THE LAST DAYS
SIGNS
OF THE TIMES
Matthew 24:1-51 Jesus left the temple and was
walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its
buildings. "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not
one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down." As Jesus
was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell
us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming
and of the end of the age?" Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the
Christ, ' and will deceive many. You will
hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such
things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against
nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in
various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains. "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put
to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many
will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many
false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of
wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.And
this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to
all nations, and then the end will come. "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.Let no one on the roof of
his house go down to take anything out of the house. Let no one in the field go
back to get his cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women
and nursing mothers! Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on
the Sabbath. For then there will be great distress,
unequalled from the beginning of the world until now--and never to be equalled
again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would
survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. At that
time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do
not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform
great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible. See,
I have told you ahead of time.
"So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out;
or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so
will be the coming of the Son of Man.Wherever there is a
carcass, there the vultures will gather. "Immediately after the distress of
those days "'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the
stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in
the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of
Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will
send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from
the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. "Now learn
this lesson from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves
come out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see all these things,
you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you the truth, this
generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at
the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were
eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered
the ark;
and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and
took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the
other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and
the other left. "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your
Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had
known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and
would not have let his house be broken into. So you
also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not
expect him.
"Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in
charge of the servants in his household to give them their food at the proper
time? It will be good for that servant whose master finds him doing so when he
returns. I tell you the truth, he will put him in charge of all his possessions.
But suppose that servant is wicked and says to himself, 'My master is staying
away a long time,' and he then begins to beat his fellow servants and to eat and
drink with drunkards. The master of that servant will come on a day when
he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him
to pieces and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be
weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mark 13:1-37 As he
was leaving the temple, one of his disciples said to him, "Look, Teacher!
What massive stones! What magnificent buildings!" "Do you see all
these great buildings?" replied Jesus. "Not one stone here will be left
on another; every one will be thrown down." As Jesus was sitting
on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John and Andrew
asked him privately, "Tell us, when will these things happen? And
what will be the sign that they are all about to be fulfilled?" Jesus
said to them: "Watch out that no one deceives you. Many will come
in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and will deceive many. When you
hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed. Such things must happen,
but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in various places, and
famines. These are the beginning of birth pains. "You must be on
your guard. You will be handed over to the local councils and flogged in
the synagogues. On account of me you will stand before governors and kings
as witnesses to them. And the gospel must first be preached to all
nations. Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry
beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time,
for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. "Brother will betray brother
to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents
and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me,
but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. "When you see 'the
abomination that causes desolation' standing where it does not belong--let
the reader understand--then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.
Let no one on the roof of his house go down or enter the house to take
anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
Pray that this will not take place in winter, because those will
be days of distress unequalled from the beginning, when God created the
world, until now--and never to be equalled again. If the Lord had
not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the
elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them. At that time if
anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ !' or, 'Look, there he is!'
do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will appear
and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect--if that were possible.
So be on your guard; I have told you everything ahead of time. "But
in those days, following that distress, "'the sun will be darkened, and
the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' "At that time men will see
the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And he
will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the
ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. "Now learn this lesson
from the fig tree: As soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come
out, you know that summer is near. Even so, when you see these things
happening, you know that it is near, right at the door. I tell you
the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these
things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will
never pass away. "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the
angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard!
Be alert ! You do not know when that time will come. It's like a
man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each
with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house
will come back--whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster
crows, or at dawn. If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you
sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!'"
Luke 21:5-37 Some of
his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful
stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, "As for what
you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another;
every one of them will be thrown down." "Teacher," they asked, "when
will these things happen? And what will be the sign that they are about
to take place?" He replied: "Watch out that you are not deceived.
For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am he,' and, 'The time is near.'
Do not follow them. When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not
be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come
right away." Then he said to them: "Nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines
and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from
heaven. "But before all this, they will lay hands on you and persecute
you. They will deliver you to synagogues and prisons, and you will be brought
before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. This will
result in your being witnesses to them. But make up your mind not
to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you
words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or
contradict. You will be betrayed even by parents, brothers, relatives
and friends, and they will put some of you to death. All men will
hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish.
By standing firm you will gain life. "When you see Jerusalem being
surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near.
Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the
city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. For
this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written.
