END-TIME EVENTS ACCORDING TO SCRIPTURES

A comparative approach of Bible study on various End-Time events By Cookie Alicaya

DISCLAIMER:
This is a personal study done by the author who used to hold a Pre-tribulation view on the Rapture, but now believes in a post-tribulation, pre-wrath Rapture view. It is strongly encouraged that the reader TEST EVERYTHING AGAINST SCRIPTURE and search Gods Word if the things presented are really so. The contents of this study are for general information only and do not constitute professional advice. Whilst the author makes every effort to maintain the accuracy of the information on this file, it cannot accept responsibility for any claim, loss or damage which may occur from the use of the information. The reader assumes full responsibility for using the information in this study. Material may be copied, republished and redistributed for personal use only. All Glory, Honor, Praise and Thanksgiving belong to the LORD JESUS CHRIST forever and ever! Amen. 2

INTRODUCTION

My Christian walk began when Gods grace allowed for a personal thirst and hunger for Truth to be found in my life. I have been brought up and raised in a Catholic, religious practice and had never looked into the Bible to study and search it for Gods version of Truth. My yearning for more than what my religious life had to offer brought me face to face with the Grace of God and the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible. By the time I was regularly reading my Bible, God has already exposed my heart and the conflicts that arose from Scripture and that of the many religious practices Ive held on to for years. My encounter with the biblical gospel message made me walk away from the religious life that Ive been accustomed to. I left the Catholic faith and all the traditions Ive learned from her in exchange for the true relationship I have with my now Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I was initially exposed to an evangelical Christian community in the Philippines that taught me about the basic tenets of biblical Christianity. My spiritual growth led me to learn more about Gods Grace, my role as a disciple and follower of the Lord Jesus Christ, and doctrines of the Christian faith which included a view on a pre-tribulation Rapture event. In the early years of my Christian walk with Christ, I have never really made an official study of end-time events. I had always held on to what others have spoken of so often about a Rapture that will take place any moment, in the twinkling of an eye. Though my initial zeal for Christ was just so-so, it was a comforting idea for me to hold on to that one day, Christ will remove me from this earth to save me from any tribulation and wrath of God that is to come. It wasnt until around 2011, when I was about 7 years old in the Faith that God brought me to a hunger for learning about end-time events. Somehow, the world events that enfold before us made it very clear that Gods prophetic Word is coming to pass in these present days. My yearning for a better understanding of Biblical End-Time events went beyond just the knowledge about a pre-tribulation Rapture. Many of my end-time event knowledge come primarily from the teaching and preaching of bible teachers and ministry friends who delve into Eschatological. Since I have never really done one on my own, I have always held the Eschatological view that majority of these teachers held. An opportunity arose in the past for me to join a study class on the book of Revelation and that somehow started my desire for a deeper and clearer understanding of Eschatology (or End-Time events). This study is a result of my OWN personal searching of Scriptures. I decided to sit down with Gods Word, while emptying everything Ive learned

from somebody else. This study is the result of my personal searching of Scriptures as I took a comparative approach to the books in the Bible that speak of the major End-Time events. I invite you to search Scripture on your own and study Eschatology directly from the source of inerrant Truth himself, the Word of God. Any theologian, bible scholar and teacher with years and years of experience and study behind them can teach us things ABOUT what the Word of God teaches but it is OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS CHRISTIANS TO SEARCH SCRIPTURES IF THESE TEACHINGS WERE REALLY SO. Also, it is CRITICAL THAT, WE WHO PROFESS TO FOLLOW CHRIST JESUS, MUST remember what the LORD GOD Himself said of the New Covenant we have in Christ 10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people:

11And they shall not teach every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. (Hebrews 8:10-11, KJV, emphasis mine)
~~ 26These things have I written unto you concerning them that seduce you. 27But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any

man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.
(2 Peter 2:26-27, KJV, emphasis mine)

~~~ Open your Bibles and NEVER TAKE ANYBODYS WORD FOR IT. Let GOD be your Teacher and let HIM show you what will take place directly from Scriptures. My prayer is that you will find a blessing in this study as you consider the things that you will find in here. And I pray that this study will issue a call into your life to TEST EVERYTHING against the TRUTH that is in Gods Word, for Gods Word IS Truth. God bless you richly in the Lord Jesus Christ. Note: For this study, it helps a LOT if you print the chart that goes along with this material, and glue the pages together to make the WHOLE table. It is so much easier to follow through the discussions when you can see the BIG picture through the chart.

