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VIII. The Teaching of Jesus to His Disciples in Matthew 24, Compared to The Revelation From Jesus to the Apostle John in Revelation 6. Now we will make a parallel
comparison of Matthew 24 and Revelation 6, and observe how closely
the teaching of Jesus on the 1A. Matthew 24:4-5, 4 And Jesus answered and said to them: “Take heed that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name (1), saying, I am the Christ, and will deceive many (2).” The very first thing Jesus told the disciples, as recorded by Matthew, is “do not be deceived,” and Mark 13 and Luke 21 start the same way. Do you think Jesus thought that this was of such importance, that many would be deceived, that He would make this His first statement? This same phrase is often used by Paul in his teaching on the second coming, as in II Thessalonians 2:3. (II Thessalonians 2:3 Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition,) In Matthew 24,verses 4 and 5, Jesus tells us of two (2) happenings that must occur before the Rapture. 1B. Revelation 6:1-2, 1 Now I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals; and I heard one of the four living creatures saying with a voice like thunder, “Come and see.” 2 And I looked, and behold, a white horse. He who sat on it had a bow; and a crown was given to him and he went out conquering and to conquer. In the beginning of the seventieth week of Daniel, there is a wonderful period of false peace on earth as a result of the guarantee by Antichrist. And in Heaven Jesus, who was the only one above, on, or below the earth that was worthy to break the seals, opened the first seal on the scroll, the title deed to earth, as He patiently awaits the timing for His and God’s Day of Wrath against Satan and the peoples of the earth, which is surely coming. One of the four living creatures commands with a voice like thunder, Come and See! or Be Going! (Revelation 4:6-8, 6 Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures full of eyes in front and in back. 7 The first living creature was like a lion, the second living creature like a calf, the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”) This must have been a very loud announcement so that everyone in heaven, and perhaps on earth, would know a monumentous event was about to take place, the beginning of the end times, Daniel’s seventieth week. John looked and a white horse left the scene in Heaven, with the permission of God the Father, and the rider had a bow, the symbol of war, but no arrows are mentioned, perhaps indicating a bloodless coup. A crown was given to him, and he went to earth conquering and to conquer, and to deceive everyone on earth. The four horses and their riders do not represent certain individuals, but rather forces and the character of the rider. The white horse could be interpreted as the spirit of conquest. Some have interpreted this rider to be none other than the Antichrist himself, or the spirit of conquest, and he goes forth on a white horse to conquer, bent on conquest, and mimics, or deceives, those who see him that he might even be the true Christ (Matthew 24:4-5, “come in My name—and will deceive many”). Christ also leaves Heaven, sometime later, on a white horse, to judge and make war. Read this amazing description in Revelation 19:11-16. (Revelation 19:11 Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war.) Note that the first rider was given a crown by someone in the Heavenly scene, not a gold crown, but a laurel wreath, a crown often given to a winning athlete, perhaps indicating he conquers the earth as well as the loyalty and hearts of it’s inhabitants. 2A. Matthew 24:6-7a, 6 And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. 7a For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Jesus told the disciples, in those days you will hear of wars and rumors of wars (1), but not to be troubled, and nation will rise against nation (2), and kingdom (groups of nations) against kingdom (3). All these things must come to pass, but there are still a lot of things to happen before the end. In the above verses, Jesus tells us of three (3) more happenings that must occur before the Rapture. 2B. Revelation 6:3-4, 3 When He opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature saying, “Come and see.” 4 Another horse, fiery red, went out. And it was granted to the one who sat on it to take peace from the earth, and that people should kill one another, and there was given to him a great sword. Then Jesus opened the second seal on the scroll, as he again patiently awaits His and God’s time for their Day of Wrath, and the second living creature cried out, Come and See! And John saw another horse, fiery red, symbolizing bloodshed, leave the scene in Heaven. It was granted to the one who sat thereon, or he was given permission from God the Father in Heaven, to take the wonderful peace from the earth, and the rider had a great sword, and would create worldwide war, and the inhabitants of earth would kill one another (make war), a violent slaughter everywhere. 3A. Matthew 24:7b And there will be famines, Jesus continues to narrate the future and told the disciples there would be famines (1) over the earth. In this verse, Jesus tells us of one (1) happening that must occur before the Rapture. 3B. Revelation 6:5-6, 5 When He opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come and see.” So I looked, and behold, a black horse, and he who sat on it had a pair of scales in his hand. 6 And I heard a voice in the midst of the four living creatures saying, “A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius, and do not harm the oil and the wine.” And Jesus the Lamb opened the third seal, again as He patiently waits for His and God’s Day of Wrath to begin, and the third living creature cried out, Come and See! And John looked and saw a black horse, symbolizing famine, leaving the scene in Heaven, and the rider had a pair of scales in his hand, as it were to ration out the dwindling supply of food and nourishment on earth, indicating there was a great famine on the earth. And John heard a voice from the midst of the four living creatures say that on earth there would be famine so terrible that a quart of wheat, which is one days food supply, or three quarts of barley (animal feed), would sell for a denarius, a days’ wage, and those on earth should protect their supply of oil and wine. 4A. Matthew 24:7c-14, 7c…pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of sorrows (not the Great Tribulation). 