Behold, I Show You a Mystery
What signs indicate that the end times are approaching?
Does the Bible prophesy a one-world government and a one-world currency in the end times?
What will be the end times, one-world religion?
What is the New World Order?
New World Order Quote Compilation.
Obama speech given at the Bilderberg Group.
David Rockefeller “s leaked speech 1991.
New World Order Quotes.
Is the last trumpet of 1 Thessalonians 4 the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation?
What is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?
Who / What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?
Will there be a great apostasy / falling away during the end times?
Are we living in the end times?
Is it possible for a person to be saved/forgiven after taking the mark of the beast?”
Is it possible for a person to get the mark of the beast today?
The mark of the beast does not exist yet.
John MacArthur OUTRAGE: Take the Mark of Beast, still be saved. False Teaching.
——————————————–
Behold, I Show You a Mystery
———————————————–
Christ
will remove all born-again believers from the earth in an event known as the
rapture (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; 1
Corinthians 15:51-54). At the judgment seat of Christ, these believers will
be rewarded for good works and faithful service during their time on earth or
will lose rewards, but not eternal life, for lack of service and obedience (1
Corinthians 3:11-15; 2
Corinthians 5:10).
The
Antichrist (the beast) will come into power and will sign a covenant with
Israel for seven years (Daniel 9:27). This seven-year period of time is known as
the “tribulation.” During the tribulation, there will be terrible wars,
famines, plagues, and natural disasters. God will be pouring out His wrath
against sin, evil, and wickedness. The tribulation will include the appearance
of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and the seven seal, trumpet, and bowl
judgments.
About
halfway through the seven years, the Antichrist will break the peace covenant
with Israel and make war against it. The Antichrist will commit “the
abomination of desolation” and set up an image of himself to be worshiped in
the Jerusalem temple (Daniel 9:27; 2
Thessalonians 2:3-10), which will have been rebuilt. The second half of the
tribulation is known as “the great tribulation” (Revelation
7:14) and “the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah
30:7).
At
the end of the seven-year tribulation, the Antichrist will launch a final
attack on Jerusalem, culminating in the battle of Armageddon. Jesus Christ will
return, destroy the Antichrist and his armies, and cast them into the lake of
fire (Revelation
19:11-21). Christ will then bind Satan in the Abyss for 1000 years and He
will rule His earthly kingdom for this thousand-year period (Revelation
20:1-6).
At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released, defeated again, and then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:7-10) for eternity. Christ then judges all unbelievers (Revelation 20:10-15) at the great white throne judgment, casting them all into the lake of fire. Christ will then usher in a new heaven and new earth and the New Jerusalem—the eternal dwelling place of believers. There will be no more sin, sorrow, or death (Revelation 21–22).
The Satanic Plan “Post-Tribulation-Rapture Theory” Is A Deception From Hell. First, we need to look at what each view teaches. Pre-tribulation-rapture is taught in most mainline Christian churches in the U.S., as well as protestant churches in Europe and Asia. It teaches that the rapture of the Church will occur before the 7-year Tribulation Age. The post-tribulation-rapture theory teaches that the rapture of the believers will happen after the 7-year Tribulation judgment age. It is taught by the Catholic cult and other Eastern Orthodox church cults, as well as some ancient protestant churches like Presbyterian and Baptist churches. However, they will not tell you that there won’t be anyone left on this earth to rapture, because most of the people will be dead. Satan does not want you to receive Jesus Christ into your heart now, but rather, the devil wants you to say to your heart, “I’ll just wait until all of these catastrophes upon the earth start to happen. Then, I’ll receive Christ.” But by that time, it will be too late. Do you see the deception of the devil? He and his cult post-tribulation-rapture theory gives a false sense of complacency, but that is the dangerous trap. Satan will use his dead, fake religions and cults to spread this false doctrine throughout the world, especially during these End-Times, when Jesus’ return is so imminent. That is why post-tribulation-rapture teachings are from the pit of hell, and part of the devil’s End-Times deceit.
——————————————–
“What signs indicate that the end times are
approaching?”
Matthew 24:5–8 gives us some important clues for discerning the approach of the end times: “Many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.” An increase in false messiahs, an increase in warfare, and increases in famines, plagues, and natural disasters—these are signs of the end times. In this passage, though, we are given a warning: we are not to be deceived, because these events are only the beginning of birth pains; the end is still to come.
Some interpreters point to every earthquake, every political upheaval, and
every attack on Israel as a sure sign that the end times are rapidly
approaching. While the events may signal the approach of the last days, they
are not necessarily indicators that the end times have arrived. The apostle
Paul warned that the last days would bring a marked increase in false teaching.
“The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and
follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons” (1 Timothy
4:1). The last days are described as “perilous times” because of the
increasingly evil character of man and people who actively “oppose the truth” (2
Timothy 3:1–9; see also 2
Thessalonians 2:3).
Other
possible signs would include a rebuilding of a Jewish temple in Jerusalem,
increased hostility toward Israel, and advances toward a one-world government.
The most prominent sign of the end times, however, is the nation of Israel. In
1948, Israel was recognized as a sovereign state, essentially for the first
time since AD 70. God promised Abraham that his posterity would have Canaan as
“an everlasting possession” (Genesis 17:8),
and Ezekiel prophesied a physical and spiritual resuscitation of Israel (Ezekiel 37).
