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793 lines
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Plaintext
FUTURE
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THE
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SECOND COMING OF CHRIST
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I. Introduction
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The Bible tells us that as Christians we are only pilgrims in this
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world, citizens of a Heavenly Kingdom, looking forward to our
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salvation in the Second Coming of Christ and Eternity. In the
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book of 1 Thessalonians and in the Gospel of Matthew we are told
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that the coming of Christ will be on a day much like today; a day
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when people will be eating and drinking, marrying and being given
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in marriage (Mat 24:38). It will come like a thief in the night
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and at an hour when we do not expect it (1 Thess 5:2). So that it
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does not take us by surprise we are warned to be ready for Him, to
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keep watch, (Mat 24:42,44), and to encourage one another to live
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godly lives (1 Thess 5:8,11). According to God's calendar of
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events it could begin at anytime, today, tonight, or tommorow.
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In light of this I would like us to consider some of the major
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passages of the Bible concerning the Second Coming of Our Lord
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Jesus Christ and the events of the end times so that we may more
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eagerly look forward to our coming salvation in the return of
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Christ.
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I have linked many Scriptures together chronologically to form a
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picture of the end time events as I believe they will happen. I
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would like you to take a trip forward in time right where you are
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and view the events of the end times as history, as if you are
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hearing a story that has already occurred. Can you picture us in
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eternity future, looking backwards toward this era? Let me be
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your guide.
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A. Voice from the Future
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Picture us standing right now in the Father's House, in the
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city called the New Jerusalem. The walls of our city are
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crystal clear like a diamond and the streets are made of
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pure gold like transparent glass. There is no night here
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for brilliant light shines everywhere. Neither is there
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death nor sin for the old order of things has passed away.
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The New Jerusalem is extremely large. It measures
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approximately 1400 miles square and is an unbelievable 1400
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miles high (Rev 21:4). It is surrounded by a jeweled wall
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200 feet high which has twelve gates made from pearls and
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the gates are attended by angels. In the city is the Tree
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of Life just like the one that was in the Garden of Eden,
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and we all eat of its fruit. We drink from the spring of
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the Water of Life that flows down the main street of the
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city. The glory of God is the illumination of the city.
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We experience total joy and perfect peace here with God.
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Now permit me to share some of the chronological account of
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the major events that have taken place since Jesus came for
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us at the end of the Church Age.
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II. Events Prior to Second Coming
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A. Rapture
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1) The Promise (John 14:2-3)
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When the beloved Jesus ministered on the earth during His
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first coming, He had promised His followers in the Church
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that He would return to Heaven for a while and then come
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back for His bride. In fact His exact words were, "In my
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Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would
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have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for
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you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
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back and take you to be with me that you also may be where
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I am."
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Because it had been so long, some in the Church Age had
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struggled with the fact that Jesus would come back. They
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knew that He said He would return but life seemed so normal
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and therefore highly unlikely He would return in their
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generation. Yet, as Jesus said in the Book of John, "I will
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not leave you as orphans; I will come to you" (14:18).
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2) The Event (1Thess 4:16-17)
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Yes, Jesus came back exactly as it was recorded in the
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Scriptures. Jesus had told us to, "...keep watch, because
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you do not know on what day your Lord will come...the Son of
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Man will come at an hour when you least expect Him" (Mat
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24:42,44).
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It was a day that was like many others on the earth. Some
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Christians were at their jobs busily involved in their
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assignments, mothers were changing diapers and cleaning the
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home; in other parts of the earth the Christians were asleep
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in their beds. Many young believers were busy in their
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classrooms at school, some Christians were in prayer
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meetings at church, and there were the persecuted Christians
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around the world that were being tortured because of their
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faith in Jesus.
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There were even some believers who were involved in acts of
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sin when their Master returned for them, but everyone in
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every situation was taken by utter surprise when suddenly, a
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loud thundering voice was clearly heard from up in the sky.
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Every Christian on earth instantly looked up and could see
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the magnificent splendor of our Glorious Savior Jesus
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Christ. "He was dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet
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and with a golden sash around His chest. His head and hair
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were white like wool, as white as snow,...His face was like
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the sun shining in all its brilliance" (Rev 1:13-14,16).
