The Return of Christ

     Jesus tells us that His return will follow the Cosmic signs in the sky at the end of the 3 1/2 years of tribulation. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other" (Matt 24:30-31 NASB).

     There are some common themes found in these verses that are repeated in other passages relating to the second coming of our Lord. In Daniel 7:13-14 we read of one like a Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven, approaching the Ancient of Days to receive an eternal kingdom. Jesus also claims this passage to Himself when interrogated by the high priest (Mark 14:61-62). We also read of the coming day when Egypt will come under a "cruel master" (Isaiah 19:4). This chapter foretells of the suffering of Egypt, and their ultimate redemption as they turn to the Lord in their time of distress. It begins with the LORD coming on swift cloud (Isaiah 19:1), ultimately placing this in the last days. Revelation 14:14-16 states, Then I looked, and behold a cloud, and on the cloud sat One like the Son of Man, having on His head a golden crown, and in His hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him who sat on the cloud, "Thrust in your sickle and reap, for the time has come for the time has come for You to reap, for the harvest of the earth is ripe." So He who sat on the cloud  thrust in His sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. (NKJV)  The return of Christ will be the time when the saints are gathered to Him.

   Jesus tells us that when the sign of the Son of man appears in the sky, all the tribes of the earth will mourn. Revelation 1:7 agrees with this. Behold He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him, so it is to be. Amen. This verse is taking from Daniel 7:13, and Zechariah 12:10, which reads, "I will pour out on the house of of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and supplication, so they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn."  The appearance of Jesus in the sky will certainly cause grief and mourning for those who are caught unaware, who are not spiritually ready to meet Him. However, it will be a day of salvation for the surviving remnant of Israel, who at the end of the brutal tribulation, will have their hearts open to receive their Messiah, the one whom they pierced at the time of His first coming to earth. God will pour out on them a Spirit of grace and supplication, they will repent with great sorrow at this time and so "All Israel will be saved." (Romans 11:26)

     And we read of the voice of the angel, and the trumpet blast in the epistles of Paul. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet; for the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed (1Cor 15:52 NASB). 

     For the Lord Himself descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the arch-angel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord (1 Thess 4:16-17 NASB).

     John saw this in his revelation of Jesus Christ, Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land lifted up his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will be delay no longer, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He preached to His servants the prophets (Rev 10:5-7 NASB).  

     Then the seventh angel sounded; and there were loud voices in heaven saying, "The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ; and He will reign forever and ever." (Rev 11:15) These verses quoted out of Revelation are in the context of the angels with the seven trumpets. This is speaking of the sounding of the seventh trumpet, the same trumpet Paul refers to in his epistles, and what Jesus speaks of in His teaching on the end of the age. This is the trumpet blast that is sounded at the return of Christ.

     It is in Revelation 19 where we read of Christ's return, and the events that occur at that time. this is a subject I will explore in future posts. Let us all find ourselves ready to "Stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36).

Fear or Faith

      The last days will be a time of great trial upon the earth. We have looked at the teaching of Jesus concerning the time of the end, comparing it to the breaking of the seals in the book of Revelation. Up to this point we have briefly discussed deception, wars, famines, persecution, and the signs in the heavens that will precede the second coming of Jesus.

     Jesus, at the close of His parable on prayer found in Luke 18:1-8, asks a question that we all should seriously ponder. "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?" This parable closes with the mention of the elect crying out to God for justice, and His faithfulness to carry it out (Luke 18:7-8). Revelation 6:9-10 tells of the martyred saints crying out to the Lord for judgement, and an avenging of their blood, upon those who dwell upon the earth. I think this is no accident, and Jesus is teaching us that persistent prayer is linked to faith, and that it is, and will be absolutely necessary to make it through the time of sorrow coming upon the world. 

     "But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man" (Luke 21:36 NASB). At first glance many may think this is a reference to a pre-trib rapture, hoping that we as Christians will not experience any of these events. But why pray that we will have strength to be raptured? It makes no sense. Jesus is telling us that in light of all the chaos taking place around us, the persecution, the deception, apostasy, natural disasters and cosmic signs, we must have an unwavering faith. "By your endurance you will gain your lives" (Luke 21:19). "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved" (Matt 24:13). "He who overcomes will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son" (Rev 21:7).