Having Israel as a nation in its own land is important in light of end-times
prophecy because of Israel’s prominence in eschatology (Daniel
10:14; 11:41; Revelation 11:8).
With these signs in mind, we can be wise and discerning in regard to the expectation of the end times. We should not, however, interpret any of these singular events as a clear indication of the soon arrival of the end times. God has given us enough information that we can be prepared, and that is what we are called to be as our hearts cry out, “Come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20).
———————————————————–
“Does the Bible prophesy a
one-world government and a one-world currency in the end times?”
The
Bible does not use the phrase “one-world government” or “one-world currency” in
referring to the end times. It does, however, provide ample evidence to enable
us to draw the conclusion that both will exist under the rule of the Antichrist
in the last days.
In
his apocalyptic vision in the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John sees the
“beast,” also called the Antichrist, rising out of the sea having seven heads and
ten horns (Revelation
13:1). Combining this vision with Daniel’s similar one (Daniel
7:16-24), we can conclude that some sort of world system will be
inaugurated by the beast, the most powerful “horn,” who will defeat the other
nine and will begin to wage war against Christians. The ten-nation confederacy
is also seen in Daniel’s image of the statue in Daniel
2:41-42, where he pictures the final world government consisting of ten
entities represented by the ten toes of the statue. Whoever the ten are and
however they come to power, Scripture is clear that the beast will either
destroy them or reduce their power to nothing more than figureheads. In the
end, they will do his bidding.
John
goes on to describe the ruler of this vast empire as having power and great
authority, given to him by Satan himself (Revelation
13:2), being followed by and receiving worship from “all the world”
(13:3-4), and having authority over “every tribe, people, language and nation”
(13:7). From this description, it is logical to assume that this person is the
leader of a one-world government which is recognized as sovereign over all
other governments. It’s hard to imagine how such diverse systems of government
as are in power today would willingly subjugate themselves to a single ruler,
and there are many theories on the subject. A logical conclusion is that the
disasters and plagues described in Revelation as the seal and trumpet judgments
(chapters 6-11) will be so devastating and create such a monumental global
crisis that people will embrace anything and anyone who promises to give them
relief.
Once
entrenched in power, the beast (Antichrist) and the power behind him (Satan)
will move to establish absolute control over all peoples of the earth to
accomplish their true end, the worship Satan has been seeking ever since being
thrown out of heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14). One way they will accomplish this is by
controlling all commerce, and this is where the idea of a one-world currency
comes in. Revelation 13:16-17 describes some sort of satanic mark
which will be required in order to buy and sell. This means anyone who refuses
the mark will be unable to buy food, clothing or other necessities of life. No
doubt the vast majority of people in the world will succumb to the mark simply
to survive. Again, verse 16 makes it clear that this will be a universal system
of control where everyone, rich and poor, great and small, will bear the mark
on their hand or forehead. There is a great deal of speculation as to how
exactly this mark will be affixed, but the technologies that are available
right now could accomplish it very easily.
Those who are left behind after the Rapture of the Church will be faced with an excruciating choice—accept the mark of the beast in order to survive or face starvation and horrific persecution by the Antichrist and his followers. But those who come to Christ during this time, those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 13:8), will choose to endure, even to martyrdom.
——————————————
“What will be the end
times, one-world religion?”
The
one-world religion described in Revelation
17:1–18 as “the great harlot” will be part of the end-times scenario. The
term harlot is used throughout the Old Testament as a metaphor for false
religion. The actual identity and makeup of the religion has been debated for
centuries and has resulted in a number of different views among Bible
commentators and theologians. There are convincing arguments for the one world
religion being Catholicism, Islam, the New Age movement, or some form of
religion not even invented yet, and an internet search will produce many more
possibilities and theories. There is no doubt that some sort of one-world
religion under the false prophet will be a part of the end times, perhaps made
up of a number of different religions, sects, and isms that are around today.
Revelation
17:1–18 gives us several characteristics of the one-world religion. The
false religion will dominate all the “peoples and multitudes and nations and
tongues” of the earth (Revelation 1b, 15), meaning that it will have universal
authority, no doubt given by the Antichrist, who rules the world at that time.
Verses 2–3 describe the harlot as committing adultery with the “kings of the
earth,” referring to the false religion’s influence among the world’s rulers
and influential people. The reference to being drunk with the wine of her
adulteries may refer to those who are drunk with the power they receive from
worshiping the false god of the false religion. Satan frequently ensnares those
whose lust for power drives them away from the worship of the true and living
God. The alliances forged by the false religion will unite church and state as
never before.
Verse
6 describes the harlot as being “drunk with the blood of the saints” and the
blood of those who testify of Jesus. Whether they will be martyred at the hand
of the Antichrist or by being systematically starved, believers who are on the
earth during the tribulation will experience the wrath of the harlot and her
power source, the Antichrist. Those who oppose the worldwide religion will be
killed, and those who refuse to worship the Antichrist by accepting his mark
will be unable to buy and sell, thereby making survival very difficult (Revelation
13:16–17).
Eventually, the harlot will lose favor with the Antichrist, who will want to receive the world’s worship for himself. He will not share the adoration of the world with the prophets and priests of the false religion, no matter how obsequious or fawning they may be. Once the Antichrist gains the world’s amazed attention by his miraculous return from the dead (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14), he will turn on the false religious system and destroy it, establishing himself as God. The deception, Jesus tells us, will be so great that, if it were possible, even the elect would fall for it (Matthew 24:24).