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The loud command that we heard was comparable to the time
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when Jesus called Lazarus from the grave with "a loud
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voice, 'Lazarus, come out!'" (John 11:43). Jesus called
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each Christian to come up to Him. At about the same
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time there was a voice of an archangel and a resounding
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trumpet call and then all those who had died believing in
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Christ rose from the grave in immortal bodies and ascended
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up to Jesus. Then in what seemed to be a "twinkling of an
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eye" all the believers who were alive suddenly lifted off
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the earth to also join their Savior, and were gloriously
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changed into beautiful immortal bodies.
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Then Jesus led us, His resurrected and glorified followers
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back to the third heaven. We traveled faster than the speed
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of light and were in the Father's House in a moment's time.
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B. Chaos and Wrath On Earth
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1) The Chaos
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Our sudden disappearance caused widespread chaos throughout
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the world, for we were approximately 5,000,000 people in
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number, not counting the multitude of resurrected saints.
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Airplanes crashed because essential crewmembers were
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missing. Cars were strewn on many freeways for lack of
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drivers. Husbands were frantically searching for wives who
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had vanished. Wives too were left waiting for husbands who
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would not be returning home. Teen-agers were searching for
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parents, and likewise, some parents were also looking for
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their teen-age sons and daughters.
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Some world leaders were also among the missing, many
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people speculated that they were abducted by terrorists.
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Behind the Iron Curtain the authorities were furious over
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the unexplained disappearance of their "religious
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prisoners." Some churches were left nearly empty and
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others were full of the "falsely religious" including the
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Pastor and the Elders.
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2) The Explanation
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The world sought answers for the millions of missing
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persons. Some guessed that it may have been the Rapture
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that some Christians had mentioned would occur some day,
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but this was quickly discounted by the leading false
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religions which remained, such as, the Roman Catholic
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Church, the Mormons, and the Jehovah Witnesses to mention a
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few. It was then decided that the Christians who had
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disappeared were the "fanatics," the ones who were always
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talking about Jesus, the Bible and the need to be Born
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Again. It was assumed that we had all gathered in giant
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communes somewhere to pursue our religious zeal.
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But while the world was still in a state of shock and
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chaos, a man arose who offered solutions to the problems,
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promising "Peace and Safety." He was the one the Bible had
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said would come someday--the Antichrist. But soon the
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world discovered that his peace was only superficial and
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temporary.
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3) The Seal Judgments
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The Antichrist was bent on conquering the world. He had
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easily conquered Europe by deceit and began the conquest of
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the rest of the nations. But other nations were not so
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easily overcome and soon a full scale world war broke out
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which caused tremendous destruction over the entire globe.
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Food supplies became critical because of the many destroyed
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agricultural areas. The famine was so severe over the
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world that a man had to work one day just to earn enough
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money to buy a day's meal for himself; his family often
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went hungry. During the war, chemical weapons and germ
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warfare were utilized causing widespread disease. Even the
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wild animals were affected and those animals that survived
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became savage towards men. The casualties resulting from
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the war, the famine, the plagues and the from the attacks
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of the wild beasts accounted for the deaths of over one and
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one-quarter billion people, one-fourth of the earth's
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population (Rev 6:1-8).
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The Antichrist took advantage of the war and gained in
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power and began to establish a one-world government. He
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established his own religion and was opposed to the gospel
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of Jesus Christ and engineered one of the greatest
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persecutions of Christianity the world had ever seen. Many
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Christians were murdered, because they would not partake in
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the government sponsored one-world religion (Rev 6:5-11).
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Then the wrath of God was again poured out on all the world
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because of its sin and rebellion against the Holy and True
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One.
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4) The Trumpet Judgments
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God sent hail and fire mixed with blood down to the earth.
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Nuclear war continued and, "A third of the earth was burned
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up, a third of the trees were burned up and all the green
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grass was burned up" (Rev 8:7).
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As God continued to punish the earth and its people with
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each new judgment, He also continued to give man the
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opportunity to repent by allowing a period of time to pass
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before the next curse. But instead of the unbelievers
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crying out to God for mercy, they, "...called to the
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mountains and the rocks, 'Fall on us and hide us from the
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face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the
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lamb...'" (Rev 6:16).
