March 13, 2023
There are so many viewpoints of what will happen when Jesus returns, and Satan is forever defeated. I am going to try to answer some questions you may have. If I don’t cover your question, please comment and I will try to address it. This is long and yet is very. Read the Book of Revelations. It’s all there. There are also prophecies regarding the end of time in Daniel and Ezekiel. Remember I am not a preacher or theologian. I am just sharing what I have learned.
When will Jesus return? We do not know when He will return. Only God, the Father knows when enough will be enough. Jesus, Himself, does not know when He will return to take His church out of this world. It will be unexpected by most and watched for by Christians. The Book of Revelations gives some information about it, but it does not help us pinpoint a time. Christians down through the ages have always been looking for Jesus to return all their lifetime. But it isn’t time. Yet. Jesus said, “As in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man.” (Luke 17:26-27). When the flood occurred, man had fallen away from worshipping God. They did whatever they wanted to, lived as if there was not God and had no respect for anyone or anything. This is what is happening today everywhere. Satan is trying his worst to keep us from belief in Jesus. Today we have people teaching our children that they are their own gods.
What will happen when He returns? When He returns the first time, He will not touch the earth, but He will call all believers out of this world with a shout and trumpet blast. “The dead in Christ will rise. And the believers who are still living will be caught up with them to meet Him in the clouds.” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17). This is called the Rapture by many Christians. A whole lot of people will go missing instantly. Graves will be opened from the inside out as those Christians who have died will be resurrected. They will come from the land, the sea and anywhere else that they have been buried. Cremated remains will be resurrected too. It will be chaotic for any who are left behind. Planes, cars, and trains will crash because the drivers have disappeared. Two people will be working side by side and one will be caught up and the other left behind. Babies will disappear, young children will vanish and all Christians who have believed that Jesus is the Christ and accepted His sacrifice at Calvary will be taken from this world. He will return a second time leading an army of saints and angels.
When will the Rapture take place? There are several theories about when the Rapture will take place. Some believe it will happen before the Tribulation and that the Rapture will the catalyst for the Antichrist to take over the world. Some believe that the Rapture will occur in the middle of the Tribulation, and some believe that believers are raptured at the end of the Tribulation period. Personally, I believe we, as Christians, will not suffer the Tribulation, that we will be caught up when He comes for the dead in Him. I am basing my opinion on 1Thessalonians 4:16-17, “The dead in Christ will rise. And the believers who are still living will be caught up with them to meet Him in the clouds.” I don’t want to suffer any part of the Tribulation. Seven years of trouble is a very long time when the world is in chaos.
What happens next? Revelations tells us what will happen after the believers are gone. There’s good and there’s bad. The good? There will be 144,000 Jews who will evangelize those left behind. So, there is still time to turn to God. I still would not want to be in the shoes of those left behind. There will also be two witnesses who will preach against the Antichrist for 1,260 days (3 1/2 years). No one will be able to kill them. Those who try to harm them will be destroyed by fire from their mouths. The bad? It will be hard to tell it in detail here. The Great Tribulation will begin. It will last seven years. During those 7 years, the Seven Seals Judgments (Revelations 6-8:1-5) will be broken open and release the Antichrist, war will breakout everywhere, world famine will come as a result of the wars and economic chaos, one quarter of the earth’s remaining population will die, a worldwide earthquake will happen, the sun will turn black and the moon blood red, and then, there will be a half hour of silence will occur in Heaven. After the silence, the world will be warned not to take the mark of the Beast. Then come the Seven Trumpet Judgments (Revelations 8-10) all grass and one third of the trees will burn up, a meteorite will hit earth destroying one third of the ships, fish and oceans, a third of the rivers and streams will be poisoned, days will be shortened by a third, scorpion beasts will torment mankind for 5 months, one third of the remaining populations will be wiped out, and the final Bowl judgments will be announced. This will only take the earth to the middle of the seven years of tribulation.