     Contrast this with the unbelieving people of this earth, great and small, who hide themselves from the wrath of God, calling for the mountains and rocks to cover them from His presence (Rev 6:15-17). Jesus tells us that men will faint from fear as all these things are happening (Luke 21:26). But as for those of us who love Him, and long for His appearing (2 Tim 4:8), when we see these things taking place, we must look up for our redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).

Cosmic Signs

     Continuing on in the Olivet discourse Jesus states,

     "But immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken" (Matt 24:29NASB). 

     Jesus refers here to several old testament passage that portray the same events set to occur at the "day of the LORD".  Isaiah 13 contains a prophecy against Babylon, the nation that was to carry the people of Judah into exile. Although this exile was due to Judah's apostasy, yet God would judge Babylon for its cruelty. This prophecy, although fulfilled in part when the Medes and Persians conquered Babylon, telescopes out to the future, and the day of the LORD.

     Wail for the day of the LORD is near! It will come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore all hands will fall limp, and every man's heart will melt. They will be terrified, pains and anguish will take hold of them; they will writhe like a woman in labor, they will look at one another in astonishment, their faces aflame. Behold the day of the LORD is coming, cruel, with fury and burning anger, to make the land a desolation; and He will exterminate its sinners from it. For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not flash forth their light; the sun will be dark when it rises and the moon will not shed its light.  Thus I will punish the world for its evil and the wicked for their iniquity; I will also put an end to the arrogance of the proud and abase the haughtiness of the ruthless. I will make mortal man scarcer than pure gold and mankind than the gold of Ophir. Therefore I will make the heavens tremble, and the earth will be shaken from its place at the fury of the LORD of hosts in the day of His burning anger (Isaiah 13:6-13 NASB).

     I have underlined the sections that Jesus refers to in Matthew 24. Again, the context of this portion of Isaiah 13 is the day of the LORD, and Jesus links this with His return.

     Isaiah 34 also foretells the time of God's wrath and indignation upon the nations and their armies (Isaiah 34:2). At this time All the hosts of heaven will wear away, and the sky will be rolled up as a scroll; all their hosts will also wither away as a leaf withers away from the vine, or as one withers from the fig tree (Isaiah 34:4 NASB). 

     Now let's look at the breaking of the sixth seal in Revelation chapter six. This event is set to occur after the martyrdom unleashed by the breaking of the fifth seal. This agrees with the statement of Jesus we read above (Matt 24:9). I grew up with the teaching of a pre-trib rapture. Part of my understanding was that the moon was to turn dark red before this event occurred. Yet we see here that this idea is actually wrong, it does not agree with Jesus' teaching, or the words of this chapter either. We actually find that the bible teaches the opposite here.

     I looked when he broke the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth made of hair, and the whole moon became like blood; and the stars of the sky fell to the earth, as a fig tree casts its unripe figs when shaken by a great wind. The sky was split apart like a scroll when it is rolled up, and every mountain and island were moved out of their places (Rev 6:12-14 NASB).

     This passage of scripture also draws from the old testament. Notice the quotation of Isaiah 34:4 here. The book of Joel is also quoted,

     "I will display wonders in the sky and on the earth, blood, fire and columns of smoke. The sun will be turned into darkness and the moon into blood before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes" (Joel 2:30-31 NASB). 

     This verse is found in a passage foretelling the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Peter quotes from this passage on the day of Pentecost, explaining to the people what it was they were seeing and hearing (Acts 2:14-21). Peter's focus was on the signs that accompanied the filling of the Holy Spirit, but this prophecy, like so many others, looks also to the distant future and finds its final fulfillment at the end of this age. 

     Scripture interprets scripture. You will find a continuity between the books of the bible, both old testament and new. It is fascinating to see the number of old testament quotes found in the new testament. The book of Revelation relies heavily upon old testament imagery. I would recommend to everyone who seeks to study scripture, and in this case, prophecy, that you use those cross references that many bible's contain. You will find these things spoken of throughout the word of God.

     

     

      

Tribulation

"Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, 

and you will be hated by all nations because of My name.

At that time many will fall away and will betray one another 

and hate one another. Many false prophets will arise and will

mislead many. Because lawlessness is increased, most

people's love will grow cold. But the one who endures

to the end, he will be saved." (Matt 24:9-13 NASB)

When the Lamb broke the fourth seal, I heard the voice

of the fourth living creature saying, "Come."

I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it

had the name Death; and Hades was following with him.

Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth,

to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence

and by the wild beasts of the earth. 

