Main Street Baptist Church

GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN

Compiled by Jerry Schmoyer

MAIN STREET BAPTIST CHURCH

57 S. Main Street

Doylestown , PA 18901

215-348-8086

jerry@schmoyer.net

http://jerry.schmoyer.net

GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN

I. BEGINNINGS (Eternity Past to Abraham) p 1-2

A. GOD’S PLAN p 1

B. SATAN’S REBELLION p 1

C. GOD TELLS MAN THE FUTURE p 1

D. ULTIMATE VICTORY PREDICTED p 2

II. ISRAEL (Abraham to The Church) p 2-6

A. CREATION TO ABRAHAM p 2

B. ABRAHAM AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL p 3

C. SEVENTY ‘WEEKS’ OF DANIEL 9:24-27 p 3

D. MESSIAH’S FIRST COMING p 4

III. THE CHURCH AGE (Crucifixion to the Rapture) p 6-14

A. CHURCH AGE (GRACE) p 6

B. THE RAPTURE p 7

C. THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB p 9

D. ISRAEL DURING THE CHURCH AGE p 10

E. WHEN - SIGNS OF THE TIMES p 11

IV. TRIBULATION (Rapture to Millennium) p 14-30

A. SATAN AFTER THE RAPTURE p 14

B. THE ANTICHRIST p 15

C. THE FALSE PROPHET p 167

D. THE NATIONS p 18

E. THE TRIBULATION p 18

F. THE EVANGELISTS p 19

G. DURING THE FIRST 3 ½ YEARS p 20

H. MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION p 22

I. DURING THE SECOND 3 ½ YEARS p 24

J. AT THE END OF THE TRIBULATION p 25

K. THE SECOND COMING OF JESUS p 26

L. JUDGMENT ON GOD’S ENEMIES p 28

M. REWARD AND BLESSING ON GOD’S PEOPLE p 29

V. MILLENNIUM & ETERNITY FUTURE p 30-35

A. THE MILLENNIAL KINGDOM p 30

B. AT THE END OF THE MILLENNIUM p 32

C. ENTERING THE ETERNAL STATE p 33

D. ETERNITY FUTURE p 35

CONCLUSION: How This Applies to Us p 35-36

APPENDIX p 37

APPENDIX A. OUTLINE OF PROPHECY (FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT) p 39-40

APPENDIX B. IMPORTANCE OF STUDYING PROPHECY p 41

APPENDIX C. DANIEL OUTLINE p 42-47

APPENDIX D. 490-YEAR PERIODS IN ISRAEL’S HISTORY p 48

APPENDIX E. BIRTH CERTIFICATE OF THE MESSIAH p 49

APPENDIX F. RESURRECTIONS p 50

APPENDIX G. HEBREWS 8-10: LAW & GRACE p 51

APPENDIX H. ASCENSION OF JESUS p 52

APPENDIX I. RAPTURE p 53

APPENDIX J. REWARDS p 54

APPENDIX K. TIME LINE OF PROPHECY (valley) p 55

APPENDIX L. SIGNS OF THE TIMES p 56

APPENDIX M. SIGNS IN MATTHEW 24 - 25 p 57

APPENDIX N. TRIBULATION p 58

APPENDIX 0. REVELATION OUTLINE p 59-60

APPENDIX P. SEAL, TRUMPET AND BOWL JUDGMENTS p 61

APPENDIX Q. RAPTURE & SECOND COMING CONTRASTED p 62

APPENDIX R. MILLENNIUM p 63

APPENDIX S. GENESIS & REVELATION p 64

APPENDIX T. THE UNDERWORLD p 65

APPENDIX U. TIME LINE (Creation to Present) p 66-71

APPENDIX V. TIME LINE (Jesus & Early Church) p 72

APPENDIX W. THE PLAN OF SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT p 73-74

APPENDIX X. HOW TO INTERPRET PROPHECY p 75

APPENDIX Y. GLOSSARY OF TERMS p 76-85

SUBJECT INDEX p 86-87

SCRIPTURE INDEX p 88-90

GOD’S PLAN FOR MAN

(All scriptures are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated)

(Compiled by Jerry Schmoyer - Feb. 14, 2000)

I. BEGINNINGS (Eternity Past to Abraham)

A. GOD’S PLAN

1. God always existed

Gen 1:2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2. God planned all that would happen before the world was even created

1 Pet 1:20 He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.

Eph 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy & blameless in his sight. In love

John 17:24 "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

B. SATAN’S REBELLION

Satan wanted to be worshipped instead of God, so he rebelled and was kicked out of heaven, taking about 1/3 of the angels with him (now called demons). He still wants to be worshipped, that is his motivating ambition.

Isa 14:12-15 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.

Ezek 28:17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.

1 Cor 10:20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.

Matt 4:9 "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me."

(For more information about the function of Satan and demons today, as well as how we can have victory over them, see “The Spiritual Warfare Mini-Handbook” by Jerry Schmoyer.)

C. GOD TELLS MAN THE FUTURE

1. God’s way has been to reveal His future plans to man, not keep them hidden (SEE APP.X ).

Gen 18:17-19 Then the LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, so that the LORD will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him."

ABRAHAM knew he would be the father of Israel : Gen 18:18 Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him.

The JEWS knew they would be in Egypt 4 generations: Gen 15:13-16 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. ... In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure."

The PROPHETS knew the Jews would go into captivity (Babylonian)

2. Men have known about and looked forward to Jesus’ coming to earth.

ENOCH - Jude 14-16 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

JOB - Job 19:25-26 I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God;

DAVID - Ps 2:4-6 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord scoffs at them. Then he rebukes them in his anger and terrifies them in his wrath, saying, "I have installed my King on Zion , my holy hill."

ISAIAH - Isa 9:6-7 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this.