What does the Antichrist do? The Antichrist will first come as a peace broker. At the beginning of the Tribulation, Russia, Ethiopia, Libya, Egypt, Turkey and Iran will attack Israel. He will broker a seven-year peace treaty between Israel and the nations that attacked it. During the attack, 83% of the army will be destroyed on the mountains of Israel. God will rain down fire and brimstone, plagues, confusion, fear and a great earthquake to destroy them. (Ezekial 38-39). The Antichrist is not a peace maker. He comes to deceive the world and destroy as many of those who turn to Jesus after the Rapture as he can. He will set up and unholy trinity: Satan, the Antichrist and the False Prophet. The Antichrist will declare himself to be God but will be assassinated and in three days, with Satan inhabiting his body, he will rise, and then things are going to get much worse from there. Then he will renege on the treaty with Israel and attack her. The Jews will run from him into the mountains. Some believe they will go to Petra.
Who are the witnesses and the 144,000? God does not tell us who those witnesses are but there are a few theories. Some think it will be Moses and Elijah, the prophet. My opinion is that it will be the only two men in the Bible who did not die. Enoch (from Genesis) and Elijah, the prophet. My reason? Man is appointed once to die and then the judgement (Hebrews 9:27). Enoch walked with God and was no more because God took him. And Elijah was caught up in a fiery chariot and taken to Heaven. Whoever they are, they will give witness to Jesus in Jerusalem. Revelations 7 also tells us that the 144,000 will be from each of the tribes of Israel. There will be 12,000 from each tribe who will be sealed by God, protected from harm. They will evangelize the world and proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ during the Tribulation.
What happens in the second 3 1/2 years? Mystery Babylon will give up its power to the Antichrist. Many scholars believe this will be the Roman Catholic Church. The Antichrist will make it a one world religion after stripping it of all influence, power, valuables and army. The two witnesses will be killed, and their bodies will be left where they fell. The world will have a party, giving gifts to each other, celebrating because the witnesses are dead. But after 3 1/2 days they will rise again. The world will be frightened and, as they rise into heaven, a great earthquake will strike and a tenth of the city of Jerusalem will collapse, and 7,000 will be killed. Then come the Bowl Judgements. There will be war in Heaven. Satan has been the accuser of all who were caught up in the Rapture. The end of this war will find Satan and a third of the angels cast down and confined to earth where he will take out his revenge on Israel. The False Prophet will set up a talking idol in the Temple and command all to worship it and take a mark in their hand or on their forehead. Those who refuse will be killed (Revelation 13). Then, the Bowl Judgments will begin.
What are the Bowl Judgments? There are seven judgments that will be poured out on the earth. The first is boils which will break out on all who took the mark (Rev. 16:2). Second, the seas turn to blood and all fish die (Rev. 16:3). Third, all rivers and fountains turn to blood (Rev.16:4). Fourth, the sun scorches mankind (Rev. 16:8-9). Fifth, darkness falls on the earth (Rev16:10-11). Sixth, the Euphrates dries up and the army of the east (China?) marches on Israel (Rev16:12-16). The seventh bowl is the Battle of Armageddon. There will be no survivors (Rev. 19:11-21). Then, Jesus returns with the saints. (Rev 19:11-16)
What happens when Jesus comes this second time? The Antichrist and False Prophet are thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:19-20). The Battle of Armageddon will be won by Jesus and His army. Satan will be bound in chains for 1,000 years and thrown into the Abyss which will be locked and sealed (Rev. 20:1-3). Those who were martyred during the Tribulations will be resurrected and will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for 1000 years (Rev. 20:4-6)
What happens after 1000 years? Satan will be freed for a period of time (Rev. 20:7-10). He will go out to deceive the nations and make war on God’s people. God will send fire from heaven to destroy them all. Satan will be thrown into the lake of fire for eternity. Then comes the White Throne Judgement (Rev 20:11-15). The books are opened, and all are judged according to what they had done in life. The Book of Life will also be opened and all whose name is not written there will be thrown into the Lake of Fire. This is the second death. Eternal separation from God. Then a new earth and new heaven will appear because the first heaven and earth passed away. God makes everything the way it was before sin entered into the Garden of Eden. No more death, sorrow, tears, sin, or pain (Rev.21: 1-7).
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