End Times Estimations

The end of days is evidently upon us and so it seemed good to my spirit to share some very important concepts, facts, and encouragements. Studying the end, eschatology can exasperate a believer, and give you "apocalyptic blues." (The Mosaic Bible, NLT). I believe Christ wants us to live between being challenged and comforted, standing firm and observing the Sabbath (day of rest). There needs to be balance, and often the topic of the End times falls into an austerity that can make some people crazy. This is not the goal of the prophets, and the apostles. They wanted to warn us about what is going to transpire to inspire us in faith, to stand firm, and to be encouraged that the days of great evil is a fulfillment of prophecy and must happened, not something to collapse or faint over. So let us explore some very important concepts.

Revival versus Return

Revivals are beautiful event. They usher unsaved souls into the Church and lead people to faith in Jesus Christ, "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." (1 Timothy 2:3-5). Revivalists are lead on by this scripture and the Great Commission, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.." (Matthew 28:19). However, revival could be in conflict with the Return of Christ. Let me put it this way, as long as there is potential for many souls to be saved, Christ is not coming back, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." (1 Peter 3:9). He delays became people keep coming to knowledge of Truth, and so as aforementioned, "desires none should perish." Here is the paradox, those who want major revival and redemption of a country are in conflict with the Return of Christ. For the Lord to even return, there has to be an end cap, a falling away, and actually few Christians left on Earth, "I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8), and "If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened." (Matthew 24:22). I believe the calamites like Wormwood (Revelation 8:11), the plagues of the Bowels (Revelation 16), and the Four Horseman of Apocalypse (Revelation 6), actually are part of making the Earth almost empty of believers, to have us so persecuted that nothing can delay Christ's coming! What a paradox right? We are commissioned to share the Gospel (Mark 16:15), and Christ desires all be saved (1 Timothy 2:4), but if you really want Jesus to return, you should actually realize the falling away must happen (Matthew 24:10), as well as the dark days of the Lawless One (2 Thessalonians 2:7-11). Here is the great struggle, God uses evil for good , "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose," (Romans 8:28), "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives," (prophetic of Jesus' crucifixon, Genesis 50:20), and "Evil will slay the wicked; the foes of the righteous will be condemned." (Psalm 34:21). So these people bent on revival and who pray for Return of Christ (Revelation 22:20) are actually praying for opposites; save the last revival and harvest before Christ comes (Matthewe 25, Joel 2-3).

I am not against revival, I am merely saying that it seems to me that Christ has to eventually allow the earth to become so godless and the ability to usher in more saints via revival isn't possible, or else He has to keep delaying. I believe then the Antichrist is a tool of this, the Great Tribulation, persecution, plauges, and Revelation Bowls and Trumpets are to thin the flocks, to make many come home to Christ, and those who survive are too busy trying to "stand firm," (Matthew 24:13). I believe the Scripture that reads, "And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 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." (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7). This restrainer, constrainer, and one who holds back could be Holy Spirit, and it could be that we will see a cessation of the Gifts of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12) and outpourings of the Spirit as it was in four hundred year silence of God between Malachi and the Gospel of Matthew, the Maccabean era. I have no proof of this, so do not take it as word of God, but it seems to me the power of Spirit may be shut off, the Holy Spirit won't leave his people, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever--" (John 14:16), "And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit," (Ephesians 1:13), and "set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." (2 Corinthians 1:22). We will still have Holy Spirit, we may just not have revivals stirred by gifts so God can come back and be with us! Its funny, people get so caught up in wanting to reverse evil, when in fact the evil days have to happen for Christ to come back. I am not saying to stop moving in Gifts of Spirit, for it seems God will inevitably decide to send all calamities in Revelation to make sure the setting is right for His Son's Return.

