Are We in the Tribulation

Many people have been claiming that we are already in the Tribulation period. With all the crazy things going on in this world I can see why they would think so, but biblically we have not reached that point yet. These are only the “birth pangs”, the beginnings of what will come; during the Tribulation period things will be so much worse. Let’s take a walk through the Tribulation period, from the seals to the trumpets to the bowls or vials.

The seven seals:

seal 1: The White Horse- this horse signifies the appearance of the Antichrist and his rise to power through talk of peace, but his true goal is conquest.

seal 2: The Red Horse- this horse signifies war, this makes sense for this horse to follow the Antichrist’s rise to power. Once he has power he will bring war to all that stand against him.

seal 3: The Black Horse- this horse signifies famine, this is also logical since famine inevitably follows war. The areas that are affected have little left over and if war is brought to a country that supplies much of the food for the world, you can see how this would cause famine in many places.

seal 4: The Pale Horse- this horse signifies pestilence and death, this is a logical progression as well. War, famine, disease and death all go hand in hand.

seal 5: The martyrs under the altar- they are asking God to judge those that killed them to avenge their deaths. They are told to wait until their full number was in. God assures the martyrs that they will be avenged, but they must wait until everyone is given the chance to turn to God.

seal 6: A great earthquake will strike the earth,the sun will turn black and the moon red and stars will fall to the sky, the heavens recede and every mountain and island is moved from its place. At the opening of this seal the people of earth know that this is God’s judgment on them yet they refuse to repent and turn to Him, instead they blame God for what is befalling them.

Between the 6th and 7th seals the 144,000, 12,000 from each of the tribes of Israel are sealed with God’s seal to keep them from harm.

seal 7: When this seal is opened there is silence for half an hour in heaven. Seven trumpets were given to the seven angels that stand before God. Before they begin the next series of judgments another angel appears with a golden censer filled with incense, the angel fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth. This causes thunder, lightning and an earthquake.

Trumpet 1: Hail and fire mixed with blood fall to the earth and burn 1/3 of the earth, trees and grass are burned up. This is God’s judgment on the land.

Trumpet 2: A large mountain on fire is thrown into the sea, 1/3 of the sea turns to blood and 1/3 of the living creatures die and 1/3 of the ships are destroyed.This is God’s judgment on the sea.

Trumpet 3: A star falls from the sky onto the springs and rivers, the star is called Wormwood and causes 1/3 of the waters to turn bitter and many die from drinking it. This is God’s judgment on the fresh waters.

Trumpet 4: 1/3 of the sun, moon and stars are turned dark; a third of the day and night was completely dark. This is God’s judgment on the sky.

Before the final three trumpets are sounded an eagle flies by saying “woe” to those of the earth because of the final three trumpet blasts to come.

Trumpet 5: A star falls from the sky, (probably and angel) he is given the key to the abyss. When he opens it smoke rises from it and releases locusts that were given the power to sting like a scorpion. They were not allowed to harm anything on the earth except those people that did not have God’s mark on their foreheads. They were allowed to torment the earth for five months. Their king was the angel of the abyss, Abaddon or in Greek, Apollyon.

Trumpet 6: This releases the four angels that were bound at the Euphrates river, they were released to kill 1/3 of mankind. They killed with fire, smoke and sulfur.

Before the final trumpet is blown there is a time when there will be two witnesses that will prophesy in Jerusalem. They are given the power to shut off the rain and to kill anyone that tried to harm them with flame from their mouths.  They prophesy 1260 days, half the tribulation period before they are killed. Their bodies will lie on the street for 3 1/2 days and the entire world will celebrate their deaths. After 3 1/2 days they will rise from the dead and ascend to heaven. At this point there will be a massive earthquake that will cause a tenth of the city to collapse.

Trumpet 7: At the sound of this trumpet it is announced in heaven that God has retaken the world. This signifies the final judgments and the halfway point of the Tribulation period; this last 3 1/2 years will be so bad that it is called the Great Tribulation. At the end Jesus will triumph over Satan.

Bowl 1: This bowl is poured out onto the land, festering sores broke out on those that have taken the mark of the beast

Bowl 2: This bowl is poured out on the sea, the entire sea turns to blood and all creatures in it die.

