The Events f the End Times 1. The Tribulatin and the Rapture f the Church The Fact f the Tribulatin because thse will be days f distress unequaled frm the beginning, when Gd created the wrld, until nw and never t be equaled again. 20If the Lrd had nt cut shrt thse days, n ne wuld survive. But fr the sake f the elect, whm he has chsen, he has shrtened them. 21 At that time if anyne says t yu, Lk, here is the Christ! r, Lk, there he is! d nt believe it. 22 Fr false Christs and false prphets will appear and perfrm signs and miracles t deceive the elect if that were pssible. 23 S be n yur guard; I have tld yu everything ahead f time. 24 But in thse days, fllwing that distress, the sun will be darkened, and the mn will nt give its light; the stars will fall frm the sky, and the heavenly bdies will be shaken. At that time men will see the Sn f Man cming in cluds with great pwer and glry. [Mark 13:19-24] I watched as he pened the sixth seal. There was a great earthquake. The sun turned black like sackclth made f gat hair, the whle mn turned bld red, 13 and the stars in the sky fell t earth, as late figs drp frm a fig tree when shaken by a strng wind. 14 The sky receded like a scrll, rlling up, and every muntain and island was remved frm its place. 15 Then the kings f the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and amng the rcks f the muntains. 16 They called t the muntains and the rcks, Fall n us and hide us frm the face f him wh sits n the thrne and frm the wrath f the Lamb! 17 Fr the great day f their wrath has cme, and wh can stand? [Revelatin 6:12-17] The Fact f the Rapture Fr the Lrd himself will cme dwn frm heaven, with a lud cmmand, with the vice f the archangel and with the trumpet call f Gd, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we wh are still alive and are left will be caught up tgether with them in the cluds t meet the Lrd in the air. And s we will be with the Lrd frever. [1 Thessalnians 4:16-17] Tw men will be in the field; ne will be taken and the ther left. [Matthew 24:40] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 8 f 15
The Timing f the Rapture - Pre-Tribulatin: Christ will cme t take believers befre the events that are cmmnly referred t as encmpassing the tribulatin. Since yu have kept my cmmand t endure patiently, I will als keep yu frm the hur f trial that is ging t cme upn the whle wrld t test thse wh live n the earth. [Revelatin 3:10] - Pre-Wrath / Mid-Tribulatin : Christ will cme at sme pint during the tribulatin, rescuing believers frm the part f the tribulatin where the wrath f Gd is pured ut n the earth. Then the kings f the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and every slave and every free man hid in caves and amng the rcks f the muntains. 16 They called t the muntains and the rcks, Fall n us and hide us frm the face f him wh sits n the thrne and frm the wrath f the Lamb! 17 Fr the great day f their wrath has cme, and wh can stand? [Revelatin 6:15-17] I saw heaven standing pen and there befre me was a white hrse, whse rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like blazing fire, and n his head are many crwns. He has a name written n him that n ne knws but he himself. 13 He is dressed in a rbe dipped in bld, and his name is the Wrd f Gd. 14 The armies f heaven were fllwing him, riding n white hrses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15 Out f his muth cmes a sharp swrd with which t strike dwn the natins. He will rule them with an irn scepter. He treads the winepress f the fury f the wrath f Gd Almighty. 16 On his rbe and n his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS. [Revelatin 19:11-16] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 9 f 15
- Pst-Tribulatin: Christ will cme at the end f all f the events f the tribulatin. Believers remaining n the earth will meet Him and cme dwn with Him at that time. At that time the sign f the Sn f Man will appear in the sky, and all the natins f the earth will murn. They will see the Sn f Man cming n the cluds f the sky, with pwer and great glry. 31 And he will send his angels with a lud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect frm the fur winds, frm ne end f the heavens t the ther. [Matthew 24:30-31] Listen, I tell yu a mystery: We will nt all sleep, but we will all be changed 52 in a flash, in the twinkling f an eye, at the last trumpet. Fr the trumpet will sund, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. [1 Crinthians 15:51-52] 2. The Millennium and the Return f Christ The Fact f the Return f Christ Refer t verses abve. The Fact f the Millennium And I saw an angel cming dwn ut f heaven, having the key t the Abyss and hlding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragn, that ancient serpent, wh is the devil, r Satan, and bund him fr a thusand years. 