SOME IMPORTANT DEFINITION OF TERMS (links active to Wikipedia):

ESCHATOLOGY (from the Greek //, eschatos/eschat/eschaton meaning "last" and -logy meaning "the study of", first used in English around 1550)[1] is a part of theology, physics, philosophy, and futurology concerned with what are believed to be the final events of history, the ultimate destiny of humanity commonly referred to as the "end of the world" or "end time". DISPENSATIONALISM - is an evangelical, futurist, Biblical interpretation that understands God to have related to human beings in different ways under different Biblical covenants in a series of "dispensations," or periods in history. The theology of dispensationalism consists of a distinctive eschatological end times perspective, as all dispensationalists hold to premillennialism and most hold to a pretribulation rapture. PREMILLENNIALISM - in Christian eschatology is the belief that Jesus Christ will literally and physically be on the earth for his millennial reign at his second coming. The doctrine is called premillennialism because it holds that Jesus' physical return to earth will occur prior to the inauguration of the millennium. It is distinct from the other forms of Christian eschatology such as postmillennialism or amillennialism, which view the millennial rule as occurring either before the second coming, or as being figurative and non-temporal. RAPTURE - is a term in Christian eschatology which refers to the "being caught up" discussed in 1 Thessalonians 4:17. The term "Rapture" is used in at least two senses. In the pre-tribulation view, a group of people will be left behind on earth after another group literally leaves "to meet the Lord in the air." This is now the most common use of the term, especially among fundamentalist Christians and in the United States.[2] The other, older use of the term "Rapture" is simply as a synonym for the final resurrection generally, without a belief that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Denominations such as Roman Catholics,[7] Orthodox Christians,[8] Lutheran Christians,[9] and Reformed Christians[10] believe in a rapture only in the sense of a general final resurrection, when Christ returns a single time. They do not believe that a group of people is left behind on earth for an extended Tribulation period after the events of 1 Thessalonians 4:17. Pre-tribulation rapture theology was developed in the 1830s by John Nelson Darby and the Plymouth Brethren,[12] and popularized in the United States in the early 20th century by the wide circulation of the Scofield Reference Bible. TRIBULATION - refers to tumultuous events that are described during the "signs of the times", first mentioned by Jesus in the Olivet discourse. Futurist view In the futurist view of Christian eschatology, the Tribulation is a relatively short period of time where anyone who chose not to follow God up until the Rapture and was therefore left behind (according to Pre-Tribulation doctrine, 5

not Mid- or Post-Tribulation teaching) will experience worldwide hardships, disasters, famine, war, pain, and suffering, which will wipe out more than 75% of all life on the earth before the Second Coming takes place. According to Dispensationalists who hold the futurist view, the Tribulation is thought to occur before the Second Coming of Jesus and during the End Times. Another version holds that it will last seven years in all, being the last of Daniel's prophecy of seventy weeks. This viewpoint was first made popular by John Nelson Darby in the 19th century and was recently popularized by Hal Lindsey in The Late Great Planet Earth.

 UNIT 1 THE GOSPELS & END-TIME EVENTS Three of the four gospels in the Bible touch on Eschatological events. Matthew, Mark and Luke present an entire chapter each to record the detailing of end-time events that Jesus gave to the disciples that asked him about it. Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 are parallel chapters that record the presentation of Jesus of the events that will take place in and around the end. The gospel of John doesnt present any of the details that the other three have, but the whole book of Revelation (which the apostle John also wrote) give us a more extensive look at Eschatology. So, we can pretty much see that all four gospel writers were used by God to present End-Time events as inspired by the Holy Spirit. The PRE-tribulation Eschatological view would consider the above passages from the gospels as that pertaining to the Second Coming of Jesus in the end. The Rapture would have already happened BEFORE any of the events in these passages take place. It is well to note that this eschatological view holds that the whole 70th week spoken of by the prophet Daniel is the time when the wrath of God is poured out upon the earth. (PLEASE REFER TO THE SCRIPTURES TABLE FROM THIS POINT ON Thank you!) Matthew, Mark and Luke present parallel passages regarding the end-time events as told by Jesus himself. We can see a CHRONOLOGY of the events that will take place as Jesus begins to talk about a BEGINNING and later on in his discourse proceeded to say THEN to describe the events that follow. Matthew 24:8 and Mark 13:8 both record Jesus saying that the events that he initially mentioned are THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS. These are the events that he enumerated which include the wars (nation will rise against nation, kingdom against kingdom), famines, and pestilences, great earthquakes in diverse places and fearful sights and signs from heaven. Then Jesus gave a heads up for his disciples to take heed or to give careful attention to what comes next. He then mentioned that they will be delivered up to be afflicted, beaten, sent to prison and even killed FOR HIS NAMES SAKE. I find it VERY IMPORTANT to consider Jesus words here when he said FOR MY NAMES SAKE because it clarifies to the reader that this discourse of his was for those who professed FAITH in Christ and are FOLLOWERS OF HIM ALREADY. Also, in this part of his discourse he mentions about them being brought before RULERS & KINGS (in plural form) for a testimony. I find the plural form rulers and kings critical in showing that this will not just happen in one particular place. It will be a simultaneous, global thing wherein the believers or followers of Christ Jesus will be brought before kings and rulers and will give a testimony to which many will be put to death.

