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I can tell you with 100% confidence and accuracy that it will NOT be a virus that ends this world.  We will get through this present threat, for there are still things that must play out before the end of the age can take place.

Bible prophecy has proven so far to be 100% accurate and literal in its fulfillment.  For instance, a highly detailed description of the suffering Messiah was given in Isaiah 53, some 750 years before Jesus/Yeshua.  In that prophecy, Messiah would have His hands & feet pierced during execution (crucifixion was not introduced until the Roman era); soldiers would cast lots for His coat; He would be mocked, spat upon, whipped, have His beard pulled out; be betrayed by a friend; and be sold for 30 pieces of silver.  And in the book of Daniel chapter 9, the Bible prophesied that Messiah’s death or “cutting off” would take place at a specific time period— after Jerusalem’s wall was rebuilt (during Nehemiah’s time), but before the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D.

The Creator of mankind did not just plop us down on earth with no clue as to how history will unwind.  He began prophesying to us in Genesis and carries through until the end of the book of Revelation.

The end of this age is described in exacting detail in many books of the Bible. One of the most often cited is Matthew 24.  After Jesus had stunned His disciples with the news that their glorious second temple was to be so destroyed that “not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down,” the disciples pleaded for “the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age.”  And here is what Jesus said, which is your answer to the Coronavirus scare.

• Don’t be deceived (in context, by anything you may hear that doesn’t line up with the word of God).

• False messiahs (Greek, “christos” or christs) and wars will take place throughout history, “BUT THE END IS NOT YET.”

• However, when you see nation rising against nation, and kingdom against kingdom (world wars), famine, PESTILENCE (plagues or viruses), and earthquakes, THESE ARE THE BEGINNING BIRTH PANGS OF THE APPROACHING NEW AGE, Jesus’ millennial kingdom.

• These beginning birth pangs will be followed by tribulation, persecution, and even martyrdom of Jesus’ followers (“for My name’s sake”).

• It will be a time of great deception with false prophets rampant in the church.  An air of lawlessness— departure from the revealed will & word of God— will be so pervasive, that the love of many will grow cold.  (“But he who endures to the end shall be  saved.”)

• Then Jesus went on to give His disciples an unmistakeable sign of the end of the age:  “Therefore, when you SEE the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (of the Jewish temple).  This abomination refers to Antichrist, who will appear on the scene of history prior to the coming of the True Messiah/Savior of mankind.

• Jesus finished by giving a stern & strong warning against those teaching a secret or invisible aspect to His coming.  When the True King comes, He will split the heavens wide open!  At His Second Coming, there will be NO doubt as to who the Righteous Ruler is:  “Therefore, if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’  do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms!’ do not believe it.  For as lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

So, there you have it.  Have we entered the phase where the beginning birth pangs can actually be felt?  Yes.

A chip used for buying & selling has already been implemented in various countries, and is being considered on a worldwide scale.  The movement toward’s Antichrist’s control of world economies is being propelled forward by the current virus scare.

Have we launched into the final 7-years yet?  No.  We still need to see the confirming of a treaty with Israel & other nations, that has some sort of a 7-year clause attached to it (Daniel 9:27).  Also, Israel has to start rebuilding her temple (permission of a sort is already in the Trump Mideast peace plan).  And we will probably hear of a 10 or 11-nation coalition of some type forming.  Pretty much, that’s it.

In Revelation 22:7, Jesus said:  “Behold, I am coming quickly!”  The Greek word for “quickly” is “tachu.”  It can mean “shortly” or “suddenly” —by surprise.  His return will take many off guard, like a thief breaking into a house.  But it doesn’t have to happen that way.  We don’t have to be caught off guard.  If we put more attention and stock in His words than we do the President’s, the medical authorities, and Fox News, we will see things clearly.  We will have peace, not panic.  We will begin to look up, not down.

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

“They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built;

“but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

“Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” (Luke 17:26-30).

Jesus loved to use parables in order to get His message across.  It was God Incarnate’s desire that His people have understanding of spiritual matters.

In this parable, Jesus taught on the timing of the rapture.  Using the examples of Noah & Lot, Jesus taught that His people would be pulled out on the day that Divine judgment actually begins.

But, what will society be like in those days?  What was it like in Noah’s day before the Flood came?

“Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence,” (Genesis 6:5,11).

Noah’s day was characterized by widespread evil and violence.  What about Lot’s day?

“Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.  And they called to Lot and said to him, ‘Where are the men who came to you tonight?  Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally,” (Genesis 19:4-5).

Lot’s society was rife with sexual immoralities, debaucheries, and violence.

Both Noah’s society and Lot’s should have been expecting Divine judgment for their sins, but they did not.  In spite of the widespread violence and sexual immorality, society still functioned as normal:  “ They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built.”

The Bible teaches that sin hardens one’s heart:  the greater the sin, the greater the hardness.  In the case of both of these societies, rampant sin made them unresponsive to Noah & Lot’s warnings:

“…Noah, a preacher of righteousness…” (2 Peter 2:5).

“…This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.  So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door,” (Genesis 19:9).

“and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds), (2 Peter 2:7-8).

Hardness of heart made the societies of those days insensitive to the word of God.  So when Divine judgment fell, it took the world by surprise…”like a thief in the night.”