—————————————
“What is the New World
Order?”
The
New World Order is a conspiracy theory which posits a new period of history
bringing about a major change in the world with the balance of world power.
This New World Order is theorized by some to involve a group or groups of
elitist people bent on ruling the world through a single worldwide system of
government. The appeal of this New World Order lies in its proposal to free the
world of wars and political strife, and its promises to eradicate poverty,
disease, and hunger. Its purpose is to meet the needs and hopes of all mankind
through worldwide peace.
Also
labeled the new “era of globalization,” this New World Order will supposedly do
away with the need for diverse world governments. This will be accomplished by
the installation of a one-world political system or body. One means to achieve
this is by eliminating all lines and borders demarcating the nations of the
world. To effect all this change, it is believed that the New World Order will
emphasize tolerance through the promotion and acceptance of other cultures and
their values and ideologies. Its ultimate goal is a sense of unity and oneness
with all people speaking the same language. Other objectives include the use of
a single, world-wide currency, as well as oneness in politics, religion, and
moral values. As a result, conspiracy theorists believe, the world will be
under one rule, that of one government that promises worldwide peace, the
absence of war, and the elimination of all political unrest.
Though
it may be agreed that man needs hope in order to endure this life and have
peace of mind, the problem lies in where man searches for such hope. The
Scriptures are clear concerning all these things. As Christians, we are
commanded to obey and respect those in authority, including our government.
However, we can easily see that there are some severe consequences of such a
New World Order, both from an economic and a religious standpoint (Romans
13:1-7; Acts 5:29).
The
problem with the acceptance and approval of any New World Order is that no
government has ever offered, nor will it ever offer, real hope and peace for
mankind. When man turns to government to provide worldwide peace and hope, he
becomes disillusioned and enslaved by its false promises. History has proven time
and again that no quasi-world empire has ever survived, simply because of its
innate flaws of greed, corruption, and quest for power.
Those who desire the ushering in of a New World Order, whether secular or religious, are in for a rude awakening. The truth is that false religious teachings cannot bring utopia into being, regardless of man’s creativity and ingenuity. Only heaven brings lasting peace and happiness. The Bible makes it very clear that all things associated with this life on earth with its sufferings, its decay, its discontent, and death will continue with this physical life (2 Corinthians 4:16; Hebrews 9:27). It is also clear that all these things are completely unknown in the heavenly city (Revelation 21:3-7 and Revelation 22). They will be done away with. Yes, hope is needed. But it is the hope of heaven we need, not the false hope of a New World Order. The one hope for all believers lies only in heaven (John 14:1-4). It is not here on this earth.
———————————————————-
New World Order Quote Compilation
——————————————
Obama speech given at the Bilderberg Group
———————————————–
David Rockefeller “s leaked speech 1991
——————————————
New World Order Quotes
Anyone who thinks that the new world order is just a theory, probably missed or
forgot the many statements made by people of power for just that–a new world
order. Well, hold on to your seats. Twenty-five new world order quotes and a
couple of videos with more quotes below. Depopulation quotes underneath the NWO
quotes.
1. “We shall have World Government, whether or not we like it. The only question is whether World Government will be achieved by conquest or consent.” (Paul Warburg, founder of CFR and The New York Times had once referred to him as the “father of the Federal Reserve Bank”)
2. “Some even believe we are part of a secret cabal working against the best interests of the United States, characterizing my family and me as ‘internationalists’ and of conspiring with others around the world to build a more integrated global political and economic structure — one world, if you will. If that’s the charge, I stand guilty, and I am proud of it.” (David Rockefeller)
3. “We are on the verge of a global transformation. All we need is the right major crisis, and the nations will accept the New World Order.(David Rockefeller, founder of the CFR and donator of the land for the UN Headquarters, said at a U.N. dinner in 1994)
4. “[Very] soon, every American will be required to register their biological property in a National system designed to keep track of the people and that will operate under the ancient system of pledging. By such methodology, we can compel people to submit to our agenda, which will affect our security as a charge back for our fiat paper currency. Every American will be forced to register or suffer not being able to work and earn a living. They will be our chattel, and we will hold the security interest over them forever, by operation of the law merchant under the scheme of secured transactions” (Edward M. House, founder of CFR)
5. “Depopulation should be the highest priority of foreign policy towards the third world, because the US economy will require large and increasing amounts of minerals from abroad, especially from less developed countries” Henry Kissinger (member of its Board of Directors from 1977 to 1981)
6. “Military men are just dumb, stupid animals to be used as pawns in foreign policy”. Notice he said “to be used” and not “are used” as if making an observation. Henry Kissinger (member of its Board of Directors from 1977 to 1981)
7. States would be wise to weaken sovereignty in order to protect themselves. Richard N. Hass, CFR President
8. “The New World Order will have to be built from the bottom up rather than from the top down … run around national sovereignty, eroding it piece by piece will accomplish much more than the old-fashioned frontal assault.” (Richard Gardner, US Council on Foreign Relations Journal Foreign Affairs, April 1974)
9. “We are at present working discreetly with all our might to wrest this mysterious force called sovereignty out of the clutches of the local nation states of the world.” (British Professor Arnold Toynbee, June l931, Institute for the Study of International Affairs.)
10. “Each of us has the hope to build a New World Order.” (President Richard Nixon, Hangzhou, China, February 1972).