The PRE-tribulation Rapture view that I used to believe in teaches that this passage is strictly pertaining to the Jews alone since the Church would have been taken away already by the time this happens. Also, PRETRIB view teaches that these people that will be brought before kings and rulers to witness will be the 144,000 Jewish virgins who will be sealed by God. I find that quite unrealistic now, because in the same breath that Jesus said they will be brought before kings and rulers, he also mentioned (as recorded in Mark 13) that the gospel to which they will preach will be published among ALL NATIONS. If indeed, the 144,000 Jews are the ones who will be witnesses during this time, I could not find a single follow-up verse describing them to be dispersed throughout the world in order to publish the gospel among ALL nations. There would also have to be an event (and the need for time) in order for these 144,000 Jews to go out into all nations to preach the gospel message. Another very important thing to see is that both passages in Mark 13 and Luke 21 record Jesus description of HOW they will preach this gospel. He specifically mentions that when the people persecuted for his Names sake be brought to rulers and kings to preach the gospel, he mentioned that they need not worry about what to say because THE HOLY SPIRIT will be the one speaking for them at that time. This is quite a contradiction to what has been broadly taught about the PRETRIB rapture view. In the broader teaching of the Pre-trib rapture, it has been said that the Holy Spirit will be taken away during the Rapture that takes place BEFORE THIS PERIOD described in the gospels. 2 Thessalonians 2 (a run-to verse for a pretribulation rapture view) describes these days of trouble to begin when the RESTRAINER is removed from the scene. Many has been taught and believe that the restrainer described as (v.7) HE WHO NOW LETTETH WILL LET, UNTIL HE BE TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY is the Holy Spirit and that when the pretrib rapture occurs, the Holy Spirit who is INDWELLED in believers will also be taken away from the scene to allow for the FULL FORCE of EVIL to fall upon the whole Earth. The more specific teaching that pretribbers will eventually find out is that some will say it is really not the Holy Spirit that will be removed but just his RESTRAINING POWER. This, however, I find to have a very gray and speculative area because the Bible clearly states in 2 Thess. 2:7 that the restrainer or HE WHO NOW LETTETH will be TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY. That clearly shows me that it is the PERSON or ENTITY himself that will be TAKEN AWAY and not just his power or influence. Jesus has already described a time of the beginning of sorrows and warned his followers/disciples of a time that shall come when they will be persecuted, afflicted and even be put to death for His Names sake. The discourse continues on and shows us that Jesus presented the events chronologically because his following statements were preceded by the words, THEN 8

 Looking at the chart and the order of events, the gospels show us a distinction of time from what Jesus calls the BEGINNING OF SORROWS to a time of GREAT tribulation. When Jesus finished giving the details to the period of the beginning of sorrows he then said, THEN WHEN YOU SEE THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION STAND IN THE HOLY PLACE This introduces the next level or the next period or set of events that Jesus describes will happen during the end-times. If you look at the summary in the chart, Jesus describes the next event as the GREAT TRIBULATION. He said that WHEN ye SEE the abomination of desolation, those in Judea (a region in Israel) MUST FLEE TO THE MOUNTAINS. Jesus is more specific in his description of the PLACE where this next period will take place during this part of his discourse. I see him mention the Holy place, Judea and Jerusalem in these passages. All these pertain to Israel and so since the abomination takes place in the Holy Place in Jerusalem, Jesus specifically focused his warning on THOSE WHO WILL BE IN THAT AREA BY THEN. Judea is the name of the mountainous southern part of the Land of Israel, roughly corresponding to the southern West Bank. The term Judea as a geographical term was officially revived in the 20th century as part of the Israeli district name for most of the West Bank - the Judea and Samaria Area. More than 80 percent, about 2,100,000, are Palestinian Arabs, and approximately 500,000 are Jewish Israelis living in the West Bank, including about 192,000 in East Jerusalem, in Israeli settlements. The international community considers Israeli settlements in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, illegal under international law, though Israel disputes this. 9