9 Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and kill you, and you will be hated by all nations for My name’s sake ( Jesus). 10 And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. 11 Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. 12 And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. 13 But he who endures to the end shall be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Jesus continues the Olivet discourse, telling the disciples that on earth there would be pestilences (1), and earthquakes in various places (2), and all of these things are just the beginning of sorrows, or the beginning of birth pangs. Antichrist and the rulers on earth would deliver us (3), the elect, up to tribulation, to kill us (4), and that we are going to be hated by all the nations on earth (5) for Jesus’ name’s sake. Many will be offended and betray one another (6), and will hate one another (7). Many false prophets will arise and deceive many (8), and the great lawlessness on earth will cause the love of many to grow cold (9). But the ones who “endure to the end” would be saved, rescued, or delivered. The gospel would be preached to the entire world (10) first, and then the end (of the church age) would soon come. This could be the angel that John saw flying in the midst of Heaven, giving the gospel to every nation on earth (read this account in XVII Revelation 14). This takes the timeline to the exact middle of the seven years, and there are still 1260 days remaining. In Mark 13:9-13, the description as recalled by Mark from the Holy Spirit is even much more vivid. (Mark 13:9-13, 9 “But watch out for yourselves, for they will deliver you up to councils, and you will be beaten in the synagogues. You will be brought before rulers and kings for My sake, for a testimony to them.” 10 And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations. 11 But when they arrest you and deliver you up, do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak. But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Now brother will betray brother to death, and father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 13 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.) Mark records that we, the elect, should watch out, because we are going to be delivered to councils, beaten in synagogues (and churches), and brought before rulers, for Jesus’ name’s sake, for a testimony before the rulers. By the way, you can be sure this account is not addressed to the Jews as we have been taught. In the above paragraph and in the previous sentence, these tribulations are brought against the elect because we defend the name of Jesus. Again, the unbelieving Jews would never, never defend the name of Jesus because they have no relationship whatsoever with Jesus now or at this future time, and the name of Jesus is not to be a part of their vocabulary. But we can take heart, because when they arrest the elect and deliver us to the authorities, Jesus tells us not to worry ahead of time, or even think about what we will say to defend ourselves. In that hour it will not be us speaking, but the Holy Spirit (proof that He is still on earth and did not leave in a pre-tribulation rapture) will give us words to speak. Remember how neighbors and friends turned the Jewish people in to the Gestapo pre-holocaust? Mark and Luke record that the Antichrist, and his followers, will know who the elect are because brother will betray brother, fathers their children, children will rise up against parents, and friends and relatives will betray all so that we might be put to death, and we will be hated by all for Jesus’ name’s sake. And this is “just the beginning of sorrows”, before the “Great Tribulation.” But Mark also gives the encouragement that the ones who “endure to the end,” and many will, shall be saved, rescued, or delivered. In the above eight verses in Matthew, Jesus describes another ten (10) happenings that must occur before the Rapture. 4B. Revelation 6:7-8, 7 When He opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature saying, “Come and see.” 8 So I looked, and behold, a pale horse. And the name of him who sat on it was Death, and Hades followed with him. And power was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. Jesus opened the fourth seal, still patiently waiting for the time of His and God’s Day of Wrath, and the voice of the fourth living creature cried out, Come and See! And John looked, and saw a pale, or ashen green, horse, symbolizing death, leave the scene in Heaven, and the rider was Death, and Hades followed with him. They were authorized by God to have power over a fourth of the earth, and only one fourth, to kill with the sword, with hunger, with death, and by the beasts of the earth. It does not say they actually killed a fourth of the inhabitants of the earth, or where or who would make up this fourth, but you can be sure, killings will be rampant. And we know that the soon to be declared Antichrist, at the direction of Satan, is not killing those who worship and follow him. Satan’s wrath will be directed at his opposition, his hated ones, the Jewish people and the elect and everyone else who opposes what he is doing on earth. And perhaps he might even use atomic weaponry and kills on a helter-skelter basis, or uses natural catastrophes. There will be many others who will oppose him, who will also be recipients of his hate and death. If one-fourth of the inhabitants on earth were killed, it could be 1½ billion bodies—What a catastrophe! 5A.
