In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered, and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Zep 1:14-18 Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD'S wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
I'm reminded of a series of books (by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins), later turned into a movie series called "Left Behind", that was released many years ago. At the time, it actually scared me as a young man. I think most of us were enthralled with the whole series at the time.
At this point in my life, I've come to a personal belief that this series has accomplished far more harm than it did any good. Sure, it brought attention to upcoming events, but they enforced the idea that Christians would be spared the trials and tribulations of end time events.
Again - in my opinion... they accomplished a severe disservice to the Christian community and I believe it's soon to be realized.
The idea, that we as Christians, will somehow be spared from the coming afflictions and tribulations is one of the most heinous crimes (because of it's popularity and world-wide attention), of our latter times, in all of Christianity.
(We absolutely will be spared from indignation and wrath... there is a difference!)
Think about it... when maybe millions of Christians believe in the "Left Behind" theory... what would you suppose will happen to their faith when they find themselves, caught up in the middle of all the end-time events soon coming?
(You should really pause here and consider that... what will happen to your faith in Christ?)
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe... they'll turn their backs on their faith?
Could this be, at least a part of, the great apostasy Paul spoke of?
2 Th 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [what is "it"?] will not come [can Paul be any clearer? IT WILL NOT COME] unless the apostasy [apostasia - defection from the Truth, falling away, forsake) comes first...
The danger in believing any part of the "Left Behind" series is that you will not be prepared for what is coming... your faith will be crippled if you believe that Jesus is coming to spare you from what is about to happen.
What will happen to your faith when you find yourself in the middle of end-time events, rather than being "raptured", or spared, from those events as many have been taught?
Is your faith strong enough to deal with the disappointment of what you've possibly been taught all these years?
You may say, "we were not appointed to wrath...". Which is very true!
1 Th 5:9-11 For God has NOT destined us for wrath [G3709 - orge], but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
My question to you is, "when", during Daniel's 70th week, does God's wrath begin?
I have another blog for that, but... as a clue - it's toward the END of the second half of Daniel's 70th week - the Great Tribulation.
Guard your faith... we were appointed to afflictions, and tribulation.
1 Th 3:3 ... so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been DESTINED for this.
Let me reiterate: we were NOT appointed to His indignation and His wrath, which is completely different than affliction and tribulation!
Jesus Olivet Discourse follows to the letter the Seven Seals of Revelation. The first of the Seven Trumpets (God's beginning of His wrath) does not sound until AFTER the Seven Seals have been opened.
Do not rest your hope in the false doctrine of the "Left Behind" series, or pre-tribulation rapture. If you do, I believe you'll be sorely disappointed and possibly be a participant to Paul's message of the "great apostasy".
I don't know (for certain) what exactly causes the great apostasy.
We're not given many clues, and it may be more than one event - it's likely a whole series of events (including the four horses/riders of Revelation) - including the power displayed by the false prophet (calling fire down from the heavens for example) which will cause many to be deceived.
Many will be martyred and given up during this time and "the love of many will wax cold".
What I can definitely imagine is this false belief of a pre-trib rapture, and the whole "Left Behind" nonsense that plays into this hand.
What if the Left Behind group is wrong, as I am certain they are?
Will your faith be strong enough? Will you be physically, emotionally, and more importantly - Spiritually ready to endure?
________________________
1 Thess 4-5 holds a huge key as to the timing of the "rapture" [harpazo = "caught up"].
The dead in Christ will "rise first", and then those of us still alive will be caught up simultaneously with them to meet Jesus in the air.
First notice... the dead are not "caught up" before those still alive.
The dead in Christ "will rise first" and then we will all be caught up simultaneously.
1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God [1 Co 15:52], and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up [harpazo] together [G260 - hama, at the same time, together] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
The Thessalonians asked Paul when they might expect this event:
1 Th 5:1-2 Now as to the times and the epochs [seasons, "proper time"] , brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know FULL WELL [how did they know "full well"? From the OT prophets, the Words of Jesus, and Paul's elaboration of the same] that The Day of The Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
Paul just tied the rapture [harpazo] events directly to The Day of The Lord!
Paul went from describing the events of the rapture to reminding them that "they knew full well" the timing of these events... The Day of the Lord.
When is The Day of The Lord?
Isa 13:6-13 Wail, for THE DAY OF THE LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man's heart will melt. They will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger.
Joe 3:9-17 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up! Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man." Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there.