This element of surprise is what the Bible is referring to, when it speaks of the end time judgment of God.  When it comes, it will take a sinful world by surprise, like a thief.  The world will not be expecting Divine judgment!  But, should a believer be caught offguard about impending wrath?

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.

“For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 

“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.

“BUT YOU, BRETHREN, ARE NOT IN DARKNESS, SO THAT THIS DAY SHOULD OVERTAKE YOU AS A THIEF.

“You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness,” (I Thessalonians 5:1-5).

According to Jesus, the onset of Divine wrath in the end time will be like that of Noah’s & Lot’s days.  There will be widespread sin within a society that is not expecting Divine wrath to fall.  But just like Noah & Lot were warned of the oncoming judgment, so too, the end time generation of people who walk with God will be warned.  And just like Noah & Lot, they will be taken out immediately prior to the onset of Divine wrath.

Noah knew well in advance that the Flood was coming.  But, as time for the Flood drew near, Noah was given the season in which it would fall:  

“For after seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and I will destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made,” (Genesis 7:4).

In like manner, Lot was also given strong warning as Sodom’s destruction approached:

“Then the men said to Lot, ‘Have you anyone else here?  Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city— take them out of this place!  For we will destroy this place because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it…When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city,’”  (Genesis 19:12-13, 15).

As we approach the end of this present age, we too have been given warning as the season of Divine wrath approaches: 

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

“who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

God’s wrath will begin sometime after the Antichrist has been revealed (at the midpoint of the 7-year period).  But, where exactly within the latter 3 1/2 year period the wrath of God will begin, has not been revealed to us.  “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only,” (Matthew 24:36).

We will only know His judgment is imminent when we see the cosmic signs associated with Seal 6:

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring;

“men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.

“Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near,” (Luke 21:25-28).

With His Coming, Jesus will cut short the persecution/tribulation of Antichrist “for the sake of the elect.”  At His visible, Second Coming, we will be caught up “in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air,” (I Thessalonians 4:17).  For, “Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him…” (Revelation 1:7).

The resurrection of the righteous dead and the rapture of believers will take place at the Second Coming of Christ, immediately prior to the onset of God’s wrath.  Like Noah & Lot, we are not appointed unto Divine wrath.

Following the rapture, God will begin pouring out a series of trumpet judgments upon the kingdom of Antichrist.  At the blowing of the 7th trumpet— which ends the final 3 1/2 year period— Antichrist’s power over captive Israel will be broken.  He will be on the run as the final 7 bowl judgments are poured out upon His kingdom in rapid succession.  At Armageddon, Antichrist will face his final judgment.  Halleluia!

“Now when the people saw that Moses was delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, ‘Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’

“And Aaron said to them, ‘Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.’

“So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron.

“And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf.  Then they said ‘This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!’” (Exodus 32:1-4).

In Jonathan Cahn’s message entitled “Days of the Golden Calf,”  he draws a parallel between ancient Israel and America.  Ancient Israel departed from her faith in God (despite all His demonstrated power) when Moses, their leader, did not return off the mountaintop when they expected him to come.  Because of Moses’ delay, Israel’s faith in God faltered.  Israel turned to another religious leader, Aaron, and asked him to make them idols to worship.  Aaron did, and the golden calf was born.

In a similar fashion, Cahn tells, America began as a godly nation whose Biblical principles included a belief in the return of Christ one day.  But just as Israel departed from faith after Moses was delayed in his return, so too, America has departed from her faith in God and built herself idols instead.  She has become a post-Christian nation.

But what happens to the church when Jesus does not return when most are expecting?  What happens to the church when Jesus “is delayed” like Moses was?

The answer is found in Exodus:  “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”  

What happens is what the Bible refers to as “the great apostasy.”  The great apostasy is a departing from one’s original point of faith, to embrace another belief:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving (“seducing”) spirits and doctrines of demons,” (1 Timothy 4:1).

After two thousand years, many Christians are starting to depart from Biblical teachings concerning Jesus & His return.  Instead, they are spinning false teachings.  One is Dominionism or Kingdom Now theology:  a powerful & overcoming church will take over all the world systems, become rich, and save entire nations— presenting them to Jesus at His return.

Still other Christians are expecting Jesus to return at any moment to rescue them before the coming storm of end times hits.

“And if he should come in the second watch, or come in the third watch, and find them so, blessed are those servants.

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and now allowed his house to be broken into.

“Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect,” (Luke 12:38-40).

In the end times, some will begin to question the reality of Christ’s return when— according to their prevailing theology — Jesus’ return is “delayed.”  They will respond just as ancient Israel responded, and fashion for themselves a golden calf instead.  Or should I say a golden man.

The mark of the Antichrist will be 666.  This number is used only one other place in the Bible:

“Now the weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold,” (1 Kings 10:14).

Deceived by false teachers and their willful ignorance, many today are placing their faith in man to restore order on earth, bring peace to the Middle East, help Israel build her temple, and safeguard everyone’s wealth.  But as the church starts to undergo persecution, there are those who will abandon their faith when Jesus’ return is “delayed.”

If you think this danger is an exaggeration, consider the following passage:

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,

who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?