Matthew 24:15-26, 15 “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination
of desolation’, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing
in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand), 16 “then
let those who are in We know
the observing Jewish people in Those days will be a terrible time. The Antichrist, now that Satan and his angels have been defeated and thrown out of Heaven, will lead his followers, as directed by Satan, to slayings and killings all over earth. Jesus told the disciples that unless God stopped it, no flesh would be saved. Then Jesus told the disciples, in Matthew 24:22, that God is going to have mercy on His children, the elect, (plus the Jewish remnant) and those days will be stopped, shortened, amputated, for the sake of the elect, i.e. us. (Matthew 24:22 And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days will be shortened.) Whether this “stopping” will be after a few months, twelve months, eighteen months, or two years or more after the beginning of the Great Tribulation, or even just a matter of weeks after the Antichrist desecrates the temple and goes on his killing rampage, only God Himself knows the hour, the very moment. Not even Jesus, His son, knows the moment of rapture. (Matthew 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.) To add to the great confusion, Jesus tells us further that at this time, there would be many false christs and false prophets claiming to be our Christ, and they will perform such great signs and wonders as to deceive, if possible, even the very elect (3). Then, in verse 25, almost parenthetically, Jesus said, “See, I have told you beforehand.” Yes, now you (the disciples) have just been let in on a short but rather complete prophetical description of future history. In the above 12 verses, there are another three (3) happenings that must transpire before the Rapture. 5B. Revelation 6:9-11, 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. In these three verses in Revelation, we do not see a corresponding action of the “great tribulation” which Jesus was prophesying about to His disciples in Matthew 24:15-26 (see above). But what we are told about, and what John saw, are some of the results of the Great Tribulation, and Antichrist making war against the saints. (see Revelation 13:7 It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them. And authority was given him over every tribe, tongue, and nation.) All of this killing action is now taking place on earth, and the new souls whose bodies were killed are now making their appearance in Heaven because of the name of Jesus they claimed. John writes in verse 9, that he saw Jesus open the fifth seal, and John “saw under the alter (in heaven) the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held” (Revelation 6:9 see above). Positively, this cannot be God’s wrath because there is no action of “wrath” on God’s part whatsoever. God will not be killing His elect. Note that John saw souls only, souls that “had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held.” But he did not see bodies. The “Rapture” hadn’t taken place as yet then, or John would have seen the souls reunited with their glorified bodies. But John saw only souls. These souls are crying out, asking the Lord, how long yet before He would avenge their blood that was shed at the hands of those who dwell on earth. It is not specified that these souls John saw were only those coming out of the great tribulation. It is more likely that all those who died in Christ since He established His Church at His first coming were also included. Remember, hundreds of thousands of Christians are being killed yearly right now, plus untold millions from history past that were martyred and shed their blood for their faith, plus the many hundreds of millions more who simply died as believers. All of these souls are then given a white robe, and the Lord told them to rest a little while longer until the total number, the exact number which He already knew in His divine wisdom, would also be killed, completing His plan and timing. This takes us up to the most exciting moments in all the history of the world, as recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke and Revelation. 6A. Matthew 24:27-31, 27 For as the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 28 For wherever the carcass is, there the eagles will be gathered together. 29 Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. 31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Jesus continues His teaching and prophesying as to what is to happen before he gathers the elect. In these five verses, some 144 words, Jesus gave a complete, but brief, description of the second coming, and His gathering together of His elect, and the events associated with it. The
word gather, not rapture, is used often in this presentation because
this is the term Jesus Himself used in referring to that occasion
when He gathers the elect to be with Him in Heaven as He said in
verse 31. Paul also used
this terminology in II Thessalonians 2:1 where he said, “our gathering
together to Him.” (II Thessalonians 2:1 Now, brethren, concerning
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together
to Him, we ask you,) The Greek word used is “episunaeo”, and is defined
as: 1, to gather together beside; 2, to bring together to others
already assembled; or 3, to gather together in one place. In eight different translations of the New Testament,
this word is translated “gather”.