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Jesus then turned one-third of the seas into literal blood,
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killing one third of the sea creatures. He also caused
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one-third of the ships to be destroyed. Then His judgment
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fell on a third of the rivers and springs of waters causing
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them to become polluted and many more people died (Rev
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8:10-11). After a period of time Jesus reduced the hours of
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sunlight and moonlight by one-third, and even caused a third
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of the stars to turn dark (Rev 8:12). Crops all over the
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world died because of the sudden imbalance between night and
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day.
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Life on earth had become very difficult. Stealing, murder,
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rape and sexual immoralities were common occurrences as law
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and order began to "breakdown." Still man did not turn to
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God but continued to openly worship demons (Rev 9:20-21).
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Fittingly, Jesus then ordered the "Bottomless Pit" to be
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opened which allowed millions of wicked demons to infest the
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world. This judgment was so severe that men and women tried
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to commit suicide but God would not let them die (Rev 9:1-6).
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Then the armies from the East began to march across the land
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to Israel the place of their final battle, "Armageddon." The
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army slaughtered over one billion people while enroute (Rev
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9:13-18). At this point over one-half of the world's total
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population had been destroyed.
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5) The Two Witnesses (Rev 11:1-13)
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Our Most Beloved Savior continued to show mercy in the midst
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of His wrath when He sent two prophets to the earth to
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powerfully declare the truths of the gospel. For three and
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one-half years these two brothers preached the Good News of
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salvation through Christ. They also inflicted severe plagues
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and droughts upon the earth as part of God's judgments. Fire
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destroyed anyone who attempted to take their lives.
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Finally, God allowed them to be killed, and the people of the
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earth were so pleased that they had worldwide celebrations
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and sent gifts to one another. They left the dead bodies of
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these two saints lying in the streets of Jerusalem, refusing
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them burial. The entire world watched the bodies on
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Satellite TV for three and one-half days. Then Our Sweet and
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Precious Savior raised them to life and caused them to ascend
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up through the heavens in full view of a watching world.
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Suddenly an earthquake "hit" Jerusalem and one-tenth of the
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city collapsed.
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6) The Bowl Judgments
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Now, as the world's dictator, the Antichrist, demanded that
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he and an image of himself be worshipped as god by all men.
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He was aided by one who could perform many signs and wonders
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by the power of the devil. Because of his power he deceived
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most people on earth and ordered that no one could buy or
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sell any item unless they had the "Mark of the Antichrist" on
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their forehead or right-hand. These two also decreed that
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anyone refusing to worship the Antichrist would be killed
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(Rev 13). Many dear brothers and sisters in Christ were
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beheaded because they would not worship the Antichrist or his
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image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or
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their hands (Rev 20:4).
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God too had a mark, but only for the followers of the
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Antichrist, "...ugly and painful sores broke out on the
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people who had the mark of the beast and worshiped his image"
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(Rev 16:2). God also gave men blood to drink! Because the
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world had shed the blood of God's saints and prophets
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throughout history, Jesus turned the oceans, the rivers, and
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the springs of water into real blood (which killed every
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living thing in the waters) (Rev 16:3-7).
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The world was staggering under the weight of all of God's
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judgments, yet men and women still refused to repent and
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glorify God. God then caused the sun to scorch the earth and
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its people with intense heat. This judgment was quickly
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followed by total darkness yet men and women, "gnawed their
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tongues in agony and cursed the God of heaven because of
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their pains and their sores, but they refused to repent of
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their sins" (Rev 16:8-11).
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God then sent his final judgment upon the earth. This was
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the most severe yet. A violent earthquake occurred that was
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so strong that all the cities of the nations collapsed. New
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York, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles, London,
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Copenhagen, Cairo, Rome, Paris, Moscow, Tokyo, Indianapolis,
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yes every city of the world was destroyed by the earthquake!
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Coupled with this was a terrible hailstorm that dropped huge
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hailstones weighing about a hundred pounds each. What was
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man's response? It was to curse God because the plague was so
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terrible (Rev 16:17-21).