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 2:3-8).

Throughout the ages, the spirit of lawlessness has been under restraint by God.  But in the end times, God’s divine restraint is lifted— allowing for the full revelation of the man of sin, Antichrist.

Some ministers teach that it is the rapture or physical removal of the church which allows for Antichrist to come into his fullness.  But that is an assumption not proven out in scripture.  The Bible speaks of an apostasy taking place and the removal of Divine restraint.  It does not say “she” (the church) is removed.  It says “he.”

Both Paul and the Thessalonians understood that at some point, a “falling away” or apostasy would occur, with the cessation of the restraining power of the Holy Spirit (“He” is taken out of the way”).  In the end times, an apostasy takes place.  Divine restraint is lifted, and Satan’s antichrist is unleashed upon the world stage.

The question is, whose apostasy (“defection”) is it?  The world’s?  They already lie in darkness.  The Jews?  They rejected Christ 2000 years ago.

It is a weakened church who apostasizes.  Read 1 Timothy 4:1 again:

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith (“be led away or seduced”), giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.”

Today, the church is at the blindest period of her existence, rivaling the first century Jewish leaders who failed to recognize the coming of their own Messiah!  For starters, much of the church is basically ignoring the lateness of the hour.  Jesus said, “Hypocrites!  You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times,” (Matthew 16:3).

What are some signs of the times that many in the church are ignoring?

• The resurrection of the nation of Israel from the dead.
• The miraculous recovery of east Jerusalem & the Temple Mount during the 1967 war.
• All the preparations for the Third Temple that are in place— including priests, Sanhedrin, red heifer, altars, blueprints, cornerstones, furniture, & utensils, as well as the practice of actual animal sacrifices.
• The rising spirit of anti-Semitic persecution throughout the world.
• The rising spirit of Christian persecution throughout the world.
• The growing use of a banking computer chip inserted within one’s hand.
• Growing interdependence of global banking and political powers.
• Increasing global pressure to broker a Middle East settlement as the storm clouds of a major war threaten.
• Increasing sexual perversions.
• Increasing violence in society.
• And the existence of a Laodicean church that is so rich & increased with goods that it has need of nothing.

Millions of believers are woefully unprepared for the greatest challenge in church history.

“All these are the beginning of sorrows.  Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations FOR MY NAME’S SAKE.  And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another.  Then many false prophets will rise  up and deceive many.  And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold,” (Matthew 24:8-12).

When, not if, the church steps over into end times, many may be shocked and dismayed that they are indeed facing Antichrist and his persecutions.  Satan can and will use this dismay to bring doubt and attacks on our faith (which we must “contend for”).  Some will depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons; to false christs and false prophets.

We cannot endure what’s to come without the unvarnished truth of the Word of God and the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.  He was given at Pentecost to a church that was getting ready to undergo intense persecution.  We desperately need that same One’s empowerment today with a serious return to the study of scripture!

Church, wake up and prepare!