The word appears only nine times in all of scripture, and
it is Jesus speaking in Matthew Jesus then paints a word picture for their minds, and said His coming will resemble, or be similar to, lightning that comes from the east and flashes to the west. When God the Father finally decides that enough is enough of the Great Tribulation, and when Satan has martyred the last saint that God will allow him to martyr, Jesus tells the disciples that immediately, with no time to be wasted, after the Great Tribulation of those days, the sun will be darkened (1), the moon will not give its light (2), the stars will fall from heaven (3), and the powers of the heavens will be shaken (4). Mark wrote almost an identical description. Matthew then wrote that Jesus said THE SIGN of the Son of Man’s coming will then appear in heaven (see verse 30). When the gathering, or Rapture, takes place at this moment, and the elect are removed from the scene on earth, God’s “day of the Lord wrath” could commence within days, after a brief pause, which we will describe later. Earth is now only moments, hours,
or whatever short period of time God the Father decides before Jesus’
victory in In the book of Acts, the author Luke wrote in chapter 2:17-21 that Peter, in addressing the men of Judea, told them about the last days and quotes almost word for word from Joel 2 that the sun would be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the Lord. (Acts 2:17-21, 17 ‘And it shall come to pass in the last days, says God, that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. 18 And on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days; and they shall prophesy. 19 I will show wonders in heaven above and signs in the earth beneath: blood and fire and vapor of smoke. 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord. 21 And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’) This is important, because we have two scripture references that tell us what we are about to look at must happen before his gathering, or Rapture, of the elect and the Day of the Lord. In the above verses, there are another four (4) events Jesus said would happen before He gathers together His elect. 6B. Revelation 6:12-17, 12 I looked when He opened the sixth seal, and behold, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became like blood. 13 and the stars of heaven fell to the earth, as a fig tree drops its late figs when it is shaken by a mighty wind. 14 Then the sky receded as a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island was moved out of its place. 15 And the kings of the earth, the great men, the rich men, the commanders, the mighty men, every slave and every free man, hid themselves in the caves and in the rocks of the mountains. 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?” As a part of our presentation of the comparative scripture in Revelation that describes this event, please allow me to describe to you a birds-eye picture of what I conceive in my mind this cosmic disturbance/rapture scene will be like on earth, all based on scripture, and describe what this time will be like for those living through the end of this church age. I know many who read this will have seen movies about the end times and will have read reams of fictional story books about those left on earth after the Rapture. But please, let me give you what I believe to be a correct, scriptural, non-fictional, and very different picture of end time events, as described to us by Jesus. The second coming events we described above in the five verses of Matthew 24:27-31 are repeated almost identically in these six verses in Revelation 6:12-17. We just read above that the
sun will be darkened. Some teach that this will be the result of atomic
bombs, or stars hitting earth and creating great dust storms, or
whatever. God spoke into
existence (see Genesis Chapter 1) the sun, moon and stars, and since
He created them with such ease, let us allow Him to perform this
tremendous miracle without complying with what our finite minds
can dream up as to why or how the light from the sun will be darkened.
According to Revelation 6:12, John saw Jesus open the sixth
seal, and the first event he wrote about after the opening was a
great earthquake (the
first of five earthquakes in Revelation). This verse does not indicate if this affects
the entire earth, but we confirmed that indeed it does in our description
of The sun became black as sackcloth
of hair and the moon became like blood.
The moon will be dark because there is no sunshine to reflect.
Amos in his Old Testament prophecy said in Chapter 5, verses
18 Woe to you who desire the day of the Lord! For what good is
the day of the Lord to you? It will be darkness, and not light.
19 It will be as though a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him!
Or as though he went into the house, leaned his hand on the wall,
and a serpent bit him! 20 Is not the day of the Lord darkness, and
not light? Is it not very dark, with no brightness
in it? The entire earth
will be “very dark.” We also
read in Joel 2:1b-2a, 1b For the day of the Lord is coming, for
it is at hand: 2a A day of darkness and gloominess,
a day of clouds and thick darkness, Like morning clouds
spread over the mountains. We are told this will be a time of “thick darkness.”
