Notice To All Readers - By Tim Brown

Dear readers of The Omega Report,

I wanted to take the time to sit down and write you all, as I have you dear in my heart. The time I spent writing on the topics of Christian eschatology and preparedness for the days ahead were some of the best and worst of days. I remember over the last year hurriedly taking steps to prepare my family for the uncertain days ahead. God was stretching me in many ways, spiritually, family-wise, financially, etc. and in many ways we are still being stretched. My family has gone through a lot of transition and we have just recently been able to get financially stabilized as I am starting a job next week, God willing.

The last 2 years though, regardless of the difficulties, has also been the best of times. God called me in a time in my life when I was in a place of self destruction. He then led me through years of legalism in a certain denomination context, and then through that allowed me to get buried up to my head in an addiction that nearly cost me my life. However, through that I also learned the grace of God and the power of transformation that comes through knowing and accepting one’s identity in Christ. This pursuit of transformation and grace eventually led me out of the legalisms of my past and eventually out of the personal moral legalisms I held myself personally to. It has only been over the last 3 years where I can say I have truly learned how to walk with God, hear his voice, and do his will in a way where it is not my own fleshly efforts trying to accomplish his divine purposes, but his Holy Spirit working and leading within me. This has truly been life-changing for myself and my wife.

Things really came to a head in December when it became clear to me that I would never be able to serve in the kind of ministry context I was in, due to the fact that my views had changed so drastically from what they traditionally had been. Grace and God’s love filled my teaching, as well as showing people HOW to live holy lives through knowing their identity in Christ, not just tell them they had to go and live holy lives. I was asked to leave ministry at my church in December 2009, and have been looking for some kind of work ever sense, again starting one next week.

So why has it been so hard for me to find another ministry within the denomination I had been a part of? Because I refused to not be honest about who I am, what I believe, and where God has brought me in my journey of faith. The plain fact of the matter is, I am a former addict, former legalist, who now preaches grace and holiness without performance.

I say all this to say, that the Spirit has convicted me to not only be transparent in all these facets of my life, but to also be transparent with those who were the readers of The Omega Report. On the site, I mentioned that I began my Christian faith with a belief in Amellinalism, which later changed due to things that God was showing me through scripture and through other’s teaching. Any other teaching in my denomination would be cause for automatic dismissal, or of being labeled as a person in error. When God began to press upon my heart to write articles concerning his Son’s second coming (as I do still believe he is VERY near), I started The Omega Report writing under a pseudo name-as I wanted to not only protect my family’s privacy, but I was also still living with some residual fear about letting others in my circle of influence know the real me, and to some extent I am still afraid-just where I am in God’s process of working with me. But as I said to myself and my wife when I began looking at ministry again, I told her that I would never again where a mask, and that I would never again hide behind the fleshly attempts to create an identity for other people that is contrary to the identity that I have in Christ.

Duncan Conner, was my pseudo name. So let me introduce myself formally. My name is Tim Brown. I reside in TN and have a beautiful family of 5 (just had our third son!). I decided to continue writing, now especially sense I will be working again and hopefully will have more time. But another reason why I plan to continue writing is because as I mentioned earlier, God has been doing some amazing things in me that have led me to the conviction that my role in these lasts times is yes, to help people understand the Lord’s second coming, but so many more people are far more gifted than I am in that area. I have come to the conviction that God has called me to help set the captives free-to use my life as one who was hopelessly addicted to show others how to be free, and in general to help who the church and teach the church who they really are in Christ. This is the focus on that new web site that I mentioned in my last post on The Omega Report.

My new site is called www.timothybrownministries.com I just started it last week and I do plan to import all of my articles over from the old site to the new site. I still plan to keep The Omega Report up and going for you to use the articles and information as you wish. But any new material will be posted on the new site, and also I will be writing and focusing my attention on issues with regard to how we are to walk and how to walk in the Spirit in these last days-a much more compelling (if you ask me) and encouraging theme, that a lot of the craziness that we see in the world around us. The fact is this: If we don’t know who we are in Christ, then regardless of how much information we possess about the end times, we will still not be as effective as we could be, had we walked in the Spirit and accomplished the things that God wants us to accomplish in the intervening time between now and his second coming. I hope that the new site will be an extended and expanded section on Spiritual Preparation.

I pray that my writing under a pseudo-name does not offend anyone. I assure you it was partly about fear, and partly about privacy. But now I know that I do not need to hide behind any masks. I plan to keep any who were on the mailing list still on the mailing list. But if you decide you want to opt out, then when you get the e-mail, you may do so there. If I don’t hear from you, then I will assume we can still continue our adventures in the word of Christ together, and I look forward to getting to know you better, as you get to know me (the real me) better.

May God bless you richly and may he continually supply you with all knowledge and grace as you walk worthily in him.

In Christ,

Tim Brown (aka, Duncan Conner)

P.S., I mentioned that my wife and I just had our third son. We named him Connor…  Look forward to hearing from you.

A Final Message From Duncan Conner

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

A couple of months ago I came to you to let you know that I had lost my job and that I would be focusing all of my energies on seeking employment in order to provide security for my family of 5. I began limiting the amount of extra work and volunteer work that I was doing and as a result I decided to not update The Omega Report as far as writing and posting new articles, and to keep posting news related to prophecy daily. I wanted to take a moment to update you on the situation and to let you know about the future of The Omega Report.

I have been tirelessly looking for work for 2 months now, and though I am currently following up on about 4 leads, I am still unemployed. The financial stress in our family is rising and I am at a point now where I am going to have to go out there and literally grab anything-though it may not pay all our bills. I am still praying that something will come through but have accepted the fact that God has his plans and that his processes are not always those that we would normally choose for ourselves. They are nevertheless his and are always best.

Having said that, it is with great sorrow that I am now going to have to step away from this ministry. I have tried to make time to produce new articles and provide new insights for the study of Bible prophecy and it has became apparent that I am no longer going to be able to do this. So looking to the new year, my intent is to cease updating the web site and adding new articles and news. I will leave all the information that is on there now currently, at least through to the beginning of the new year, and then sometime next year I will shut down the web site. Personally I would not like to see The Omega Report go away completely. If there are any out there who would like to get in the driver’s seat, I would love to work with you and hand it over to allow it to keep going.

Your kind words, insights, prayers, and friendship have been wonderful. I have loved interacting with you and learning from you, and look forward to continuing on in the relationships that I have formed in this ministry.

I know that many of you enjoyed the unique articles and news items that we posted on the site, so I would like to give you a few links to help you continue seeking out this kinds of information.

For news I scoured the web and hit all the main news sites like CNN.com, Fox News, etc. I found the Drudge Report to be very helpful, as well as various prophecy news web sites that are easily found by Google. A particularly helpful web site is also http://www.prophecyupdate.com/ You can also set news alerts through Google if you want that will send you news alerts for certain keywords like “Bible prophecy,” “Gog and Magog,” etc.

Also, please copy down all the sites that I have listed in my SOFL links section. A lot of the articles that I deemed the best of the best came from reading these others sites.

As far as the financial information, etc. is concerned here are some of the sites that I frequent:

Glenn Beck
http://www.glennbeck.com

Harry S. Dent
http://www.hsdent.com/

Stan Deyo
http://www.standeyo.com

Jerome Corsi
http://www.worldnetdaily.com
http://www.redalert.wnd.com

Mish Shedlock
http://www.globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot
http://www.sitkapacific.com

Walter Zimmerman
http://www.icap.com/

Gerald Celente
http://www.trendsresearch.com

Peter Schiff
http://www.europac.net/

Survival Information
http://www.survivalistboards.com/

I hope that these resources will be helpful for you. I wish you all the best in the days and years to come. I don’t know what will happen with America, the economy, whether these are the last of the last days or not. But I know who holds the day and who will care for us. Study the word, live godly, be ever ready for the appearing of our lord. Continue to prepare as best as you can, and live for Christ to the greatest of your ability. Until then…God bless you all.

In Christ,

Duncan Conner

You May Need A Dose Of Glenn Beck - By Perry Stone

It is a sly comment that I have experienced myself on several occasions. A person from another faith or religious background will out of concern warn their family member or friend not to listen to a person with a differing opinion. It is usually expressed this way, “You better not listen to him or you will be confused.” Or it may be stated, “They are not telling you the truth so stay away from them.” While there may be times when a warning is accurate and needed to prevent a sincere person from innocently falling into the hands of some cult or far out teaching, too often the fear is not induced to protect the person as much as to prevent them from hearing something that would change their opinion.

It seems the secular, liberal media is attempting to figure out how that can prevent the bloodletting from their cable news channels, to more conservative talking heads that are crushing them in the media news ratings. For years, liberal publications such as the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times had a total monopoly on readership and promoting a leftist agenda through editorials and op-ed articles. Today, the newspaper industry is struggling to survive against their new rival, internet news sites such as the Drudge Report. The major media evening news, ABC, CBS and NBC, have lost their older viewers to new conglomerates such as FOX-News. In fact on an average day, Fox News will hold the top 7 out of 10 highest Nelson Ratings which indicates their viewership is sinking the other networks like the iceberg sunk the Titanic.

One of the new threats on the block, not only to the liberal media and left brained journalists, but to the most liberal administration in U.S. history is a man named Glenn Beck. Mr. Beck previously hosted a nightly news talk/interview show on a major network but moved to Fox News Network at 5:00 EST. I try never to miss the 1 hour, very informative and entertaining Beck as he literally exposes numerous hidden agendas, organizations and people in the “shadow government.” This includes the actual beliefs of the Czars forming the agenda in the present U.S. administration.