1. Not understanding the role Israel plays in end time events.  The majority of Christians today are Gentiles.  Throughout the past 2000 years of church history, our Jewish roots were lost and germs of anti-Semitism entered instead.  But without recognizing the important role that Israel plays in the end times, a distorted view results.  Both Jesus and Daniel put the main focus on Israel during the last days.  (Covering a subject of this magnitude requires its own future blog.)
2. Not understanding the role that Christians will play in the end times.  Most Christians get their view of end times by watching Left Behind movies and /or listening to their favorite preacher on t.v.  However, I would challenge everyone to set all this aside for a time and just read the Word of God for yourselves.  Read Matthew 24.  Does it strike you that Jesus is speaking to His disciples as believers or just as Jews?  Look at verse 9:  “Then they will deliver YOU up to tribulation and kill YOU, and YOU will be hated by all nations FOR MY NAME’S SAKE.”  Doesn’t it strike you as odd that the Lord would go into such tremendous detail about end times in the gospels, the epistles, and the book of Revelation for a church that wouldn’t even be here for at least some of it?
3. Majoring on extrabiblical sources.   The Bible says the word of God is “pure.” Therefore, you can drink from it and not take in any contamination.  When you drink from extrabiblical sources, you may have some truth or water in it, but you will also be taking in contamination.  Do you really want to be drinking contaminated water?  Prophetic interpretation must hold as tight as possible to scripture and resist the tendency to drift into men’s opinions and extrabiblical sources!  Especially if these opinions or sources appear to contradict what is written in scripture.
4. Giving an interpretation that has not been laid out in scripture.  Men’s interpretations of symbols found within the book of Revelation can sound VERY persuasive and logical.  But the Bible interprets itself!  God did not leave scriptural symbols up to man’s opinion.  A good example of this is the SIGN of the woman in Revelation chapter 12.  What this SIGN actually represents is the nation of Israel which grew out of the sun, moon, and 12 stars of Genesis 37:9-10.   What this SIGN is not, is Mary the mother of Jesus.
5. Accepting as doctrine, the theology of men.  There are some things being taught & accepted as doctrine by the body of Christ, which can be argued and even refuted by scripture.  Two examples are the “doctrine” of imminence (Christ can appear at any time) and the “doctrine” of signlessness (no prophesied events have to occur before the return of Christ).
6. Speeding through scripture and failing to really HEAR what is being said.  At the end of every letter to His churches, Jesus would say the same thing:  “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.”  Apparently, there is a problem with the church failing to heed what God is saying.
7. Not considering a verse of scripture within its passage.  Many verses of scripture that people quote to prove their point, mean just the opposite when read within its context or passage.  A good example of this is the infamous phrase “as a thief in the night.”  In its true context, it is the unbelieving world that will be caught “like a thief.”  “But YOU, BRETHREN, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief,” (1 Thessalonians 5:4).   
8. Putting Fox News on equal footing with the book of Revelation.  The spin is different, trust me.  As one pastor observed:  “The church is getting its patriotism mixed up with its Christianity.”  We are on dangerous ground when we believe a world leader could lead the church into victory over Satan.
9. Making scripture complicated.  Someone once wisely put it this way:  “When the plain sense of scripture makes good sense, seek no other sense or you will end up with nonsense.”  We need to follow this good advice.  God is not devious; He does not follow the occult’s secret ways.  He is out to reveal & explain.  Satan is out to twist, hide, pervert, or complicate things.  The obvious meaning of a passage of scripture is usually the accurate one.  That obvious-sounding rapture passage in Matthew 24:30-31 & Mark 13:26-27 is just that!
10. Making scripture complicated, part 2.  In order to help us understand Revelation, God set an order inside of it.  That order is:  first, the breaking of the seals; then trumpets; then bowls.  This is the outline upon which the book of Revelation rests.  Sections that seem to veer off this outline are, in fact, what theologians call “parenthetical chapters”.  These are areas where the Holy Spirit briefly pauses the action and pulls us aside in order to give more insight into events happening in and around the seals, trumpets, and bowls.
11. Failing to heed the ancient, traditional view of prophecy by replacing it with a more “modern” interpretation.  The traditional view of the rapture of the church by the early church fathers (those who succeeded the apostles) is different than the one now popularly being taught.  This in itself should give us pause.  In the study of antiquities, there is an old adage:  The closer to the original source, the better.   In 2 Thessalonians 2:15, Paul exhorted the church to “stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle.”  Have we done that?
12. Discounting the accuracy of the Word of God.  There is arising today an exaggerated and disturbing criticism of the traditional versions of the Bible.  The suggestion being put forth is that these centuries-old versions, fail somehow in conveying the truth of God.  While I would encourage every serious scholar of the Word to get an interlinear Hebrew-English Old Testament and a Greek-English New Testament, as well as a Strong’s Concordance to help give you a fuller understanding of certain, hard-to-understand verses, the traditional Bible versions remain accurate and inspired.

Teaching scripture— especially prophecy— is not to be taken lightly.  The final warning at the end of Revelation needs to be taken more seriously by all of us:  

“For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book:  If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book;

“And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book,”  (Revelation 22:18-19).

God is well able to watch over His word.  The purity and accuracy of the word that we have been using for centuries is being guarded by Him! 

Revelation was given by the Good Shepherd to His flock to show them what is coming during the final years of this present age.  “The Revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave Him to show His servants— things which must shortly take place,”  (Revelation 1:1).  This book is intended by an all-merciful and loving God to prepare His church for what lies ahead.

If you turn to Revelation 20:7-10, there is an account of another rebellion taking place on earth at the end of Christ’s millennial rule:

“Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea.  They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.  And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them.  The devil who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are.  And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

God only used four verses to describe the dramatic rebellion taking place at the end of Christ’s millennial reign.  Yet, He uses roughly 15 chapters in Revelation in order to give us a highly-detailed account of end times.  And this does not include all the other Old and New Testament prophetic passages & chapters on the same subject!  Clearly, God has a purpose for all the detail.

So, here is something to ask yourself:  Why did God give so much detail to His church about the end times and yet, so little detail about the chapter 20 rebellion?

Believers will be present for the brief rebellion of Revelation 20.  But by then, we will be clothed in our immortal bodies.  There will be no danger to us, and God will quickly dispatch Satan to his eternal abode in the Lake of Fire.

But, there is a danger to us in this present age as we enter end times in our mortal state.  Jesus said deception would be rampant.

In Revelation 1:3 John writes:  “Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.”  The meaning of “keep” is to watch carefully.  God gave us enormous detailing in Revelation so that we can carefully watch, stay awake, be vigilant.

In 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6, Paul writes that the day of the Lord “so comes as a thief in the night.”   Then, Paul hastens to reassure the saints, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness.”

What is it that gives believers light, so that they are not in darkness concerning Christ’s return?  “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants— things which must shortly take place.”  

Remember God’s word?  It is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path.  It is the light given to us in order that we recognize when His Day is approaching.

God has laid out end times in enormous detail.  The rise of Antichrist, wars, famines, pestilences, persecutions.  Man’s increasing crimes.  These are given as the first 5 seals.  But at the 6th seal, Divinity enters.  There is an unprecedented darkening of the cosmos, followed by the most intensive light flashing from east to west.  Then, a startled world will behold the coming of the Son of Man.

Jesus disavowed any reports of His coming in any secretive manner.  “Therefore if they say to you, ‘Look, He is in the desert!’ do not go out; or ‘Look, He is in the inner rooms! do not believe it.” 