The stars of Heaven are going to fall to (or on, or upon,
in different translations) the earth, and will likely wreck great
havoc. In eight translations,
all eight translated the Greek word as stars, and all said they
would fall ‘on’ earth. Most
stars are much larger than earth, and if these stars were to hit
earth there would likely be nothing left.
I read that an asteroid 1,000 feet in diameter recently missed
earth by 500,000 miles, and if it would have hit Jesus revealed to John in Revelation 6:13,14 (see above), that the stars will fall like unripe figs blown by a strong wind (perhaps inferring they fall grudgingly and selectively), and the sky will recede like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every (in eight translations, seven translate it every, and one, all) mountain and island on earth will be moved out of its place (it is not clear if this is the result of the “great” earthquake described above or the result of the falling stars). What an unimaginable description of coming events, not my words, but those direct from Jesus to John. We read in Revelation 6:14-16 that all those on earth who witness these events will hide “themselves in caves, and in the rocks of the mountains, and they will say to the mountains and rocks, fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath (soon to come) of the Lamb.” Pre-tribulation supporters teach us that all the events in Revelation 6 to this point are the wrath of God, but even the unsaved acknowledge the “wrath” of God hasn’t taken place yet but is about to, as revealed to John from Jesus in Revelation 6:16. Jesus does not reveal in His description to John in these verses just when the “gathering together”, or Rapture, takes place in this Revelation sequence, but it must be between verses 16 and 17. In Revelation 6:16-17, after the first 3½ years and some additional time of unknown duration into the “Great Tribulation,” Jesus revealed to John in verse 16 that the unsaved cry out, hide us from the wrath of the Lamb which is at hand, and in verse 17, as translated in seven of eight translations, we are told the great day of “their” (the unsaved) wrath has come. (Revelation 6:16-17, 16 and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb! 17 For the great day of His wrath has come, and who is able to stand?”) In other words, verse 16 says the wrath of the Lamb is at hand, close, and verse 17 says “their” wrath, the wrath God had promised throughout the Old and New Testaments to punish the unsaved, has come, and who is able to stand. Jesus gave this same timing of His “gathering together” to the disciples in Matthew 24:29-31 (see 6A), and these verses do say the Rapture took place at the end of the cosmic disturbance, which is the same cosmic disturbance described in the sixth seal. I can already hear many of the great scholars of today argue, challenge, and write rebuttals, in defense of their very different positions. Please do not argue with me whether or not this sequence is correct. Argue with Jesus Himself, and tell Him He is wrong, and that you are teaching a more correct sequence of end time events. I have carefully tried to lay out the teaching of Jesus in His discourse to His disciples in Matthew 24, and correlate it as closely as possible with the Revelation of this same Jesus to the Apostle John in the first six seals in Revelation 6. Jesus, as it is recorded in Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21, and Revelation 6, said very emphatically that all these things He taught had to take place, in addition to the SIGN, BEFORE the moment of His “gathering together” of His precious elect. To my knowledge, I know of no other scripture reference where Jesus Himself gives any other sequence or timing of events that say the rapture, “gathering together,” will take place in any other order than what I am presenting to you. Yes, it is correct that His coming takes place before the “wrath of God,” but it is proved with Jesus’ own words that the “wrath of God” does not take place until the time Jesus says it will in Revelation 6:17 (See XVIII. TIMELINE STUDY) Now the whole earth is black, no light is shining from the heavens anywhere on earth, and the earth has just experienced a great earthquake that perhaps knocked out much of earths’ capacity to create electricity for artificial light. Scripture does not say if this darkness will last for a few moments, hours, or even days. It cannot last very long, since without the benefit of the heat from the shining of the sun, all the inhabitants on earth would apparently freeze to death. By now, for certain, the attention of everyone on earth is now totally centered on this event, and great fear is gripping every heart. The author Luke describes this as a time when men’s hearts will fail them from fear and from the expectation of “those things, which are coming on the earth.” (Luke 21:26 men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.) The hearts of the elect, the Christians, are excepted from this fear, because they have anticipated and anxiously waited for this moment when they would be rescued from the Great Tribulation and are looking forward to meeting their Savior in the air. They have been “overcoming” and anticipating this moment, and have been waiting through all of these events Jesus had prophesied, and can hardly wait to see His blessed appearance. This will be true if they were properly taught the scriptures by their pastors and teachers, and were properly prepared for this moment in history. What a shame if they had been misled and “deceived” during the church age. We have all seen the half-time extravaganzas, such as at the super bowl, when the whole stadium becomes relatively dark. In a matter of a few minutes, extravagant