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The Word of God is the most astonishing book I have ever studied. This book contains so many layers of understanding that it is impossible to see it all in one reading. As God gives us grace to understand a layer, it seems like you peel back one only to reveal another. Many people can read the Bible and never see the truth in it. They are comfortable just reading it as good stories, but in reality, it is so much more. The Bible is life to men. The Bible feeds us for a lifetime and beyond. It contains the very words of God Himself and reveals Himself to mankind. 

 

Three things that I have learned from studying that stand out above all the others.

1. Ecclesiastes 1:9  That which has been is what will be, That which is done is what will be done, And there is nothing new under the sun. God has provided the way to know what is going to happen by learning what has happened in the past. History is our best teacher because it just repeats over and over again. People and places are the only thing that ever changes. The Bible is full of people repeating the same mistakes, thinking the same things, and God doing the same things. This is true with historical things like empires ruling the world or with spiritual things like sin in peoples lives. The best way to know what is coming is finding out what has happened.

2. 1 Corinthians 10:11 Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. The reason God gave us both Testaments to read and study is that they are to be examples or types of what the Church would go through. The people of Israel and the Old Testament, a natural people with a natural type covenant, are now our examples for us, the church, a spiritual people with a spiritual covenant. We must see that God did not include the Old Testament just to make the book bigger. The books were written for our (the Church) admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. We are to see more than just the story, we are to look at the Spirit of the Word and not just the letter “for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6).” Jesus said, “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)  The whole Bible is called the Word of God so “spirit and life” has to refer to the whole Bible not just the New Testament. Which leads to #3.

3. Jesus is seen all throughout the Bible. He is the “scarlet thread” that intertwines the entirety of scripture. We see Him in Genesis 1 all the way to Revelation 22. John 1 says He was in the beginning, Proverbs 8 says He was with God before the foundation of the world, Revelation 1 says He is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, Colossians 1 says by Him all things were created and that in Him all things consist. 

 

I say all of that to remind myself that God is sovereign, in control of ALL things and as we put our FAITH and TRUST in Him, we will see His miracle working power. He is coming very soon.

 

Let me preface everything we are going to study by saying that I am learning just like everyone else. We know in part and prophesy in part until the day the Lord comes. If I am in error, pray for me, but no matter what I say, the Word is the ultimate authority. Nothing will ever change that. As we yield to it and seek the truth, God promises to teach us and reveal those things we seek. Hebrews 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. 

 

Lord, You know the hearts of men. You know those who seek the truth. I pray Father that You will give us wisdom in the discernment of your Holy Scriptures in this study. Some say that this does not matter, but I believe that it truly does matter to settle this in our hearts and minds that we may prepare for the days to come. I pray for Your guidance and teaching through the Holy Spirit that He may guide us into all truth. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear that we may be fruitful in your kingdom. Help us to not believe Your truth because someone else said it, but because we have seen it for ourselves and You revealed it to us. I pray that faith will increase throughout this study in our hearts, and that Your Name will be exalted in our lives. Thank you Lord for Your promises and for Your truth. In Jesus Name I pray. Amen.

 

Every Christian young or old, rich or poor, dead or alive all have the hope that our Savior will one day return for us. To take us into His presence and forever be with Him. It is a promise that has given many men and women of God the ability to stand firm in the face of trials, to not succumb to pressure to renounce their faith. Even the great patriarch Abraham looked toward this hope. Hebrews 11:13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. Many people of faith, some recorded in this chapter of Hebrews, have lived their lives in expectancy to be with their Creator, the Father in Heaven, and our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. They understood that this life is only temporary. Whether they lived or died, they did it trusting in the Lord. They were awaiting the city that God has prepared. This living hope should abound in every Christian’s heart. The desire should be unquenchable and keep our faith in Him and His promise to us. Jesus said, John 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. What an amazing promise from our Lord. The return of Jesus is a benchmark in our faith. 