11. “In the next century, nations as we know it will be obsolete; all states will recognize a single, global authority. National sovereignty wasn’t such a great idea after all.” (US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott, July 20 l992.)
12. “We are moving toward a new world order, the world of communism. We shall never turn off that road.” (Mikhail Gorbachev, 1987.)
13. “America must prevent other states from challenging our leadership or seeking to overturn the established political and economic order… We must maintain the mechanisms for deterring potential competitors from even aspiring to a larger regional or global role.” (US Pentagon Defense Planning Guide for 1994-1999.)
14. “The dirty little secret is that both houses of congress are irrelevant. America’s domestic policy is now being run by Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve. America’s foreign policy is now being run by the International Monetary Fund. When the President decides to go to war, he no longer needs a declaration of war from congress.” (US Secretary of Labour Robert Reich, January 7 1999.)
15. “[We need to] fight and win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars. … While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein.” (From the US Project for the New American Century)
16. “Rebuilding America’s Defenses: Strategy, Forces and Resources for A New Century.”) “Whenever the Western powers are determined to get a given vote through either the [UN] Security Council … or the General Assembly … governments are warned. If they do not behave they will not get debt relief, World Bank capital projects, easier IMF [International Monetary fund] adjustment conditionalities or urgently needed hard currency IMF credit to pay oil bills. Reduction or cut-off in bilateral aid is an additional threat.” (Erskine Childers, adviser to UN Secretary General.)
17. “There seems to be nothing to prevent the transnational corporations taking possession of the planet and subjecting humanity to the dictatorship of capital…. In order to crush any thought of organized resistance to the supporters of the new world order, tremendous police and military forces are being used to establish a doctrine of repression…” (French newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique (Diplomatic World), May 1999.)
18. “Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful. This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government.” (1923- Former US Secretary of State Speaking at Evian, France, May 21, 1992. Bilderburgers meeting. Unbeknownst to Kissinger, his speech was taped by a Swiss delegate to the meeting.)
19. “The technotronic era involves the gradual appearance of a more controlled society. Such a society would be dominated by an elite, unrestrained by traditional values. Soon it will be possible to assert almost continuous surveillance over every citizen and maintain up-to-date complete files containing even the most personal information about the citizen. These files will be subject to instantaneous retrieval by the authorities.” (US National Security chief Zbigniew Brzezinski.)
20. “A world government can intervene militarily in the internal affairs of any nation when it disapproves of their activities.” (UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.)
21. To achieve world government, it is necessary to remove from the minds of men their individualism, loyalty to family traditions, national patriotism, and religious dogmas.” (Brock Chisholm, Director of UN Health Organization.)
22. “No one will enter the New World Order unless he or she will make a pledge to worship Lucifer. No one will enter the New Age unless he will take a Luciferian Initiation.”(David Spangler, Director of UN Planetary Initiative, one of the founding fathers of the New Age movement).
23. “If the United Nations once admits that international disputes can be settled by using force, then we will have destroyed the foundation of the organization and our best hope of establishing a world order.” (Dwight D. Eisenhower)
24. “We are grateful to the Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subjected to the lights of publicity during those years. But, the world is now more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries.”(David Rockefeller, Baden-Baden, Germany 1991).
25. “The ‘affirmative task’ before us is to “create a New World Order.”(VP Joe Biden, speech Import Export Bank, April 5, 2013).
——————————————–
21 May 1991 – “Today Americans would be outraged if U.N. troops entered Los Angeles to restore order; tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told there was an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all people of the world will plead with world leaders to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well being granted to them by their world government.”
– Henry Kissinger in an address to the Bilderberger meeting at Evian, France,. Transcribed from a tape recording made by one of the Swiss delegates.
——————————————
June 1991 – “We are grateful to The Washington Post, the New York Times, Time Magazine and other great publications whose directors have attended our meetings and respected their promises of discretion for almost forty years. It would have been impossible for us to develop our plan for the world if we had been subject to the bright lights of publicity during those years. But, the work is now much more sophisticated and prepared to march towards a world government. The supranational sovereignty of an intellectual elite and world bankers is surely preferable to the national auto-determination practiced in past centuries.”
David Rockefeller, founder of the Trilateral Commission, in an address to a meeting of The Trilateral Commission, in June, 1991.
—————————————————–
“Is the last trumpet of 1
Thessalonians 4 the same as the seventh trumpet of Revelation?”
Those who hold to a midtribulation rapture
teach that the seventh trumpet
of Revelation 11:15
and the last trumpet of 1 Corinthians 15:52
and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 are identical. Those who teach a pretribulation rapture
identify them as separate events. What difference does it make, and how can we
know the truth?
Why does it matter whether or not
the trumpets are the same? God has given us His Word as the revelation of His
plan of redemption, and that plan covers everything from creation to the new
creation. Deuteronomy 29:29 says, “The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but
those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever,
that we may do all the words of this law.” There are many things that God has
chosen to reveal to us, and it is important for us to understand them so that
we can obey Him. We don’t always understand why He does things, but we are
called to trust Him for the parts we don’t understand and to study to
understand the rest. As we look at the texts about these trumpets, it becomes
clear that they are part of a chronology that God has given us of events in the
last days. Whether or not we are still living when those events come to pass,
they involve us, so we ought to know what God has revealed to us.
