Summary of the Great Tribulation and Beyond

Video: The Rapture… What Happened and Why?

The Rapture of the church is the event in which God “catches away” all the believers in Jesus from the earth just prior to the seven-year Great Tribulation period.

• In the Rapture, those who have put their faith in Jesus as their Savior and Lord will be instantly given glorified, resurrected bodies.
• This event will include both those who have died in the faith from the past, as well as all those living believers present at the time of this event.

The Rapture is noted in many portions of the Bible, and clearly explained in 1 Thessalonians 4:13–18 and 1 Corinthians 15:51-53…

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 “For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.”

At the Rapture the faithful followers of Jesus will experience the glorious event that they had been waiting and longed for throughout the ages…

• They are finally free from the burden of sin… now in God’s presence forever!
• The Rapture was meant to be a comforting hope for all those who trusted Jesus Christ as their Savior. This is why we were to “encourage each other with these words” (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

The Rapture will involve an instantaneous transformation of our bodies to fit us for eternity…

1 Corinthians 15:51-53 “Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”

At The Rapture: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

• Christ comes in the air (v.16)
• Christ comes for the saints (v. 15-17)
• Affects only believers (v. 16)
• Not visible to all (v. 16 cf 1 Cor. 15:52)
• Rescue from judgments (Rev. 6-18)
• Resurrection of believers (1 Cor. 15:51)
• Imminent, with no preceding signs

At The Second Coming: Revelation 19:11-16

• Christ comes to earth (Zechariah 14:4)
• Christ comes with the saints (v. 14)
• Affects all earth dwellers (v. 15)
• Visible to all (Matt. 24:27; Rev. 1:7)
• A time of great judgment (v. 15)
• No resurrection referenced
• Many signs precede-Israel is key!

Regarding the Great Tribulation, as foretold in the Bible…

Daniel 12:1b-2 “And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

• This is the “time” described in detail as the final seven years before Jesus literally returns and sets up His Millennial Kingdom (Revelation 6-19)

Matthew 24:21 “For then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall.”

Summary of the Great Tribulation and Beyond…

• The Antichrist (the beast) will arise and come into power, signing a covenant with Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27), and this will launch this prophetic time period.
• During the Tribulation there will be wars, famines, plagues, and natural disasters converging throughout our planet, as never before!
• God will be pouring out His judgments against sin, evil, and wickedness.

The Antichrist will break his ‘peace’ covenant with Israel at the mid-point (3.5 years) of the Tribulation, and then turn on them in severe persecution and war…

• He will commit the foretold “the abomination of desolation” and set up an image of himself to be worshiped in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10)
• At the end of the seven-year Tribulation, the Antichrist will launch a final Armageddon battle to thwart the plans of God and return of Jesus Christ, but he will finally be defeated
• Christ will then bind Satan in the Abyss for 1,000 years, and He will then rule and reign in His earthly kingdom (this is the promised Millennium; cf. Revelation 20:1-6).

At the end of the thousand years…

• Satan will be released, defeated one final time, and then cast into the lake of fire for eternity (cf. Revelation 20:7-10).

Revelation 20:10 “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.

Christ will then judge all unbelievers from throughout the ages at the Great White Throne Judgment…

Revelation 20:12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

He will then usher in a New Heaven and Earth, with the New Jerusalem— the eternal dwelling place of all believers throughout the ages…

• The day of restoration will come and we will live in peace with our Lord and all who have fully trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior.

Revelation 21:3-4 “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.”

Jesus is still redeeming anyone who receives and believes in Him…

John 1:12-13 “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

Prayer of Hope: Lord, I come to you now having received Christ as my Lord and Savior, believing that He gave His life to pay my sin debt so that I could be forgiven and redeemed. In Jesus’ mighty name I pray, amen.

For more Bible Prophecy teaching, check out https://perspectiveinprophecy.com.

 

First, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; “But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from Heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the Trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.” (ESV – emphasis is mine.)

Please note that when Paul states “brothers,” it also applies to “sisters.” After all, Romans 10:13, Joel 2:32, and Acts 2:21 all state, “For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” When he uses the term “asleep,” that refers to those who have already died.

Next, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53; “Behold, I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last Trumpet. For the Trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality.”

In several books of the Bible, we’re given signs of what will be taking place on this earth as we get closer and closer to the end of this age.

