Thursday, March 29, 2007

A Concise Outline of End Time Events

This is in no way meant to be exhaustive, but solely for the purpose of creating a framework for reference with my other writings. I personally do not believe charts and timetables are usually reliable, because the authors attempt to make them too extensive than allowed for, trying to explain things that are simply not revealed in the Bible. I have endeavored to present only what is given in Scripture, and that briefly.

1. The last days began on the Day of Pentecost when the Spirit of God was poured out upon the believers. (Acts 2:16-21)

2. From that moment until the return of Messiah there shall be birth pangs, becoming more and more frequent and intensified as we draw closer to the end (Matthew 24:8). In the days immediately prior to the appearing of Christ, the pressure will be at it's greatest; Jesus referred to this as megas thlipsis, "big pressure", or as it is commonly known: great tribulation.

3. It is prophesied that a Wicked One shall be revealed in the last seven years before Jesus Christ returns, the antichrist, who will set himself up as God, with the assistance of a false prophet, and will make war with the saints and prevail against them (Daniel 7:21, Revelation 13:7). There will be a great apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and the true believers will be hunted and killed. Sons will betray fathers, and daughters their own mothers... true Christians will be handed over to stand on trial before kings and rulers (Luke 21:12-13). In this way will the Bride of Christ be refined and the gospel will be preached throughout all the world.

4. This seven year period is divided into two halves: the first time, times and a half time (three and half years) will the antichrist establish a false peace with Israel and rebuild the temple. Then will happen what is called the abomination which causes desolation, when this man of sin sets himself up as God in the temple and reveals his true wickedness (Matthew 24:15). Many will be deceived into worshipping the beast and his image. This event ushers in the final three and a half years. "For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21-22)

5. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (Matthew 24:29-31) Immediately following the tribulation of those days shall Jesus Christ gloriously return in power upon the clouds and shall gather the elect from earth to be with Him forever (John 14:1-3, 2 Thessalonians 2:1)! The resurrection and rapture, meaning the catching up of the saints, takes place when Jesus Christ bodily returns to earth the second and final time: "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17)

6. After being gathered to Him in the air we shall all descend upon the Mount of Olives, where the feet of the King shall land with a great earthquake, splitting the mountain in two (Zechariah 14:4, Acts 1:11). The Lord shall smite the nations and make war, consuming antichrist and his armies with the "spirit of his mouth and the brightness of his coming." (2 Thessalonians 2:8) "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God." (Revelation 19:15)

7. The scattered remnant of the Jewish people shall be drawn out from among the nations and brought back to Jerusalem in repentance and restoration, and so "all Israel shall be saved." (Romans 11:26, Zechariah 12:9-10) Jesus Christ the King shall establish upon this earth His millenial Kingdom, where the saints of God shall rule and reign with Him for 1000 years (Matthew 25:31-34, Revelation 20:4) During this time the devil is bound.

8. At the end of the 1000 years, the devil will be loosed for a little season to deceive the nations and rally the armies against Jerusalem one last time (Ezekiel 38-39, Revelation 20:7-9). The Lord shall utterly destroy them and cast that old serpent into the Lake of Fire.

9. Then follows the second resurrection, when the earth and sea give up their dead, and all that are raised will stand before the white throne of judgment. "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:11-15). The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

10. Last and best of all, the Lord shall make a new heaven and a new earth, old things will all pass away (Revelation 21:1). And so shall we live forever with Him, our God! "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God." (Revelation 21:3)

Amen! Come Lord Jesus.


sounddoctorin said...

Thanks for putting up the article on the other page about Hubert. I was trying to get some good web pointers on him and was amazed how little there is. Wow. What a generation of disconcern for..much of anything having to do with relevant history. I supposed people would like to sweep Hubert under the rug where they don't have to see the blood spurting out when they step on his face. man.

Anyway good stuff. Keep preaching the truth. - Bob Weigel

Anonymous said...

thanks Eli, I haven't stuck my nose in much of the book of Revelation lately. It is great when a post stirs something within you to stop everything you are doing and read the Word as a priority- this post did just that.

Margie said...

Thank you for this outline. Makes it very clear. Agree 100% on Christ's return. There's only one coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. What you've shared clearly shows, the pre-trib rapture doctrine is not the way the coming of the Lord takes place. I call it the ESCAPE doctrine. The Word of God is clearly shown as you have shared it.