TIRED OF PEOPLE ARGUING ABOUT A PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE?

Guest Post: In response to the Rapture doctrine being somehow invented by John Darby in the 1830's

In a digging quest for a credible source to verify a PRE-TRIBULATION RAPTURE, I ran across the works of early Church fathers, Irenaeus, Cyprian, and Ephraim. Irenaeus was an eyewitness to Apostle John, (who wrote Revelation and was Jesus' "beloved disciple"). Irenaeus also was a disciple of Polycarp, who studied directly from Apostle John. Irenaeus is best known for his five-volume treatise, "Against Heresies." (I have this book). Irenaeus' end times teachings and writings supported a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. He verifies that the end times begin when Israel returns as a nation, which then sparks a series of prophecies to be fulfilled that will help us correctly interpret the rest of the prophecies. He verifies that the church, in general, will become apostate, but the true church will be raptured before the tribulation begins. Then the antichrist will enforce a covenant for seven years. At the end of this seven years Jesus returns to begin the Millennial reign. In "Against Heresies 5.29" Irenaeus writes: “Those nations however, who did not of themselves raise up their eyes unto heaven, nor returned thanks to their Maker, nor wished to behold the light of truth, but who were like blind mice concealed in the depths of ignorance, the word justly reckons “as waste water from a sink, and as the turning-weight of a balance — in fact, as nothing;”(1) so far useful and serviceable to the just, as stubble conduces towards the growth of the wheat, and its straw, by means of combustion, serves for working gold. And therefore, when in the end the Church shall be suddenly caught up from this, it is said, “There shall be tribulation such as has not been since the beginning, neither shall be.”(2) For this is the last contest of the righteous, in which, when they overcome they are crowned with incorruption.” 

Irenaeus is describing the church leaving the sinful world just before disaster strikes. During the tribulation years more will convert to Christianity and will "recieve the incorruptible crown." Cyprian (200 AD- 258 AD) was a Bishop of the Church in Carthage and helped the Church through the Roman Empire persecution. In his "Treatises of Cyprian" he wrote: “We who see that terrible things have begun, and know that still more terrible things are imminent, may regard it as the greatest advantage to depart from it as quickly as possible. Do you not give God thanks, do you not congratulate yourself, that by an early departure you are taken away, and delivered from the shipwrecks and disasters that are imminent? Let us greet the day which assigns each of us to his own home, which snatches us hence, and sets us free from the snares of the world and restores us to paradise and the kingdom.” Cyprian encouraged the believing to rejoice that the church would be taken away before the disastrous tribulation. Ephraim (306 AD - 373 AD) became the Bishop of Nisibis. One of his works, a sermon, "On the Last Times, the Antichrist, and the End of the World," has a compelling reverence to the rapture: “We ought to understand thoroughly therefore, my brothers, what is imminent or overhanging. Already there have been hunger and plagues, violent movements of nations and signs, which have been predicted by the Lord, they have already been fulfilled (consummated), and there is not other which remains, except the advent of the wicked one in the completion of the Roman kingdom. Why therefore are we occupied with worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of worldly business, and why is our mind held fixed on the lusts of the world or on the anxieties of the ages? Why therefore do we not reject every care of earthly actions and prepare ourselves for the meeting of the Lord Christ, so that he may draw us from the confusion, which overwhelms all the world? Believe you me, dearest brother, because the coming (advent) of the Lord is nigh, believe you me, because the end of the world is at hand, believe me, because it is the very last time.

Or do you not believe unless you see with your eyes? See to it that this sentence be not fulfilled among you of the prophet who declares: “Woe to those who desire to see the day of the Lord!” For all the saints and elect of God are gathered, prior to the tribulation that is to come, and are taken to the Lord lest they see the confusion that is to overwhelm the world because of our sins. And so, brothers most dear to me, it is the eleventh hour, and the end of the world comes to the harvest, and angels, armed and prepared, hold sickles in their hands, awaiting the empire of the Lord. And we think that the earth exists with blind infidelity, arriving at its downfall early. Commotions are brought forth, wars of diverse peoples and battles and incursions of the barbarians threaten, and our regions shall be desolated, and we neither become very much afraid of the report nor of the appearance, in order that we may at least do penance; because they hurl fear at us, and we do not wish to be changed, although we at least stand in need of penance for our actions!” Ephraim expresses a strong warning of urgency and clearly states the saints and elect who are believers in Jesus Christ will be taken to the Lord before the Tribulation. He also identifies that the "Day of the Lord" and the end times Tribulation are the same event. He stresses that believers should turn away from this world and look to Heaven and work on pleasing God. He distinguishes the second coming of Christ from the rapture, placing the rapture before the tribulation to come. Although there are few writtings left of the early Church fathers, it is clear they believed and taught an early rapture for the church before the end times "Day of the Lord/Great Tribulation." Rapture doctrine did in fact exist, and was part of the early Christian beliefs since the days of the apostles.