The JEWS IN JESUS’ DAY were looking for the Messiah, knowing it was time for Him to come: Matt 11:23 -When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (also see Luke 7:19)

3 God’s prophetic plan for man is revealed in the Old Testament (APPENDIX A). It isn’t something new, something just in the New Testament. (SEE APPENDIX W, X)

4 God promises special blessings for those who study prophecy, for it keeps their perspective of this life in balance (for the importance of studying prophecy see APPENDIX B, X).

Rev 1:3 Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.

D. ULTIMATE VICTORY PREDICTED

The first prophecy in the Bible is that the seed of the woman, will ultimately defeat Satan, the serpent. Jesus, born of a woman, fulfilled this. This important theme is taught throughout the Zodiac as well.

Gen 3:14-15 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

II. ISRAEL (Abraham to The Church)

A. CREATION TO ABRAHAM

1. Man was made to be with God in Eden, but sin separated man from God. Man longs for reunion with God. but that won’t happen until the Millennial Kingdom returns things to Garden of Eden conditions.

Rom 8:22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

2. Even after Eden, man repeatedly failed to follow God, so God judged sin and tried again (Flood, Babel). NIMROD tried to counterfeit one world reunion, but without God. BABEL/BABYLON stands for man without God rebellion against God. Satan will try this again in the Tribulation with the Antichrist and rebuilt Babylon (Revelation 17-18).

B. ABRAHAM AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL

1. God set apart Abraham to start a special nation (Zech 2:8; 13:1).

2. The Jews were to spread God’s word.

Deut 4:5-8 See, I have taught you decrees and laws as the LORD my God commanded me, so that you may follow them in the land you are entering to take possession of it. Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people." What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the LORD our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today? (see also Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

3. They were also to produce the Messiah.

Rom 9:5 Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

4. They are unconditionally His special people for all eternity ( Jeremiah 25:11-13).

Gen 15:6 Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Gen 15:12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.

5. First the Jews went into Egypt because of disobedience, then He gave them the law

6. When they continued to fail to obey He sent them into the Babylonian captivity, prophesied to last for 70 years.

Jer 25:11-12 This whole country will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. "But when the seventy years are fulfilled, I will punish the king of Babylon and his nation, the land of the Babylonians, for their guilt," declares the LORD, "and will make it desolate forever.

Jer 29:10 This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon , I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.

C. SEVENTY ‘WEEKS’ OF DANIEL 9:24-27

1. Not only was Daniel a great man of God, but he also received from God the outline of what would happen from his time to the end of the ages. In Chapters 2, 7 and 8 God said there would be 4 world empires: Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome. We live in the time of Rome, for the West, which dominates the world, is an extension of Rome (same basic government, measurement, finances, philosophy, culture, etc.). (SEE APPENDIX C)

2. As the 70 years in Babylon drew to a close, Daniel asked God what would happen next. God told him there would be 70 7-year periods left in Israel’s history, or 490 years (APPENDIX D) (‘Heptad,’ translated ‘seven,’ is used of a 7-year period in Genesis 29:17).

Dan 9:24-27 24 "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. 25 "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. 26 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. 27 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."

God told him that the 70 years of captivity would be followed by 70 “sevens” (Daniel 9:24 -27). The word for these “sevens,” ‘heptad,’ can be translated “7 year period” (Genesis 29:17). Thus God told Daniel that Israel ’s future would consist of 70 7-year periods, or 490 years (Daniel 9:24 -27). This period would start with “the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem ” (Daniel 9:24 ), which we see as happening March 14, 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8). The first 69 of these 7 year ‘heptads,’ or 483 years, would end when “the anointed One will be cut off” (Daniel 9:26). We see this to have been fulfilled April 6, 32 AD . It was that day, called Palm Sunday, that Jesus publicly offered Himself as the Messiah-King and was turned down (Zechariah 9:9; Matthew 21:1-11; Luke 19:28-40). The period between March 14, 445 BC and April 6, 32 AD was exactly 483 years, to the day! People then and there went by 360 day years, following the 12 month, 30 day lunar calendar (Esther 1:4; Revelation 12:6, in referring to the 70^th ‘heptad,’ says the last 3 ½ years will be 1260 days long which equals 360 day years for these ‘heptads.’). Thus 483 years of 360 days each equals 173,880 days. Now, from 445 BC to 32 AD is 476 calendar years, times 365 days in a calendar year. This results in 173,740 days. Add to this 116 leap year days during that time and include 24 days from March 14 to April 6 and the grand total is 173,880 – the same as prophesied! If the first 69 ‘heptads’ were literally fulfilled, we believe the last will be, too. We believe this is still future. It will begin when the “ruler who will come” (Daniel 9:26 - we call him the ‘Antichrist’) will make a 7-year peace treaty with Israel , which he will break in the middle (Daniel 9:26 -27). He will be similar to Antiochus Epiphanes (Daniel 8:9-14) but much, much worse (Daniel 11:36 -45). He will “destroy the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26 ). We see these things as yet future.

Numbers, as well as colors and materials, often have symbolic significance in the Bible. The Tabernacle is a perfect picture of this. The number 7 is the most-used number in the Bible (600 times). It refers to perfection and completeness (Genesis 2:2-3; Lev. 13:5-6). Revelation is structured around 7 7’s (churches, seals, trumpets, bowls, etc.) (SEE APPENDIX O, page 2) Seven times 7 intensifies the significance of 7 (49 - Lev 23:15 ; 25:8) as does 7 times 10 (70 - Gen 50:3; Dan 9:2; Ps 90:10). 490 is the ultimate completeness (7 x 7 x 10). It is no surprise that God uses 490 years to show the completeness and perfection of His work with His people. Three is the number of God (Trinity), so three 490 year time periods is the ultimate in God’s sovereign outworking.