This is the valley between Israel and Palestine... the valley of Armageddon which stretches in length of about 185 miles (which is exactly what Scripture tells us (Rev 14:20). Jesus will be victorious in this battle but not until some time AFTER the sixth bowl judgment (Rev 16:12).
Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat [see my comment above], for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For THE DAY OF THE LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be Holy, and strangers will pass through it no more.
(See Revelation 14 for the same description as Joel above and Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19.)
Notice all the associated signs from Scripture above and below, and their consistency throughout, that are all associated with The Day of The LORD.
Joe 2:31 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood BEFORE the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Mat 24:29 Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days [which days? See Mat 24:15-28, specifically - Mat 24:15 - not until you see these things!] shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
(I have a whole series of notes on Daniel. We are witnessing His prophecies come to fruition now with Israel, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, etc.!)
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Luk 21:17 When these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up for your redemption draws nigh.
These signs ALL come towards the end of the Great Tribulation and BEFORE The Day of The Lord commences. They do not overlap one another. In fact, any overlap is clearly forbidden in the first Scriptural text that mentions The Day of The Lord:
Isa 2:10-19 Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, against all the lofty mountains, against all the hills that are lifted up, against every high tower, against every fortified wall, against all the ships of Tarshish and against all the beautiful craft.
The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble.
On The Day of The Lord - ONLY He will be exalted. The antichrist's exaltation, during the Great Tribulation, will come to an end at this battle:
Rev 13:4-9 they worshiped the dragon [clearly not included in "the LORD alone will be exalted"] because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months [3.5 years, 42 months, 1,260 days - the second half of Daniel's 70th week] was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them [how can he make war with the saints, and overcome them, if we've been raptured out of this earth prior to this point in time?], and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb Who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
2 Th 2:3-4 Let no one in any way deceive you, for IT WILL NOT COME [what is "IT"? What will not come? "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, AND by our gathering together unto him." See 2 Th 2:1] unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
Pre-tribulationists attempt to combine The Day of The Lord with the Great Tribulation in order to justify a pre-trib rapture. There is no overlap as seen above. They are two distinct timeframes.
Jesus, Himself, describes His coming as being AFTER the tribulation of those days in Matt 24.
Mat 24:29-31 Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days [again, which days? After the abomination of desolation has been established, the second half of Daniel's 70th week - Mat 24:15] shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and THEN shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet [the LAST Trump, see 1 Co 15:52], and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
We, as Christians, are to be watching for the coming of The Day of The Lord:
1 Th 5:2-6 For yourselves know perfectly that THE DAY OF THE LORD so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness [why? because they understood the timing], that that day [which day?] should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
As seen above, Paul is clearly teaching on the same event that Jesus spoke of (in His Olivet Discourse, Matt 24) and was elaborating on the Words of Jesus, and the OT prophets, concerning The Day of The Lord.
Joe 3:14-16 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is NEAR in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
The time of Jacob's Trouble is a day unlike any other in the history of the world...
Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that NONE is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there has not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Joe 2:30-32 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 24:
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, NOR ever shall be.
The intent with the verses above is to tie all of these different passages (from Joel, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, and John in the Revelation, etc.) together as one coming event in the future.
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Paul spoke of only ONE "catching up" of the saints at ONE presence [parousia] of our Lord. There is no secret rapture of highly privileged saints followed by a resurrection of underprivileged saints, or those saints saved during Daniel's 70th week.
There will, however, be two resurrections following our meeting with Jesus in the air!
(I'll cover the different "resurrections" in separate blogs.)
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So we have this event with references to the "great affliction" and the "heavenly signs." Mat 24:29 clearly tells us that "immediately AFTER" the great affliction or tribulation of those days, the signs in the sun, moon and stars occur, followed by the literal return of Christ (when He sets foot on earth - not when we meet Him in the air) - the day of the Lord.
Joe 2:31 clearly tells us that the signs in the heavens occur "BEFORE" the coming of the day of the Lord. As to the chronology of these grand events - the Day of the Lord comes toward the end of the Great Tribulation, and after the heavenly signs.
Luk 21:25-28 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation [wait! They were expecting these things?] of the things which ARE COMING upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. THEN they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
How will you react through times of tribulation? Guard your fatih, guard your hearts... prepare ye, the way of the Lord! Lift up your heads! Encourage one another! Build up one another! Our redemption draws near!
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I'm going to cover the Olivet Discourse and how it ties directly to the Seven Seals of Revelation in a blog entitle "Seven Seals".