The book of Revelation has sometimes
been viewed as a book of mystery, yet the title itself implies something
brought out of hiding. More specifically, it is “the revelation of Jesus Christ
. . . to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass” (Revelation 1:1).
God wants us to know what is going to happen, so we can be prepared, and to
help us in calling others to repentance. Beginning in chapter 6, we are given a
chronological record of things that will happen in the last days. There is a
series of seven seals,
then a series of seven trumpets,
then a series of seven bowls
of wrath. We read in Revelation 11:15,
“And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying,
‘The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his
Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.’” In the context, this seems to
come around the middle of the tribulation
period.
In 1 Corinthians 15,
Paul is writing to believers concerning the transition from this life to
eternal life. Our mortal bodies will be transformed into immortal,
incorruptible bodies, prepared for the eternal kingdom of God. Verse 52 says,
“In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet
shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed.” Paul addresses the same subject to the Thessalonians, and
specifically connects it with the Second Coming of Christ. “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).
There is no question that God has revealed these things to us and that He intends for us to be encouraged and instructed by them. The question is whether these trumpets are the same. If they are the same, then the rapture of the church happens in the middle of the tribulation period, and saints need to be prepared to endure those trials. If they are not the same, then we need to know when the last trump will sound, so that we can be prepared for it. In order to find out whether they are the same, we can compare the events they are associated with.
| Events | 1 Corinthians 15 | 1 Thessalonians 4 | Revelation 11 |
| Trumpet sound | v. 52 | v. 16 | v. 15 |
| Dead saints raised | v. 52 | v. 16 | |
| Living saints changed | v. 52 | v. 17 | |
| Death overcome by victory | v. 54 | v. 14 | |
| Jesus descends from Heaven | v. 16 | Not until Rev 19:11 | |
| Kingdoms of the world taken over by Christ | v. 15 | ||
| Wrath of God on dead | v. 18 | ||
| Rewards given to saints | v. 18 | ||
| Intended result | v. 57-58 – thanks, victory, faithfulness until then | v. 18 – comfort now, presence with Christ then | v. 14,17 – woe on earth, thanks in Heaven |
It is
clear that the first two passages (Corinthians and Thessalonians) fit together,
but the third doesn’t appear to have any correlation in either the events
described or the intended results. The argument connecting them has to depend
on the meaning of the word last in 1 Corinthians 15:52. The Greek word eschatos can
mean either “last in point of time” or “last in point of sequence.” This
trumpet sounds before the wrath of God descends, yet Revelation 6:17 speaks of the wrath of the Lamb as
having come, and the seventh trumpet doesn’t sound until Revelation 11:15. The trumpet of 1 Thessalonians is
given in a moment, whereas Revelation 10:7 indicates that the seventh trumpet
will be sounded for a number of days. Even though the seventh trumpet is the
last one described in Revelation, Matthew 24:31 indicates there is yet another
trumpet which will sound “after the tribulation of those days,” when Christ
returns to the earth, which parallels with Revelation 19.
If the
“last trumpet” of 1
Corinthians 15
is not the same as the seventh trumpet, then what was Paul referring to? Both 1
Thessalonians and 1 Corinthians were written long before John wrote Revelation,
so Paul’s readers would have no knowledge of the seven trumpets of Revelation.
Paul intended for them to understand what he was writing about, so we need to
look elsewhere for clarification. Paul’s writing was distinctly in reference to
the church and the closing of the church age at the rapture. Throughout
Scripture, trumpets were used as signals to gather people, to set armies on the
move, and as part of the worship of God. The trumpet that summons the church is
called “the trump of God,” while those in Revelation are angelic trumpets.
Since it is a summoning trumpet, we can look to the Old Testament for further
understanding. Numbers 10 gives instruction to Israel about
the use of trumpets to call an assembly of the people and to set them in
motion. The first trumpet blast (v. 4) called the leaders together, while a
continual blowing was an alarm for the people. A series of trumpet blasts was
the signal for each group of tribes to begin their journey, and the last blast
indicated the movement of the last group in the camp. Similarly, 1 Corinthians 15:23 speaks of different orders, or ranks,
in the resurrection: “Every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits;
afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming.” Further, 1
Thessalonians 4:16–17
divides Christ’s own into two groups—the dead in Christ and those who are alive
and remain.
So, if the trumpet is the call for saints to assemble and journey to heaven, what does that mean for us? Jesus said that no one knows when the Day of the Lord will begin (Matthew 24:36), and 1 Thessalonians 5:2 describes it as coming as a thief in the night, without warning. In 1 Corinthians 15:58, we are told to be “steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” Just like the Israelites in the wilderness, we do not know when the trumpet will sound, so we are to be always ready. While we may not know the day or hour, we have been given enough information to know it can happen at any moment. We are to be ready, putting on the armor of God, because we have been appointed to receive salvation through Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 5:8–9).
———————————————-
“What
is the difference between the Rapture and the Second Coming?”
The rapture and the second coming of Christ are
often confused. Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether a scripture
verse is referring to the rapture or the second coming. However, in studying
end-times Bible prophecy, it is very important to differentiate between the
two.
The rapture is when Jesus Christ returns to remove
the church (all believers in Christ) from the earth. The rapture is described
in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
and 1 Corinthians 15:50-54.
Believers who have died will have their bodies resurrected and, along with
believers who are still living, will meet the Lord in the air. This will all
occur in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye. The second coming is when Jesus
returns to defeat the Antichrist, destroy evil, and establish His millennial
kingdom. The second coming is described in Revelation
19:11-16.