The Jews in Jesus’ day were looking for the Messiah, knowing it was time for Him to come: Matt 11:23 -When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" (*also see Luke 7:19)

3. The reasons given for these 490 years are four-fold:

a. “Finish transgression & put an end to sin” (death for sin on the cross)

b. “Atone for wickedness” (Second coming to remove all sin)

c. “Bring in everlasting righteousness” (establish Millennial kingdom)

d. “Seal up vision and prophecy” (fulfill all prophecy)

e “Anoint the Most Holy” (Christ on Millennial throne forever)

4. This is the third 490-year period in Israel’s history (APPENDIX D).

D. MESSIAH’S FIRST COMING

1. This is the Incarnation of the Messiah Jesus (5 BC), when God left heaven to come to earth as a baby.

Phil 2:6-8 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death- even death on a cross!

Matt 1:20 -23 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"-which means, "God with us."

2. Jesus’ FIRST coming was prophesied, and all those prophecies were fulfilled (SEE APPENDIX E) so we know His second coming will be just as clearly fulfilled. Chicago's Rabbi Eckstein says that all of this climatic ferment epicentered in the middle east, seems to him to be messianic times. And if this is it, if the messiah appears, rabbi Eckstein says that he can't wait to ask him one question: Is this your second visit or your first?

3. When He came the first time, Jesus was rejected by the nation as a whole as the Messiah.

Matt 21:4-17 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: "Say to the Daughter of Zion, `See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.'" The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them. A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Hosanna in the highest!" When Jesus entered Jerusalem , the whole city was stirred and asked, "Who is this?" The crowds answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee ." … And he left them and went out of the city to Bethany , where he spent the night.

4. Jesus went to the cross to pay for the sins of mankind (Psalm 22; Isaiah 53).

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

5. Jesus’ resurrection guaranteed our coming resurrection and victory over death (for a complete picture of all the resurrections see APPENDIX F)

1 Cor 15:3-8 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.

1 Cor 15:12-28 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. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 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.

For accounts of the resurrection of Jesus see: Matthew 28:2-15; Mark 16:1-11; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-18

6. It was on the cross that Satan’s power was broken -- his ‘head crushed’ (Genesis 3:16). He won’t meet his final doom until after the Millennium, but his eternal doom and fate were sealed on the cross.

Gen 3:14-15 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

7. The Old Covenant (Law) was replaced by the New Covenant (Grace) (SEE APPENDIX G).

Jeremiah 31:31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah .

Luke 22:20 In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.

1 Corinthians 11:25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me."

Hebrews 8:8 But God found fault with the people and said: "The time is coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah .

Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.

Hebrews 12:24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.

8. After Jesus came back to life and He ascended back to heaven (SEE APPENDIX H)

Mark 16:19 After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.

Luke 24:51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven.

Acts 1:9 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

9. Jesus is now seated in heaven, interceding and mediating for us.

Acts 7:55-56 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. "Look," he said, "I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God."

See also Acts 9:3-5; 22:6-8; 26:13-15; Rev 1:13-18; col 3:1; Eph 2:6; Heb 1:3; 8:1; 10:12; 12:2

III. THE CHURCH AGE (Crucifixion to the Rapture)

A. CHURCH AGE (GRACE)

1. Because of their rejection of the Messiah, Israel is temporarily set aside and God’s focus is now on the Church, His Bride (Grace).

Rev 19:7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.

Eph 5:25-28 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

2. Some see the 7 churches in Revelation, while being addressed to literal churches then in existence, also as revealing the stages the church will go through during the age of grace

EPHESUS : Empty of love 40-100 AD (Apostolic)

SMYRNA Persecuted/Suffering 100-313 (Persecution)

PERGAMUS Worldly Compromise 313-500 (Roman Church)

THYATIRA Paganized, Tolerating 500-1500 (Dark Ages)

SARDIS Lifeless 1500-1800 (Reformation)

PHILADELPHIA Faithful, Missionary 1800-Rapture (Revived Church)

LAODICEA Lukewarm, Indifferent 1900-2^nd Coming (Apostasy)

3. During this time there are three groups of people on earth: Jews, Gentiles and Christians (composed of both Jews and Gentiles who accept Jesus as their Savior), also called the Body of Christ or the Bride of Christ.

Gal 3:26-27 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

4. The Jews are set aside as a nation, but individually they can still come to Jesus as the Messiah. Their setting aside isn’t permanent, for God’s promises to Israel are unconditional. One day they will reenter the center stage and God’s focus will again be on them. Romans 9-11 tell about this in detail. (SEE APPENDIX W)

Rom 10:1-4 Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Rom 11:1, 7-12 I ask then: Did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. … What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever." Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring! … If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either. Consider therefore the kindness and sternness of God: sternness to those who fell, but kindness to you, provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off. And if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree! I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:

B. THE RAPTURE

1. Jesus will return to take His Bride to heaven (SEE APPENDIX I). This will include all believers, Jew or Gentile, who have come to Jesus from the crucifixion to the Rapture.

John 14:1-3 "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

Acts 1:9-11 After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. "Men of Galilee ," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven."

1 Thess 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. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

1 Cor 15:54 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."

2. Note that the Rapture is NOT the ‘Second Coming,’ which follows the Tribulation (SEE APPENDIX Q).

3. This follows the pattern of the Palestinian wedding.

4. cf in Rapture sermon in Rev folder

cf “The Ancient Jewish Wedding” bk & video on sermons stack

Something similar happened to Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament.

Genesis 5:24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.

Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.

2 Kings 2 When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. … The company of the prophets at Jericho went up to Elisha and asked him, "Do you know that the LORD is going to take your master from you today?" "Yes, I know," he replied, "but do not speak of it." … As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.

5. It is important to realize that the Rapture will take place BEFORE the Tribulation, not during or after it. There is much proof that it is BEFORE the Tribulation period

Believers are not under God’s judgment – not ever! (The Tribulation is judgment.)

Rom 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus,

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.

1 Thess 5:9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

God removes and protects His people from Judgment: Noah safe from Flood, Lot out of Sodom , Rahab out of Jericho , Jews safe from plagues 4-10 in Egypt

The Rapture is ‘Imminent,’ – there is nothing that needs to happen before it.

