth.
"And the kings of the earth, who have committed fornication
and lived deliciously with her, shall bewail her and lament for her, when they shall see the smoke of her burning, standing
afar off for the fear of her torment, saying, alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in one hour
is thy judgement come. And the merchants of the earth shall weep and mourn over her; for no man buyeth thier merchandise
anymore..." Revelation 18: 9-11 KJV
"And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these
shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire." Revelation
17: 16 KJV
God will have this to say concerning the destruction
of the whore:
"Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye holy apostles and
prophets; for God hath avenged you on her." Revelation 18: 20 KJV
Revelation chapter 19
In this chapter John hears the marriage supper or time
for the saints, which is the bride of Christ, to be married to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
"And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine
linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints." Revelation 19: 9 KJV
John then sees heaven opened and the spectacular and glorious
coming of Jesus Christ riding on a white horse. John says that He is coming to "make war" and judge
the world in righteousness. Jesus is also described as having on his head many crowns and that His name
is called the Word of God. In the gospel of John we read,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God...All things were made by Him...In Him was life; and the life was the light of men...And the Word was
made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace
and truth." John 1: 1-14 KJV
John further tells us that Jesus's return will be with
the armies of heaven following Him and that they will also be riding on white horses and they will be clothed in
fine linen, white and clean. White symbolizes purity and righteousness. We, the saints of God, are clothed with
the righteousness of Christ once we are saved and washed in His precious blood. Speaking concerning the church Jesus
said,
"That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing
of water by the word, that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such
thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." Ephesians 5: 26, 27 KJV
Evidently, the timing of this event is at the beginning
of the "day of the Lord". We know this because of the previous scriptures outlined in the earlier chapters above.
The day of the Lord is the time when God's full wrath and judgment will be poured out on the ungodly and Christ rejecting
people of the earth before Jesus Christ sets up His kingdom on this earth where He will be ruling and reigning for a thousand
years. The saints, which is the church, are not appointed to have to go through this final outpouring of God's
wrath and judgment of the wicked Christ rejecting people of the earth. We have overcome the world through our
faith in Jesus Christ and the word of our testimony therefore God counts us as "worthy" to escape this time of destruction
and punishment foreordained by God for the wicked.
"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted
worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." Luke 21: 36
KJV
Some well meaning bible scholars make the mistake of interpreting
the above scripture as meaning that the church will be raptured or taken out of the world by God before the great tribulation
begins on the earth and that we will not be here on earth to go through what we see happening in the book of
Revelation. I do not agree with that interpretation as I once did before.
In describing the events that would take place at the time
of the end and before His second coming Jesus said,
"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and
in the stars; and upon the earth distressof nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to
come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh." Luke 21: 25-28 KJV
Notice, Jesus did not say that when these things begin to
happen that we would be taken out of the world or caught up to heaven. He only said that our redemption would be near.
Remember, we cannot add anything to the Word of God, nor can we take anything away from it. This is the error that many
make when they read the bible. Human nature makes us want to add our own interpretation to what the bible is saying
and make it say what we believe is right. This is the cause of so much confusion and false teaching in the religious
world and in the church today.
As stated before in chapter 14, the day of the Lord's wrath
upon the ungodly will be a day when God slays all the wicked and ungodly people of the earth so that their blood is flowing
for 200 miles as high as a horses bridle. This is why John describes Jesus's appearance by saying,
"And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and
His name is called The Word of God...and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God."
Revelation 19: 13-15 KJV
"And the remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat
upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh." Revelation
19: 21 KJV
However, God has special plans for the antichrist and the
false prophet:
"And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet...These
both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone." Revelation 19: 20, 21 KJV
Revelation chapter 20
In this chapter John sees an angel coming down from heaven
having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. The angel uses the chain to bind up Satan and shut
him up in the bottomless pit where he must remain for a thousand years. During this time he will not be able to deceive
people on earth anymore.
John sees the saints of God ruling and reigning on earth
with Jesus Christ for a thousand years. During this thousand year period there will be peace on earth and the ungodly
dead will remain in their graves until the end of the thousand year period. At the end of the thousand years God will
let Satan back out of the bottomless pit and he will deceive the nations once again. Satan will gather together those
who choose to believe him and they will come up to attack the holy city of God, which is the new Jerusalem. At that
time God will send fire down from heaven and devour them. He will also cast Satan into the lake of fire where the antichrist
and false prophet are to be tormented day and night forever and ever.
John then sees a great white throne and God is sitting on
it. The wicked dead people are resurrected out of their graves at this time and are standing before the throne of God
to receive their punishment. The books are opened and they are judged by their evil deeds that they have done.