Bowl 3: This bowl is poured onto the rivers and springs, they turn to blood

Bowl 4: This bowl is poured onto the sun and the sun scorched people with fire

Bowl 5: This bowl is poured onto the throne of the beast and his kingdom is plunged into darkness. There is absolutely no light, so dark that it causes physical pain.

Bowl 6: This bowl is poured out onto the Euphrates river so that it dries up to prepare the way for the kings of the east. Three spirits go out into the world to gather the world for the final battle at Armageddon.

Bowl 7: This bowl is poured out into the air. Once this has occurred a voice from the throne says “It is done!”  A worldwide earthquake larger than anything that has ever happened occurs. Jerusalem is split into three parts. nations collapse, every island is gone and all mountains are destroyed, hailstones weighing 100 lbs fall from the sky crushing people. The Antichrist’s kingdom of Babylon is destroyed.

At this time Jesus will return for the final battle with Satan where Satan will be defeated and thrown into the pit.

How will you know when the Tribulation begins?

²⁵ “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,^[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.^[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood:War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’^[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’^[i]he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple^[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.  Daniel 9:25-27

The Tribulation begins when the Antichrist makes a covenant with Israel for seven years of peace. If you look at Israel right now you will see that we are not at that point and there is not a one world ruler so we have not entered the Tribulation period yet. But I do not think that the time is far off when this will start, if you are watching world events things are lining up  for the War of Gog and Magog that is described in Ezekiel and also the destruction of Damascus in Isaiah 17. For those that do not have a relationship with Jesus, it is not too late. You can see the way the world is changing and all the things that are falling into place biblically, do you want to leave yourself in the position of going through the Tribulation?  Check out this former post I wrote and the simple prayer that you can pray at the bottom.

The Clock is Winding Down

Maranatha!

The Sheep and Goats Judgment

The second judgment will be the sheep and goats judgment. This judgment will occur after the Tribulation period that will end with the second coming of Christ. This judgment is for everyone that lived through the tribulation period.
In arid lands, Shepherds often grazed the sheep and goats together. During the night, when the temperatures got colder, the goats were put into a shelter because they were would freeze without the warm woolly coat of a sheep. Sheep are docile animals that are easily led to green pastures, on the other hand, goats are known for being stubborn and not wanting to obey. When we look at these characteristics, we can relate them to a person that eagerly follows God and someone that prefers to do whatever they want and not obey anyone.

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
⁴¹ “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴² For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³ I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
⁴⁴ “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
⁴⁵ “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
⁴⁶ “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46

When Jesus returns and Satan has been bound for a thousand years in a pit, it will then be time to judge those that survived the tribulation period. The purpose of this judgment is to determine who is worthy to enter the millennial  kingdom. 

The sheep represent the people that came to believe in the Lord after the rapture and did not take the mark of the beast and follow the Antichrist. The goats represent those people that did not come to faith in the Lord during this time and many of them did take the mark of the beast and have followed the Antichrist.  Jesus separates the sheep on his right hand side, and these people will be going into the millennial kingdom. The goats will go to eternal punishment. 
The main part of this judgment is God’s people, the Jews. During the tribulation, Satan and the Antichrist will make an all out effort to finally destroy the Jews.
¹³ When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. Revelation 12:13
The woman in this verse is Israel, and the male child referred to in this verse is Jesus. At around the midpoint of the tribulation, Satan is thrown out of heaven. Up to this point, Satan had been allowed into heaven as the “accuser of the brethren”.

¹⁰ Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power
    and the kingdom of our God,
    and the authority of his Messiah.
For the accuser of our brothers and sisters,
    who accuses them before our God day and night,
    has been hurled down.  Revelation 12:10

The Jews at this point will have to hide from the Antichrist because they will be hunted like they were during the Holocaust but worldwide. The sheep, being Christ followers will be the ones that reach out to help the Jews during this time. The goats will be turning in the Jews for persecution. This is what they will be judged on. 

