The “seventieth week” comes from Daniel 9:24–27, one of the most important prophecies in the Old Testament. It is often called Daniel’s Seventy Weeks prophecy.
The Big Picture (Daniel 9:24)
God reveals to Daniel that 70 “weeks” (literally “seventy sevens”) are determined for the Jewish people and Jerusalem to finish six great purposes:
To finish the transgression
To make an end of sins
To make reconciliation for iniquity
To bring in everlasting righteousness
To seal up vision and prophecy
To anoint the Most Holy (or Most Holy Place)
Almost all scholars agree that these “weeks” are weeks of years = 70 × 7 = 490 years.
How the 70 Weeks Are Divided
Daniel 9:25–27 divides the 490 years into three parts:
Period
Length
What Happens
7 weeks (7 × 7)
49 years
Rebuilding of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile (walls, streets, in “troublesome times”)
62 weeks (62 × 7)
434 years
From the rebuilt city until “Messiah the Prince” appears
1 final week
7 years
The 70th week – still future in most prophetic interpretations
Total so far: 7 + 62 = 69 weeks (483 years) are historically fulfilled.
The 69 Weeks (483 years) – Already Fulfilled
Starts with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (most scholars use the decree of Artaxerxes in 445/444 BC – Nehemiah 2:1–8, or sometimes 457 BC).
After exactly 483 prophetic years (360-day biblical years), the Messiah is “cut off” (killed).
This lands precisely on the time Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday and was later crucified (circa AD 30–33).
So the first 69 weeks are fulfilled in the First Coming of Christ.
The 70th Week – The Missing Seven Years
After the 69th week, two huge things happen before the 70th week begins:
Messiah is cut off (crucified) and has nothing (rejected as king).
The city and temple are destroyed (fulfilled in AD 70 by the Romans).
Then there is a giant gap (the Church Age we are in now), and the prophetic clock for Israel stops.
The 70th week (the final 7 years) is still future. It begins when a coming prince (the Antichrist) makes/confirms a covenant with “many” (Israel) for one “week” (7 years).
What Happens During the 70th Week (Daniel 9:27 + other passages)
This final 7-year period is described elsewhere as:
The Tribulation (Matthew 24)
The Great Tribulation (Matthew 24:21).
The Rapture and the Wrath of God poured out with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements at the trumpet blast of the opening of the seventh seal at the start of the seventh year. The wrath of God is poured out for a period of one year and ten days, the same time as God poured out His wrath the first time with Noah’s flood. Why one year and ten days? The year before a Jubilee year is always one year and ten days (Revelation 6:16).
How the 70th Week Ends
At the very end of the 7 years:
Jesus returns visibly to earth (Second Coming)
The Antichrist and his armies are destroyed (Revelation 19:11–21; Zechariah 14)
Israel nationally repents and recognizes Jesus as Messiah (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:25–29)
The six purposes of Daniel 9:24 are finally and completely fulfilled in the Millennium
Summary Table of the 70 Weeks
Weeks
Years
Event
Fulfilled?
7
49
Jerusalem rebuilt
Yes
62
434
Until Messiah the Prince
Yes
Gap
~2,000+
Church Age (present)
Now
70th
7
Tribulation – Antichrist -Rapture/Wrath of God – Second Coming
Future
In short, the seventieth week of Daniel is a coming seven-year period, dominated by the Antichrist, cantered on Israel and a rebuilt temple, the Rapture and Wrath of God and ends with the return of Christ and the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom. To prepare for Jesus coming Millennial Kingdom go to http://www.millennialkingdom.net where you find information on all aspects of ruling and reigning with Jesus, mind you Jesus and the Saints rule with a rod of iron.
Biblical prophesied end times Scriptures that relate to escaping God’s coming wrath.
Luke warns us to watch for that day.
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap. For it will come upon all who dwell on the face of the whole earth.But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Luke 21:36
Paul likewise warns that destruction comes suddenly, and many will not escape.
“While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief.” 1 Thessalonians 5:3-4
Joel tells us that there will be awesome celestial signs before the great, awesome day of the Lord comes.