Luke 21:23 records Jesus saying that there will be GREAT DISTRESS in the land, and wrath upon this people! And in (v.24), Jesus tells us that Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles. As I look into the present day situation in Israels West Bank, I cannot help but understand and see that by the time the abomination of desolation occurs in Jerusalem, the Jews in Judea will be in grave danger. The bible tells us in 2 Thessalonians 2:4 that this son of perdition, this evil man who will stand in in the holy place will exalt himself above all. And with the characteristics of this evil man described in the Bible (many believe him to have the Islamic/Arab roots), it is not a surprise that he will go forth in GREAT FURY (Daniel 11:44) against the Jews in the area mentioned. Jesus even described these days of Great Tribulation and Great Distress to be the DAYS OF VENGEANCE. I find this very specifically lining up with what Revelation 12:17 describes! It might be important to note at this time that when I was taught of the Pre- Tribulation Rapture view, it had always been stressed that the Great Tribulation (believed to be specifically aimed for the Jews) is CLEANSING period of the Jews and a PREPARATION FOR NATIONAL CONVERSION. I find no Scripture that specifically says these are going to be days of CLEANSING and SPIRITUAL PREPARATION. Instead, I find Gods Word to describe it as the DAYS OF VENGEANCE & GREAT FURY of the AntiChrist against those who have the testimony of Christ Jesus. The moment this Antichrist comes into full power, magnifies himself above all and exalts himself as God according to the Scriptures, he will be going after every believer and follower of the LORD Jesus Christ and will do everything in his power to kill and destroy those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. The bible tells us that as he goes after those who are followers of Jesus Christ, he will overcome them and kill them! (Revelation 13:7) This time of trouble is said to be CUT SHORT FOR THE SAKE OF THE ELECT, lest there be no one left alive. There is no specific mention of WHO the ELECT are in these passages in the gospels, but one can draw the conclusion from the rest of the NTs mention of the elect which covers EITHER JEW or GENTILE who have the testimony of JESUS CHRIST. Jesus then continued on with his discourse saying that THEN, AFTER THE TRIBULATION another event will take place and that is the appearing of the Son of Man in heaven, coming with GREAT POWER AND GLORY! The chart shows a comparison of the passages that mention this event and though all of the passages DO NOT HAVE THE SAME SPECIFICS mentioned every time, we can see a CONNECTION OF SIMILARITIES in the description of the event.

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1. Matthew 24, Mark 13, Luke 21 -- the only ones mentioning of the gathering of the elect. 2. Matthew 24, 1 Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4 -- the only ones that speak of a trumpet that shall sound. 3. Daniel 12, 1 Cor. 15, 1 Thess. 4 -- the only ones that speak of the dead in Christ rising up. 4. Mark 13, Luke 21, Titus 2:13 -- describes Christs GLORIOUS appearing. * Titus 2 speaks of the Blessed Hope that most believe to be the Rapture. Pretrib view holds that this event doesnt have any sign or is silent and will just have millions disappear in the twinkling of an eye. It is a bit contradicting, however, to read in Titus 2:13 that the Blessed Hope of Christs appearing (and this text believed to pertain to the silent Rapture), is described in the passage as Looking for that blessed hope, and the GLORIOUS APPEARING of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. There appears to be a COHESIVE evidence that the passages mentioned in this study pertain to a SIMILAR CHRONOLOGICAL FLOW OF EVENTS that will soon take place in the end times. There seem to be many loopholes in the Pre-tribulation Rapture view shown in this unit that do not seem to fit in properly when tested against Scripture. Reader DISCERNMENT and TESTING AGAINST SCRIPTURE is strongly advised!!! 11

UNIT II THE RESTRAINER WHO IS TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY

I have mentioned in the previous unit that many today believe the restrainer in 2 Thessalonians 2 to be the Holy Spirit. Many Christians believe that the Holy Ghost will also be taken away during the Rapture to give way to the full force of evil that will come in the revealing of the Abomination of Desolation. I have never questioned this view, as it has always been the teaching of the majority in Christianity today. Many Bible teachers give sermons and explanations in articles and websites as to WHO this restrainer is. One thing I have noticed was that because majority of Christians today only hear about the general idea that the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, many really DO NOT ask questions anymore as to what will happen to those who will still be saved during the Tribulation period. I was one of those who somehow asked that question inside. The Holy Ghost plays a very important role in and around the time of a persons salvation