2 Peter 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

James 5:8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

Phil 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

The church will be delivered from the wrath to come, referring to the Tribulation.

1 Thess 1:10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead-Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.

The Rapture is called the ‘blessed hope,’ and that wouldn’t be true if tribulations came first.

Titus 2:13 while we wait for the blessed hope-the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,

The Holy Spirit will be gone before the Antichrist will be revealed. The Holy Spirit indwells

us, so we will be gone before the Antichrist is known at the start of the Tribulation.

2 Thess 2:3, 5-9 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. … 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 church isn’t mentioned in the Tribulation.

The church is mentioned 17 times in Rev 1-3, but not at all in 4-18 (which is about

the Tribulation (SEE APPENDIX 0)

C. THE MARRIAGE SUPPER OF THE LAMB

1. Immediately after the Rapture will come the ‘Bema’ seat (receiving of rewards, believers reconciled, positions and responsibilities for eternity are assigned)

1 Cor 3:12-15 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.

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. Rewards given will be for living in victory (I Cor 9:25), leading others to salvation (I Thes 2:19), righteous living (II Tim 4:8; I Jn 3:3; 2:29), faithful living, even unto a martyr’s death (Rev 2:10; James 1:12) and looking for His coming glory (I Peter 5:2-4). (SEE APPENDIX J).

3. Then, still following the pattern of Palestinian weddings, there will be a wedding feast, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, a 7-year celebration by the Bride and Groom in heaven.

Rev 4:4, 10 Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. … the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne. (The 24 elders are the symbolic representation for us, the Bride, at the throne).

Rev 5:6, 8, 14 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. … And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. … The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshipped.

4. The guests at the Marriage feasts will be the Old Covenant (Old Testament and Tribulation) believers who have died. (see also Mark 6:22, 26; Luke 14:16)

Matt 9:15 Jesus answered, "How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them; then they will fast.

Matt 22:10 So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

D. ISRAEL DURING THE CHURCH AGE

1. Because of their rejection of the Messiah, the Jews are temporarily set aside and the focus is on the Bride of Christ, composed of born-again (John 3) Jews and Gentiles (Galatians 3:28).

2. Individually Jews can come to Jesus and become part of the Bride of Christ. (See III. A. 3 and 4 above), although as a nation they are blinded because their rejection of Jesus hardens their hearts.(SEE APPENDIX W).

Rom 11:7-10 What then? What Israel sought so earnestly it did not obtain, but the elect did. The others were hardened, as it is written: "God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes so that they could not see and ears so that they could not hear, to this very day." And David says: "May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever."

Isa 6:9-10 He said, "Go and tell this people: "`Be ever hearing, but never understanding; be ever seeing, but never perceiving.' Make the heart of this people callused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."

3. It was prophesied that the Jews would be scattered as a nation This began in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Deut 28:64 Then the LORD will scatter you among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other. There you will worship other gods--gods of wood and stone, which neither you nor your fathers have known.

Lev 26:33 will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.

4. Is was also prophesied that the land of Palestine would become desolate.

Lev 26:33 will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins.

Deut 29:22-23 Your children who follow you in later generations and foreigners who come from distant lands will see the calamities that have fallen on the land and the diseases with which the LORD has afflicted it. The whole land will be a burning waste of salt and sulfur--nothing planted, nothing sprouting, no vegetation growing on it. It will be like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah , Admah and Zeboiim, which the LORD overthrew in fierce anger.

5. In addition, the Bible says the Jews will be persecuted.

Deut 28:65 Among those nations you will find no repose, no resting place for the sole of your foot. There the LORD will give you an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.

6. Despite all this, God will preserve the Jews from destruction.

Isa 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.

Isa 49:15-16 "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are ever before me.

Jer 30:11 I am with you and will save you,' declares the LORD. `Though I completely destroy all the nations among which I scatter you, I will not completely destroy you. I will discipline you but only with justice; I will not let you go entirely unpunished.'

Jer 31:35-36 This is what the LORD says, he who appoints the sun to shine by day, who decrees the moon and stars to shine by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-- the LORD Almighty is his name: "Only if these decrees vanish from my sight," declares the LORD, "will the descendants of Israel ever cease to be a nation before me."

7. Then the Jews will be regathered back into their own land, but still in unbelief.

Ezek 36:22-28 "Therefore say to the house of Israel, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am going to do these things, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you have gone. I will show the holiness of my great name, which has been profaned among the nations, the name you have profaned among them. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, declares the Sovereign LORD, when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. "`For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. You will live in the land I gave your forefathers; you will be my people, and I will be your God.

Ezek 37:1-7 :The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I said, "O Sovereign LORD, you alone know." Then he said to me, "Prophesy to these bones and say to them, `Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.'" So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone.

“no breath” = no wind, spirit, no Holy Spirit in them (atheists today)

Deut 30:3-8 then the LORD your God will restore your fortunes and have compassion on you and gather you again from all the nations where he scattered you. Even if you have been banished to the most distant land under the heavens, from there the LORD your God will gather you and bring you back. He will bring you to the land that belonged to your fathers, and you will take possession of it. He will make you more prosperous and numerous than your fathers. The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your heart and with all your soul, and live. The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you. You will again obey the LORD and follow all his commands I am giving you today.

Isa 10:22-23 Though your people, O Israel, be like the sand by the sea, only a remnant will return. Destruction has been decreed, overwhelming and righteous. The Lord, the LORD Almighty, will carry out the destruction decreed upon the whole land.

8. The land of Israel will be reclaimed.

Isa 35:1-7 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom .Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon ; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool ,the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

Joel 2:21-26 Be not afraid, O land; be glad and rejoice. Surely the LORD has done great things. Be not afraid, O wild animals, for the open pastures are becoming green. The trees are bearing their fruit; the fig tree and the vine yield their riches. Be glad, O people of Zion , rejoice in the LORD your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before. The threshing floors will be filled with grain; the vats will overflow with new wine and oil. `I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten- the great locust and the young locust, the other locusts and the locust swarm- my great army that I sent among you. You will have plenty to eat, until you are full, and you will praise the name of the LORD your God, who has worked wonders for you; never again will my people be shamed.

