The “End Times” – 4
A Look into the Immediate Future
Dr. Roger G. Ford, Ph.D., P.E.
dr-ford.net
April 2018

Introduction

You have heard me say that I expect the Rapture any day! The reason? Number one would be we get to be with Jesus our Lord! The second would be the Jews will get God’s full attention on them accepting their Messiah as Lord and Savior! The third would be that the unrighteousness of this world, the evil of this world, will be addressed directly by God through the Wrath of God being brought! So, exactly why do I, and many others including most of you, think the Rapture is so near? This proof is found in the End Times prophecies of the New Testament when read in conjunction with the End Times prophecies in the Old Testament. Full understanding of End Times prophecy is impossible without this understanding!

The Rapture requires nothing to occur before it can take place, unlike virtually every other End Time prophecy. We cannot know the day or the hour of the Rapture. Mark 13:28-32 says, “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when her branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is near: so ye in like manner, when ye shall see these things come to pass, know that it is nigh, even at the doors. Verily I say unto you, that this generation shall not pass, till all these things be done. Heaven and earth shall pass away: but My words shall not pass away. But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.” This set of verses echoed in Matthew and Luke clear up any notion that we can know the exact day or hour of the Rapture and what follows. But, we CAN know the general time through a close examination of many of the New Testament prophecies, especially this one in Mark.

First of all, the fig tree (Mark 13:28) is symbolic of Israel. Hosea 9:10 says, “When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.” Later, the Bible tells us of the glorious time when “Judah and Israel lived in safety, every man under his vine and his fig tree, from Dan even to Beersheba, all the days of Solomon.” (1 Kings 4:25) Israel is celebrating their 70th anniversary this year of becoming an independent nation after 1,813 years without a country. This fruit of the fig tree and impossible fact, yet true reality, shouts to us that we are, indeed, in the End Times.

The “things come to pass” (Mark 13:29) are the various signs that Jesus told His disciples about when they asked Him when the Temple would be completely removed, every stone, and what sign would foretell of His Second Coming (Mark 13:4), signs such as wars and rumors of wars, many false Christs, nation rising against nation and separations within nations, earthquakes, and famines. Jesus said when you see these signs, then He is even “at the doors”.

Mark 13:30 reveals that the very generation that sees these signs (Israel becoming a nation, wars and rumors of wars, etc.) will not pass away (all die out) until the Rapture and the Tribulation begin. Then, Jesus says in Mark 13:32 that no man, not even the angels in Heaven, know the exact day. Of course, Jesus knows NOW when He is calling us upward and when He will return. He did not know the date and probably did not want to reveal the date when He was walking the earth with His disciples. And, Hebrews 10:24 and 25 admonishes us to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as we have not done this evening, but to provoke and exhort one another to love and good works AS WE SEE THE DAY APPROACHING! So, we CAN know the general time of the Rapture after all!

Last time, we finished up looking at many of the End Times prophecies we find in the Old Testament. If anything, this should show us, since we had to take two meetings to cover what the Old Testament had to tell us concerning what the Lord has to say about His people Israel, His land Israel, and His Church, that the Old Testament is current and applicable to our lives just as the New Testament is.

Our faith is enhanced in the knowledge that God’s Word in its entirety, both Old and New Testaments, is a cohesive, complete book of history, a unified story of the redemption of mankind’s reconciliation with God, a restoration volume enabling those who accept Christ’s sacrificial death and resurrection to see clearly that God’s Plan for our future is exciting, is eternal, is full of joy and wonder, and is also quite terrifying to the majority of men and women who do not accept Christ as Savior and Lord.

Tonight, we will look at many of the New Testament End Time prophecies and how they refer amazingly back to their Old Testament counterparts. Time will not allow us to consider all of the New Testament prophecies in detail, that must come through your personal studies. We will see that full understanding of what God wants us to know and share with our loved ones, our acquaintances, those we meet in our lives that God brings to us, depends upon our complete grasp of the entire Bible and what God has to say about the End Times. We will realize that God wants us, His Church, to know His Plan for our future so that we can experience the joy of His salvation NOW. So that we can appreciate fully what Jesus has done for us, what we have accepted from Jesus, and what that means in total, meaning what is in store for us in our future, but also what kind of a future those who reject Jesus Christ are facing, both Jew and Gentile alike.