Beck’s information is well researched by a team of experienced researchers and his presentation is a bold yet entertaining expose of facts and information that affect the common American. Furthermore, the secularist progressives are terrified of the fellow. They have painted him as dangerous and non progressive. The same fear mongers that warn Americans to avoid watching or believing Glenn’s information, are scared spit less that the more their agenda that they are trying to push through is exposed, the less chance they will have to reform and change America from a Capitalist to a Socialist society. Other threats to them include Bill O’Riley, and Shawn Hannity.

Here is a personal suggestion. If you are free to watch Beck for about 1 week, do so and you will be stunned at the plans being made against your freedoms, including banking, auto, health care, the internet and freedom of speech. I have been blessed to have one of the best watched weekly teaching programs (according to ratings) in the United States. We often have 200 to 300 thousands viewers on any given night over major Christian networks when the program is aired. If you have not watched Beck, tune in and listen to a man who is not a preacher…but finally someone that has some common sense! It is time to stand up and speak up or we will be forced to sit down and told to shut up by strange laws forced upon us!

Perry Stone Jr.

www.voe.org

Bible Prophecy: Where to Begin? - By Edward Wood

It has been said that 25% of the Bible is comprised of prophecy in one manner or another. Considering the length of the Bible, any one who wishes to begin an exploration of this subject might wonder just where to start. I know I did. Interestingly enough, the answer was not long in coming. Now this in no way should be construed as some kind of inherent brilliance on my part but should instead be looked upon as a practical example of what James said: [James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

In other words, any wisdom you might find here isn't generated from yours truly. Next, I strongly urge you to do your own homework and arrive at your own conclusions not only on what you read here, but on any commentary regarding Scripture. Why? Because Paul reminds us that "we see through a glass darkly" (1 Cor. 13:11-12) - even the greatest of Bible scholars. As a layman with no formal Bible training, I'm sure this adds more layers of tint to my particular glass, making this advice even more relevant in the present circumstances. This being said, let's proceed. So, then, where is a good place to begin to study Bible Prophecy? My personal answer - the Olivet Discourse. From this last of Jesus' public sermons, his followers, including us, are given a broad view of the future. Some think that the events described have already happened. In fact, there are even those who have the view that all Bible prophecy has been fulfilled, culminating with the invasion of Jerusalem, circa 70 A.D.

Others believe that the Bible's prophetic pronouncements are allegorical. While it is true that a great deal of symbolism occurs in such great books as Daniel and Revelation, the Olivet Discourse is direct and clear. I believe that the Lord meant exactly what he said. It is from that basis I will attempt to present an overview of its contents. I do recommend you read Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 yourself before proceeding. It will greatly help you follow along.

Intriguingly Olivet's physical location ties together accounts of Jesus' return to Earth in the Old and New Testaments. The words he himself spoke likewise connect the essentials of Old and New Testament prophecy as well. Let's now look at the highlights of the Olivet Discourse and see where they lead. Since on occasion events are repeated in more than one place throughout Jesus' address, I'll endeavor to present them topically.

Olivet would no doubt be remembered in history alone for what Jesus said there almost 2000 years ago. but there is much more to the story than that. In fact, a little over forty days from the time he gave his discourse it would also be the scene of his last post-resurrection appearance to most of those very same people!

From there they would watch in awe as he rose into the clouds, with two men "in white apparel" promising them that he would return in the same manner (Acts 1:1-12). But this isn't all. In Zechariah, chapter 14, we read how the Lord's return to Olivet at the end of this age will bring incredible changes to our world for all time!

The Mount of Olives stands east of Jerusalem overlooking the city from which vantage point the temple which had been rebuilt to magnificent splendor by the volatile and often ruthless Herod the Great in an attempt to curry favor from the populace. His being appointed by Rome to this position and being descended from the Judean's tradtional adversaries the Edomites engendered no shortage of resentment from his subjects. Yet despite his character flaws, he was a master builder and the temple was the crown jewel of his accomplishents. It had been described from those of that time as often glowing in gleaming splendor in the Judean sunlight.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke record that the first thing that Jesus revealed was that the temple which so impressed his audience would one day no longer exist. His listeners must have been incredulous as they looked down upon its immensity and grandeur from the Mount of Olives. How could such a structure be so destroyed that there would not be "one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down" (Matt. 24:1-2)? It must have been as unbelievable to them as the thought that our own World Trade Towers would crumble to the ground as a result of a terrorist attack on 9-11 was prior to that terrible event. But it happened all the same.

This was not the first time the temple would fall. Almost 600 years earlier Nebuchadnezzar's Babylonian forces destroyed Jerusalem and everything in it, temple included. What Jesus described was to occur exactly as he related almost forty years later. When Titus' Roman Legion finally broke into the city, the historian Josephus recorded that even he couldn't stop his troops from setting this grand structure on fire. Its huge porous limestone blocks exploded from the moisture within them as it turned to steam. As if that wasn't enough, the soldiers pried part the wreckage to get at the gold with which it had been adorned that had melted and flowed down into the ruins.

From this point on. Jesus spoke of events that are future even to our time, but, I believe, are very close at hand. I think you will find many of them are now sounding very familiar in our Twenty-first Century World. The very next thing Jesus warned of was the coming of false prophets. One of the biggest problems of the early church was this very problem. (See Acts 13:1-11; 2 Cor. 11:12-26; Galatians 2:1-5; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1-6.) It still is today, and, in my opinion, is getting much worse.

I personally have watched the particular denomination of which I had belonged give its blessing to actively homosexual clergy, deny Jesus as the only means of salvation, and select for itself clerical and lay leaders that are telling people only what they want to hear. It is like watching Paul's words to his young protege' Timothy come true before one's own eyes across many of the largest denominations (1 Timothy 4:1-4).This action will all intensify and culminate in the advent of the Antichrist (Daniel 8:23-25; 2 Thess. 2:1-12; Rev. 17:7-17, 19:11-21). The fall of the western church to false doctrine in the past few decades is not only rendering it incapable of standing against the growing forces of darkness but actually aiding them.

The Lord related that famines would come. The population of our planet stands near seven billion, a large percentage of which go to bed hungry every night. Recently there are ominous signs that it could get worse very quickly. As I write, there is a potential for the Ug-99 wheat fungus to devastate 80% of the world's wheat if it should manage to spread around the globe. In this case, the warning given on Olivet might very well be pointing to the Black Horse of Revelation 6:5-6 wherein a measure (quart) of wheat or three of barley cost a penny, or denarius, depending on which Bible translation you are using. This doesn't mean much to our modern ears unless we understand that the denarius was a day's wages to a common laborer (Matt. 20:1-16), and that a measure of wheat or three of barley were considered the minimum dietary requirement for a person of those times. In other words, there will come a time when a person's entire income will be needed to buy enough food to survive. The passage continues with "the oil and wine" not being harmed. I've heard various interpretations of this but the one that seems to make sense is that these last two items were commodities of the rich. Is it possible that this points to a time when most people will suffer while the wealthy continue to live opulently? Does this sound awfully familiar? Notice how Jesus' words link us to an event written by John in Revelation sixty years later about something that hasn't even happened in our time, but one in which we are beginning to see the manner in which it can.

Along with famines, Jesus told of the coming pestilences and earthquakes. It is hard to imagine any other time in human history when we have seen so much of both! About thirty years ago HIV-AIDS exploded across our world and is still running rampant, especially in Africa. I personally can't rmember any communicable affliction ever existing which has had such a wide range, lasted so long, or resisted a cure. In affluent societies such as the United States, the main vectors ar drug use and fornication, the details of the latter I'm sure you already know. I've heard many say it's a "judgment" disease because of this. Well, knowing that God is a loving God, I'm pretty sure he didn't create HIV. But whenever people disregard his rules of living and push him out of their lives, how can they expect him to protect them from the consequences of their own free will?

Regarding earthquakes, a visit to the United States Geological Survey website is most revealing. I decided to count only the larger quakes of Richter Scale magnitude 6.0 and above. Until the turn of this century, most years had less than six per year, with only sporadic counts of ten or twelve. Since 2002, the numbers I got ranged from 22 for that year up to a high of 47 in 2007! Even 2008 had 35! As I write, the count for 2009 is already over 20. Being human, my counts might not be perfect but even so it is clear that geologically speaking, it is no longer "business as usual" for Planet Earth.

Jesus predicted that Christians would again be persectued, that even people within familes would betray each other. This is already well under way throughout the world where being a follower of Christ can get one killed in some regions. In fact, he said that people in general would would become more cruel in the End Times, that their "love would wax cold." When one sees regularly the increase and appalling visciousness of crimes being committed even within the United States, it makes one wonder just what is going on. In Romans 1:19-32, Paul presents a sobering description so accurate of the way people will become as this age winds down that it is hard to escape the fact that we must indeed be very close to the end. Jesus said that as the time of the end draws near, the Gospel would be preached "in all the world." Isn't it fascinating that our present-day technology has made made this literally possile instantly anywhere on the planet? In addition to this even as the Tribulation is well under way, God will employ an angel to preach the "everlasting gospel" to all nations in every language (Rev. 14:6). I believe that this proves God will go to every length he can to get his message out. Anyone who choses to ignore it will therefore have no excuse for the judgment that will fall upon them.

The Lord spoke of military conflicts that would come. Did you know that the Twentieth Century had more casualties due to war than any other time in human history? When was the last time you watched the news on TV or read your paper without reports of some conflict somewhere? The stakes grow higher each day as more and more very bad people gain access to more and more very bad weapons. One day it will all come to a head on the Plain of Esdraelon which lies below a place called Har (Mount) Megiddo - otherwise known as Armageddon (Rev. 16:13-15)!