and IF he is removed during the Tribulation period, how will anybody understand Gods Word and the preaching of the cross, and how will anyone be able to profess that Jesus Christ is their Lord when they dont even have the Spirit in them? My questions lead to a more careful searching for answers and a more careful Bible reading on my part. I simply cannot rely on SUBJECTIVE REASONING given to me by teachers and that which I read in articles that address the issue I am raising. I have heard too many a PERSONAL opinion mixed subtly in articles and preaching that are made to sound Biblical. One of the most common subjective answer I get is this: IT MUST BE the Holy Spirit, since only God can be powerful enough and lived through all the centuries to restrain evil from coming forth in a certain individual and spread to all men throughout the earth. And so we MUST TEST EVERYTHING against Scripture if it was so. And since Scripture is the only source of TRUTH that every Christian must have, then we MUST CRITICALLY SEARCH IT to find the CLEAR answer as to WHO the restrainer is really all along. I was reading the last few chapters of the book of Daniel and was specifically drawn to Daniel 11 & 12 for one particular reason. Some of the later part of chapter 11 appears to be lining up with the rest of the End-Time Events passages that Ive already read. From Daniel 11:33 to Daniel 12:1-2, I have noticed a very stark similarity to the parallel passages in the gospels and in 2 Thessalonians 2. (Please refer to Chart) The PROGRESSION OF EVENTS from Daniel 11:33 down to Daniel 12:1 is undeniably SIMILAR to that of the other passages. And around the time that 2 Thessalonians 2 begin to speak of HE WHO LETTETH WILL NOW LET,

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Daniel chapter 12 explains that, AT THAT TIME SHALL MICHAEL STAND UP. Now Michael, the Archangel, plays a very important role in the end of days events as we read in the book of Revelation 12, and so I wanted to understand clearly why Gods Word mentioned him again in the PROGRESSION OF EVENTS in Daniel 2 that are VERY SIMILAR to what was written in 2 Thessalonians 2. On face value, STANDING UP pretty much means rising to an upright position for me. Standing up would probably just mean that to rise up. But I no longer want to settle for PROBABLY. I want to make SURE of things written in Gods Word and so I searched deeper into the root word usage for this particular verse. Many Bible students today put an emphasis on taking into consideration the meaning of the original Hebrew or Greek word used in a verse in order to understand MORE what it really meant. And so thats exactly what I did for this particular passage in Scripture. The original Hebrew word for STAND UP used in Daniel 12:1 is, ( amad). This is word number 5975 in Strongs Concordance. There is an extensive definition for this particular word based on the many ways it is used in a sentence, but it is interesting to see words like abide behind, cease, leave, and tarry to be included in the list of definitions available for it. 13

 This has been the closest one I can see to line up with 2 Thessalonians 2:7: For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. Let us look at Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which stands for the children of your people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. Daniel 12:1 explains that WHEN Michael shall stand, there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time your people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. I find that it is more important to consider the definitions like abide behind, cease and tarry for this particular passage that pertains to Michael, the Archangel. The verse included the fact that Michael is the prince which stands for the children of your people. If we take that verse at face value, it simply means that Michael the Archangel stands forth for the children of Israel, and at some point in time he shall stand or abide behind, or cease to do so. Some interesting specifics of the Great Trib We know specifically that this was given to the prophet Daniel and the term in the passage being your people, present the fact that this may well be addressed specifically to the Jews. Also, if you look at the side-by-side chart that goes with this study, Daniel 12:1 happens right around the Great Tribulation that Jesus specifically warned about for those in the regions of Judea. The Great Tribulation will yet be another difficult time for the Jews in Israel, specifically those in the Judean region since the Antichrist will rule from Jerusalem and he is going to be out to kill and destroy many with great fury and vengeance. BUT, there is one very interesting thing I find in this passage. Gods Word said YOUR PEOPLE shall be delivered, EVERY ONE THAT SHALL BE FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. The original word for delivered in this verse is ( malat), which means to slip away or escape.