When the Lamb broke the fifth seal, I saw underneath

the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of 

the word of God, and because of the testimony which they 

had maintained. (Rev 6:7-9 NASB)

     This is most likely at the mid point of the "70th week of Daniel" (Dan 9:25-27), where the Antichrist breaks a covenant he makes with Israel, and unleashes his fury against them. Other passages that correspond to this point in time are found in Daniel 7:7-8, 20-21, 24-25, which speak of the rise of the "little horn" who persecutes the saints of the Highest One for "a time, times, and half a time" (31/2 years). This is also mentioned in Daniel 8:23-26, and Daniel 11:31-36, where we see the abomination of desolation is set up, something Jesus warns us about as well in Matthew 24:15-22, as the point when the great tribulation begins. According to Jesus, this period of time will be a horrific time unlike any other that has been, or will be (Matt 24:21-22), and for the sake of the elect, it will be shortened.

     We read in Revelation 12:7-17 of a war in heaven, where the serpent, also called Satan, is cast down to the earth. This results in a time of terrible persecution against Israel, and upon Christians as well (see Rev 12:17). Again, in verse 14, we read that this time of tribulation lasts for a time, times, and half a time. Just like we read in Daniel 7, it is for a time frame of 3 1/2 years. 

     Revelation 13 speaks of the rise of the "beast", which is not only the Antichrist, but also his kingdom, made up of ten nations. It is my belief that at the point Satan is cast down to the earth, he enters this Antichrist and uses the "beast" as an agent of his wrath. 

     Here we read of the beast given a mouth speaking blasphemy (see also 2 Thess 2:3-6), and authority for 42 months, or 3 1/2 years (Rev 13:4-7). Just as we saw in Daniel's prophecy, this beast will make war with the saints and overcome them, and just as Jesus stated, It will be the one who endures to the end who will be saved (Matt 24:13).

     Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying, 

"Now the salvation, power, and the kingdom

of our God and the authority of His Christ

have come, for the accuser of our brethren

has been thrown down, he who accuses them

before our God day and night.

And they overcame him because of the 

blood of the Lamb and because of the word 

of their testimony, and they did not love 

their life even when faced with death."

Revelation 12:10-11 NASB.

     

     

The Birth Pains

      In the Olivet discourse found in Mathew 24 and 25, Jesus puts forth a timeline of events leading up to His second coming. He refers to false Christs, wars, rumors of wars, earthquakes and famines in various places, as "birth pains." He tells us not to be frightened, as the end is not yet (Matthew 24:4-8). 

     The opening of the seven seals in Revelation 6 follow this timeline remarkably. The rider on a white horse is representative of the emergence of a leader who will ultimately be revealed as the Antichrist (Rev 6:2). This leader will be a deceiver, and will usher in an age of deception that the world has not yet seen (Matt 24:4-5, 24). 

     Wars and rumors of wars (Matt 24:6-7), are those conflicts solidifying the beast kingdom of the Antichrist. The opening of the second seal (Rev 6:3-4), unleashes war and conflict upon the earth. Although it is true that we have had countless wars throughout the ages, the conflicts mentioned here will be those conflicts taking place within the final seven year period known as the great tribulation, and to be more specific, those conflicts taking place within the first 3 1/2 years. 

     Jesus mentions famines in various places (Matt 24:7). This corresponds to Revelation 6:5-6, where a rider on a black horse is released at the breaking of the third seal. This rider is carrying a pair of scales in his hand. A voice is heard saying, " A quart of wheat for a denarius, and three quarts of barley for a denarius; and do not damage the oil and the wine." A denarious was the equivelant of a days wages. Take your paycheck, and figure out what you make in one day. Imagine paying that amount for a quart of wheat?  The breaking of this seal releases economic collapse, and famine, at least to a certain extent into the world.

     Could it be that the conflicts taking place at this time in the middle east effect the oil trade?  Something of this nature could have a devastating impact on the economies of many nations. And could something like this set up the emergence of the Antichrist system, where the only means of trade will be by taking a mark (Rev 13:16-17)? At any rate, we see the devastation that war creates in our world today. Displaced people, starvation, poverty, are all inevitable results of war. 

     Jesus states that these things are merely the birth pains, and as a pregnancy is nearing its end, the labor pains intensify, which leads us to the next seal, the rider on an ashen horse (Rev 6:7-8).