New Testament End Time Prophecies

We start with Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These three books all present the “same sight”, the synoptic view (“syn” is same and “optic” is sight) or the same approach to revealing what happened to Jesus while He was here on earth. John’s Gospel, on the other hand, focuses on the deity of Christ and many other aspects of His life that the synoptic Gospels do not. In all three of the synoptic Gospels, or those three books that contain much the same details of Jesus’ life here on earth, Jesus answers His disciples’ questions found in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 by listing signs foretelling of His return. Those signs in Matthew are false christs, wars and rumors of wars, nations rising against nations, ethnic and philosophical differences (kingdom against kingdom), famines, pestilences, earthquakes, false prophets, love waxing cold or love for one another decreasing rapidly, and the spreading of the Gospel worldwide which could only happen in this time of satellites, cell phones, and the internet.

Mark adds that there will be persecution of Christians to a great degree, but, when that comes, believers are to not worry what to say because the Holy Spirit will give them what to do and say. Luke adds that fearful sights and great signs will come from heaven. All three synoptic Gospels address the coming of the Tribulation, Matthew and Mark specifically warn of the Abomination of Desolation from Daniel 9:27 and referred to in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-10 when Antichrist comes into the restored Temple and declares himself to be God. Then, all three books relate the Second Coming of Jesus with great glory, and Matthew and Mark say if Jesus did not stop the Battle of Armageddon in Revelation 19, all flesh would perish because of the great rebellion against God.

Matthew Chapter 24 gives the overview of Jesus judging the nations in the sheep and goat judgment that immediately precedes the start of Christ’s Millennial reign on the earth. Matthew 24:40,41 says, “Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left; two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and the other left. Luke 17:34-36 addresses the same subject, “I tell you, in that night there will be two (men) in one bed; the one will be taken and the other will be left. Two (women) will be grinding together the one will be taken and the other left. Two (men) will be in the field; the one will be taken and the other left.”

This set of verses deeply resonates with many Evangelicals today as they look forward to the Rapture – the day (they say) that Christ comes near the earth to take his people away to heaven with him. But who will actually be taken and why? The assumption that Rapture-believers incorrectly impose upon these verses is that those who “are taken” are the faithful people of God, being taken away to safety by Christ so that the judgment of condemnation can be dealt out on the sinners who “are left behind” on the earth. But, and extremely import and significant, context clears up this misreading very quickly. Back up and look at verse Matthew 24:37. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away.” That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left…”

Our Lord is making a comparison between the Day of His Return, His Second Coming, and the Flood in Noah’s time. Apart from the huge battle of Armageddon occurring in Israel with millions willing and confident to fight against the King of kings and Lord of lords, life will be going on as usual until, all of a sudden, the wicked or unredeemed are taken away. Where? To hell or hades. Why? Because Jesus is about to set up His Millennial Kingdom, and only believers can enter. Just as the flood swept away the sinners who rejected God in Noah’s day, so too will the Judgment sweep away the sinners who reject God at the end of our present age.

It’s the sinners who are being “taken away,” unlike the Rapture! Several times throughout Jesus’ teachings he compares the Kingdom of God to a house or a banquet: when people are faithful to him, they are allowed to stay with God there forever. When people reject him, he will return “at an hour they do not expect” and they are “cast out” where there is “weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 21:40-41, 22:13, 24:50-51, 25:10-13, 25:30, 25:46).
So, since we believe in the Rapture, we know that these verses do not describe the event of Jesus taking away his faithful people. Rather, this is a picture of the judgment of those who reject God, and their separation from the inheritance of eternal life at the end of this age.