9. Israel will become a nation again

Isa 66:7-8 "Before she goes into labor, she gives birth; before the pains come upon her, she delivers a son. Who has ever heard of such a thing? Who has ever seen such things? Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.

10. The nation Israel will be strong militarily.

Zech 12:6 On that day I will make the leaders of Judah like a firepot in a woodpile, like a flaming torch among sheaves. They will consume right and left all the surrounding peoples, but Jerusalem will remain intact in her place.

11. The nation will return to the Hebrew language.

Zeph 3:9 "Then will I purify the lips of the peoples, that all of them may call on the name of the LORD and serve him shoulder to shoulder.

12. Remember many Old Testament prophecies don’t distinguish between the First and Second Coming but lump them together. (SEE APPENDIX K).

E. WHEN - SIGNS OF THE TIMES

1. There were hundreds of prophecies about the first coming. Jesus rebuked Israel’s rulers for not recognizing the signs of His first coming (Simeon and Anna knew - Luke 2) (SEE APPENDIX E) 100 prophecies about 1^st Coming, 500 about 2^nd coming (318 promises of Christ’s return) 28% of Bible.

Matt 16:3 and in the morning, `Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.' You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times.

.2. Prophecy is ‘shut up’ until the end when it would be better understood (as happening now).

Dan 12:4 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."

Signs of the end times = 1) speed & frequency of travel and 2) knowledge increases

3. The time of Jesus’ return is unknown, so always be ready (Matthew 24:42-44). We don’t know day or hour (Acts 1:7; Mt 24:36) but do know ‘season’ -- general time.

4. While there are no events that have to come to pass before the Rapture, if we look at conditions on earth at the start of the Tribulation, which follows the Rapture, and compare them to conditions today, we can see that the time could be very near (SEE APPENDIX L).

5. Jesus Himself gave several ‘signs’ of what would be happening when the Tribulation was near. These he likened to labor pains. They start small and gradually grow until culminating in birth. In His analogy, the ‘birth’ is His return to earth at the end of the Tribulation. These prophecies are given by Jesus in the Olivet Discourse, Matthew 24 - 25 (APPENDIX M).

Matt 24:8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

1 Thess 5:1-3 Now, brothers, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

GENERAL SIGNS (MATTHEW 24:4-14) (“Labor Pains Begin” Mt 24:8)

1. DECEPTION 6. MARTYRDOM

2. WARS 7. FALSE PROPHETS

3. FAMINES 8. LAWLESSNESS

4. EPIDEMICS 9. LOSS OF LOVE

5. EARTHQUAKES 10. EVANGELISM

6. The stage was set in 1914-1918 when the nation was planted (fig tree of Mt 24:32-34). Israel grew into a full-grown fig tree (symbol of Israel) capable of budding in 1948 (fulfilling Ezekiel 37:1-8). The generation that sees this will not pass away (Mt 24:32-34) until Jesus returns (some from the generation that saw the early birth pains, being 1948 or even 1967, will see Jesus come back before dying).

Matt 24:32-34 "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.

7. The main seven sins of the tribulation show how close we are to them today.

Rev 9:20-21 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshipping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood-idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.

These are: 1. Rebellion against God (‘did not repent”) 5. Sorceries (drugs)

2. Worship of demons 6. Sexual immorality 3. Idolatry 7. Thefts

4. Murders

8. Paul’s list of signs of the last days shows how close we are.

2 Tim 3:1-7 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, 4 treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God- 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with them. 6 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, 7 always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth.

These are: 1. Selfish: “lovers of themselves” 10. Truce breakers & false accusers

2. Covetousness: “lovers of money” 11. Incontinent (without self-control)

3. Boasters, proud 12. Fierce

4. Blasphemers 13. Despisers

5. Disobedient to parents 14. Traitors

6. Rebellion 15. Heady and reckless

7. Unthankful 16. High-minded (arrogant, proud)

8. Unholy 17. Lovers of pleasure

9. Without natural affection 18. No power with God

9. Jesus says the last days will be like “in the days of Noah” when He returns.

Luke 17:26-30 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. "It was the same in the days of Lot . People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom , fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. "It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.

Gen 6:1-9 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years." The Nephilim were on the earth in those days--and also afterward--when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the LORD said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth--men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air--for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD. This is the account of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God.

Signs from the days of Noah 1. Sexual perversion

2. “The thoughts of their hearts were turned to evil continually”

3. Routine living with disregard to the consequences of impending judgment

10. Peters sign of the last days is that men will scoff about Jesus coming back.

2 Peter 3:3-7 First of all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. They will say, "Where is this `coming' he promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation." But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of water and by water. By these waters also the world of that time was deluged and destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

Peter’s proof that things don’t always continue just the same (‘uniformitarianism’) are the things that men scoff about most today:

1. Creation by God 4. The Life of Jesus

2. The Fall of man 5. The Second Coming of Jesus

3. The worldwide Flood in Noah’s day

IV. TRIBULATION

(Rapture to Millennium)

A. SATAN AFTER THE RAPTURE

1. When the church is raptured Satan will know his time is short. He won’t have God’s people, the Church (Bride of Christ) to attack, so He will turn his attention to attacking God’s people, the Jews. The Jews and Gentiles who become believers will be attacked especially hard.

Rev 12:7-9 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.

2. Thus Satan will do all he can to destroy Israel.

Rev 12:13 -17 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.