How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers!
There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people.
They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations.
Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles
are fulfilled. "There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On
the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and
tossing of the sea. Men will faint from terror, apprehensive of what
is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At
that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and
lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near." He
told them this parable: "Look at the fig tree and all the trees.
When they sprout leaves, you can see for yourselves and know that summer
is near. Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that
the kingdom of God is near. "I tell you the truth, this generation
will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.
Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
"Be careful, or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness
and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly
like a trap. For it will come upon all those who live on the face
of the whole earth. Be always on the watch, and pray that you may
be able to escape all that is about to happen, and that you may be able
to stand before the Son of Man."
2Tim3:1-9 But mark
this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will
be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient
to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving,
slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of
God-- having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing
to do with them. They are the kind who worm their way into homes
and gain control over weak-willed women, who are loaded down with sins
and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never
able to acknowledge the truth. Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed
Moses, so also these men oppose the truth--men of depraved minds, who,
as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected. But they will not
get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be
clear to everyone.
1 John 5:4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
1 John 5:5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
Rev 2:7 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.
Rev 2:11 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.
Rev 2:17 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes, I will give some of the hidden manna. I will also give him a white stone with a new name written on it, known only to him who receives it.
Rev 2:26 To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--
Rev 3:5 He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.
Rev 3:12 Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Rev 3:21 To him who overcomes, I will give the right to sit with me on my throne, just as I overcame and sat down with my Father on his throne.
Rev 12:11 They overcame himby the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.
Rev 21:7 He who overcomes will inherit all this, and
I will be his God and he will be my son.
Daniel 9:1-27 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-- in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands, we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws. We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people of the land. "Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame--the men of Judah and people of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.
O LORD, we and our kings, our princes and our fathers are covered with shame because we have sinned against you. The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him; we have not obeyed the LORD our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets. All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. "Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you. You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth. The LORD did not hesitate to bring the disaster upon us, for the LORD our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him. "Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong. O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our fathers have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us. "Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, O Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary. Give ear, O God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For your sake, O my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name."
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill--while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
He instructed
me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.
As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to
tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message
and understand the vision: "Seventy
'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression,
to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting
righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
"Know and understand this: From the issuing
of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,
the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but
in times of trouble. After the sixty-two
'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come
will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations
have been decreed. He will confirm
a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put
an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set
up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed
is poured out on him."
History tells us that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was in 450 BC.
There was 483 years between this decree and the crucifixion of Christ in AD 33?
(483 divided by 69 is 7 !! therefore one seven is seven years!!)
This verses says that after the 7 + 62 sevens, the anointed one would be cut off. The end would come like a flood and war would continue to the end. He will confirm a covenant with one seven. This does not imply that the last seven follows directly after the previous sevens.
The Great Tribulation starts half way through the last week of Daniel. Christ returns at the end of the last week of Daniel.
Matthew 24:15 tells us that when we see the abomination that causes desolation appear, we know that the end is near.
2Thessalonians 2:8 tells us that the Lord will overthrow and destroy the man of lawlessness by the breath of his mouth and the splendor of his coming. This can leave us with no doubt that Christ's return is at the end of the great tribulation which is the beginning of his millennial reign. People who teach post millennialism are thus in error. We, the believers, are not in heaven and the devil is not locked up in the abyss where he can no longer cause trouble. Thus the millennium cannot have started. The Bible therefore foretells of the premillennial return of Jesus Christ. The return of Christ and the Millennium are, no doubt, in the future (at the time of writing of this document!).
2Peter 3:8 says that a thousand years are like a day to the Lord. The old testament has many types and patterns that are seen in the New Testament. God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. We are now 6000 years approximately since Adam. It may be that Christ will reign in the Seventh millennium, after all, the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8 Mark 2:28 Luke 6:5)
Daniel 12:1-13 "At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the book--will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge." Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, "How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?" The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, "It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed." I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, "My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. Many will be purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand. "From the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. "As for you, go your way till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise to receive your allotted inheritance."
Dan 7:1-28 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon, Daniel had a dream, and visions passed through his mind as he was lying on his bed. He wrote down the substance of his dream.
Daniel said: "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me were the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea.