I Corinthians Chapter 15 we learn of Christ’s reign in the Millennium and Christ’s complete victory over death. We also learn of the “twinkling of an eye” speed at which the Rapture will occur. The trumpet of God will sound, then we shall all be changed from corruption to incorruption, from sinners to non-sinners, from mortal to immortal. We also get the most comprehensive description of the new bodies we all will receive at the Rapture, both the dead physically in Christ and the living that are in Christ at that soon coming time. Our present bodies are made of the dust of the earth, corruption from Adam’s sin; but, at the Rapture, since we ae in Christ, our bodies will “put on” incorruption” and immortality. We will get a resurrection body like Jesus has had since the Resurrection so long ago. This solidifies Jesus’ victory over sin and death since we will live and reign with Jesus forevermore.

II Corinthians 5:9 and 10 tell of the Bema Judgment Seat of Christ which is also mentioned in Romans 4:10 – 12. What is the Bema Seat? A bema seat is a throne of judgment used by kings throughout the ages. Jesus’ Bema Seat is His evaluation of believers and what each has done for Him. First of all, we, as believers, will not see God’s Wrath nor punishment of sins because we have accepted Jesus’ death on the cross and resurrection from the dead as substitutionary payment for our sins. And, since we are children of light and not of darkness (1 John 1:7 and 1 Thessalonians 5:5), we are not to see God’s Wrath (1 Thessalonians 5:9). This means we are raptured before the Tribulation, will not be punished for our sins because of Christ’s sacrifice, but, we will be judged for what we did for Christ after salvation. That is the Bema Seat of Christ that occurs just after the Rapture. Our works will be evaluated whether we have built upon the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ with gold, silver, and precious stones, or with wood, hay, and stubble. Obviously, and since we know all our sins are forgiven, this judgment is focused on what we have done in Jesus’ Name and not our own. If gold, silver, precious stones, then reward is given; if wood, hay, stubble, then those things done were not for Jesus and will be burned up, suffer loss, but will still be in Heaven!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 describes the Rapture of the Church or all believers in Jesus Christ from His resurrection until that very day. Some ask the question about the Old Testament believers before Christ like Abraham, Noah, Moses, Mary and Martha, and all the others. Do they get new bodies like ours at the same time? The answer is no, not until the Second Coming. At the end of the Tribulation, Jesus Christ will return with all of the Christians who died during the church age or who were alive at the time of the Rapture. This occurs prior to the tribulation period (Revelation 19:11-15). After Jesus defeats the armies of the Anti-Christ (Revelation 19:19-21), Jesus then resurrects all of the bodies of those Christians who died during the Tribulation and all of the Old Testament saints. Revelation 20:4 includes the Tribulation saints.

“And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given to them. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of the testimony of Jesus and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark upon their forehead and upon their hand; and they came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.” (Revelation 20:4)

The prophet Daniel predicted that the Old Testament saints would be resurrected when he said, “And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book, will be rescued. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the ground will awake, these to everlasting life, but the others to disgrace and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:1-2) See what I mean by the New Testament and the Old Testament correlating perfectly?

Today’s disappointing and dramatic refusal and rejection of Christ is a sign of the End Times. 2 Thessalonians Chapter 1 reveals Jesus Second Coming to take vengeance on those who do not know God and do not know or obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 says that the Day of the Lord, “that” day, will not come before a great falling away from God as well as a removal of believers occurs. Then and only then will the man of sin, the son of perdition, the Antichrist, will be revealed and exalt himself as God.

2 Timothy Chapter 3 is perhaps the best description of our world today, of its corruption, of its blatant sin against God, of its outright arrogance and evil. “But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)

2 Timothy Chapter 4 has Paul warning Timothy, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because that have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” Paul mentions the coming of Christ three times in Chapter 4 of 2 Timothy.

2 Peter Chapter 3 tells us of this world that was judged by water in Noah’s Flood some 4400 years ago will one day be destroyed by fire along with all the heavens. Then, Jesus will create a new Heaven and a new earth for us to live in forever (Revelation 21:1, Isaiah 65:17, and Isaiah 66:22)

1 and 2 John have references to the Antichrist, the only places in the Bible that actually use the name Antichrist. Elsewhere, he is called the beast or the son of perdition and others. 2 Peter 3 and Jude both speak about scoffers and apostates in the church and outside of the church about the End Times, the Second Coming, the Rapture, the Tribulation, all of End Times prophecy as already happened, could never happen, will not happen. Pretty much describes what we hear when we listen to the mainstream news, doesn’t it?