 

This hope of Jesus’ return gives us reason to do what we do. A true believer willing lays down his life so he may take up the life of Christ. This is against anything that our natural man desires. The sinful ways of man, the carnal nature of him, wants to be in control and wants to fulfill its lusts. It is a hard and painful process. There is a cost to follow Him. That is not preached very much today, but it does not change what is in the Bible. Luke 14:25 Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. This is what the Gospel is all about. We crucify the old man and take on the new man. The new man is the new creature created in Him. We forsake everything. Everything does not leave anything out. This means we cannot put something in place of God.  That is idolatry.  Sin and its lusts do not have control over us which allows the Holy Spirit to work through us. The fruit of a believer is what shows he is true or not. Galatians 5 and Colossians 3 all list fruits of righteousness and the fruits of the fleshly, sinful man and gives us a mirror to look into to see what our lives reflect. When we are manifesting this life of Christ in us, the fear, doubt, and unbelief all yield to the power and presence of the Lord. This is when the hope truly becomes real and gives us that assurance that we can stand in His power and not be moved no matter what is going on around us, including tribulation.

 

Tribulation is seen throughout the Bible, specifically toward the people of God. Tribulation by definition means distress or suffering resulting from oppression or persecution. It also means a trying experience. Throughout the Bible, God’s people are put in situations, some earned and some God ordained, that expose them to great trials. We see time and again in the Old and New Testaments that the people of God are in position of weaknesses through tribulation that the power of God would manifest and show His power in their situations. Think about the people of Israel leaving Egypt and being led to the Red Sea. God put them where there was water on three sides and the Egyptian army on the fourth. They were being chased and were panicking, and they were doing exactly what the Lord told them to do. The pillars of cloud and of fire led them to that very place. The Lord then shows them their salvation by dividing the waters and allowing them to pass.  This began a period of great trials in the wilderness before they were able to enter into the Promised Land. Think about Jesus. He had to endure tribulation as He walked this earth. He was consistently ridiculed, mocked, doubted, and persecuted by many of the people of Israel. He pressed on in spite of these things to continue to reach out to those who had ears to hear. He endured for the sake of those who would believe. He gave Himself up and was put in a position of weakness through tribulation trusting in the Father. This is no more evident than the time of His crucifixion. Jesus too had to go through tribulation before He entered into the Promised Land. He Hebrews 5:8 though He was a Son, learned obedience by the things which He suffered. 9 And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. He becomes our pattern. 

 

Acts 14:22 We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God. Tribulations and trials are what we go through to crucify the old man. We are destined by God to go through them that we may be refined, pruned, and freed. Without them, there is no test of our faith, there is no dying to self, and there is no chance to see the work of God in our lives in this area. If we went through life without any tribulation, there would be no need for God. We could do everything ourselves. 1 Peter 1: 6 ..though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ. But we do need God, and many times being the hard learners we are, the Lord brings situations that remind us of our need for Him. His love for us does this. Do not think that it is some game with the Lord to just cause trouble for you. God wants sons and daughters of His kingdom that love Him and trust Him. You see we cannot operate in the flesh in the kingdom of God.  Our fleshly or sinful man cannot enter into the kingdom of God. When we believed on the work that Jesus did for us and made Him Lord of all in our lives, we are to die daily to the old man. The old man, who we were before Christ, will try to resurrect if we allow it to. 1 Corinthians 15:31 I die daily. Luke 9:23 If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me. Walking in the light of Christ and putting on the new man created in Him for good works will put to death the old man. Tribulations and trials will give us opportunities to trust in God, believe His promises, and see them come to pass. 

 

To most people, when you mention the word tribulation, they immediately begin thinking about hell on Earth. All these negative thoughts flood their minds and thoughts of escapism replace those. There have been many people writing books, making movies, and teaching God’s people about this. Most all of them are teaching that the Church will not be around during this time period. We have nothing to fear because we will not be here. Many of these people are very well known pastors and preachers. So immediately, the question becomes, why on earth would you not believe what they are teaching? These men and women have been in the Word so many more years than I have, and I am sure, they have studied this topic out as well. The truth is I did at a point during my walk with the Lord. I believed it. I was early in my walk with the Lord and very zealous for Him. I was very sincere in my beliefs too. Looking back though, I mainly believed it because those leaders were teaching it. If they said it, I believed it. What they said made a lot of sense. There was tribulation coming to the world, the Church would be raptured out of here because we Jesus saved us from the wrath of God leaving little Israel to become the people of God again, all hell would break out on earth and we would be sitting in Heaven with the Lord and preparing to rule and reign with Him for 1000 years. It all sounds great for sure. No worries, no matter how bad it gets, I will not be around for the really bad things. Then there was a time in my life where I started to really pray and ask the Lord to show me the truth regarding this. I wanted to believe it because He showed me not because my favorite televangelist or book writer did. I believe He is still showing me that there is more to the conclusion of the story than is on the surface. 