     

Wars and Rumors of Wars.

 Then I saw when the Lamb broke one of the seven seals, and I heard

one of the four living creatures saying as with a voice of thunder, "Come."

I looked and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it had a bow; 

and a crown was given to him, and he went out conquering

and to conquer.

When He broke the second seal, I heard the second living creature

saying, "Come."  And another, a red horse, went out; and to him

who sat on it, it was granted to take peace from the earth, and that men

would slay one another; and a great sword was given to him.

Revelation 6:1-4 NASB

     Jesus tells us that prior to His return, we will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but the end is not yet. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, however these things are merely the beginning of birth pangs (Matt 24:6-8). Famine is also mentioned in this passage, however for this post I will focus on some biblical prophecies concerning wars surrounding the emergence of the Anti-Christ.

     The old testament prophets have much to say about the last days, perhaps more than most of us realize. Daniel foretold much of what is to come, and anyone studying biblical prophecy soon discovers that much of what Jesus teaches, and much of what is revealed in the book of Revelation, has its roots in the prophecies of Daniel, 

     For the sake of brevity I will highlight some passages from the old testament prophets, and save further elaboration for future posts. 

     In Daniel 7, Daniel receives a vision of four beasts rising out of the great sea. One has the appearance of a winged lion, one a bear rising up on one side, one a four headed leopard, also with four wings on its back, and finally a dreadful beast unlike anything preceding it. Many scholars agree that these beasts correspond to the kingdoms represented in chapter 2, where Nebuchadnezzar has a dream of a large statue, made up of differing metals. The kingdoms here represented are that of Babylon, which was conquered by the Medes and Persians, who were them defeated by the kingdom of Greece. I agree with this, and I also believe that these kingdoms are also represented by the first three beasts Daniel saw in chapter 7. However this vision is not a repeat of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, but concerns the re-emergence of these same kingdoms in the future. 

     The fourth kingdom in king Nebuchadnezzar's dream is commonly believed to be the Roman empire, which re-emerges as the beast kingdom (represented by the ten toes on the statue, and ten horns on the beast of chapter 7) in the latter days. I disagree with this view, and briefly here is why. This vision is concerning the kingdom of Babylon, and what happens to it. Each of the successive kingdoms swallow up the previous kingdom, always having control over Babylon itself. Rome, although a dominant empire on the world scene, never conquered Babylon, or Persia to the east. the eastern Roman empire had its capitol in what is now known as Istanbul Turkey, but their dominance did not fulfill the dream of Daniel chapter 2.

     The next major kingdom on the world scene, which also defeated the eastern portion of the Roman empire is that of the Islamic caliphate. This is a much better fit, and the Bible has a lot to say prophetically about the lands that are Muslim majority nations today. This caliphate dominated all of the countries that made up the former Babylonian, Persian, and Greek empires for centuries. While the caliphate is now broken up, these countries still have the potential to unite once more as a dominant world power. This is what I believe the Bible teaches, and I hope that future posts can clarify this further. 

     This is where the wars and rumors of wars come into play. Right now in the middle east and north Africa we see many nations, some get along with each other, many do not. For a final kingdom to emerge on the scene, made up of ten of these nations, something has to happen. 

     Daniel 8 records a vision of a ram and a goat. This vision is for the time of the end (Daniel 8:17). It has not been fulfilled yet, although the defeat of the Persian empire by Alexander the great fits this, and can be looked at as a type of what is to come. The Ram represents the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat Greece (Dan 8:20-21). The actual word translated Greece in our English Bibles is Yavan. Yavan was an ancient country that was made up of a part of what is present day Greece, and what is now known today as Turkey. The modern country of Iran would represent what was formerly called Persia. Briefly, the Ram (Persia), will arise and attack countries to the west, north and south, but is ultimately, and swiftly defeated by the kingdom of Yavan (Turkey).  After this, the king of Yavan suddenly dies, and his kingdom is divided into fourths. The "little horn" (Anti-Christ) emerges from one of these kingdoms (Dan 7:7-8, 8:9-12). Could this be foretelling a coming mid eastern conflict between Iran and Turkey? It is something to consider and watch for.

