… judgement or deliverance?

The Lord is not slow concerning His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

2 Peter 3:9

God is about to judge the whole world. He will cause great disasters to come upon the earth, so that nearly every person will die.

There is only one way of escape.

Two thousand years ago, Jesus came to earthand died for our sins. But He rose from the dead. He now promises to give eternal life to anyone who believes in Him, and to save them from the judgement to come.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.

John 3:36

Sometime soon – at any moment - Jesus will come in the sky, and call all believers to Himself. All believers will disappear from this earth, and go to be with Him forever.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you will not be on the earth during the judgements which you will hear about today.

If you are not a believer, I urge you to believe that Jesus died for your sins, and that He will give you eternal life. He is faithful to keep His promise.

Prophecy Page 1

DISPENSATIONS(The outline of history)

Creation of angels
Creation of Earth
Adam (Gen 2)------4000? BC -
Noah
Job
Abraham (Gen 12)------2500 BC -
/ Moses
David
Pentecost (Acts 2)------30 AD - /  Jesus
Jesus ascends to heaven 
 Holy Spirit comes to earth to indwell believers
Israel scattered (70 AD)
Rapture (1 Thes 4)------?? AD - / Jesus comes in the clouds to take His body home 
Holy Spirit and believers go to heaven 
/ Antichrist
Battle of Armageddon
Second Advent (Rev 19)------/  Jesus returns to Jerusalem
Israel regathered
Gog & Magog rebellion
Great White Throne (Rev 20)-----
Creation of New Heavens & Earth
/ New Jerusalem

Prophecy Page 1

THE TRIBULATION

/ / / Antichrist brings peace (6:1-2) / War (6:3-4) / Famine (6:5-6) / Death (6:7-8) / Persecution (6:9-11) / Great Earthquake (6:12-17) / Silence in Haeven (8:1) / / Hail, Fire & Blood (8:7) / Burning Mountain (8:8-9) / Wormwood (8:10-11) / Sun, Moon, Stars Darkened (8:12) / Demonic Locusts (9:1-12) / Demonic 200 Million Army (9:13-21) / Voices in Heaven (11:15-19) / / / Severe Sores (16:1-2) / Seas become Blood (16:3) / Rivers become Blood (16:4-7) / Sorching Heat (16:8-9) / Total Darkness & Pain (16:10-11) / Three Demonic Frogs (16:12-16) / Great Earthquake & Hailstones (16:17-21) / / Armageddon (16:14-16) / Second Advent (19:11-21)

Prophecy Page 1

PROPHECY

INTRODUCTION

Prophecy means to proclaim a special revelation from God. In the general sense, it means to proclaim or teach the Word of God (“Thus says the Lord …”). In the technical sense, it means to foretell future events, as revealed by God.

In Old Testament times, we read often of the prophets proclaiming the Word of God. Sometimes, this message would deal with divine guidance (eg whether a king should go into battle or not), sometimes it would foretell judgement from God (eg warnings of judgement for sin), sometimes it would tell of the promises of God (eg the coming of Messiah to deliver Israel).

In New Testament times, prophets were given revelations from God to teach the new church about its special place in the plan and purpose of God. The church had been a “mystery”, not revealed in the Old Testament, therefore there was a need for “new” teaching.

Once these teachings had been written down in the Bible, there was no longer a need for special, prophetic revelation. The Bible is the completed Word of God. If we surrender our lives to God, pray and meditate upon His Word, we can know God’s purpose for our lives.

RIGHTLY DIVIDING THE WORD OF TRUTH

When interpreting Scripture, it is important to understand that different passages of the Bible relate to different periods of human history. Different commandments apply to different people, and different prophecies apply to different times.

For instance, the Law of Moses was written for the Jews in the Old Testament – therefore, the commandments of Moses should not be applied to the church in the New Testament. Similarly, “end-times” passages from the books of Daniel, Matthew chapters 24-25, and Revelation relate to a future age, not to the church.

To interpret Scriptures (and prophecy) correctly, we must “divide the Word of Truth” accurately (2 Timothy 2:15).

God has divided human history into segments of history or “dispensations”. In each dispensation, He uses a different group of people as His representatives on the earth. And different passages of Scripture apply to different dispensations.