3. Satan will rule the world, which he has been wanting to do since he was cast out of heaven. He will rule through the Antichrist (see B. 2. Below)

B. THE ANTICHRIST

1. The Antichrist will counterfeit the work of Christ.

CHRIST ANTICHRIST

God manifest in the flesh (I Tim 3:16 ) Satan manifest in the flesh (II Thes 2:7)

Came from Above (Jn 6:389) Ascends from the pit (Rev 11:7)

Came in Father’s name (Jn 5:43 ) Comes on own name (Jn 5:43 )

Humbles Himself (Philippians 2:89) Exalts himself (II Thes 2:4)

Despised by man (Isa 53:3; Lk 23:189) Admired by all (Rev 13:3-4)

At the end exalted (Phil 2:89) At the end cast down to hell (Isa 14:14 -15; Rev 19:20 )

Does His Father’s will (Jn 6:38 ) Does his own will (Dan 11:36 )

Came to Save (Lk 19:10 ) Comes to destroy (Dan 8:24 )

The Good Shepherd (Jn 10:4-15) The Evil Shepherd (Zech 11:16 -17)

The True Vine (John 15:1) The vine of the Earth ( Rev 14:18 )

The Truth (Jn 14:6) The Lie (II Thes 2:11 )

The Holy One (Mark 1:24 ) The Lawless One (II Thes 2:8)

The Man of Sorrows (Isa 53:3) The Man of Sin (II Thes 2:3)

The Son of God (Luke 1:35 ) The Son of Perdition (II Thes 2:3)

The Mystery of Godliness” (I Tim 3:16 ) The Mystery of Iniquity (II Thes 2:7)

Indwells His church (Mt 16:18 ) Indwells his synagogue (Rev 2:9; 3:9)

Offers Communion Cup (Lk 22:17 -20) Offers the cup of demons (I Cor 10:21 )

Filled with Holy Spirit for 3 ½ years Indwelt by Satan 3 ½ years

Died at age 33 Alexander the Great, type of Antichrist, died at 33

2. He will be empowered by Satan himself and will do miracles.

Rev 13:4 Men worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"

3. He will be indwelt by Satan. This will happen in the middle of the Tribulation when the Antichrist will set himself up to be worshipped in the temple. Judas, who was clearly indwelt by Satan, is a type of the Antichrist. It is said of both of them that they are both “doomed to destruction” (“son of perdition” in KJV). Judas was clearly Satan-possessed, so we must assume the Antichrist will be as well.

Luke 22:3 Then Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the Twelve.

John 13:26-27 Jesus answered, "It is the one to whom I will give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish." Then, dipping the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, son of Simon. As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.

John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

2 Thess 2:3 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.

4. The Antichrist will not be revealed until after the church is raptured. Believers on earth won’t know who he is, for they will be gone before he takes over the world.

2 Thess 2:3 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.

5. He will be a Gentile.

Rev 13:1 Ten horns and seven heads, with ten crowns on his horns, and on each head a blasphemous name.

6. He will come from the Revived Roman Empire. This refers to the land area and countries that are colonies of that area (like the United States). Much of Rome’s form of government, language, law, world view, educational system, etc., are still prevalent in Europe and America today.

Dan 7:7-8 "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.

Dan 9:25 "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.

7. He will be very proud and self-centered, he will exalt himself over God Himself.

Dan 11:36-39 "The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all. Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his fathers he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.

8. The Antichrist will eliminate 3 horns (countries or rulers) on his way to power (Dan 7:8, 24; Rev 17:10; 13:3). This probably is 3 of the 10 countries of the Revived Roman Empire (10 toes, 10 horns). They are quickly and totally defeated by the Antichrist. Perhaps this is where the United States fits in – one of those who rebel and lose their power.

9. He will come bringing world-wide peace, so all will follow him because all want world peace.

Rev 6:2 I looked, and there before me was a white horse! Its rider held a bow, and he was given a crown, and he rode out as a conqueror bent on conquest.

10. He will be very, very deceptive and totally mislead the whole world (all unbelievers).

Dan 8:25 He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power.

11. The Tribulation will officially begin with when the Antichrist makes a peace treaty with Israel (and they and the rest of the world disarm).

Dan 9:27 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."

12. The antichrist will be the last Gentile king (Rev. 18:1-24), a world-ruler like NIMROD (Rev 13:7; Dan 11;36; 7:23). He will have supernatural intelligence and persuasiveness (Dan 7:8, 20; 8:23). He will be very crafty and subtle, more than anyone has ever been (Ezek 28:6).

13. It seems he will die and come back to life, counterfeiting Jesus’ resurrection. This ‘miracle’ will win the following of the world. This will probably be close to the start of the Tribulation, maybe even before it. It may be one of the things that causes everyone to follow him.

Rev 13:3-4 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 worshipped the dragon because he had given authority to the beast, and they also worshipped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"

Rev 13:14 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.

C. THE FALSE PROPHET

1. The false prophet is the third person of Satan’s counterfeit Trinity.

Satan counterfeits God the Father

Antichrist counterfeits God the Son (Christ)

False Prophet counterfeits Holy Spirit

Rev 16:13 Then I saw three evil spirits that looked like frogs; they came out of the mouth of the dragon, out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet.

2. The False Prophet will counterfeit the work of the Holy Spirit.

HOLY SPIRIT FALSE PROPHET

Glorifies Christ Magnifies Antichrist

Seals Believers Seals Unbelievers

Leads in worship of God Causes all to worship ‘god’ *(Satan/Antichrist)

Ministry comes from Christ Authority comes from Antichrist

Miracles authenticate Miracles authenticate (power from Satan)

3. He will be the head of apostate church which forms after Rapture of true Church. Those who are ‘religious’ but never accepted Jesus as their Savior will be left behind, forming this ‘church.’

1 Tim 4:1-2 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.

4. He will receive power from Satan and the Antichrist. He will do miracles like Elijah, which will win people to the Antichrist. He is a traitor (like Judas) and kills true believers.

Rev 13:11-18 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.

5. He will be Jewish.

Rev 13:11 Then I saw another beast, coming out of the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but he spoke like a dragon. (“earth” = “land” referring The Land - Palestine )

6. He will control all commerce (Rev 13:16-17).

Rev 13:16-17 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.