Before we get to the book of Revelation, we need to address one of the elephants in the room, Israel. The book of Revelation covers what we call the Tribulation which is Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel Chapter 9), and the Tribulation is primarily for Israel since Jeremiah 30:7 calls it the time of Jacob’s trouble. There is a considerable amount of false teaching within the church today that Israel is no longer important, that the Church of Jesus Christ has replaced Israel (Replacement Theology or Supersessionism). Proper and thorough study of God’s Word shows this to be not only false but ridiculous and, indeed, blasphemous. The Covenant made by God with the Patriarchs included the everlasting possession of the land of Israel. This promise was made to Abraham (Genesis 12:7, 13:15 & 17, 17:8) and was confirmed to Isaac (Genesis26:3), and then to Jacob (Genesis 28:13), the father of the twelve tribes of Israel. There is no indication that God “transmuted” the promise of ownership of the land to a “spiritual inheritance” by the Church. To do so is to ascribe changeableness to God, and this is contrary to the statement of Romans 11:29 about irrevocable promises of God (compare Malachi 3:6 that states God never changes) which affirms that God has not set aside his call of Israel as a nation and never would.

A study of the New Testament usage of the word “Israel” (occurs 70 times) shows that in every case it refers to the people or land of Israel and never to the Church. Thus, throughout the Church dispensation or Age of Grace, the Church and Israel exist side by side with separate and distinct callings. Since the land of Israel and the people of Israel are inseparable in God’s promises and dealings, and because people in association with a land imply a national entity or state, the New Testament again implies that a Jewish nation has an ongoing place in the plan of God. That this Jewish nation-state will find its fulfilment in a millennial Kingdom at the end of the Tribulation, over which the Messiah, the Son of David, reigns from Jerusalem, is nowhere denied, and is in fact implied in the New Testament (Luke 1:32-33 – “reign over the house of Jacob forever”, 2:32 – “the Glory of Your people Israel”).

We need to recognize that the book of Revelation was written by John the Apostle late in his life, about 95 A.D., over 60 years after Jesus’ resurrection. The official title of this book is “The Revelation of Jesus Christ”, not John’s Revelation or the book of Revelations. The entire book is a vision that John the Apostle was given by the Holy Spirit when he was exiled on the island of Patmos by Roman emperor Domitian in punishment for not worshiping the emperor. Domitian was an evil emperor, but he was not stupid. He could have killed John, but that would have made John a martyr and even more influential. So, Domitian just exiled John, which also backfired since John wrote and distributed to seven churches in Asia Minor this revelation of unveiling of what is to come on the entire world, but specifically for the Jews to bring them to their Savior, their Messiah, Jesus Christ.

Revelation Chapter 1 introduces the vision that John received, a promised blessing on all those who hear, read, and keep the words of this prophecy, and the command to write the vision down and send it to the seven churches in Asia Minor: in Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Revelation Chapters 2 and 3 give us the messages Jesus had for each of these churches which represent three things: one, the churches that existed in John’s day representing the condition of Jesus’ Church in the first century A.D.; two, each church represents the Church Age or Age of Grace and the many conditions that have accompanied the life of Jesus’ Church from the Resurrection to today; and three, these churches also represent the churches that exist today showing us the difficulties that all churches face from the world and from the people that attend the churches.

Revelation 3:10 is especially pertinent to our time since it refers to the Rapture and our assurance that we, as true Christians, will NOT go through the Tribulation. “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from (Greek “ek” which means “out of”) the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” This is logically and clearly evident that those true believing and obedient Christians in the End Times will not go through the Tribulation (the hour of trial on the WHOLE earth which has not happened since the Flood of Noah) but be taken “out of” or raptured.