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Chaos reigned on the earth. The food supply had all but
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disappeared, there was only blood to drink, and most of
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mankind was without shelter. The only organizations that had
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any structure left were the armies that were fighting outside
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of Jerusalem at the Battle of Armageddon. The earth was
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enclosed in utter darkness for the sun no longer shone and
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the stars had disappeared. It was cold and only the light
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and heat of weapons exploding jarred the terror of the
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continuous night (Mat 24:29).
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III. Second Coming of Christ
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While the earth was cloaked in darkness and terror, there was
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light and bliss up in the third heaven. The redeemed of God
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had been there in their glorified bodies for seven years.
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They were living in their Father's house, which is the New
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Jerusalem, the vast city of beauty and light. Each saint has
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his own room designed and decorated by his God and Lord--Jesus
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Christ.
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One day, suddenly there appeared something very unusual in
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heaven, horses, white horses which came silently and stately
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down the golden streets. There were millions of them and each
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horse seemed to know exactly where they were to go. For one
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white horse stopped by each room of the redeemed. The saints
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joyfully mounted their horses and all rode to the gates of the
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city. The horses and riders rode out through the pearly gates
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and all gathered in columns outside the city. Then Jesus
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joined the army of saints riding His own white horse.
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On His head were many crowns and He was clothed in a robe
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which had his name written on it: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
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LORDS. All of the saints and the chorus of angels sang praise
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unto His Name. He looked at the redeemed with a deep love in
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His eyes and said, "Follow Me." Although there were millions
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upon millions of saints on white horses and all following
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Jesus, each believer could see Jesus. It was as if each was
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riding right next to Him! This is the way heaven is, for
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although there is only one Jesus and He is in bodily form, He
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seems to be visible and accessible to everyone at once.
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It was so wonderful that Our Precious Lord Jesus would allow
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His saints to be a part of that moment in history. Jesus was
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assembling His army to conquer the earth. In His army were
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the Holy Angels and all those who had hungered and thirsted
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for righteousness. There was Moses, Joseph, David, Bathsheba,
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Rahab, Peter, James, John, Mary, Martha, and Paul. I could
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see Moody, Spurgeon, Billy Sunday, Billy Graham, and many
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other great men and women of God.
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But there was also great joy in seeing those in the Lord's
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army who were former great sinners such as former homosexuals,
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former murderers, former fornicators and former liars, all had
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been redeemed and restored, and were sitting on their horses
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dressed in pure white fine linen because of the cleansing
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power of the Blood of Jesus Christ. There were even those who
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had never walked on the earth but were murdered by the act of
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abortion, they too were sitting pure from the original sin of
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Adam because of the Cross of Calvary. What an incredible
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sight it was!
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As we rode out we traveled faster than the speed of light and
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suddenly, as Jesus turned His eyes to the earth they changed,
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becoming like blazing fire. We could then see the planet, but
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the darkened sun did not illumine it; it was the light of
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Jesus as He emanated a brilliant radiance (Rev 19:11). Then
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fire began to appear all around us, along with loud thundering
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sounds and blinding flashes of lightning.
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A. Rider on White Horse (Rev 19:11-16)
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On earth, those fighting in the darkness of Armageddon were
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suddenly blinded by the light of Jesus Christ and His army.
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In an instant, the Lord Almighty came with, "thunder and
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earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and
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flames of a devouring fire" (Isa 29:5-6).
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It was Isaiah who prophesied, "See, the Lord is coming with
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fire, and His chariots are like a whirlwind; He will bring
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down His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of
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fire. For with fire and with His sword the Lord will
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execute judgment upon all men, and many will be those slain
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by the Lord" (Isa 66:15-16).
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B. Return to the Earth
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1) Response of Those on the Earth
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Every eye on earth saw Jesus return and mankind began to
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mourn for their own lives knowing that the hour of judgment
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had come (Mat 24:30). They fled, "...to caves in the rocks
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and to holes in the ground from the dread of the Lord and
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the splendor of His majesty..." (Isa 2:19).