 

So what is the Tribulation? The Tribulation is a prophesied seven year period that is yet to be fulfilled for God’s people. There are patterns of it throughout the Bible which we will discuss some of them; however, we are told specifically about it in the book of Daniel. 

The Hebrew word for weeks is shabuah, which is literally seventy sevens. Biblically and historically, this is speaking of seventy seven year periods. In other words, there are seventy periods of seven years or 490 years that have been determined for your people and your holy city. We see in verse 25 that 7 and 62 (7+62=69 sevens or 483 years) weeks from when the decree came to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah shall come. The city of Jerusalem was in ruins when Daniel received this revelation. Not only did this give the people of God hope that Jerusalem would be rebuilt, but it also gave them a time when the Messiah would come. Then the Messiah would be cut off, or taken away. This leaves one more week or a period of seven years until this will be fulfilled. Most Christian teachers will all agree up until this point. 

 

At this point, Pre-Tribulation Rapture teachers agree that the final seven years are determined for the literal people of Israel, and the rest of the doctrine flows off that. Briefly summarizing, during the literal seven years, the Church will be gone so this allows God to turn His attention back to Israel. The Anti-Christ, the beast of Revelation 13:1 and the man of sin in 2 Thessalonians 2 and the one who confirms a covenant with many from Daniel 9, a ruler who comes to the world in peace and unity but who is the controlled by the devil, will form a peace covenant with Israel and the Palestinians for seven years. During this time, he will begin to be exalted above everyone else until he is in control of the whole world. Half way through the seven years, during the beginning of the Great Tribulation, he will break the covenant he made with Israel and persecute them and set himself up as God on earth. He will set up an image of himself and will demand worship. If anyone does not, he will die. He will have with him a false prophet who will unite all the world’s religions together and who will enforce the worship of the beast and will cause the mark of the beast. All who wish to buy or sell or trade must have this mark. During this time, many people will come to the knowledge of salvation through Christ, including many Jewish people, and will be saved. They will be the ones who recognize the Anti-Christ and his intentions and will not take the mark nor worship the image. They will be persecuted and many will be killed for not doing so. After the seven years conclude, the Anti-Christ will join his forces together to the battle of Armageddon to fight the Lord when He returns. The Lord will destroy the Anti-Christ and the False Prophet and cast them into the Lake of Fire and bind Satan in the bottomless pit during Jesus’ 1000 year reign on this earth.   This view is supported by:

 

The Mid Tribulation view basically is in harmony with the Pre Tribulation view with the exception of the Church being raptured away in the middle of the seven year period before the Great Tribulation. Christians will endure the first part, but we will be saved from the final three and one half years.

 

This is an interesting question. When I have discussed this with people, very few are even interested in believing that the Lord would put us through the Tribulation period. Their immediate response seems to be why would God put all this on His children? Isn’t He a God of love? So most often it ends with agreeing that we disagree and as long as we are doing what God wants us to do, it does not matter how it plays out because that is where the safety is. It has been said that one third of our Bible is prophecy, dealing with things to come. I believe that throughout the Bible, the Lord has shown His people, those who seek Him diligently, the truth about what was to come. You can go through and count them like Noah and the flood, Joseph and the seven years of plenty and seven years of famine, the Prophets, Jesus knew the hearts of men, who would follow Him and who would betray Him, even how He would die and live again, Paul, Peter, and so on. My point is that the Lord through His Holy Spirit has a history of revealing things to His people. Most people will not take the time to be diligent and study to show themselves approved in the topic of the end times. They believe that it is too hard to understand so why bother. They reason that the Lord has given this gift to others so I will trust what they are saying. I believe that this topic is very important and very vital in how we walk out our Christian faith. Preparing to depart and preparing to stay are two totally different things. Think about that in the natural. We you are leaving to go somewhere you usually pack up and your thoughts are consumed by the trip. Did I forget anything? Do I have plenty of money? Do I have my tickets, passports, oh no, I cannot forget my toothbrush! I went to California recently, and I was going by myself, and it still took a great deal of preparation. Now contrast that with staying put. You do not lose your focus on day to day life. There are very few distractions. You are more concerned and more detailed by the moment of that day because you are right where you are used to being at. Are you prepared to go or prepared to stay? 