The Crucifixion - A Holy Week Reflection

The Crucifixion by Patricia C. McGlennon, author of Last Call for the Church

 Have you ever wondered why blood is so important to God? Well, He is the creator of life, and blood is the force, which sustains it. It is a mysterious substance given by God to the body of man to nourish itself. Leviticus 17:11 KJV tells us without blood there is no life, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood." When God created Adam, He breathed into his nostrils, and Adam became a living soul (Genesis 2:7). Satan and the angels had never seen blood before God created man. They are spirits and as such, do not possess physical bodies. Blood has always been highly valuable to God and an entity of transformation. He required it to cover sin from the very beginning. Through the Immaculate Conception, Jesus, the Son of God, was born of a virgin woman and without any attachment of sin to His bloodline. His blood was flawless and with it, He paid a very painful and humiliating mohar or bridal price for all who believe in Him.

Do you appreciate how much it cost Him to purchase you from sin, and offer eternal life? It is vital you know exactly what Jesus did for you with His blood, so you might understand and be fully equipped to live out your position in His body. The Bible fills us in on seven different, but unmistakably significant places where Jesus shed His blood. As you might have already noticed by now, the number seven is like God's signature on everything. The number seven forms the foundation of His word, and encompasses the creation of all things. In Hebrews 9:22 KJV, God declared in His word the only means of atonement for the forgiveness of sin is by way of blood. "And almost all things are by the law purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission." Jesus did not just die on a cross for us. He fulfilled the Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53:5. He suffered wounds for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. He endured chastisement for our peace, and the stripes He received on His back offer healing. Jesus was wounded and lost blood, but where at and what was the significance of each of the seven places He bled from?

       

        The first place Jesus shed His blood was in the Garden of Gethsemane, located at the foot of the Mount of Olives. We see this take place in Luke 22:44 KJV, "Being in anguish He prayed more earnestly and His sweat was as it were like drops of blood falling to the ground." I mentioned to you in an earlier blog perhaps that was due to Him having second thoughts about the purchase price of the  church, with His life. Even so, this first account of His blood loss renders a sneak peak at the human side of Jesus. In this particular garden scene, with blood oozing from His forehead like sweat, He redeemed your willpower. The shed blood from His brow was targeted determination to stay the course set before Him. It was a mind over matter moment. Adam gave up his willpower to say no to disobedience in the Garden of Eden, when he ate of the fruit from the tree God had forbidden him to touch. Jesus restored willpower back to you in another garden or a feast of victory by saying no to His flesh. When His obedience was tested, He prayed, "Father if thou be willing, remove this cup from me, nevertheless not my will, but thine be done," Luke 22:42 KJV. Jesus’ blood gives you the willpower to say no to sin and determination not to give in to temptation.

The second time Jesus shed His blood was after His arrest when the Romans whipped him. Blood poured from the open flesh wounds He received on His back from a gruesome beating. How many times did the Roman soldiers strike His back with a whip? I do not know. The apostle Paul writes in 2Corinthians 11:24 NIV, "Five times I received from the Jews the 40 lashes minus one." Why did Paul not just say on five separate occasions that he himself had gotten 39 lashes as a punishment? Ancient Israel was a legalistic society, and there was a directive in the Mosaic Law which reads, "If there is a dispute between men and they come into court and the judges decide between them, acquitting the innocent and condemning the guilty, then if the guilty man deserves to be beaten, the judge shall cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence with a number of stripes in proportion to his offense. 40 stripes may be given him, but not more, lest, if one should go on to beat him with more stripes than these, your brother be degraded in your sight," Deuteronomy 25:1-3 ESV. This was an ancient Jewish law of fairness, and most likely Jesus got 39 lashes as well, because 40 lashes must have been sufficient to kill or impair a man from standing and walking away afterwards. This is an exciting figure, because there are only 39 root diseases in the world of which you could ever be sickened from in any one of the many categories. Glory to God! Every stripe laid on His back was at the root of a disease you could ever possibly come across. He took a beating on His back for your health, and broke the curse of sickness off you, "By whose stripes ye were healed," 1Peter 2:24 KJV. By faith, you have the right to pray for your healing, and believe you have received it by way of the precious blood shed for you.