“And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke. The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the Lord comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the Lord has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the Lord calls.” Joel 2:30-32
In terms of the timing of the great and awesome day of the Lord, John tells us that it is at the opening of the sixth seal that the great day of God’s wrath has come.
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth…. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”Revelation 6:12,15-17
Matthew tells us that it is after the tribulation of those days that we will see the celestial signs that Joel and John say signal the coming of the awesome day of the Lord, when He sends out His angels to gather His elect from the four corners of the earth.
“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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:31
After the trumpet blast of the seventh seal, John sees the Saints gathered before God’s throne in heaven.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands.” Revelation 7:9
When millions of people are taken up from the world in the rapture, what will the world think has happened? Those people who believe they are Christians and know Biblical end times prophecies will know the rapture has taken place, and they are those of the church in Laodicea.
“So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see.”Revelation 3:16-18
Hopefully, they will heed Jesus’ instruction and repent and seek Him. But what of the unsaved? The enemy, Satan, undoubtedly will have a counter explanation ready for when that happens; after all, he has read the Bible too.
STAN’S STRATEGY: Not only are demons manifesting in the heavenlies as aliens, but they are also sending messages to many on earth, which reveals their true character. In general, the entities communicate that the earth will soon undergo a period of cataclysmic changes. The descriptions they give are of what transpires when God pours out His wrath upon the earth. However, these so-called “aliens” are nothing more than demons pretending to be from some other galaxy. Their messages, as we will see, consist of some basic ideas that are the diabolical mirror to the Bible. 1. Cataclysmic events will come upon the earth. 2. They will help us overcome those events. 3. They will take those that can’t or won’t evolve to the next level. 4. Those that remain get to evolve to the next level now. 5. A man from among us will be raised with special powers and knowledge.
We can safely conclude that some time shortly after the rapture, the demons will most likely appear to the world as the saviors of the world and will provide an answer for the disappearance of over 700 million people worldwide. Many believe that the aliens/demons will say that they were the ones who seeded the planet (were the Creators of man) and have returned to help in our hour of greatest need. The reason that most of the world will not immediately turn to the God of heaven and earth following the rapture is because the enemy has been conditioning people for just such an event. The rapture is certain in that God has clearly said it would come to pass; therefore, Satan (as the father of lies, cf. John 8:44) must have some type of event in place to deceive the world when the event occurs.
Sometimes the message is that the people evacuated will be resettled to another planet. Sometimes the “aliens” tell us not to worry about where the ones taken will go. And sometimes we see it is the bad aliens who have come to catch people up into their spaceships; those brave enough to resist will survive, as portrayed in the 2010 movie Skyline, whose motto is “do not look up” because those that look at the light will be taken. Jesus told us to “look up” (Luke 21:28) when we see all these things beginning to come to pass. Could it be that Satan has found a clever way to encourage people to do just the opposite?
In her book Aliens Among Us, Ruth Montgomery writes of how the “aliens” have communicated: “We are coming in great numbers, not with any intention of harm, but to rescue the earth from pollution and nuclear explosions”. Some like Barbara Marciniak, a popular New Age author and channeller, in her book Bringers of the Dawn, writes of messages she claims she received from extra-terrestrials from the star system Pleiades. She discusses the disappearance that is coming on the world. The people who leave the planet during the time of Earth changes do not fit in here any longer, and they are stopping the harmony of Earth. When the time comes that perhaps 20 million people leave the planet at one time, there will be a tremendous shift in consciousness for those who are remaining.
It should be clear that Satan and his legions are making great preparations to have a counter explanation once the rapture occurs. She also shares another “message” from the ETs regarding the rationale for why millions of people will be taken. If human beings do not change—if they do not make the shift in values and realize that without Earth they could not be here—then Earth, in its love for its own initiation and its reaching for a higher frequency, will bring about a cleansing that will balance it once again. There is the potential for many people to leave the planet in an afternoon.