Four great beasts, each different from the others, came up out of the sea. "The first was like a lion, and it had the wings of an eagle. I watched until its wings were torn off and it was lifted from the ground so that it stood on two feet like a man, and the heart of a man was given to it. "And there before me was a second beast, which looked like a bear. It was raised up on one of its sides, and it had three ribs in its mouth between its teeth. It was told, 'Get up and eat your fill of flesh!' "After that, I looked, and there before me was another beast, one that looked like a leopard. And on its back it had four wings like those of a bird. This beast had four heads, and it was given authority to rule. "After that, in my vision at night I looked, and there before me was a fourth beast--terrifying and frightening and very powerful. It had large iron teeth; it crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left. It was different from all the former beasts, and it had ten horns. "While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a man and a mouth that spoke boastfully. "As I looked, "thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened. "Then I continued to watch because of the boastful words the horn was speaking. I kept looking until the beast was slain and its body destroyed and thrown into the blazing fire.
(The other beasts had been stripped of their authority, but were allowed to live for a period of time.) "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. "I, Daniel, was troubled in spirit, and the visions that passed through my mind disturbed me.
I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. "So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: 'The four great beasts are four kingdoms that will rise from the earth.
But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever.'
"Then I wanted to know the true meaning of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others and most terrifying, with its iron teeth and bronze claws--the beast that crushed and devoured its victims and trampled underfoot whatever was left.
I also wanted to know about the ten horns on its head and about the other horn that came up, before which three of them fell--the horn that looked more imposing than the others and that had eyes and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
As I watched, this horn was waging war against the saints and defeating them, until the Ancient of Days came and pronounced judgment in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came when they possessed the kingdom. "He gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.
The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings. He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time. "'But the court will sit, and his power will be taken away and completely destroyed forever. Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him.'
"This is the end of the matter. I, Daniel, was deeply troubled by my thoughts, and my face turned pale, but I kept the matter to myself."
2Thes 2:1-13 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, we ask you, brothers,
not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by some prophecy, report or letter supposed to have come from us, saying that the day of the Lord has already come.
Don't
let anyone deceive you in any way, for
that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man
of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed
to destruction. He will oppose and will
exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that
he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. Don't you remember that when I was with you I used to tell you these things?
And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at
the proper time. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at
work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he
is taken out of the way. And then the lawless
one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus
will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor
of his coming. The coming of the lawless
one will be in accordance with the work of
Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,
and in every sort of evil that deceives those who are perishing. They
perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. For
this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe
the lie and so that all will be condemned who have not believed the truth
but have delighted in wickedness. But
we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because
from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work
of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.
1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour.
1 John 2:22 Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist--he denies the Father and the Son.
1 John 4:3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
2 John 1:7 Many deceivers,
who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out
into the world. Any such person is the
deceiver and the antichrist.
Rev 13:1-18 And the
dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I
saw a beast coming out of the sea. He
had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each
head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but
had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon
gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority. One
of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal
wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the
beast. Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to
the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the
beast? Who can make war against him?" The
beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise
his authority for forty-two months. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling
place and those who live in heaven. He was given power to make war
against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over
every tribe, people, language and nation. All
inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not
been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from
the creation of the world. He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with
the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness
on the part of the saints. Then I
saw another beast, coming out of the earth.
He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. He exercised
all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth
and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been
healed. And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing
fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.
Because of the signs he was
given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants
of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the
beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived. He was given power
to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak
and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also
forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive
a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could
buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the
number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight,
let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His
number is 666.
See The Last Trumpet
see Great Tribulation
Rev 3:7-12 "To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open. I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name. I will make those who are of the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews though they are not, but are liars--I will make them come and fall down at your feet and acknowledge that I have loved you. Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth. I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown. Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Rev 7:2-4 Then I saw another angel coming up from the east, having the seal of the living God. He called out in a loud voice to the four angels who had been given power to harm the land and the sea: "Do not harm the land or the sea or the trees until we put a seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God." Then I heard the number of those who were sealed: 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.
Rev 14:1-13 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless. Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people. He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." A second angel followed and said, "Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening wine of her adulteries." A third angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
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THE GREAT TRIBULATION : Revelation Chapter 11-19
Dan 7:25 He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time.