The third place Jesus bled for you was internally. He was "bruised for our iniquities" (Isaiah 53:5). Being bruised means that He bled inside and that liberates you from the sins of any past generations. By His blood, you can be free from any physical or emotional ailments in your bloodline. Values and mindsets are the very footholds of a family and blindly transferred to children. They either set you back or propel you forward. Iniquity, however, is a bent version of the truth. It is usually a lie that goes against God’s word. It originates from somewhere within the family, and is so easily handed down. It is distinct from a transgression. Iniquity is a root lie that sparks abusive behavior. Generational lies like the iniquities of alcoholism, drug addiction, anger, poverty, spousal abuse and racism present significant challenges for future generations. Whether uniquely genetic or environmentally passed on, they all go against God’s word. The internal bloodshed of Jesus allows you to be physically and mentally free from the spiritual bondage of negative or destructive behavior.

Jesus shed blood at a fourth site as the Roman soldiers shoved a crown of thorns onto His head. Matthew 27:29 NIV tells us a "braided crown of thorns was placed on His head," and they mocked Him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" Bleeding from the thorns pushed into His head, Jesus restored your peace of mind. Remember? "The chastisement of our peace was upon Him" (Isaiah 53:5 KJV). The blood Jesus shed from the prickly thorns is capable of releasing all the strongholds of your mind. Things that would otherwise hold you back, and keep you in confusion and weighted down, Jesus took care of all of them before He ever got to the Cross. Praise God! You were always on His mind. He knew there would be times you were going to need Him to lead you to victory on the battlefield of your own mind, and against yourself.

The fifth place Jesus bled from was His hands. Pierced through with nails, His hands bled for your transgressions. "He was pierced for our transgressions," Isaiah 53:5 NASB. He bled from His hands, so you could prosper. His blood broke the curse from the work of your hands, so your labor would not be in vain but profitable. This is a genuine blessing indeed, because Genesis 1:26-28 tells us, God placed all dominion and authority into the hands of Adam and Eve. From the very beginning, they lost our ability to enjoy God’s provision. Since then, we have always had to work for our food and shelter. With the blood-covered hands of Jesus, you are able to take back what belongs to you. The blood of Jesus is not just your source of redemption, but your freedom as well. The blood of Jesus releases you back to a life that should have been your inheritance all along. His blood is powerful. Ask with faith for the reaping of a bountiful harvest in all your good and faithful work. You do not have to sit idly by and let Satan continue taking without end. Jesus’ blood offers a new way of living.

The sixth wound Jesus bled from was His feet. His feet were nailed to the cross "for our trespasses," Colossians 2:13 ASV. To trespass means you are on someone else's property. Satan is called, "the ruler of this world" (John 12:31 ESV). Imagine that! This world does not belong to you, but you have the authority to defeat Satan's influence in your life by claiming the blood of Jesus. With your feet, you can take dominion over every place the sole of your foot touches (Deuteronomy 11:24). By shedding blood from His feet, Jesus equipped the church to fulfill the Great Commission of spreading the gospel message in a world that did not even belong to us. Hallelujah! Glory to God! The church, filled with the Holy Spirit, will complete its’ assignment. Jesus gave the lost dominion back. You have the authority to bind Satan out of your life in Jesus’ name (Joshua 1:3). I hope this gives you a courageous new heart, and a warrior-like spirit.

With a dying breath, Jesus spoke His last words, "It is finished" (John 19:30 NASB). As the perfect sacrifice for sin, His mission to Earth was completed. He had finished all His Father had required. The seventh place Jesus bled was from His side. A Roman soldier thrust a spear into His side to make sure He was dead. "Blood and water flowed out" (John 19:34 NIV). By this time, Jesus was now dead. He died in unbelievable suffering from the hefty price tag of human sin. Mark 15:34 NIV records Jesus as saying while He was hanging on the Cross "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus literally bled out and emptied Himself on the Cross: to wash away sins, iniquities, trespasses, transgressions, diseases, and to give you a pure thinking mind that embraces dominion. In the awful moments before His death, He was obliviously feeling the weight of sin, and experiencing separation from His Father for the very first time. He cried out to God, "Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?" Mark 15:34 NIV. In other words, "Where are you?" God was absent from Jesus in those final moments. Why? Jesus was the only ‘One,’ who could accomplish the removal of sin’s death curse by exchanging His perfect and life giving blood. The blood of Jesus still cries out on your behalf, so you can own the hope of an eternal life. Glory to God! He is Risen! Happy Easter!