Regarding the author of this ultimate battle mentioned above, Jesus provides an important clue as to the means by which to identify him in Matthew and Mark's accounts. When the "abomination of desolation" appears in the "holy place," this will be a sign for the people of Judea to "flee to the mountains." Daniel tells us who it is that will do this (Daniel 9:27). Referred to variously as the "king of fierce countenance" (Daniel 8:23), "son of perdition" (2 Thess. 2:3), "that Wicked" (2 Thess.:2-3), and the "beast" (Revelation, particularly chapters 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, and 20), this man will embody the worst of every despot that has ever walked on this planet. In common parlance he is best known as the "Antichrist."

Satan has always wanted to be "god" and this man will have access to demonic power to do whatever is necessary for the devil to accomplish this goal. One day the war will come which will cause all prior military campaigns to pale in comparison when the Antichrist gathers the armies of the world to attempt to carry out the "Final Solution" against the Jews that the pharaoh of Moses' time, Haman, and Hitler had also attempted.

But why have so many tried to wipe out a people who, except for relatively short periods, have been virtually powerless? Well, just suppose the pharaoh (Exodus), Haman (Esther), or Nebuchadnezzar (Jeremiah, Daniel) had succeeded in making the Hebrews cease to exist. In such a case the tribe of Judah would have disappeared into history and with it King David and his descendant Jesus of Nazareth. But since these men failed, Jesus has indeed come and with him the only sacrifice God could accept to save us all. Satan's only chance remaining is to prevent the prophecies of the Bible regarding Israel to ultimately fulfll its role in becoming the pre-eminent nation of the millennial age to come (Zech. 8:23, 12:5-10, 13:1, 14:1-20). Adolf Hitler, who was very much a type of the coming Antichrist, was well on the way to doing just that.

The "son of perdition" will be Satan's last shot at accomplishing that goal. But he will not succeed, either. As his forces are about to capture the entirety of Jerusalem, they are stopped by the return of Jesus Christ himself in a cloud accompanied by the "host" or armies of heaven (Zech. 1:1-3, Luke 21:26-27, Rev. chapter 19). From that moment on, everything will change. The Antichrist and his false prophet henchman will be cast into the lake of fire while his army is routed. Satan will be locked away for 1000 years during which time Jesus will personally establish and rule his Millennial Kingdom.

As magnificent as this time will be, it will be followed by a final disposition of Satan, his demons, and all who refused God's offer of salvation throughout all ages as they are themselves cast eternally into the lake of fire. Now with all traces of evil forever banished, God will create a new everlasting heaven and Earth in which he will come with his city, the New Jerusalem, to dwell among humankind for all time (Rev. chapters 20-22).

I'll conclude our exploration by telling you that I believe in a Pre-Tribulation rapture. Out of all the other possibilities, it seems best to explain the apparent contradiction of Jesus returning completely unexpectedly "as a thief" (Rev. 3:3) and then an exact time of his coming being given three and a half years after the erecting of the "abomination of desolation" in the rebuilt temple's "holy place" (Daniel 12:7-12, Rev. 12:14) when the persecution of God's people ends - no doubt by the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The rapture of the church will be totally unexpected and virtually instantaneous (1 Cor. 15:51-53). The Second Coming three and a half years after the "holy place" is defiled will be seen by the whole world (Luke 17:24, Rev. 19:11-21).

There are several more passages that I find further support the Pre-Trib scenario: [Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.] Though other versions of the Bible have varying translations of this verse, this from King James is very accurate. It suggests in clear terms that there is a means of escape before the Tribulation. Belief in Jesus is what makes us “worthy.”

[1 Thessalonians 1:9-10 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned from idols to serve the living and true God; And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivers us from the wrath to come.

Though Paul was speaking to those who had turned from idolatry in his day, how much more applicable are these words to the believers of today! [Revelation 3:10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.

These words by Jesus were orignally intended for the Apostle John be conveyed to the faithful Asia Minor church of Philadelphia. Many believe this church is also representative of the “true church” of all times comprised of all faithful believers in Christ which will allow them to escape the “hour of temptation” (trial) which will come upon all the world. This certainly sounds like the Tribulation to me!

Since this obviously hasn’t happened yet, it must be something which is yet to come. If, therefore, you are a believer in Jesus, you are a “Philadelphian” and this promise is for YOU! This means that there lies just up ahead a destiny for us that exceeds our wildest dreams and our greatest hopes. You mansion is already being built in the New Jerusalem and before long it’ll be Moving Day (John 14:1-3).

A long time ago God’s Son stood upon the hillside of a place called Olivet speaking the words that unify all of Bible Prophecy. I commend them to you as the time draws near when we will see that man who spoke them so long ago face to face!

The Mystery of the Rapture - By Dr. David R. Reagan

Why isn’t the Rapture mentioned in the book of Revelation?

Does the Rapture mark the beginning of the Tribulation?

No, the Bible does not state anywhere that the Tribulation begins with the Rapture. I believe the Rapture could occur months or even years before the Tribulation begins, although it is likely to occur near the beginning because the Tribulation is the time of the pouring out of God’s wrath, and 1 Thessalonians 1:10 says that Jesus will “deliver” His Church “from the wrath to come.”

Another reason for believing the Rapture is likely to occur near the beginning of the Tribulation is because 2 Thessalonians 2 says that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until a “restrainer” is “taken out of the way” (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). I believe that restrainer is the Holy Spirit working through the Church. Thus, when the Church is removed, the Antichrist will be unleashed, and the Tribulation will begin.

The prophet Daniel indicates that the starting point of the Tribulation will be a “covenant” that the Antichrist will arrange for Israel that will evidently guarantee the nation’s peace and enable the Jews to rebuild their Temple (Daniel 9:27).

Why isn’t the Rapture specifically mentioned in Revelation?

The book of Revelation implies a pre-Tribulation Rapture without specifically mentioning the event. In chapter 4 verse 1, John sees a door open in the heavens and he is raptured to Heaven in what appears to be a symbolic type of the Rapture of the Church. In Revelation 19:11, John sees the heavens opened again, and Jesus descends on a white horse, with the Church accompanying Him (Revelation 19:14). Chapters 2 and 3 of Revelation focus on the Church, but there is no more mention of the Church until the end of the book (Revelation 22:16). From chapter 4 through chapter 21, there is only mention of “saints,” which would be those who accept the Gospel during the Tribulation.

The Bible never specifically defines the timing of the Rapture by tying it to any other event like the re-establishment of Israel or the rebuilding of the Temple. Even its proximity to the Tribulation is inferred rather than definitely stated. That’s because the Rapture is an imminent event that could occur at any moment.

There are strong scriptural inferences that the Rapture will occur before the Tribulation begins. A couple of those are found in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse as recorded in Luke 21. Jesus stated that when the end time signs “begin to take place,” we are to look up, for our redemption will be drawing near (Luke 21:28). Note that the redemption will come not at the end of the signs, but as they begin to take place. Jesus then added that believers should pray earnestly that they might “escape” the great tribulation that is coming upon “all those who dwell on the face of the earth” (Luke 21:36).

In this regard, Paul states in 1 Thessalonians 1:10 that believers are waiting for “His Son from heaven… that is, Jesus, who delivers us from the wrath to come.” And Jesus told John to write to the church at Philadelphia, representative of faithful Christians, that “because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell upon the earth” (Revelation 3:10).

Isn’t a mid-Tribulation Rapture inferred in Revelation?

Some people think so. They point first to 1 Corinthians 15:51-52 which says the Rapture will occur at the blowing of the “last trumpet.” They then point to Revelation 11:15 where the seventh and last trumpet of the trumpet judgments is blown. Since this seventh trumpet appears to be blown in the middle of the Tribulation, after the Antichrist kills the two witnesses, the argument is that this must mark the time of the Rapture.

There are several problems with this argument. In the first place, there is nothing in the Bible that identifies the seventh trumpet of the trumpet judgments in Revelation as the “last trumpet” of 1 Corinthians 15. The assumption that the two are the same is just that - an assumption. It is a shaky assumption because the trumpets of Revelation are announcing judgments that are aimed at unbelievers. They don’t have any relationship to believers.

Now, there is a trumpet that the “last trumpet” of 1 Corinthians 15:52 can be identified with. It is the “trumpet of God” which 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says will be blown when the Rapture occurs. With that in mind, consider the fact that the last trumpet of the trumpet judgments in Revelation 11:15 is not identified as the trumpet of God but as the trumpet of an angel.

The second problem with the mid-Tribulation Rapture concept is that the seventh trumpet of Revelation 11 really doesn’t relate to the middle of the Tribulation at all. Its blowing triggers a flash-forward to the end of the Tribulation to the proclamation that “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever” (Revelation 11:15).

Another thing to consider is that 1 Corinthians 15 was written about 45 years before the book of Revelation. Thus, it seems logical that the reference to a “last trumpet” must refer to something in the Old Testament that the Corinthian church would have been familiar with. That would most likely have been the trumpet referred to by both Joel and Zephaniah - the trumpet that will be blown before the Day of the Lord’s judgment (the Tribulation - see Joel 2:1 and Zephaniah 1:16).

Can an argument be made for placing the Rapture near the end of the Tribulation?

Some have tried to do this, arguing that the wrath of God is not poured out until the end of the Tribulation. This is concept is called the “pre-wrath Rapture.”

The cornerstone of this concept is that the terrifying events during the first half of the Tribulation are due to the wrath of Man and Satan, and not to God. Since the Church is only promised protection from the wrath of God, the Rapture will not occur until near the end of the Tribulation when God will pour out His wrath on the world.

This concept raises a serious theological problem because it questions the sovereignty of God. It assumes that Man and Satan can act apart from God’s will, when the fact of the matter is that neither can do anything God is not willing to permit. The Bible often portrays God carrying out His will through evil persons or nations. One of the classic examples is when He allowed the evil nation of Babylon to discipline Israel by destroying Jerusalem and the Temple and by carrying the surviving Jews away into captivity. It was an action that prompted the prophet Habakkuk to ask why God would punish those who are evil with those who are more evil (Habakkuk 1:13).