Instead, Jesus said His coming would be brilliant and public:  “For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.”

The quality of Jesus’ next coming to earth will be brilliant & very public.  It will catch a drunken, corrupt world totally by surprise “as a thief in the night.”  But, not us.  We have been given the light of Revelation in all its glorious detail.  Revelation was meant to keep us awake, alert, informed, and ready for His Coming.  Hallelujah!

“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).

One of the seemingly strongest arguments to prove the removal of the church before end times, is this verse of scripture promised to the faithful Philadelphia church.  We are told by many teachers today that this “keeping from” the hour of trial is actually a promise to remove or rapture the church before end times hits.

In the original Greek, the words for “keep…from” are “tereo…ek.”  Strong’s Concordance translates #5083 “keep” as to watch carefully; to guard; to hold fast.  It translates #1537 “from” as from or out of.  What Jesus is promising Philadelphia here is to guard or hold her fast from the hour of trial or testing that will be going on in end times.

Is this a promise to remove her?  Greek is a very specific language.  The word for “remove” is not the same as the word for “guarding or holding fast.”  Revelation 3:10 is promising a protection within a sphere of danger.  It is not a promise to remove the church.

It may surprise some of you to learn that Jesus actually prayed for this “keeping” of His church before He left earth!  In John 17:14-16, Jesus prayed:

“I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one.

“They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.”

The phrase that Jesus used here “keep…from” is the exact same Greek phrase “tereo…ek” that Jesus used in Revelation 3:10.  In other words, what Jesus is praying for and promising His faithful ones is NOT a removal before facing Antichrist and persecution.  It IS a promise to guard or hold us fast as His when the world is succumbing to the worship of the man of sin.

It takes a very mature Church to realize that the most important thing with God is that we stand FAITHFUL to Him.  Our physical survival is secondary to this.  That is why God allows the martyrdom of His people at times.  What is really important is that we endure in our faith, that we maintain our witness for Him.  It is not whether Laodicea stays safe and comfortable or not.

If this promise of Jesus “to guard or keep” us from the hour of testing seems like a light thing to you, think again.  We are not taking seriously enough the warning of the deceptiveness that will take place during end times!  In 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12, Paul the apostle warns the church in the strongest language of the deception of end times.  Here is what he said:

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan…

Have you ever succumbed to Satan’s tricks?

“…with all power, signs, and lying wonders…”

How many Christians expected to be raptured during the phenomenon of the blood moons a few years ago?

“…and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”

How many Christians deliberately turn a blind eye on 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4 which plainly describes Jesus’ coming, “our gathering to Him,” and the onset of God’s day of wrath as not happening until well into the 7-year period of end times?

If Christians are not expecting to face the Antichrist, will they even recognize him for who he is until very late?  Especially if he appears as a very popular, charismatic world leader, able to bring about a Mideast peace treaty…allowing for Israel to rebuild her temple!?

Here is where the road divides in end time eschatology.  The majority of the American church is expecting a quick deliverance before times get really tough.  But a remnant of believers see it differently.   They are counting the cost even now, of what it will take to stay true to Jesus.  I don’t know about you, but Jesus’ assurance that He will “guard” my faith and “hold me fast” from the testing ahead is essential.

“And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:

“They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage UNTIL THE DAY that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.

“Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but ON THE DAY that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fired and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.

“EVEN SO WILL IT BE in the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” (Luke 17:26-30).

Very recently, my family and I experienced Hurricane Florence close up.  While the storm was still in force, God began to give me pictures of what the Day of the Lord will be like, based upon my personal experience during Florence.

1)  There were many warnings given about the coming hurricane.  Although no one could specify the exact time it would actually “hit” or make landfall, we knew by heeding the warnings of the experts that we were in the general timeframe.  

God NEVER EVER brings judgment without first warning through His prophets and His word.  “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals to His servants the prophets,” (Amos 3:7).  The faithful church will not be caught off guard by the return of Christ and the onset of God’s Day of judgment.  Although we do not know the day nor hour, we will recognize the season of His return as surely as one can recognize the signs of summer when the green leaf starts to bloom.  “BUT YOU, BRETHREN, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief,” (1 Thessalonians 5:4).

It is not the prepared, but the unprepared who will be suddenly caught off guard “as a thief in the night.”

2)  On the morning of the hurricane, God took me and my family to a place of safety.  

God is not going to remove His people early.  He is not going to remove His people late.  He will remove His people exactly on time.  It was ON THE DAY that Noah got taken into the ark.  It was ON THE DAY that Lot was taken out of Sodom.  “EVEN SO WILL IT BE in the day when the Son of Man is revealed,” (Luke 17:30).

In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4, Paul the apostle explicitly taught the church that the Day of the Lord “will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.”

The removal of the righteous— quickly followed by the onset of the wrath of God— cannot take place unless Antichrist has first been revealed as the abomination sitting in the Jewish temple!  This may run counter to a very popular view of the rapture, but it is what the Bible says.

3)  When the hurricane actually hit, it shut down restaurants, businesses, shopping, and other activities of daily life.