The
important differences between the rapture and second coming are as follows:
1) At the rapture, believers meet the Lord in the
air (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
At the second coming, believers return with the Lord to the earth (Revelation
19:14).
2) The second coming occurs after the great and
terrible tribulation (Revelation chapters 6–19). The rapture occurs before the
tribulation (1 Thessalonians 5:9;
Revelation
3:10).
3) The rapture is the removal of believers from the
earth as an act of deliverance (1
Thessalonians 4:13-17, 5:9).
The second coming includes the removal of unbelievers as an act of judgment (Matthew
24:40-41).
4) The rapture will be secret and instant (1
Corinthians 15:50-54). The second coming will be visible to
all (Revelation
1:7;
Matthew 24:29-30).
5) The second coming of Christ will not occur until
after certain other end-times events take place (2
Thessalonians 2:4; Matthew
24:15-30; Revelation chapters 6–18). The rapture is
imminent; it could take place at any moment (Titus
2:13;
1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;
1 Corinthians 15:50-54).
Why
is it important to keep the rapture and the second coming distinct?
1) If the rapture and the second coming are the same
event, believers will have to go through the tribulation (1
Thessalonians 5:9; Revelation
3:10).
2) If the rapture and the second coming are the same
event, the return of Christ is not imminent—there are many things which must
occur before He can return (Matthew
24:4-30).
3) In describing the tribulation period, Revelation
chapters 6–19 nowhere mentions the church. During the tribulation—also called
“the time of trouble for Jacob” (Jeremiah
30:7)—God
will again turn His primary attention to Israel (Romans
11:17-31).
The rapture and second coming are similar but separate events. Both involve Jesus returning. Both are end-times events. However, it is crucially important to recognize the differences. In summary, the rapture is the return of Christ in the clouds to remove all believers from the earth before the time of God’s wrath. The second coming is the return of Christ to the earth to bring the tribulation to an end and to defeat the Antichrist and his evil world empire.
—————————————-
“Who
/ What is the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6?”
Students of biblical prophecy have differing views
over the identity of the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2:6–7.
He is called “the one who restrains” in some translations (ESV, NASB); other
translations call Him “the one who holds back” (NIV), “he who letteth” (KJV),
or “he who is keeping down” (YLT). Whoever the restrainer is, He is someone of
great power who is hindering the advance of the Antichrist
and preventing the satanic kingdom from overwhelming the world.
In his second epistle to the Thessalonians, Paul
assured the church that they were not yet living in the Day
of the Lord, that is, the end times’ judgment had
not yet begun. In 2
Thessalonians 2:3 he says, “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.” According to God’s
timetable, the Day of the Lord and the accompanying judgment will not start
until two things happen: a global rebellion occurs and the Antichrist is
revealed. Paul then mentions what is currently keeping the evil in check: “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” (verses 6–8).
Paul does not specifically identify what or who the
restraining force is, since the Thessalonians already knew. Many scholars have
speculated as to the identity of the restrainer, naming the restraining force
as 1) the Roman government; 2) gospel preaching; 3) the binding of Satan; 4)
the providence of God; 5) the Jewish state; 6) the church; 7) the Holy Spirit;
and 8) Michael the archangel. We believe the restrainer is none other than the
Holy Spirit, or we could say the Holy Spirit working through the New Testament
church.
Supporting the idea that the Holy Spirit within the
church is the restrainer is the fact that the restrainer is referenced both as
a thing (neuter gender, verse 6) and as a person (masculine gender, verse 7).
Also, the power delaying Satan’s masterplan to unveil his false messiah must be
of God. It makes much more sense to say that the Holy Spirit is curbing the
devil than a political entity or even an angel. The Holy Spirit of God is the
only Person with sufficient (supernatural) power to do this restraining.
Of course, the Spirit works through believers to
accomplish this. The church, indwelt by the Spirit of God, has always been part
of what holds society back from the swelling tide of lawless living. At some
point, Paul says, the Spirit will “step aside” from His restraining work,
allowing sin to have dominion over mankind. Second
Thessalonians 2:7 can be literally rendered, “The secret
of lawlessness is already working, only it cannot be revealed until he who now
withholds disappears from the midst.” We believe this “disappearing from the
midst” will happen at the time the church leaves the earth at the rapture.
The Holy Spirit will still be present in the earth, of course, but He will be
taken out of the way in the sense that His unique sin-restraining
ministry—through God’s people—will be removed (see Genesis
6:3).
Second Thessalonians 2 is clear that the removal of the restrainer’s influence precedes the revealing of the Antichrist. Given free rein during the tribulation, the lawless one will “use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders” to deceive the people of the earth (verses 9–10). After the Antichrist’s time is up, the Lord Jesus will return and overthrow the man of sin by “the breath of his mouth and destroy [him] by the splendor of his coming” (verse 8). Evil is restrained right now; once the Church Age ends, the hindrance to evil will be removed, and the rebellion will seem to be winning; however, the ultimate doom of evil is sure.
—————————————————
“Will
there be a great apostasy / falling away during the end times?”
The Bible indicates that there will be a great
apostasy during the end times. The “great apostasy” is mentioned in 2
Thessalonians 2:3. The KJV calls it the “falling away,”
while the NIV and ESV call it “the rebellion.” And that’s what an apostasy
is: a rebellion, an abandonment of the truth. The end times will include a
wholesale rejection of God’s revelation, a further “falling away” of an already
fallen world.