Outline of Dispensations

1.Age of the Gentiles

The first dispensation is from Adam to Abraham. God dealt with individuals and families. It was the responsibility of each father to serve as priest and spiritual head for his own family.

2.Age of Israel

The next dispensation is from Abraham to Pentecost (30AD). God called the nation Israel to be His chosen people. God established a special priesthood (the Levites) and the Law of Moses. It was the responsibility of Israel to be a witness to the world of the truth and holiness of the Lord. However, Israel was continuously unfaithful to God, finally rejecting and crucifying His own Son, Jesus. Because of its disobedience, Israel has been temporarily set aside, and scattered amongst the nations.

3.Age of Grace (Church Age)

This is the dispensation in which we live – from Pentecost until the Rapture. In this age, God has called out “another” people for Himself, called the “church”. In this age, every believer is joined into the body of Christ, and shares everything with Him. It is the responsibility of the church to proclaim the gospel to all the world.

4.Tribulation

This is actually the final portion of the Age of Israel. It is sometimes called the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7) and “Daniel’s Seventieth Week” (Daniel 9:24-27) or the “Tribulation” (Matthew 24:9, 21). It is a seven year period between the Rapture and the Second Advent. Israel will again have the responsibility to evangelise the world (through 144000 Jewish evangelists). But this period will be a time of great judgement, both upon Israel (to purge her) and upon the world (for its rejection of God).

5.Millennial Kingdom

At the Second Advent, Jesus will return to the earth as the King of Kings. He will destroy all unbelievers and cleanse the earth from the effects of sin. He will regather Israel and establish His kingdom for 1000 years on earth. He Himself will be ruling on earth, and all men will know that He is God.

Jesus demonstrated the principle of dispensations in Luke 4:18-19, where He quoted Isaiah 61:1-2a, stopping halfway through a sentence in verse 2. This is because verse 2a relates to the First Advent (proclaiming the good news of salvation), whereas verse 2b relates to the Second Advent (executing the vengeance of God upon the world). Different parts of Isaiah 61:2 relate to different dispensations of human history.

Another common mistake people make is to confuse passages which deal with the Rapture with passages which deal with the Second Advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Rapture is when the Lord will come in the air to remove His church from the earth. The Second Advent is when He comes to Jerusalem to defeat Antichrist, and to establish the Kingdom. The context of a passage of Scripture will show which “coming” is in view.

Finally, remember that prophecies often have immediate fulfilment as well as a long-term fulfilment. For example, the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 says that a virgin (literally, “a young woman”) would give birth to a son. In the short term, this prophecy showed that Isaiah’s young wife would bear him a son, as a sign to the nation Israel (Isaiah 8:3). However, in the long term, it foretold the coming of Jesus (Matthew 1:22-23). Consider also Acts 2:16-21. Peter uses this passage as an illustration of the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, but its actual fulfilment is in the MillennialKingdom.

THE SATANIC BATTLE

When considering the interpretation of Scripture (and prophecy), it is also important to remember the ultimate purpose of history. Mankind was created to prove something to Satan, and everything in history is part of a spiritual “battle” between God and Satan.

The first prophecy in the Bible – Genesis 3:15 – is actually a reference to this battle with Satan.

To understand prophecy, it is therefore useful to understand the role of Satan.

Satan (originally called “Lucifer”) is an angel. He was once the most important, most powerful, most beautiful angel in God’s creation. But he became proud, exalted himself above God, and rebelled against God. See Ezekiel 28:12-17 and Isaiah 14:12-14. One third of the angels rebelled with Satan, and these are now called “demons”.

God then created mankind (a creature lower than angels) to show Satan than an inferior creature would obey and worship God – something which Satan refused to do. But Satan deceived mankind into sin, disobedience and rebellion against God. He thought he had won the battle.

But, in the foreknowledge of God, God had planned to send His own Son – Jesus – into the world as a man. By His life of total obedience to God, the man Jesus was able to defeat Satan, and by His death and resurrection, He was able to provide salvation for anyone who choses to return to God. Therefore – as a man – Jesus is glorified, made higher than the angels, and everything will be subjected to Him (Hebrews 2:5-18, Philippians 2:5-11).