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 If we know anything about THE BOOK pertained to in the Bible, it almost always points to the Book of Life. It is important to remember that it is also said that the people that will be delivered are those whose names shall be FOUND WRITTEN IN THE BOOK. Scripture has provided us with passages that explain what the Book of Life contains and who are written in it Here are some verses to consider Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous. (Psalm 69:28, KJV) And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. (Revelation 21:27) And I intreat thee also, true yokefellow, help those women which laboured with me in the gospel, with Clement also, and with other my fellowlabourers, whose names are in the book of life. (Philippians 4:3) ~~~ Scripture tell us that the Book of Life contains ONLY the RIGHTEOUS. The people whose names will be written in the Book of Life will be those who are saved by the Grace of God through Faith. 15

 The Bible has always been clear that NO ONE IS RIGHTEOUS and that ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. But God sent His only begotten Son to be the Savior of the world, and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS is what we can wear before the throne of the Most High in order for us to gain eternal life. When Daniel 12:1 spoke of the Great Tribulation, Scripture placed an emphasis that those who WILL be delivered are those whose names are written in the Book of Life. Many will be killed during that time, but Gods Word has already given a promise to those Jews who hold a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ they will be delivered in the end. The BiG Picture The passages in Scripture show that those who hold a testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ WILL GO THROUGH MUCH PERSECUTION. Gentile believers all over the world will be persecuted, afflicted, imprisoned and many will be killed for their testimonies. But we will have the chance to preach the gospel and give a testimony for our LORD JESUS CHRIST. My heart is burdened about this because many today believe that they will escape tribulation. Many are so lukewarm about their Faith in Christ Jesus and many have failed to count the cost of following Christ. I cannot help but be reminded of Jesus words that resound: So then because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew you out of my mouth. (Revelation 3:16) I see the great FALLING AWAY become possible because of this. It is when many who are UNPREPARED for whats to come depart from the faith. Many will get offended and many will betray brethren, family and friends. Thus, Scripture says that THE LOVE OF MANY WILL GROW COLD. It speaks of BELIEVERS who are known as Christs followers because of their love for one another. But, oh, the love of many will wax cold because of the surprise and the great distress that they will have to face for the sake of their testimonies, and the great falling away will soon occur. Jewish believers will also go through their own period of terrible tribulation and distress while in their land like never before, but God promised those who are His a glorious deliverance in the end. This all tie well with the rest of the passages that speak of the Great Tribulation in the gospels. It is for the sake of Gods ELECT that those days be shortened, because God has promised deliverance in the end (especially the remnant in Israel), that hold a testimony of Christ Jesus, whose names are written in the Book of Life. 16

UNIT III IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION

Right after the great tribulation that Jesus Christ mentioned in his discourse, he continued on with the narrative and said, THEN IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE TRIBULATION It is such a comfort to know that there is STILL something for all to look forward to AFTER the tribulation! The story does not end in the Great Persecution and distress of the saints. Hallelujah!!! THEN immediately after the Tribulation, Jesus described His GLORIOUS appearing! Eyes will SEE the Son of Man come in GREAT POWER & GLORY! And not only that, but HE WILL GATHER HIS ELECT from the uttermost part of the EARTH, to the uttermost part of HEAVEN! Here is THE DELIVERANCE that has been promised!!! The BLESSED HOPE of those who are IN Christ Jesus the Redemption of those whose names are written in the Book of Life! We WILL be changed in the twinkling of an eye, at the trumpet sound and we will meet the Lord in the air and be with Him forevermore! What a glorious day that will be indeed!!! All the tribulation that is in this world, all the sacrifices and all the suffering will be SO WORTH IT WHEN WE SEE THE LORD IN POWER & GLORY APPEAR IN HEAVEN to deliver those who BELONG TO HIM!!! GLORY!! GLORY!! GLORY!!! I believe that Jesus will keep His Bride from the wrath of God. Nowhere in the passages of Scripture that we have delved into in this study has mentioned of Gods Wrath

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YET. We have considered THREE (3) of the available FOUR (4) gospel writers. The apostle John still has an entire book written about Eschatology and Gods Wrath is mentioned there. I will continue with my study on the book of Revelation and will allow Scripture to again teach me of what it has for me. I pray that you will join me in doing so as well. Let us approach the Bible with an empty mind and let us come before the throne of Grace to ask for Wisdom that is from above. Let us learn from the Teacher, our Master, without bringing with us the knowledge and wisdom of this world. I will be sharing my notes for that soon, as well So for now, this is it.

