Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 4 v 13 - 18; Daniel 9 v 24 -
27; Ezekiel 38 v 14 - 23; Ezekiel 39 v 1 - 10; Revelation 19 v 11 - 16.
Our hope is in the promise of Jesus that He will return
to Earth for a final showdown with the forces of evil. Our position is to
occupy this Earth till He comes and share the blessing of salvation with those
who don't have it. How will these final sequences be fulfilled?
Daniel prophesied that 69 weeks of years (ie 70 weeks
minus 1 week reserved for the time of the end) which is 483 years from the
command by Artaxerxes to restore the kingdom to Israel till Jesus was crucified. Then will come a
time when the Jews reject Jesus as their Messiah until the last week ie a seven
year period wherein the covenant of God will be confirmed.
This seven year period starts with the signing of a peace
treaty at which ALL the Arab nations sign a pact with Israel which is brought
about by the Antichrist. This is the last seven years in which there will be
great tribulation - earthquakes; famine; pestilence; financial upheaval;
betrayal; wars, anarchy; weather out of control.
The first half of this tribulation is called "The
Beginning of Sorrows" and although it will be a hard time it will also
herald the world-wide revival of faith in Jesus Christ. At the same time the
Temple will be rebuilt in Jerusalem and animal sacrifices will resume.
At the end of this first half of the tribulation the
Rapture will occur in which all the born again Christians will be caught up
into the clouds to be with Jesus. At the same time the Antichrist will enter
the rebuilt Temple and declare himself to be God. The eyes of the Jews will be
opened to the imposter and they will flee into the Mountains of Petra where
they will have a revival of faith in the true Messiah.
During this second half the Great Tribulation fully
manifests and people are forced to have the number 666 on their hand or
forehead without which you cannot buy or sell. Any resisting the number of the
Beast will be killed. Towards the end of this period all the nations of the
world turn against Israel and break the 7 year peace treaty by sending a united
army of 200 million into the plains of Megiddo known as Armageddon. Jesus with
all the saints arrives on Earth and destroys 166 million in one day. It takes 7
months to bury the bodies.
The 1000 years of Peace and Restoration begins with Jesus
reigning in Jerusalem over all His people as the Earth is cleansed of all
pollution and restored to its original glory of Creation. The antichrist and
all his people and demons are sent into the lake of fire for all eternity.
At the end of the 1000 years comes the Great White Throne
Judgment or Day of Judgment. Those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life are safe. The rest must give an account of their deeds.
I believe we are in the dress rehearsal stage with many
of problems that will fully manifest in the Tribulation starting to shake this
planet. We seem to be in the grip of a financial crisis that is no longer under
man's control. Anarchy - lawlessness - is being felt in many countries; famine
is common; HIVAIDS is a huge pestilence with no end in sight - plus other
plagues that bring fear to many. The weather is of huge concern with an
increase in superstorms, tornados, tsunamis and global temperatures. Even if we
can predict when these phenomena will occur they will still be devastating.
There is only one safe place, alive or dead, and that is
in Jesus Christ. He is The Ark of the Covenant and in Him we have eternal life.
We give Him all the praise and the glory for what He has done for us.
Prayer: Heavenly Father we long for the day when we will
be home with You forever together with the family of God. We pray for all the
unsaved souls to take advantage of this time of grace and amnesty. We feel the
urgency of time marching on and days growing short and rejoice that the revival
will start soon. Let us work together while it is still light with the
labourers You are raising up for the final great harvest. In Jesus' name. Amen.