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2) Standing on Mount of Olives
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Jesus Christ, the King of the Earth, dismounted from His
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White Horse directly upon the Mount of Olives. As soon as
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His feet touched the mountain it split in two, exactly as
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prophesied in Zechariah 14, "...His feet will stand on the
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Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives
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will be split in two from east to west, forming a great
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valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half
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moving south" (v. 4).
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When the mountain split it created a large valley which was
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called the Valley of Decision (Joel 3:14).
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C. Judgment of Earthly Wicked
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1) Armies Set to Attack Christ
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Then the Antichrist and "...the kings of the earth and their
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armies gathered together to make war against the rider on
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the horse and His army" (Rev 19:19) It seemed incredible
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that those who were fighting on the earth could be confronted
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with the supernatural return of Jesus Christ from Heaven and
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yet turn their weapons on the Savior and His army as if God
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could be destroyed.
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2) Beast, False Prophet, and Armies Judged
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But before they could fire one weapon, the Lord struck
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them with great fear and a plague that caused their flesh,
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their eyes and their tongues to decompose while they were
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still standing on their feet. This caused great panic and
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some soldiers attacked and killed one another (Zech 14:12-
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13). The Antichrist and the false prophet were then captured
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and thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
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Then the rest of the wicked army was killed by the command
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of Jesus. Their flesh was given to be eaten by the birds of
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the air (Rev 19:21).
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D. Chaining of Satan
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While the birds gorged themselves on the defeated armies, Satan
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was captured, bound with a chain and locked away for 1,000
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years. The place of his torment is the "Abyss" which means the
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"bottomless pit." The demons were also bound with Satan, just
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as Isaiah had revealed would happen when the Lord returned,
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saying "In that day the Lord will punish the powers in the
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heavens above...They will be herded together like prisoners
|
||
bound in a dungeon; they will be shut up in prison and be
|
||
released after many days" (Isa 24:21-22).
|
||
|
||
E. The Judgment of the Living
|
||
|
||
Then all the remaining people, the noncombatants, of the
|
||
earth were transported to the Valley of Decision where Jesus
|
||
judged them. He sat on a throne in all of His heavenly glory
|
||
and separated the people one from another, placing the
|
||
Christians on His right and the unbelievers on His left (Mat
|
||
25:31-33).
|
||
|
||
Then King Jesus said to the Christians on His right, "Come,
|
||
you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
|
||
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world..."
|
||
(Mat 25:34). The kingdom He gave to them was the Millennial
|
||
Kingdom that was about to begin.
|
||
|
||
Then the King said to those on His left, "Depart from me,
|
||
you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the
|
||
devil and his angels..." (Mat 25:41). Then the unbelievers
|
||
went away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to
|
||
eternal life (Mat 25:46).
|
||
|
||
|
||
F. Thousand Years
|
||
|
||
There was a 75 day transition time after the battle ended
|
||
before the 1,000 year reign of the Lord began. In fact, it
|
||
took seven months just to bury the remains of the dead. And
|
||
some of the weapons from the war were used for fuel in Israel
|
||
and lasted for seven years (Ezek 39:9-16).
|
||
|
||
1) Earth is Restored to Beauty
|
||
|
||
Jesus began to remove the curse of sin from the earth. The
|
||
earth was restored, every valley was raised up, every
|
||
mountain and hill was made low, and the rough ground became
|
||
level, the rugged places became a plain (Isa 40:4). Mt.
|
||
Zion was established as the chief among the mountains; it was
|
||
raised above the hills (Isa 2:2). The desert regions were
|
||
covered with many pools of waters from the new rivers and
|
||
springs. Jesus set beautiful trees everywhere. There were
|
||
pines, firs, cedars, olives, and many other kinds of trees
|
||
(Isa 41:18-19). Beautiful flowers burst in bloom, just like
|
||
the crocus, all over the earth (Isa 35:1-2), and every land
|
||
was fertile and cultivated (Ezek 36:36).
|
||
|
||
|
||
2) A Kingdom of Light
|
||
|
||
The Millennium was truly a kingdom of light. The moon was
|
||
as bright as the original premillennial sun and the sunlight
|
||
of the kingdom was seven times brighter than before, like
|
||
the light of seven full days (Isa 30:26). The night of
|
||
the Millennium was as bright as the old noonday sun.