Jesus taught that normal activities of society will come to a halt when the great and terrible Day of the Lord begins.  Jesus named some of the activities affected:  eating, drinking, marrying, buying, selling, planting, and building.

Those who study Bible prophecy will tell you that for the first 3 1/2 years of end times following the signing of a treaty (Seal #1), Israel will be offering sacrifices & offerings in a rebuilt temple.  And although this will be followed by wars, famines, pestilences, and martyrdom (Seals #2-5), there will ALSO still be the normal activities of society going on.  Remember the MARK OF THE BEAST?  What is it used for?  It is used for buying & selling.  So, although Antichrist will be in power, society will still be going on, business as usual.  It is not until the visible Second Coming of Jesus Christ & the onset of God’s day of judgment that human activity will be interrupted!  

4)  My family and I were quite comfortably sheltered, fed, and protected at a hotel during the hurricane.

Where will the righteous spend the Day of the Lord?  Revelation 7:9-10 gives us a picture:  “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, OF ALL NATIONS, TRIBES, PEOPLES, AND TONGUES, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “SALVATION belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”  

When Jesus comes to gather His saints, we will be taken to THE place of safety while the storm of His Day unfolds upon earth.  On that day we will be removed, while God’s angels begin to pour out His trumpet & bowl judgements upon the earth.

And Israel?  Jesus taught that those living in the area of Judea should flee to the mountains when Antichrist reveals himself in their temple (Matthew 24).  The Jews’ own history of persecution during the time of the Maccabees by the abomination of Antiochus Epiphanes will warn them to flee.  During the outpouring of the wrath of God, repentant Jews (who have just looked “upon Him whom they pierced and mourned for Him”) will be protected, just as the Israelites were protected in Goshen during the plagues of Egypt.  Israel MUST be present on earth during the entire 7-year period of end times in order to fulfill the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27.  But, the church of faithful believers do not need to be present the entire time; only that which fulfills scripture.  The faithful in Christ will be removed immediately prior to the onset of the Day of the Lord, just like Noah & Lot.

5)  After the storm, my family and I returned back to our town to survey the devastation and begin the clean up process.  

At the end of God’s judgments, we will return to a devastated earth with our Lord.  Seated upon white horses, we will survey the bloody aftermath at Armageddon.  The clean up process will be aided by the birds and animals.  It will take seven months to bury all the dead.

But, out of death comes life.  Out of Armageddon will come the millennial reign of Jesus Christ.

At the end of the millennium, there will be another short-lived storm of rebellion and quick judgment (Revelation 20:7-10).  Following that will be eternity, with no more storms!

Halleluia and thank you, Jesus! 

NOTE:  This article was written partly in response to the upcoming September 23 celestial event.  To say that a mere celestial event is the fulfillment of Revelation 12 is a very incorrect and shallow interpretation of this chapter out of Revelation.

 

In Genesis 37, God gives Joseph a prophetic dream, where the symbolism of the sun, moon, and 12 stars are declared to represent Joseph’s entire family: Jacob (Joseph’s father), Jacob’s wife, and his twelve sons:

“Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, ‘Look, I have dreamed another dream.  And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.’

“So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, ‘What is this dream that you have dreamed?  Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?’” (Genesis 37:9-10).

Out of Jacob’s twelve sons would come twelve tribes.  These tribes would explode in numbers during their time in Egypt, and become the nation of Israel:

“But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land [of Egypt] was filled with them,” (Exodus 1:7).

THIS SYMBOLISM FROM GENESIS IS IMPORTANT!  Because we see the same symbolism of the sun, moon, and stars in Revelation 12, as “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a garland of twelve stars.”  The woman represents the nation of Israel.  She is a great SIGN, given to the nations of the world!

From her very beginnings, Israel has been pregnant with her “Manchild:”

“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed,” (Genesis 12:3).

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed.  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham,” (Galatians 3:8).

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people,” (Genesis 49:10).

In Revelation 12, the woman Israel, is being threatened by a great fiery red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns on his head.  The dragon is clearly identified as Satan in verse 9.  Great persecution is brought against the woman, Israel, in a Satanic effort to prevent her Manchild from coming forth!

How does the dragon bring this great persecution against Israel?  It is brought about through the dragon’s seven heads.

In Revelation 17:9-10, we are given the biblical interpretation of the seven heads of the dragon, which also appear on the Beast of Revelation 13:

“Here is the mind which has wisdom:  The seven heads are seven mountains on which the woman sits.  There are also seven kings.  Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come.  And when he comes, he must continue a short time.”

The Greek word for “mountains” is oros.  Its use in the Bible can be as  literal mountains, or as kingdoms.  In this context, it should be understood as seven kingdoms or empires with seven kings (v. 10).

Beginning with her time in Egypt when she first became a nation, Israel has been persecuted by 7 world empires.   These empires are:

1. Egypt
2. Assyria
3. Babylon
4. Medo-Persia
5. Greece
6. Ancient Rome
7. ?

It is the 7th empire that trips up most prophetic teachers.  And it is this 7th empire which is the key to understanding Revelation 12.