To go along with this encouraging prophecy, Revelation 4:1 says, “After these things (the letters to the churches) I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven. And the first voice which I heard was like a trumpet speaking with me, saying, ‘Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this.’” The picture is of John being raptured into heaven to see what will happen after his leaving earth, which is exactly what Paul told the Thessalonians and the Corinthians, that the Rapture happens with the Trump of God, and all true believers in Jesus Christ, living and dead, will join Him and be removed from the Wrath of God to come on ALL the earth.

Now we get an explanation of what the Tribulation has in store for those “left behind”, events mostly sequential with a few asides that are not sequential but necessary for understanding what God wants to accomplish during this very trying time. Chapter 4 gives us a glimpse, a pretty good glimpse, of God’s Glory and the need to please such a Magnificent God. This leads into Chapter 5 and the scroll containing all three sets of God’s Judgments (Seals, Trumpets, and Bowls) that the only One Worthy to open the scroll can open it, Jesus Christ.

Then follows a series of judgments, all grouped in sevens. The first group of judgments is the seven seal judgments (6:1–8:1). We see first, the Antichrist is given permission to reveal himself as the rider on the white horse. Then, war is enhanced and worse than ever before with the rider on the red horse. The third seal is famine and starvation symbolized by the rider on the black horse. Then, fourth, death, disease, massive drug abuse, and the release of animals as destructive are released with the rider on the pale green, sickening-colored horse. We see all of these conditions on a smaller scale today but isolated to certain areas of the globe. During the Tribulation, these will cover the entire earth. The fifth seal represents the many, many martyrs slain during the very first months of the Tribulation calling out to God to avenge their deaths for being His witnesses. The sixth seal brings on the earth the greatest earthquake, worldwide, that has ever happened even causing the sun to turn black and the moon red. The heavens seem to be falling as well, but the Greek word here translated “stars” can mean meteors, so a great meteor storm could what John saw.

In Chapter 7, there are 144,000 Israelites (7:1-8), 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, that are sealed by God for protection from the Antichrist, and they travel the world as super Billy Grahams evangelizing everyone and being divinely protected at the same time. Also, worship of an innumerable number of (presumably Gentile) converts, tribulation martyrs (7:9-17), is revealed. In the midst of the outpouring of God’s wrath in the form of seven seals, this vision of hope and salvation emerges. Once again, God’s holiness (7:15-16) and Christ’s redemption (7:17) are emphasized. Immediately after this glorious sight, in Chapter 8, the seventh seal is poured out (8:1) which is the seven trumpet judgments. But, these judgments are so much worse than the seal judgments that a half-hour of silence occurs, even heaven itself remains quiet for that half-hour.

The next series of judgments is the seven trumpets (8:2–11:19), which are designed largely after the plagues on Egypt. These trumpet judgments are more drastic, definite, and final than the seal judgments, but not as universal as the bowl judgments to follow. These trumpet judgments come hot and heavy, sequentially with nothing in-between. One third of all trees are burned up, all the green grass is burned up, a disaster in the sea poisons the sea killing one third of life in the sea as well as one third of all ships on the sea. Then, a meteor (Wormwood) falls into the rivers and streams causing one third of them to be poison. A third of the sun’s light is lost which renders the moon to lose a third of its light. So, also, with the stars. As an introduction into the ninth chapter and the last three Trumpet Judgments, the last verse in Chapter 8 mentions an angel flying around the world proclaiming the last three Trumpet Judgments as “Woes” signifying the great destruction that was about to take place.

The fifth Trumpet Judgment or first woe is the release of the most hideous fallen angels of all that were imprisoned in the bottomless pit to come and torment unbelievers for five months each. The torment is so bad that all will seek death, but God prevents them from attaining death. The sixth Trumpet releases 200 million, perhaps the combined armies of the East (China, Korea, Indonesia, and maybe Japan) that is given permission by God to slay one third of all men alive. Today, that would be approximately two and on-half BILLION people!