It was no accident that Jesus speaks directly, and precisely in the order of the Seven Seals.
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Zep 1:14-18 Near is the great day of the LORD, near and coming very quickly; listen, the day of the LORD! In it the warrior cries out bitterly. A day of wrath is that day, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of trumpet and battle cry against the fortified cities and the high corner towers.
I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind, Because they have sinned against the LORD; and their blood will be poured out like dust and their flesh like dung.
Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to deliver them on the day of the LORD'S wrath; and all the earth will be devoured in the fire of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, indeed a terrifying one, of all the inhabitants of the earth.
I'm reminded of a series of books (by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins), later turned into a movie series called "Left Behind", that was released many years ago. At the time, it actually scared me as a young man. I think most of us were enthralled with the whole series at the time.
At this point in my life, I've come to a personal belief that this series has accomplished far more harm than it did any good. Sure, it brought attention to upcoming events, but they enforced the idea that Christians would be spared the trials and tribulations of end time events.
Again - in my opinion... they accomplished a severe disservice to the Christian community and I believe it's soon to be realized.
The idea, that we as Christians, will somehow be spared from the coming afflictions and tribulations is one of the most heinous crimes (because of it's popularity and world-wide attention), of our latter times, in all of Christianity.
(We absolutely will be spared from indignation and wrath... there is a difference!)
Think about it... when maybe millions of Christians believe in the "Left Behind" theory... what would you suppose will happen to their faith when they find themselves, caught up in the middle of all the end-time events soon coming?
(You should really pause here and consider that... what will happen to your faith in Christ?)
Have you considered that maybe, just maybe... they'll turn their backs on their faith?
Could this be, at least a part of, the great apostasy Paul spoke of?
2 Th 2:3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it [what is "it"?] will not come [can Paul be any clearer? IT WILL NOT COME] unless the apostasy [apostasia - defection from the Truth, falling away, forsake) comes first...
The danger in believing any part of the "Left Behind" series is that you will not be prepared for what is coming... your faith will be crippled if you believe that Jesus is coming to spare you from what is about to happen.
What will happen to your faith when you find yourself in the middle of end-time events, rather than being "raptured", or spared, from those events as many have been taught?
Is your faith strong enough to deal with the disappointment of what you've possibly been taught all these years?
You may say, "we were not appointed to wrath...". Which is very true!
1 Th 5:9-11 For God has NOT destined us for wrath [G3709 - orge], but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him. Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing.
My question to you is, "when", during Daniel's 70th week, does God's wrath begin?
I have another blog for that, but... as a clue - it's toward the END of the second half of Daniel's 70th week - the Great Tribulation.
Guard your faith... we were appointed to afflictions, and tribulation.
1 Th 3:3 ... so that no one would be disturbed by these afflictions; for you yourselves know that we have been DESTINED for this.
Let me reiterate: we were NOT appointed to His indignation and His wrath, which is completely different than affliction and tribulation!
Jesus Olivet Discourse follows to the letter the Seven Seals of Revelation. The first of the Seven Trumpets (God's beginning of His wrath) does not sound until AFTER the Seven Seals have been opened.
Do not rest your hope in the false doctrine of the "Left Behind" series, or pre-tribulation rapture. If you do, I believe you'll be sorely disappointed and possibly be a participant to Paul's message of the "great apostasy".
I don't know (for certain) what exactly causes the great apostasy.
We're not given many clues, and it may be more than one event - it's likely a whole series of events (including the four horses/riders of Revelation) - including the power displayed by the false prophet (calling fire down from the heavens for example) which will cause many to be deceived.
Many will be martyred and given up during this time and "the love of many will wax cold".
What I can definitely imagine is this false belief of a pre-trib rapture, and the whole "Left Behind" nonsense that plays into this hand.
What if the Left Behind group is wrong, as I am certain they are?
Will your faith be strong enough? Will you be physically, emotionally, and more importantly - Spiritually ready to endure?
________________________
1 Thess 4-5 holds a huge key as to the timing of the "rapture" [harpazo = "caught up"].
The dead in Christ will "rise first", and then those of us still alive will be caught up simultaneously with them to meet Jesus in the air.
First notice... the dead are not "caught up" before those still alive.
The dead in Christ "will rise first" and then we will all be caught up simultaneously.
1 Th 4:16-17 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God [1 Co 15:52], and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up [harpazo] together [G260 - hama, at the same time, together] with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord.