7. He will build a statue of the Antichrist in the temple for all to worship and kill any who do not worship him. He will make the statue talk, either miraculously or through trickery. Either way, people will believe it is supernatural. This is the same as when Nebuchadnezzar, in his pride and world rulership, built a statue for all to worship him (Daniel 2, 3).

Rev 13:13-17 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.

D. THE NATIONS

1. WEST - led by the Antichrist

ISRAEL - under the Antichrist by covenant Dan 9:27

REVIVED ROMAN EMPIRE (10 nations - area of Europe)

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, if still around, will be aligned with these

2. NORTH - (area of Russia) will oppose the Antichrist (Ezek 38:2-6)

ARAB nations around Israel aligned with the north

together they will challenge the Antichrist for Palestine (Ezek 28:7; Dan 11:40-42)

3. EAST - 200 million man army from across the Euphrates (India China, Japan)

waiting for chance to take Palestine themselves (Rev 16:12-16; 9:13-21; Dan 11:40-44)

4. SOUTH (Egypt) Dan 11:40, allied to North

E. THE TRIBULATION

1. This is the 70^th week of Daniel (Dan 9:24-27) (SEE APPENDIX N) (see II. C. 2. Above)

2. This is the prophesied time of destruction worldwide (Ezek 38:19-23; 39:9, 25-29; Revelation 6 - 19) (for an outline of Revelation see APPENDIX 0).

3. Grace is over and the Law is back in effect, like in the Old Testament (SEE APPENDIX G). In quoting Isaiah 61:2 Jesus stopped before “the day of vengeance of our God” because that would come next, after Jesus was gone.

Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, and provide for those who grieve in Zion-- to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.

Luke 4:16-21 He went to Nazareth , where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. And he stood up to read. The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

4. The tribulation starts with the Antichrist making a 7-year covenant with Israel, assuring them of peace and protection for their disarming. This makes them vulnerable to attack.

Dan 9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one `seven.'

5. There is a time gap between the Rapture and the Tribulation. The Antichrist won’t be known until after the rapture (II Thes 2:3). He will be alive but not seen in the position and power he will have as the Antichrist. The Tribulation itself starts with his 7-year covenant with Israel being signed. How long it will take the Antichrist to assert himself into such a position of power could be 2 weeks, 2 months or 2 years (probably several months – Satan will work fast and the Rapture will panic everyone). He will bring stability to a world reeling from the panic the rapture leaves.

6. The Antichrist will come to power by deceiving the world. There is a ‘lie’ of his they will believe.

2 Thess 2:9-12 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.

7. No one knows what this lie will be, but it could be his explanation of what happened to everyone just raptured. He could state that the bad were taken and good left (as in Noah’s day). He could say they were taken by space invaders, a confluence of electromagnetism in the atmosphere combined with an unknown atomic ionization process generated by the world’s nuclear power and weaponry stockpiles triggered by lightning (and another reason to have everyone disarm), or some other cause. People will want answers and strong leadership.

8. Despite all that happens, God is in sovereign control over everything (as in Job 1, 2 where Satan had to get permission from God before he could do anything to man).

Rev 13:7 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.

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. (GOD allows him access to the saints)

Rev 6:11 Then each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed. (God will end the tribulation at HIS timing, when elect are saved.)

F. THE EVANGELISTS

1. All true believers will be taken at the Rapture, along with the Holy Spirit and His restraining influence

2 Thess 2:5-9 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,

2. Therefore God will set aside others to carry his word throughout the world. There will be 144,000 Jewish evangelists, like Elijah, Elisha or John the Baptizer. They will be st apart for God and not die. The will preach throughout the whole earth.

Rev 7:1-8 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth to prevent any wind from blowing on the land or on the sea or on any tree. 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 . From the tribe of Judah 12,000 were sealed, from the tribe of Reuben 12,000, from the tribe of Gad 12,000, from the tribe of Asher 12,000, from the tribe of Naphtali 12,000, from the tribe of Manasseh 12,000, from the tribe of Simeon 12,000, from the tribe of Levi 12,000, from the tribe of Issachar 12,000, from the tribe of Zebulun 12,000, from the tribe of Joseph 12,000, from the tribe of Benjamin 12,000.

Rev 14:1-5 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.

3. These 144,000 will be sealed with the Holy Spirit. This is the ultimate fulfillment of that which was only pictured at Pentecost (Acts 2).

Joel 2:28-32 `And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days. I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD. And everyone who calls on the name of the LORD will be saved; for on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there will be deliverance, as the LORD has said, among the survivors whom the LORD calls

3. Many Jews and Gentiles will come to God for salvation because of the pressures of the tribulation. This is one of the main purposes of it, to turn Israel to God.

Zech 12:10 "And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and supplication. They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

Hos 3:4-5 For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or idol. Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the LORD their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days.

Rom 11:25 -30 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The deliverer will come from Zion ; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies on your account; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, for God's gifts and his call are irrevocable.

Rev 7:9 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.

G. DURING THE FIRST 3 ½ YEARS

1. Seal judgments will take place (Revelation 6:1-17; 8:1-2) (SEE APPENDIX P).

Seal 1. Rider on a white horse - peace (bloodless conquering) (6:2)

Seal 2. Rider on a red horse - war (6:3-4)

The Antichrist will eliminate 3 horns (countries or rulers) on his way to power (Dan 7:8, 24; Rev 17:10 ; 13:3). This could be 3 countries that were part of the 10 which rebel against him and are quickly defeated. Perhaps this is where the United States fits in!

Seal 3. Rider on a black horse - famine (6:5-6)

Seal 4. Rider on a pale horse - death (6:7-8)

Seal 5. Persecution (martyrs in heaven, especially Jews) (6:9-11)

Seal 6. Destruction (great convulsions, earthquakes, volcanoes, sun black, moon red,

stars fall, heavens roll, every mountain & island moved (6:12-17)

Seal 7. Silence (awaiting greater judgments of second half) (8:1-2)

2. During this time the Antichrist will make Babylon the new world capital (like the tower of Babel) It will be the center of the false religious system (Revelation 17) as well as world political center (Revelation 18).