The Revelation of the Mystery of the Rapture

"Behold, I come quickly, blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book." Revelation 22:7 KJV Earthquakes, famines, diseases, and the rise of Islamic terrorism were recorded as our future history a long time ago. This is the time that Jesus referred to as the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8 KJV). It is a future history that was written before any of us were ever born. However, it is the frequency of all the earthquakes, the natural disasters, and the occurrence of worldwide unrest that we must pay attention to, in order to better understand the travail of a changing world, and what that means to us right now, and in very real time. Jesus said, "All these things must come to pass, but it is not the end," Matt 24:6 KJV. The Earth is presently in an effacement stage, and it is ready to enter a period of transition. This transition period is described in the Bible, as being like that of "a woman in travail," giving birth (John 16:21 KJV). If you have ever given birth to a child, or witnessed the birthing process, you know that it is very painful, that the pains of delivery come with greater frequency, and that the contractions get harder and harder before the child is born. Oddly, the last step of active human labor is called the transition period. It is the most intense phase of the birthing process, which is the bringing forth of something new. The signs and the times that Jesus described to His disciples that would be occurring to indicate the end of the present age, and that His return was near, are described in Matthew 24:3-8. The signs and the times that He gave include religious deception, wars and rumors of wars, famines, diseases, and earthquakes. The worldwide status indicators that Jesus gave are the ones that will lead the world into a future era, known as the Great Tribulation, which is set to occur right before the end of the age of man, as seen in Matthew 24:21, and in Revelation 7:14. We are currently living in a prophesied time of unstoppable worldwide distress. Jesus said in Matthew 24:37 KJV, "As the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be." In other words, people will not believe any impending disaster is about to occur. They will be living like they always have, with no regard for the truth, and they will not heed the warning of a coming judgment. We are told in Genesis 6:6 that every imagination of the thought of man's heart was evil continually, and that was before the flood! Well, has anything changed since the flood? It is almost like we have come right back to the same dominating evil environment that took out the people before us. Does history really repeat itself? Pick up a newspaper or watch TV, and you will see that sin is out of control, and that mayhem has become a global issue. The United States military and coalition forces cannot solve the onslaught of the universal wickedness that is currently present. The church, the body of Christ, which is filled with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit, is currently restraining Satan from doing all that he wants to do on the Earth. He cannot take full possession of the Earth until the Holy Spirit filled body of the church is removed. The Holy Spirit filled church has to leave the Earth to fulfill the prophesied coming of a tyrant antichrist. The world will see the most devastating time it has ever witnessed, (Matthew 24:21), right after the church has been taken away by the Bridegroom, Jesus. Daniel 12:1 NIV explains that this will be the worst time that has ever been experienced on the Earth, "at that time Michael, the great Prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people, everyone whose name is found written in the book will be delivered." Jesus’ longest prophecy about the time of the end is found in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, with each giving their own accounts of the day that they were with Him on the Mount of Olives. It is commonly referred to as the Olivet Prophecy, and it is a digest of the circumstantial events that will lead to Jesus’ return. This prophecy was given during the week before His crucifixion, and it is pivotal to understanding the future events that will affect the entire world. The prophecy begins when Jesus and His disciples, having left the Temple, were sitting on the Mount of Olives. They were enjoying a spectacular view and unexpectedly, Jesus threw them a curve when He announced that the beautiful Temple they were admiring was going to be destroyed. Being curious and very concerned, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked Him to tell them when this prophecy of such an end time doom was going to take place. Jesus was so smart and engaging; He knew the disciples would want to know more. The apostle Mark’s account of the Olivet Prophecy which is found in Mark 13 says that Jesus revealed to them the conditions that would be present on the Earth that would lead up to His return. He said it would be a time of increasing trouble and turmoil. He warned them that at a future time on Earth, man could destroy all of human life. Matthew, however, gives a more descriptive account of what Jesus said that day, "For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be, and unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect's sake; those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:21-22 NKJV. No flesh saved, unless those days were shortened? This statement is a flashing light time frame indicator, which could only mean the fulfillment of “great tribulation” would be nearby in a day and time when an arsenal of nuclear weapons was actually present on the Earth. Jesus goes on to further describe to them the political and military disturbances that