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What
is the End-times?
 The
“End-times” is a period prior to the return of Christ
(The Messiah) when God deals with the world in
judgment. This period is known by several names
including “The day of the Lord”,
“The Tribulation”,
“Time of Jacob’s Trouble”,
“Daniel’s 70th Week”
and
“The Day of Jezreel”.
According to the books of Daniel and
Revelation, the End times period of judgment, will last
7 years. Entire chapters and sections of scripture are
devoted to the End-times. The most detailed account of
this 7-year tribulation period is in the book of
Revelation chapters 6 through 19.
Another event occurring near or during the
7-year tribulation is the Rapture.
The Rapture, is a supernatural event when believing
Christians are called up into heaven before they die.
They along with other believers who have died in the
past receive their resurrected bodies and return with
Christ in His Glorious Return at the end of the
tribulation.
During this seven-year period, according to
the book of Revelation, at least ½ of the earth
population dies in the first 3.5 years. In addition, by
the end of this period, most of the earth’s population
dies, before Christ returns. This period in the world
is unequaled and never repeated again. In the end times,
Satan through the control of the Antichrist and
False Prophet, will persecute and kill all
who refuse to worship him by receiving a mark described
as 666. Jesus talking about this period on the
earth says,
21
"For then there will be great tribulation, such as has
not been since the beginning of the world until this
time, no, nor ever shall be. 22 "And unless those days
were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the
elect's sake those days will be shortened. Matthew
24;21-22
 Near
the end of this tribulation period, the surviving armies
of the earth, gathered by Satan, assemble along Israel,
at a place called Armageddon. Following Israel’s
acceptance of Jesus Christ as Messiah, Jesus returns in
power and glory with the angels and saints of Heaven to
establish the Millennium kingdom. The
Antichrist and False Prophet, cast in the
Lake
of Fire,
are judged for eternity. Satan is bound for 1000-years
and cast in the abyss.
Jesus talking about his return following the tribulation
says,
29
"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun
will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens will be shaken.
30
"Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven,
and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and
they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.
Matthew 24:29-30
The
nations are then gathered by the angels to stand before
Christ, to determine who will enter the Millennium
(Matthew 25:31-46), the saints (Believers both Old and
New Testament) rule and reign with Christ during the
Millennium over the nations (Matthew 19:28, Daniel
7:27).
Bible Prophecy
Simply stated Bible Prophecy is God telling the end at
the beginning. By doing so God demonstrates He is God
and the Bible is His Word. To understand the
relationship between the Bible and the end-times some
basic questions first need to be answered.
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Why did God reveal the future in the past?
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How did God reveal the future in the past?
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Why is it important understand Bible Prophecy?
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Why should we trust the Bible?
Why
did God reveal the future in the past?
Many
people question the purpose of Bible Prophecy,
specifically end-times prophecy. The purpose for God
revealing the end from the beginning is stated in the
book of Isaiah. God declares,
4
Because I knew that you were obstinate, And your neck
was an iron sinew, And your brow bronze,
5
Even from the beginning I have declared it to you;
Before it came to pass I proclaimed it to you, Lest
you should say, 'My idol has done them, And my carved
image and my molded image Have commanded them.' Isaiah
48:4-5
God
is unique in his character and nature. He alone knows
the end and beginning. To demonstrate the Bible is His
word in contrast to the claims of Idols and false books,
he declares the future in the past. Bible Prophecy is
proof for any skeptic the Bible is the Word of God.
 How
did God reveal the future in the past?
In
the same way you or I might use a pen or pencil to
convey our thoughts on paper, God used individuals who
were inspired by God’s spirit to write God’s Word for
humanity. Just like many of us might choose to write a
letter to our friends using a writing instrument, God
choose individuals such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel,
Hosea, Matthew and Paul to put together a letter to his
creation. This letter is the Bible.
The proof God is the author the Bible is the
Super-natural objective evidence of Bible Prophecy and
specifically End-Times prophecy.
Why
is it important to understand Bible Prophecy?
Understanding Bible prophecy allows you to grow in your
confidence and understanding of God’s plan for your
life. Ask yourself the question, How do you know the
Bible is God’s Word? Do you have trouble producing
evidence for this answer? Then, you need to understand
Bible Prophecy. For this reason, God declared the end
from the Beginning so we can have confidence in His word.