The woman of Revelation 12 is pregnant with her Manchild through the “crowns” or reigns of all 7 empires.  Yet, this poses a difficult problem in Bible interpretation.  Because when the angel gives John the apostle the identity of the 7 “heads” or empires, the angel tells John that the 7th empire “had not yet come:”

“Five have fallen, one is, and the other has not yet come.  And when he comes, he must continue a short time.”  

How could there be an empire that arises after the time of John the Apostle, which also threatens a pregnant Israel?

The answer is simple, yet profound.  Israel was pregnant with Christ’s First Coming.  She gave birth to her Manchild and He was caught up to heaven.  Yet, in a very real sense, Israel is still expecting her Messiah…but it will be during His Second Coming that she receives Him.

As Christians, we understand that Jesus had to first come as “the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.”  But the nation of Israel only sees and looks for her great King who will deliver her from all her enemies.  She has been blinded to the necessity of the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53!  Israel gave birth to her Messiah, yet she is still “pregnant”,  expecting her great Messiah/King to come.

Which leads us to the 7th empire.  Was there an empire and king that arose after the time of John, was on the scene of history only “a short time,” and— most importantly— was a great persecutor of the Jews?

In the late 1800’s the woman, Israel— long dead as “dry bones”— began to resurrect.  The Zionist movement grew throughout the 1900’s, culminating in the official rebirth of Israel as a nation on May 14, 1948.

But, alongside Israel’s resurrection came a world empire that also arose on the scene of history.  This empire and its king were only on the scene of history 12 years, a “short time”  in comparison to the hundreds of years of the other 6 empires. Yet, its persecution of the Jews was unparalleled in history.  The empire was the Third Reich, so named because it was considered by some to be a revived third Holy Roman empire.  The Satanically-driven king was Adolph Hitler.  His persecution— the Holocaust— was responsible for the deaths of “a third”  of the Jews worldwide:

“His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth.”

In Revelation 12, the woman Israel is shown undergoing the persecution from the 7 empires.  The first 6 were attempts to prevent her Suffering Servant from being born.  The 7th was to prevent her Victorious King, who prophetically MUST return to the people of Israel and sit on the throne of David!  There is still an 8th and final empire & king to come— the Antichrist.

The 8th and final empire of Antichrist is represented on the dragon as 10 horns.  In Revelation 13, we are given a closer look at the “beast” with the crowns now on the 10 horns.

In the end time reign of Antichrist, the woman Israel is seen back on earth, being pursued by the dragon, Satan.  She flees into the wilderness for safety.  The dragon pursues her, but is frustrated when an enormous earthquake prevents his forces from reaching her.

Revelation 12:1-6 is an overview of the intense persecution Israel has suffered— not because of who she is, but of Whom she carries!  

But, beginning in verses 7-12, the Holy Spirit adds to the narrative, by giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the heavenly warfare that is waged by Michael against Satan.   In the end times, there will be a “casting down” of Satan to the earth itself!

There is also a glimpse at the persecution endured by Israel’s other children— believers in Yeshua/Jesus!  For neither Israel nor any of her children escape the persecution of Satan:

“And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death,” (Revelation 12:11).

The woman’s other children are those “who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ,” (Revelation 12:17).

In the end times, the dragon— enraged with the woman and frustrated in his attempt to reach her— goes after her children to wage war against them.  This war is waged against Israel and the saints until Israel’s King and our Savior returns.

Israel will not miss this Second Coming of her Messiah.  “Every eye shall see Him!”

“Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour.

“They [the antichrists] went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.

“But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things,”  (I John 2:18-20).

The early church recognized that the spirit of antichrist was already at work in the world.  In fact, the antichrist spirit had actually emerged from among the religious!

But John taught his readers that the Spirit of truth would teach God’s true children and keep them out of deception from the antichrist spirit.

“However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come,” (John 16:13).

In 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 Paul taught that there was coming a point in history when “He who restrains” would be taken out of the way:

“And now you know what is restraining, that he (the Antichrist) 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.”  

The “He” that Paul refers to, who restrains the antichrist spirit, cannot be the bride of Christ, who is a “she”.  So if it is not the church, then who is doing the restraining?  It is the Spirit of truth Himself who restrains the deception of antichrist!

Why does God deliberately take His Spirit of truth out of the way in end times and allow Antichrist to emerge?  Because in the end times, people will not receive truth.  They will not receive of God’s Holy Spirit.  So, God is forced to withdraw His Spirit of truth, allowing for the strong delusion of Antichrist to take over.  God gives man what he demands.

“The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the TRUTH, that they might be saved.

“And for this reason GOD WILL SEND THEM STRONG DELUSION, THAT THEY SHOULD BELIEVE THE LIE,

“that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness,” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-12).

What is the truth, as taught in the word of God?

1.  There is coming a point in history when every nation will have turned its back on God.  There is none righteous, no not one.  Only individuals who have accepted the blood-bought salvation of Jesus Christ will be saved.

2.  The nation of Israel will find herself at the brink of extinction.  Only the return of her Messiah will save her.

This begs the question:  What will have happened to America?

What we are seeing in American society today is a loss of love for truth.  People are willing to believe lies, if it suits them.  Many have already come under strong delusion, with its resultant loss of life and freedoms, accompanied by destruction of property.  Governmental strength of force may prevent an outward toppling, but inward national corruption can destroy it from within.  What emerges is a nation that looks the other way when real persecution of its citizens begins.