Caught Up versus Second Coming

What becomes of us Christians during the end of days is a subject of some controversy. There currently are three camps, with six to eight sub sects underneath them. There is the Pre-tribulation camp, which believes we will be raptured before the Great Tribulation and The Wrath of God (Revelation 14:19). There is the Mid-Tribulation camp that believes we shall endure a portion of Tribulation, ranging from 3-7 years, but we will be raptured before the Wrath of God. The final camp is Post-Tribulation, which are people that believe we shall endure all that happens in Revelation save for the Wrath of God on the wicked. While the lines of these groups are drawn, the controversy really reaches its apex over Rapture and Second Coming. Those in Pre-Trib camp believe there will be Rapture and Second Coming, the first is in Zachariah, "On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, and the Mount of Olives will be split in two from east to west, forming a great valley, with half of the mountain moving north and half moving south," (Zachariah 14:4) and Second Coming is, "So the angel swung his sickle to the earth and gathered the clusters from the vine of the earth, and threw them into the great wine press of the wrath of God. And the wine press was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the wine press, up to the horses' bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles," (Revelation 14:19-20) and, "From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, "KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS." (Revelation 19:15-16). The Pre-Trib group has some strength in their view, because the angels say to the apostles, "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11). This fits Zachariah's vision, and the other vision of Jesus coming with a sword, and armies is quite different, and earlier in Revelation it says, "Look, he is coming with the clouds," and "every eye will see him, even those who pierced him"; and all peoples on earth "will mourn because of him." So shall it be! Amen," (Revelation 1:7) which is in tune with Zachariah 14 and Acts 1. Thus Pre-Tribers seem to think the Second Coming is actually something that happens after the millennial (thousand year) reign of Christ (Revelation 20:1-6), and that thinking breeds three camps in itself, Pre-Millennial (Jesus must come and establish the millennial reign), AMillennial (Christ is already reigning in heaven and this is millennial riegn), and Post-Millennial (the millennium happened in past). But what does the Bible specifically say about the Return of Christ? Here are the key verses:

1. "And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the SON OF MAN COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF THE SKY with power and great glory. And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other, (Matthew 24:30-31)
2. "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words," (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
3. "BEHOLD, HE IS COMING WITH THE CLOUDS, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him; and all the tribes of the earth will mourn over Him. So it is to be. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." (Revelation 1:7-8).
4. "Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11).

Clearly Christ is going to gather living and the dead to be with Him. We will not have to worry about false prophets, false christs, and the lawless one deceiving us with a show that looks similar, for it says we will be caught up, angels will gather us, and so it will not be, "is that Him?" No, we will be changed, "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." (1 Corinthians 15:52). Changed into what? Well that leads me to the next tip.

Changed and Newly Created Bodies

This change mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:52 is what the Apostle John says will happen when Christ appears, "Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2). This change includes a new body, for Jesus Christ had a risen body, "But they were startled and frightened and thought that they were seeing a spirit.  And He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them." (Luke 24:37-43).
Christ was not only able to appear like a spirit, go through walls, but also to be touched, and eat! This is the new resurrected body, and we are promised one, "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. For we live by believing and not by seeing. Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body." (2 Corinthians 5:1-11). These new bodies will be given to us as soon as Jesus appears, wither we be in grave or not (1 John 3:2, 1 Corinthians 15:52). In case you fear for your brothers and sisters in Christ who were burned (cremated), sunk in the sea on a ship, and other castrophies, I have good news for you, they will be raised just as those buried, "And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire." (Revelation 20:12-15).
Do not fear, those you love shall come forth. God who created man from dust (Genesis 2:7) and breathed a spirit into him (Genesis 2:17), He can gather the ashes of your Christian ancestors, family, and friends and put them together in a new body; for their spirit is already in heaven with Him anyway.

I want to close this post with saying, believe the Bible, and lean on Holy Spirit. Endure to end (Matthew 24:13) and keep confessing and believing in Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9). What I have mentioned are points of view, based on Scripture, but ultimately we only, "Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." (1 Corinthians 13:12). Thus we must be careful to draw lines like Pre-Trib, Mid-Trib, and Post-Trib. We need the Holy Bible to help guide us towards the best example and understanding, and commune with Christ in whom, "the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge," (Colossians 2:2-3), and "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity (Godhead) lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority." (Colossians 2:9-10). The Trinity has all the answers, we are merely trying our best by the Spirit of God to understand what is written. I believe what I have written here, and in other posts is Lectio Divina, divine revelation, but I want to make sure you know ultimately Jesus Christ has the full knowledge and wisdom; and thus we mortals can misunderstand and make mistakes. Amen.