Imminence

I felt called by the Lord to do a blog about Revelation. I have always been fascinated by Revelation since I was a child. Many people are afraid of Revelation and are confused by the prophecies in it, so they stay away from it. I have always loved it and tried to read everything I could find on it. I hope my blog was able to help make it a little easier to understand and make it less scary for you. The explanations and commentaries that I have given come from many sources. I have done extensive research online and through books, so I hope I have given you the best explanations.
I want to talk about what will happen before Revelation. I believe the Rapture of the church is imminent, let me tell you why. Jesus talked to His disciples about many things including His return. The disciples were curious and asked Jesus how they would know when He would be coming back. Jesus answered them:

³ As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. ⁸ All these are the beginning of birth pains. Matthew 24:3-8

⁷ “Teacher,” they asked, “when will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about to take place?”
 ⁸ He replied: “Watch out that you are not deceived. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am he,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not follow them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and uprisings, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.”
 ¹⁰ Then he said to them: “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. ¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:7-11
Some people may write off the wars and rumors of wars, the earthquakes and famines, and say that these things have always been around. These people are correct, but these things are just the signs that the time is getting closer. The Bible clearly predicts certain events that needed to happen before the Rapture would take place. Let’s go through a few of them.


Increase in Knowledge and Travel
⁴ But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.” Daniel 12:4
There has never been a time in history when knowledge has been at your fingertips. The internet has consolidated knowledge from every corner of the globe on any topic you can imagine. Things that people would have had to do years of research to find out now only take the time it takes you to type them into your browser. Travel, that once took months now only takes hours.


False Religions

⁴ Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. Matthew 24:4-5
There are over 3000 cults in the world today, and they all believe in something other than salvation through Jesus Christ.


Increase in Wickedness
¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5
Does this sound familiar? If you watch TV shows and the news this seems to be the prevalent theme. There have always been evil people in the world, but these days it seems like you can’t turn around without hearing that someone killed another person for their possessions, or because they looked at them wrong. Kids killing their parents, husbands killing their wives. Women cutting open pregnant women to get the baby inside. The sexual scandals, Ponzi schemes, pornography, terrorism, genocide, the list of evil goes on and on.

Wars and Rumors of Wars
⁶ You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom Matthew 24:6-7
There have always been wars, but the twentieth century has seen the deaths of more people during war than all the other centuries before it put together. Nation against Nation would indicate that two nations went to war with each other, but the kingdom against kingdom would indicate that these nations were soon joined by other nations of the world. The twentieth century saw the start of two world wars, which seem to fulfill this part of scripture. 


Earthquakes and Pestilences
¹¹ There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven. Luke 21:11
The twentieth century has seen the rise of super viruses that seem to be antibiotic resistant. There are also the diseases that there is no cure for like AIDS and Cancers. There was the flu epidemic of 1918, bird flu and swine flu that have spread throughout populations.
Earthquakes have been on the rise through the world, especially extremely large quakes. In the U. S alone, earthquakes in the central part of the country averaged around 21 up until 2009 where they doubled, currently the number has jumped to 134 as of last year. Then there was the 5.1 earthquake in Virginia that shocked the east coast in 2011. Let’s not forget the 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan also in 2011. On April 11, 2012 there were three large earthquakes that struck around the same time. 8.6 off of Indonesia, 5.9 off the Oregon coast and a 6.5 off the Mexican coast. USGS claimed that this was an unprecedented event, and the largest earthquake ever for the particular kind of fault line. The top five largest earthquakes ever have occurred since 1950.

Israel Restored
²⁴ “‘For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. Ezekiel 36:24
No other country in the world once it was destroyed and its people scattered has ever kept their national identity and been restored to their previous homeland. Israel was a nation in 606 B.C. before Israel’s captivity and rule by Babylon, Persia and Rome. Most of the Israelites were carried off into captivity by these nations. Israel came under Muslim rule for 1300 years and then under Turkish rule of the Ottoman Empire. Jews have yearned to return to Israel for many years and the movement became known as Zionism. Even scattered throughout the world, the Jews held on to their national identity and their belief in God. They were treated badly by many nations, some nations like Spain expelled the Jews, others like the Nazi party tried to exterminate them. Through all these trials, God protected the Jews and in 1948 their homeland was returned to them. Jews have been returning to Israel since 1948, at first from Arab countries, then from western Europe and in the 1980s from Russia, and finally from Ethiopia. ⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.
⁶ I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth— Isaiah 43:5-6

These are all signs that the end is getting closer. All Biblical prophecy has been fulfilled up until this time. There is nothing else that needs to happen before the Rapture occurs. In fact there are only two events left before the rise of the Antichrist. The Rapture of the church and the War of Gog and Magog. There is no clear indication which of these events will occur first. In the War of Gog and Magog, Russia and her allies will attack Israel. I will go into more detail about this at a later time. I just have to say, if you see Russia and her allies go to war with Israel, be prepared for the Rapture will be coming soon. I have always believed that the Rapture would occur in my lifetime, and we have never had so much of Bible prophecy fulfilled and seen events lining up for the end time events to unfold, but I can’t say for certain if it will come during my lifetime. No one knows but God and Jesus.
³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44

Maranatha!