New Age writer Thelma Terrell claims to have received messages from Ashtar, the leader of an “alien confederation,” concerning the evacuation of millions around the globe. Those familiar with the Bible immediately see that Ashtar is nothing more than the same demon from Bible times (Asherah/Ashtoreth) but with a message that modern man wants to hear. Ashtar has communicated that “Earth changes will be the primary factor in mass evacuation of this planet.” Therefore, because of the impending events coming upon the earth, the “alien” ships will come in close enough to lift people off the earth “in the twinkling of an eye,”—even the terminology is borrowed from the Bible concerning the rapture. Our rescue ships will be able to come in close enough in the twinkling of an eye to set the lifting beams in operation in a moment. And all over the globe where events warrant it, this will be the method of evacuation. Mankind will be lifted, levitated shall we say, by the beams from our smaller ships. These smaller craft will in turn taxi the persons to the larger ships overhead, higher in the atmosphere, where there is ample space and quarters and supplies for millions of people.
The demons who are posing as “aliens” will try to convince mankind that they, in fact, are the saviours. The demons/“aliens” need to reassure those left behind that they in fact are the ones getting the better deal since then the aliens will return for “the children of all ages and races. The implication is that those taken were not part of the “children of all ages and races”. Do not be concerned nor unduly upset if you do not participate in this first temporary lift-up of souls who serve with us. This merely means that your action in the plan is elsewhere, and you will be taken for your instructions or will receive them in some other manner. Do not take any personal affront if you are not alerted or are not a participant in this first phase of our plan. Your time will come later, and these instructions are not necessary for you at this time.
The website Gateway to Oneness speaks of one named Cristah, the light worker, who receives messages from Ashtar. Cristah relays Ashtar’s message: “those who do not believe, will be left in the 3rd dimension,” and “those that are not of the light must stay and learn here in the 3rd dimension.” Cristah adds that Ashtar “says that the fate of earth’s inhabitants” will be handled on an individual basis.” The idea is that the disappearance of millions around the globe will be due to them being left in the third dimension, and those that then find themselves on the earth have transitioned to the fourth dimension.
Ashtar has been leaving messages with other channellers as well in order to make sure that his message is heard and spread. Johanna Michaelson is a former New Ager who is now a Christian. In her book Like Lambs to the Slaughter: Your Child and the Occult, she writes about the well-known New Age guru John Randolph Price, who also receives messages from Asher (a variation of Ashtar). Michaelson relays that, according to John Randolph Price, as many as two billion people could be wiped off the planet. This seemingly refers to the trials coming upon the earth versus the evacuation, nevertheless, the impact will be “we told you so” once the events begin to occur.
In his book Corrupting the Image – Angels, Aliens and the AntichristRevealed, Doug Hamp provides many other New Age gurus’ messages that convey a similar message. In summary, the messages from the “aliens” and the New Age are clear: major earth changes and cataclysms are coming upon the earth. As a result, many will be removed from the earth in the twinkling of an eye by the “aliens” or will remain in the third dimension while everyone else moves into the fourth dimension. The rapture is certain, and Satan has prepared for the event through the movies and through channellers receiving messages from “aliens” about the impending event.
The Feasts of the Lord are God’s prophetic calendar for Jesus’ first and second coming to Earth. The Spring Feasts predicted His first coming so it is reasonable to assume the Fall Feasts will predict His second coming.
The Rapture will likely occur on Yom Teruah of the Sixth Year of Daniel’s 70th Week and the physical Second Coming will likely occur on Yom Kippur of the Seventh Year at the end of Daniel’s 70th Week. The Resurrection and Rapture (which occur at the trumpet blast of the Seventh Seal) will occur on Yom Teruah (The Feast of Trumpets).