Any carnage wrought by Man or Satan during the Tribulation will still constitute the wrath of God. They will simply be His instruments. The Bible says God sits in the heavens and laughs over the plots and deeds of evil men, not because He does not care, but because He has everything under control (Psalm 2:1-6). The point is that He has the wisdom and power to orchestrate all evil to the triumph of His will in history. That’s why the psalmist wrote that “the wrath of man shall praise You [God]” (Psalm 76:10).

I think it is also important to note that when God pours out His wrath, He does not always do so directly. One of His most common ways is to simply back away from the nation or person and lower the hedge of protection around them. This is clearly spelled out in Romans 1:18-32. That passage says that when people rebel against God to the point that they begin to worship the creation rather than the Creator, God “gives them over” to the evil in their hearts. In other words, He just steps back and lets evil multiply. The passage further states that if they still refuse to repent, He steps back again and “gives them over to degrading passions.” And if they persist in their rebellion and sin, He finally “gives them over to a depraved mind” at which point the society destroys itself. Such destruction could be viewed as the wrath of Man, but it is really the wrath of God working through Man.

There is another serious problem with the pre-wrath Rapture concept. It relates to the fact that all the wrath of Revelation is specifically portrayed as the wrath of God. Where do the seal judgments originate? The answer is from the throne of God as Jesus opens each seal of the scroll that was in the Father’s right hand (Revelation 6:1). And where do the trumpet judgments originate? The same place - from the throne of God (Revelation 8:2). When we arrive at the bowl judgments in Revelation 15:1, we are told that with them, “the wrath of God is finished.”

Another problem with the pre-wrath concept is that it does violence to the chronological order of Revelation. The seal judgments are viewed as the wrath of Man and Satan, occurring during the first half of the Tribulation. The trumpet and bowl judgments are considered to be the wrath of God. They are lumped together at the end of the Tribulation. There is no justification for putting the trumpet judgments at the end of the Tribulation. They are clearly placed in the first half of the Tribulation in the chronological layout of the book of Revelation.

One final problem with the pre-wrath concept of the Rapture is that it disputes the fact that there is no purpose for the Church being in the Tribulation. The Tribulation is the 70th week of Daniel, a time devoted to God accomplishing His purposes among the Jewish people, not the Church.

Couldn’t God just protect believers during the Tribulation? Is it really necessary to remove them from the earth?

Yes, the Lord could provide believers with supernatural protection. In fact, He will do precisely that when He provides saints who are present in the Tribulation with protection from the stings of the demonic locust attack that will be part of the trumpet judgments (Revelation 9:4).

But God’s promise to the Church during the Tribulation is not one of protection, but one of deliverance. Jesus said that when the signs pointing to the Tribulation “begin to take place,” believers are to look up because their “redemption is drawing near” (Luke 21:28). He also urged believers to pray that they might “escape all these things” (Luke 21:36).

There really is no purpose for the Church to be present during the Tribulation. It is a time of the pouring out of God’s wrath upon those who have rejected His grace, love and mercy. There are some who argue that the Church must be “purged” during the Tribulation to purify it. But to me, this idea is absurd. The blood of Jesus is sufficient to cleanse us of all our sins. That is an accomplished fact for those who have put their faith in Jesus (Ephesians 5:26-27). Furthermore, the concept of purging the Church during the Tribulation converts the whole period into a Protestant version of purgatory. It also violates the wedding imagery that the Bible uses to describe the relationship between Christ and His Church. Jesus is not going to beat up His Bride for seven years and then marry her!

Some who believe that the Church will go through the Tribulation often point to the example of Noah and his family. They were left on the earth as God poured out His wrath, but they were protected by the Lord. But this example ignores the fact that Enoch was raptured out of the world before the flood began (Genesis 5:24). I believe Enoch is a symbolic type of the Church and Noah and his family are a type of the Jewish remnant that will be protected through the Tribulation until the day that the Messiah returns.

Aren’t those of you who believe in a Pre-Tribulation Rapture a bunch of escapists who are not willing to suffer for the Lord?

There is nothing wrong with being an “escapist.” Noah was an escapist and so was Lot. And Jesus said that when the end time signs begin to appear, we are to pray “to escape the things that are about to take place and to stand before the Son of Man” (Luke 21:36).

Certainly we are called to suffer for Christ (Romans 8:17). And anyone who truly stands for Jesus in this world will be persecuted (John 15:19). We are assured that as believers we will suffer tribulation in this world (John 16:33), but we are promised that we will be exempted from the great tribulation that will one day come upon all the world (Revelation 3:10).

www.lamblion.com

The Rapture of the Church - By Dr. David R. Reagan

The Rapture is a glorious event which God has promised to the Church. The promise is that someday very soon, at the blowing of a trumpet and the shout of an archangel, Jesus will appear in the sky and take up His Church, living and dead, to Heaven.

The Term
The term, Rapture, comes from a Latin word that means to catch up, to snatch away, or to take out. It is a Biblical word that comes right out of the Latin Vulgate translation of the Bible. The word is found in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. In the New American Standard Version, the English phrase, “caught up,” is used. The same phrase is used in the King James and New International Versions.

A Promise to the Church
The concept of the Rapture was not revealed to the Old Testament prophets because it is a promise to the New Testament Church and not to the saints of God who lived before the establishment of the Church.

The saints of Old Testament times will be resurrected at the end of the Tribulation and not at the time of the Rapture of the Church. Daniel reveals this fact in Daniel 12:1-2 where he says that the saints of that age will be resurrected at the end of the “time of distress.”

Biblical References
The first clear mention of the Rapture in Scripture is found in the words of Jesus recorded in John 14:1-4. Jesus said, “I will come again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”

The most detailed revelation of the actual events related to the Rapture is given by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. He says that when Jesus appears, the dead in Christ (Church age saints) will be resurrected and caught up first. Then, those of us who are alive in Christ will be translated “to meet the Lord in the air.” Paul then exhorts us to “comfort one another with these words.”

Paul mentions the Rapture again in 1 Corinthians 15 - his famous chapter on the resurrection of the dead: “Behold, I tell you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.” (verses 51 and 52)

Paul’s reference here to being changed is an allusion to the fact that the saints will receive glorified bodies that will be perfected, imperishable and immortal (1 Cor. 15:42-44, and 50-55).

The Timing
The most controversial aspect of the Rapture is its timing. Some place it at the end of the Tribulation, making it one and the same event as the Second Coming. Others place it in the middle of the Tribulation. Still others believe that it will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation.

The reason for these differing viewpoints is that the exact time of the Rapture is not precisely revealed in scripture. It is only inferred. There is, therefore, room for honest differences of opinion, and lines of fellowship should certainly not be drawn over differences regarding this point, even though it is an important point.

Post-Tribulation Rapture
Those who place the timing at the end of the Tribulation usually base their argument on two parables in Matthew 13 and on the Lord’s Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24.

In Matthew 24 the Lord portrays His gathering of the saints as an event that will take place “immediately after the tribulation of those days” (Matt. 24:29). This certainly sounds like a post-Tribulation Rapture. But it must be kept in mind that the book of Matthew was written to the Jews, and therefore the recording of Jesus’ speech by Matthew has a distinctively Jewish flavor to it as compared to Luke’s record of the same speech.

Note, for example, Matthew’s references to Judea and to Jewish law regarding travel on the Sabbath (Matt. 24:15-20). These are omitted in Luke’s account. Instead, Luke speaks of the saints looking up for deliverance “to escape all these things” when the end time signs “begin to take place” (Luke 21:28 and 36). The saints in Matthew are instructed to flee from Judea and hide. The saints in Luke are told to look up for deliverance.

It appears, therefore, that Matthew and Luke are speaking of two different sets of saints. The saints in Matthew’s account are most likely Jews who receive Jesus as their Messiah during the Tribulation. The saints in Luke are those who receive Christ before the Tribulation begins. Most of those who accept the Lord during the Tribulation will be martyred (Rev. 7:9-14). Those who live to the end will be gathered by the angels of the Lord (Matt. 24:31).

The parable of the wheat and tares (Matt. 13:24-30) and the parable of the dragnet (Matt. 13:47-50) can be explained in the same way. They refer to a separation of saints and sinners that will take place at the end of the Tribulation. The saints are those who receive Jesus as their Savior during the Tribulation (Gentile and Jew) and who live to the end of that awful period.

Mid-Tribulation Rapture
There are variations of the mid-Tribulation Rapture concept. The most common is that the Church will be taken out in the exact middle of the Tribulation, at the point in time when the Antichrist is revealed.

This concept is based upon a statement in 1 Corinthians 15:52 which says that the Rapture will occur at the blowing of “the last trumpet.” This trumpet is then identified with the seventh trumpet of the trumpet judgments in the book of Revelation. Since the blowing of the seventh trumpet is recorded in Revelation 11, the mid-point of the Tribulation, the conclusion is that the Rapture must occur in the middle of the Tribulation.

But there are two problems with this interpretation. The first is that the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is blown for believers whereas the seven trumpets of Revelation 8, 9 and 11 are sounded for unbelievers. The Revelation trumpets have no relevance for the Church. The last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15 is a trumpet for the righteous. The last trumpet for the unrighteous is the one described in Revelation 11.

Another problem with this interpretation is that the passage in Revelation 11 that portrays the sounding of the seventh trumpet is a “flash forward” to the end of the Tribulation. Flash forwards are very common in the book of Revelation. They occur after something terrible is described in order to assure the reader that everything is going to turn out all right when Jesus returns at the end of the Tribulation.