UNIT IV COUNTING THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST

In my years of standing with the Pretribulation Rapture view, I have always been encouraged and told over and over again that I will escape the coming Tribulation because I will be taken away BEFORE any of it starts. However, the more I read the Bible the cleared it became to me that I WILL HAVE TO FACE GREAT PERSECUTION & AFFLICTION in my lifetime! It is a SCARY thought to consider because it means that I will probably be killed in the end for my testimony of Christ Jesus. It is all the more difficult and uncomfortable to consider the fact that I have small children who will also go through much distress for the sake of Christ. But my HOPE comes from the LORD! HE has promised to receive His own the day the great sound of the trumpet rings! I used to talk to my children about Jesus coming back to take us away before the evil things will happen in the world, but I had to sit down with them again and tell them I believe it is not going to be so according to the Bible. My children can see in their present world today that it is getting smaller for believers in the Lord Jesus. They are aware of the world getting more hostile against believers and that the world we live in no longer wants to have God in it. I cant blame them as they see it when they cant bring a bible to school, nor pray openly while in their school premises. They know that life is getting more difficult to live when you profess faith in Jesus Christ, and today I strive all the more to instill in them a GREAT love for the Savior so that no matter what happens, they know that JESUS LOVES US and that HE HAS PROMISED HEAVEN FOR US!

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 My recent encounter with the Truth that I see in my own personal Bible study has led me to sit down and really think about how I have COUNTED THE COST OF FOLLOWING CHRIST JESUS MY LORD. Am I willing to follow Him all the way to the end? Have I really understood what it means to FOLLOW Him? Because, He mentioned that in this world there will be tribulation for those who are His disciples. And that because the world hated him, then it will hate me as well because of my testimony of Christ. I dont see a lot of Christians who do not hold the Pretribulation Rapture view today as everybody seems to REALLY want to escape persecution. Nobody wants to be here to go through it for the sake of Christ and everybody tends to hold on to the belief that Christ will not ALLOW His Bride to go through much tribulation. I expected a LOT of reactions to my decision to change my view on the timing of the Rapture and many even consider my move very unwise. Some say I have been easily swayed by other doctrines and have not been rightly dividing the Word. It would have been a very lonely journey from hereon for me, but the living God I serve is always, ALWAYS GRACIOUS. He TRULY is the great Comforter and Friend and more amazingly, He PROVIDES for surprises along the way that makes you go, THANK YOU, LORD!!! Id like to end this study with a letter that the very well-loved Corrie Ten Boom wrote years ago. God has led me to this one and so I pray that the cry of her heart (and mine) will reach yours as you finish this study. God Bless you and yours always in Christ Jesus our LORD! ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 'CORRIE TEN BOOM AND THE RAPTURE'.

(This is from a letter Corrie wrote in 1974)

"The world is deathly ill. It is dying. The Great Physician has already signed the death certificate. Yet there is still a great work for Christians to do. They are to be streams of living water, channels of mercy to those who are still in the world. It is possible for them to do this because they are overcomers. Christians are ambassadors for Christ. They are representatives from Heaven to this dying world. And because of our presence here, things will change. 19

My sister, Betsy, and I were in the Nazi concentration camp at Ravensbruck because we committed the crime of loving Jews. Seven hundred of us from Holland, France, Russia, Poland and Belgium were herded into a room built for two hundred. As far as I knew, Betsy and I were the only two representatives of Heaven in that room. We may have been the Lord's only representatives in that place of hatred, yet because of our presence there, things changed. Jesus said, "In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." We too, are to be overcomers bringing the light of Jesus into a world filled with darkness and hate. Sometimes I get frightened as I read the Bible, and as I look in this world and see all of the tribulation and persecution promised by the Bible coming true. Now I can tell you, though, if you too are afraid, that I have just read the last pages. I can now come to shouting "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!" for I have found where it is written that Jesus said, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things: and I will be His God, and he shall be My son." This is the future and hope of this world. Not that the world will survive but that we shall be overcomers in the midst of a dying world. Betsy and I, in the concentration camp, prayed that God would heal Betsy who was so weak and sick. "Yes, the Lord will heal me,", Betsy said with confidence. She died the next day and I could not understand it. They laid her thin body on the concrete floor along with all the other corpses of the women who died that day. It was hard for me to understand, to believe that God had a purpose for all that. Yet because of Betsy's death, today I am traveling all over the world telling people about Jesus. There are some among us teaching there will be no tribulation, that the Christians will be able to escape all this. These are the false teachers that Jesus was warning us to expect in the latter days. Most of them have little knowledge of what is already going on across the world. I have been in countries where the saints are already suffering terrible persecution. In China, the Christians were told, "Don't worry, before the tribulation comes you will be translated raptured." Then came a terrible persecution. Millions of Christians were tortured to death. Later I heard a Bishop from China say, sadly,

