The Rapture, the Tribulation and Christ's Return

Lukechapter 21 speaks of the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. by the Roman armies. When the conquest was complete, not a single Jew was left alive in the city. Over one million Jews were killed and another 97,000 were taken captive. The Jewish nation was obliterated and the Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed and became a desolation.

In 1948, after almost two thousand years in exile, Israel was miraculously established, but it wasn't until 1968 that Jerusalem again became the territory of the nation of Israel, when the Jordanian troops were driven out. However, according to the Bible, Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles until the 'time of the Gentiles be fulfilled.' God has a purpose in the 'time of the Gentiles,' and that is to spread the gospel throughout the whole world. During received it. This partial hardening of heart for Israel prevents the nation from accepting Christ as Messiah until God's plans are finished. When

(Daniel 9:24-27) and is made up of people who have, by faith, accepted Christ Jesus as their Savior and Lord. However, this present age will come to an end when Jesus returns in power and glory to save His own and judge His enemies. The majority of Christians believe that His return will come in three phases:

1) The Rapture of the Church:

1 Thessalonians

4:16-17 describes the Rapture as: this period of time, God's grace gives others an opportunity to become part of His kingdom before He gathers His church together unto Himself. When the Jewish people rejected Christ, they were temporarily cut off from the blessings of a relationship with God. So the gospel was given to the Gentiles, and they the time is right, God will restore the entire nation, and they will, once again, come to faith in Him, ending the 'time of the Gentiles.' So right now, we're living in a period of God's extended grace to man, known as the Church Age. In prophetic history, the Church Age falls between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel

"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."

Pre-Tribulation believers feel they will not go through the coming Tribulation. Jesus tells us to pray always that we be found worthy to escape the horrible destruction that is destined to come. Whether you believe in Pre-Tribulation, MidTribulation, or PostTribulation, one thing is true for all: the Church may experience some turmoil leading up to it. We are to carry out the Lord's work until He returns to take us home. Jesus warns us to watch for His return by being spiritually ready and working faithfully at the tasks He has given us. Don't let your mind and spirit be dulled by careless living or foolishly pursuing pleasure.

2) The 7-year Tribulation: Before the Second Coming (the Day of the Lord), the time of the Great Tribulation will take place for a period of seven years, the remaining seven year period appointed to the Jewish people as stated in Daniel chapter 9. This is a seven-year period of prophecy that has not yet been fulfilled, Daniel's seventieth week.

During this seventieth week, or the seven year Tribulation, strange and cosmic happenings will occur. These judgments will cause terror and confusion throughout the entire world. Jesus tells us that the earth will be in commotion, with earthquakes, trembles, reeling to and fro and the people alive at that time will be filled with unparalleled fright. There will be war, famine and death. The terror will be so great that people will faint and be ready to die in view of the approaching calamities. The sun will be darkened, the moon will be bathed in blood and the stars will fall from heaven. The book of Revelation speaks of a star, Wormwood, falling from heaven and striking the earth midway through the Tribulation, poisoning the fresh water system and making it bitter. For awhile now, there has been talk of earth experiencing a dramatic close encounter with the Asteroid Apophis on Friday, April 13th, 2029. Although scientists say that the chance of this hitting the earth is only 2.7 percent, many studies are being done to determine the effect it may have on tidal forces, being only 31,000 km. from our planet.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 speaks of the attitudes and actions of people during the Tribulation as well.

During this era, the love of men shall wax cold and sin will abound. Many false prophets will arise before the Second Coming and great upheavals will take place. As Daniel 7:7-8 says, one man, the Antichrist, will speak arrogantly against God, but will captivate the attention and administration of the world with his attractiveness (Daniel 7:20), magnetic personality and eloquence during the first 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation. However, during the last 3 1/2 years of the Tribulation, his rise to power will be inconspicuous and he will personify Satan himself with all power, signs and lying wonders. Every living person on earth at that time will be forced to worship him (Revelation 13:8) and will have to take his mark, the mark of the beast (666), in order to buy and sell. And if you resist, there will be terrible persecution, torture, suffering and death (Revelation 13:8).

There are also these signs to watch for:

1) The rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem: There are prophetic events yet to happen which requires a Temple. Midway during the Tribulation, the

Antichrist will walk into the Holy of Holies inside the Temple and proclaim to be God. And when Jesus returns a second time, He will begin His millennial reign on earth from the Temple. These events cannot happen if there is no Temple rebuilt in Jerusalem.

2) The Ezekiel war: Israel will lower her defenses when the Antichrist makes a seven-year peace treaty with her, where he promises to protect the Israeli nation (Ezekiel 38:11). Ezekiel chapters 38-39 prophesizes an invasion of Israel involving modern day "stan" countries (Magog), Russia (Rosh), Iran (Persia), territories in modern Turkey (Meshech/Tubal), Germany (Gomer), Turkey (Togarmah), Sudan/Ethiopia (Cush) and Libya (Put).

3) The Second coming of Christ: At the end of the seven-year Tribulation period, Jesus will return in power and glory with His Church. Mark 13:32-37 says, "But on that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye, therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning: Lest coming suddenly he finds you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Everyone on earth at that time will witness Christ's arrival. When Christ comes to judge the world at the last day, He will redeem all of His people from all their grievances. And the foresight of that day is as pleasant to all Christians as it is terrible to all unbelievers. The final fulfillment of the prophecies concerning the day of the Lord will come at the end of history, when God will punish evil and fulfill all His promises.

As I mentioned earlier, we are living in the last Church Age, known as

Laodicea. Jesus does not mince words when He describes the Laodicean Church as 'asleep, blind, naked, wretched, and lukewarm' (Revelation 3:14). These are harsh words from an all-seeing God, but nonetheless true. The Church in this age has enough Scripture to get people saved, but also has enough Scriptural error to seriously mislead these people. We pick and choose and modify the words of the Bible until we get a watered-down version of what works for us. This is what the Bible refers to as the Laodicean Church - a church that makes up its own beliefs to suit them.

When the disciples asked Jesus about the end-time events, Jesus' main concern was that the church would be deceived. Our biggest danger is that we are fooled to move away from Scripture. It is astonishing how much knowledge is out there today, but yet we lack the discernment to be able to distinguish truth from error. In a pandemic era, some Christians fear that a vaccine in the arm is the mark of the beast, simply because they do not know Scripture.

The Laodicean church age ends in the battle at Armageddon, with mankind fighting against God. Jesus comes on the day of the Lord to destroy those who give their military power to the Beast. Christ then sets up a true world kingdom, with Jerusalem as the centre of government. Jesus rules the world with His Bride, the true church from the seven church ages for one thousand years.

Finally, the heavens will pass away with a roar and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved. The earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed and the new heaven and the new earth will be formed (Revelation 21) which becomes the dwelling place of all those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Rev. 20:11-15).

Jesus is meant to be our First Love. Strive to have that deep relationship with Him by reading your Bible, studying the Scriptures and praying with a fervent heart. When we begin to grow in grace, God gives us the mind of Christ, so that we are able to understand the Bible when it is taught to us. Don't conform to some cookie-cutter pattern of a specific religious denomination that picks and chooses out of Scripture what works for them. We are to make a difference in this world, and the only way we can do that is to know what God says in His Word. Be filled with the Spirit and become a beacon of light and help to lead lost souls to Christ. Let's pray that God is able to use us to further His Kingdom in this world and to make us worthy for Heaven in the world to come.