"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!
Tuesday, January 31, 2017
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!
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Thanks for sharing this revelation knowledge, Patricia. May Lord continue keep us under His protection and grace.
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