Is there any Biblical support for other Feast Day fulfillments? Interestingly, there is! The Sixth Seal is the Celestial Earthly Disturbance Event. Based on our Feasts model, we predict it will be fulfilled on Shavuot (Pentecost). The initial primary fulfilment of Shavuot occurred when the Holy Spirit came upon the disciples in Jerusalem, and they spoke in other languages to the listeners in Jerusalem. Peter delivered the famous sermon found in Acts 2 to those listeners, and 3000 people were saved and baptized. In that sermon, Peter quoted Joel 2:30-31 which directly references the Celestial Earthly Disturbance Event! Peter openly linked the Celestial Earthly Disturbance Event with Shavuot (Pentecost) and with the later Rapture/start of the Day of the Lord (on Yom Teruah). linking the ultimate fulfilment of Shavuot (Pentecost, the day on which Peter was speaking) with the ultimate darkening of the sun and moon as part of the future Celestial Earthly Disturbance Event at the Sixth Seal (Joel 2:31 and Rev. 6:12)—-and also linking the Rapture/start of the Day of the Lord on Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets), to follow shortly after that time (Yom Teruah occurs about four months after Pentecost). This is extremely strong evidence that this Sixth Seal will open on Shavuot (Pentecost), and by extension, from other correlations we have already noted, that all the seals will be fulfilled on the sequential Feasts’ dates. This is speculation, but a logical case is being built for this to happen as such. As you can see, knowing the Hebrew roots of our Christian faith is important in correctly interpreting much of scripture.
The sixth church in the sixth year of Daniel’s 70th week is the Church of Philadelphia. The city’s name is derived from the Greek PHILADELPOS, meaning “love for a family member” or “love for a brother.” But what does it say about conditions in the Church of the same name during the Sixth Year of the 70th Week? What remains of the faithful Church will be bound in brotherly love by the persecution of earth-shaking proportions.
The Fifth Year of the 70th Week, which I covered in my last post about the Church of Sardis, is the year of the Great Falling Away. Massive numbers of nominal churchgoers will turn away from the faith when faced with persecution. They will bow to the Beast, his name, and take his number (the Mark of the Beast, likened to 666). The hour of testing the saints will be guarded from is the Wrath of God that occurs during the Seventh Year of the 70th Week.
These Christians will be living on the run, or they will go “underground,” totally weaned from the world economic system. Life in the Sixth Year of the 70th Week will be much like the First Century Church described in Acts; they’ll have all-things in common. Most will have lost family members, either to apostasy or martyrdom. They truly will be one family, the Family of God.
ATTRIBUTES OF JESUS IN THE LETTER TO PHILADELPHIA: In this Letter to Philadelphia, Jesus is described by the following attributes: “He who is holy, who is true, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, and who shuts and no one opens, says this.” Revelation 3:7.
The first attribute about Jesus noted is that he is Holy. At the end of the Sixth Year of the 70th Week, Jesus is coming to separate the elect from this world by means of the Rapture. Then they will be “like him.”
The second attribute is that Jesus is true. In the Letter to Philadelphia, truth is contrasted with “lying.” Jesus is true, those of the synagogue of Satan are liars (Rev. 3:9, 1 John 2:22). Jesus is the true light (John1:9), the true vine (John 15:1), the true Bread (John 6:32), and the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6). This attribute being “true” is critical. Those in the Sixth Year of the 70th Week can trust Jesus that he will save them at the appointed time. His word is true.
The third attribute is the most intriguing. Jesus has the key of David. In the last section, we saw a reference to doors that would open and not be shut in regard to Cyrus, who we learned is a type of Christ: “Thus says the Lord to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand, to subdue nations before him and to loose the loins of kings; to open doors before him so that gates will not be shut“. Isaiah 45:1. Not only does Jesus open and shut the door, he is the door. “. I am the door; if anyone enters through me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10: 9-10. This passage clearly contrasts Jesus with the Antichrist (the thief). In the Sixth Year of the 70th Week, Jesus will use the key of David to open the door no one can shut, call to his sheep, and lead them out in the Rapture. The Key of David appears in the sixth letter in the sequence of seven letters. The Sixth Year of the 70th Week is the year of the Rapture. This is the year the Lord opens the door of heaven for the wise virgins.