The occasion of Paul’s writing to the Thessalonians
was to correct some of the errors concerning the end times that the believers
had heard from false teachers. Among the falsehoods was that “the day of the
Lord has already come” (2
Thessalonians 2:2). The Christians in Thessalonica were
afraid that Jesus had already come, they had missed the rapture,
and they were now in the tribulation.
Paul had already explained the rapture to them in his first letter (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17).
Paul writes his second letter to assure them that, contrary to what they had
heard, and despite the persecution they were enduring, the “day of Christ” had
not yet come.
In 2
Thessalonians 2:3, Paul makes it clear that the day of
the Lord, a time of worldwide judgment (Isaiah
13:6;
Obadiah
1:15),
will not transpire until two things happen. First, the falling away, or great
apostasy, must occur. Second, the “man of lawlessness” must be revealed, he who
is called the “son of perdition,” also known as the Antichrist.
Once this person makes himself known, the end times will indeed have come.
Numerous speculations about the identity of the man of sin, beginning in the
first century, have included Caligula, Caius Caesar, Mohammed, Napoleon, and
any number of Roman popes. None of them were the Antichrist.
The man of lawlessness, according to 2
Thessalonians 2:4, is the one who “will oppose and will
exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he
sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.” Clearly, this
has not yet happened; no one since Paul’s time has set himself up as God in the
Jewish temple. Two thousand years have passed since the epistle was written,
and the “day of the Lord” has not yet come. Paul assures us that it will not
come until the falling away comes first.
The Greek word translated “rebellion” or “falling
away” in verse 3 is apostasia, from which we get the English word apostasy.
It refers to a general defection from the true God, the Bible, and the
Christian faith. Every age has its defectors, but the falling away at the end
times will be complete and worldwide. The whole planet will be in rebellion
against God and His Christ. Every coup requires a leader, and into this global
apostasy will step the Antichrist. We believe this takes place after
the church has been raptured from the earth.
Jesus warned the disciples concerning the final days in Matthew 24:10–12: “At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.” These are the characteristics of the great apostasy of the end times.
—————————————–
“Are
we living in the end times?”
The Bible prophesies of many events that will occur
in the end times. These events can be categorized as natural signs, spiritual
signs, sociological signs, technological signs, and political signs. We can
look to what the Bible says about these things, and, if the signs are present
in abundance, we can be certain that we are, in fact, living in the end times.
Luke 21:11 lists some of the
natural signs that will occur before Jesus’ second coming: “There will be great
earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and
great signs from heaven.” While we shouldn’t interpret every natural disaster
as a sign of the end times, an increase in natural disasters seems to be a
warm-up to what is coming next—“birth pangs,” as Jesus called them (Matthew
24:8).
The Bible lists both positive and negative spiritual
signs. In 2
Timothy 4:3–4 we discover that many people will
follow false teachers. We see now an increase in cultic groups, heresy,
deception, and occultism, with many choosing to follow New Age or pagan
religions. On the positive side, Joel
2:28–29 prophesies that there will be a great outpouring of
the Holy Spirit. Joel’s prophecy was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts
2:16),
and we are still seeing the effects of that outpouring in revivals and
Spirit-led Christian movements, and in the worldwide preaching of the gospel
message.
Along with the signs in the natural and spiritual
realms, there are signs in society. The immorality rampant in society today is
a symptom of mankind’s rebellion against God. Abortion, homosexuality, drug
abuse, and child molestation are proof that “evildoers and impostors will go
from bad to worse” (2
Timothy 3:13). We are now living in a hedonistic and
materialistic society. People are lovers of themselves—“looking out for number
one”—and doing what is right in their own eyes. All these things, and many more,
can be seen around us every day (see 2
Timothy 3:1–4).
The fulfillment of some end-times prophecies seemed
impossible until the advent of modern technology. Some of the judgments in
Revelation are more easily imagined in a nuclear age. In Revelation
13,
the Antichrist is said to control commerce by forcing people to take the mark of the
beast, and, given today’s advances in computer chip
technology, the tools he will use may very well be here already. And through
the internet, radio, and television, the gospel can now be proclaimed to the
entire world (Mark 13:10).
And there are political signs. The restoration of
Israel to her land in 1948 is the single most impressive fulfilled prophecy
proving that we live in the end times. At the turn of the 20th century, no one
would have dreamed that Israel would be back in her land, let alone occupying
Jerusalem. Jerusalem is definitely at the center of geopolitics and stands
alone against many enemies; Zechariah
12:3
confirms this: “On that day, when all the nations of the earth are gathered
against her, I will make Jerusalem an immovable rock for all the nations. All
who try to move it will injure themselves.” Matthew
24:6–7 predicted that “nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom.” “Wars and rumors of wars” are definitely
characteristic of this present age.
These are just a few of the signs that we are living
in the end of the age. There are many more. God gave us these prophecies
because He does not want anyone to perish, and He always gives ample warning
before pouring out His wrath (2
Peter 3:9).
Are we living in the end times? No one knows when
Jesus will return, but the rapture could occur at any moment. God will deal
with sin either by grace or by wrath. John
3:36
says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the
Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” Those who do not
accept Jesus Christ as their savior will remain under the Lord’s wrath.