     Daniel 11 gives further details of the power struggle this divided kingdom will go through. It ultimately comes down to two kingdoms, the North, and the South. Historically these events played out in the Syrian wars between the Seleucid empire (North), whose capitol was in Antioch Syria, and the Ptolemaic empire (South), which was Egypt. Historic events between these two kingdoms took place, leading to the emergence of Antiochus Epiphanes, his invasion of Egypt, and the destruction and misery he inflicted upon the land of Israel. Yet these are only partial fulfillments, shadows once again, as the events are again set for the future days as Daniel 12 shows. Antiochus Epiphanes is a type of the coming Anti-Christ, and what is applied to him in Dan 11 is ultimately fulfilled by the coming beast (Dan 11:21-45). 

     Dan 11:42-43 speak of His conquest of Egypt, Libya, and Ethiopia (Sudan). Could this be the three horns uprooted by the little horn in Daniel 7:8? Isaiah prophecies of this in chapter 19. Again, the setting is the end, the return of Christ is referenced in the first verse (Isaiah 19:1). Remember Jesus' statement in Matthew 24, "Nation will rise against Nation, and Kingdom against Kingdom?" in Isaiah 19:2 we see a similar statement made where Egyptian will be against Egyptian, each against his brother and neighbor, city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. Was Jesus making reference to this passage of scripture? Then we see Egypt fall to a cruel task master, the wicked ruler of Daniel 11 (Isaiah 19:4).  The good news is this. We see Egypt in their hour of need, cry out to the Lord, turn to the Lord, and find deliverance in Him (Isaiah 19:19-22).

     There are many more prophecies concerning the last days and the middle eastern nations found throughout the Bible. I would keep my eyes open to the events happening in that part of the world, and when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, and begin to see these events unfold, understand that this might be leading up to the return of Christ, and the inaugeration of His kingdom.

End Times Deception

Who is the liar but the one that denies that Jesus is the Christ?

This is the antichrist, the one who denies the Father and the Son.

1 John 2:22 NASB

     When asked by His disciples about the end of the age, and of His coming, Jesus gave them a timeline so to speak, of the signs to watch for. The very first thing Jesus mentioned was deception. "See to it that no one misleads you. For many will come in My name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and will mislead many." (Matt 24:5, Mark 13:5-6, Luke 21:8)  Indeed, we live in an age of deception, but this is nothing new to Christianity. The Bible warns of deception throughout its pages. The New Testament epistles are filled with warnings and corrections concerning heresies that were already in existence at the time of their writing. 

     Jesus is specific. He states that many will come in My name claiming to be the Christ. Out of these deceivers there are two specific ones to watch for. In the book of Daniel we read of a wicked ruler who is to come. It states that he will fling truth to the ground (Daniel 8:12), and that he ascends to power through intrigue and deception (Daniel 11:21-23). This is the same king mentioned by Paul in his second epistle to the Thessalonians. In 2 Thessalonians 2:3, Paul begins by warning his readers against deception. He then explains that the day of the Lord will not come until there is a great falling away from the faith, and the man of lawlessness is revealed. This ruler's coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, accompanied with false signs and wonders, and deception (2 Thess 2:8-10). 

     Here we also see that if we wish to avoid deception we must have a love for the truth. To love the truth means we desire, accept, and live by the truth even if it goes against the grain so to speak. To accept falsehood because it is the easy way out is dangerous! The truth is not always popular, and in the last days it will be even harder to stand for it. The warning here is that God will eventually let us go on in deception if that's the road we choose (2 Thess 2:10-12).

     We read in Revelation 13 of two beasts that arrive on the world scene. The first one again, is the one we have been talking about. The next one to watch for is found in Revelation 13:11-18. This individual is known as the false prophet. He exercises the same authority as the first beast (The antichrist), and through false signs and miraculous wonders, he deceives the multitudes into the worship of this beast (Rev 13:13-14).  This ultimately leads to an economic situation where it will be impossible to buy or sell without being marked, some sort of identification of allegiance to this satanic kingdom (Rev 13:16-17).  Jesus Himself warns us that the deceptive signs and wonders in these days are aimed at misleading even the elect if possible (Matt 24:24). 

     What do we do? There are those who believe we as Christians will not be here at this time. I would disagree. I believe the bible teaches that the saints will go through the three and one half years of the tribulation, and I will examine this in future posts. You can also read about it by clicking here. It is vital that we know the truth, that we love the truth, that we seek truth and implement it in our lives. Now is when we must grow and become strong in the faith, ultimately trusting God for the grace we will need in that hour. As Jesus said, "But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. " (Matt 24:13 NASB)