 

 

The term “rapture” is always quickly pointed out that it is not in our Bibles. This is true. The Greek word is harpadzo which literally means to seize, to snatch away, to catch up, and to take by force. The actual word rapture comes from the Latin translation of the Bible. However, for unity sake, we will use rapture so we are all thinking of the same thing. The idea of being raptured away before the Tribulation, most people start with 1 Thessalonians 4 and 1 Corinthians 15 when discussing anything about the Rapture of the Church. So let’s start there.

 

 

 

Notice that it is called the first resurrection. This resurrection includes those who have been killed during the Tribulation for their witness to Jesus. I believe that is very important to see. If the resurrection/rapture happens before the Tribulation, it does not make sense that there is another resurrection called the first resurrection (which is really the second) and will contain those who have died during the Tribulation. The rest of the dead are those who are resurrected in verse 11 of the same chapter.  These go before the throne of God and are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. Notice that the second death has no power which is in complete harmony with then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory." 

 

 

What other scriptures speak of the resurrection?

Here Jesus is saying He will raise up His people on the last day. He tells all those who believe on Him and who has everlasting life that He will raise him up on the last day. This is challenging to try and fit it into the Pre and Mid Tribulation doctrines. So what is the last day? Is there more than one last day? Jesus is speaking of the resurrection of the saints, and as we have seen, the Rapture happens immediately following the Resurrection event. Jesus speaks this three different times.   

 

Job is in agreement as well. We see that man lies down, or dies, and does not rise, or is not resurrected, until the heavens are no more. Then the change comes which is in harmony with 1 Corinthians 15: 52 we shall all be changed. Remember the resurrection and the rapture happen at the same time. So now we have another piece of the puzzle. The resurrection, the rapture, the last day, and now the heavens are no more are all describing the same time.

 

Now we have a Scripture where the heavens are no more or they pass away. This happens during the day of the Lord. The day of the Lord is prophesied many times in the Old Testament, such as Obadiah, as a time when the Lord will execute vengeance upon the world for its wickedness and sin. The interesting thing about Obadiah is it is a pronouncement of judgment on Edom or Esau. The people were against their brothers of Jacob or Israel. They rejoiced over them being taken captive, they plundered the city of Jerusalem. Because of their sin, the Lord puts them in with the other nations in the day of the Lord. Obadiah 15 "For the day of the Lord upon all the nations is near; As you have done, it shall be done to you; Your reprisal shall return upon your own head. This will reveal a little more to us later. The Day of the Lord gave and still gives the saints hope that evil will not be here forever and that there will be a day for judgment. There have been types of it through the centuries, but there is a fulfillment coming that will complete the Scriptures. So we see a day of the Lord and the heavens passing away. We also see it as coming as a thief in the night. A thief comes at an unexpected and unprepared time. We have been told many times that the Rapture will come as a thief in the night and that we do not know the day or the hour. Matthew 24: 42 Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. 43 But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. 44 Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect. Do you notice that we are to be watchful so that the thief cannot come into our house? Many people listen to the thief in the night and still walk about in darkness. The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The thief does not have authority in our homes if we are walking in the light of the Gospel. If we are in sin or disobedience, the thief has the open door to come into our house. It is so important that we live in the light and walk in the light.

 

Again, we see that the Day of the Lord comes as a thief in the night.  We see more revelation about what is coming on that Day. We also are given the promise of salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ when the wrath of God is poured out. This happens during the Day of the Lord. Did you see that? The wrath that we are saved from happens during the Day of the Lord. Could the Rapture/Resurrection happen near this time?