3. The North and allies (Russia and Arab nations around Israel) will move to take control of Palestine, despite the Antichrist’s promise of peace. The Antichrist will tell them to stop but they won’t listen to him (see 4 below). The South (Egypt) will lead an attack against Israel (Dan 11:40). Being disarmed made Israel very vulnerable. The Arabs will have gotten all the concessions they can through treaties and peace summits, thus weakening Israel. When they get no more through peaceful means, they will use warfare. (If Russia doesn’t attack soon she’ll be too weak. Also, controlling Palestine could give her back the power and wealth she has lost.

Dan 11:40 "At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

Ezek 38:1-9, 15-16, 18-19, 21-23 The word of the LORD came to me: "Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal; prophesy against him and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around, put hooks in your jaws and bring you out with your whole army-your horses, your horsemen fully armed, and a great horde with large and small shields, all of them brandishing their swords. Persia , Cush and Put will be with them, all with shields and helmets, also Gomer with all its troops, and Beth Togarmah from the far north with all its troops-the many nations with you. "`Get ready; be prepared, you and all the hordes gathered about you, and take command of them. After many days you will be called to arms. In future years you will invade a land that has recovered from war, whose people were gathered from many nations to the mountains of Israel , which had long been desolate. They had been brought out from the nations, and now all of them live in safety. You and all your troops and the many nations with you will go up, advancing like a storm; you will be like a cloud covering the land. … You will come from your place in the far north, you and many nations with you, all of them riding on horses, a great horde, a mighty army. You will advance against my people Israel like a cloud that covers the land. In days to come, O Gog, I will bring you against my land, so that the nations may know me when I show myself holy through you before their eyes. … This is what will happen in that day: When Gog attacks the land of Israel , my hot anger will be aroused, declares the Sovereign LORD. In my zeal and fiery wrath I declare that at that time there shall be a great earthquake in the land of Israel . … I will summon a sword against Gog on all my mountains, declares the Sovereign LORD. Every man's sword will be against his brother. I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed; I will pour down torrents of rain, hailstones and burning sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him. And so I will show my greatness and my holiness, and I will make myself known in the sight of many nations. Then they will know that I am the LORD.'

4. The reason for this attack is to get the spoils in unprotected Israel (Ezek 38:11; Joel 2:2-21; Isa 10:12; 30:31-33; 31:8-9). The West, under the Antichrist, will protest but won’t be able to stop them (Ezek 38:13).

5. God will immediately and supernaturally destroy the north and allies, as He destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. It will take 7 years to burn all the weapons.

Ezek 39:1-4, 9, 11-12 "Son of man, prophesy against Gog and say: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: I am against you, O Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. I will turn you around and drag you along. I will bring you from the far north and send you against the mountains of Israel . Then I will strike your bow from your left hand and make your arrows drop from your right hand. On the mountains of Israel you will fall, you and all your troops and the nations with you. I will give you as food to all kinds of carrion birds and to the wild animals. … "`Then those who live in the towns of Israel will go out and use the weapons for fuel and burn them up-the small and large shields, the bows and arrows, the war clubs and spears. For seven years they will use them for fuel. … `On that day I will give Gog a burial place in Israel , in the valley of those who travel east toward the Sea. It will block the way of travelers, because Gog and all his hordes will be buried there. So it will be called the Valley of Hamon Gog . "`For seven months the house of Israel will be burying them in order to cleanse the land.

6. By the middle of the Tribulation, the third Temple will be rebuilt and functioning in Jerusalem on the site of the Dome of the Rock. It could be built before the Rapture or after, but it will be fully functioning by the middle of the Tribulation.

Matt 24:15 "So when you see standing in the holy place `the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel-let the reader understand-

Dan 9:27 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."

Dan 11:31 "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.

2 Thess 2:3-4 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 worshipped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Rev 11:1-2 I was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months

7. What about the Dome of the Rock? Perhaps settling this issue will cause Israel to trust the Antichrist. The Arabs will be weakened greatly after the north (Russia) is destroyed. The Antichrist may relocate the Dome of the Rock to the new Babylon as a special privilege for the Arabs. However he will do it, this will cause the Jews to further trust him.

8. The first half of the Tribulation will be full of war and its results: famine and death. Great earthquakes will shake the earth and move every mountain and island. Still, the first 3 ½ years will be relatively peaceful and prosperous. Literally all hell will break loose in the second half.

H. MIDDLE OF THE TRIBULATION

1. This second half of the tribulation will be much, much worse than the first half.

Matt 24:20-22 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now-and never to be equaled 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.

Rev 6:17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"

Rev 7:14 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 11:1-3 was given a reed like a measuring rod and was told, "Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, and count the worshipers there. But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

2. It will be especially bad for the Jews, it will be the time of Jacob’s troubles. It will be FAR worse than the Spanish Inquisition or the Holocaust of Adolph Hitler. (see also Deut 32:35; Obadiah 1:12-14

Jer 30:7 How awful that day will be! None will be like it. It will be a time of trouble for Jacob, but he will be saved out of it.

3. The Day of the Lord begins now and continues through the Kingdom

1 Thess 5:2-3 for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.

4. Jesus gave some specific signs to know when the labor pains have reached this point (SEE APPENDIX M).

SPECIFIC SIGNS (MATTHEW 24:15-26) (‘Hard Labor’ Occurring)

1. ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION

2. JEWS REGATHERED

3. WORLDWIDE DECEPTION

5. The worst demons, now bound in chains, will be released to torment people on the earth. Satan himself will be go wild, knowing his end is near.

2 Peter 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;

Rev 12:7-9 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.

6. Two special witnesses are set apart for God 3 ½ days before the middle of the Tribulation. These will be men very similar to Moses and Elijah. They can’t be harmed and will kill all who try to harm them. They will bring terrible drought and plagues.

Rev 11:1-13 was given a reed like a measuring rod and w