Our Blessed Hope (Part 3)

THE DAILY WORD
By Jim Seekamp

Tuesday November 4, 2008

Here is a list of end time events in order of occurance:

1. The Rapture: Jesus Christ will appear in the clouds, and all believers will be gathered up to Him. First the dead in Christ will rise, then those who are still alive will be caught up together with them.

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (NIV)
15. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. 18. Therefore encourage each other with these words.

The bodies of the saved that were buried in the earth will be resurrected and changed, since they were just a "seed" for our new "imperishable bodies:

1 Corinthians 15:51-54 (NIV)
51. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52. in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
53. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."

2. Once the church has been raptured, the antichrist will be revealed:

2 Thessalonians 2:6-8 (NIV)
6. And now you know what is holding him (the antichrist) back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7. For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. 8. And THEN the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

The one who is "holding back" the antichrist has to be "taken out of the way" in order for the antichrist to be revealed. That would be the church! We have authority OVER satan (Ephesians 1:18-23, Ephesians 2:6), and he cannot rule on the earth until we're gone!

3. The antichrist will reign on the earth during the 7-year "tribulation" period. He will exalt himself and proclaim himself to be God. People will believe in him because of the counterfeit signs and wonders he does:

2 Thessalonians 2:3,4 (NIV)
3. Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (The Day Of The Lord) will not come until the rebellion (Greek: apastasia: DEPARTURE: RAPTURE) occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. 4. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God.

Revelation 13:4-8 (NIV)
4. Men worshiped the dragon (satan) because he had given authority to the beast (the antichrist), and they also worshiped the beast and asked, "Who is like the beast? Who can make war against him?"
6. He opened his mouth to blaspheme God, and to slander his name and his dwelling place and those who live in heaven. 7. He was given power to make war against the saints and to conquer them. (Many people will turn to Christ after the rapture, having learned the Bible as children, but then rejecting God. So there will be some believers on the earth after the rapture.) And he (the antichrist) was given authority over every tribe, people, language and nation.
8. All inhabitants of the earth will worship the beast-- all whose names have not been written in the book of life belonging to the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world.

4. Then, after the great 7 year tribulation period is over, Jesus will return -- on the "Day Of The Lord"-- to overthrow the antichrist:

2 Thessalonians 2:8 (NIV)
And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming.

Revelation 19:11-21 (NIV)
11. I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. 12. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. 13. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. 14. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. 15. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. "He will rule them with an iron scepter." He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. 16. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
17. And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18. so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great." 19. Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army.
20. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.

5. On the Day Of The Lord, Satan will be bound for a thousand years:

Revelation 20:1-3 (NIV)
1. And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.

6. Jesus Christ will reign on the earth for a thousand years. It will be a time of peace, since the devil will not be around to deceive and cause trouble. This time period is often called the "Millennium". All believers who either died or were raptured reign with Christ during the thousand years, since when we were raptured, the Bible tells us we would be with the Lord FOREVER. (1 Thessalonians 4:17).
Those who turned to God during the tribulation are then raised from the dead as well, to reign with Christ during the millennium. All the dead who did not turn to God are not raised until after the thousand years. (Remember, believers who were raptured before the tribulation are not dead, they have already been given their immortal bodies!)

Revelation 20:4-6 (NIV)
4. I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
5. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

7. At the end of the thousand years, satan will be released from the abyss, deceive the nations on the earth where Jesus is reigning from Jerusalem, and gather them together to make war against Jesus. Fire falls from Heaven and devours the huge army:

Revelation 20:7-9 (NIV)
7. When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8. and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth--Gog and Magog--to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9. They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them.

8. The devil (satan) is cast into the Lake Of Fire for eternity:

Revelation 20:10 (NIV)
10. And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

9. Last will come the "Great White Throne" judgement. The names of all who are born again (Titus 3:5), by confessing Jesus as Lord and believing that God raised Jesus from the dead (Romans 10:9), are written in the "Book Of Life" (Philippians 4:3). All whose names are not written in the Book Of Life are cast into the Lake Of Fire:

Revelation 20:11-15 (NIV)
11. Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books.
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 person was judged according to what he had done. 14. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

PRAYER
Thank You Father for sending Jesus fulfill the law and defeat satan. Thank You for Your Word that unveils Your truth to me so I can understand how to live my life on this earth. Help me be a light of love to those around me who are headed for destruction. I pledge to pray for all the unbelievers I know, that they will receive Your wonderful salvation.
In Jesus Name, Amen.

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