Again, we see something that is matching other Scriptures. Not only is the Spirit saying that God is patient as we wait upon the Lord and the completion of all things, but we see a day of wrath as well. So what is this day? Is it the same day Jesus talked about in the Scriptures above? Is it the day Peter and Paul talked about? How long is it?

Isaiah 34: 4 All the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled up like a scroll; All their host shall fall down As the leaf falls from the vine, And as fruit falling from a fig tree….8 For it is the day of the Lord's vengeance, The year of recompense for the cause of Zion. 

Isn’t God’s Word amazing? All of these Scriptures continue to say the same thing. Isaiah 34 tells us of heaven passing away and of the day of the Lord. Now we have a little more. The day of the Lord is a year in length. Isaiah 63 gives us another witness. Isaiah 63: 4 For the day of vengeance is in My heart, And the year of My redeemed has come. Now if the Day of the Lord is a year in length, how does it fit in with the Tribulation? 

 

First, the Day of the Lord consistently throughout the Scriptures is referring to God’s judgment on the wicked, sinful, and unrepentant. It is set aside as a time for them to pay according to their deeds. The Tribulation, or the last seven years of Daniel’s revelation, is referring to a time for God’s people.  There are different things happening during different time periods.  Daniel 9: 24 "Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. This is where the division starts within the church. Many believe that your people and your holy city refer to the Jews and Jerusalem. That is why they believe that the Church will be raptured away before these seven years start. With the Church gone, the Lord can focus again on natural Israel. Could there be something more here? In the New Testament, we find that the church is now grafted into the olive tree and have now become part of all Israel (Romans 11). Romans 2: 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; 29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God. The Church has now inherited the blessing of Abraham by faith. The Bible goes to great lengths showing how we in the Church have now become a spiritual, born again Israel. Everything that was written in the Old Testament and that happened to ancient Israel was for our instruction or our learning (1 Corinthians 10:11.) So has the Church replaced physical Israel? Is your people referring to the Church or to the people of Israel? Could it be both? What about the city? Many people believe that your holy city is referring to Jerusalem. Again, what does the New Testament teach regarding the city of Jerusalem? 

The city of Jerusalem was never called the holy city after Jesus ascended into heaven except in one place and that is in Revelation. Revelation 21:2 Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband…9 Then one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls filled with the seven last plagues came to me and talked with me, saying, "Come, I will show you the bride, the Lamb's wife." 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. The New Jerusalem, the holy city, and the bride of Jesus are all the same. Who is the bride of Christ? Ephesians 5 tells us it is the Church.   The old city and the old covenant which are symbolic to Hagar and Ishmael and giving birth to bondage are not to be heir with the son of the freewoman. As a type or being symbolic, Isaac was the second born child of promise who inherited the blessing of Abraham which corresponds with the new covenant and the new city, the Jerusalem from above. 

 

So the people changed and the city changed when the covenant changed. That means that there are still seven years determined for the people of God. It should not surprise us. History just repeats. The church today is in a mess just like Israel of old. We have to be prepared as the days progress to stand in our faith. The Jews did not recognize the Messiah when He came. He came in the likeness of man. When He comes this time, it will be very similar because history repeats. Many in the church will not recognize Him either. He is coming in His people then He will come for His people. When He manifests in His people, and the witnesses go out, many in the church will not see Him because He is coming in the likeness of man once again. This time it may be Bob in accounting, Sue at the inn, or Frank on the sidewalk. When Jesus sent out His disciples, they went to all the places Jesus was coming to prepare the way. It is no different.