Daniel 9:22-27 He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision: "Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Daniel 12:1-13 "At
that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as
has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people--everyone whose name is found written in the
book--will be delivered. Those
who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who
lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. But you, Daniel, close up and seal the words of the
scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase
knowledge." Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two
others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.
One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters
of the river, The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of
the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I
heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, ". When
the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things
will be completed." I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked,
"My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?" He replied, "Go
your way, Daniel, because the words are closed up and sealed until the
time of the end. Many will be
purified, made spotless and refined, but the wicked will continue to be
wicked. None of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will
understand. "From the time that the daily
sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set
up, there will be 1,290 days. Blessed is the one who waits
for and reaches the end of the 1,335 days. "As for you, go your way
till the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will rise
to receive your allotted inheritance."
1 John 2:18 Dear children, this is the last hour;
and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists
have come. This is how we know it is the
last hour.
Rev 3:10 Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come upon the whole world to test those who live on the earth.
Rev 7:13-17 Then one of the elders asked me, "These in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered, "Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
Rev 12:1-17 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days. And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short." When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach. Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring--those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.
Revelation 13:1-18 And the dragon stood on the shore of the sea. And I saw a beast coming out of the sea. He had ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name. The beast I saw resembled a leopard, but had feet like those of a bear and a mouth like that of a lion. The dragon gave the beast his power and his throne and great authority.
One of the heads of the beast seemed to have had a fatal wound, but the fatal wound had been healed. The whole world was astonished and followed the beast.
Men worshiped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
The beast was given a mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two months.
He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven.
He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. And he was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast--all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.
He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.
Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon.
He exercised all the authority of the first beast on his behalf, and made the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose fatal wound had been healed.
And he performed great and miraculous signs, even causing fire to come down from heaven to earth in full view of men.
Because of the signs he was given power to do on behalf of the first beast, he deceived the inhabitants of the earth. He ordered them to set up an image in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived.
He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed.
He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead,
so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name.
This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666.
Rev 14:1-13 Then I looked, and there before me was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion, and with him 144,000 who had his name and his Father's name written on their foreheads. And I heard a sound from heaven like the roar of rushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder. The sound I heard was like that of harpists playing their harps. And they sang a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and the elders. No one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they kept themselves pure. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among men and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.
Then I
saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim
to those who live on the earth--to every nation, tribe, language and people.
He said in a loud voice, "Fear God and
give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him
who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water." A second angel followed and said, "Fallen!
Fallen is Babylon the Great, which made all the nations drink the maddening
wine of her adulteries." A third
angel followed them and said in a loud voice: "If
anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead
or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which
has been poured full strength into the cup of his wrath. He will be tormented
with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb.
And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest
day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone
who receives the mark of his name." This calls for patient endurance
on the part of the saints who obey God's commandments and remain faithful
to Jesus. Then I heard a voice from heaven say, "Write: Blessed are
the dead who die in the Lord from now on." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they
will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them."
SEE THE SEVEN SEALS, TRUMPETS AND BOWLS
The start
of his Millennial Reign and the End of the Great Tribulation
The great multitude was composed of believers taken from every nation.
The Nations stand before Christ at his second coming.
The Nations are on earth during the millennium.
The Nations are present in Eternity after the Millennium.
BELIEVERS, DEAD AND ALIVE, ARE RAISED FOR JUDGMENT - THIS IS THE HARVEST
Matt 13:37-43 He answered, "The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. "As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 24:36-41 "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
1Cor15:12-22 But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
1Cor 15:35-58 But someone may ask, "How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?" How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor. So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being" ; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven. I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.
1Thes 4:13-18 Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. . Therefore encourage each other with these words.
1Thes 5:6 So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.
1Thes 5:10 He died
for us so that, whether we are awake or
asleep, we may live together with him.
Rev 7:9-17 After this
I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count,
from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne
and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding
palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:
"Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb."