would be present before His Second Coming, "and you will hear of wars and rumors of war, see that ye are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but, the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of sorrows," Matthew 24:6-8 KJV. Jesus explains that these conditions by “themselves” do not reveal the time of the end. He is simply saying that the magnitude of these tragedies is only setting the stage for greater trouble and sorrow. The worst is yet to come! By the way, in 70 AD the Temple was destroyed just as Jesus prophesied to the disciples that day on the Mount of Olives that it would be. Glory to God! Prophecy is never a prediction. Hallelujah! It is always a promise of the future. Matthew 24:8 NASB reads, "all this is but the beginning of the birth pangs," and "sorrows" as seen in the King James version. Jesus used an analogy of a woman in labor in this verse to make us aware that wars, pestilences, famines, and earthquakes will be the beginning of the birth pains. In essence, He compared a pregnant woman's birth pains, which indicate that her child will soon be born, to be like that of worldwide conflicts and catastrophes, and they will signal to us that the end of the age is close. Jesus was not referring to just wars and natural disasters that have always occurred, but rather to a time when these life changing events steadily worsen, and occur with greater frequency. A series of terrible pains, one right after the other! The Bible indicates that the days were already shortened on God's calendar from the beginning as a matter of history. "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened," Matthew 24:22 NIV. Jesus was teaching that God had already limited the time of the Great Tribulation on the Earth, so that it would not continue indefinitely. The Bible is so precise! The first six seals that are broken in the book of Revelation correspond to the signs that Jesus described in the Olivet Prophecy. Once these conditions begin, they continue to the very end as seen in Revelation 6. The intensity of great turmoil increases significantly right until the day that Jesus establishes the Kingdom of God on the Earth. The first six seals in Revelation 6 describe major events, which lead up to that day. In fact, it is the sixth seal that introduces the arrival of the Day of the Lord, which is the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:17). The time of the end is described as a time of trouble that has never been seen before. When Jesus’ disciples asked Him about the time of the end, He reiterated Daniel’s words, "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be," Matthew 24:21 KJV. The book of Daniel indicates that the time of the end will be a period of unheard-of trouble that will conclude with the establishment of God's kingdom. The Bible reveals that specific prophetic events will mark the end of the age. Jesus cautioned His disciples to be careful, if they thought, they were witnessing the signs of the end of the age. He said, "Take heed that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name and say, I am he, and the time has drawn near. Do not go after them, but when you hear of wars and commotions, do not be terrified; for these things must come to pass first, but the end will not come immediately," Luke 21:8-9 KJV. There it is! Plain as the day! Disasters, wars, and religious fanatics do not determine it is the end time, but rather the presence of them indicates the "beginning of sorrows" (Matthew 24:8). The global upheaval that the world is currently experiencing is only the beginning of unimaginable sorrow! The apostle Peter tells us in 2Peter 3:3-6, that to both the individuals of Noah's day and to those of the present day, that God seemed so far away, and they will again "mock the truth." People were, and will continue to be blind to God's forthcoming judgment. The apostle Paul told Timothy about carnal attitudes, and lifestyles that would characterize the last days, "but know this, that in the last days perilous times will come. For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness, but denying its power," 2Timothy 3:1-5 NKJV. These earthly attitudes will prevent a multitude of people from keeping an eye on any warning signs, and just like in Noah's day; a majority will be unprepared for the brewing worldwide storm. "Blessed are those servants, whom the Lord, when He cometh shall find watching…," Luke 12:37 KJV. "For the Lord, Himself shall descend from heaven with the trumpet of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up; together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air…," 1Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV. "…Until the indignation be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out of His place to punish the inhabitants of the Earth for their iniquity…" Isaiah 26:20-21 KJV. The indignation is the Great Tribulation! There will be a trumpet call to announce the Rapture, and then all the dead believers will be resurrected, and they will be made imperishable, and all the living believers will become immortal as well. Unbelievers will be left to face the tribulation. All of this will happen "in the twinkling of an eye," 1Corinthians 15:52. The apostle Paul describes Jesus as "coming in the air" and adds the phrase "caught up" in 1Thessalonians 4:17. The Rapture of the Church will be just that! There is no mention of Jesus touching the Earth as we are told elsewhere that He does when he returns at the Second Coming. A supernatural removal of believers from the Earth is seen in the miraculous disappearance of Enoch in Genesis 5:21-24, as well as that of Elijah in 2Kings 2:1-30. The bypassing of death is referred to as "translation" in the King James version of Hebrews 11:5, and it