The Thessalonians asked Paul when they might expect this event:
1 Th 5:1-2 Now as to the times and the epochs [seasons, "proper time"] , brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. For you yourselves know FULL WELL [how did they know "full well"? From the OT prophets, the Words of Jesus, and Paul's elaboration of the same] that The Day of The Lord will come just like a thief in the night.
Paul just tied the rapture [harpazo] events directly to The Day of The Lord!
Paul went from describing the events of the rapture to reminding them that "they knew full well" the timing of these events... The Day of the Lord.
When is The Day of The Lord?
Isa 13:6-13 Wail, for THE DAY OF THE LORD is near! It will come as destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, And every man's heart will melt. They will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. Behold, the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it.
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.
Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir.
Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, And the earth will be shaken from its place At the fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger.
Joe 3:9-17 Proclaim this among the nations: Prepare a war; rouse the mighty men! Let all the soldiers draw near, let them come up! Beat your plowshares into swords And your pruning hooks into spears; Let the weak say, "I am a mighty man." Hasten and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves there.
This is the valley between Israel and Palestine... the valley of Armageddon which stretches in length of about 185 miles (which is exactly what Scripture tells us (Rev 14:20). Jesus will be victorious in this battle but not until some time AFTER the sixth bowl judgment (Rev 16:12).
Bring down, O LORD, Your mighty ones. Let the nations be aroused and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat [see my comment above], for there I will sit to judge all the surrounding nations. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Come, tread, for the wine press is full; The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision!
For THE DAY OF THE LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon grow dark And the stars lose their brightness. The LORD roars from Zion and utters His voice from Jerusalem, and the heavens and the earth tremble.
But the LORD is a refuge for His people And a stronghold to the sons of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, Dwelling in Zion, My holy mountain. So Jerusalem will be Holy, and strangers will pass through it no more.
(See Revelation 14 for the same description as Joel above and Zechariah 14, and Revelation 19.)
Notice all the associated signs from Scripture above and below, and their consistency throughout, that are all associated with The Day of The LORD.
Joe 2:31 The sun will be turned into darkness And the moon into blood BEFORE the great and awesome day of the LORD comes.
Mat 24:29 Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days [which days? See Mat 24:15-28, specifically - Mat 24:15 - not until you see these things!] shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:
(I have a whole series of notes on Daniel. We are witnessing His prophecies come to fruition now with Israel, Iran, Iraq, Turkey, Egypt, etc.!)
Act 2:20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, BEFORE that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Luk 21:17 When these things BEGIN to come to pass, then look up for your redemption draws nigh.
These signs ALL come towards the end of the Great Tribulation and BEFORE The Day of The Lord commences. They do not overlap one another. In fact, any overlap is clearly forbidden in the first Scriptural text that mentions The Day of The Lord:
Isa 2:10-19 Enter the rock and hide in the dust From the terror of the LORD and from the splendor of His majesty. The proud look of man will be abased and the loftiness of man will be humbled, and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day.
For the LORD of hosts will have a day of reckoning against everyone who is proud and lofty and against everyone who is lifted up, that he may be abased. And it will be against all the cedars of Lebanon that are lofty and lifted up, against all the oaks of Bashan, against all the lofty mountains, against all the hills that are lifted up, against every high tower, against every fortified wall, against all the ships of Tarshish and against all the beautiful craft.
The pride of man will be humbled and the loftiness of men will be abased; and the LORD alone will be exalted in that day, But the idols will completely vanish. Men will go into caves of the rocks and into holes of the ground before the terror of the LORD And the splendor of His majesty, when He arises to make the earth tremble.
On The Day of The Lord - ONLY He will be exalted. The antichrist's exaltation, during the Great Tribulation, will come to an end at this battle:
Rev 13:4-9 they worshiped the dragon [clearly not included in "the LORD alone will be exalted"] because he gave his authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, "Who is like the beast, and who is able to wage war with him?"
There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months [3.5 years, 42 months, 1,260 days - the second half of Daniel's 70th week] was given to him. And he opened his mouth in blasphemies against God, to blaspheme His name and His tabernacle, that is, those who dwell in heaven.
It was also given to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them [how can he make war with the saints, and overcome them, if we've been raptured out of this earth prior to this point in time?], and authority over every tribe and people and tongue and nation was given to him. All who dwell on the earth will worship him, everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life of the Lamb Who has been slain. If anyone has an ear, let him hear.
2 Th 2:3-4 Let no one in any way deceive you, for IT WILL NOT COME [what is "IT"? What will not come? "the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, AND by our gathering together unto him." See 2 Th 2:1] unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.