All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and
the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne
and worshiped God, saying: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks
and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!" Then one of the elders asked me, "These
in white robes--who are they, and where did they come from?" I answered,
"Sir, you know." And he said, "These are they who have come out of the
great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in
the blood of the Lamb. Therefore,
"they are before the throne of God and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne will spread his tent over them. Never
again will they hunger; never again will they thirst. The sun will not
beat upon them, nor any scorching heat. For the Lamb at the center
of the throne will be their shepherd; he will lead them to springs of living
water. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
Rev 14:14-20 I looked,
and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one "like a son of man" with a crown of gold
on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand. Then another angel came out of the temple and called in a loud voice to
him who was sitting on the cloud, "Take
your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest
of the earth is ripe." So he who was seated on the cloud swung his
sickle over the earth, and the earth was harvested.
Another angel came out of the temple
in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Still
another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called
in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, "Take your sharp sickle
and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes
are ripe." The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its
grapes and threw them into the great
winepress of God's wrath. They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed
out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance
of 1,600 stadia.
At the End of the Age God will Judge all those who live upon the Earth. He will deal with the Church first (the two harvests) and then he will deal with the Nations (Day of the Lord / Armageddon).
The Harvest is composed of True and False believers in the Church.
The True believers are the Wheat and will be harvested by One Like the Son of Man at the End of the Age. The dead in Christ will also be raised at this time (the First Resurrection).
The False believers are the Weeds (Tares) and will be harvested by the Angel in charge of the fire at the same time the believers are Redeemed from the Earth.
The Nations who are left on Earth to suffer God's Wrath (while the saints attend the Wedding feast), will be gathered before Christ when he returns on the Day of the Lord. The Nations will be divided into the Sheep (who were kind to God's people) and the Goats (who persecuted God's people).
The Goats will be sent to eternal punishment and the Sheep will receive the reward that was prepared for them before the creation of the World.
THE JUDGMENT SEAT OF CHRIST - THE BELIEVERS ARE JUDGED FOR WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WHILST IN THE BODY OF CHRIST
Rom 14:10 You, then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God's judgment seat.
2 Cor 5:10 For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that
each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
Rev 11:15-19 The seventh
angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which
said: "The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and
ever."And the twenty-four elders, who
were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped
God, saying: "We
give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty, the One who is and who was, because
you have taken your great power and have begun to reign.
The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants
the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small
and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth." Then
God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark
of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals
of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.
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THE BELIEVERS ARE REWARDED ACCORDING TO WHAT THEY HAVE DONE WHILE IN THE BODY
Psa 62:12 and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
Prov 19:17 He who is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward him for what he has done.
Mat 6:4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mat 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mat 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matt 10:40-2 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Mat 16:27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
Matt 25:14-30 "Again,
it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted
his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another
two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability.
Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents
went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also,
the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who
had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid
his master's money. "After a long
time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents
brought the other five. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted me with five
talents. See, I have gained five more.' "His master replied, 'Well
done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things;
I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'
"The man with the two talents also came. 'Master,' he said, 'you entrusted
me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.' "His master replied,
'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's
happiness!' "Then the man who had received the one talent came. 'Master,'
he said, 'I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not
sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid
and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs
to you.' "His master replied, 'You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew
that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered
seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the
bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.
"'Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents.
For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance.
Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And
throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will
be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'
Matt 25:31-46 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
Mark 9:41-2 I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward. "And if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone tied around his neck.
Luke 6:20-38 Looking at his disciples, he said: "Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who weep now, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, when they exclude you and insult you and reject your name as evil, because of the Son of Man. "Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets. "But woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. Woe to you who are well fed now, for you will go hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. Woe to you when all men speak well of you, for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets. "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you. "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you."
Luke 19:12-27 He said: "A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and then to return.
So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. 'Put this money
to work,' he said, 'until I come back.' "But his subjects hated him
and sent a delegation after him to say, 'We don't want this man to be our
king.'
"He was made king, however, and
returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money,
in order to find out what they had gained with it. "The first one
came and said, 'Sir, your mina has earned ten more.' "'Well done,
my good servant!' his master replied. 'Because you have been trustworthy
in a very small matter, take charge of
ten cities.' "The second came and
said, 'Sir, your mina has earned five more.' "His master answered, 'You
take charge of five cities.' "Then
another servant came and said, 'Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it
laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are
a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did
not sow.' "His master replied, 'I will judge you by your own words,
you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out
what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't
you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected
it with interest?' "Then he said to those standing by, 'Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
"'Sir,' they said, 'he already has ten!' "He replied, 'I tell you
that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has
nothing, even what he has will be taken away. But those enemies of
mine who did not want me to be king over them--bring them here and kill
them in front of me.'"
