Consider This...
Theological Thoughts to Encourage the Heart & Stir the Mind ___________________________________________________
Volume I June 2011 Issue 25
“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. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 KJV
In my opinion, these are some of the most wonderful words Paul ever penned. At the end of the current age or the “Last Days,” we are promised that Jesus is going to come and take his children home with him so we shall EVER be with the Lord.
With the Rapture of the Saints, a timeline is set in motion. This timeline begins with the Rapture and ends at the Millennium. Immediately following the Rapture, believers will be involved in the Judgment Seat of Christ. This judgment is only for believers and is a time when Christ evaluates the works of his own people (1 Corinthians 3:11-4:5). 2 Corinthians 5:10 speaks especially of this judgment. It is important to point out that this judgment has no bearing on salvation since that has been settled. Rather, this is an assessment of works of the believer and is a time of reward for the believer based on the value of those works.
Following this Judgment seat or Bema Seat and before the Second Coming of Christ, we, as believers, will be eternally united with our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the marriage of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).
Those who remained behind on earth will begin what is commonly called the Tribulation Period. In his book, Understanding End Times Prophesy, Paul Benware suggests that it is possible some time may pass before the seven year Tribulation period begins, while necessary alignments and developments take place. According to Daniel 9:24-27, the Antichrist will sign a treaty with the nation of Israel. The signing of this treaty will begin the Tribulation. The Tribulation is broken into two halves, each being 3½ years in length, totaling 7 years.
There are two reasons for the Tribulation. The first portion is to save the nation of Israel. It is intended to bring the nation to a point in which they will respond in a positive way to God’s salvation. There will also be Gentiles coming to Christ during this time as is evidenced in Revelation 7:9-17. The second portion of the Tribulation is a time of trouble and judgment on this earth, such as the world has never seen. Matthew 24:4-28 speaks of this time. In a series of 3 separate judgments, nearly 80 percent of the earth’s population will die. Matthew 24:22 states, “And except those days should be shortened, there would no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.” In other words, if the time were to continue, the devastation and judgment would be so severe that no one would survive.
This is also a unique time for Satan as he will attempt to destroy God’s people who are saved during the Tribulation. His hatred of God will be focused on the people of God during this time. Benware states, “Satan will successfully deceive many on the earth through his use of amazing and powerful signs and wonders, and multitudes will follow him (Matt. 24:21-24; 2 Thess. 2:1-12, and Rev. 13:1-18). But all this will be to no avail. When the time is right, the Lord Jesus will return to the earth and seize control over this planet ONCE AND FOR ALL!”
This time of Tribulation will end when Christ comes to the earth to inaugurate the Millennial Kingdom of the Messiah.
This will be a wonderful time for those believers that are “caught up” with Christ in the Rapture. We will finally see our Savior and daily struggles with sin will have ended. We will finally be with our Savior for all eternity.
How should this knowledge affect our daily lives now? As we think of the Tribulation time, we should be praising God daily that He not only allows His own to escape the eternal judgment of Hell but he also allows us to avoid the terrible time of the Tribulation.
Also, this is going to be a horrible time for those left behind. We are to spend our time now witnessing to those around us, warning them of the punishment to come. Mark 16:14–17, Luke 24:44–49, Acts 1:4–8, and John 20:19–23 all admonish us to GO and teach to those we come into contact with. Teach the gospel, minister to the lost, be examples as believers to a lost and dying world. Matthew 24:36 says, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” Our time to go and our time to teach is now.
Jonathan Halk
J. Dwight Petecost, Things to Come: A Study in Biblical Eschatology (Grand Rapids, MI: Dunham Publishing Company, 1958). 135
Paul N. Benware, Understanding End Times Prophesy: a comprehensive approach (Chicago, IL : Moody Publishers, 1995)
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