The Rapture: What Will Happen?

I would like to talk about the Rapture. There are three schools of thought on when the Rapture will occur. The first is the pre-tribulation rapture, which I believe and will discuss. The second is the mid-tribulation rapture, in which some people believe that the Rapture will occur during the midpoint of the seven year tribulation period. The third view is the post-tribulation rapture, which they believe will occur at the end of the seven year tribulation period and before the Glorious Appearing of Christ. These two views are the minority view, I believe in a pre-tribulation rapture and I will be discussing Bible verses that support this view.


First, what is the Rapture? The Rapture is meant for the church age, the time from Pentecost until the present time. The Christians that have believed in Jesus and trusted Him for their salvation will be caught up to heaven and given their incorruptible bodies. Even the ones that have been in the grave, or have been cremated will be given their perfect bodies at this time. These Christians will be taken out of the world at this time in preparation of the Tribulation period that is to come. God will be sending down judgement on the world in a last effort to get the attention of non-believers. The ones left behind after the rapture are not lost, they still have a chance to turn to God and to trust Jesus for their salvation. They will have to endure the horrors of the Tribulation period, but even if they die during this time, they will be with Christ.


The word “rapture” does not occur in the Bible at all. The Latin word rapere was translated from the Greek word harpazo, which means “caught up”, it became commonly known as the Rapture. Many people say that the church did not start preaching about the Rapture until Reverend Morgan Edwards in 1742.  Grant Jeffrey found a writing from 373 AD in which Ephraim the Syrian had been writing about the Rapture.


          “For all the saints and the elect of God are gathered prior to the Tribulation that is to come, and are
           taken to the Lord, lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sin.”


As you may have seen in the news, some people like Harold Camping this past year, try to predict the day that the Rapture will occur. No one knows the day that this will happen.


 ³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,^[f] but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.


   ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. Matthew 24:36-44


Even Jesus did not know when the day would be, He said only God knows. If Jesus did not know, do you really think someone could “figure it out”?????  We are only told about the signs that Jesus would be returning for His church so that we may be ready.


According to these verses, the Rapture will come at an unexpected time. I believe that this proves that the Rapture will have to come before the Tribulation period. If it were to happen at any other time, like mid-tribulation or post-tribulation, then it would not be unexpected. We would be looking for it to happen at a specific point. The only way these verses can make sense is if the Rapture occurs before the Tribulation.


What will happen when the Rapture occurs? Many people know that the people that believed in Jesus for their salvation will be taken up to heaven. 

¹³ Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. ¹⁴ For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. ¹⁵According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. ¹⁶ 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. ¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ Therefore encourage one another with these words.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18


⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:51-53





There are many other verses in the Bible that prove that there will be a Rapture.


¹ “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. John 14:1-3



⁷Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. ⁸ He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:7-8


¹⁰ and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. 1 Thessalonians 1:10


The coming wrath would be the Tribulation that will come upon the earth once the church is removed. 


⁹ For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:9


¹³ while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ Titus 2:13


The Blessed Hope is another name for the Rapture. It is what we look forward to so that we do not have to suffer through the Tribulation period where God will unleash His wrath on the earth.


¹⁰ Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth. Revelation 3:10

This is another verse where we are told that we, the church, are to be saved from the Tribulation. That does not mean that Christians do not suffer tribulations and trials while we are on the earth. God never claims that we will be exempt from these things, but it is a promise that we will not have to suffer the final seven years of the Tribulation when God will pour out His wrath, like nothing you have ever seen or experienced. 


I felt that I needed to discuss the Rapture at this point, before I began on the next part of Revelation because the church is notable absent from chapters four through nineteen. 


Before I begin on chapter four, I would like to invite anyone that has not accepted Jesus free gift of salvation and wishes to do so to pray the following prayer:


Heavenly Father, in Jesus’ name I confess that I have sinned and ask for forgiveness. I ask that Jesus come into my heart and become my  Lord and Savior. I believe Jesus died for my sins and was raised from the dead.
Thank You Father for saving me in Jesus’ name. Amen.