CONDITION OF THE CHURCH OF PHILADELPHIA Jesus has nothing but compliments for these survivors of the Great Tribulation, his faithful remnant represented in the Letter to Philadelphia: “I know your deeds. Behold, I have put before you an open door which no one can shut, because you have a little power, and have kept my word, and have not denied my name… Because you have kept (Gk: TEREO, meaning to guard) the word of my perseverance (Gk: HYPOMONES, meaning endurance) also will I keep (Gk: TEREO, meaning to guard) you from the hour of testing (Gk: PEIRASMOU, meaning temptation, trial, or testing), that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:10
The context of this passage in the Letter to Philadelphia means that it is related to the Sixth Year of the 70th Week. Those who overcome are guarded against the “hour of testing” or trial, not the entire 70th Week of Daniel as the pre-tribulation rapture teaches. This is an important distinction. The brief hour of testing the saints will be protected from is the Wrath of God, the Trumpet and Bowl judgements, which occur during the Seventh Year of the 70th Week.
So, for six years of the 70th week of Daniel, the Saints will be on Earth doing the work God has called them to do, and the seventh year will be a sabbatical rest for the Saints in heaven. The Trumpet and Bowl judgements will last for one year and ten days, the same time as when God poured out His wrath the first time with Noah’s Flood. The year before a Jubilee year is always one year and ten days which indicates the year following God’s judgement will be a Jubilee Year.
The final post on the Meaning of the Letters to the Seven Churches of Revelation will be about the church of Laodicea, the church left behind to endure the wrath of God.
No, He did not. He came to set up a Kingdom and the only prayer He taught us to pray is
“Our Father in Heaven, Hallowed be your name, Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven“… only then do we ask for our daily needs.
“And do not seek what you are to eat and what you are to drink, nor be worried. For all the nations of the world seek after these things, and your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things will be added to you.Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Luke 12:29-34
Next on God’s agenda for His Earth is for Jesus to set up a Kingdom on Earth where Jesus and the glorified Saints will rule and reign for 1000 years. God’s Word tells us exactly how Satan’s rule comes to an end. He is bound in the Abyss for most of Jesus’ Millennial Kingdom. He is released at the end and is still able to raise an army like the sand of the sea to come against Jesus and the Saints. I am reminded here of the time before God destroyed all of mankind except Noah and his family.
“The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.” Genesis 6:5-6
How many churches are preparing believers for Jesus’ coming Millennial Kingdom on planet Earth? I would say very few, they are not even preparing them for the coming tribulation. The seven churches in Revelation represent the church in each of the last seven years prior to Jesus’ return and God pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet (7) and Bowl (7) judgments. Also, the six seals show us what will happen on Earth during the last seven years. Let us look at the Sixth Seal and the Sixth Church.
SIXTH SEAL: The celestial signs in the sky that precede the Rapture of the Saints and God pouring out His wrath upon the Earth. The Rapture happens at the trumpet blast and the opening of the seventh seal.
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”Revelation 6:12-17
SIXTH CHURCH (Church of Philadelphia – Philadelphus means “love of the brethren“) This is the church that God is going to rapture
“And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: ‘The words of the holy one, the true one, who has the key of David, who opens and no one will shut, who shuts and no one opens. “‘I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name… Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.” Revelation 3:7-8,10
The seventh church (Laodicea means “judgment of the people,”) This is the church God is going to spit out of His mouth. They will face the wrath of God but note, that God still calls them to repent (Rev. 3:14-22).
“They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years. The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who shares in the first resurrection! Over such the second death has no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years.” Revelation 20:4-6
Sorry, I missed putting up a post on each of the last two days. I was attending a Full Gospel Businessman’s (FGBFI) Convention where we had 20+ Indonesian Christian businessmen and wives in Australia to revive FGBFI in Australia. Christians from a Muslim country were here to revive Christians in a former Christian country. They were on fire for God. We obviously need more persecution to set us on fire.
Promise Keepers, an Evangelical organization in the USA founded in 1990 that holds men’s rallies in stadiums nationwide, has seen several scheduled events at churches and other venues canceled in recent months.