Thus, the eighth and ninth chapters of Revelation, which describe the horrors of the trumpet judgments, are followed immediately by a flash forward in chapter 10 that pictures the return of Jesus in victory at the end of the Tribulation. The mid-Tribulation action resumes in chapter 11 with a description of the killing of the two great prophets of God by the Antichrist. Then, to offset that terrible event, we are presented with another flash forward, beginning with verse 15. The seventh trumpet is sounded and we find ourselves propelled forward to the end of the Tribulation when “the kingdom of the world becomes the kingdom of our Lord.”

The point is that the seventh trumpet of Revelation relates to the end of the Tribulation and not the middle. It is therefore no basis for an argument in behalf of a mid-Tribulation Rapture.

Pre-Wrath Rapture
The cornerstone of this concept is that the terrifying events during the first half of the Tribulation are due to the wrath of Man and Satan, and not to God. Since the Church is only promised protection from the wrath of God, the Rapture will not occur until near the end of the Tribulation when God will pour out His wrath on the world.

This concept raises a serious theological problem because it questions the sovereignty of God. It assumes that Man and Satan can act apart from God’s will, when the fact of the matter is that neither can do anything God is not willing to permit. The Bible often portrays God carrying out His will through evil persons or nations. One of the classic examples is when He allowed the evil nation of Babylon to discipline Israel by destroying Jerusalem and the Temple and by carrying the surviving Jews away into captivity. It was an action that prompted the prophet Habakkuk to ask why God would punish those who are evil with those who are more evil (Habakkuk 1:13).

Any carnage wrought by Man or Satan during the Tribulation will still constitute the wrath of God. They will simply be His instruments. The Bible says God sits in the heavens and laughs over the plots and deeds of evil men, not because He does not care, but because He has everything under control (Psalm 2:1-6). The point is that He has the wisdom and power to orchestrate all evil to the triumph of His will in history. That’s why the psalmist wrote that “the wrath of man shall praise You [God]” (Psalm 76:10).

I think it is also important to note that when God pours out His wrath, He does not always do so directly. One of His most common ways is to simply back away from the nation or person and lower the hedge of protection around them. This is clearly spelled out in Romans 1:18-32. That passage says that when people rebel against God to the point that they begin to worship the creation rather than the Creator, God “gives them over” to the evil in their hearts. In other words, He just steps back and lets evil multiply. The passage further states that if they still refuse to repent, He steps back again and “gives them over to degrading passions.” And if they persist in their rebellion and sin, He finally “gives them over to a depraved mind” at which point the society destroys itself. Such destruction could be viewed as the wrath of Man, but it is really the wrath of God working through Man.

There is another serious problem with the pre-wrath Rapture concept. It relates to the fact that all the wrath of Revelation is specifically portrayed as the wrath of God. Where do the seal judgments originate? The answer is from the throne of God as Jesus opens each seal of the scroll that was in the Father’s right hand (Revelation 6:1). And where do the trumpet judgments originate? The same place - from the throne of God (Revelation 8:2). When we arrive at the bowl judgments in Revelation 15:1, we are told that with them, “the wrath of God is finished.”

Another problem with the pre-wrath concept is that it does violence to the chronological order of Revelation. The seal judgments are viewed as the wrath of Man and Satan, occurring during the first half of the Tribulation. The trumpet and bowl judgments are considered to be the wrath of God.

They are lumped together at the end of the Tribulation. There is no justification for putting the trumpet judgments at the end of the Tribulation. They are clearly placed in the first half of the Tribulation in the chronological layout of the book of Revelation.

One final problem with the pre-wrath concept of the Rapture is that it disputes the fact that there is no purpose for the Church being in the Tribulation. The Tribulation is the 70th week of Daniel, a time devoted to God accomplishing His purposes among the Jewish people, not the Church.

The Pre-Tribulation Rapture
I believe the best inference of Scripture is that the Rapture will occur at the beginning of the Tribulation. The most important reason I believe this has to do with the issue of imminence. Over and over in Scripture we are told to watch for the appearing of the Lord. We are told “to be ready” (Matt. 24:44), “to be on the alert” (Matt. 24:42), “to be dressed in readiness” (Luke 12:35), and to “keep your lamps alight” (Luke 12:35). The clear force of these persistent warnings is that Jesus can appear at any moment.

Only the pre-Tribulation concept of the Rapture allows for the imminence of the Lord’s appearing for His Church. When the Rapture is placed at any other point in time, the imminence of the Lord’s appearing is destroyed because other prophetic events must happen first.

For example, if the Rapture is going to occur in mid-Tribulation, then why should I live looking for the Lord’s appearing at any moment? I would be looking instead for an Israeli peace treaty, the rebuilding of the Temple, and the revelation of the Antichrist. Then and only then could the Lord appear.

Focus
This raises the issue of what we are to be looking for. Nowhere are believers told to watch for the appearance of the Antichrist. On the contrary, we are told to watch for Jesus Christ. In Titus 2:13 Paul says we are to live “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus.” Likewise, Peter urges us to “fix our hope completely on the grace to be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:13). John completes the apostolic chorus by similarly urging us to “fix our hope on Him” at His appearing (1 John 3:2-3).

Only Matthew speaks of watching for the Antichrist (Matt. 24:15), but he is speaking to the Jews living in Israel in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt Temple.

Wrath
Another argument in behalf of a pre-Tribulation Rapture has to do with the promises of God to protect the Church from His wrath. As has already been demonstrated, the book of Revelation shows that the wrath of God will be poured out during the entire period of the Tribulation.

The Word promises over and over that the Church will be delivered from God’s wrath. Romans 5:9 says that “we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him [Jesus].” 1 Thessalonians 1:10 states that we are waiting “for His Son from heaven… who will deliver us from the wrath to come.” The promise is repeated in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 - “God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Deliverance
Some argue that God could supernaturally protect the Church during the Tribulation. Yes, He could. In fact, He promises to do just that for the 144,000 Jews who will be sealed as bond-servants at the beginning of the Tribulation (Rev. 7:1-8).

But God’s promise to the Church during the Tribulation is not one of protection but one of deliverance. Jesus said we would “escape” the horrors of the Tribulation (Luke 21:36). Paul says Jesus is coming to “deliver” us from God’s wrath (1 Thess. 1:10).

Symbolism
There are several prophetic types that seem to affirm the concept of deliverance from Tribulation. Take Enoch for example. He was a prophet to the Gentiles who was raptured out of the world before God poured out His wrath in the great flood of Noah’s time. Enoch appears to be a type of the Gentile Church that will be taken out of the world before God pours out His wrath again. If so, then Noah and his family are a type of the Jewish remnant that will be protected through the Tribulation.

Another Old Testament symbolic type which points toward a pre-Tribulation Rapture is the experience of Lot and his family. They were delivered out of Sodom and Gomorrah before those cities were destroyed.

The Apostle Peter alludes to both of these examples in his second epistle. He states that if God spared Noah and Lot, then He surely “knows how to rescue the godly from trial and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment” (2 Peter 4-9).

Another beautiful prophetic type is to be found in the Jewish wedding traditions of Jesus’s time. After the betrothal, the groom would return to his father’s house to prepare a wedding chamber for his bride. He would return for his bride at an unexpected moment, so the bride had to be ready constantly. When he returned, he would take his bride back to his father’s house to the chamber he had prepared. He and his bride would then be sealed in the chamber for seven days. When they emerged, a great wedding feast would be celebrated.

Likewise, Jesus has returned to Heaven to prepare a place for His bride, the Church. When He returns for His bride, He will take her to His Father’s heavenly home. There He will remain with His bride for seven years (the duration of the Tribulation). The period will end with “the marriage supper of the Lamb” described in Revelation 19. Thus the seven days in the wedding chamber point prophetically to the seven years that Jesus and His bride will remain in Heaven during the Tribulation.

Revelation
Speaking of Revelation, the structure of that book also implies a pre-Tribulation Rapture in a symbolic sense. The first three chapters focus on the Church. Chapter 4 begins with the door of Heaven opening and John being raptured from the isle of Patmos to the throne of God in Heaven. The Church is not mentioned thereafter until Revelation 19:7-9 when it is portrayed as the “bride of Christ” in Heaven with Jesus celebrating the “marriage supper of the Lamb.” At Revelation 19:11 the door of Heaven opens again, and Jesus emerges riding a white horse on His way to earth, followed by His Church (Rev. 19:14).

The rapture of the Apostle John in Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type of the Rapture of the Church. Note that it is initiated by the cry of a voice that sounds like the blowing of a trumpet (Rev. 4:1). Since the Tribulation does not begin until Revelation 6, the rapture of John in Revelation 4 appears to be a symbolic type that points to a pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

Some counter this argument by pointing out that although the Church is not mentioned in Revelation during that book’s description of the Tribulation, there is constant mention of “saints” (for example, Rev. 13:7). But that term is not used in the Bible exclusively to refer to members of the Church. Daniel uses it to refer to Old Testament believers who lived long before the Church was established (Dan. 7:18). The saints referred to in the book of Revelation are most likely those people who will be saved during the Tribulation, after the Church has been taken out of the world.

Paul’s Assurance
An interesting argument in behalf of the pre-Tribulation timing of the Rapture can be found in 2 Thessalonians. The church at Thessalonica was in a turmoil because someone had written them a letter under Paul’s name stating that they had missed the “gathering to the Lord” and were, in fact, living in “the day of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:1-2).

Paul attempted to calm them down by reminding them of his teaching that the day of the Lord would not come until after the Antichrist is revealed. He then stated that the Antichrist would not be revealed until a restraining force “is taken out of the way” (2 Thess. 2:3-7).