|
||
|
||
3) The Inhabitants of the Kingdom - Parents
|
||
|
||
Now, the only people that were left alive in the Millennium
|
||
were the believing Gentiles and Jews. The entire world
|
||
consisted of Christians with Jesus Christ reigning as the
|
||
King of the earth. But there were also young unsaved
|
||
children who were under the age of accountability, who could
|
||
still choose to reject the gospel. And the adult christians
|
||
had many children born during the Millennium who like all
|
||
children since Cain and Able, were born into the world as
|
||
sinners.
|
||
|
||
4) The Inhabitants of the Kingdom - Children
|
||
|
||
The children living in the Kingdom all needed salvation, but
|
||
they were given plenty of opportunities to hear the gospel,
|
||
for their parents were Christians, Jesus Christ was visibly
|
||
on the earth as King, and there were a multitude of immortal
|
||
glorified saints (you and me) ruling and reigning with Our
|
||
Master Jesus Christ.
|
||
|
||
5) Life in the Kingdom
|
||
|
||
a) Long Life
|
||
|
||
Most mortals who lived on the earth during the Millennium
|
||
lived out their years (Isa 65:20). Their life spans were
|
||
like those in the days prior to the Flood when, for example,
|
||
Methuselah lived for 969 years! Those born at the beginning
|
||
of the Millennium lived for 1,000 years.
|
||
|
||
b) Death in the Kingdom
|
||
|
||
Yet, there was death in the glorious Kingdom of Light, just
|
||
as the Bible had revealed to us, "...he who dies at a
|
||
hundred will be thought a mere youth...and he who fails to
|
||
reach a hundred will be considered accursed [condemned to
|
||
Hell]" (Isa 65:20). Jesus gave children up to the age of 100
|
||
to make a decision for Him and at that point, if they
|
||
remained in unbelief, Jesus took their lives in judgment.
|
||
|
||
c) Peace on Earth
|
||
|
||
The earth was a place of great peace and safety just as God
|
||
had declared in the Book of Isaiah, "They will neither harm
|
||
nor destroy on all my holy mountain, for the earth will be
|
||
full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the
|
||
sea" (Isa 11:9)
|
||
|
||
Jesus was enthroned in His headquarters in Jerusalem; the
|
||
law went out from Zion, the word of the Lord went from
|
||
Jerusalem. He judged between the nations and settled
|
||
disputes for many peoples. The nations recycled their
|
||
weapons of war into farming equipment. Nation did not
|
||
take up sword against nation, nor did they train for war
|
||
anymore (Isa 2:3-4).
|
||
|
||
d) Peace in the Animal Kingdom
|
||
|
||
Truly peace reigned everywhere, even in the animal kingdom.
|
||
The lion did lie down with the lamb. The wolf and the lamb
|
||
fed together, and the lion ate straw like an ox (Isa 65:25).
|
||
The wolf lived with the lamb, the leopard laid down with the
|
||
goat, the calf and the lion and the colt together; and
|
||
little children led them around. The cow ate with the bear
|
||
and the young calves and the cubs laid down together (Isa
|
||
11:6-7).
|
||
|
||
Infants played near the holes of cobras, and young children
|
||
put their hands into the nests of vipers to play with them
|
||
(Isa 11:8).
|
||
|
||
Life in the Kingdom was indeed very blissful, and we the
|
||
immortal redeemed, were there assisting Our Savior in His
|
||
rule. We were daily interacting with the mortals and enjoyed
|
||
with them this time of true peace on earth.
|
||
|
||
|
||
G. Satan's Doom
|
||
|
||
At the end of the one thousand year Kingdom, Jesus ordered
|
||
Satan to be released from prison. Immediately the devil
|
||
went out to deceive the nations to make war against Jesus
|
||
and His people. Satan actually got an attacking force to
|
||
surround the city of Jerusalem. But fire came down from
|
||
heaven and devoured them. Satan was then thrown into the
|
||
lake of burning sulfur, his final resting place, to be
|
||
tormented for ever and ever (Rev 20:7-11). The devil was
|
||
never to be seen or heard of again. He would never again
|
||
trouble God's people. Amen.