As recently as June,Belmont University, a private Christian university in Nashville, cancelled a Promise Keepers event after the national Christian men’s ministry posted a blog criticizing LGBT pride month. The university accused the organization of “unnecessarily fan[ning] the flames of culture wars.”
Promise Keepers’s “Daring Faith” tour, is one of several events that were later canceled by Christian venues, including Hope Church in Cordova, Tennessee, and The Fountain of Praise in Houston.
“Chairman and CEO of Promise Keepers, Ken Harrison said the cancellations were “disheartening” given that they came not from secular groups, but overtly Christian ones. One venue was worried that we would offend people by expressing our belief, rooted in Scripture, about gender and sexual identity,” he told The Christian Post via email. “Others said they didn’t want to draw protesters or simply didn’t give us a reason.
In 2021, a USA Todayeditorcalled on the Dallas Cowboys organization to bar Promise Keepers from holding a men’s conference at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, over Harrison’s views on men competing in women’s sports.
“The spirit of the age we live in is fear — of being criticized, disliked, canceled. As Promise Keepers, we refuse to give into that fear,” he said. “We choose to pursue and share God’s truth over being liked by all.
Jesus told us that in the time before Jesus returns to restore righteousness to Earth that Christians will endure increasing tribulation.
“For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are but the beginning of the birth pains. “Then they will deliver you up to tribulation and put you to death, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake. And then many will fall away and betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold.” Matthew 24:7-12
But the good news is that Jesus will take us to heaven with the Rapture event prior to pouring out His wrath upon an unrepentant world with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements.
“Because you have kept my word about patient endurance, I will keep you from the hour of trial that is coming on the whole world, to try those who dwell on the earth.“Revelation 3:10
We are told at the sixth seal that celestial signs appear in the sky that herald Jesus coming to gather the Saints and also God’s wrath has come.
“Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?” Revelation 6:15-17
It is at the trumpet blast of the seventh seal that the Rapture takes place and shortly thereafter John sees the raptured Saints before the throne of God.
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” Revelation 7:9-12
”But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a knowledge of the truth.” 2 Timothy 3:1-7
God tells us in advance so we can prepare for the coming tribulation. It is only after the tribulation prophesied in the last seven years before Jesus returns that the church is raptured and the dead in Christ are raised from the dead.
“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 heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, 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. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matthew 24:29-31
Paul also tells us that before the rapture the rebellion comes first and the man of rebellion (Antichrist) is revealed and declares himself to be a god in the temple in Jerusalem.
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you these things?2 Thessalonians 2:1-5
The celestial signs Jesus refers to in Matthew 24 that precede the rapture are also given by John at the opening of the sixth seal. John also tells us that immediately after the rapture the wrath of God is poured out on an unrepentant world.
“When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood, and the stars of the sky fell to the earth as the fig tree sheds its winter fruit when shaken by a gale. The sky vanished like a scroll that is being rolled up, and every mountain and island was removed from its place. Then the kings of the earth and the great ones and the generals and the rich and the powerful, and everyone, slave and free, hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains, calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”Revelation 6:12-17
What are you doing to prepare for Jesus coming Millennial Kingdom? Can I suggest you connect with http://www.lastdaysovercomer.org where you will connect with believers that understand where we are in Biblical history and how to overcome and be victorious in the days ahead?
God gave all of his prophets a picture of the future that God had in store for them. There are at least 1800 prophecies of Jesus’ second coming. God wanted to prepare us for the soon coming time of tribulation when God will purify His church as He allows Satan to rule and reign for 3 1/2 years through the Antichrist (see 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12 below).
In the case of the O.T. prophets, they were given the future of their nation Israel that God had established for His purposes. They all saw their prophesied Messiah (Jesus) ruling the nations from a magnificent Jerusalem in the land of Israel with the borders that God had specified to Abraham. This is Jesus’ Millennial reign on this earth prior to its destruction, the second resurrection, the White Throne judgement, and finally the new heaven and new earth where only the righteous dwell. It is a transition period, we have had 6000 years of Satan’s rule and we will soon have 1000 years with Jesus ruling and reigning the nations with the glorified Saints.