The rapture cannot occur until after the Great Tribulation begins.
This is the event that signals the beginning of the 1,260 day period (3.5 years) of the Great Tribulation. The harpazo does not occur until after this... in fact, much later.
This is the event that signals the beginning of the 1,260 day period (3.5 years) of the Great Tribulation. The harpazo does not occur until after this... in fact, much later.
Mat 24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
The end of what?
The Disciples previously asked:
Mat 24:3 And what is the sign of Thy presence and of the conclusion of the eon?
The conclusion of this eon ushers in the beginning of the next eon - which in this case will be the beginnings of God's Judgment (seven trumpets).
The seven trumpet Judgments do not begin until AFTER the seven seals have been opened.
So... he that endures to the end of the opening of the Seven Seals period shall be saved.
Please note the Words of Jesus:
The seven trumpet Judgments do not begin until AFTER the seven seals have been opened.
So... he that endures to the end of the opening of the Seven Seals period shall be saved.
Please note the Words of Jesus:
Mat 24:22 And except those days [spoken of by Daniel, 1,260 days] should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened.
Pre-tribulationists attempt to combine The Day of The Lord with the Great Tribulation in order to justify a pre-trib rapture. There is no overlap as seen above. They are two distinct timeframes.
Jesus, Himself, describes His coming as being AFTER the tribulation of those days in Matt 24.
Mat 24:29-31 Immediately AFTER the tribulation of those days [again, which days? After the abomination of desolation has been established, the second half of Daniel's 70th week - Mat 24:15] shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and THEN shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and THEN shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet [the LAST Trump, see 1 Co 15:52], and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
We, as Christians, are to be watching for the coming of The Day of The Lord:
1 Th 5:2-6 For yourselves know perfectly that THE DAY OF THE LORD so comes as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction comes upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But you, brethren, are not in darkness [why? because they understood the timing], that that day [which day?] should overtake you as a thief. You are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
As seen above, Paul is clearly teaching on the same event that Jesus spoke of (in His Olivet Discourse, Matt 24) and was elaborating on the Words of Jesus, and the OT prophets, concerning The Day of The Lord.
Joe 3:14-16 Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the LORD is NEAR in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the LORD will be the hope of His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.
The time of Jacob's Trouble is a day unlike any other in the history of the world...
Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that NONE is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; but he shall be saved out of it.
Joe 2:2 A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains: a great people and a strong; there has not been ever the like, neither shall be any more after it, even to the years of many generations.
Joe 2:10 The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Joe 2:30-32 And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD has said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.
Jesus reiterated this in Matthew 24:
Mat 24:21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was NOT since the beginning of the world to this time, no, NOR ever shall be.
The intent with the verses above is to tie all of these different passages (from Joel, Isaiah, Jesus, Paul, and John in the Revelation, etc.) together as one coming event in the future.
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Paul spoke of only ONE "catching up" of the saints at ONE presence [parousia] of our Lord. There is no secret rapture of highly privileged saints followed by a resurrection of underprivileged saints, or those saints saved during Daniel's 70th week.
There will, however, be two resurrections following our meeting with Jesus in the air!
(I'll cover the different "resurrections" in separate blogs.)
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So we have this event with references to the "great affliction" and the "heavenly signs." Mat 24:29 clearly tells us that "immediately AFTER" the great affliction or tribulation of those days, the signs in the sun, moon and stars occur, followed by the literal return of Christ (when He sets foot on earth - not when we meet Him in the air) - the day of the Lord.
Joe 2:31 clearly tells us that the signs in the heavens occur "BEFORE" the coming of the day of the Lord. As to the chronology of these grand events - the Day of the Lord comes toward the end of the Great Tribulation, and after the heavenly signs.
Luk 21:25-28 There will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting from fear and the expectation [wait! They were expecting these things?] of the things which ARE COMING upon the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. THEN they will see THE SON OF MAN COMING IN A CLOUD with power and great glory. But when these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.
How will you react through times of tribulation? Guard your fatih, guard your hearts... prepare ye, the way of the Lord! Lift up your heads! Encourage one another! Build up one another! Our redemption draws near!
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I'm going to cover the Olivet Discourse and how it ties directly to the Seven Seals of Revelation in a blog entitle "Seven Seals".
It was no accident that Jesus speaks directly, and precisely in the order of the Seven Seals.
These are excerpts from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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