In the end time, the church will be marked by lukewarmness.  By being ignorant of the word of God and insensitive to His Spirit, she loses her diligence for safeguarding TRUTH, in her effort and desire to appease the world. God is forced to withdraw His Spirit of truth.  Deception & apostasy flood into the world.

The church is responsible for safeguarding and proclaiming TRUTH.  She does this by yielding to the Holy Spirit’s revelation of the word of God.  God revealed truth to us in His word.  It cannot be compromised in any way, shape, or form!

Of course, God always preserves for Himself, a remnant.  But, there is a point where even the remnant cannot hold back the judgment of God. Jewish rabbinical thought teaches there is a point when so few good are present, that the forces of evil threaten to overcome even them.  Jesus said in Matthew 24:22, “And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.”  So, out of mercy, God sends divine judgment to preserve the remnant.

Church, we need to count the cost of being a disciple of Christ, and prepare ourselves.  The victorious overcoming of a Christian is described in Revelation 12:11:  “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

We have been called to preserve the Spirit of truth within the world and within an organized church, at a time when no one wants to hear it.

“Preach the word!  Be ready in season and out of season.  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.  But you, be watchful…” (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

The time of the apostasy and the antichrist is ahead of us.  Preserving the Spirit of truth now will help to delay— but it cannot stop— that apostasy.

Church, prepare!

Scripture documents that there will be two different reactions of the people in this world to the Second Coming of Christ.

One reaction is described in Revelation 6:12-17 and records the reaction of the unsaved at His appearing:

“I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood.  And the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind.  Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place.  

“And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and the rocks, ‘Fall on us and HIDE US FROM THE FACE OF HIM who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!  For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?’”

There is a second and totally opposite reaction recorded in Luke 21:25-28.  It is those who have been faithful to Christ despite the persecution of Antichrist:

“And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.  

“Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  Now when these things begin to happen, LOOK UP AND LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, because your redemption draws near.”

One reacts by running and hiding at the Second Coming of Christ.  The other is bidden to “look up” into His face.

After the resurrection of Jesus, the only people privileged enough to gaze upon Christ’s resurrected form were His closest disciples.  These were the ones who had left all to follow Him.  They had been through the best and the very worst of times with Him.  They had seen Him suffer an ignominious crucifixion and death.  They had lost heart, feared for their lives, and scattered to hide from the authorities.

Their relationship with Him had cost them dearly.  Yet, they were richly rewarded when they were able to gaze upon Him, in His resurrected form.

At Christ’s Second Coming, the ones who will be able to lift up their heads and look upon Him will be those who have walked with Him, at great cost.  The purpose of the great tribulation of the Antichrist— or any tribulation for that matter— is to prepare us for His return.  As I Peter 1:6-7 puts it:

“In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the REVELATION (revealing) OF JESUS CHRIST.”

James tells us that the trials we undergo as Christians tests our faith, which in turn, produces a faith that endures:

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (endurance)…Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him,”  (James 1:2,12).

In Revelation 3:10, Jesus addresses the faithful ones who have endured:

“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.”

What is this “hour of trial” which is to come upon the whole world?  We already read about it.

The most fearful and trying period EVER to come upon this world will be when sinners are “in the hands of an angry God”— when God returns to bring His judgment upon earth!  Scripture calls this the “Great and Terrible Day of the Lord.”  It will be great for those who can lift up their heads and look upon His face.  It will be terrible for those who spurned His grace and mercy.  They will be wishing to be buried alive under rocks and mountains, rather than facing Divine wrath!

Paul the apostle gives us two SIGNPOSTS that this Day is approaching:

“Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God,” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).

According to Paul, two things must take place before the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord can happen:  a falling away and the revelation of the Antichrist sitting as God in the temple of God.  The “falling away” or “apostasia” is a departure from one’s original position (of faith).  This signifies the willingness of some to accept Antichrist as the “savior” of the world.  They idolize a man as God.

Because of these two signs that must take place BEFORE the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord can occur, the believer in Christ will NOT be taken by surprise!  Though no one knows the day or the hour of Christ’s return, believers will NOT be caught unaware, “like a thief in the night.”  Paul the apostle taught in I Thessalonians 5:1-10:

“But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.  For you yourselves know perfectly that the Day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.

“For when they say, ‘Peace and safety!’ then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman.  And they shall not escape.

“BUT YOU, BRETHREN, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.  You are all sons of light and sons of the day.  We are not of the night nor of darkness…

…“For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

How is it that believers are not in darkness, not caught unaware at Christ’s coming, which launches the Day of the Lord’s wrath?  “Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path,” (Psalm 119:105).  We have been given “a more sure word of prophecy” (2 Peter 1:19) that will give us light, even while the world enters the darkest hour of all history.

There is a reason that the book of Revelation— the prophetic book of end times— repeatedly promises a blessing to believers who read, hear, and keep the things written in it. Prophecy will help you endure through until His return.  

God did not go to such detailing of a book just for our intellectual enlightenment.  God did not go to such great length, with such great warning to a Church who some feel will not even be present during the great tribulation of end times.  God gave it, because it would be necessary for the very survival of His church.