reads, "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God…" God always gives us a reason to believe with some evidence to support what He has said will happen. The mysterious disappearances of Enoch and Elijah are Rapture evidence of being “caught up” or “snatched away” from the Earth without physically undergoing death. At His Ascension, Jesus Himself was taken up and far away into the clouds as the disciples watched, "and when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven," Acts 1:9-11 KJV. The Bible does not tell us why God took Enoch and Elijah to heaven before they had experienced death. Their rapture offers proof of having been alive and removed from the Earth with a summons to come up. Jesus’ Ascension, not only offered visible proof to the witnesses, but it also demonstrates the rapture removal of those who have been resurrected. Praise God! He always gives a piece of evidence somewhere! The book of Revelation is the final book of the Bible. Almost all the prophecies given throughout the Old Testament, as well as those in the New Testament converge in this one single book. The absolute objective of the book of Revelation was to reveal the future. Jesus is the One that did the revealing, and the apostle John recorded everything that he was allowed to see. This last book of the Bible details world history from the time of the early church to the time of eternity, and it must be read with the understanding that the book itself is a “gift.” Revelation 1:1 NLT reads, "This is a revelation from Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants the events that must soon take place…" The book of Revelation describes future events that will lead to God’s ultimate goal of establishing His kingdom on Earth. It is compiled with parts of Daniel, Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, and you have to understand the prophecies given in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah to even get a grip on the symbolism, and the strange imagery presented in this last given book. The Bible reveals itself from cover to cover, and every word of it hinges on the next. Read it for your own understanding, and read it with a warrior quest of seeking true revelation. The book of Revelation describes the coming of the antichrist, the Great Tribulation, the Battle of Armageddon, the Second Coming of Jesus, the binding of Satan, a thousand years of peace, and a new heaven and a brand new Earth. Revelation 4:2 opens with the apostle John saying that he is "in the spirit" and the kingdom is opened to him. In his vision, he immediately sees God sitting on a throne. He then sees a lamb, which has been slaughtered, and it is standing right in front of the throne. Instantly, John witnesses this slaughtered lamb become a lion. He then realizes that this vision of a lamb, as well as the one of a lion, is really that of a King, who is standing before God. After describing the scene in heaven, John focuses in on a scroll that God is holding. He senses that the little scroll book is an extremely important document. You can almost feel him withdrawing into the background a bit to take in all that he sees, and it is revealed to him that the “one” who was not only the slaughtered lamb, but also a lion, as well as a King, is the only one who has been found worthy enough to open the seals on this scroll. This “scroll” contains the operations’ plan that is going to establish the Kingdom of God on the Earth. The next thing that John sees is Jesus break each of the seven seals on the scroll, and each seal unleashes end time events. There is that number seven again! The number seven appears a lot in the book of Revelation. There are seven seals, seven churches, seven golden lampstands, seven trumpets, seven vials, seven plagues, seven bowls, seven mountains, seven kings, and that is not all the list of the “sevens” that are mentioned. There is no way that the patterns of seven were a literary device used by John, because we are told that he was only allowed to record what he saw and heard. So, what do all of these “sevens” have to do with us? Daniel chapter 6 describes the beginning of the seven-year period of tribulation as a culmination of human history. In the Bible, the number 7 indicates the completion of all things. God created the world in six days, and He rested on the seventh day. I told you in a previous chapter that the number 7 is very important to God. A day is like 1000 years unto God (2Peter 3:8), and we are nearing the end of 6000 years of recorded history. The next thousand years, will become the 7000th millennia, and it could very well be the "thousand years of Millennial Reign," as seen in Revelation 20:6. Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 24:14 KJV that the end would not come until "the gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into all the world for a witness unto all nations and then shall the end come." Today, approximately 95% of the world has heard the gospel message of Jesus Christ and the coming Kingdom of God. This has been accomplished by radio, satellite, the Internet, and good old-fashioned footwork. The gospel message has been distributed in hundreds of different languages, and the world remains anxious for the truth. God’s kingdom will become a reality! The apostle John saw all the forces within the seven seals that will be unleashed to produce the beginning of the Great Tribulation. We are presently standing on the threshold of a pivotal moment in human history. The Rapture of the Church will be like that of a bride being carried across the threshold by a groom. The lifting up of a bride is an easy seizure or a stealing away, and it signals at that moment; she belongs to him, and she is now under his protection. Glory to God! He thought of everything!