Why
should you trust the Bible?
 The
through Bible Prophecy demonstrates its God’s word, by
declaring the End from the beginning. Therefore its
logical to trust what the Bible says about our
eternity. The Bible declares we are made in the image
of God with eternal destinations. Jesus talked twice
as much about Hell then He did Heaven.
Are
you going to Heaven?
Are
you going to Hell?
How
do you go to Heaven?
The
Bible answers these questions for Humanity, and through
prophecy we can “Trust” the answer the Bible gives.
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Item |
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1. Fall of Humanity |
When Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s command in the
Garden of Eden, their sin caused the fall of
humanity, their descendents. Satan, a fallen
angel, a Cherub by rank (Ezekiel 28:14), tempted
Adam and Eve to disobey and question God’s
command (Genesis 3:1-10). Satan also cause 1/3
of the angels to rebel against God (Revelation
12:4) |
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2. Plan of Redemption |
At the fall of Man God established a plan of
Redemption. Through the seed of the women, God
would send a redeemer who would crush the head
of the serpent, who was occupied by Satan at the
fall of man (Genesis 3;15). This redeemer would
be the coming Messiah, a descendent of Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob through the line of Judah and
King David. (2 Samuel 7:14) |
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3. The Messiah (two Pictures) |
God revealed through the prophets information
about the coming of The Messiah. Where he would
be born? Events in His life and what would
happen to him. Including the exact Month and
year he would be killed 539 years before his
birth.
There are two pictures which stand out in
scripture regarding the Messiah, one is of King
Messiah the other is a Servant Messiah who dies. |
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a. King Messiah |
King Messiah will reign on the throne of David,
and rule the nations with a rod of Iron. (Psalm
2). King Messiah is the Servant Messiah who
returns in glory and power at the 2nd
Coming. (Matthew 24:29-31, Matthew 25:31-31) |
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b. Servant Messiah |
The Servant Messiah comes into the world and is
rejected by his people Israel. Daniel and
Isaiah foretell his death. (Daniel 9:26, Isaiah
53). At the end of the tribulation, Israel
realizes Jesus Christ is their Messiah rejected
at His first coming. Jesus Christ returns to a
repentant Israel (Zechariah 12:9-10) |
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4. Israel and the Temple |
The nation of
Israel
is the descendents of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
They are chosen by God as the method of bringing
redemption to the world, by birth of Messiah.
Israel rejects the Messiah, at the first coming,
later to accept Messiah as King at the 2nd
Coming. |
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The Temple |
David purchased the land for the Temple Mt.
Moriah, the same location Abraham took Isaac
1000 years before David. Solomon, David son
would build the Temple known as Solomon’s
Temple. This is the 1st Temple. This
would later be destroyed and rebuilt during the
time of Cyrus, this is the 2nd
Temple. This was destroyed by the Romans in
A.D. 70
The 3rd Temple is the End –Times
temple, which requires the destruction of the
Dome of the Rock. |
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5. The Rise of Islam and the Dome of the Rock |
Islam came into being in the A.D. 610 when
Mohammad proclaimed he was a prophet sent by
Allah. He had a night vision where he claimed
to travel to
Jerusalem
and ascend into Heaven from the Temple Mount.
After his death, his warriors conquered
Jerusalem and built the Dome of the Rock
to commemorate the Truth of Islam. This spot is
the third most holy spot to 1.2 Billion
Muslims.
According to Bible Prophecy this building
must be destroyed before the 3rd
Temple is built. |
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6. The Rapture |
Derived from the Latin word rapio
meaning, “Caught up”. The “Rapture” teaches
Christ will descend from Heaven, and call those
who know Him into Heaven. Those who are alive
will be transformed into their resurrected body,
at the same time; the dead in Christ will also
receive their resurrection bodies in the
twinkling of an eye. (I Thess 4:15-17, I Cor.