|
||
|
||
H. The Total Destruction of Heaven and Earth
|
||
|
||
Immediately following this judgment of Satan, Jesus then
|
||
removed all the mortal believers from the earth. They were
|
||
translated into their glorified bodies and given their room
|
||
in the Father's House. He then raised from the graves "the
|
||
rest of the Dead" (Rev 20:5). These were those who had
|
||
died throughout the ages of time and had failed to believe
|
||
God's word for salvation. They had been held in torment
|
||
since the day of their deaths, awaiting the day of final
|
||
judgment.
|
||
|
||
Then God destroyed the earth and the heavens by fire. The
|
||
heavens disappeared with an explosive thundering sound; the
|
||
elements were destroyed by fire, melting in the intense
|
||
heat (2 Pet 3:10-12).
|
||
|
||
|
||
I. Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:11-15).
|
||
|
||
It was now time for God to judge the sins of all the
|
||
generations of unsaved people. God brought them to stand
|
||
before His Great White Throne for judgment by Jesus Christ
|
||
who was seated there. Each person was judged according to
|
||
what he had done in his life as recorded in the books.
|
||
These deeds were compared with God's perfect Word as He had
|
||
revealed it to each generation.
|
||
|
||
The judgment was simple. The standard by which one could
|
||
enter into heaven was a life on earth without one recorded
|
||
sin. One sin would result in the eternal judgment of Hell
|
||
and any additional sins would increase the amount of torment
|
||
and agony he would eternally receive. As each person was
|
||
brought before the judge his sins were revealed. Then the
|
||
Lamb's Book of Life was open to see if the person had allowed
|
||
Jesus to pay for their sins. None were found to have trusted
|
||
Jesus for salvation. Therefore, each unbeliever was found
|
||
guilty and then thrown into the lake of fire to be tormented
|
||
for ever an ever (Rev 20:11-15).
|
||
|
||
As we, the redeemed watched, we knew that we too had sinned
|
||
in our own earthly lives, but we remembered that at the
|
||
Cross of Calvary all of our sins were charged to the account
|
||
of the sinless one Jesus Christ. Because He took our sins
|
||
upon Himself our books of sins contained nothing but pure
|
||
white blank pages, washed clean by the Blood of Jesus
|
||
Christ.
|
||
|
||
No one could ever fault the Judge Jesus at the Great White
|
||
Throne for not showing mercy, for even as He sentenced the
|
||
unsaved to torment, one could clearly see the scars on His
|
||
hands and on His feet from the nails of crucifixion and the
|
||
scar in His side from the Roman spear. Jesus offered mercy
|
||
to all when they were on earth and for those who desired to
|
||
remain in their sins He could only then give His wrath.
|
||
|
||
|
||
J. Eternity
|
||
|
||
After the Great White Throne Judgment only the Trinity, the
|
||
angels, and the redeemed saints remained in Heaven. The
|
||
old earth and heavens had been destroyed and all those who
|
||
had rejected Christ were forever bound in the Lake of Fire.
|
||
Jesus then created a new heaven and a new earth and brought
|
||
"the Father's House," the New Jerusalem down from heaven and
|
||
placed it on the new earth. Then God Himself came down to
|
||
earth to live forever with redeemed man (Rev 21:1-3).
|
||
|
||
Life in the Eternal State is perfect. There is no more
|
||
death, no more mourning, no more crying or pain (Rev 21:4).
|
||
But the most magnificent sight in all of Eternity is the
|
||
Precious Lord Jesus Christ. His beauty is without equal and
|
||
His love for each believer is never ending. We never tire
|
||
of worshipping Jesus and learning more about Him.
|
||
|
||
|
||
IV. Conclusion
|
||
|
||
We have heard the record of God's future accomplishments. As
|
||
we now step backward in time to the present, the scenario I
|
||
have just painted has not yet occurred. But the Scriptures are
|
||
clear, that it will indeed happen, with perhaps some slight
|
||
changes from this chronology. It only awaits the Rapture of
|
||
the Church to set it all in motion. And the Bible indicates
|
||
that this event could happen at any moment.
|
||
|
||
What should be our response to these truths of Scripture?