3 He threw him int the Abyss, and lcked and sealed it ver him, t keep him frm deceiving the natins anymre until the thusand years were ended. After that, he must be set free fr a shrt time. 4 I saw thrnes n which were seated thse wh had been given authrity t judge. And I saw the suls f thse wh had been beheaded because f their testimny fr Jesus and because f the wrd f Gd. They had nt wrshiped the beast r his image and had nt received his mark n their freheads r their hands. They came t life and reigned with Christ a thusand years. 5 (The rest f the dead did nt cme t life until the thusand years were ended.) This is the first resurrectin. 6 Blessed and hly are thse wh have part in the first resurrectin. The secnd death has n pwer ver them, but they will be priests f Gd and f Christ and will reign with him fr a thusand years. [Revelatin 20:1-6] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 10 f 15
The Nature f the Millennium Amillennial: There will be n millennium ; the millennium f Revelatin refers t the present church-age. Then Jesus came t them and said, All authrity in heaven and n earth has been given t me. [Matthew 28:18] Pstmillennial: Christ will return after the millennium, during which a large percentage f the wrld will becme Christian and a perid f peace and righteusness will result. He tld them anther parable: The kingdm f heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man tk and planted in his field. 32 Thugh it is the smallest f all yur seeds, yet when it grws, it is the largest f garden plants and becmes a tree, s that the birds f the air cme and perch in its branches. [Matthew 13:31-32] Premillennial: Christ will cme back befre the millennium and set up his reign and rule n this earth fr 1,000 years. Revelatin 20:1-6 [abve]. Never again will there be in it an infant wh lives but a few days, r an ld man wh des nt live ut his years; he wh dies at a hundred will be thught a mere yuth; he wh fails t reach a hundred will be cnsidered accursed. [Isaiah 65:20] The Events f the Millennium The return and rule f Christ. The c-reign f believers with Christ. The binding and imprisnment f Satan. The glrificatin f thse wh have died. The glrificatin f thse remaining n the earth wh have believed in Gd and kept His testimny. Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 11 f 15
3. The Final Judgment The Fact f the Final Judgment Then I saw a great white thrne and him wh was seated n it. Earth and sky fled frm his presence, and there was n place fr them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing befre the thrne, and bks were pened. Anther bk was pened, which is the bk f life. The dead were judged accrding t what they had dne as recrded in the bks. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each persn was judged accrding t what he had dne. 14 Then death and Hades were thrwn int the lake f fire. The lake f fire is the secnd death. 15 If anyne s name was nt fund written in the bk f life, he was thrwn int the lake f fire. [Revelatin 20:11-15] Fr he has set a day when he will judge the wrld with justice by the man he has appinted. He has given prf f this t all men by raising him frm the dead. [Acts 17:31] When the Sn f Man cmes in his glry, and all the angels with him, he will sit n his thrne in heavenly glry. 32 All the natins will be gathered befre him, and he will separate the peple ne frm anther as a shepherd separates the sheep frm the gats. 33 He will put the sheep n his right and the gats n his left. 34 Then the King will say t thse n his right, Cme, yu wh are blessed by my Father; take yur inheritance, the kingdm prepared fr yu since the creatin f the wrld. 41 Then he will say t thse n his left, Depart frm me, yu wh are cursed, int the eternal fire prepared fr the devil and his angels. 46 Then they will g away t eternal punishment, but the righteus t eternal life. [Matthew 25:31-34, 41, 46] The Events f the Final Judgment Jesus Christ as Judge He [Jesus] cmmanded us t preach t the peple and t testify that he is the ne whm Gd appinted as judge f the living and the dead. [Acts 10:42] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 12 f 15