1Cor 3:9-15 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.
2 Cor 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
Eph 6:8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free.
Col 3:23-4 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
Heb 11:26 He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.
Rev 22:12 "Behold,
I am coming soon! My reward is with me,
and I will give to everyone according to what he has done.
THE MILLENNIUM - THE BELIEVERS REIGN WITH CHRIST
See the Millennium
Rev 20:2 He
seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and
bound him for a thousand years.
Rev 20:3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.
Rev 20:4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
Rev 20:5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection.
Rev 20:6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.
Rev 20:7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be
released from his prison
1Cor 15:25-28 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign
until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed
is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says
that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include
God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the
Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that
God may be all in all.
At the End of the Millennium, Christ will hand the
kingdom back over to the Father. The Millennium is therefore the only way that
this can be fulfilled if Christ is to reign at his coming and the
believers are to reign with him. The Millennium is the period for which
the Believers are differentially rewarded according to what they have done
whilst in the body. People who preach amillennialism usually don't preach
about the reward of believers and Christ handing things back over to the father
once the devil has been thrown into the lake of fire.
AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM THE DEAD ARE RAISED FOR JUDGMENT AT THE GREAT WHITE THRONE - THIS IS THE SECOND RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD
Revelation 20:11-15 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on
it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them.
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were
opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were
judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was
judged according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of
life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
The believers are called up to be with Christ in the clouds at the beginning of the Millennium (the end of the Great Tribulation). This is the first resurrection of the dead. Christ judges the believers (the Judgment seat of Christ) for the things that they have done in the body.
The Nations will be gathered before Christ when he returns. They will be divided into the Sheep (who were kind to God's people) and the Goats (who persecuted God's people). The Goats will go to eternal punishment and the Sheep will receive the reward that was prepared for them before the creation of the World. The Sheep and the Goats are the non believers in the Nations who are alive when Christ returns in power on the Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord.
The dead non believers are raised at the end of the Millennium to be judged at the Great White Throne. This is the second resurrection of the dead.
See Judgment of the non-believers
In eternity, there is no more death or Hades as they have been thrown into the lake of fire. The sea no longer exists either.
Mat 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
2 Pet 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;
2 Pet 2:9-22 if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue
godly men from trials and to hold the unrighteous for the day of judgment,
while continuing their punishment. This
is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful
nature and despise authority. Bold
and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;
yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring
slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.
But these men blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They
are like brute beasts, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and
destroyed, and like beasts they too will perish. They will be paid
back with harm for the harm they have done. Their
idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes,
reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. With eyes
full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they
are experts in greed--an accursed brood! They have left the straight
way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved
the wages of wickedness. But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by
a donkey--a beast without speech--who spoke with a man's voice and restrained
the prophet's madness. These men
are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness
is reserved for them. For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by
appealing to the lustful desires of sinful human nature, they entice people
who are just escaping from those who live in error.
They promise them freedom, while
they themselves are slaves of depravity--for a man is a slave to whatever
has mastered him. If they have escaped the corruption of the world
by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in
it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.
It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness,
than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command
that was passed on to them. Of them the proverbs are true: "A dog
returns to its vomit," and, "A sow that is washed goes back to her wallowing
in the mud."
Mat 5:22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, 'Raca, ' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.
Mat 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.
Mark 9:43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out.
Rev 20:7-10 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Rev 20:14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.
Rev 20:15 If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
THE
NEW HEAVEN, THE NEW EARTH AND THE NEW JERUSALEM
Isaiah 65:17
"Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind.
Isaiah 66:22
"As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me," declares the LORD, "so will your name and descendants endure.
1Cor 15:25-28 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he "has put everything under his feet." Now when it says that "everything" has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
At the End of the Millennium, Christ will hand the kingdom back over to the Father. The Millennium is therefore the only way that this prophesy can be fulfilled if Christ is to reign at his coming and the believers are to reign with him. The Millennium is the period for which the Believers are differentially rewarded according to what they have done whilst in the body. People who preach amillennialism usually don't preach about the reward of believers and Christ handing things back over to the father once the devil has been thrown into the lake of fire.