The rest of human history is Satan’s vain attempt to stop the fulfilment of God’s plan. Satan continues to deceive people so that they will not believe in Jesus Christ. He tries to destroy Israel, the church, and the Bible. Satan is a counterfeiter and deceiver, and he wants people to worship him as the true God. In the near future, Satan will deceive the whole world through a man known as Antichrist – the false Christ – who will try to regather Israel and establish a counterfeit kingdom of peace on the whole earth.

But God is sovereign, and at the appointed time, Jesus will return to defeat Satan, establish Histrue kingdom, and fulfil all the prophecies and promises of God.

OVERVIEW OF END-TIMES EVENTS

There are many prophecies in the Bible which have not yet been fulfilled. These prophecies relate to the “end times” –the end of human history when God will fulfil all of His promises.

The main prophecies which have not yet been fulfilled include the Rapture of the Church, the Tribulation, the Second Advent, the MillennialKingdom, the Great White Throne Judgement and the EternalState.

The Rapture of the Church (in the Air)

The next prophecy to be fulfilled is known as the “Rapture” of the church. There are no other prophecies which must be fulfilled prior to this. We are not told when the Rapture will occur – it could be any moment!

All believers since Pentecost (30 AD) until the Rapture are known as the “church”, also called the “body of Christ” (Ephesians 5:23, Colossians 1:18, 24, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13) and will one day become the “bride of Christ” (Revelation 19:7, Revelation 21:2, 9).

Jesus has promised to return in the clouds (Acts 1:11) and receive us to Himself (John 14:3). Those believers who have died in the last 2000 years will be raised from the dead, and those of us who are alive at the Rapture will receive eternal, resurrection bodies as we go up to meet Jesus in the air.

But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 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.

1 Corinthians 15:50-53

Why is the Rapture important?

  • Christ is the Head and the Bridegroom; we are His body and bride (Ephesians 5:22-32). We are united with Him, and share everything with Him.
  • At the cross, our souls have been redeemed by the payment for sins. In resurrection, our physical bodies will also be redeemedand cleansed of the sin nature (Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:53)
  • Resurrection is the final “phase” of our salvation –when we will be glorified (Romans 8:30, 1 John 3:2). We will be in the image of Christ – in our souls (2 Corinthians 3:18; Colossians 3:10) and in our bodies (Philippians 3:21; Romans 8:29; 1 Corinthians 15:49).
  • It is called the “blessed hope” (Titus 2:13). We all should be eagerly awaiting the return of the Lord Jesus Christ, to be with Him forever!

(for more information, see appendix: Resurrections)

The Judgement Seat of Christ (for Believers) (in Heaven)

At the Rapture, our physical bodies, which have been corrupted by sin, will fall away and we will receive eternal, resurrection bodies.

We will then be “judged” according to our works. This is a judgement of believers – it is for cleansing and reward, not for punishment and condemnation.

Our lives will be evaluated: any “dead works” will be burned and removed, and any “good works” will be rewarded.

For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

1 Corinthians 3:11-15

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

2 Corinthians 5:10

There will be nothing of sin, self-righteousness or human effort in eternity. The only things which will remain will be the works of God which we have allowed Him to perform through us.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Ephesians 2:8-10

These good works will be the basis for our reward - an eternal glory to Christ.

And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.

Revelation 19:8

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb (in Heaven)

Having been cleansed of “dead works”, the church will then be presented to Christ as His bride. Christ (the bridegroom), the church (His bride), and invited guests (believers from all other ages) will then celebrate the wedding feast – a time of rejoicing and blessing for 1000 years, and on into eternity.

… just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

Ephesians 5:25-27

And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Almighty reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ”

Revelation 19:6-9

(for more information, see appendix: Jewish Wedding)

The Tribulation (on Earth)

The Tribulation is a period of seven years, between the Rapture of the church and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ. It is a time of great judgement on the earth.

Please note! During the Tribulation, the church is in heaven, being cleansed and prepared for her marriage to Christ. The church is not on earth during the judgements of the Tribulation! (see Revelation 3:10)