In Matthew 24:36, Jesus states, “But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of Heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” Sadly, some people use this to say that if Jesus didn’t know this, how could He possibly be a part of the Godhead?

Looking at Hebrews 2:17, “Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in every respect, so that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in the service of God, to make propitiation [acceptable substitute] for the sins of the people.” Jesus allowed Himself to become lower than the angels for a little while (Hebrews 2:9) in order that He could provide the perfect, sinless, and acceptable blood sacrifice for all who would receive and accept Him. No animal’s blood could ever cover human sins, but only that of a perfect, sinless human.

For anyone who may believe they are not sinners, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23, and Romans 6:23 cover this very well. Simply stated, we all sin and fall short of the glory of God, and if it weren’t for Jesus, we would all be condemned forever.

Ephesians 2:8-9 states, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works so that no one may boast.”

While none of this is new, the times we are living in are fulfilling prophecy daily. Numerous Biblical pastors are stating that the end of this age is very close. Nothing new has to take place before all true believers are taken up from this earth to meet Jesus in the air to be kept from the coming wrath/tribulation 7-year period of time (1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10).

As stated in 1 Corinthians 15:52, “in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye…” The speed of this is so rapid that it’s hard to measure in a time frame we can comprehend.

A 2024 song by Danny Gokey called “Only For a Moment” is a song that the last line covers very well: “Something beautiful is on the way.”

1.) Even here there is hope, buried in the hurt. Before the bloom of a rose, there’s a season of dirt. But something beautiful is on the way; where you are is not where you were made to stay.

Ref) It’s only for a moment, so keep holdin’ on. It’s only for a moment; no, it won’t be long. His plan for you is perfect, and the season has a purpose. It’s only for a moment; it’s only for a moment.

2.) You are not on your own, planted where you are. So let the rain help you grow; the harvest isn’t far. Because something beautiful is on the way; where you are is not where you were made to stay. (ref)

3.) God saw something beautiful the day He sowed the seed. The winter bows to His command; it can’t deny the spring. So don’t dig up those roots just yet; He’s watering the ground. The promise of tomorrow stands on what He’s doing now. (ref)

4.) It’s only for a moment; it’s only for a moment. It’s only for a moment; you can trust in Him. ‘Cause even in this moment, He’s working it out. And when you feel hopeless, just trust in the Lord. Something beautiful is on the way. (ref.)

We’re told in 2 Timothy 3:16 that all scripture is from God. Also, 2 Peter 1:20-21 states that all prophecy is from the Holy Spirit. Going into eternity, there are only two paths, not many ways as false prophets today are trying to have us believe.

Matthew 7:13-14 is pure instruction for us, as given by our Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ; “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide, and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

The “hard” part about the narrow gate is accepting that we can’t do more to earn or buy our eternal Salvation. Just read Ephesians 2:8-9 again.

Those who have Jesus in their hearts as their Savior will be ready when that “twinkling of an eye” takes place. In fact, our daily prayer includes: “Come, Lord Jesus! (Maranatha!)”

For any who have not received and accepted Jesus but think they will be able to call out when the Rapture starts, it will be over before they can take a breath. The best action anyone could take is to do the A-B-Cs of Salvation – ASAP!

A – Admit you are a sinner and know we cannot save ourselves.

B – Believe and have faith that Jesus is our Savior who came to this earth as a human, lived a perfect, sinless life, and became the only pure blood sacrifice that our Heavenly Father could accept, and that He rose from the dead to conquer sin and death for us.

C – Call out to Jesus to forgive you, and to have the Holy Spirit come to live within you and keep you as part of The Savior’s precious flock.

Then, know that when the “Restrainer” is removed so that the ultimate anti-christ can come forth (2 Thessalonians 2:7), all who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit (Restrainer) will be taken up to meet Jesus and not be here for the worst time this earth has ever seen.

For anyone who understands that we will sin as long as we’re in these fallible human bodies, the Father has provided 1 John 1:8-10 for our means to receive forgiveness. And before anyone believes they have sinned more than God can forgive, please remember that the only unforgivable sin is to take your last breath here without Jesus as your Savior.

Now would not be too early to call out to our Shepherd and become a part of His flock. Tomorrow could just be too late.

Shalom! May the Peace of the Father be with you!

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