There has been much speculation as to the identify of this restraining force that Paul refers to. Some have identified it as the Holy Spirit. But it cannot be the Holy Spirit because there will be people saved during the Tribulation, and no one can be saved apart from the testimony of the Spirit (John 16:8-11 and 1 John 5:7).

Others have identified the restrainer as human government. It is true that government was ordained by God to restrain evil (Romans 13:1-4). But the governments of the world are in rebellion against God and His Son (Psalm 2), and they are therefore a contributor to the evil that characterizes the world. Furthermore, the Tribulation will not be characterized by a lack of government. Rather, it will feature the first true worldwide government (Rev. 13:7).

In my opinion that leaves only one other candidate for Paul’s restrainer - and that is the Church. It is the Church that serves as the primary restrainer of evil in the world today as it proclaims the Gospel and stands for righteousness. When the Church fails in this mission, evil multiplies, as Paul graphically points out in 2 Timothy 3:1-5. Paul says that society in the end times will be characterized by chaos and despair because “men will hold to a form of religion but will deny its power.” When the Church is removed from the world, all hell will literally break loose.

Escapism?
The pre-Tribulation concept of the Rapture has often been condemned as “escapism.” I think this criticism is unjustified. The Bible itself says that Christians are to “comfort one another” with the thought of the Rapture (1 Thess. 4:18). Is it a comfort to think of the Rapture occurring at the end of the world’s worst period of war instead of at the beginning?

Regardless of when the Rapture actually occurs, we need to keep in mind that the Bible teaches that societal conditions are going to grow increasingly worse the closer we get to the Lord’s return. That means Christians will suffer tribulation whether or not they go into the Great Tribulation. And that means all of us had better be preparing ourselves for unprecedented suffering and spiritual warfare.

If you are a Christian, you can do that on a daily basis by putting on “the full armor of God” (Eph. 6:13), praying at all times in the Spirit that you will be able to stand firm against the attacks of Satan (Eph. 6:14-18).

If you are not a Christian, your only hope is to reach out in faith and receive the free gift of God’s salvation which He has provided through His Son, Jesus (John 3:16).

www.raptureready.com

Why Study Prophecy? - By Jack Kelley

I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. (Isaiah 46:10)

Here’s a question I’m often asked and it’s a good one. If we believe the Rapture will take us away before all the End Times events occur, then why do we need to study prophecy?

There are several good answers to this question. One of the clearest comes from the Olivet Discourse, specifically Matthew 24:15-16. “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel-let the reader understand- then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.” Even though the Lord was speaking primarily to Israel here, He directed everyone who reads Matthew’s gospel to understand Daniel 9:24-27, a prophecy given to Israel, and the key to understanding End Times prophecy.

Another good reason is that Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians are chock full of End Times prophecy. Every chapter of both letters contains a reference to the 2nd Coming for an average of one every 13 verses. Paul went to such lengths even though it’s pretty clear he had taught them that the rapture would take place before the anti-Christ is revealed. If the Bible really is the inspired Word of God, why did He have Paul describe events on Earth after the rapture if He didn’t think we needed to know them?
And then there’s the Book of Revelation. John shows the Rapture occurring in chapter 4 but then goes on for another 15 chapters, mostly describing conditions on Earth, before re-introducing the Church in Rev. 19. Same question. Why describe events on Earth after the rapture if He didn’t think we needed to know them?

Some say it’s so those left behind at the Rapture can read Revelation and the Thessalonian letters and find out what’s going on to help them endure the End Times. That may be OK for the middle of Revelation, but John’s book begins and ends with the Church in view, and the Thessalonian letters were written specifically to the Church. For some reason, we’re supposed to know how End Times events unfold.

And Here’s The Best One
And that leads me to what I think is the biggest reason. For that we’ll go first to Isaiah 44:6-8.

This is what the LORD says- Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: “I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come- yes, let him foretell what will come. Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses. Is there any God besides me? No, there is no other Rock; I know not one.”

Here is the two-part test for anyone who would be God. Part one: Accurately recall every event of the past. Part two: Accurately predict every event of the future. Of all the so-called holy writings, only the Bible answers this challenge. Other “gods” require that you take them at face value, offering neither evidence of their existence, nor proof of their trustworthiness. But ours says, “I’ll prove that I’m real and that you should trust me.” He tells us our past (sometimes as personally as Jesus did with the woman at the well in John 4:17-18) and gives us detail about the future that only someone who has already seen it can know. “I make known the end from the beginning,” He proclaims, “From ancient times, what is still to come.” (Isaiah 46:10) He’s chosen this way to authenticate Himself to us because He’s the only One who can do it and be right every time.

This is so we need never be in the position of having zeal without knowledge, (Prov. 19:2) believing passionately but unable to defend our position. When we share the Gospel with someone, and they respond with, “That’s just something you believe,” it’s good to be able to justify our beliefs with a summary of God’s 4000-year track record for truth-telling (the Old Testament) and to explain that someone who’s been that truthful about the past is likely to also be truthful about the future (the New Testament).

Some Personal Experience
When I was a kid in upstate New York, nearly every family went to church on Sunday and ours was no different. We belonged to one of the main line denominational congregations in town. With a few lapses here and there, this habit carried me into adulthood and though I lived in several different places, on most Sunday mornings you could find me in the local version of that same denominational church. But then, two important but unrelated pieces of information came to my attention at about the same time.

The first was from a man who was one of the most influential public speakers of his time and a life long student of human behavior. We happened to share one evening together and over dinner he asked, “Did you know that if you were to devote just one hour each day to the study of any subject that interests you, within 5 years you could be one of the world’s leading experts on that subject.”

The other piece of information came in the form of 3 cassette tapes that were given to me by a friend. It was a series on Bible Prophecy, a compilation of research done over the years by various scholars. Its purpose was to demonstrate that through out the 4,000 years of the Old Testament God had maintained a perfect record of predicting the future to Israel. No matter what set of standards you apply, statistical analysis, rules of evidence, forensic science or whatever, you’ll find that this could not have happened by chance. It could only have been done by someone who can see the end from the beginning, an ability unique to God.

I decided to apply the action step from the first piece of information to the subject matter of the second. Over the next several years I spent hours every day learning all I could about Bible Prophecy. In addition to studying the Bible, I read every view by nearly every respected scholar before forming my own opinion that the pre-trib, pre-millennial view is the one most consistent with a strict literal, historical, grammatical interpretation of Scripture.

If What You Believe Doesn’t Result In Action …
Even though I’ve spent a lot more than one hour a day for a lot longer than 5 years, I don’t claim to be a leading expert on prophecy. But as I studied, the logic of God’s claim from Isaiah 44:6-8 became indisputable. The history of Israel is replete with events first predicted and then performed with faultless accuracy. And when it came to the Messiah, over 300 specific prophecies, given over a span of several thousand years, were fulfilled in detail within one generation, the one in which He lived. And so after nearly 40 years of sitting in church every Sunday, I finally opened my Bible and became born again. I also became convinced that through the study of prophecy He can prove Himself to any reasonable person beyond a shadow of doubt. That’s when I began teaching what I was learning.

No rush of emotion for me, no gushing of tears while I stumbled blindly down the sawdust trail as a choir sang “Just as I am,” but a dead certainty that God has to be Who He says He is, He has to have done what He said He did, and the Bible has to be His inerrant Word. I called it a rush of logic, but the certainty I felt drove me every bit as humbly to the foot of the cross as a teary eyed confession would have, and yet it gave me a staying power that’s often missing in more emotional conversions. I knew what I believed and why I believed it and could explain it clearly to anyone who cared to listen.

As often happens to people who undertake a serious study of prophecy, I concluded that if the 40% of the Bible that’s prophecy can be trusted then the rest of it can be trusted as well, so I began studying it too. I discovered that God made a whole bunch of promises to us, such as His promises to see us through the tough times we can now see coming, and to take us to be with Him before He judges the world. These promises have more meaning because they’re backed up by His proven track record in prophecy.

If you’re not every bit as certain as I am about God, then try a study in prophecy. I bet it’ll galvanize you into action just as it did me, especially as you begin to understand how little time is left. And even if you’re already sure you know who God is, you still have a great reason to study prophecy. But it’s not just so you’ll be better informed about what’s coming. It’s so you’ll feel the urgency to tell your friends about it while there’s still time. Because if you listen carefully, you can almost hear the footsteps of the Messiah.

www.gracethrufaith.com

A Wakeup Call for Christians - By Brad Renollet

I recently talked to a few churches and youth groups about signs of the times and how close we are to the return of Jesus Christ for his church. As the day draws closer for His return, I am more and more compelled to get work done for the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior as we all should be. But in speaking to fellow Christians and churches, my heart is increasingly burdened that many don’t realize one particular sign that none of us should miss: the nation of Israel. And all we have to do is know a little bit of history and watch the nightly news.

As I saw the reaction of people when I talked about Israel’s role in the latter days, prophecy and the last seven years of history in the Great Tribulation, I became more aware that there are so many who don’t understand the collision course we are on in the battle of good and evil. They know the Bible says God will win, but little else. But Jesus is not just “at the door’ as he stated, but actually opening and getting ready to pass through it and too many Christians are sleeping at the switch with the Tribulation in our headlights. To be specific, too many don’t understand what role God has picked for Israel to play. In the midst of God’s fore-ordained events, His people, the Israelites are once again about to endure a time of persecution; one that makes Hitler’s extermination of over 6 million Jews in Europe look like nothing more than a kitty playing with a ball of yarn. And God’s wrath will come upon the whole world like never before.