Also, the angels of death and hell are cast into the lake of fire and whoever's name was not found in God's book of life was
cast into the fire with Satan to be tormented day and night forever and forever.
Revelation chapter 21
Here John is allowed to see what the earth is going to be
like after it is cleansed of the wicked and Satan.
"Then I saw a new sky (heaven) and a new earth, for the
former sky and the former earth had passed away (vanished), and there no longer existed any sea. And I saw the holy
city, the new Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, all arrayed like a bride beautified and adorned for her husband" .
Revelation 21: 1, 2 Amplified Bible
This is the place that our Lord spoke briefly to His
disciples about during His earthly ministry.
"In My Father's house are many mansions: if it were not
so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also." John 14: 2, 3 KJV
God gave John a detailed view of the new city where
the saints of God will live with Jesus Christ our Lord throughout all eternity (you can read about this description
yourself in chapter 21).
Revelation chapter 22 - the last chapter :
John sees and describes more about the new Jerusalem (city
of God's saints) and says that the tree of life will be there for the healing of the nations. This is most likely the
same tree that was in the garden of Eden. That tree was hidden from Adam and Eve after they sinned and they were not
allowed to eat from it or they would have continued to live forever and not die.
John tells us that we will live in the new Jerusalem with
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and we will see His face and His name will be written in our foreheads. In this
new city we will not need light from the sun or moon or any artificial lighting devices because the glory of God will be our
light which is Jesus Christ Himself. The book of Revelation closes with these final words from our Lord,
"And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me,
to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last...Surely I come quickly." Revelation 22: 12-20 KJV
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen.
Footnotes:
According to Jewish laws and customs, the harvest was to
be divided into 3 parts; first they would take of their crops all the first ripened fruits and give it to the priests of the
temple so that the rest of the field would be sanctified unto God. The second or middle part of the harvest came next,
but the four corners of the field were left for last so that the poor and strangers could come and take of those crops and
have something to live off of.
"thou shalt take of the first of all the fruit of the earth,
which thou shalt bring of thy land that the Lord thy God giveth thee, and shalt put it in a basket, and shalt go unto the
place which the Lord thy God shall choose to place His name there, and thou shalt go unto the priest that shall be in those
days...and the priest shall take the basket out of thine hand, and set it down before the altar of the Lord thy God."
Deuteronomy 26: 2-4 KJV
"And when ye reap the harves of your land, thou shalt not
wholly reap the corners of thy field, neither shalt thou gather the gleanings of thy harvest, and thou shalt not glean thy
vineyard, neither shalt thou gather every grape of thy vineyard; thou shalt leave them for the poor and stranger: I am the
Lord your God." Leviticus 19: 9, 10 KJV
One leading prophecy expert teaches that the Jewish laws
concerning the harvest prove that the rapture of the church has to be before the seven year tribulation starts because the
church is the firstfruits, then at the middle of the tribulation there is the rapture of those that refuse to take the mark
of the beast, and at the end of the seven year tribulation period there is the four corner harvest of all who are left alive
on the earth when Jesus returns to set up His kingdom on the earth and destroy the wicked.
One problem with this theory is that the bible teaches that
Jesus was the firstfruits of those who will be resurrected from the dead.
"For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be
conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren." Romans 8: 29
KJV
"But now is Christ risen from the dead and become the firstfruits
of them that slept...But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His
coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God..." I Corinthians 15: 20-24
KJV
Someone will undoubtedly ask the question, 'where is the
second or middle part of the harvest in relation to the rapture of the saints'? That question is also answered
in the bible .
"Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded
up the ghost...and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after
His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many." Matthew 27:50-53 KJV
The apostle John saw these old testament saints that
were resurrected after Christ's resurrection in Revelation when he was first taken up to heaven by God to see what was going
to happen during the time of the end:
"After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven
and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said, Come up hither, and I will shew
thee things which must be hereafter...and round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw
four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold." Revelation
4: 1-4 KJV
The 3rd or last part of the harvest will naturally come
at the end. Jesus said,
"The field is the world; the good seed are the children
of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest
is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels." Matthew 13: 37-41 KJV
The Lord Jesus Christ Himself gave us the timing of the
rapture of the church in detail:
"...For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be, and except those days should be shortened, there should
no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened...Immediately after the tribulation of those days
shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of
the heavens shall be shaken...and He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together
His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other...but of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the
angels of heaven, but My Father only." Matthew 24: 21-36 KJV
So in conclusion, the Scriptures tell us plainly that there
is only going to be one rapture yet to come and that it is going to be at the end of the seven year tribulation period.
After that rapture takes place, Jesus Christ will set up His kingdom on this earth for a thousand years of peace, joy and
love in the Holy Spirit. We will be ruling and reigning with Christ during that time of paradise on earth.
