Victory Can Be Yours!
Article #58 – “What’s
Next?”
Following
the rapture of the church, the Lord will return to earth, “They also said, ‘men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into the
sky? This Jesus, who has been taken up
from you into heaven, will come in just the same way as you have watched Him go
into heaven.’” (Acts 1:11) From this passage, we find that as He was
raised He will also return. Before the
Lord returns the second time, following the rapture of the church, a period of
seven years of tribulation takes place. This
is the final seven years of the Jewish age, a time of God’s wrath being poured
out upon unbelievers. This subject stirs
up a great deal of controversy. Due to
time and space considerations, we will only look at what I believe the
Scripture says on the matter, my understanding to the best of my
abilities. My position is that of a
pre-tribulation rapture of the church, followed by the seven years of
tribulation, followed by the return of Jesus and His bride, the church.
Immediately
following the rapture, the anti-Christ is revealed and makes a world-wide
contract for a one-world government to bring peace to the world. It makes sense that when all Christians on
the earth disappear, there will be mass confusion and despair. Something drastic will be necessary to calm
the masses. Some charismatic person will
have to rise to the occasion and therefore, the covenant for peace. After three and a half years, the anti-Christ
breaks the covenant and the great
tribulation takes place for another three and a half years. Jesus said, “For then there will be a great tribulation,
such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now nor ever
will. Unless those days had been cut
short, no life would have been saved, but for the sake of the elect those days
will be cut short. (Matt. 24: 21, 22) If the Lord does not intervene, no life would
survive. We cannot possibly understand
or imagine the evil that will exist during this time. The restrainer of evil will have been removed
where evil and chaos reigns supreme in all the world.
The
Lord returns to earth to bring an end to the terrible devastation taking place. The King
of Kings and Lord of Lords will return to earth to set up His kingdom. The
Lord then chained Satan and cast him into the abyss where he will remain for a
thousand years. At this time the first
resurrection occurs where Jesus raises those who have been martyred during the
tribulation period. (Rev. 19; Matt. 24, 25) “Then I saw thrones, and they sat on them,
and judgment was given to them. And I
saw the soul of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony of Jesus
and because of the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or
his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand;
and 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 completed, this is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is the one who has a part in
the first resurrection; over these the second death has no power, but they will
be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with Him for a thousand years.” (Rev.
20:4-6)
You,
too, can have victory in Jesus! More to
come.
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