scenery changes take place, some two and three stories high, and hundreds upon hundreds of participants take their place on the field under the cover of semi-darkness. Then at the exact proper moment, the whole stadium becomes brilliantly lighted, and the star performers have all the spotlights focused on them. Or it could be a large auditorium, and just before the program is to begin, all the lights are turned off. At the proper moment, there could be a trumpet introduction, the stage curtains are opened, and the star performer or speaker takes his or her place and all the spotlights come on and are brilliantly shining on the guest. Friends, the greatest presentation you have ever seen, or that has ever been performed on earth, pales in comparison to what God has planned. Talk about scenery changes: picture in your mind God creating a great earthquake over all of the earth; making it so dark over the whole earth that it seems thick; all the mountains and islands on earth being moved from their place; trumpets being blown by the angels and heard over all the earth; Jesus descending from Heaven with a loud shout which can be heard over all the earth; and every eye on earth seeing the brightness of His SIGN and appearing. That should get you excited! Since nothing like this has ever occurred before, the unsaved will be frightened to death in anticipation, and fearful of what is to happen next. At the very moment of God’s choosing, and to make sure God the Father has everyone’s attention, there will be the great sound of a trumpet, the trumpet of assembly, and the flashing of a bright light, perhaps even simultaneously. (as the trumpet calling the children of Israel to the foot of Mt. Sinai to meet with God, gathering them together in Exodus 19:16-17, 16 Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. 17 And Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain.) The black sky around the entire earth will be illuminated, as lightning shines from east to west. The light will be a supernatural light, the manifestation of Gods’ glory. When John saw Jesus in Revelation 1:16, he said His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength. (Revelation 1:16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance was like the sun shining in its strength.) THIS IS HIS SIGN that He had promised, and now all the tribes of the earth will mourn, realizing their last chance for Salvation is likely forever gone, as they see His coming. (Revelation 14:9-11, 9 Then a third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives his mark on his forehead or on his hand, 10 he himself shall also drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out full strength into the cup of His indignation. They shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the Holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. 11 And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” and also in Matthew 24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn; and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Revelation 1:7 Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen.) Since Jesus (the God Son), God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit are one and are omnipresent, all the tribes on earth, every inhabitant on this terrestrial ball, will see the Son of Man descending and coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. This is no secret happening! Most of us have heard preachers say that because of the wonders of television, and the worldwide reporting capabilities of organizations like CNN and FOX, this is how earth’s inhabitants will be made aware of this secret event. You can forget that. God has just orchestrated the greatest “presenting” display in all of recorded history to announce the coming of His precious Son, JESUS. This event will not only be the most spectacular visual presentation ever, it will also be loud, and no one will sleep through it. Paul wrote in I Thessalonians 4:16-17, that “the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God.” (I Thessalonians 4:16-17, 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.) When everyone on earth has seen this tremendous display, after the SIGN and the trumpet sound, Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:31 “and they (the angels) will “gather together” (Jesus definition) His elect (us) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matthew 24:31 And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect, from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.) And the dead in Christ from all history will rise first, and together with the elect, the believers, those who are alive and remain, shall be caught up to meet their Savior in the air, all will be given glorified bodies, then carried away to Heaven where the resurrected dead will be reunited with their souls awaiting them in glory. (Revelation 7:9-10, 9 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands, 10 and crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”) This blessed occasion is further reaffirmed in I Thessalonians 4:17b “And thus we shall always be with the Lord.” Doesn’t it make you excited to know that if our names are written in the Lambs’ book of life, He will make sure no one is left behind? Care has been taken that this entire description was made as accurately as I could make it, from the scriptures mentioned, and I trust with no exaggeration. As we discussed previously, after the gathering and Jesus’ victory in Battle Two, the “day of the Lord” wrath and judgment commences and consists of the seven trumpet and seven bowl judgments, and this “day of the Lord” will be as a “thief in the night” to the unsaved. [ Top ]
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