Unbelievers will Be Judged But because f yur stubbrnness and yur unrepentant heart, yu are string up wrath against yurself fr the day f Gd s wrath, when his righteus judgment will be revealed. 6 Gd will give t each persn accrding t what he has dne. 7 T thse wh by persistence in ding gd seek glry, hnr and immrtality, he will give eternal life. 8 But fr thse wh are self-seeking and wh reject the truth and fllw evil, there will be wrath and anger. [Rmans 2:5-8] That servant wh knws his master s will and des nt get ready r des nt d what his master wants will be beaten with many blws. 48 But the ne wh des nt knw and des things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blws. Frm everyne wh has been given much, much will be demanded; and frm the ne wh has been entrusted with much, much mre will be asked. [Luke 12:47-48] Believers Will Be Judged Gd will give t each persn accrding t what he has dne. 7 T thse wh by persistence in ding gd seek glry, hnr and immrtality, he will give eternal life. [Rmans 2:6-7] Fr we will all stand befre Gd s judgment seat. S then, each f us will give an accunt f himself t Gd. [Rmans 14:10, 12] Fr we must all appear befre the judgment seat f Christ, that each ne may receive what is due him fr the things dne while in the bdy, whether gd r bad. [2 Crinthians 5:10] I tell yu the truth, whever hears my wrd and believes him wh sent me has eternal life and will nt be cndemned; he has crssed ver frm death t life. [Jhn 5:24] Therefre, there is nw n cndemnatin fr thse wh are in Christ Jesus. [Rmans 8:1] Therefre judge nthing befre the appinted time; wait till the Lrd cmes. He will bring t light what is hidden in darkness and will expse the mtives f men s hearts. At that time each will receive his praise frm Gd. [1 Crinthians 4:5] Fr I will frgive their wickedness and will remember their sins n mre. [Hebrews 8:12] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 13 f 15
4. The Final State Unbelievers: The Lake f Fire Then he will say t thse n his left, Depart frm me, yu wh are cursed, int the eternal fire prepared fr the devil and his angels. 46 Then they will g away t eternal punishment, but the righteus t eternal life. [Matthew 25:41, 46] And the devil, wh deceived them, was thrwn int the lake f burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prphet had been thrwn. Hey will be trmented day and night fr ever and ever. 14 Then death and Hades were thrwn int the lake f fire. The lake f fire is the secnd death. 15 If anyne s name was nt fund written in the bk f life, he was thrwn int the lake f fire. [Revelatin 20:10, 14-15] Gd is just: He will pay back truble t thse wh truble yu 7 and give relief t yu wh are trubled, and t us as well. This will happen when the Lrd Jesus is revealed frm heaven in blazing fire with his pwerful angels. 8 He will punish thse wh d nt knw Gd and d nt bey the gspel f ur Lrd Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destructin and shut ut frm the presence f the Lrd and frm the majesty f his pwer 10 n the day he cmes t be glrified in his hly peple and t be marveled at amng all thse wh have believed. [2 Thessalnians 1:6-10] Believers: New Heavens / New Earth Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, fr the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was n lnger any sea. [Revelatin 21:1] The Eternal State But each in his wn turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he cmes, thse wh belng t him. 24 Then the end will cme, when he hands ver the kingdm t Gd the Father after he has destryed all dminin, authrity and pwer. 25 Fr he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy t be destryed is death. [1 Crinthians 15:23-26] And I heard a lud vice frm the thrne saying, Nw the dwelling f Gd is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his peple, and Gd himself will be with them and be their Gd. 4 He will wipe every tear frm their eyes. There will be n mre death r murning r crying r pain, fr the ld rder f things has passed away. [Revelatin 21:3-4] N lnger will there be any curse. The thrne f Gd and f the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be n their freheads. 5 There will be n mre night. They will nt need the light f a lamp r the light f the sun, fr the Lrd Gd will give them light. And they will reign fr ever and ever. [Revelatin 22:3-5] Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 14 f 15
Applicatin fr the Church - It is clear that there is life after death (and life after life after death); therefre, we all need t make sure we are right with Gd. - We need t spread the message f salvatin t thse arund us. - We live in the already / nt-yet. We shuld d what we can t reflect the greatness f the next wrld in ur wn. The fact that Christ is cming in the future shuld nt prduce laziness in us nw. - We can endure the trials f life knwing that ne day it will get better. Week 7 The Dctrine f the Future Page 15 f 15