As Terry mentioned in his weekly update, our president has cast an urgent shadow on everything he has done in seven months of leading our nation. With a spiritually blind and crooked lot of politicians in the Congress and Senate, bills are passed almost daily to take away our freedoms, make us a socialist country and prepare our once great nation to become one of the largest third-world nations with an economy going straight down the tubes. But there is also never-before applied extreme pressure on Israel to even give up her portion of Jerusalem, stop making settlements in her own land and even give the whole of the city over to international leadership. God’s Word says Jerusalem belongs to the Jewish people forever. It’s not enough that opposing evil forces and anti-Israelite murderers have attacked the nation and killed countless innocent citizens continually since May 1948. It is not enough that enemies like Syria, Hamas and the Palestinian Authority want Israel to move back to the pre-1967 war days when the Golan Heights belonged to enemies attacking them, when Israeli settlements were bombed from the north, south and east by enemies who wanted to push every single Israeli into the sea. John Hagee said in his book “In Defense of Israel” that the enemies of God wanted to see every Jew dead and floating face down in the Dead Sea. I couldn’t say it better. As Christians, we sit back, relax and for the most part doing nothing about it. We don’t even pray or feel compassion to the people to whom we owe the foundation of Christianity. There would not be a Christian in this world without a Jew named Jesus.

Why do Christians not do anything? Maybe we do nothing because we are too caught up in the false doctrines of health, wealth, healing, or getting our ears tickled by pastors to pay attention to the world around us. Many of us are taught a false “replacement theology” by preachers in the pulpit; a watered down version of cult-like Christianity that “the church is the new Israel”, that the trinity or virgin birth is not really true, Jesus isn’t really the Son of God etc. The list goes on. Our weak faith is making us a dead church, destroying our witness and pushing our faith back to the Dark Ages when Christianity was almost snuffed out. Ill-trained and misinformed pastors spew forth hatred for the Jewish people and say they are the cause of the world’s problems…and congregations believe it! Additionally, books written by alleged church “leaders” trained in liberal seminaries fill the shelves of Christian bookstores, but a large percentage of them also say the same things and errantly use scripture to prove their point. Books say Jesus was married to Mary Magdalene, he was a homosexual, or some other absurd accusation. Authors write that the book Revelation is not literal, but just a nice story, which is absolutely untrue. Jesus said in Matthew 24:24 that false Christs and prophets would appear. They would perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect-if that were possible. This very thing is happening today and too many of us are becoming like the church of Laodicea: though seeing, we are blind. We are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold and being deceived!

Israel was promised salvation and protection through an eternal covenant that God promised through Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And as scripture says, God cannot lie. Yes, a holy God promised through prophets like Ezekiel, Isaiah and Jeremiah that Israel would be punished for following foreign Gods, but Christians need to check those scriptures out again, because I don’t know of one single prophet that, along with a statement of punishment, didn’t follow it up with God’s promise to reconcile with His people and draw them back to their homeland and Himself in the end. He promised to take away their pain and sorrows, and even defeat those who carried out God’s will in carrying the Israelites into captivity or scattering them to the four winds. Check it out for yourselves. And it came true…does anyone walk around saying, “Hi, I am a Babylonian” or “Where are you from? I’m an Amalekite”. But Israel has become a nation for three times now and ONLY God could make that happen. Some scriptures to check out are: Isaiah 43:5-6, 35:10, 61:4, 42:24, 26; Ezekiel 28:25-26, 34:28-30, 11:17-19, 37:21-28; Jeremiah31:10-12, 30:3,10; 31:7-8; Zechariah 1:15-17 (NIV). Why do we not believe the Word of God when He plainly shows his love time after time and continues to make promises of their salvation and return to the land?

To all who say they are Christians: Jesus said in Revelation 1-2, “I know your deeds; you have a reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God. Remember, therefore, what you have received and heard; obey it and repent.” Does this apply to you?

We need to fall on knees of repentance and ask the God of Israel to search our hearts, change our wicked ways and forgive us for nearly two thousand years of Christian persecution of the Jewish people. We need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem, their salvation and divine protection, that all enemies would be overthrown and finally, that the Lord would once again place righteous people in control of our nations. Then as citizens the United States, we need to contact our respective congressmen and senators, demanding that our leaders STOP pressuring God’s nation Israel. Then we need to pray more, asking the Lord to give us strength to stand up for what is right according to scripture.

Finally, all of us need to get busy telling others that Jesus is coming soon and that God loves them right where they are. Allow God to use you, so be prepared to share the good news of Jesus, to share the reason for the hope within you…it only takes a minute. It doesn’t matter if people laugh or persecute us for our faith. What did the One they killed on the cross at Calvary say? “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” (Matt 5:11-12) He also gave us the great commission to go unto all nations telling others about Jesus and made a promise to be with us always. The Holy Spirit will give you the right words when challenged, so just do it.

Jesus is seated at the right hand of God the Father, interceding constantly for us…and He looks forward to one day soon coming back to get his bride, the church. Don’t be caught without oil in your lamp, but stand watch and be ready. The Word of God says that while we don’t know the day or the hour, we WILL know when the season is upon us. And that season is NOW.

www.raptureready.com

The Rapture: Satan’s Final Defeat - By Joseph Chambers

The anger of Satan against the Rapture of the saints is because this event will be his final defeat. Calvary, the Resurrection, and all the victory of Jesus’ death and life were certainly Satan’s greatest defeat. It has been downhill for him since he was cast out of Heaven. The Rapture will seal his doom forever. From the time that he deceived Adam and Eve in the garden, he has attacked the family of God. When Jesus descended into upper Sheol, Satan lost his hold on the First Testament saints. He could not damn them nor could they escape the prison house of the righteous dead. Jesus took the keys of death and hell and led this victorious company out of their prison into His resurrected presence. Their spirit and soul is with Him in Heaven, but the majority of them are still awaiting the Rapture and the Resurrection to receive their glorified bodies. Matthew records that a firstfruits number were resurrected and caught up when He arose from the dead.

There are complexities to the Rapture and the Resurrection that must not divide us. I personally believe that not one blood-washed soul (Old or New Testament) will be left in the grave when the Pre-Tribulation Rapture occurs. The earth must be free of the saved dead before the traumas of the seven years of judgment can begin. The judgments of Jesus Christ will shake this earth to its very core so that nothing of sin will be left to defile or destroy in all of creation. The wicked dead will be in death and hell until the Seven Years of Tribulation and the Millennium are finished. Then they will be resurrected unto damnation to be judged.

Satan has waged war against the saints for six thousand years. His very thought of the dead in Christ being resurrected with glorified bodies forever out of his reach is terrifying to him. Add to that the Rapture and Resurrection of the living saints that he has pursued since the moment they were born again being removed totally beyond his reach. But the Rapture and Resurrection of the righteous is only the beginning of his future troubles. The saints that he has terrorized will become the Lord’s elders during the seven years, and we will be used of the Lord to direct the judgments against him and his false trinity. We will be glorified saints; and the Bible says that we will judge the angels, and Satan is one of them.

Let’s begin by contemplating the defeat for Satan that will occur in the first heaven as the saints are removed to the presence of the Lord. Satan is called the prince of the power of the air. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience.” (Ephesians 2:2) This is the area of his stronghold, where his kingdom of fallen angels is organized and operates. From this realm, he rules as the god of this world. He is called the god of this world and the prince of this world. He affects everything that constitutes the world system, nature, and especially the weather patterns. God created a perfect world. There was no destruction until the destroyer deceived Adam and Eve. Satan usurped his way into control of the world system. Nature is berserk today because it is greatly affected by the devil and his princes of destruction.

The Bible warns us of the struggle that this horde of evil personalities will create for us we serve the Lord. Apostle Paul stated, “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:12) Notice those terms the Holy Ghost inspired Apostle Paul to use, “rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” This is an epic struggle, and natural men and women are absolutely no match for these great and strong spirits of evil. Every spiritual victory we win must be by the Blood, the Word, and the Spirit

Understanding these strong, experienced, and wicked angels operating under the leadership of Satan; we can see the battle that is developing to hinder God’s Prophetic program. When the Rapture occurs, we must travel right straight up through the middle of Satan’s stronghold. Hearing many strange stories about unidentified flying objects is not so strange when you know what is about to occur. The devil will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals and to defeat the saints of God.

Victory is already assured because “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.” (Ps 119:89). Apostle Paul said, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17)

We will not need to fight our path through Lucifer’s stronghold. The Lord comes down to meet us in the midair, and with His Heavenly Host (multitude) He leads us back right through Satan’s horde. The event of the saints being Raptured up out of their graves, joined together with the Raptured living, following the Lord of Hosts back to the Banquet Hall in New Jerusalem is too grand to consider. There has never been an army marching from some great victory back to the fatherland to match this picture. Satan has got to know that this is soon to happen, and he certainly has a counterattack planned.

His great defeat at our victory right through his stronghold will leave him vulnerable to the heavenly host of angels. He will never recover from seeing “ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands.” (Revelation 5:11) pass untouched through his hands into the presence of the Heavenly Father. A multitude of angels led by Michael will then engage Satan to finish his reign as the “prince of the power of the air.” Weakened by his losses, the angels of Jesus Christ will cast him down to the earth never to appear in heaven again.

John recorded the future scene of Satan’s great heavenly defeat. “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” (Revelation 12:7-10)

His territory will now be restricted to the earth and he will know that he has but a short time. This loss for Satan is incredible. He has accused us to God throughout human history. The defeat of Adam and Eve gave him legal right to act as an accuser to every saint of God. He has been the world’s prosecutor for six thousand years. The reason for many great defeats in the church has been man’s failure to stand solely on truth in their battles with evil powers and dark spiritual authorities. Our only rights against evil are those legal truths of Scripture contained in our blood covenant.

Now, ultimate truth prevails and Satan’s reign as prosecutor is over forever. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” (Revelation 12:12)

Satan finally understands that he is losing and his last efforts will be efforts of desperation. By the end of the seven years, no creature on earth will doubt that he is a serpent, unquestionably corrupted, and a loser.