2Peter 3:8 says that a thousand years are like a day to the Lord. The old testament has many types and patterns that are seen in the New Testament. God created the world in 6 days and rested on the 7th. We are now 6000 years approximately since Adam. It may be that Christ will reign in the Seventh millennium, after all, the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath (Matt 12:8 Mark 2:28 Luke 6:5)
2 Peter 3:13
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.
Revelation 3:12
Him who overcomes I will make a pillar in the temple of my God. Never again will he leave it. I will write on him the name of my God and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which is coming down out of heaven from my God; and I will also write on him my new name.
Revelation Chapter 21 and 22
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true." He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.
But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars--their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death."
One of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall with twelve gates, and with twelve angels at the gates. On the gates were written the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. There were three gates on the east, three on the north, three on the south and three on the west. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. The angel who talked with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city, its gates and its walls. The city was laid out like a square, as long as it was wide. He measured the city with the rod and found it to be 12,000 stadia in length, and as wide and high as it is long. He measured its wall and it was 144 cubits thick, by man's measurement, which the angel was using. The wall was made of jasper, and the city of pure gold, as pure as glass. The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass. I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.
The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place." "Behold, I am coming soon! Blessed is he who keeps the words of the prophecy in this book."
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!" Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, because the time is near. Let him who does wrong continue to do wrong; let him who is vile continue to be vile; let him who does right continue to do right; and let him who is holy continue to be holy."
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. "Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city.
Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
"I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star." The Spirit and the bride say, "Come!" And let him who hears say, "Come!" Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described
in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy,
God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city,
which are described in this book. He who testifies to these things says, "Yes, I
am coming soon." Amen. Come, Lord Jesus. The grace of the Lord Jesus be with
God's people. Amen.
BOOK OF LIFE
WIFE OF THE LAMB
TREE OF LIFE
MESSAGES
Biblical End Time Prophesy (part 1 - the Church)
This video describes what will happen to the Church in the End Times.
The Church will be persecuted by the Beast for times time and time and a half but will be saved by the return of Christ when he comes unexpectedly at the end of the Great Tribulation.
A small number of Christians who have kept themselves pure will be spared from the hour of trial - they are said to number 144000.
The rest of the Church will be persecuted by the Beast for 1260 days.
After this the Church will be harvested by angel like the son of man and by another angel who is in charge of the fire. The true believers will meet with Christ in the clouds along with the 'sleeping' believers who will be raised from the dead. (This is the First Resurrection) False Christians will go to hades to wait for judgement at the Great White Throne.
All believers will reign with Christ during the Millennium in Heaven where they will be rewarded for the things that they have done in the Body.
After the Millennium is over, those who took part in the first resurrection will decend from Heaven as a bride beautifully adorned for her husband to become the New Jerusalem where God will dwell with Man for all eternity.
Biblical End Time Prophesy (part 2 - the Nations)
The Nations are those who have not accepted the Gospel of Christ.
This video describes what will happen to them on the Day of the Lord and at the Great White Throne.
The nations will be left behind to suffer God's wrath after the church has raptured after being persecuted for 1260 days.
On the Day of the Lord, they will be separated in to the Sheep and the Goats according to how they have treated God's people.
At the end of the Millennium, those who rejected the Gospel will be raised for Judgment at the Great White Throne.
If their names are not in the Lamb's book of Life, they will be thrown into the Lake of fire which is the second death.
If they are in the Lambs book of Life, they will live as the Nations for all eternity in the Light of the New Jerusalem where those who have been born again live with God.
God will Rapture the Church before he pours out his Wrath
Jesus is coming soon. Will you be ready? Many will come in his name pretending to be him. Don't be deceived. When he comes he will be visible to all the world.
There will be wars famines and natural disasters.
A world leader will emerge claiming to have all the answers. He will try to unite the world. Everybody will have to pledge allegiance to him and nobody will be able to trade without his mark. Eventually he will proclaim himself to be God and will kill anybody who does not worship him.
Christians will be persecuted and put to death. When the power of the Holy people has been broken, Christ will return and rapture the Church. He will then pour out his wrath on the Nations who have been left behind.