15:52) This is part of the First Resurrection. |
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a. Pre-Tribulation Rapture |
The view before the seven year tribulation,
those who know Christ will be raptured or caught
up to be with Christ and return with him at the
Second Coming or Glorious Return. |
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b. Mid-Tribulation Rapture |
The view that at the mid-point of the
Tribulation, Christ will descend from heaven
and call those who know him into heaven. |
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c. Post-Tribulation Rapture |
The view that immediately following the
tribulation period, Christ will catch up his
church and then return with them in his Second
Coming. Matthew 24:29 |
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7. The Tribulation |
A period preceding the return of Christ, when
suffering on earth will be unequalled in the
history of the world, according to Christ. The
period is seven-years, divided into three parts,
a first half, mid-point and a last
half. (Matthew 24:15-22, Daniel 12:1,
Jeremiah 30:7, Daniel
9:27
) |
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a. The Antichrist |
The final earthly king who will oppose Christ
and attempt finally destroy the Jewish people.
He is killed at the Second Coming, along with
the False prophet who proclaimed his glories.
He along with the False Prophet will be cast
into the
Lake
of
Fire. |
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b. The False prophet |
An end times spiritual leader who along with the
Antichrist, the Beast, deceives those who dwell
on earth. He performs miracles calling fire
down from heaven and instructing the people on
the earth to worship the Antichrist. He along
with the Antichrist are the first two occupants
of the Lake of Fire. (Revelation 13:11-17,
19:20) |
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c. The Abomination of Desolation |
The act of desolating the Jewish Temple.
Antiochus IV Epiphanies (167 B.C.) desecrated
the Jewish Temple and installed an image of Zeus
resembling himself. According to Christ, in the
end times a similar event will take place in the
Third Temple. The Antichrist will commit the
same act of Antiochus IV, declaring his deity,
and demand worship.(Yet to be rebuilt) (Daniel
8:12,
Daniel 9:24-27, Daniel
11:31, 12:11, Matthew 24:15, Revelation 11) |
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d. 666 |
An economic system put in place by the False
Prophet ensuring no body can buy or sell unless
they worship the image of the Beast, who is the
Antichrist incarnated by Satan. |
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e. Armageddon |
Literally in Hebrew “Hills of Megiddo”, a
location to the north of Jerusalem where the
final battle on Earth will take place. The
nations gathered by Satan, to battle Christ,
assemble in Israel. Christ who descends from
Heaven destroys the last earthly powers.
(Revelation 16:16, 19:19-21) |
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8. The Millennium |
The Millennium is a literal one-thousand-year
period, when Jesus Christ will reign as king on
Earth. During this period, the saints, Old and
New Testament will reign and rule with Christ
over the earth. Creation will be at peace, and
the earth will prosper. (See Revelation 20:1-7,
Matthew 19:28-29, Isaiah 2:1-4, Isaiah 11:6-9) |
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Pre-Millennial |
The belief we are in a period prior to the
Millennium. Those who view the Bible as literal
and Revelation as “Futurist” have this view.
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A-Millennial |
The letter “A” before a word negates the
meaning, hence this view denies a literal
millennium. This view holds the Millennium
referred to in Revelation as symbolic. |
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Post-Millennial |
This view sees the current age as having past
the Millennium. We are therefore living in a
post-millennium age. |
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9. Eternity |
The final state of humanity, following the
Millennium, the redeemed dwell with Christ for
eternity and the lost are cast into the Lake of
fire. |
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10. Lake of Fire |
The eternal dwelling of the Lost, the first two
occupants are the Antichrist and the False
Prophet. Following them, after the “Great White
Throne” Judgment all the lost are cast into the
Lake of Fire. (Revelation 20:14-15) |
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11. Hell |
Hell was originally prepared for the Devil and
his angels, Hell is a holding place for the
lost, before the Great White Throne Judgment
(Revelation 20:11, Matthew 25:41). |
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Eschatology |
The study of “Last Times” |
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Dispensational Theology |
The view of distinct administrations of Grace by
Israel and the Church, the Church age is the
present age, where the church has responsibility
of administering the gospel of Grace to the
world. In the past and during the tribulation
period,
Israel
will administer the gospel of Grace to the
world. (Hebrews 1:1-2, Romans 11:25, |
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Covenant Theology |
The view God has one covenant with man, the
Covenant of Grace. This covenant starts at Adam
and is fulfilled in Christ who died for the sins
of all humanity. In this view, the Church has
replaces Israel, and is the “New Israel” which
incorporates both believing Jew and Gentile. |
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