The good news is that it’s not too late to choose eternal life. All that is required is acceptance, by faith, of God’s free gift of grace. There is nothing you can do to earn grace; Jesus has paid the price for you (Romans 3:24). Are you ready for the Lord’s return? Or will you experience His wrath?
—————————————–
“Is
it possible for a person to be saved/forgiven after taking the mark of the
beast?”
The mark of the
beast is a mark that will be placed on a person’s
forehead or right hand in the end times as a sign of allegiance to the
Antichrist (Revelation
13:15–18). Further, no one will be allowed to engage in
commerce without the mark (Revelation
13:17). It appears that some form of worship of the
Antichrist is associated with receiving the mark (Revelation
14:9;
16:2), and those who refuse
to worship the image of the beast will be killed (Revelation
13:15).
The question then arises as to whether a person who
has received the mark of the beast can be forgiven. The answer to this question
seems to be “no.” Revelation
14:10–11, describing the fate of someone who takes the mark
of the beast, declares, “He also will drink the wine of God’s wrath, poured
full strength into the cup of his anger, and he will be tormented with fire and
sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And
the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever, and they have no rest, day
or night, these worshipers of the beast and its image, and whoever receives the
mark of its name.”
The eternal destiny of those who take the mark of the beast is the lake of fire. Why is taking the mark of the beast a damnable sin against God? Why would God condemn a person to hell for taking the mark of the beast? It would appear that taking the mark of the beast will be a blasphemous act of willful defiance against God. Receiving the mark of the beast is essentially worshiping Satan. Those who take the mark have made the choice to serve Satan rather than obey God and receive Christ as Savior. When people make that decision during the tribulation, God will grant their request to be eternally separated from Him.
——————————————-
“Is
it possible for a person to get the mark of the beast today?”
The mark of the
beast is some kind of seal that followers of the
Antichrist will take in allegiance to him. The prophecy of Revelation
13:16–17 says that the image
of the beast “forced all people, great and small,
rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on
their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark,
which is the name of the beast or the number of its name.”
We don’t know what this mark will look like. A while
ago, some thought it was a stamp or tattoo of the number 666.
More recently, people thought it might be a bar code. Now a popular speculation
is that the mark of the beast will be an implanted microchip that allows people
to access their digital currency. But we honestly have no way of knowing what
form the mark of the beast will take.
Some people fear that they have already taken the
mark of the beast. They may have blasphemed God at some point or made some impulsive
statement of allegiance to the Antichrist. They may worry
about the chip in their credit card. Others have been told that their act of
worshiping the Lord on Sunday instead of the Sabbath constitutes accepting the
mark of the beast. There is one significant reason why it is impossible to get
the mark of the beast now:
———————————————
The mark of the beast does not exist yet.
Another reason believers in Jesus Christ should not
fear getting the mark of the beast now is the rapture
of the church. In the rapture, Jesus will take all
believers, living and dead, from the earth (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18;
1 Corinthians 15:50–54).
Although people will still come
to know Christ after the rapture, all those who trust
Jesus before the rapture will be taken to be with the Lord. According to pretribulationism,
believers who live in the church age will never have an opportunity to receive
the mark of the beast.
So, there is nothing anyone can do today to get, take, or receive the mark of the beast. Implanted chips, bar codes, tattoos, blaspheming, saying out loud, “I follow the Antichrist and accept the mark of the beast”—none of these will give you the mark of the beast. The mark of the beast cannot exist without the “beast,” or the Antichrist demanding it.
————————————
John MacArthur OUTRAGE: Take the Mark of Beast, still be saved. False Teaching
——————————————
God
calls us all to repent of our sins (Acts
17:30) and have faith in Christ as the full payment of our sins (1
John 2:2). Salvation is gained by receiving the gift God offers us, not by
praying a certain prayer.
Now, that does not mean prayer cannot be involved in receiving salvation. If
you understand the gospel, believe it to be true, and have accepted Jesus as
your salvation, it is good and appropriate to express that faith to God in
prayer. Communicating with God through prayer can be a way to progress from
accepting facts about Jesus to fully trusting in Him as Savior. Prayer can be
connected to the act of placing your faith in Jesus alone for salvation.
Again, though, it is crucially important that you do not base your salvation on having said a prayer. Reciting a prayer cannot save you! If you want to receive the salvation that is available through Jesus, place your faith in Him. Fully trust His death as the sufficient sacrifice for your sins. Completely rely on Him alone as your Savior. That is the biblical method of salvation. If you have received Jesus as your Savior, by all means, say a prayer to God. Tell God how thankful you are for Jesus. Offer praise to God for His love and sacrifice. Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and providing salvation for you. That is the biblical connection between salvation and prayer.
THE PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE
A
SELF-EVIDENT PROMISE
Introduction
Bible prophecy is not a prediction of the future, rather a promise about the future. The Bible contains hundreds of specific prophecies that have been fulfilled in specific ways, all with 100% accuracy. There is no denying that truth. Prophecies of Jesus Christ, Israel and world empires are found throughout the Old and New Testaments. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the most powerful proofs that the Bible is truly the Word of God. Since all of the prophecies that were to be fulfilled in the first coming of Christ were fulfilled to the finest detail, we can be sure that the Bible itself is God’s revelation to man since no human writer could be 100% accurate.
“For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:21
More……………………
http://www.soundchristian.com/prophecy/