"We have failed. We should have made the people strong for persecution, rather than telling them Jesus would come first. Tell the people how to be strong in times of persecution, how to stand when the tribulation comes, to stand and not faint." 20

I feel I have a divine mandate to go and tell the people of this world that it is possible to be strong in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are in training for the tribulation, but more than sixty percent of the Body of Christ across the world has already entered into the tribulation. There is no way to escape it. We are next. Since I have already gone through prison for Jesus' sake, and since I met the Bishop in China, now every time I read a good Bible text I think, "Hey, I can use that in the time of tribulation." Then I write it down and learn it by heart. When I was in the concentration camp, a camp where only twenty percent of the women came out alive, we tried to cheer each other up by saying, "Nothing could be any worse than today." But we would find the next day was even worse. During this time a Bible verse that I had committed to memory gave me great hope and joy. "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you; on their part evil is spoken of, but on your part He is glorified." (I Peter 3:14) I found myself saying, "Hallelujah! Because I am suffering, Jesus is glorified!" In America, the churches sing, "Let the congregation escape tribulation", but in China and Africa the tribulation has already arrived. This last year alone more than two hundred thousand Christians were martyred in Africa. Now things like that never get into the newspapers because they cause bad political relations. But I know. I have been there. We need to think about that when we sit down in our nice houses with our nice clothes to eat our steak dinners. Many, many members of the Body of Christ are being tortured to death at this very moment, yet we continue right on as though we are all going to escape the tribulation. Several years ago I was in Africa in a nation where a new government had come into power. The first night I was there some of the Christians were commanded to come to the police station to register. When they arrived they were arrested and that same night they were executed. The next day the same thing happened with other Christians. The third day it was the same. All the Christians in the district were being systematically murdered. The fourth day I was to speak in a little church. The people came, but they were filled with fear and tension. All during the service they were looking at each other, their eyes asking, "Will this one I am sitting beside be the next one killed? Will I be the next one?" The room was hot and stuffy with insects that came through the screenless windows and swirled around the naked bulbs over the bare wooden benches. I told them a story out of my childhood. "When I was a little girl, " I said, "I went to my father and said, "Daddy, I am afraid that I will never be strong enough to be a martyr for Jesus Christ." "Tell me," said Father, "When you take a train trip to Amsterdam, when do I give you the money for the ticket? Three weeks before?" "No, Daddy, you give me the money for the ticket just before we get on the train."

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"That is right," my father said, "and so it is with God's strength. Our Father in Heaven knows when you will need the strength to be a martyr for Jesus Christ. He will supply all you need just in time" My African friends were nodding and smiling. Suddenly a spirit of joy descended upon that church and the people began singing, " In the sweet, by and by, we shall meet on that beautiful shore." Later that week, half the congregation of that church was executed. I heard later that the other half was killed some months ago. But I must tell you something. I was so happy that the Lord used me to encourage these people, for unlike many of their leaders, I had the word of God. I had been to the Bible and discovered that Jesus said He had not only overcome the world, but to all those who remained faithful to the end, He would give a crown of life. How can we get ready for the persecution? First we need to feed on the Word of God, digest it, make it a part of our being. This will mean disciplined Bible study each day as we not only memorize long passages of scripture, but put the principles to work in our lives. Next we need to develop a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Not just the Jesus of yesterday, the Jesus of History, but the life-changing Jesus of today who is still alive and sitting at the right hand of God. We must be filled with the Holy Spirit. This is no optional command of the Bible, it is absolutely necessary. Those earthly disciples could never have stood up under the persecution of the Jews and Romans had they not waited for Pentecost. Each of us needs our own personal Pentecost, the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We will never be able to stand in the tribulation without it. In the coming persecution we must be ready to help each other and encourage each other. But we must not wait until the tribulation comes before starting. The fruit of the Spirit should be the dominant force of every Christian's life. Many are fearful of the coming tribulation, they want to run. I, too, am a little bit afraid when I think that after all my eighty years, including the horrible Nazi concentration camp, that I might have to go through the tribulation also. But then I read the Bible and I am glad. When I am weak, then I shall be strong, the Bible says. Betsy and I were prisoners for the Lord, we were so weak, but we got power because the Holy Spirit was on us. That mighty inner strengthening of the Holy Spirit helped us through. No, you will not be strong in yourself when the tribulation comes. Rather, you will be strong in the power of Him who will not forsake you. For seventy-six years I have known the Lord Jesus and not once has He ever left me, or let me down. "Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him", (Job 13:15) for I know that to all who overcome, 22

He shall give the crown of life. Hallelujah!" - Corrie Ten Boom - 1974

SOURCE: http://endtimepilgrim.org/corrie.htm

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