The victorious saints will be elevated to elders during the coming Great Tribulation. We are never called the church again after Revelation chapter four. We will be to the Father and the Lamb, elders participating in all the events of righteousness and righteous judgment. Too often we think only of judgment during these dark seven years but more than judgment is redemption. The elders will share the glory of cleansing this earth from every curse of sin until righteousness will be ready to spring forth when we come back with Him to reign on this earth.

In Revelation chapter nineteen when the harlot religious systems led by Satan have been gloriously destroyed, worship by the saints will explode. The saints are heard to say, “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand.” (Revelation 19:1-2) The Scripture states that this was the voice of much people in heaven, not angels but “much people.” A voice came from the throne of God to this multitude saying, “Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great.” (Revelation 19:5b) Then a voice proclaimed that the Marriage of the Lamb and His Bride had come and the glorious event of the Marriage Supper was in progress.

Now, John is so awed by this great vision that he falls on his face to worship at the feet of the messenger that stood before him. Listen to this messenger, “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.” (Revelation 19:10) Careful attention to the Book of Revelation will reveal the wonderful presence of His saints acting as elders in all the processes of the seven-sealed book. Redemption is the business of the Lord and His saints; and we will surely judge the Antichrist, the False Prophet, Satan, and his kingdom of fallen angels.

Saints Will be as Angels
What a defeat for the devil to be judged by the very saints he persecuted so relentlessly. The Scripture stated, “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?” (I Corinthians 6:3) All through the great events of judgment in this Book of Revelation are angels or messengers proclaiming, participating, or directing the course of events. Often we cannot know whether they are heavenly angels or glorified saints now as “angels” with the same glorious powers that angels of God already possess.

The Word of God clearly states that when we are resurrected from the dead, we will be “as the angels.” “For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.” (Mark 12:25) As we read the Book of Revelation after chapter four we forget we are viewing the scene after the Resurrection. The saints will then be “as the angels” or in the “likeness of angels” from that moment on.

The Armies from Heaven
When the Marriage Supper is finished, we will return with Jesus Christ to the earth that we left at the Rapture. It certainly will be a redeemed earth, but the battle will not be finished. There is no record of where Satan is hiding during the Battle of Armageddon. His Antichrist and False Prophet are leading this great army of angry, godless followers. What a defeat for the Antichrist and False Prophet. The spirit of Antichrist is already at work as they wait somewhere in preparation for the last days of evil. At this time they will be finished and the mopping up operation is the duty of His saints. “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” (Revelation 19:14)

We descend with the Son of God riding on white horses and fully prepared for battle. There is no need for us to draw our swords because of the “Faithful and True One” that leads this great procession. It will be our joy to arrest the Antichrist and the False Prophet and to cast them alive into the Lake of Fire. “And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.” (Revelation 19:20)

How long the Lake of Fire will be visible on the earth is not recorded in Scripture, but it will be visible to all the earth’s inhabitants at this time. I think it will probably be visible during the entire thousand years of the reign of Jesus Christ and His saints. Israel, as the most glorious nation on earth, will also reign and be the capitol of the earth during this thousand years of glory. The Old Testament prophets spoke often of Israel’s triumph during this great kingdom of the Messiah. The judgment of the Antichrist and the False Prophet will be evident to the entire earth’s population. The world must see the contrast between wickedness and righteousness. In the First Covenant, Isaiah described the Lake of Fire into which the saints of God cast into these two champions of darkness. He spoke these words, “And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, saith the LORD. And they shall go forth, and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me: for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.” (Isaiah 66:23-24) What a defeat to Satan that he is required to watch. The devil will witness the saints, that he has hated, cast his champions alive into the Lake of Fire. The Father created this Lake of Fire for the devil and his angels, not for earth’s population.

The Rapture and the Seven Years of Tribulation have been one defeat after the other for Satan. He will know it is over as he watches his last kingdom, the long anticipated “One World Order,” go up in smoke. His great army, gathered by his last world conquerors will also be judged and utterly defeated. Then, its leaders will be cast alive in an open Lake of Fire for the entire world to see. Six thousand years of Satan being the prince of the power of the air and the god of this world will have ended.

The Glorious Moment of Satan’s Arrest
The very Raptured saints that he fought to defeat, the glorious hope of the church that he hated and labored to destroy, and the very Tribulation Period that Satan thought to stop by his influence against Bible truth will now be completed and finished by his arrest. I believe this messenger, called “an angel” in Revelation chapter twenty, is a “great saint” of God. The honor for Satan’s arrest could not possibly be given to a heavenly angel. It has already been settled that the saints will judge the angels, and Satan is nothing but a fallen one.

Let’s read as a redeemed saint is sent to cast Satan into a bottomless pit. “And I saw an angel (messenger) come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season.” (Revelation 20:1-3) This bottomless pit is the depth of hell in the heart of the earth. The torments in this location could not be worse, and he will fester in this dark place for one thousand years. He will then be given one reprieve before he will be cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.

Conclusion
It is not hard to understand Satan’s hatred for the prophetic truth of Holy Scripture. The hope of the Pre-Tribulation Rapture is especially an object of his attacks. It is no wonder that the Catholic Church hated the original text of Scripture. Once the Catholic Church came to power, it destroyed many of the early copies of the original text and enlisted its own supporters to produce what we now call the Alexandrian Manuscripts. These corrupt copies have a bent towards post-millennialism and are a part of the reason for the present bias against the Pre-Tribulation Rapture.

Bible-loving and truth-obeying saints are still dedicated to the great hope of the saints. The Rapture of the believing church is certainly at hand. The road map to the end is visible. The coming of the Lord will soon occur, maybe today, maybe tomorrow. Our duty is to be “Waiting on Ready.”

www.raptureready.com

Please Get Your Feet Off Of Your Desk! - By Perry Stone

I have traveled extensively outside of the United Stated during my 33 years of full time ministry. I discovered early in my journey that every nation has a certain set of cultural guidelines and traditions. Some of the most unique customs are in the Arab world.

In the early 1980’s I hosted my first Holy Land tour. In the 1980’s, we would fly to Amman, Jordon, and the following morning travel by bus to the rose city of Petra. We were returning one evening from Petra and I was sitting in the front of the bus. By legs and feet were sore. I remember putting my feet up in the rail. Suddenly the bus driver began screaming, saying something to the tour guide in the Jordanian language. The guide immediately said, “You must put your feel down immediately.” I said, “What’s the deal?” He said, “Just put your feet down!” Later he explained to me that in the Arab world it is the worse type of insult to show the bottom of the shoes or your feet. In fact it is such an insult that a person will fight you physically, if you dishonor them by showing your feet. One Arab friend said, “It is like telling someone that, ‘you are nothing but dust…you are worthless…you are cheap in my eyes…’”

Years ago when the stature of Saddam Hussein was pulled down in the town square of Bagdad, on the 21st day of the war with American troops entered the city, the young people poured into the streets and began taking their shoes and pounding the face of the metal image, screaming and yelling insults to the lifeless pile of metal. You may recall when President Bush visited Iraq prior to his leaving office an Iraqi journalist in the audience threw both shoes at the president. American’s thought the act was just an angry Iraqi getting attention, but in the Arab world the man leveled the lowest form of insult to the American president.

Now let’s fast forward to a recent event that did not make secular news (as usual) but made headlines in Israel. A photograph was released that was taken in the Oval Office of President Obama talking on the phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Obama had both feet on his desk, and the photograph showed the soles of the President’s feet in the center of the photo, and the caption mentioned he was speaking with the Israeli Prime Minister.

In the United States we would not think anything of the photograph, but simply say, “He was just chilling out.” I have often put my feet up when I was tired or chilling out, but since my incident in Jordan years ago I am more careful, especially NOT to do so in or near anyone from the Middle East. When this photo was printed in Israel, the Jewish population became very, and I mean very upset. This is because the Arab’s were laughing and saying that Obama (having a Muslim background) knew what it meant to show the bottom of his feet and he was letting Netanyahu know, “This is what I think of you.” It is known among those in the inner circle in Israel that both Obama and Hillary Clinton don’t personally care at all for Mr. Netanyahu. There are several reasons for this that I will not explain, one of which goes back to the event surrounding Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky.

If the president had NOT been talking to a person from the Middle East, but was calling the L.A. Lakers congratulating them, not much would have been said. However, the Arabic speaking multitudes read this photo as an insult to the Israeli leader. Some would suggest that Obama did not realize what was occurring. However, why was there a photographer present, why were his feet on the desk and why did the White House allow the photo to be released to the public. I suggest the president knew exactly what he was doing, just like he knew what he was doing when he covered up the emblems for the name of Jesus at Georgetown University, and he ignored the National Day of Prayer.

I would suggest however, that as the leader of the free world, he should learn the customs of nations before meeting with the leaders…like bowing before the King of Saudi Arabia, which occurred in Saudi recently. Protocol allows you to bow before Japanese leaders but in Islam you bow before no man but Allah (God), or you are showing you are a servant (slave) to that person.

While only time will tell, the Israelis are beginning to feel that this is the first administration that will not stand with them in the event of a major war with a nation such as Iran. In fact, it was reported on the Drudge Report that recently a person in the administration contacted Benjamin Netanyahu and said, “We are going to change the world…do not interfere!” We were promised “change” but were never told what that “change” would be. Perhaps the Egyptians said it best, when a metal plaque was produced recently in Cairo which announced that “Obama was the new King Tut - the King of the world.” Only time will tell if Israel will be punished for not following the plans of a New World Order. In the mean time I suggest that the leader of the free world get his feet off the “people’s” desk and put them on the floor. This is my humble opinion.

www.voe.org

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