Chapter 11 tells us about the two witnesses who arrive early in the Tribulation to prophesy in Jerusalem, at the new Temple, telling the world of Jesus’ soon return and of the terrible nature of the Antichrist. They will be protected by God for three and a half years as well as being able to breathe fire on those who try to hurt them. It has always been speculation as to these two godly men are, but I believe that since Enoch and Elijah never died but were both translated to heaven, it will be these two men since they are killed by the Antichrist at the mid-Trib point. Hebrews 11:5 gives a little more detail: “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: ‘He could not be found, because God had taken him away.’ For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God.” This being “taken away” is what Enoch is most famous for. Only two people in the Bible are said to have been chosen by God to escape death, Enoch and Elijah. Enoch appears to have been given this privilege due to being a man who walked faithfully with God (Genesis 5:24) and pleased God (Hebrews 11:5). The most common assumption for Enoch’s rapture is so that he could serve as one of the two witnesses, alongside Elijah, in the end times (“As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind.” (2 Kings 2:11)) They lay in the streets of Jerusalem for three and a half days with a great deal of celebration and gift-giving until God calls out to them from heaven, “Come up here!”, just as He did at the Rapture. This call to the two dead witnesses means that all men have now died or been raptured that placed their faith in God either in the Old Testament or in Jesus Christ. They stand to their feet in front of the world as all see this happen through our modern-day technologies, and then they ascend into heaven in a cloud. A great earthquake happens at this time and 7,000 died in Jerusalem. The seventh trumpet follows (11:15-19), which is the seven bowl judgments.

We now learn of the woman and the war (12:1-18). The dragon who wages war on the woman is Satan; his hostility against the woman, Israel, and her child, the Messiah, are pictured quite vividly. After Satan’s plans to consume the woman and her child had failed, he now contemplates his next move. Chapter 13 is the result of meditation. Now the beasts go after the saints (13:7), as well as the rest of the world (13:8). This parallels the Matthew 24:15-21 (“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoever reads, let him understand) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: for then shall be great tribulation [last half of the Tribulation period], such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.”) and Mark 13:14-19 (“But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that reads understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: and let him that is on the housetop not go down into the house, neither enter therein, to take any thing out of his house: and let him that is in the field not turn back again for to take up his garment. But woe to them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! And pray ye that your flight be not in the winter. For in those days shall be affliction, such as was not from the beginning of the creation which God created unto this time, neither shall be.”), scriptures that call for the Jews to flee to protection from God and not to even go back to pack because Satan is after them!

As a result of the outrage the Antichrist now possessed by Satan himself has for the Jews, he turns his anger toward the redeemed. Chapter 13 sees the rise of the beast who comes from the sea of nations making him a Gentile possessed by Satan declaring himself to be worshiped for the last half of the Tribulation known as the Great Tribulation which lasts three and one-half years. This is the Abomination of Desolation spoken of in Daniel 9:27 when the Jews are to flee from the Antichrist and to the safety of God. A second beast, the False Prophet, rises from the earth making him a Jew, and he promotes the worship of the Antichrist as well as setting up the mark of the beast that everyone must have to buy and sell or eat.

The final series of judgments is the seven bowl judgments (15:1–18:24). Six out of seven of them are the same as the plagues on Egypt, only these are more climactic and universal. These bowls of God’s Wrath are the most terrible, the most destructive, the most devastating of all the judgments because God is telling the unrepentant that this is the very last chance they have to accept Him and reject their personal sin. The first bowl creates sores on everyone with the mark of the beast. The second bowl turns all the earth’s seas to blood thereby killing all sea life. The third bowl is poured out on the rivers and springs turning them to blood and cutting off almost all drinking water. The fourth bowl of God’s Wrath is poured out on the sun so that it scorches all men who then blaspheme God rather than seeking redemption. The fifth bowl creates darkness in the Antichrist’s kingdom, a darkness so very dark that men feel pain and blaspheme God. The sixth bowl dries up the Euphrates River allowing the kings of the east to travel to Armageddon to fight against God. Then, the seventh bowl was poured out. A mighty voice from heaven says, “It is done!” This bowl sends an earthquake that splits Jerusalem into three parts, every island disappears, every mountain falls flat, and one hundred-pound hailstones fall from heaven also causing all men to blaspheme God, at least the ones left alive.