Remember Jesus said that His coming would look like the days of Noah. We see that in the days of Noah, we have a type of the Tribulation, type of the Rapture, and a type of the Day of the Lord. The Lord gave Noah a warning that in seven days He was going to send His judgment. This seven is a type of the seven years of Tribulation that we are expecting. Then the rains began to fall for forty days as a type of the beginning of the Day of the Lord. When you count the days from the beginning of the rain to when the rain finished, the water receded, and Noah and his family were back on dry land, it is just a little over a year in length. As we discovered, the Day of the Lord is one year. Now, a little more with the story. Did you notice the picture of the Rapture? Most will say that the Lord removed the righteousness to bring His judgment again making the case for he Pre-Tribulation Rapture. I would argue He did not remove them, but He protected them much like Psalm 91. The Lord shut them into the ark. What do you think the ark represents? It represents Jesus Christ. Jesus is our rock, refuge, and our ark. He is our protection in the storm. The Lord protected them for forty days during the wrath or judgment. After forty days, we see the ark “lift up high above the earth”. This is the picture of the Rapture.   Could this be telling us that those who are alive and remain will go forty days into the Day of the Lord? If so, this would put the Day of the Lord, one year in length, immediately after the Tribulation.  

 

Now we have a prelude to the Day of the Lord. This verse originally was prophesied by Joel and then confirmed by Peter during his sermon after Pentecost in the book of Acts. There is to be blood, fire, and pillars of smoke, and the sun darkened and moon turned into blood before the Day of the Lord. Many say this is a nuclear war and the after effects of it. It is possible, but whatever happens, it is a devastating event.  Cosmic signs are happening before the Day. It is all a part of God’s judgment on the wicked and sinful.

 

Again, Joel prophesies about the Day of the Lord. The sun, moon, and stars are again all spoken of. If we read earlier in this chapter, verse 2, it says I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat: and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land. This among other Scriptures really gives us the purpose of the Day of the Lord. Yes, it is to judge the wicked and sinful, but it is also because of their treatment of the people of God. During the years of Tribulation for the saints, God’s people will be persecuted against and some will die for their faith. The wrath of God is poured out because of what has been happening during the Tribulation to His people. This is the fulfillment of the years of treatment towards God’s people. Revelation 6: 9 When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. 10 And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed. God’s people have been waiting for their Avenger to stand up and repay to those who have done so much evil upon them and their brethren. The religious harlot (whom we will discuss later) is guilty of all the blood of the saints and martyrs upon the earth from the beginning to the end. 

 

 

Notice that the same things are happening after the tribulation according to Jesus. After the Tribulation is the Day of the Lord. Then on that Day, or one year period, the Lord will return! 

 

The story of Joshua and Jericho is sung about in a children’s song, and many times that is how we look at it. We can think that it does not teach us anything, but it tells a good story and gives the kids something to sing. This is much like David and Goliath, Noah and the Flood, and other things in the Old Testament. Many conclude that things in the Old Testament are not important. As we have already studied, we know that is not true. The Old Testament gives us examples or types of what is to come with the Church. Let’s look at this a little closer. First off, look at the timing of the events. Joshua is told to march everyone around the city one time for six days. Seven priests are carrying seven trumpets standing before the ark, but they are not used. This matches perfectly with what we have studied before in the timing of the Lord’s return. Six days representing six thousand years. On the seventh day, or in the seventh one thousand year period, Joshua is told to march with the people seven times around the city. This seven times represents the final seven years determined for God’s people. In Daniel and Revelation, it even refers to those years as “times.” Notice it is on the morning of the seventh day which means very early during that seven thousandth year which is where we are right now. Now look at what happens. After the seventh time, the trumpets are blown and the people shout and then all the people shall go up into the city God promised them. Wow. Remember 1 Thessalonians 4? 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. We see the trumpets, the shout, the catching away, and the people of God going to their promised land. Hebrews 11:16 Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. The heavenly city, the New Jerusalem, the saints of God, the bride all describe our promised land. We will forever be with the Lord. Hallelujah!

This is the most important point of the story. Regardless of what you believe regarding end time prophecy. Regardless if you agree with me or not, the end of this story is there is hope. There is a hope that goes beyond my understanding. Everyone, not just some or a few select people, the Bible says that everyone who calls on the name of our God will be saved. Romans 10: 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The days are getting worse and worse, and they will continue to press the believers to the wilderness. It is only there where she will begin to find out that our false hopes, our false gods, our false securities will not save us. It is only God alone, and just like Israel of old, He will prove Himself faithful to those who call to Him. 

 

May the Grace of our Father through our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.  Amen.




more to come.......