|
||
What should we do from now until the Rapture?
|
||
|
||
A. If Unsaved
|
||
|
||
If you are not saved then seek salvation today. There are
|
||
no salvation opportunities after our moment of death. The
|
||
Bible declares, "...man is destined to die once, and after
|
||
that to face judgment" (Heb 9:27). Jesus Christ has
|
||
revealed these truths to warn you of the tribulations to
|
||
come. He wants to cleanse you of your sins and receive you
|
||
into His Kingdom. Repent of your sins, confess Jesus
|
||
Christ as Lord and Savior, receiving His glorious free gift
|
||
of salvation.
|
||
|
||
|
||
B. If Saved
|
||
|
||
1) Renewed Desire to Serve Jesus
|
||
|
||
For those of us who are saved, we should feel humbled
|
||
that God would love us and save us from the wrath that
|
||
our sins deserve. He will give us a new and glorious
|
||
body, a room in the Father's House, and an eternal
|
||
blissful future. We should renew our dedication to Him
|
||
and strive to serve Him with all our mind, soul, and
|
||
strength.
|
||
|
||
2) Renewed Compassion for the Lost
|
||
|
||
Let us show compassion for the lost. We have seen what
|
||
awaits the unbeliever when Jesus returns to the earth.
|
||
And those judgments, as terrible as they are, are mild
|
||
compared to the endless torment and agony of the eternal
|
||
Fiery Lake of Burning Sulfur.
|
||
|
||
We must attempt, by the power of the Holy Spirit within
|
||
us, to live holy lives before our lost families, friends,
|
||
coworkers, and neighbors. We are their only hope, for if
|
||
they do not see Jesus Christ in us, then they will not
|
||
see Jesus at all. This will cost us, for we must be
|
||
different than the world in order to "stand out as light."
|
||
|
||
|
||
a) Our Conversation
|
||
|
||
Our speech must be gracious and yet seasoned with the salt
|
||
of the truths of the Bible. In Ephesians 5:4 God reminds us
|
||
that for a Christian there must never be obscenity, foolish
|
||
talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather
|
||
thanksgiving."
|
||
|
||
|
||
b) Our Life Styles
|
||
|
||
We must be a holy people in order to lead others to Christ.
|
||
|
||
In this age of sexual freedom God reminds the Christian that
|
||
in our lives, "...there must not be even a hint of sexual
|
||
immorality, or of any kind of impurity..." (Eph 5:3).
|
||
|
||
In fact, God clearly tells us, what we should have uppermost
|
||
in our thinking, "...whatever is true, whatever is noble,
|
||
whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
|
||
whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or
|
||
praiseworthy--think about such things..." (Philippians 4:8).
|
||
|
||
We must keep ourselves pure, for the evil one is constantly
|
||
attempting to corrupt us. Let us not be deceived, nearly all
|
||
that is on television, in popular magazines and in books today
|
||
are things that do not please God. A Christian cannot be
|
||
entertained by the world and still please God. To watch and
|
||
be entertained by TV murders, TV adulteries, TV violence, TV
|
||
drunkenness, and TV crime is to partake in what God calls sin.
|
||
Even when we drive our cars we must maintain the high
|
||
Christian standard and never purposefully exceed the posted
|
||
speed limits. Radar detectors have no place in a car
|
||
belonging to one of God's children.
|
||
|
||
|
||
C. Final Thoughts
|
||
|
||
Jesus is coming back for us soon with the Rapture, at an
|
||
hour when we least expect Him. Once we are gone the horrors
|
||
of the tribulation period will be unleashed. Many of our
|
||
loved ones, friends and acquaintances would be left behind to
|
||
face God's wrath if Jesus came for us today. He has
|
||
privileged us to know the future and to play integral parts
|
||
in His plan. May we do all that we can by the power of the
|
||
Holy Spirit to help those around us who are lost to share in
|
||
the wondrous salvation we possess.
|
||
|
||
|
||
Tony Capoccia
|
||
Bible Bulletin Board
|
||
Box 130
|
||
Shreveport, LA 71110
|
||
MODEM (318)-949-1456
|
||
300/1200/2400/9600 Baud |