Chapter 17 deals with the spiritual Babylon, and chapter 18 with economic Babylon of the Tribulation. Care is taken to completely record the history of the rise of this “great harlot” (the rise of the ecumenical church that is led by a ‘pope-like’ figure) so that spiritual Babylon’s destruction can be seen though God’s eyes and justification for spiritual Babylon’s destruction is understood. Her name is called “Mystery, Babylon” (17:5), thus indicating that this is not the literal city, as can be seen in the interpretation given (17:18). The spirit of Babylon lives on in the secular city: in John’s day, it was Rome; in our day, Washington or New York. The economic fall of the great city is then described in 18:1-24. But rather than being a political and religious entity as in chapter 17, this city is commercial, as can be seen by those who lament over her demise (18:9-19). Though merchants and sea captains lament her fall, there is rejoicing by the godly (18:20).

Then, in rapid succession, come the seven last things (19:11–22:5), the first six of which are in chronological sequence covering the millennial kingdom. First, the glorious Second Coming of Christ is disclosed which includes us verse 14 (19:11-16). Second, the result of the battle at the end of the age (Armageddon) is planned for by summoning to a feast for birds (19:17-21). Third, Satan is bound for one thousand years while the Antichrist and the False Prophet are cast into the Lake of Fire, the first to be placed there for eternity (20:1-3). Fourth, the millennial kingdom is described, and the Old Testament saints get their resurrection bodies (20:4-6). Fifth, at the end of the one thousand years, Satan is again unleashed, a great rebellion ensues leading to another great battle of Satan against God, and, this time, all are destroyed, and Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire to join the Antichrist and the False Prophet (20:7-10). Sixth, the Great White Throne judgment takes place at the end of the millennium is recorded where all the unbelieving multitudes are judged by Jesus, face to face, found lacking, and each cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity (20:11-15).

The seventh last thing (21:1–22:5) is the eternal state. God, Jesus, creates a new heaven and new earth (21:3-8) which corresponds to Isaiah 66:22. John then tells us of the New Jerusalem (21:9–22:5). It is a dazzling city (21:9-21), in which there is no temple because God and the Lamb are its temple (21:22-27). Out of its midst is flowing the river of life (22:1-3a), and God and the Lamb provide its light (22:3b-5). It is 1500 miles in height, 1500 miles wide, and 1500 miles deep. This is enough room to provide one cubic acre to over 64 trillion people. Obviously, there will be a lot of room in the New Jerusalem for many other things besides people.

After this splendid finale to a vision of the future, John concludes his book with an appeal to the readers (22:6-21) which includes a dire warning not to add or take away from this book of prophecy lest the wrath of the Tribulation be added to them. Three give their testimony of the veracity of this book: an angel (22:6-11), Jesus himself (22:12-17), and John (22:18-21).

Conclusion

We have a much clearer picture of the End Times after looking at most of the End Times prophecies found in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. Hopefully, you now can see that studying the End Times, the Rapture, The Tribulation, and God’s Plan for the ages can be more fully understood and appreciated.

The clear message to each of us is that our God loves us, died for us, and wants us to know what is in store for us in eternity. He also wants us to fulfill the Great Commission of Matthew 28 which is sharing the Gospel which also includes discussing eternal life. If you know biblical prophecy about the End Times, discussing the subject of eternal destiny and all associated questions and inquiries can be so much better answered with a clearer knowledge of the End Times prophecies in the entire Bible. And we all can see the necessity to get the message out because time is short. To miss the Rapture is to experience the horror of the Tribulation.

Next time, we will conclude this series on the End Times with the apparent reasons just why we are without doubt and unequivocally existing and living in the End Times with the Rapture imminent. Darkness is descending on all of us, but we are children of light. The world is facing great trouble and judgment, but we have hope in Jesus Christ.