The Saints will be resurrected and those living raptured just prior to God pouring out His wrath upon the earth with the Trumpet and Bowl judgements. As I have covered before, a number of times, the rapture occurs after the celestial signs at the end of the sixth year (sixth seal) of the final seven years (70 the Week of Daniel). The wrath of God lasts one year and ten days, the length of time of a Jewish year that precedes a Jubilee year. God’s wrath at the time of Noah’s flood also lasted one year and ten days.
The N.T. apostles were given prophecies like the two below, to Peter and Paul. Jesus gives us far more detailed information in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24 & 25, Luke 21, Mark 13) and Revelation. I will cover those in a future post.
“You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly.” 2 Peter 3:2-7
“Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to him, we ask you, brothers, not to be quickly shaken in mind or alarmed, either by a spirit or a spoken word, or a letter seeming to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way. For that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God… And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will kill with the breath of his mouth and bring to nothing by the appearance of his coming. The coming of the lawless one is by the activity of Satan with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are perishing because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false, in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.“ 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12
“The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool.” The LORD sends forth from Zion your mighty scepter. Rule in the midst of your enemies! Your people (Resurrected Saints) will offer themselves freely on the day of your power, in holy garments; (from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten you – LXX translation). The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind, “You are a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” The Lord is at your right hand; He will shatter kings on the day of his wrath. He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth. He will drink from the brook by the way; therefore he will lift up his head.” Psalm 110:1- 7
The first link from Psalm 110 to Psalm 2 is that in both psalms God promises the King dominion over rebellious enemy nations. A second link between Psalm 110 and Psalm 2 is that the King acts with righteous wrath. A third inner textual link between Psalm 110 and Psalm 2 is in the description of the King’s victorious battle. In Ps. 110:2 God promises to extend the King’s “mighty scepter [] from Zion” over all the nations. Similarly, in Ps. 2:9 the King is promised the nations as an inheritance noting that He “will break them with a rod of iron“.Both psalms depict the King’s victory in graphic terms: Ps 110:5–6 describe Him as crushing kings, piling corpses, and crushing leaders; similarly, Ps 2:9 portrays Him as shattering earthly kings and nations into pottery shards. Yet another link between the two psalms is that the King is to reign from Zion. In Ps 110:2, the LORD stretches forth the King’s scepter “from Zion.” Accordingly, Ps 2:6 presents the King as enthroned on “Zion,” God’s “holy mountain.” A final but significant inner textual link between the two psalms is derived from the variant reading for Ps 110:3.64. There, God declares to the King, “from the womb of the dawn, I have begotten You,” the same word used in God’s oracle to the King in 2:7: “You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Psalms 2 and 110 are clearly linked in the New Testament (Heb 1:3–5,13; 5:5–6) in this regard.
Scripture clearly tells us that all of the Saints (dead in Christ raised first and then all those that are alive) are taken up to meet Jesus in the clouds. Left on the earth to face God’s wrath are all those that rejected Jesus’ offer of salvation by submitting to His Lordshipover their lives. It is only by recognizing our sinfulness against our holy God and repenting of our rebellion that we can be born again thereby receiving the Holy Spirit to be our counselor, teacher, and comforter enabling us to live the Christian life.
“For this, we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord, himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
Where do you stand? Will you be left on earth to face the wrath of God poured out over twelve months with the trumpet and bowl judgments outlined in Revelation 8 (Trumpet) and Revelation 16 (Bowl)?
At the end of the Bowl judgments, Jesus and the Saints return to earth to defeat the Antichrist and his army at the Battle of Armageddon.
“The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up, to prepare the way for the kings from the east. And I saw, coming out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs. For they are demonic spirits, performing signs, who go abroad to the kings of the whole world, to assemble them for battle on the great day of God the Almighty... And they assembled them at the place that in Hebrew is called Armageddon. ” Revelation 16:12-14
Note how demonic spirits are controlling the actions of unsaved people on earth.
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, he judges and makes war… He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” Revelation 19:11, 13-16
LIVING ETERNAL NOW 